Danger Syndicate

Guys, I have a new obsession. It’s not clouds. Just kidding! It’s clouds.

This all started a week or so ago when I looked up at the sky and thought, man, I’d really like to know what that’s called. So over the next few days, I researched clouds on Wikipedia — went through the various types and sub-types, viewed photos upon photos of incredible clouds, and learned an amazing amount of information in such a short time. I don’t think I’ve ever retained so much information from Wikipedia ever before.

So, this all led up to my goal for October — to be able to classify any sky of clouds. Obviously, I realize I will come across some I can’t classify (like the one above — any cloud experts want to help me with this one?), because they are just so odd. Some formations are caused by such strange air movement and moisture that they can’t even hope to be classified. But I have no doubt that by the end of this month I’ll have the difference between cumulus humilis and cumulus mediocris down.

Why, you might ask, would I ever need to know the names of all of the cloud formations? Well, why shouldn’t I know them? Why should I ever stop fueling my brain with the most extraneous of information? Plus, wouldn’t it be so cool if I could just be sitting around with some friends, look up at the sky, and say, “Hey guys, what do you think of that cirrus radiatus?” And they’d be like, “Ooh Steven how are you so awesome and suave?”

In addition, there’s so much to learn from clouds, primarily the forecast. What kind of person wouldn’t want the satisfaction gained from having a prediction come true, especially one that affects everyone around you? After predicting precipitation angled about 15 degrees from the NW within the next hour, once it happens you would feel like you own the sky. The world. THE FUTURE. Plus, clouds just look plain cool, and this realization was what sparked my interest in the first place. The above image, for example, depicts one of the most awesome cloud formations I’ve seen, and it’s nice knowing that you can look at that and know it’s a lenticular cloud.

So, all of this really cumulates (ho ho!) into a card I’ve made for myself on the go. It has, in space-sensitive 8 pt font, a list of all of the primary cloud types and some of the subtypes I found either common or interesting. I included a list of simple forecasts — what each cloud formation indicates — as well, to help the amateur meteorologist in me. I want to encourage the lot of you, dear readers, to look up every once in a while, and ruminate beneath a vast ocean of stratus or something.

And if you’d like a copy of my cloud classification card to help you along the way, you could acquire a PDF! It fits in most wallets!

Hey, reader, do you have approximately 10 hours free right now? Because if you do, I would highly encourage you use them to watch these five movies. Movies which, while not necessarily my five favorite movies of all time, had a really awesome impact on me, an impact that I want to share with all of you (in no particular order). So, rustle up a few dozen bags of popcorn and sit back in what is hopefully a comfortable chair as I show you some of the most powerful, scariest, and most ridiculous films I’ve ever seen.

1. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Without a doubt Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, Basterds is a cut above Deathproof, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, even Pulp Fiction. To call it satire wouldn’t be entirely correct - there is a certain amount of relish with which Tarantino murders Germans in this film, and the Basterds, played by stereotyped New York Jews, seem to take a true pleasure in laying waste to Nazi scum. In addition to being immaculately conceived and written, this movie features what is by far my favorite Brad Pitt role, ever. Brad Pitt is unique among Hollywood stars in that he often acts in very pulpy movies, a risky move that pays off hugely here. This movie’s script, actors, and gore level take completely advantage of the American subconscious; playing off our inherent loathing of Nazis, it takes violence to beyond extreme and yet paradoxically has us all hooting in joy when a poor German soldier’s head gets blown off. Perhaps that’s the social commentary Tarantino wants us to see. Or maybe he just likes blowing up SS officers as much as we do.

2. The Fall (2006)

The most beautiful movie I have ever seen, hands down. Not hugely known in the mainstream, this movie, directed by well-known Indian music-video/commercial director Tarsem Singh, is a complete trip, and the kind of movie that you will probably only ever see once in your lifetime. Set in early 20th century Los Angeles, the plot follows an injured (and suicidal) stuntman in the hospital and his interactions with a young immigrant orange-picker who has fallen and broken her arm. Plotting to gain the child’s trust in an effort to further his own agenda, the stuntman weaves an immense, fantastic tale for the girl, which grows to almost completely dominate and parallel the real-world plot of the movie. The movie quickly evolves from a silly child-adult bonding story into a sprawling narrative that studies the impulses of hope, revenge, and despondency, all of which are cleverly presented alternately from an adult’s and a child’s point of view. In addition to stunning cinematography and gorgeous settings (the film was shot in a number of countries), the character development is superb, and the drama is honestly tear-jerking. A must, must, must see.

3. Seven (1995)

One of my favorite movies of all time, and what I think is the best ever crime movie. A close second to Basterds in roles that Brad Pitt has played, and one of Morgan Freeman’s most pessimistic, yet poignant, portrayals. The story centers around an unknown serial killer who is killing one victim for each of the seven deadly sins (gluttony, wrath, pride, sloth, greed, lust, and envy for anyone who wasn’t an altar boy), and the dynamic duo of old, seen-it-all cop (Freeman) and young, brazen cop (Pitt). And if the premise wasn’t interesting enough, the movie is extremely well executed, with equal parts action, suspense, and psycho-babble, as well as probably the most mind-blowing ending to any movie ever. Ever. You will crap your pants.

