Deep Space, Baby
Or, Prattle Beyond The Stars:
Physicists at MIT and SUNY Stony Brook recently announced findings that the total surface area of two black holes was maintained after the two entities merged. While this research was a welcome confirmation of both Stephen Hawking’s work and the theory of general relativity, it failed to address a crucial matter: what were its racial implications?
Heather Mac Donald browses an astronomy course at Cornell University, titled Black Holes: Race and the Cosmos, and premised on the question, “Is there a connection between the cosmos and the idea of racial blackness?” It seems unlikely that said course will enable any great scientific revelations, despite marshalling the combined forces of “Black Studies theorists” and the late jazz musician Sun Ra, who claimed to have visited Saturn; though it promises to “conjure blackness through cosmological themes.”
And so, while some observe the merging of bogglingly massive astronomical objects, others regard themselves as a more fascinating topic, and “conjure” their own “blackness.” Via farce, contrivance, and racial narcissism.
Consider this an open thread. Share ye links and bicker.
Nail on head.
Not entirely unrelated, when space exploration is viewed through a “lens” of identitarian monomania. (Or, when a “diverse group of thought leaders” – all far-left, inevitably – share their thoughts on the need for deaf and disabled astronauts, before pondering whether a mission to Mars would benefit Black Lives Matter.)
The question at the end of the video, around 20:40, and the subsequent awkward silence, is, I think, rather telling.
/applause
For those unfamiliar, Battle Beyond the Stars is a 1980 film. It is not, it has to be said, a triumph of cinema.
Say what you like about social sciences, I predict a renaissance in a couple of decades time. Once the West disappears up its own arsehole, Chinese academics in the social sciences will have a field day with this bollocks.
Sun Ra….
I once persuaded Mrs. Oik to accompany me to a concert by the then extremely ancient Mr. Ra and his “Arkestra” at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. We were treated to approximately ninety minutes’worth of atonal free improvisation by a bunch of elderly, mainly white, hippies.
The encore featured an actual tune in the form of “Rocket #9” which I think was the only thing he ever did which was vaguely popular.
It took me nearly three decades to persuade her to go to a gig with me again (Van Morrison, who was also rubbish but for very different reasons).
It took me nearly three decades to persuade her to go to a gig with me again
More on Mr, um, Ra here, including his, um, lecturing at Berkeley.
Better buckle up David. All your blogs are now belong to Canada. And its authoritarian, corrupt, scandal-ridden Trudeau regime.
Once the West disappears up its own arsehole, Chinese academics in the social sciences will have a field day with this bollocks.
You should re-read 1984 to see how that might work out. The phrase “memory hole” comes to mind. Such bollocks could perhaps work for any population.
What, you ask, is an “album”? (anon a mouse, yesterday)
Here you go: early 17th century: from Latin, neuter of albus ‘white’ used as a noun meaning ‘a blank tablet’
Which is amusing.
Wherein an expat understands the Constitution better than most ‘Murkans.
Speaking of deep space, there was a scene in one of the Austin Powers movies about the shape of Dr. Evil’s spaceship.
So this is what Bezos comes up with. It is unsure whether he has a base in a volcano also.
Better buckle up David. All your blogs are now belong to Canada. And its authoritarian, corrupt, scandal-ridden Trudeau regime.
Trudeau is a corrupt totalitarian, but I chiefly blame Canadians for being so intellectually and morally degraded as to not just elect but then re-elect this communist-loving monster.
More on Mr, um, Ra here, including his, um, lecturing at Berkeley.
I once wondered how anyone could be attracted to such deranged and unintelligent substitutes for thought. Now the universities are full of it.
I chiefly blame Canadians for being so intellectually and morally degraded as to not just elect but then re-elect this communist-loving monster.
But Canadians are nice. So very, very nice. Being nice and well liked by others is the most important thing there is, don’t you agree? Of course you do. You do if you want everyone to think that you are nice too. It is nice to be nice. Be the good people!
I once wondered how anyone could be attracted to such deranged and unintelligent substitutes for thought
You never met one of my college roommates. See comment regarding nice Canadians above. Substitute the word ‘smart’ for ‘nice’, ‘intellectuals’ for ‘Canadians’, ‘respected’ for ‘liked’.
