Quasi-Socratic Dialogues on the Web - Re:The appeal of violence and morbidity (in Death Metal music)

The appeal of violence and morbidity

What is it about death metal (and, I suppose, related things like black metal and the horror genre) that is so appealing? The gory, morbid album art, the nonsensically ghoulish lyrics (see, for example, Suffocation's "Infecting the Crypts," which throws around a lot of morbid imagery while not making any actual sense, lyric-wise), the sinister and impersonal atmosphere of the music... what's so appealing about it?

Sure, if you wanted to, you could make a case for death metal as nihilistic art, or the music of industrial Man facing his own mortality, or blah blah blah. Death metal can be taken seriously when it's done well, but there's no denying that the violence, gore, and other assorted unpleasantness associated with the music serves as a "hook." However seriously this or that band presents the material, whatever artistic aspirations they may have, there's no escaping the impression that these musicians - and fans - dig this stuff on a less intellectual level. It may be art, and it may have something important to say, but the morbidity and violence are appealing on their own.

Why? What do you think?

To say that the appeal of Death Metal is its morbid associations is very much like saying that "THE" reason that a person likes particular music is always because of its lyrics.

If there is any better candidate for a musical genre where the lyrics are NOT the only, or main draw, I should like to know what it is, and if the specific meaning of the lyrics is not necessarily important, why should we assume that gory themes are crucial?

Virtually all of the Metal sub-genres have a distinct sound, and the fact that there are so many Metal sub-genres is testament to the importance of specific audio styles for Metal fans.

Confronting, or embracing mortality, or the simple thrill of morbid topics may well be what draws SOME Death Metal fans to the genre, but for many people, what distinguishes Death Metal from other types is a particularly uncompromising approach to music. Thematically, or musically, Death Metal WILL go there. "There" may titillate and thrill some, and as we all know, will drive away others, but the unbounded quality of the music is crucial in its appeal to most fans.

As to the question of the "intellectual level" that Death Metal is operating on, this is a matter that is hopelessly entangled in "high art" vs. "low art" pretensions. Death Metal is obviously not especially popular in "fine arts" circles, but "nonsensically ghoulish lyrics" could also be described as evocative, atmospheric, and non-literal lyrics, and as such could well be described as being more abstract and intellectual than a love story narrative song. The dark themes of Death Metal are well enough represented in the so called fine arts. Take a look at this description from the Wikipedia article on Francis Bacon, one of the the most important English artists in the 20'th century.

Bacon's artwork is known for its bold, austere, homoerotic and often violent or nightmarish imagery, which typically shows room-bound masculine figures isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds.

Barring "homoerotic" this description would not stand out in
Death Metal. Moreover, neither would much of the art. Take a look at this Bacon, and keep in mind that this is universally accepted as fine art.

British And French Nuclear Sub Collision Could Have Released Radiation

An accident of this sort is an accident all right, but contrary to official claims, is not a simple coincidence. Submarine accidents of this sort (of which there is a long Cold War history) occur when one, or both of the submarines are stalking one another. In playing cat and mouse, one of the submarines may accidentally overtake and collide with another.



Such stalking can be a way of gathering information about the other sub, preparation for war, or simple machismo.



All submarines have a unique acoustic signature, and submarines specialize in detecting such, so it is unlikely that at least one of the subs did not know that the other was an ally. Because of this, the only reason that cat and mouse stalking would be justified, would be as practice for war; a military exercise of sorts.



Naval collisions between nuclear vessels are not an acceptable outcome in an exercise, whether that exercise is officially planned (doubtful) or is informal, and one or both of the submarine captains should be, and are likely to be punished. Both navies are trying to cover up the nature of the accident however, because there is real irresponsibility involved.
About Nuclear Weapons
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Death by a thousand cuts: micropayments and journalism

Wikimedia Commons

Pressed by the economic crisis, weakened newspapers are beginning to crumple, with The Tribune Co. and Minneapolis Star Tribune bankrupt, and the New York Times in hock to Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. Naturally, this is alarming to those in the media, and commentators are weighing in with schemes to solve the problem.

