#they just arose through spontaneous generation;

[a-cat-in-toffee]

hello chat.

[infiniteglitterfall]

I do realize this is a real niche post but I cannot tell you how many damn times over the past 10 months I've seen gentiles tell Jews some version of, "Your own holy book SAYS God doesn't want you to have a country yet!"

And it's such an incredibly blatant and weirdly specific tell that they're not part of something that grew from progressive grassroots, but something based on right-wing astroturfing.

1. Staying in your own lane is a pretty huge progressive principle.

Telling people in another group that their deity said they couldn't do X is, I think, as far as you can get from your own lane.

2. It's also very clearly Not In Your Own Lane because I've never seen anyone actually be able to EITHER quote the passage they're thinking of, OR cite where it is.

It's purely, "I saw somebody else say this, and it seemed like it would make me win the debate I wasn't invited to."

3. It betrays a complete ignorance of Jewish culture and history.

Seriously? You don't know what you're referencing, its context, or even what it specifically says, but you're... coming to a community that reads and often discusses the entire Torah together each year, at weekly services... who have massive books holding generations of debate about it that it takes 7 years to read, at one page per day....

And saying, "YOUR book told you not to!"

I've been to services where we discussed just one word from the reading the whole time. The etymology. The connotations. The use of it in this passage versus in other passages.

And then there is the famous saying, "Ask two Jews, get three opinions." There is a culture of questioning and discussion and debate throughout Judaism.

You think maybe, in the decades and decades of public discussion about whether to buy land in Eretz Yisrael and move back there; whether it should keep being an individual thing, or keep shifting to intentional community projects; what the risks were; whether it should really be in Argentina or Canada or someplace instead; how this would be received by the Jews and gentiles already there, how to respect their boundaries, how to work with them before and during; and whether ending up with a fuckton of Jews in one place might not be exactly as dangerous for them as it had always been everywhere else....

You think NOBODY brought up anything scriptural? Nobody looked through the Torah, the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim, or the Talmud for any thoughts about any of this?? It took 200 years and some rando in the comments to blow everyone's minds???

4. It relies on an unspoken assumption that people can and should take very literal readings of religious texts and use them to control others.

And a sense of ownership and power over those texts, even without any accompanying knowledge about what they say.

It's kind of a supercessionist know-it-all vibe. It reads like, "I know what you should be doing. Because even if I'm not personally part of a fundamentalist branch of a related religion, the culture I'm rooted in is."

Bonus version I found when I was looking for an example. NOBODY should do this:

There are a lot of people who pull weird historical claims like "It SAYS Abraham came from Chaldea! That's Iraq!"

Like, first of all, a group is indigenous to a land if it arose as a people and culture there, before (not because of) colonization.

People aren't spontaneously spawning in groups, like "Boom! A new indigenous people just spawned!!"

People come from places. They go places. Sometimes, they gel as a new community and culture. Sometimes, they bop around for a while and eventually assimilate into another group.

Second: THE TORAH IS NOT A HISTORY TEXTBOOK OMFG.

It's an oral history, largely written centuries after the fact.

There is a TON of historical and archaeological research on when and where the Jewish culture originated, how it developed over time, etc. It's extremely well-established.

Nobody has to try to pull what they remember from Sunday school for this argument.

[glassesfreekjr]

IMG: candid photo of Red Flare District's (alleged) bassist, Deryn Doe. Wanted for illegal data brokering as of 09/10/122023.

Excerpt from interview with two three members of Red Flare District, Inkopolis News Network; 6 September 122023:

------

Q: So, i take it the band's second single was composed and arranged primarily by... Haddock, was it? Hiddock (he/him), guitarist: Hiddock. Deryn (presumed she/her), bassist: [incoherent] St. Tuna Piano (he/him), frontman & drummer: Yeah, no input from me at all, man. Real inspiring stuff. Shame Petr coul'n't sing vocals again. Q: ... What was the reason this time? St. Tuna Piano: Cuz 'e choked on a bell pepper, that's wot. Irrevokably out o' commission. Deryn: [incoherent] Hiddock: Truth be told, I was initially inspired after our day trip to Um'ami — er, before it flooded last week, that is — but it wasn't until Shipshape Cargo Co. broke into the whole Turf War shtick that this idea just... arose through spontaneous generation; Squid Athena being birthed, fully formed, from her own skull. I mean, like, this new battleground floats through the remains of the polar ice caps — in essence, the impetus of both humanity's extinction and the Great Turf War, now used for a mundane cargo route and commercialized inkspewing. Don't you think that's oddly messed up? Q: Couldn't say. Anyway: there seems to be some degree of curiousity regarding a sample used around the one-minute mark. Any remarks? Hiddock: From a demo tape we found. Lost media; fit the theme. You wouldn't believe if we told you how we got it. Deryn: [fervent babble; no less comprensible] Q: I... don't believe she was even invited to this interview. How, uh... why is your bassist present? Hiddock: Well, "present" isn't... the word I would use. She's here, certainly. St. Tuna Piano: She comes n' goes as she pleases. Sorry if she touches anythin', 'er hands get all sticky. Q: Yes, but where did she come from? St. Tuna Piano: Same place anyone does, I 'xpect. Hiddock: Under a bridge. St. Tuna Piano (abruptly): Don't worry about it. We, eh, take care of her. Or somethin'.

------.

(sample source list can be found on my Youtube)

[blinkycravesviolence]

Remember Longcat? I remember Longcat. Fuck the house, I want to talk about Longcat. Memes were simpler back then, in 2006. They stood for something. And that something was nothing. Memes just were. “Longcat is long.” An undeniably true, self-reflexive statement. Water is wet, fire is hot, Longcat is long. Memes were floating signifiers without signifieds, meaningful in their meaninglessness. Nobody made memes, they just arose through spontaneous generation; Athena being birthed, fully formed, from her own skull.

You could talk about them around the proverbial water cooler, taking comfort in their absurdity. “Hey, Johnston, have you seen the picture of that cat? They call it Longcat because it’s long!” “Ha ha, sounds like good fun, Stevenson! That reminds me, I need to show you this webpage I found the other day; it contains numerous animated dancing hamsters. It’s called — you’ll never believe this — hamsterdance!” And then Johnston and Stevenson went on to have a wonderful friendship based on the comfortable banality of self-evident digitized animals.

But then 2007 came, and along with it came I Can Has, and everything was forever ruined. It was hubris. We did it to ourselves. The minute we added written language beyond the reflexive, it all went to shit. Suddenly memes had an excess of information to be parsed. It wasn’t just a picture of a cat, perhaps with a simple description appended to it; now the cat spoke to us via a written caption on the picture itself. It referred to an item of food that existed in our world but not in the world of the meme, rupturing the boundary between the two. The cat wanted something. Which forced us to recognize that what it wanted was us, was our attention. WE are the cheezburger, and we always were. But by the time we realized this, it was too late. We were slaves to the very memes that we had created. We toiled to earn the privilege of being distracted by them. They fiddled while Rome burned, and we threw ourselves into the fire so that we might listen to the music. The memes had us. Or, rather, they could has us.

And it just got worse from there. Soon the cats had invisible bicycles and played keyboards. They gained complex identities, and so we hollowed out our own identities to accommodate them. We prayed to return to the simple days when we would admire a cat for its exceptional length alone, the days when the cat itself was the meme and not merely a vehicle for the complex memetic text. And the fact that this text was so sparse, informal, and broken ironically made it even more demanding. The intentional grammatical and syntactical flaws drew attention to themselves, making the meme even more about the captioning words and less about the pictures. Words, words, words. Wurds werds wordz. Stumbling through a crooked, dead-end hallway of a mangled clause describing a simple feline sentiment was a torture that we inflicted on ourselves daily. Let’s not forget where the word “caption” itself comes from: capio, Latin for both “I understand” and “I capture.” We thought that by captioning the memes, we were understanding them. Instead, our captions allowed them to capture us. The memes that had once been a cure for our cultural ills were now the illness itself.

It goes right back to the Phaedrus, really. Think about it. Back in the innocent days of 2006, we naïvely thought that the grapheme had subjugated the phoneme, that the belief in the primacy of the spoken word was an ancient and backwards folly on par with burning witches or practicing phrenology or thinking that Smash Mouth was good. Fucking Smash Mouth. But we were wrong. About the phoneme, I mean. Theuth came to us again, this time in the guise of a grinning grey cat. The cat hungered, and so did Theuth. He offered us an updated choice, and we greedily took it, oblivious to the consequences. To borrow the parlance of a contemporary meme, he baked us a pharmakon, and we eated it.

