Friday links! Bracing discoveries edition

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized 1 Comment

You will understand soon enough.

Depending on your attitude toward philosophical idealism, pretty much everything that can be known is out there, waiting to be discovered. Like the word “discovery,” knowledge has little meaning apart from a human subjet to know it, but knowledge as object—the location of your old apartment keys, what went wrong with Amelia Earhart’s plane, the mass of an undiscovered planet—is out there, waiting to be figured. Today is Friday, and the weekend, defined by possibility and inactivity, is upon us. Who knows what the future will reveal? I’m still trying to catch up with the past. Won’t you look back forward with me?

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Friday links! Oh my god, do I try edition

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized 3 Comments

The three images above are of the 19th-century fresco “Ecce Homo” by Elias Garcia Martinez. The first is the original, the second is a version damaged by moisture, and the third is the botched “restoration” performed by 80 year-old Cecilia Giminez. Dueña Giminez is not a professional art restorer. She was trying to fix the fresco, which was one of her favorites, but it got out of hand. Authorities disagree on whether she did it with permission or what. If you would like to understand the problem of others, take a look at Ecce Bigfoot up there. A nice old Spanish lady who loves Jesus did that. You can’t be mad at her. All you can do is keep trying.

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I’m not dead

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized 0 Comment

Hey, dudes. I am just now returned from Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and the beautiful Tetons, all of which are A) majestic and B) partially on fire. Obviously the blog is of little value to anyone today. We’ll be back tomorrow with 15% more wild conjecture.

Friday links! GTFO edition

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized 4 Comments

It’s an acronym.

Combat! blog is relocating to Jackson Hole this weekend to see the famous hole, and the transition is way behind schedule. I need to GTFO house. Normally I dislike internet slang—particularly the soul-destroying lol—but GTFO has made its way into my actual speech. I like the way it makes leaving into a transitive verb—something you do to a place, as opposed to with yourself. Today is Friday, and I am about to GTFO Montana for the weekend. First, though, the links. While I’m gone, consider that:

Paul Ryan likes Rage Against the Machine, but Rage does not like Paul Ryan. Mad props to The Cure for this one.

The Boy Scouts don’t care which religion you profess, but you have to pick one.

This handy guide will help you choose.

And now that you’ve got one, think about where but for his/her grace/karma go you.

Now watch this rap video about snacks made by middle school children in their after-school program:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YLy4j8EZIk

Eat a dick, soccer.

Friday links! Fantasy of decline edition

By Dan Brooks in Uncategorized 3 Comments

Why would they keep trying to cross that aqueduct?

We’ve talked about it before, but it is critically important that you not fall into declinism. The fantasy that American empire has reached its sunset is both conceited and self-fulfilling. We won a war against Nazis during the Great Depression; probably we can get past having too many fat kids and needing to invent a kind of transportation other than the car. The only way we wouldn’t is if we all decided we were at the end of civilization and nothing we did like, matters. That’s how things stop working, and we can choose not to quit. Still, when you imagine the collapse of society into a Hobbesian war of all against all, it is kind of satisfying. The disintegration of Delta airlines, Lil’ Kim having to make the transition to actual whore—these are bitterly comforting ideas. It’s Friday, and our link roundup is split between images of decline and comforting reminders of who will suffer most of it happens. Don’t give in to declinism, though. Maybe just indulge it a little as you imagine Lena Dunham struggling to grow turnips.

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