What is interesting, and probably alarming for those people who like newspapers and journalists, is just how many crucial points these rescuers miss, and not just crucial shortcomings of newspapers (and there are plenty) but crucial points about the proposed solutions themselves. Time Magazine's cover story is as good a place to start as any. In Walter Isaacson's piece How to Save Your Newspaper, he suggests that the solution is micropayments.

The key to attracting online revenue, I think, is to come up with an iTunes-easy method of micropayment. We need something like digital coins or an E-ZPass digital wallet — a one-click system with a really simple interface that will permit impulse purchases of a newspaper, magazine, article, blog or video for a penny, nickel, dime or whatever the creator chooses to charge.

The dubious viability of micropayment schemes is not exactly unknown to internet users. Has Isaacson somehow failed to get the message? Apparently not.

Admittedly, the Internet is littered with failed micropayment companies. If you remember Flooz, Beenz, CyberCash, Bitpass, Peppercoin and DigiCash, it's probably because you lost money investing in them. Many tracts and blog entries have been written about how the concept can't work because of bad tech or mental transaction costs.

From the sound of things, he has in fact been burned already by this notion. Surely then Isaacson has a new angle on the subject; a new and reformed micropayment system? Unfortunately not. Isaacson has been burned, but refuses to acknowledge that the stove is hot.

But things have changed. "With newspapers entering bankruptcy even as their audience grows, the threat is not just to the companies that own them, but also to the news itself," wrote the savvy New York Times columnist David Carr last month in a column endorsing the idea of paid content. This creates a necessity that ought to be the mother of invention. In addition, our two most creative digital innovators have shown that a pay-per-drink model can work when it's made easy enough: Steve Jobs got music consumers (of all people) comfortable with the concept of paying 99 cents for a tune instead of Napsterizing an entire industry, and Jeff Bezos with his Kindle showed that consumers would buy electronic versions of books, magazines and newspapers if purchases could be done simply.

It would seem very reasonable to define "bankrupt" as meaning that people do NOT need or want your services enough to pay for them in their current form. "But things have changed" is precisely the sentiment that has brought a form of prosperity to Las Vegas, and the reverse of prosperity to millions of individuals throughout history. To be sure, necessity IS the mother of invention, but invention means CHANGING a mechanism to obtain a result. Needing or wanting are not, as several billion desperately poor people around the globe can tell you, the same as invention.

Not only is this solution illogical, but Isaacson has committed a minor journalistic atrocity by slapping us, yet again, with overly mentioned fads like the iPod and Kindle. Most of the 'Dot Bombs" were popular with somebody, but just HOW popular matters a great deal. It is far from clear that the Kindle for example, can be viewed as a substitute for anything, rather than being an additional income and distribution opportunity, being supplemental just as web advertising is for newspaper publishers, and a convenient means of distribution, just like impulse-buy bookracks at gas stations, druggists, and grocery stores.

Isaacson should note that Steve Jobs and the iPod (which are more significant in music than the Kindles is in publishing) have NOT in fact, stanched the bleeding in the record industry. The public has little enough to worry about in this, because the record industry does not in fact contribute especially much to the content and normally musicians get only a small portion of the income from album sales, but a newspaper publisher is not 95% a groupie hanger-on like a record label.

The real problem with Isaacson's suggestions however, is not in his overenthusiasm for the iPod or Kindle, but is rather in his failure to recognize the lessons that their example presents. The best example is in the most important of the two; iTunes and the iPod. Apple did NOT by any means "permit impulse purchases of a newspaper, magazine, article, blog or video for a penny, nickel, dime or whatever the creator chooses to charge." To the contrary, the iPod was successful PRECISELY because they did not permit price variation, but sold all songs at a flat fee (Apple apparently intends to tamper with their model, but the business was built on flat fee).

Looking at iTunes, we also have a big hint as to why past micropayment schemes have not worked well. SOME people are willing to cough up 99 cents for a song, although this is certainly not the only source of music ultimately supplied to iPods. Any song purchased can be listened to again and again, and more importantly, if you pick your songs with foreknowledge, you will WANT to listen to the song repeatedly. This is NOT true of most newspaper articles. Most of the things that micropayments could be used for have been overpriced. To be fair to Isaacson, he is not completely unaware of the problem.