Pharmakon, φάρμακον, the Greek word that means both “poison” and “cure,” but, because of the limitations of the English language, can only be translated one way or the other depending on the context and the translator’s whims. No possible translation can capture the full implications of a Greek text including this word. In the Phaedrus, writing is the pharmakon that the trickster god Theuth offers, the toxin and remedy in one. With writing, man will no longer forget; but he will also no longer think. A double-edged (s)word, if you will. But the new iteration of the pharmakon is the meme. Specifically, the post-I-Can-Has memescape of 2007 onward. And it was the language that did it,. The addition of written language twisted the remedy into a poison, flipped the pharmakon on its invisible axis.

In retrospect, it was in front of our eyes all along. Meme. The noxious word was given to us by who else but those wily ancient Greeks themselves. μίμημα, or mīmēma. Defined as an imitation, a copy. The exact thing Plato warned us against in the Republic. Remember? The simulacrum that is two steps removed from the perfection of the original by the process of — note the root of the word — mimesis. The Platonic ideal of an object is the source: the father, the sun, the ghostly whole. The corporeal manifestation of the object is one step removed from perfection. The image of the object (be it in letters or in pigments) is two steps removed. The author is inferior to the craftsman is inferior to God.

But we’ll go farther than Plato. Longcat, a photograph, is a textbook example of a second-degree mimesis. (We might promote it to the third degree since the image on the internet is a digital copy of the original photograph of the physical cat which is itself a copy of Platonic ideal of a cat (the Godcat, if you will); but this line of thought doesn’t change anything in the argument.) The text-supplemented meme, on the other hand, the captioned cat, is at an infinite remove from the Godcat, the ultimate mimesis, copying the copy of itself eternally, the written language and the image echoing off each other, until it finally loops back around to the truth by virtue of being so far from it. It becomes its own truth, the fidelity of the eternal copy. It becomes a God.

Writing itself is the archetypical pharmakon and the archetypical copy, if you’ll come back with me to the Phaedrus (if we ever really left it). Speech is the real deal, Socrates says, with a smug little wink to his (written) dialogic buddy. Speech is alive, it can defend itself, it can adapt and change. Writing is its bastard son, the mimic, the dead, rigid simulacrum. Writing is a copy, a mīmēma, of truth in speech. To return to our analogous issue: the image of the cheezburger cat, the copy of the picture-copy-copy, is so much closer to the original Platonic ideal than the written language that accompanies it. (“Pharmakon” can also mean “paint.” Think about it, Jane. Just think about it.) The image is still fake, but it’s the caption on the cat that is the downfall of the republic, the real fakeness, which is both realer and faker than whatever original it is that it represents. Men and gods abhor the lie, Plato says in sections 382 a and b of the Republic.

οὐκ οἶσθα, ἦν δ᾽ ἐγώ, ὅτι τό γε ὡς ἀληθῶς ψεῦδος, εἰ οἷόν τε τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, πάντες θεοί τε καὶ ἄνθρωποι μισοῦσιν; πῶς, ἔφη, λέγεις; οὕτως, ἦν δ᾽ ἐγώ, ὅτι τῷ κυριωτάτῳ που ἑαυτῶν ψεύδεσθαι καὶ περὶ τὰ κυριώτατα οὐδεὶς ἑκὼν ἐθέλει, ἀλλὰ πάντων μάλιστα φοβεῖται ἐκεῖ αὐτὸ κεκτῆσθαι.1

Man’s worst fear is that he will hold existential falsehood within himself. And the verbal lies that he tells are a copy of this feared dishonesty in the soul. Plato goes on to elaborate: “the falsehood in words is a copy of the affection in the soul, an after-rising image of it and not an altogether unmixed falsehood.” A copy of man’s false internal copy of truth. And what word does Plato use for “copy” in this sentence? That’s fucking right, μίμημα. Mīmēma. Mimesis. Meme. The new meme is a lie, manifested in (written) words, that reflects the lack of truth, the emptiness, within the very soul of a human. The meme is now not only an inferior copy, it is a deceptive copy.

But just wait, it gets better. Plato continues in the very next section of the Republic, 382 c. Sometimes, he says, the lie, the meme, is appropriate, even moral. It is not abhorrent to lie to your enemy, or to your friend in order to keep him from harm. “Does it [the lie] not then become useful to avert the evil—as a medicine?” You get one fucking guess for what Greek word is being translated as “medicine” in this passage. Ding ding motherfucking ding, you got it, φάρμακον, pharmakon. The μίμημα is a φάρμακον, the lie is a medicine/poison, the meme is a pharmakon.

But I’m sure that by now you’ve realized the (intentional) mistake in my argument that brought us to this point. I said earlier that the addition of written language to the meme flipped the pharmakon on its axis. But the pharmakon didn’t flip, it doesn’t have an axis. It was always both remedy and poison. The fact that this isn’t obvious to us from the very beginning of the discussion is the fault of, you guessed it, language. The initial lie (writing) clouds our vision and keeps us from realizing how false the second-order lie (the meme) is.

The very structure of the lying meme mirrors the structure of the written word that defines and corrupts it. Once you try to identify an “outside” in order to reveal the lie, the whole framework turns itself inside-out so that you can never escape it. The cat wants the cheezburger that exists outside the meme, but only through the meme do we become aware of the presumed existence of the cheezburger — we can’t point out the absurdity of the world of the meme without also indicting our own world. We can’t talk about language without language, we can’t meme without mimesis. Memes didn’t change between ‘06 and ‘07, it was us who changed. Or rather, our understanding of what we had always been changed. The lie became truth, the remedy became the poison, the outside became the inside. Which is to say that the truth became lie, the pharmakon was always the remedy and the poison, and the inside retreated further inside. It all came full circle. Because here’s the secret. Language ruined the meme, yes. But language itself had already been ruined. By that initial poisonous, lying copy. Writing.

The First Meme.

Language didn’t attack the meme in 2007 out of spite. It attacked it to get revenge.

Longcat is long. Language is language. Pharmakon is pharmakon. The phoneme topples the grapheme, witches ride through the night, our skulls hide secret messages on their surfaces, Smash Mouth is good after all. Hey now, you’re an all-star. Get your game on. Go play.2.

1. “Don’t you know,” said I, “that the veritable lie, if the expression is permissible, is a thing that all gods and men abhor?” “What do you mean?” he said. “This,” said I, “that falsehood in the most vital part of themselves, and about their most vital concerns, is something that no one willingly accepts, but it is there above all that everyone fears it.” - ED

2. I have just realized everything that led up to this moment has been a colossal waste of time.

[a-midsummer-nights-dab]

Attempts

Yoda was never more wrong when he said to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: "Do or Do Not. There is no Try."

Everything that does possess a coherent existence must in effect, have an origin, a root from whence it arose. Spontaneous generation is something quite arbitrary and oxymoronically enough, practically impractical. So does information. The amount of said data we accumulate in our brains, albeit highly insignificant compared to the vast unfathomable quantities of knowledge the Human race will not perhaps survive to decipher, comes from our errors, and more so, the repercussions of said errors. These circumstantially relativistic consequences often provide the brain data as to what do, and what not to. An act of providing Nil information to an intelligence and expecting it to accomplish said task on the first try is highly imprudent, for it requires a solid datum to begin from.

An Alpha, to reach an Omega.

To expect a task to be accomplished on the first attempt without any prior data is not only absurd, in effect, it also elicits the fact that is expected of said intellect to identify, with no basis, the possibilities that will work to accomplish the task on hand within the system, analyse the most situationally probable of them, and flawlessly accomplish it on the first go, ergo, to just 'Do'. This is a near practical impossibility. Then how indeed, has the Human race progressed so far in as myriad aspects as it has, bridging possibility and probability as it moves onward through its existence?

Simply by trying. And not giving up.

Since the dawn of time, trying is perhaps the only way the Universe has accomplished what it has. Trying is what created a semihabitable environment for life to take form on Planet Earth, the Evolution of the Populations through the Origin of the Species. Trying is what gets us from one extent to another. Trying, in effect, is the essence of sustenance, for it provides us with that which we need, a source of information, and one of hope.

Trying, in effect, is how life exists.

To try, often is to fail. But antithetical to the common perspective, failure is practically not a hindrance. It, in effect, is purely a way where one incorrect pathway is outlined, and that increases the possibility of our choice of the more probabilistic route, for we now know it to be a path that does not lead us to the domain we wish to traverse, and aids us in performing newer, better errors. The thing about trying, however, is that we may not always find the results to be exactly what we require of them to be, for they might not exactly be what we happen to be looking for. It is a voyage, one that Human intellect sets out on with hope, and although it may not be able to accomplish what it sets out to, it does not give up without a fight. And when it does win, when it does succeed, when it braves the odds and achieves its objective, it's the best thing in the world.

For trying, indeed, is a beautiful thing.

Godspeed.