Engineer.
I chiefly blame Canadians for being so intellectually and morally degraded as to not just elect but then re-elect this communist-loving monster.
Indeed. Read the replies to tweet wherein vaccinated Justin goes into “quarantine” after the G7. “Working from home” strangely not staying in one of the many Canadian quarantine hotels and eating gas station sandwiches like the rest of the plebians.
Meanwhile in other news, newly discovered violent language.
Engineer.
Heh. You’d think someone would have caught that during one of the requirements sprints. Sigh…another Agile failure.
I chiefly blame Canadians…
Canadian Politicians: We’re going to regulate speech, but only for those big, bad “broadcasters”.
Canadians: Sounds good, eh. They don’t have rights or anything.
Canadian Politicians: By the way, regular citizens are also “broadcasters” and will have their speech regulated.
Canadians: You f*cking hoser, what about my rights!?
GFY Canada.
The psychopathic authoritarians are increasingly laying out their Bond-villain plans proudly, and in public.
Oh Canada!
Not new, but nonetheless horrifying. Key takes:
Psychology professor at Mount Allison University Dr Rima Azar (a Lebanese refugee) made a blog expressing her belief that Canada is not a racist country.
All fucking hell broke loose.
Zoë Wright is a fifth year student at Mount Allison and a Two-Spirit Indigenous person:
Wright points out that Azar’s blog is anonymous….
“It’s clear that she didn’t feel respected enough or have enough trust in her peers and her colleagues to speak out about this in person,” says Wright…
“I think this is a really great opportunity to open a dialogue into making Mount Allison a more accepting space for everybody to voice their opinions, but also feel safe.”
[The Black Students’ Union’s] demands are the following:
1. Dr Azar to be removed from her position at Mount Arsehole University.
…
3. MTA to call for the removal of Dr. Azar from the various other universities and councils in which she is involved.
etc.
Apologies to @Geezer for my lack of VERBATIM quotes.
But Canadians are nice. So very, very nice.
The Stasi will wear smiley faces.
[The Black Students’ Union’s] demands are the following:
My counter-demand: Expel all Black Students’ Union members from campus. And from the nation. Reasonable?
Meanwhile in the Antipodes, ” health authorities” relent and allow a vaccinated man to visit his terminally ill father, but no hugs. He might get sick and die, or something.
Where the hell do they dig these people up ?
“Zoë Wright is a fifth year student”
“Lots of people go to college for six years…
Yeah, they’re called Doctors”
Dude…James Bond was the bad guy. What we have here is a failure to communicate. Gotta get yer mind right.
For those with a taste for melancholy ghost stories, we’re about halfway through this and so far, it ain’t bad.
I very much enjoyed it. Give me atmospheric horror stories over gore-forward, jump-scare fare any day.
I very much enjoyed it. Give me atmospheric horror stories over gore-forward, jump-scare fare any day.
As I said, it’s not the kind of thing I’d usually watch, but it’s much better than I’d expected and has kept me engaged so far. And the tall chap with the cane, floating about in the hallways and peering under beds, was quite something.
So very, very nice.
has kept me engaged so far.
Episode 6 “Two storms” takes the creep factor to new heights.
(I also appreciate it a bit as my grandfather was a mortician and my mom lived in the apartment over the mortuary until she was about 5 when the family moved into their new home)
Episode 6 “Two storms” takes the creep factor to new heights.
Not quite that far in yet. Which reminds me, the series also feels quite long, but in a good way. I was briefly convinced we must have watched more episodes than we have, but it’s just that there’s a lot of story and characterisation, so it feels quite substantial. There’s plenty in each episode.
Where the hell do they dig these people up ?
Well, they do resemble zombies…
(Via Ambush Predator): Thug, already on trial for vicious knife attack, stabs a third victim.
Q: Why was he free to perpetrate yet another attack? Why was he not locked up?
A: The ruling class wants us to be helpless and in fear.