Under a micropayment system, a newspaper might decide to charge a nickel for an article or a dime for that day's full edition or $2 for a month's worth of Web access. Some surfers would balk, but I suspect most would merrily click through if it were cheap and easy enough.

This is not exactly a bad analysis, but it isn't enough to work with either. A person buying a newspaper has traditionally expected to be making what is essentially a micropayment that will provide them with a broad selection of current news and entertainment. Nobody was willing to pay for individual articles in the past, and there is no reason to expect that this has changed. A dime for a days access to the paper would not be unreasonable, at least if the buyer can easily download individual articles in handy, can-be-passed-around-freely form, but access would need to be at minimum, access to the entire paper. Everyone who has read newspapers or magazines is used to a headline or title story not being as interesting as expected, and the fact that magazines and newspapers are sold to readers, while tracts are sold only TO proselytizers rather than BY newsstands shows that article by article sales are not a viable business model.

Icelandic Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, Would Be World's First Gay PM

It is probably true that Johanna Sigurdardottir's homosexuality would be more noted and more controversial in the US than it is now in Iceland, but it would be incorrect to suppose that this is the only characteristic that would feature in news coverage of any similar figure in the US.



While former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey attracted nationwide attention almost entirely based on his sexual behavior, his scandal plagued administration was notable for little else. His sexual orientation played a crucial role in a sexual harassment AND corruption scandal,



Sigurdardottir by contrast has distinguished herself as unique in 'standing up for the little guy' and with so long and distinguished a record, of course Icelanders will focus on these characteristics that actually affect them.



We are not confined to idle speculation regarding American tolerance, because the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee is Barney Frank, an openly gay congressman. Frank has been reelected several times and holds a coveted chairmanship despite being caught hiring a male prostitute and misusing the power of his office to benefit them. Frank has recently attracted nationwide news coverage because of his role in overseeing the banking system, and the attention has been focused on his job, not his sexual orientation. Sigurdardottir's ascent to Prime Minister is still historic, but a close look would suggest that this ascent has more to do with her hard work and humanitarian efforts than disproportionate tolerance in Icelanders.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Completely mad reasons to support Apple and Mac

So the new online only PC magazine decides to celebrate 25 years of the Mac. This makes a fair amount of sense because the Mac did after all, introduce the GUI to general personal computing, and also because PC Magazine needs all the corporate support that they can get (why do the cynical reasons always come to mind whenever Apple comes up). To make an Apple product look good in PC Magazine, the writers and editorial board write articles describing their wonderful experiences with the Mac. The crazy thing is, the Mac is praised as ACTUALLY WORKING with iTunes!

But here's a great argument for Macs: If you have an iPod or iPhone, you need one. iTunes won't make your Mac run slow or conflict with your database software.

In a seperate article, he details further.

Then in 2002 , my wife got me my first iPod. It "worked" with my homebuilt PCs with FireWire cards, but there was something…lacking. I had to reformat the iPod way too often, and iTunes was a resource hog on the PC. I had to get a Mac so that I could have some stability in my music player. I was back to an Aluminum PowerBook G4, first a 12-inch then a 15-inch. The Intel transition of Macs happened in 2005, and now I carry both operating systems everywhere I go: a MacBook Pro that runs both Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard.

And this is written by no less than the Lead Analyst for the Desktops team at PC Magazine Labs! Even a technical expert, and indeed a technical expert cultivated by tech companies, has to put the term 'worked' in quotation marks when describing iTunes.

Should I mention at this point, that I HATE, HATE, HATE, Quicktime media player and its hellspawn iTunes?

Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0

Quicktime, and what appears to be about a quarter of an operating system that comes with it, is the most invasive program that I have EVER run across, with the PARTIAL exception of pure malware.

People have been wondering lately why Steve Jobs is so emaciated looking. His problem is simple. The poor man simply installed iTunes/Quicktime on a PC while touching the back of the computer, or otherwise making a connection. The body of Steve Jobs is not Apple proprietary, and who would imagine that being made according to God's standards was good enough?