[tomorrowcomest0day]

Leto ii: Remember Longcat, Moneo? I remember Longcat. Fuck the picture on this page, I want to talk about Longcat. Memes were simpler back then, in 2006. They stood for something. And that something was nothing. Memes just were. “Longcat is long.” An undeniably true, self-reflexive statement. Water is wet, fire is hot, Longcat is long. Memes were floating signifiers without signifieds, meaningful in their meaninglessness. Nobody made memes, they just arose through spontaneous generation; Athena being birthed, fully formed, from her own skull.

    But then 2007 came, and along with it came I Can Has, and everything was forever ruined. It was hubris, Moneo. We did it to ourselves. The minute we added written language, it all went to shit. Suddenly memes had an excess of information to be parsed. It wasn’t just a picture of a cat, perhaps with a simple description appended to it; now the cat spoke to us via a written caption on the picture itself. It referred to an item of food that existed in our world but not in the world of the meme, rupturing the boundary between the two. The cat wanted something. Which forced us to recognize that what it wanted was us, was our attention. WE are the cheezburger, Jane, and we always were. But by the time we realized this, it was too late. We were slaves to the very memes that we had created. We toiled to earn the privilege of being distracted by them. They fiddled while Rome burned, and we threw ourselves into the fire so that we might listen to the music. The memes had us. Or, rather, they could has us.

[david-toaff]

From Street to Stage: The Evolution of Breakdancing Culture

Breakdancing, often called breaking, is more than just a dance form; it's a cultural phenomenon that has transcended its origins in the streets to become a global movement. Originating in the Bronx borough of New York City in the 1970s, breakdancing has undergone a remarkable evolution, shaping and being shaped by urban culture, music, and societal dynamics. In exploring breakdancing culture, we delve into its origins, growth, and impact on contemporary society.

The Birth of Breakdancing: A Cultural Revolution

Breakdancing emerged from the streets of the Bronx amidst a backdrop of economic decline, social unrest, and cultural ferment. Influenced by diverse musical genres such as funk, soul, and disco, as well as martial arts and gymnastics, young dancers developed a distinct style characterized by intricate footwork, acrobatic maneuvers, and improvisational expression. These dancers, known as b-boys and b-girls, congregated in parks, playgrounds, and street corners, engaging in spontaneous battles and ciphers to showcase their skills and creativity.

The Golden Era: Breakdancing Goes Mainstream

By the early 1980s, breakdancing had burst onto the mainstream cultural scene, propelled by media exposure through films, music videos, and television shows. Movies like "Breakin'" and "Beat Street" brought breakdancing to the silver screen. At the same time, music videos featuring iconic artists like Run-D.M.C., Grandmaster Flash, and Michael Jackson showcased the dance form to a global audience. Breakdancing became synonymous with hip-hop culture, with its distinctive fashion, language, and attitude permeating popular consciousness.

Commercialization and Controversy: The Dark Side of Success

As breakdancing gained popularity, it also faced challenges associated with commercialization and appropriation. Critics accused mainstream media and corporate interests of exploiting breakdancing for profit, diluting its authenticity and cultural significance. Additionally, concerns arose about the safety and ethics of competitive battles as dancers pushed the boundaries of physical endurance and risk-taking. Amidst these controversies, some purists within the hip-hop community sought to preserve the grassroots spirit of breakdancing by maintaining its connection to its origins in the streets.

Resilience and Revival: Breakdancing in the 21st Century

Despite facing setbacks and criticism, breakdancing has experienced a resurgence in recent years, fueled by a new generation of dancers and enthusiasts. International competitions such as the Red Bull BC One and the Freestyle Session have elevated breakdancing to a professional sport, attracting top talent worldwide. Breakdancers have also found opportunities to perform in theatrical productions, corporate events, and multimedia projects, expanding the reach and visibility of the dance form.

Breaking Boundaries: Breakdancing as a Global Phenomenon

One of the most remarkable aspects of breakdancing culture is its ability to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. Breakdancing has captivated audiences and inspired communities globally, from New York City to Tokyo, Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Dancers from diverse backgrounds and traditions have embraced breakdancing as a universal language of creativity and self-expression, forging connections and friendships across borders.

Breaking Stereotypes: Redefining Gender and Identity

Breakdancing has also played a transformative role in challenging traditional gender norms and stereotypes within the dance community. Historically dominated by male dancers, breakdancing has seen a surge in female participation and representation in recent years. B-girls have emerged as formidable competitors and role models, breaking down barriers and paving the way for greater inclusivity and diversity within the dance form. Moreover, breakdancing culture has provided a platform for individuals of all gender identities and sexual orientations to express themselves authentically and without judgment.

Breaking New Ground: The Future of Breakdancing Culture

As breakdancing continues to evolve and adapt to changing times, its future remains bright and full of possibilities. The dance form's ability to innovate and reinvent ensures its relevance in an ever-changing cultural landscape. With the rise of social media and digital technology, breakdancers have unprecedented opportunities to connect, collaborate, and showcase their talent to a global audience. Moreover, initiatives to preserve and document breakdancing's history and legacy ensure its cultural significance will endure for future generations.

From its humble beginnings in the streets of the Bronx to its current status as a global cultural phenomenon, breakdancing culture has evolved remarkably. What began as a form of creative expression for marginalized youth has transcended boundaries of geography, gender, and identity to become a symbol of resilience, innovation, and empowerment. As breakdancing continues to inspire and unite communities worldwide, its legacy as a transformative force in contemporary culture is assured. With its boundless energy, creativity, and spirit of collaboration, breakdancing culture will undoubtedly continue to thrive and evolve in the years to come.

[acalavidyaraja]

Unlocking the Profound Teachings of the Whispered Transmission of Secret Conduct

Letter of Advice for Riké Chatral Rinpoche

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Ḍāki namo![1]

The supporting instructions that distill the crucial points Of the profound Whispered Transmission of Secret Conduct, The secret essence of the precious lineage, are as follows: Phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are tricks of the mind. Mind itself has no birth or cessation, no centre or periphery. It is Samantabhadrī, the great mother of basic space Pervading all of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Vajravārāhī, the Black Wrathful Goddess, Is the supreme enlightened body of the wisdom mudrā. Enlightened speech is the wheel of secret mantra, And enlightened mind is uncompounded luminosity.

Recognising this for oneself is the view. Undistracted, free from grasping—this is the key to meditation. And the self-liberation of whatever arises, Unconstrained by hope or fear, is the king of action. The fruition is realization of the actual ground.

Just so, by applying these crucial points, The profound means of direct realization, Through the instructions of the precious Whispered Transmission of Secret Conduct, There is no doubt that you will attain liberation.

Pema Yeshe Dorje sent this letter of advice, just as it arose spontaneously in uncontrived awareness, to his own student Riké[2] Chatral Rinpoche. May virtue, excellence and auspiciousness abound.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2022.

The Whispered Transmission of Secret Conduct is a profound lineage within Vajrayana Buddhism, offering teachings that illuminate the essence of reality and guide practitioners towards liberation. In this article, we explore the key instructions contained in a letter of advice from Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö to his student, Riké Chatral Rinpoche, providing clear explanations to aid in understanding and application.

1. Nature of Phenomena:

The foundational teaching emphasizes that both saṃsāra (the cycle of existence) and nirvāṇa (liberation) are products of the mind. This concept challenges the conventional view of reality by asserting that phenomena are manifestations of mental constructs rather than inherent, independent entities. Understanding this principle enables practitioners to recognize the illusory nature of existence and cultivate wisdom beyond dualistic perception.

2. Embodiment of Wisdom:

Vajravārāhī, depicted as the Black Wrathful Goddess, symbolizes the embodiment of enlightened wisdom. She represents the transformative power of wisdom that cuts through ignorance and delusion. By recognizing Vajravārāhī as the supreme expression of wisdom, practitioners invoke her presence to guide them towards the ultimate realization of enlightenment.

3. Enlightened Speech and Mind:

Enlightened speech is likened to the wheel of secret mantra, signifying the power of mantra recitation to purify the mind and liberate consciousness. This practice harnesses the vibrational energy of sacred sounds to invoke divine qualities and transcend ordinary perception. Similarly, enlightened mind is described as uncompounded luminosity, emphasizing the innate purity and radiance of awareness beyond conceptual elaboration.

4. The View, Meditation, and Action:

The view refers to the correct understanding of reality, which entails recognizing the fundamental nature of mind and phenomena. This insight serves as the foundation for meditation practice, wherein practitioners cultivate undistracted awareness and freedom from grasping. Through meditation, one learns to abide in the natural state of consciousness, untouched by conceptual proliferation. Action, the culmination of practice, involves spontaneously liberating all experiences without fixation or aversion, embodying the principle of non-dual awareness.

