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Ze Frank Contemplates Consciousness
If you were socially aware on the Internet in 2006, and frequented Fark or Reddit, then you, at the very least, have heard of Ze Frank. Yanno, the guy who did a webshow, The Show, every weekday for an entire year. He talked about Bush a lot, made the Whip Somebody’s Ass song famous, and created a form of community-following that didn’t really exist before the Internet.
ZeFrank fell off the face of the planet for the last couple years, doing projects like Star.me which weren’t bad ideas, but not good enough to reclaim former glory. (Watching Internet celebrities try to make a comeback and fail fills me with existential dread.)
So when he announced that he was coming back with A Show, similar to The Show, I was super excited. Alas, his attitude was old and tired. Nearly 20 videos later, I’m still not fully engaged.
But finally, he came out with one that got my attention. Here Ze uses his nueroscience degree from Brown University* and talks some intellectual mind-fuckery about the nature of being and consciousness.
The red book on the shelf behind him is “Free Will” by Sam Harris. ❤ ❤ ❤ <3!
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*Brown is doing a lot of cool stuff in the areas of brain research and nuerotechnology. Here’s a video of a paralyzed woman moving a robotic hand with her thoughts.
Neil Gaiman’s UArts Commencement Address: I Did Fine Without School
“So be wise because the world needs more wisdom. And if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who’s wise and just behave like they would. And now go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes, break rules, leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make Good Art.”
Neil Gaiman addresses the University of the Arts Class of 2012.
I like the part where he admits to lying on his resumé.
Welcome to Planned Parenthood
Tumbler re-blog via http://animalstalkinginallcaps.tumblr.com/
HELLO, AND WELCOME TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD, YOU SLUTTY SLUT. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM TODAY? YOU WANT A SLUTTY MAMMOGRAM TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT YOU’VE GOT SLUTTY BREAST CANCER? JUST KIDDING, OF COURSE. YOU’RE HERE FOR AN ABORTION BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES IT’S MATHEMATICALLY PROVEN THAT LESS THAN FIVE PERCENT OF OUR TOTAL PROCEDURES ARE ABORTION, EVERYONE STILL BELIEVES THAT ALL WE DO IS GET RID OF YOU AND YOUR ARMY OF HIPPIE BOYFRIENDS’ SLUTTY MISTAKES, YOU BIG OLD SLUT, YOU.
SLUTEVER, AM I RIGHT? TAKE A SEAT OVER THERE AND WE’LL SEND SOMEONE OUT TO DO A PROVOCATIVE SEX DANCE BEFORE WE GIVE YOU SOME NUDIE MAGS AND NIPPLE TASSELS. I HOPE YOU DON’T HAVE ANY LEGITIMATE HEALTH ISSUES BECAUSE THAT WOULD RUIN OUR NONSTOP SLUT PARTY.
NEXT, PLEASE.
Gay Man Composed the Music for Rick Perry’s Ad
We’ve all seen the now most disliked video on youtube. (Take that Beiber and Black.)
And spawner of many memes.
The Villiage Voice points out more irony incarnate:
A Harvard music major noticed the the connection and sent the author of the Political Review post an email saying, “Just realized this: the music in Rick Perry’s new anti-gay ad is by Aaron Copland, a famous 20th Century American composer…who was an outspoken gay Jew.” Copland also supported the Communist Party.
Allie Brosh Updates Hyperbole and a Half – Joy, Then Self-Loathing Ensues
After taking about a 5 month hiatus from what is favorite blog-comic amalgamation ever, today writer Allie Brosh finally posted a new one titled, “Adventures in Depression.”
"But trying to use willpower to overcome the apathetic sort of sadness that accompanies depression is like a person with no arms trying to punch themselves until their hands grow back. A fundamental component of the plan is missing and it isn't going to work."
I would comment with something about clinical depression, but at the moment I’m too busy cross-analyzing myself with the blog-comic and stuffing my face with carbs.
But next time I get that incontrollable urge to spend money I don’t have in a futile attempt to offset deep emotional wounds with material possessions, I hope Allie Brosh’s book will be out, because I will totally buy it.
My Top 3 Trending Tumblrs for October
There are many Tumblrs I follow. But as with any social media followings, I can really only care about a few at a time. Here are a few of my favorites that have been getting more of my re-blogs lately.
1. Kim Jong Il Looking at Things
It’s exactly what it promises. With plenty of stock photos ripe for some photoshopping. Here’s mine:
2. Shit that Siri Says
STSS shows the smart and not so smart responses of Apple’s new voice controlled personal assistant. These convos remind me of Cleverbot, except more clever.
3. Actually, You’re the 47%
In Response to “The 53%,” the Tumblr set up as the 4chan of anti-Occupy Wallstreet, “Actually You’re the 47%,” highlights the fact that the contributors to the original blog don’t really know if they pay income taxes or not.
"I created a preliminary test to help people figure out if they are in the 53%. Question 1: Are you a babysitter?"
Ylgesias notes on the “only 53% pay income taxes” number trending:
Most people think of the taxes that you pay when you “do your taxes” in April as being your income taxes. It is, in fact, a consolidated income tax and payroll tax. Thanks to some temporary tax cuts implemented during the recession, a very large share of American workers currently have only payroll tax liability rather than income tax liability. So through sleight of hand, you can convince many more than 53 percent of the people that they are part of the put-upon “53 percent” forced to bear the burden of a nation of slackers.
And a bonus Tumblr, for everyone who likes the overlap of hot girls and people that assert their First Amendment by protesting:
Hot Chicks of Occupy Wallstreet.
Was I late on the origins of Keyboard Cat? He’s actually been dead for 24 years.
Thanks to the vigilant contributors to Wikipedia’s well-cited “Keyboard Cat” page and Know Your Meme, I recently learned that Keyboard Cat’s name is Fatso and the original video was filmed either in 1984 (according to wiki) or 1986 (according to Know your Meme). Fatso died in 1987.
In 2007, the owner and video’s producer, Charlie Schmidt uploaded a video titled “Cool Cat” on YouTube, where it remained in relative obscurity for another two years until February 2nd, 2009 when YouTuber Brad O’Farrell used a clip in his Fail-compilation, “Play him off, Keyboard Cat.”
“Play him off, Keyboard Cat” has since been taken down.
Also, in case you missed it:
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