I was briefly convinced we must have watched more episodes than we have, but it’s just that there’s a lot of story and characterisation, so it feels quite substantial
I had a different reaction – I felt, repeatedly, that there was a great deal more to the show that had been cut out. The origin of many of the spirits haunting the place is given and then seemingly forgotten; there are a lot of Chekhov’s Guns flying around. The show bears no connection to the book save the title, and left me feeling like there were actually two shows here – a gothic horror story about a family living in a haunted house, and a psychological study about a family dealing with a genetic predilection for mental illness – that were smashed together not entirely seamlessly (note to the writers – if the former is supposed to be a allegory for the latter, maybe don’t have one of your main characters explicitly state the allegory.)
And then there’s the last episode, where the house suddenly goes from malevolent, unpredictable supernatural entity to a kind of Sufficiently Advanced Technology TARDIS with consistent rules that can be exploited to the benefit of the main characters.
On that note, I’m rewatching Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, which also has nothing whatsoever to do with the book, and is a wonderful deconstruction of Doctor Who. Since the original book was adapted from an unused Doctor Who script, this seems apropos.
The show bears no connection to the book save the title,
I haven’t read the novel, but I vaguely recall seeing the 60s film adaptation, with which this series doesn’t seem to have much in common, beyond some of the names, now attached to entirely different characters, and the stairs.
By the way, regular citizens are also “broadcasters” and will have their speech regulated.
[ Adjusts antenna. Turns up the power to 50,000 Watts ]
Hey, look at me, I’m broadcasting. Citizens of the world, Comrades, it is your right to msldlasdj….[ static ]….dsflalkdfk….
[ Cue Rush’s 2112 ]
“Attention all planets of the solar federation. We have assumed control. We have assumed control.”
but I chiefly blame Canadians for being so intellectually and morally degraded as to not just elect but then re-elect this communist-loving monster.
Two thirds of Canadians did not vote for Trudeau and his merry band of Liberals. The vagaries of a multi-party, parliamentary democracy that uses first past the post to elect MPs in a country with polarized regional differences can lead to this result.
Not only did Trudeau’s party only receive a third of the votes, his party didn’t even receive the most votes of all the parties. The Conservative Party received a couple of points more in the popular vote but elected fewer members to Parliament. Unfortunately, once in office a Prime Minister has more power and fewer restrictions than a US president and we have no means to stop him other than parliament which he controls.
msldlasdj….[ static ]….dsflalkdfk….
Did you manage to escape in your Red Barchetta?
Critics everywhere raved about C-10, now view its stunning sequel C-36.
THRILL – at the Tribunals for mean tweets !
AMAZE – at the piss tests for dank memes !
This and so much more at C-36 !
the house suddenly goes from malevolent, unpredictable supernatural entity to a kind of Sufficiently Advanced Technology TARDIS
There was nothing sudden about it. The bent-necked lady existed backwards in time and space from the outset. She was always the ghost of future Nell. And Nell killed herself, becoming the bent-neck lady in episode 5. Exactly half way through the series.
The Red Room always existed outside time and space. In episode 8 Hugh tells Steve “There was no treehouse”.
Did you even watch the series??
Oh, sorry David – SPOILERS!
Have we had this yet?
https://twitter.com/ButNotTheCity/status/1408046565395251204
Have we had this yet?
I believe not.
O brave new world, that has such people in ‘t!
SPOILERS!
[ Summons henchlesbians. ]
It’s best not to struggle.
[ dangles limply ]
I deserve it 🙁
Oh, that Twitter thread from Captain Nemo is a rabbit hole of unintended (or not?) humor. Taken from the thread of the guy who posted “I had a trans hamster”:
Or did I quantum leap into the timeline where nobody wrote Atlas Shrugged?
The Stasi will wear smiley faces.
Mellow out or you will pay:
https://youtu.be/jrWflCJPM4w
adequate
/ˈadɪkwət/
adjective
More than the employee is worth.
Did you manage to escape in your Red Barchetta?
You know it!
More remotely popular music from Sun Ra.
Did you even watch the series??
This is why I try to refrain from discussing things like theme, mood and allegory in genre media.