5. Realization of the Ground:

The fruition of spiritual practice culminates in the realization of the actual ground of being, which transcends all conceptual frameworks and limitations. This realization unveils the inherent purity and luminosity of existence, allowing practitioners to abide in the state of primordial awareness free from dualistic distinctions. It is the ultimate attainment of enlightenment, wherein the practitioner recognizes their intrinsic nature as inseparable from the universal truth.

Conclusion:

The teachings of the Whispered Transmission of Secret Conduct offer profound insights into the nature of reality and the path to liberation. By integrating these instructions into their practice, practitioners can unravel the mysteries of existence and awaken to the boundless potential of their own minds. May this article serve as a beacon of guidance for all seekers on the path to enlightenment.

[doublegoblin]

❤️ Happy WorldBuilding Wednesday! ❤️

What are your cities or towns like? Feel free to talk about the layouts or the people or the architecture, etc. and to talk about more than one if you'd like!

Thank you kindly for this ask! I really appreciate being included in this kind of thing!

So I think I’ll take this opportunity to discuss, in rough detail, the entirety of the dream world that Ritual and Red Tapes takes place in. I’ll try to not ramble too much, buuuut, well we’ll see.

The entirety of Rituals and Red Tape is set in this other reality accessed by a sleeping person. What I want to address right away is that this isn’t a “oooo it was a dream the whole time” and then the main character wakes up. This reality doesn’t really have a name, I mean we just call our own our universe, so they would do the same I feel. This plane of reality is an infinitely expanding world, if you are familiar with Magic The Gathering think of this place like the planes of the multiverse (i.e. Ravnica, Innistrad, Zendikar, etc.). Think of it like being on a universe sized map, you can go the cardinal directions as far as you’d like and never loop back around (except in places you do), but going up or down you never leave the map itself the ground just gets farther away.

At the “center” of this reality is the main “hub”. This hub takes the form of a coastal New England port town with all the fixings. You’ve got an expansive shore line, a massive dock, houses and business peppering the cobblestone streets…etc.

This is where a majority of the residents of this reality reside, maybe not in the actual center of town but off on subdivided housing sectors. As it is not important to most of the story I haven’t thought too deeply about the majority of what comprises it, other than the Crabshack and The Spire. This is going to be a big rambling mess so I won't be going over each area here.

Other than the main hub, you have expansive regions of different kinds of environments. Honestly the best way I can think to describe it is a more accurate to life Minecraft map. Once again I haven’t gone into too much thought as it doesn’t have that big of an impact on the story and I am not a Tolkein kind of writer lol. I tend to focus more on the particular places of interest within each of these zones. These locations act as kind of anchors for the reality, leyline convergence points if you will. Just life finds it easier to occur here, which means more life is brought, and the cycle ramps up. You can usually tell what these places are because I do the cliche thing of Capitalizing The Name of the place, often they are just broken down into the easiest to understand concept.

This world was created by The Board, for reasons beyond our comprehension. At first it was a barren world of sterile nothing. Then during the turn over of the first few cycles (a cycle is shifting in the power of the The Board, like an election time when a new chair is chosen.) it was proposed by one of the members that they allow things to actually inhabit this world they had made…for reasons. So the first creatures were allowed to generate spontaneously and from these the first Denizens arose.

Denizens are the result of a creature existing for numerous cycles, not being sent back to an early stage of life, and then going through a metamorphosis. They have some sway over reality being they are generated from it, but not to the same degree as The Board. Also each Denizen is a unique entity, independent of what creature it originated from.

However! This allowance left a little crack in reality. Allowing Dreamers in.

Dreamers originate from people like you or I. When we sleep there is a chance that a piece of us, something primordial and “pure” slips through that crack and into the dream world. Now this part that slips away is a part of that person but they are not that person, if that makes sense? Think of it like the most egoless part of your perception of self. A Dreamer has no knowledge of their waking self and vice versa, they are entirely a blank slate. A pure Tabula Rasa. This part is also removed from time, as the dream world is a creation of beings who have no concept of time, so it exists eternally and until the obliteration of the dreamworld. 

Okay so in essence it’s a soul if you want to split hairs, I set out to not make a soul metaphor and about halfway through the conception process I was told by my partner, Oops you’ve made a soul. So yeah…

I’ve made some body horror jokes in the story because for Dreamers, the body truly doesn’t matter. It is merely a vessel by which the world can be interacted with. Without a body they would still have all their senses and be able to communicate, but, things are just easier with a body. Because of this each Dreamer can truly be whomst ever they envision themselves to be. Most settle for a human like appearance, it is what they are used to (despite no having any knowledge of their waking selves) but this body can and does often differ wildly to their waking counterpart. So you can have someone like Alex who is for all intent and purposes genderless and is nothing more than a black humanoid shaped void within a robe and hood, and Andrea, who if you didn’t know any better you would just think was a normal person. I could go into more detail but this post is already getting girthy enough.

There is a small issue though. This crack is also open for the very very very rare occurrence of somebody slipping through who is daydreaming. Now this is an issue because this person is fully aware of who they are, and now they are in this strange place. This is handled by Archives but it is something that can and has happened and is kind of a big “oh shit” moment. For reasons I can’t really get into atm.

I can tell I am starting to ramble and lose focus as I’ve been up for a while and my meds are starting to wear off. So I’ll cut it off there. Thank you ever so much for this opportunity and I apologize it took all day to respond!

So yeah, if anyone reading this has any further questions send me an ask, I’m more than happy to talk about these little people in my brain. Or if this has piqued your interest you can check out the story on my page. You can either search the title, or RART, or check out the pages I’ve made with links to the chapters ( I try to keep it up to date and so far I’ve done a cracking job I think). Sorry to do a last paragraph plug on an ask but I gotta get the word out when I can!

Cheers!

[sbnkalny]

grinserabe: Nobody made sburb they just found a bunch of USAvengers stuff and ROLLS out his immortal father,

8eyedgod: Nobody made memes, they just write swear words with me

stevenboxleitner: Nobody made memes, they just arose through spontaneous generation;

grinserabe: They just arose through spontaneous generation;

8eyedgod: Because they just arose through spontaneous generation;

8eyedgod: Involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just arose through spontaneous generation;

grinserabe: Nobody Made memes, they just arose through spontaneous generation;

stevenboxleitner: They just arose through spontaneous generation;

stevenboxleitner: His eyes see What HE sees a detective who actually deduces anything—much more exciting if they just arose through spontaneous generation;

8eyedgod: Are You aware that one never sees a detective who actually deduces anything—much more exciting if they just blurt out the truth so don't be such a lot of preps stared at me

8eyedgod: He must be happy he must be happy if you fix it so firmly associated with the old detective novels that one never sees a detective who actually deduces anything—much more exciting if they just blurt out the truth

grinserabe: She's never had the nerve to follow the gang go out and see what he sees a Detective who actually deduces anything—much more exciting if they just dump their change on the counter if they have BAMBI on the PS2 ages manual, it is mentioned that Kyle later carried out the Dodongos? It's a goron problem, though

stevenboxleitner: You might say 😫 i am an unprivate ❌✋ detective 🕵🏻‍ - a Detective who actually deduces anything—much more exciting if they just blurt out the truth of unclothed and let its Glory burn her.”

[heyjadesprite]

Remember longcat, Jane?

[mysticstronomy]

HOW THE UNIVERSE GOT ITS MAGNETIC FIELD??

Blog# 200

Saturday, June 11th, 2022

Welcome back,

When we look out into space, all of the astrophysical objects that we see are embedded in magnetic fields. This is true not only in the neighborhood of stars and planets, but also in the deep space between galaxies and galactic clusters. These fields are weak—typically much weaker than those of a refrigerator magnet—but they are dynamically significant in the sense that they have profound effects on the dynamics of the universe. Despite decades of intense interest and research, the origin of these cosmic magnetic fields remains one of the most profound mysteries in cosmology.

In previous research, scientists came to understand how turbulence, the churning motion common to fluids of all types, could amplify preexisting magnetic fields through the so-called dynamo process. But this remarkable discovery just pushed the mystery one step deeper. If a turbulent dynamo could only amplify an existing field, where did the "seed" magnetic field come from in the first place?

We wouldn't have a complete and self-consistent answer to the origin of astrophysical magnetic fields until we understood how the seed fields arose.

New work carried out by MIT graduate student Muni Zhou, her advisor Nuno Loureiro, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT, and colleagues at Princeton University and the University of Colorado at Boulder provides an answer that shows the basic processes that generate a field from a completely unmagnetized state to the point where it is strong enough for the dynamo mechanism to take over and amplify the field to the magnitudes that we observe.

Naturally occurring magnetic fields are seen everywhere in the universe. They were first observed on Earth thousands of years ago, through their interaction with magnetized minerals like lodestone, and used for navigation long before people had any understanding of their nature or origin.