Now all this might be taken to imply that I disparage Apple and the Mac. To the contrary, I think that any system that can inspire loyalty against the prevailing Wintel quasi-monopoly AND inspire loyalty DESPITE functioning so poorly with Wintel products of any sort (I assume that Quicktime and iTunes will work properly on a Mac) , must have something going for it! I must admit to a certain amount of puzzlement as to what exactly this IS, but there must be something.

Any time that I have used a Mac, I have been annoyed by the unique path required to make any adjustment. This is actually praised in the PC Mag Widows vs. Mac point-counterpoint article. To quote "Windows has too many ways to do things". This strikes me as very odd, since virtually everyone has misplaced something at home, and then been forced to spend a disproportionate amount of time hunting for it. I fail to see how replicating the "lost it and I need it NOW" experience is desirable. Perhaps a Mac person out there can tell me what the special ingredient is. Oh, and yeah, I know about Vista.
Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0

Vista SUCKS!

Anyway, having complained about Quicktime/Itunes, I should list a couple of programs that might help if they don't work for you. First item is a substitute for Quicktime; the QuickTime Alternative. This program is supposed to be a replacement for Apple's compu-cancer, and it is updated on a regular basis. In the past at least, it did not necessarily work as well as a person would like, but it doesn't have to. It isn't as invasive as the real thing.

The second program that I would recommend, if you want to remove Quicktime from your system would be Revo Uninstaller. QuickTime likes to leave chunks of itself on your system when you remove it, and if you run Revo on a more thorough setting, it helps to strip the invasive, interferes-with-other-programs monster from your system. Running the thorough clean takes time, but it is worth it!

Unfortunately, by the time you detect that you really have a problem, there is a good chance that you will already have tried to uninstall Quicktime, and have discovered that the removal was ineffective. For this problem, you might try CCleaner. This useful utillity will remove garbage of all sorts, not just that left by QuickTime/iTunes, and though I have yet to come across a program that completely undoes the damage of 'Apple's revenge', this will often solve the problem.

Finally, there is an old program that might or might not work; QuickTime Killer. This 2005 era program was designed to stop QuickTime from placing itself in the system tray as an autorun program. As of this writing, you can still download the program, but I have never used it, and for obvious reasons, I do not wish to infect my system to test whether or not it will work with the latest versions of QuickTime. If you are trying to tame QuickTime, but can't remove it, you might try the program.

Since so many people have had problems with Apple's media-invader, I would be very happy to hear any other suggestions, or means of removal. You can of course, put your experiences in the comments, but I also would be happy to publish a guest post if someone wants to write one.

Film Review

A characteristically personal scene from a movie that is supposed to be depicting the story of a globe-spanning conqueror .

Mongol: A Film With Limited Appeal

If for no other reason than that people around the globe tend to like certain categories of story, there are several straightforward and standard ways of making a movie about a great conqueror.

The first would be as a full spectrum historical biopic, spinning together any and all of the dramatic elements of so notable a figure's life. The second would be to make a historical romance, using real or imaginary events and characters to make a conventional romantic story, with the conqueror's adventurous life adding spice and extra drama. The third would be to make a story of trial and triumph, with the protagonist overcoming incredible odds. Fourth, and finally, one could make a story of villainy, tragedy and moral decay, with a driven protagonist falling due to his moral flaws, or inflicting misery and suffering on the world. Any one of these narratives would have broad appeal to people around the globe.

'Mongol' however, is not so straightforward. While I do not know enough about Genghis Khan's life to definitively rule out most specific incidents or subplots in the movie, Mongol is clearly not a full biopic, covering only the early portion of Temudjin's life, having a distinctly personal focus (the protagonist goes from family and retainers, to an army of thousands with almost no exposition), and emphasizing monogamous and faithful love in a man who (albeit he might well have been loyal to his family), it is well established, entertained a wide variety of relationships with more than one woman. The one thing that Mongol takes away from the historical biopic is a somewhat grim and serious tone.

