Ungauged read time! Next week I’m turning to matters of resistance and work. It’s been on my mind for a long, long time — its own form of temporal resistance, I guess.
Go ahead, push the button:
And this one, too, if you got this note from a friend:
I often run across articles that relate to topics I’ve written about. Readers send me links, too. I think it’s good to share a selection of them, grouped under the titles of posts I’ve written, just so that people can catch up if they enjoyed a post or so that they can read one they missed. Everyone gets an update!
If you run across a resource that you think other Technocomplex readers would enjoy, let me know with an email to technocomplex@substack.com.
Barbie. My long, tortured, wonderful relationship.
Barbie is streaming now, so Bond Girl Bride and I will probably see it this weekend.
As usual, a brilliant review from Brody: Brody, Richard. “‘Barbie’ Is Brilliant, Beautiful, and Fun as Hell.” The New Yorker, July 21, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/barbie-is-brilliant-beautiful-and-fun-as-hell.
Race and The Barb (who is stereotypically white). Speed Art Museum. “Black Barbie.” Accessed August 10, 2023. https://www.speedmuseum.org/cinema/black-barbie/.
“It’s bonkers, and it’s beautiful. It’s also a celebration of male dancing that evokes the athleticism fostered by Ted Shawn, whose mission in the early 20th century was to make dance ‘a legitimate medium for the creative male artist.’ And there’s even a fast feet drill.” I’m ready with my dancing shoes. Kourlas, Gia. “The Dance Delight in ‘Barbie’ Belongs to the Kens.” The New York Times, July 28, 2023, sec. Arts. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/28/arts/dance/ken-dance-barbie-movie.html.
The "writer" at your side, helping ... or not & Technological rubble
A good overview of AI tools that are available circa summer 2023. I’ve tried a few, but I’m ambivalent about them … and suspicious that they’ll end up knee-capping promising talents. But Ethan’s post provides a service to us. Mollick, Ethan. “How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide.” Substack newsletter. One Useful Thing, March 29, 2023.
“Through interaction with the AI, I get new ideas, what I can play, and how to be human in a creative process. In the future, with AI I think there will be a new form of music, or new form of art expression, which has never been possible without new technology.” Stewart, Brandon. “These ‘AI Artists’ Don’t Want to Ape Existing Art — They Want to Create Something New Entirely.” Freethink, May 8, 2023. https://www.freethink.com/robots-ai/nao-tokui-and-dadabots-want-to-create-new-music.
Start with a talk. Draw a picture. Grow & A dark side of car glamour & Loving and naming cars
Baker, Samantha Dion. “Prompt No. 12: Cars and Trucks.” Substack newsletter. Draw Your World, September 4, 2023.
A really long piece of music
“Future generations currently have no rights; nobody stops us from harming them…. We should change that. Let us be good ancestors.” Fisher’s article lists other long-term (like, really long-term) art projects: Fisher, Richard. “Until 3183 A.D., This Public Sculpture Is a Work in Progress.” The New York Times, September 14, 2023, sec. Arts. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/14/arts/design/wemding-time-pyramid-zeitpyramide.html.
The ladies out back turned me into a hoarder
Bantams are plucky creatures. Our dear Lucy (in my article, linked in the heading) was one of the breed, but she was too plucky for her own good and got eaten. So much for outlasting Peanut. Restrepo, Manuela López. “Meet Peanut, a 21-Year–Old Chicken and World Record Holder.” NPR, September 1, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/09/01/1197051442/chicken-peanut-oldest-guinness-world-record.
Robert Moses and the car steering his will
What if it’s not only greedy parking spaces that we’re contending with but also “autobesity”? Norris, Sian. “More than 150 Car Models Too Big for Regular UK Parking Spaces.” The Guardian, August 26, 2023, sec. Business. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/26/more-than-150-car-models-too-big-for-regular-uk-parking-spaces.
Going underground to get aboveground
If you haven’t already subscribed to Jillian’s ’stack, you should. Hess, Jillian. “Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Notes from NYC’s Underground Art Scene.” Substack newsletter. Noted, September 11, 2023.
I’ll be returning to a related topic next week. Jacobs, Alan. “Resistance in the Arts.” The New Atlantis, Summer 2023. https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/resistance-in-the-arts.