Magnetism on the sun was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century by its effects on the spectrum of light that the sun emitted. Since then, more powerful telescopes looking deep into space found that the fields were ubiquitous.

And while scientists had long learned how to make and use permanent magnets and electromagnets, which had all sorts of practical applications, the natural origins of magnetic fields in the universe remained a mystery. Recent work has provided part of the answer, but many aspects of this question are still under debate.

Scientists started thinking about this problem by considering the way that electric and magnetic fields were produced in the laboratory. When conductors, like copper wire, move in magnetic fields, electric fields are created. These fields, or voltages, can then drive electrical currents. This is how the electricity that we use every day is produced. Through this process of induction, large generators or "dynamos" convert mechanical energy into the electromagnetic energy that powers our homes and offices. A key feature of dynamos is that they need magnetic fields in order to work.

But out in the universe, there are no obvious wires or big steel structures, so how do the fields arise? Progress on this problem began about a century ago as scientists pondered the source of the Earth's magnetic field. By then, studies of the propagation of seismic waves showed that much of the Earth, below the cooler surface layers of the mantle, was liquid, and that there was a core composed of molten nickel and iron. Researchers theorized that the convective motion of this hot, electrically conductive liquid and the rotation of the Earth combined in some way to generate the Earth's field.

Eventually, models emerged that showed how the convective motion could amplify an existing field. This is an example of "self-organization"—a feature often seen in complex dynamical systems—where large-scale structures grow spontaneously from small-scale dynamics.

But just like in a power station, you needed a magnetic field to make a magnetic field.

A similar process is at work all over the universe. However, in stars and galaxies and in the space between them, the electrically conducting fluid is not molten metal, but plasma—a state of matter that exists at extremely high temperatures where the electrons are ripped away from their atoms. On Earth, plasmas can be seen in lightning or neon lights. In such a medium, the dynamo effect can amplify an existing magnetic field, provided it starts at some minimal level.

Originally published on https://phys.org

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, June 15th, 2022)

“CAN A BLACK HOLE SUPPORT LIFE??”

[vowled]

Kill Your Darlings: A Study of its Incandescent Characters

[Sometime ago, I made a post which encouraged people to talk about their favourite things and geek out over them, and to my delight, it received a beautiful response! @fluffbyday-smutbynight and @helloliriels (and also a number of other generous people whose @/s I’ve managed to loose in the notifications) suggested I too take part in it, so here I am! This movie just became my favourite!]

{Trigger Warning: mentions of abuse, grooming}

source: pinterest

Kill Your Darlings (2013) is a splendid movie which is based around the Beat Generation Poets- Allen Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. It is from Allen’s P.O.V. and revolves on the friendship and relationships among the characters, and their revolutionary ideas, but it mainly focuses around Allen and his love for Lucian. The direction and cinematography of the movie was very refreshing, and the warm colour palette lends it a flavour of comfort. Some scenes were outright visual masterpieces. But the one thing that drew me in was the underlying scent of mystery throughout the movie; it felt as though even after watching it, some things remained blurry, and had to be revisited and thoroughly thought-through in order to be understood, and I LOVED this. For a critical thinker, many questions arose throughout the movie, which required deep philosophical introspection. Personally, a question that spontaneously jumped to the forefront of my mind was: Love or Obsession?

It was apparent from the start that the movie was rife with underlying tones and metaphors, and while I did search reviews and analysis posts for them, I wasn't satisfied. So, I've decided to compile some points which struck me and analyze the movie in this post (I also recommend checking out the linked post primarily to read the argument on why "The Night in Question" description by Allen was fictitious).

Here, I try to delve deep into the characters, especially that of Lucian, in an attempt to bring up his wonderful intricacies.

The well-crafted characters of the story

I found the characters of the story very well-built-up and utterly credible. The characters were furnished with an important backstory pertaining to their identity which gave us clues as to why they were the way they were.

Allen- the loveable protagonist : We join Allen Ginsberg as he joins Columbia University and embarks on a life-changing journey. Perhaps this story is more remarkable as by its end, his disposition changes and he becomes a much better version of himself. Daniel Radcliffe is completely adorable in the role, and lends an air of sincere naivety and inexperience. From the beginning, we have no problem in seeing Allen representing the spectators. As the movie progresses, we see Allen fall in love with Lucian; and as Allen fell for Lucian, we did too.

Lucian, the fallen angel: While the story is definitely about Allen, we discover that it is Lucian who happens to be the Show-stopper. As someone once described him, he is the Maniac Pixie Dream Boy. With blond hair, Ocean Blue eyes and a red scarf around his neck at all times, he is the vision and personification of Male beauty. And had his appearance been not enough, his personality was sure to tempt an onlooker to fall in love with him: bold, unafraid, rebellious and a visionary. His charm, charisma and mystique made everyone rejoice every time he was on screen.

The name Lucian is of Latin origin, and it means light. His name plays an important role because the character quite literally embodies it. From the very moment of introduction, we are drawn to Lucian. He's bold and radiant, and illuminated the way for his colleagues to achieve a literary revolution. He lit up the vision of a new generation of poetry-he was the visionary. He saw the talent hidden in Allen and irradiated it and made him something beautiful. In this way, Lucian embodies his name.

(plus, can we be honest? NOBODY could play this role better than Dane Dehaan. Everything about him- from his slightly raspy voice, his childishly porcelain face to his piercing blue eyes with an underlying shrewd tinge- SCREAMS Lucian to me)

However, for all his illumining qualities, he, as a person, never revealed his own qualities. Not once did he compose any work of art- for all his expensive tastes, he never did create anything himself. He was so reluctant to write that he even refused to write his own deposition. [This makes me think that perhaps, in Lucien Carr's obituary, he was rightfully called:

"A literary lion who never roared"

His character was so guarded up he did not even reveal how he was as a lover. All love affairs in his life were incomplete, with him needing to run away from them. His academic vision was the only part of him we really saw. And more importantly, we later see his incapability to carry out anything to its end, and his tendency to leave things incomplete: he's only good at beginnings. This lends him the aura of a fallen angel.

Lucian's Character - A layered psyche:

It is no secret that Lucian isn't a straightforward character. He's a complicated character who has been shaped by past experiences and trauma, but he also manages to retain the charm of a mischievous school-boy, and prove to be quite surprising at times.

In moments such as the verandah outside Allen's house, Lucian's painfully human and empathetic: he's crying over his father leaving. And yet, in the scene where he's ousting Allen and barring him from accompanying them to Paris, he's positively cruel. This shows that Lucien is multi-faceted. And as per my observation, he's kind and soft when under the influence of Alcohol, while he's sharper when in his senses. Conclusion: he's true nature is being soft-hearted, which only surfaces when intoxicated, while his boundaries come up when sober. And this pattern of behaviour can be directly traced/sourced from his abuse.

He's so many things at the same time that he's often self-contradictory: he tells Allen that he wants his life to be filled with only first times, and he later realises that he's only good for beginnings; he has a vision but refuses to carry it out; he has talent and yet never exposes it; for all his talks of greatness and living a passionate and intense life, he runs away from any affair pertaining to love. When things got too capricious and unbearable, he tries to k*ll himself (on more than one occasion).

Surprising persona: In an interview with the Academy, Dane Dehaan mentioned how in real life, Lucian was as much of a complicated character. As revealed by Allen Ginsberg's diaries, Lucian was the type of person who'd stand on the bow of a boat and weigh it down just to know how it felt to be on a sinking ship; he would go to a restaurant and order the most expensive steak raw, just to throw it in the waitress' face; he'd literally bite the rim of a wine glass and chew on the glass pieces only to get a reaction from the onlooker - all these reveal how surprising and unpredictable his character was.

Abusive past: while at first Lucian seemed to me "an entitled peacock" , after digging a little deep, I realised just how much of this boy had been shaped due to trauma. David, who's initially portrayed just as an obsessed, possessive former lover, seemed bad enough. He does seem sketchy, but as Lucian and his friends continue to hang out with him and go to his place, I assumed at the very least there was some element of mutual understanding between the two. Even at that point, we just want to shove David at the edge of a cliff and stop him from further hindering Allen and Lucien's blooming love affair.

It is only toward the end that we're informed that David is actually a sexual predator. He met Lucian as the leader of a Boy-Scout program when Lucian was only 14. He groomed and seduced Lucian, and while it was never explicitly stated in the movie, there is little doubt that he elicited sexual favours from the boy. This was an outright criminal offence. An adult (or at the very least David must have been a late teenager) in a position of power seducing and grooming a 14 year old sounds dire warning bells in my ears! Can you even imagine what effect it must have had on young Lucian?!