Mongol does have the man-woman relationship emphasis of the historical romance, but the story is not built into a smooth and sleek narrative around this. Rather than being a historical romance, the romantic element seems to have been added to establish the humanity of the conqueror, and to anchor the personal emphasis of the film. The romantic narrative of 'Mongol' is too choppy, and the tone of the film too dour to be a successful historical romance on the genre's own terms.

'Mongol' does contain many ingredients of the trial and triumph story, but likewise, would not be a very good movie by the standards of this genre because the adventurous tension, action, and triumph are all very incompletely developed if these elements are what the film entirely rests upon.

Finally, so far as a narrative of tragedy and moral decay are concerned, there is little of this in the film*,and this absence points to the motivations and understandings behind its creation. Mongol is a film that attempts to present the character of Genghis Khan in a reasonably sympathetic, but not quite celebratory light. The conqueror Temudjin is something of a hero, or at least is respected in the steppes where the film is set, but is likely to be seen in a grim light by many Russians (a disproportionate number of whom are involved in the production) and much of the world at large. In its selective coverage of Genghis Khan's life, the film can avoid confronting the beliefs of people who have widely varying opinions of him. Any film that deals with so notable a character is going to have a certain amount of appeal to people living in lands directly impacted by him, but the peculiar mix of plot ingredients is likely to limit its appeal elsewhere.

This is not to say that the film is specifically bad, and certain elements; much of the acting for example (particularly Honglei Sun as Jamukha), are very good. The costumes, photography and soundtrack are all well done and give the film an authentic appearance (while liberties appear to have been taken with some historical events and the battle tactics, absolute accuracy does not necessarily define good and bad in film). The natural environment in which the film is set is quite beautiful, and is likely to be even more striking to those people who are less accustomed to such an environment (the climate and terrain are actually very similar to parts of Western Nebraska).

Good acting, cinematography, and some interesting costumes however, are not enough to make the film one I would recommend to everyone. These elements of craft combine to put flesh on the disparate themes I mentioned earlier, and you would be justified if you liked this movie, but you would not be wrong or unsophisticated if its thematic mix did not leave you impressed.

*

'Mongol' is apparently, the first installment of a planned trilogy, and it is very possible that such themes will show up in sequels, possibly providing a more balanced, albeit six hour long trilogy experience.


Film Also Known As (AKA)

Монгол	Russia
Cengiz Han	Turkey
Czyngis-Chan	Poland
Der Mongole	Germany
Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan	UK
Mongol: The Untold Story of Genghis Khan	Netherlands

MOUSE TERRORISM HORROR IN TORONTO!!!

*Suicide Gnawers Kill More Than100 Cats.
*A 911 Event For The Cat Community.
*Many Deaths Constitute "Signature" of Al Qaeda In Rodentia.


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In a shocking development, suicide-gnawing mice launched a deadly attack on the

Durham Humane Society in Oshawa, a suburb of Toronto, killing over a hundred cats, two dogs and a puppy, and 60 hamsters, guinea pigs and other small pets.

“It’s like losing your own family pet, times 200,” said Kay Anderson, a kennel worker who spent most of her time preparing adult cats for adoption. “It’s shock, it’s devastation, it’s complete heartache. It’s a second home to all of us. We all have animals of our own that came from there.”

Animal shelter workers who arrived on scene were held back by flames until better equipped police and firemen arrived.

By the time fire crews arrived, they were only able to save 10 dogs, two cats and a rat. One of the surviving cats needed oxygen, three of the dogs were treated for chest congestion, while the rat was sent to be cared for in a foster home.

The rescued animals, according to police, were frightened and freezing.

"We got those animals that were able to be saved and put them in police cruisers, and kept them warm, and comforted them until the experts showed up from animal services," said Const. Dave Selby of Durham Regional Police.

A 911 Event For The Cat Community.

Initial work by (human) fire investigators failed to reveal a purposeful human cause for the lethal fire, but evidence of rodentine terrorism soon emerged. The suicide attackers chewed on electrical wires in the shelter's ceiling until they could cause an electrical short, sparking a lethal fire.

"It's unfortunate and ironic that mice caused the fire that killed the cats," Toronto Humane Society spokesman Ian McConachie told the BBC News website.

