Victor Billot » Asides

Never mind the butter, here’s the ex-Pistols

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:43:01 +0000

I am an agriculturalist, I am an anarchist . . . dairy me.

Byte sized leftists

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:39:14 +0000

Kevin Kelly comes up with his take on techno-socialism. Thought provoking stuff, although some of us still believe in workers of the world uniting regardless of whether we have a Twitter account.

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Ghost in the machine

admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:51:12 +0000

Parts from the past, valve city, what happens when the cutting edge becomes memory lane? There is something definitely eerie about this electronics warehouse for discontinued lines of vintage components, redundant surveillance machines and obsolete technology.

It reminds me in an oblique way of a vendor I visited in London’s Brick Lane markets in the 1990s whose stock included piles … Read more

There’s no business like show business

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:47:22 +0000

From the Guardian:
“Chinese producers are attempting to transform Das Kapital from a hefty treatise on political economy into a popular stage show, complete with catchy tunes and nifty footwork.

Whether Karl Marx would approve of his masterwork being served up as entertainment for China’s new bourgeoisie is a matter of speculation. But the director He Nian – … Read more

Presenting the Bad Clowns?

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:33:03 +0000

As a general principle the idea of Mick Harvey leaving the Bad Seeds would be a negative, but when his replacement is Ed Kuepper the situation becomes more complex, especially when the Laughing Clowns are back in town.

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Digital metaphors

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:46:27 +0000

Has anyone noticed that spam is sounding more like strange alien prose poetry these days? Here’s a cut up from some of the rubbish filtered out of my inbox.

Gorgon touched reasonable distance,
these his monster seemed far
formidable talons
serious side effects
generic zoloft
royal way have died
lost his vision
soul began tapping years old
turn back drug … Read more

How sci-fi moves with the times

admin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:34:16 +0000

How sci-fi moves with the times – BBC interviews some very good writers

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Jump, you f*ckers!

admin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:27:44 +0000

UK journo Dan Hind puts together his take on the global economic crisis (PDF file.)

While “New Labour” in its various incarnations around the world burbles on about preserving “open and competitive markets” while the system craps itself, it’s good to see there are some old school left wing social democrats not afraid to go on the attack with devastating … Read more