Archive for March, 2007
Heinz von Foerster in The Net Heinz von Foerster was a scientist combining physics and philosophy. He worked in the field of cybernetics and was essential for the development of the radical constructivism theory and second-order cybernetics, for which he was an eloquent advocate. He is also known for his interest in (computer) music and […]
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Grace
The 22. hexagram of the I Ching – Grace – has always intrigued me The Judgement Grace has success. In small matters It is favorable to undertake something. The Image Fire at the foot of the mountain: The image of Grace. Thus does the superior man proceed When clearing up current affairs. But he dare […]
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I Put a Spell on You
Alfred C. Kinsey and Kenneth Anger at Thelema Abbey in Cefalu In 1955, Kenneth Anger made a voyage to Cefalu in Sicily to shoot a documentary about Aleister Crowley’s erotic frescos, Thelema Abbey. The film was made for Houlton Television which was a branch of Picture Post an extinct British Magazine. They lost it. I tried to find […]
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A Class of His Own
Toby Dammit’s interview not only reminded me of Johnny Rotten, but also of one of Germany’s rare (at least in the second half of the 20th century) cultural highlights: Klaus Kinski. He had quite a way to handle obnoxious interviewers. The following quote is from my memory: Kinski: “You just don’t have my class.” Interviewer (ironically): […]
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In the course of their respective careers Federico Fellini and Alain Resnais tried to get some projects off the ground which were inspired by genre fiction. Albeit not much of this came to fruitition. But I suppose that although they had to face problems of financial backing etc. (especially Resnais) they ultimately realized how hard […]
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Up(a)date
I would like to draw your attention to some sites I found while gathering information for the Storm over Disneyland post: Cartoon Modern has devoted many of his posts to John Hubley. Michael Sporn has some terrific Life Magazine scans featuring a foto novelization of Rooty Toot Toot. Independent Spirits: The Faith and John Hubley Story is an […]
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Storm over Disneyland
Jahsonic’s recent finding of The Tell Tale Heart reminded me of the UPA post that I planned to do for quite a while. The cartoons done by this company were among the most cherished by Surrealist film critics Ado Kyrou and Robert Benayoun. The two rejected the realist approach and anthropomorphisms of Disney’s films. Kyrou […]
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The Xtabay
If someone always wanted to know what that Xtabay is that Yma Sumac sings about, here’s the answer: “Xtabay litterally means ‘Female Ensnarer’ and can refer to (1) a basically Mesoamerican demon who seduces and kills, and (2) a female deity of the hunt, on a par with the male Ah Tabay. The Xtabay is not […]
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