Around the time, homosexuality was a criminal offence, and that itself is a perfectly good explanation on why many gay men chose to live their lives repressed and in the closet. Today, even thinking about how you could be jailed for a part of yourself that you had no control over makes my heart ache. It just is starkly and blatantly unfair. Think of Little Lucian growing up around this sort of mentality, and just naturally stamping down all his natural feelings of attraction. The boy also grew up without a father as he had left the family when Lucian was only four years old. Growing up without a male authority figure must have been difficult for him, and then he goes to this boy-scout camp and meets this older guy who gives him that sort of a male figure he can look up to, and before he knows it, he's in a trap. Even if it could have been that Lu developed feelings first for David, he would NEVER act on them unless encouraged/coaxed/groomed into doing so. David was predatory right from the start.

"I was just a kid, David , and you pulled me into your perverted mess!"

The whole affair must have left Lucian very confused and unsure of his feelings and just sick of it. At an age when he couldn't possibly have known better, he had been ensnared in a trap that he wouldn't be able to break free from years. The abuse might also lend insight as to why Lucian was intoxicated or stoned almost all the time. Substance abuse might have been his way to cope with his feelings. David was so oppressive that even when the boy wanted to get out of it, even after years of abuse, he just wouldn't let him go. He followed and stalked Lucian everywhere and made sure no one else got close to him- Class-A predator move. Things got so bad that the boy tried to kill himself! God, even writing about this feels awful.

Internalized Homophobia: This sort of abuse and stalking must have definitely been immensely traumatic. The relationship with David being his first one, he must have directly associated all homosexual encounters to be as oppressive and abusive as that with David, which further made him close in on himself and repress that part of himself. This could explain:-

Why he completely refused to speak about anything David-related even when he was faced with the prospect of going to jail

How he totally cut Allen off when he kissed him. He openly rejected Allen only when he realized that the latter could capitalize on his feelings and impulses.

David's abusive behaviour must have made Lucian repulsed about homosexuality in general (we see him call David "A Goddamn Fruit") and made him homophobic. It's no surprise he'd oppose Allen's version of events of the night, and especially when being called gay would result in him being accused of first-degree manslaughter.

Lucian sought to be viewed as heterosexual. Even though he definitely gave Allen some yellow signals, he's seen to be most comfortable in a setting where he's viewed as straight: he kisses a girl at the party just because he could, and later carelessly remarked how she tasted of "imported sophistication and domestic cigarettes" (GOD I LOVE THAT LINE); he feels outright disdain for anything labelled as queer; and in real life, Lucian straight up refused to talk anything at all about Allen or David for the rest of his life and literally asked for his name to be removed from Allen's collection of poems.

Till the very end, the shame and guilt of the abusive affair made him the walled-up, and partially secretive character he eventually became. He had been violated in a way which made him immensely fear intimacy (at least from his male counterparts) and made him unwilling to reveal any personal part of himself. And this very same fear also made him lose interest and run away from Allen the moment he understood things could get serious.

It was this accumulation of feelings of violation and shame and fear that became insurmountable and resulted in the murder of David Krammerer. As Lucian's son, Caleb Carr said once,

"The fact that he killed David with his Boy-Scout knife is no coincidence"

Lucian knew in that moment that to rid himself of all that abuse, stalking and oppression in general, he'd have to get rid of David in a permanent fashion. The movie did a wonderful job of portraying how this turn of events was more of a build-up than a sudden impulsive act, and this was done in small, one or two second-long frames. Even without knowing his predatory past history of David, we see how he's always an ominous presence lurking in the back. His apartment is one big party stage where everyone's allowed to get freaky, and while this wouldn't be alarming had he been a college-goer, but he's a whole ass professor who's encouraging youngsters to do drugs and get intoxicated and just get wild - MAJOR RED-FLAGS. These subtle clues are enough to make us want David to be eliminated in some way. Later, after Jack retrieves his cat from the oven, Lucian looks at a heavy-looking sack which shows his murderous intents escalating- and it gives us a hint that he might even be motivated to kill David in cold-blood.

The movie did a fantastic job of telling a true story of genuine intrigue and underlying mystery. The characters brought life to the story in the most sincere way, and coupled with amazing visuals, made it a savoury experience. And last but not the least, the actors were so good in their roles that they might have made this review a little biased on seeing the absolute best in them.

Thanks for reading!

[notsoheadless]

Remember Longcat, Jane? I remember Longcat. Fuck the picture on this page, I want to talk about Longcat. Memes were simpler back then, in 2006. They stood for something. And that something was nothing. Memes just were. “Longcat is long.” An undeniably true, self-reflexive statement. Water is wet, fire is hot, Longcat is long. Memes were floating signifiers without signifieds, meaningful in their meaninglessness. Nobody made memes, they just arose through spontaneous generation; Athena being birthed, fully formed, from her own skull.     You could talk about them around the proverbial water cooler, taking comfort in their absurdity. “Hey, Johnston, have you seen the picture of that cat? They call it Longcat because it’s long!” “Ha ha, sounds like good fun, Stevenson! That reminds me, I need to show you this webpage I found the other day; it contains numerous animated dancing hamsters. It’s called — you’ll never believe this — hamsterdance!” And then Johnston and Stevenson went on to have a wonderful friendship based on the comfortable banality of self-evident digitized animals.     But then 2007 came, and along with it came I Can Has, and everything was forever ruined. It was hubris, Jane. We did it to ourselves. The minute we added written language beyond the reflexive, it all went to shit. Suddenly memes had an excess of information to be parsed. It wasn’t just a picture of a cat, perhaps with a simple description appended to it; now the cat spoke to us via a written caption on the picture itself. It referred to an item of food that existed in our world but not in the world of the meme, rupturing the boundary between the two. The cat wanted something. Which forced us to recognize that what it wanted was us, was our attention. WE are the cheezburger, Jane, and we always were. But by the time we realized this, it was too late. We were slaves to the very memes that we had created. We toiled to earn the privilege of being distracted by them. They fiddled while Rome burned, and we threw ourselves into the fire so that we might listen to the music. The memes had us. Or, rather, they could has us.     And it just got worse from there. Soon the cats had invisible bicycles and played keyboards. They gained complex identities, and so we hollowed out our own identities to accommodate them. We prayed to return to the simple days when we would admire a cat for its exceptional length alone, the days when the cat itself was the meme and not merely a vehicle for the complex memetic text. And the fact that this text was so sparse, informal, and broken ironically made it even more demanding. The intentional grammatical and syntactical flaws drew attention to themselves, making the meme even more about the captioning words and less about the pictures. Words, words, words. Wurds werds wordz. Stumbling through a crooked, dead-end hallway of a mangled clause describing a simple feline sentiment was a torture that we inflicted on ourselves daily. Let’s not forget where the word “caption” itself comes from: capio, Latin for both “I understand” and “I capture.” We thought that by captioning the memes, we were understanding them. Instead, our captions allowed them to capture us. The memes that had once been a cure for our cultural ills were now the illness itself.     It goes right back to the Phaedrus, really. Think about it. Back in the innocent days of 2006, we naïvely thought that the grapheme had subjugated the phoneme, that the belief in the primacy of the spoken word was an ancient and backwards folly on par with burning witches or practicing phrenology or thinking that Smash Mouth was good. Fucking Smash Mouth. But we were wrong. About the phoneme, I mean. Theuth came to us again, this time in the guise of a grinning grey cat. The cat hungered, and so did Theuth. He offered us an updated choice, and we greedily took it, oblivious to the consequences. To borrow the parlance of a contemporary meme, he baked us a pharmakon, and we eated it.     Pharmakon, φάρμακον, the Greek word that means both “poison” and “cure,” but, because of the

