Word-whore. I write 'em. I talk 'em. Information, politics, media, and the cybers. I drink. I use bad words. All publication is a political act. All communication is propaganda. All art is pornography. All business is personal. All hail Eris! Vive les poissons rouges sauvages!
Not only do Australia’s Olympic athletes have superb pectorals, the government has set them up with a bevy of 5 to 12-year-olds to chat to on the Internet.
Olympian Andrew Gaze says the program will provide inspiration to young people and the Olympic team.
Indeed. And if you set up, say, Wollongong property developers with a bunch of pre-pubescents online, Serious Questions Would Be Asked. Why are Serious Questions not being asked about this initiative?
Creepy.
Bored by pornography? You’re not the only one, according to The Onion.
Jaded by the sight of what it deemed “run-of-the-mill” orifices, the nation’s pornography-saturated populace released a statement Monday demanding a new bodily opening to leer at. “At this point, staring at an anus, vagina, or beckoning mouth has become so commonplace that it is no more titillating than ogling, say, the human elbow.”
Read the whole article to discover what the populace demands in its new orifice, so to speak. Hat-tip to Boing Boing.
Tomorrow afternoon I’ll find myself at an event called Putting The Penis Into Envy, On The Couch With Sigmund Freud. “Sigmund Freud is synonymous with sexuality — penis envy, mother love, the Oedipus Complex, therapy for heavens sake! In the Gothic splendour of the Nicholson Museum and an informal champagne cream tea, a panel in the field will discuss gay issues raised by the work of Freud. An exhibition from the Freud Museum in London displays antiquities that surrounded and influenced the man.” Hosted by Marc Pesce, of all people. Wanna join me?
If History is the set of stories we tell ourselves to explain the Past, then I guess Society comprises the stories we tell ourselves about the Present — plus the conversations which create our Future. I suspect that’s why certain people seem to be excited by the Australia 2020 Summit: Australia does seem to be starting a new conversation about its own identity.
The other day I quoted an historian who said that the Prussian enlightenment [of the 18th century] was about conversation. “It was about a critical, respectful, open-ended dialogue between free and autonomous subjects,” he said. So I’ll be so bold as to suggest this new conversation will lead to the Australian Enlightenment.
Yesterday I read two pieces which reinforce this idea of a new conversation. The first was Maxine McKew’s First Speech to federal parliament as the Member for Bennelong.
I should also post a link to Bruce Schneier’s magnificent essay The Psychology of Security. A fantastic read. For similar material, check out his keynote speech at LinuxConf Australia last week.
At some point my series of toilet and urinal images needs to move away from pubs and Thai restaurants. But not tonight.
Here’s the toilet at the Chat Thai restaurant in Campbell Street, Sydney. A great modern Thai eatery, all in yellow and black. Including this Dalek trying to disguise itself with a potted plant.