Two quotes from ‘Either/Or’ by Søren Kierkegaard

“A fire broke out backstage in a theatre.  The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded.  He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater.  I think that’s just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it’s a joke”.

“Something wonderful happened to me.  I was transported into the seventh heaven.  All the gods sat there in assembly.  By special grace I was accorded the favour of a wish.  ’Will you,’ said Mercury, ‘have youth, or beauty, or power, or a long life, or the prettiest girl, or any other of the many splendours we have in our chest of knick-knacks?  So choose, but just one thing’.  For a moment I was at a loss.  Then I addressed myself to the gods as follows: ‘ Esteemed contemporaries, I choose one thing: always to have laughter on my side.’  Not a single word did one god offer in answer; on the contrary they all began to laugh.  From this I concluded that my prayer was fulfilled and that the gods knew how to express themselves with taste, for it would hardly have been fitting gravely to answer, ‘It has been granted to you.’”

A musing

I have this one persistent thought that I can’t help thinking and it’s just that perhaps there hasn’t been any great literature yet.  Perhaps there hasn’t been any great art of any kind yet – I imagine that probably follows – but what concerns me is literature.  Perhaps everything that has been written so far is only childish doodling.  Perhaps we’re only just beginning to grasp what the written word is and what it can do and what it’s really for.  Perhaps we haven’t even begun at all.  Of course, there’s no way to know if I’m right – but I certainly hope so.

Talking Time Travellers

The forums of the Time Travel Institute can be worth a visit if you’re interested in cybermythology, not least in the strangely persistent myth of John Titor, or just people who like to mess with each other’s heads and general sense of perspective.  You can read a typical example at http://www.timetravelinstitute.com/threads/urgent-warning-to-all-travellers.8248/.  You can read another one at http://www.timetravelinstitute.com/threads/jay-z-time-traveler.8244/

And so on.

“And the princess and the prince discuss what is real and what is not…”

Time to make soup.  Another linkdump on the way.  Linkdump is blog soup.

Maybe He’s Dead

I can’t help it but any time I hear somebody say, “where’s Paul?” (or whoever) the first thing that comes to mind is what would happen if I responded, “maybe he’s dead”.  I think this is the most hilarious response anyone could give to a question like that.  So hilarious it’s hard for me to suppress laughter whenever I hear anyone ask where someone is.

“Where’s Linda?”

“Maybe she’s dead”

“Where’s Peter?”

“Maybe he’s dead”

“Where’s Bob?”

“Maybe he’s dead”.

And so on.  Which I realise is very unhelpful.

Strawberry Generations

I’m quite happy to report that my strawberry plant, salvaged from my previous garden, is pregnant. Now living a good forty feet above the ground in my third floor flat, it’s been firing a runner forlornly into the air for some weeks, in the hopes of catching perhaps some ethereal soil in which to root.  Alas.

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But also – rejoice!  It’s long enough now for me to give nature a dirty helping hand and peg the runner down into a separate pot, so as to be severed when the time is right.  I hope there is a right time, as my flat doesn’t get a generous amount of direct sunlight.  I’ll report back in four to six weeks.

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Periskop: 40

Impressively, the next album by periskop will in fact be 40 albums, and at a total length of 30 hours, will “constitute “the longest music release in the history of Danish music”.  The modesty’s interesting, if that’s what it is: are there longer releases from elsewhere in Europe?

I’ve been an admirer of periskop’s disciplined and mathematical approach to ambient techno-dub for some time now, and so I welcome this project.  The release is set to exist from 25th May not only as one vinyl LP + a USB drive containing the other 39 albums (take that, digital revelers/revolters) but also as a free download (take that, economic growth).  Selections are already available for streaming from periskop’s own blog as well as his soundcloud.

Don't be scared.

Don’t be scared.

Bing Satellites album: Live in Salford and Manchester

I was disappointed to miss what was apparently the first Bing Satellites gig in Salford this weekend.  I had every intention of going but it turned out that since it was part of the Sounds from the Other City festival, just turning up with my ears wouldn’t be enough.  I’d have had to pay £23 for a “pass” to the entire festival.  All that interested me was Bing Satellites.  In fact, these days, you have to be either drone ambient bliss or free jazz freakout to attract my acoustic attention at all.

Fortunately, the prolific publisher of his own material Mr Bing himself has already released the May 5th gig as an album, for the much more sensible price of £6.  For which you shall receive an instant download and a gradual CD, so off you go.

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I’m pleased to report that the album’s another winner.  Get your ears out.

Appearances

You might have noticed that The OPINION has had a change of clothes today.  I’m tweaking the template and widgets and so on, restlessly and for no good reason other than that I feel like it.  And what better reason is there?  I’m particularly fond of the “floating sidebar” on the left of the screen, which you can open by selecting the charming little “+” symbol, thus revealing other goodies.

What do you think?  Do you care?  Why?