Sunday, May 20, 2012

Who ever goes backwards?

Sometimes I can't close tabs until I've blogged them even though I know this is crazy.

I took part in April Wolfe's psychic transmission project (my drawing is above). I don't think mine looks anything like what she drew, but then, I don't really believe in psychic transmissions and that may have clouded my reception.


Link roundup:

Josh Stephens, who I worked for at the CPDR once or twice, has a pretty great story about California redevelopment agencies that unfortunately can be summed up as, "It's complicated and we need more data.


Why did that Arizona Little League team forfeit rather than play against a girl? They're run by a Catholic cult.

I work with Vivian, the Dapper Dyke. She takes her barber reviews really seriously.

Should I go see Avengers? I think Kirby got screwed, but I don't care so much about heirs. Grantland looks at Stan Lee.

Businesses and governments rob poor people pretty much because they can get away with it.

Against the kid-ification of museums.

Remember: Distrust all media.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Office birdsI


In that little picture, you can almost see the hawk that was in my office when I got back from my lunch break. It had been in there for a while, and Justin had hoped that having the lights off would convince it to leave.

I figured out that it was a juvenile Cooper's Hawk, mostly because of the banding on the tail and the striped body (which, along with habitat, seemed good enough to say it wasn't a Sharp Shinned), then spent twenty minutes desperately trying to figure out how to clear it from the rafters. I tried playing Cooper's Hawk sounds, especially nesting ones outside the door, but the damned thing only flitted around to where it could tell I was just holding a laptop to fool it. Eventually, I gave another shot with the darkness, sitting for ten minutes in the black silently, until it finally just took off.

So I go to close the big door that let it in, and as soon as I've done that, a pigeon that was hiding under a half-loft and blanket comes flapping out. My guess is that the hawk chased it in here, and then was looking for it until it decided to split.

But the pigeon's not nearly as peripatetic — it's avoided all my attempts to spook it out, including shooting a bunch of rubber bands at it. It let a couple bounce off before making a half-assed circuit around the room and returning to the same spot. Thanks.


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Digestion aids eaters and readers

Psychoanalysis and Homosexuality in Respond Magazine.

Some interesting points: Freud had a weird view toward the causes of homosexuality, but repeatedly supported full inclusion of LGBT folk into professional societies and didn't think that being gay was a disorder. He rather treated it more like being crippled — not desirable, but not grounds for exclusion. Which was a progressive attitude for the time.

18 Secret LA Gardens in Curbed.

I think this will be handy the next time I have to take visitors around LA. Rooftop gardens are a lot more fun than the Walk of Fame, in that you can actually visit them on purpose without being in the way of everyone trying to actually use the city.

Concord Art Space has open drawing every Monday night.

I meant to go, but forgot. Maybe I will remember next week.

HRLA or Human Resources LA.

It's a contemporary art and performance space that seems to favor the beardos.

Google Map of 25 Alternative Art Spaces in LA.

Another place to take visitors (or, a lot of places but I tend to think of art spaces as kinda fungible — I'll go see almost any art).

Little Magazines index.

If I had infinite art resources, I'd love to run a "little magazine" of pomo art shit. But I'd need more time and money in my life, something unlikely to happen.

How water freezes.

It's actually kinda mindblowingly cool. There's a lot of different ice. Though Ice 9 was pretty disappointing in real life.

Something Awful collects Political Rap.

Oh, earnest political nonsense plus pop culture modes makes for hilarity.

Kill Radio's Nat'l Bag.

This is Amanda's show; I listen when I write.