limitations of the English language, can only be translated one way or the other depending on the context and the translator’s whims. No possible translation can capture the full implications of a Greek text including this word. In the Phaedrus, writing is the pharmakon that the trickster god Theuth offers, the toxin and remedy in one. With writing, man will no longer forget; but he will also no longer think. A double-edged (s)word, if you will. But the new iteration of the pharmakon is the meme. Specifically, the post-I-Can-Has memescape of 2007 onward. And it was the language that did it, Jane. The addition of written language twisted the remedy into a poison, flipped the pharmakon on its invisible axis.     In retrospect, it was in front of our eyes all along. Meme. The noxious word was given to us by who else but those wily ancient Greeks themselves. μίμημα, or mīmēma. Defined as an imitation, a copy. The exact thing Plato warned us against in the Republic. Remember? The simulacrum that is two steps removed from the perfection of the original by the process of — note the root of the word — mimesis. The Platonic ideal of an object is the source: the father, the sun, the ghostly whole. The corporeal manifestation of the object is one step removed from perfection. The image of the object (be it in letters or in pigments) is two steps removed. The author is inferior to the craftsman is inferior to God.     Fuck, out of space. Okay, the illustration on page 46 is fucking useless; I’ll see you there. (21) But we’ll go farther than Plato. Longcat, a photograph, is a textbook example of a second-degree mimesis. (We might promote it to the third degree since the image on the internet is a digital copy of the original photograph of the physical cat which is itself a copy of Platonic ideal of a cat (the Godcat, if you will); but this line of thought doesn’t change anything in the argument.) The text-supplemented meme, on the other hand, the captioned cat, is at an infinite remove from the Godcat, the ultimate mimesis, copying the copy of itself eternally, the written language and the image echoing off each other, until it finally loops back around to the truth by virtue of being so far from it. It becomes its own truth, the fidelity of the eternal copy. It becomes a God.     Writing itself is the archetypical pharmakon and the archetypical copy, if you’ll come back with me to the Phaedrus (if we ever really left it). Speech is the real deal, Socrates says, with a smug little wink to his (written) dialogic buddy. Speech is alive, it can defend itself, it can adapt and change. Writing is its bastard son, the mimic, the dead, rigid simulacrum. Writing is a copy, a mīmēma, of truth in speech. To return to our analogous issue: the image of the cheezburger cat, the copy of the picture-copy-copy, is so much closer to the original Platonic ideal than the written language that accompanies it. (“Pharmakon” can also mean “paint.” Think about it, Jane. Just think about it.) The image is still fake, but it’s the caption on the cat that is the downfall of the republic, the real fakeness, which is both realer and faker than whatever original it is that it represents.    Men and gods abhor the lie, Plato says in sections 382 a and b of the Republic. οὐκ οἶσθα, ἦν δ᾽ ἐγώ, ὅτι τό γε ὡς ἀληθῶς ψεῦδος, εἰ οἷόν τε τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, πάντες θεοί τε καὶ ἄνθρωποι μισοῦσιν; πῶς, ἔφη, λέγεις; οὕτως, ἦν δ᾽ ἐγώ, ὅτι τῷ κυριωτάτῳ που ἑαυτῶν ψεύδεσθαι καὶ περὶ τὰ κυριώτατα οὐδεὶς ἑκὼν ἐθέλει, ἀλλὰ πάντων μάλιστα φοβεῖται ἐκεῖ αὐτὸ κεκτῆσθαι. “Don’t you know,” said I, “that the veritable lie, if the expression is permissible, is a thing that all gods and men abhor?” “What do you     mean?” he said. “This,” said I, “that falsehood in the most vital part of themselves, and about their most vital concerns, is something that no one willingly accepts, but it is there above all that everyone fears it.” Man’s worst fear is that he will hold existential falsehood within himself. And the verbal lies that he tells are a copy of this feared dishonesty in the soul.

Plato goes on to elaborate: “the falsehood in words is a copy of the affection in the soul, an after-rising image of it and not an altogether unmixed falsehood.” A copy of man’s false internal copy of truth. And what word does Plato use for “copy” in this sentence? That’s fucking right, μίμημα. Mīmēma. Mimesis. Meme. The new meme is a lie, manifested in (written) words, that reflects the lack of truth, the emptiness, within the very soul of a human. The meme is now not only an inferior copy, it is a deceptive copy.     But just wait, it gets better. Plato continues in the very next section of the Republic, 382 c. Sometimes, he says, the lie, the meme, is appropriate, even moral. It is not abhorrent to lie to your enemy, or to your friend in order to keep him from harm. “Does it [the lie] not then become useful to avert the evil—as a medicine?” You get one fucking guess for what Greek word is being translated as “medicine” in this passage. Ding ding motherfucking ding, you got it, φάρμακον, pharmakon. The μίμημα is a φάρμακον, the lie is a medicine/poison, the meme is a pharmakon.     But I’m sure that by now you’ve realized the (intentional) mistake in my argument that brought us to this point. I said earlier that the addition of written language to the meme flipped the pharmakon on its axis. But the pharmakon didn’t flip, it doesn’t have an axis. It was always both remedy and poison. The fact that this isn’t obvious to us from the very beginning of the discussion is the fault of, you guessed it, language. The initial lie (writing) clouds our vision and keeps us from realizing how false the second-order lie (the meme) is.     The very structure of the lying meme mirrors the structure of the written word that defines and corrupts it. Once you try to identify an “outside” in order to reveal the lie, the whole framework turns itself inside-out so that you can never escape it. The cat wants the cheezburger that exists outside the meme, but only through the meme do we become aware of the presumed existence of the cheezburger — we can’t point out the absurdity of the world of the meme without also indicting our own world. We can’t talk about language without language, we can’t meme without mimesis. Memes didn’t change between ‘06 and ‘07, it was us who changed. Or rather, our understanding of what we had always been changed. The lie became truth, the remedy became the poison, the outside became the inside. Which is to say that the truth became lie, the pharmakon was always the remedy and the poison, and the inside retreated further inside. It all came full circle. Because here’s the secret, Jane. Language ruined the meme, yes. But language itself had already been ruined. By that initial poisonous, lying copy. Writing.     The First Meme.     Language didn’t attack the meme in 2007 out of spite. It attacked it to get revenge.     Longcat is long. Language is language. Pharmakon is pharmakon. The phoneme topples the grapheme, witches ride through the night, our skulls hide secret messages on their surfaces, Smash Mouth is good after all. Hey now, you’re an all-star. Get your game on.     Go play.

[defdaily]

‪[TRANSLATION] Nylon Korea Magazine June 2020 issue: JB's defined taste.

Translated by defdaily.

just JB

From GOT7’s leader to main vocal and even lead dancer… in other words, he is a multiplayer, and an all-rounder. We were in the midst of preparing the interview, and the editor who was researching JB could already come to know that all that was true even before meeting him. JB, who we meet on stage and on his own personal Soundcloud channel, really does well in everything. We were getting more and more curious about him before having met him. On the day of the cover shooting, we proceeded with the photoshoot first then had the interview after. Watching JB who was in the middle of his shoot, I could see that there are even more things that he is good at. While we talked about the concept and mood for the day, he faintly smiled and answered that he understood. And when he entered the shoot, we heard his answer even more clearly. He wiped the smile that he just had off his face and immediately showed through his actions that he understood what we talked about. In life, opportunities and good fortune are like a random game play but after seeing him we realised that it all came to find him. JB seemed as if he already knew that yet he was never impatient. I hope JB’s intelligent and sexy energy is relayed to Nylonias too.

“I’m doing music now, but be it vocals or dance, I’m not drawn to a particular side. They’re both similarly balanced, but the way I think about them is a little different. Singing is something I definitely want to do well, as for dancing, I want to have fun doing it. It’s good to be a good dancer. It would be really nice to be good at dancing, but since my aim for dancing is to enjoy it, rather than thinking ‘How can I dance better?’ ‘How can I dance more coolly?’, it’s more important that I enjoy myself and receive good energy while dancing.”

http://nylonmedia.co.kr/jb/#

Due to COVID-19, everyone’s daily lives have changed. How has JB’s life changed?

My time at home has expectedly increased. I play with the cats and sometimes go out for a walk. When I go out, I either go to my studio or even when meeting with friends, we try to choose places that are not crowded. It’s a period of time when we should all be careful so I think that we should do whatever we can.

Were you originally someone who spent a lot of time at home. There is a term “homebody” that reflects those tendencies.

There was a time when I stayed home and didn’t do anything for a few months, but I really felt stressed then. I realised then that being home alone too much isn’t good for you. But of course going out everyday is also tiring physically (laughs). That balance is important and when you’re at home, rather than lying down, collapsing and watching TV, it’s better to watch a film that you can relate to or read a book. I do those kinds of things at home.

When you were younger, you said all you did was dance. It could be a cliche question but what is dance to you? Isn’t the one thing that has been with JB or a long time.

The answer could be obvious but to me dance is something that feels like life and livelihood. Since young, rather than practising choreography that has already been set, it became a habit that I could dance freestyle to music that is being played. I don’t know, to me choreography is choreography and dance is dance, to me there is this distinction.

What standards do you think stand at the forefront of dance?

To me, I also consider nodding your head to music that is playing as dance. I think that’s my reply because I feel that  dance is an expression of your current feelings. In the past, something like that happened. When I was walking the streets and suddenly heard a song that I know despite it not being me who played it. Then I would suddenly start dancing. It happened when I was young, but now that I’m thinking about it, it’s a bit embarrassing (laughs)

It seemed like you were enjoying the rhythms of the songs that were being played on set today too.

Music that is my taste played so I was having fun while listening.

To many people, music is a hobby. But for JB that has turned into a career, has there not been times when it has been stressful?