"Unfortunately, the mice probably perished in the fire as well," he added.

The US State Department quickly released a statement on the horrific events. "This attack showed clear indications of malice. Malice, and large numbers of casualties are the signature signs of Al Qaeda involvement in a disaster. Clearly in continuing our war on a tactic, we must now launch an invasion of territories controlled by terriers and ferrets."

Questions about the sensibility of attacking animals well known to dislike rodents were quickly dismissed. "Both rodent-terrorists and small carnivores have four limbs, hair, and nurse their young", said a spokesman. "Besides, biting is bad. When we see one animal biting another, we should clearly drop a 500 lb. bomb on the biter. This will clearly stop the negative behavior."

Spreading extremism

While this attack represents a dramatic spread of rodent militancy to Canada, rodentine extremism has been well documented in the past few years. Farfour the mouse, for example, was, before his untimely (or timely, depending on your perspective) demise, a propagandist for Hamas, and as such, aroused much alarm throughout the internet.

Farfour, Hamas agent

While the late Farfour was a rather feckless and dimwitted individual, experts warn that disillusioned mice inspired by his example and displaced by recent historical events could pose a greater threat. Many rodents with military, espionage and security training have been laid off, and might be pushed into the underworld by the recent economic crisis, selling their skills to the highest bidder.

Danger Mouse: laid off in post-Cold War downsizing

Joseph Mkhedrioni Mouse: Removed from security services following triumph of Rose Revolution.

The political chaos and decline in living standards following the death of Mickey Mouse the Great and the collapse of the Cheddar Wall have also brought new weapons and expertise to the black market. A recent suicide bombing, seen in the video below, demonstrates the dimensions of the new threat.

Chemical analysis of the explosives used in the bombing indicates a military-grade explosive taken from Disney stores, and the terrorist rodent is clearly a more determined and decisive threat than the notorious Farfour.

Further evidence of the Jihadist threat can be seen in the spread of propaganda that attempts to entice young male mice into terrorist organizations with the implied promise that this will impress female mice.

pic and info: Black Rainbow

This image for example, seen on a T-shirt sold on the Internet, is clearly designed to incite support for terrorism in young male mice.

Rodentofascism?

Some academics say that this is not a new threat however. "Rodentofascism is just a new manifestation of an old ideology" said Christopher Kittens, sipping whiskey and staggering slightly. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We can't afford to adopt a Neville Chamberlain strategy the second time around. For too long we have accepted the idea that government intrusion into private life is simply bad. Keep that attitude, and the next thing you know, a mouse in a swimsuit smoking a cigar will be buzzing round your head" he said, referring to the axe wielding rodent who accompanied the Nazi regime's chief fighter pilot.

Adolph Galland and rodent companion (on side of plane)

The evil rodent

Other analysts disputed this characterization however. "It is true that Mickey Galland and Farfour are extremists" said Bianca Gabor of the Rescue Aid Society, "but they are seperated by both decades and geography, and neither is representative of the larger mouse community. People should be alarmed at any axe wielding maniac, not just one with round black ears on the top of his head. Mickey Mouse is just one prominent example of a rodent who fought FOR the Allies.

Economists of the Chicago School also responded to critics who point out that Henry Ford and some of the other men who were important to the Allied cause in WW2 also showed an excessive symapthy towards fascists before the war, and later in the Cold War that followed. "The Western world celebrates ambition and entrepreneurship" said a spokesman. "Only anti-globalisation extremists and plot-theorists are going to be alarmed just because he wants to own the globe. Naturally Mickey is going to aim high."

More info:

Donate to help humane society of Durham (yes the rodent arson was real)

Fighting Rodentofascism?

Mickey Mouse: A Real Terrorist! Mike Cane's Blog

Copyright Term Extension Act

THE MOUSE THAT ATE THE PUBLIC DOMAIN:
Disney, The Copyright Term Extension Act, And eldred V. Ashcroft

A Mickey Mouse Copyright Law?

Copyright and the Mouse: How Disney’s Mickey Mouse Changed the World

Mickey Mouse threatens to block all ideas in future

Mickey Mouse vs. The People

Mickey Mouse Clubbed