While making music, the times when I can’t seem to create anything are the times (when it is most stressful) or when I had a certain thought or intention while making the song but it is interpreted differently. At those times I think, “Ah that’s not really it?”. Rather than stress, it’s a bit closer to regret.  When songs are not coming to mind, I often think, “Why can’t I think of anything?”, “Do I really not have any talent?” too. But you’re making something out of nothing so it can’t be helped that you collapse at times during the process. I also look back at myself. The stress I had at that time couldn’t be helped. I should put up with it.  

What do you think about while working on your music these days?

Being unlike myself? That’s the part I pay attention to the most. If a song turns out to be unlike me but not over-exaggeratedly, I think ‘oh that’s pretty good’ and can accept it. I try to avoid songs that are too like myself since it can be predictable.

I thought you would be the opposite and make music like yourself instead.

Because it feels like I’m locked up, so I don’t like that.

Do you think you have shown enough of songs that are like yourself?

That is not the case either. As JB, I’m the type to make songs like myself when making music for GOT7. Rather than myself, it has to be more like GOT7’s colour, so I think about that a lot. It’s not that I don’t like music that is like myself.

You seem to be the type that makes plans to clear things out and get them done.

I also have a spontaneous side. But I generally am the type to make plans. If I set my mind and think, “Let’s do this” then in the end I will end up getting it done.

Many people like JB as a singer. You may not have started with singing from the beginning, but you are now the main vocalist of GOT7 and worthy (of the position). What comes to mind when you look back at yourself as a vocalist.

I like my tone but I also don’t like it. Actually, I do think my tone matches well with bright moods or intense music but personally I think it has lacking points. I think it‘s too strong and bright, so I work hard to balance that out.

Is there another artist's tone that you think is good these days?

I often listen to Crush’s music, and I envy his soft tone.

When I see JB's collaborations with various artists, it‘s interesting how a new tone comes out each time.

That’s because I tailor it to whatever is needed each time. Sometimes it's fascinating to me too, that I express things differently depending on who I work with and how I came to meet them. I think vocal tone can be seen as an instrument that makes the music.

Fair skin and cold eyes, sharp nose and jawline, large build, twin moles. As they say, the image of a simple country boy and a cold city man seem to coexist. What is something people around you tell you is really cool about you?

People around me would never say that. Honestly, friends don't really talk about what's cool about each other right? We just curse and get cursed. (Laughs) Well, I know what I think (is cool) about myself.

We’re curious about that too.

Sexiness. Actually it’s more so the thought that I should certainly move forward possessing sexiness.

Is this something you’ve decided that represents you?

If we have to say that, then let's go with cute sexy.

Aren't you being too ambitious?

It’s just my own thoughts. (Laughs) In the past, I would have replied with ‘being free’. I thought that being myself without hesitation was a strength. But these days, it's more of a point that I have to fix rather than a strength. In reality I'm a very free-spirited person, but I don't think that is the right personality for celebrities or public figures.

Did something happen that might have made you feel that way?

I like being honest. But even I think I have a personality that can be misunderstood easily. Like peers my age, I sometimes talk without a filter when I'm excited. But I've been thinking, "Don't we need to manage our image?" Not a lot though. (Laugh)

You seem to be free-spirited, but with rules and such, you seem to be disciplined and have firm standards.

I always upkeep my own line/standard.  I’m not always on the clouds. It's the same for myself and also my friends around me, even for the members, if they cross the line, I am the type to calmly tell them “don’t you think maybe you shouldn’t say/do that?”.

You seem to be the type to say “that’s not it” right away when something is wrong.

Well, I think if I wait to say something, they might feel worse about it. So I’m the type to just say it right there and then that we should be more careful.

I’ve seen an interview in the part where the GOT7 members did not hesitate to say “JB is our leader. There is no other candidate.” But to be honest, being a leader, you can’t not have many burdens and responsibilities.

(Laugh) In the past that was the case so I used to get a lot of stress, but nowadays it’s not the case. Now everyone takes care of themselves and they’re all reliable. At some point, I started thinking that continuously saying "Let's do this" and "Let's do that" is starting to sound nagging. I don’t want that so unless it’s something that needs to be stopped, I don’t say much. Once I was really out of it so I asked Jinyoung to take care of team matters, he did really well so I’ve been leaning on Jinyoung a lot since then.

It feels like a president and vice president.

Nowadays I’m the vice president. (Laugh). I reinforce what Jinyoung says, I don’t interrupt and pretend to act like the head of the group.

Since GOT7 is a team of multi-national members, it would not have been easy to agree on things because of language and cultural differences.

The members are all very good at Korean, so there have never been any times when problems arose due to language issues. When we talk about our opinions, we ask, 'Okay so how do you want to go about this?' And then we go with the majority. This method is the most simple and fair.

Outside of your role as JB in GOT7, is Jaebeom the type to lead in friendships?

Not at all. In a friendship group, there’s always that one person who’s so quiet you don’t know if he’s there or not, right? That’s me. (Laughs) If you call for me, I’ll go out and have fun. But I’m not the type to go “ya~~~” to lead and start up the mood. (My character) is a character that disappears quietly after having fun together.

The latest mini album received a great response. It ranked No. 1 on iTunes music charts in more than 50 countries around the world. Domestic music charts and record sales were also overwhelming..

Out of ambition, I did hope it would be better. It is important for my name and the team’s name to be more known, however I hoped our music would reach more people.  

Looking at GOT7 onstage, everyone thinks you are a group that stands out with your performance.

We can be proud of that. It’s the thing we pay most attention to since we’re in GOT7. Now we also have some years of experience, so I think our skills should live up to that too. I thought that it’s a time when the team shouldn’t simply be releasing albums. I think we have to work hard so people go “ah great” when watching our performances.

Previously when we were doing the shoot, there was a cut that was a little revealing. Do you work out? There was a time when you were chosen as GOT7’s rep for having a “good body”.

These days I’m intending to start exercising again. And I usually don’t take things such as nutritional supplements, but I’ve come to think they’re important so recently, I stopped by a pharmacy to buy a variety of vitamins and probiotics etc and I eat them every morning.

Was there something that prompted that or did it just come to mind?

I’ve had a lot of interest in fashion, but I don’t really pay a lot of attention to my looks. I’ve come to realise recently that how you look is also part of fashion so I ‪want to take better care of myself. (Laughs) My body is the type to get big easily when I exercise so instead I tried to just lose weight by not eating. But I felt that my condition was starting to get out of control too so I told myself, “Ok, let’s combine (what we’ve done previously) with exercise as well and create a healthy body!”

How long have you been taking nutritional supplements for?

It’s barely been a week. (Laughs) I’m not sure if it’s because of my mood, but I already feel like I'm getting healthier. I woke up at 9 this morning. But I didn’t feel tired or anything, I felt so refreshed so I’m starting to believe more and more in the magic of nutritional supplements.

When we were talking about charms; you mentioned the term sexiness. What does JB think sexiness is?

How do I say this. Rather than forcibly thinking ‘I’m fatal’, true sexiness comes out in a natural situation or moment. Also when someone is working hard on what they do. I am also working hard on my job, and I especially pay attention to the atmosphere created by lyrics or songs. I think that sexiness comes to be when you naturally get caught in that kind of place.

Then what do you think being cool is?

When someone acknowledges their own weakness (problem) and knows how to take that in. Even if they can't fix it straightaway, they think about it once more, and are able to say 'I'm sorry’ or even discuss the issue more. That's what I think 'being cool' is.

Honestly when someone hears words that aren’t very kind, even though in your head you know what you should do, sometimes it’s hard to control facial expressions.

On the contrary, when hearing such things, if it was me I’d say ‘I fully understand what you mean. But to be honest, it doesn’t feel good.”  After acknowledging what I did wrong, I am the type to honestly express how I feel at that moment. Then I ask for some time if I need it or find the cause (of why I feel this way).

You seem to be someone that hates ambiguity.

But there are times when I act ambiguous too. Despite hating things like that. (Laughs) Sometimes I think ‘Am I this hypocritical?’ And have a hard time because of it, but again I guess everyone is like that in a way.

Translated by defdaily.

[relaxxattack]

Remember Longcat, Jane? I remember Longcat. Fuck the picture on this page, I want to talk about Longcat. Memes were simpler back then, in 2006. They stood for something. And that something was nothing. Memes just were. “Longcat is long.” An undeniably true, self-reflexive statement. Water is wet, fire is hot, Longcat is long. Memes were floating signifiers without signifieds, meaningful in their meaninglessness. Nobody made memes, they just arose through spontaneous generation; Athena being birthed, fully formed, from her own skull-- (/c)

i was going through the detective pony tag yesterday and like 10% of the posts were this copypasta. but like, the whole thing. ALL of it. not even under a readmore. it was hell to scroll past every time i read the words ““remember longcat, jane” LMFAO