4. Rec (2007)

If you’ve seen Quarantine, then you’ve seen how scary a concept it is to be trapped in a locked off apartment complex with a bunch of zombies, but to see the idea executed at the highest possible quality, you seriously need to pick up Rec. The movie that inspired Quarantine, this Spanish film ranks up there on the scariest movies of all time. Even with the English subtitles on, the tension is palpable, and the ingenious first-person documentary-style cinematography inspires intense creepy crawlies and enables some great compositional setups throughout the movie. The plot is simple, almost minimalist, but to be honest, a simple evil is so much scarier than a complex one. A complex evil had to get that way, had to go through a process, and the process may not always be complete, whereas a simple evil just is. Is not Azathoth, the idiot god, feared above all others in the host of the heavens for his blind power and thirst for chaos?*

5. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Remember the middle ages, when badasses were badasses, no matter what religion they belonged to? Kingdom of Heaven takes a new look at a very old issue that is especially relevant in a post-9/11 world, namely; how different are ‘we’ from ‘them’? During the time of the crusades, Jerusalem was considered a city of holy peace, a place were Jews, Christians, and Muslims could co-exist peacefully. However, white western Christians, unsurprisingly hell-bent(haha) on securing complete dominion over inferior races and belief-systems (God, what is it with those white western Christians?), decide to make trouble in the neighborhood. Over the course of a beautifully made and acted film (especially Edward Norton’s role as a leprous king) we discover what barriers truly lie between two ‘opposing’ idealogies.

*If you aren’t familiar with the works of H. P. Lovecraft, master of horror fiction, then you might be a bit confused. Learn some more here.

If you’ve not yet heard of Wolfram|Alpha, you just haven’t been reading up on enough of those scientific internet applications recently. It is, in my opinion, one of the most useful and incredible breakthroughs in dynamic input interpreter (or “search engine”) technology since Google. Bing’s got nothing on this shit¹.

Wolfram|Alpha is this service I’ve been using for several weeks, perhaps more, and it is by far the single most useful computational knowledge engines I’ve ever used, and maybe the first! Stephen Wolfram’s goal with Alpha is essentially to make the world’s knowledge quantifiable and search-able, and condensed and consolidated into a database able to receive a single input string.

Only a fool couldn’t see that Wolfram|Alpha is a good idea. First of all, it’s fantastic for doing simple things: calculating roots of a quadratic function, finding out where the moon will be tomorrow, etc. And all of these simple things add up until you realize exactly how many simple things Wolfram|Alpha can do.

Second, I love the design. Alpha’s website is simple and intuitive, bringing the viewer’s eye towards the input field, and secondarily towards the list of examples. On a results page, the data is loaded dynamically, and although it’s not immediately available in plain-text, it’s clear that this is necessary. Obviously they are loading information in such a way that enhances speed and accessibility.

Lastly, the interpreter is very intelligent. Most coherent input strings can be read and interpreted pretty well, regardless of syntax. Before you even take a look at all of the examples, you can probably guess at some of things that can be entered. Try “etymology anxious” or just “anxious” or even “what are broader terms for the word tuna?” You can query an object — the word anxious — or, in addition limit information, such as the etymology. In addition, you can type in two queries separated by a comma (such as “Pluto, Neptune“), and Alpha will format and compare the two entities dynamically. The interpreting power of Wolfram|Alpha can only be surpassed by its computational power and sheer bulk of data.

There’s really not a whole lot to say, you kind of have to experience it for yourself. I suggest you check it out, play with it a little bit, and see what you can do.

All Wolfram needs now is a comprehensively featured and useful desktop client.

¹Technically speaking, Bing has nothing on anything. “Decision engine?” It doesn’t even make decisions! It’s just Google, with less influence and ability, a superfluous design, and a distinct need to actually advertise their services. On TV! Television, for Christ’s sake!

Do you get tired of reading our posts all the time? I bet you do! Here are some links to awesome cultural supernovas currently residing on the webernets.

Dinosaur Comics

Do you like the same pictures talking about topics ranging from Schopenhauer to lesbians? If you do, and you haven’t read Dinosaur Comics, I not only pity your soul, but suggest you read some of these classic gems.

Hark! a Vagrant

Historical humor (not a very deeply plumbed niche) executed in a delightful drawing style? Enter Kate Beaton, authoress of Hark! a Vagrant. Being a fan of Poe, this one was particularly LMFAOROFL.

Bash.org

God, it’s so funny. Seriously, so funny. If you don’t read this, cats will die.

Macrochan!

True, it’s a bit 90’s, but I’m ok with that. If you want obscure references and obscene mash-ups of every meme from “yo dawg” to “mudkips”, check it out, but be warned that it’s N always SFW.

So, my friends, feast at the table of the tuboblag!

Warning, warning, *SPOILER ALERT*

I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I was as excited as a baby kangaroo taking gymnastics lessons from a tiger to see the two-hour House season 6 premiere, and I thought that it delivered with the full scripting and acting genius that I’ve come to expect these last 5 seasons, though I have some doubts about the future.

House and some crazy guy that we'll probably never see again.

Now, obviously the show House is about, well, Greg House and his personality. House’s quirky ways are really the essence of the show, as he is a character that we can relate with and be repulsed by at the same time, the dynamic that makes the show as great as it is. In fact, this premiere plays on that more than any so far, since, having been with House for 5 years or so, we know how he works and acts, and expect heavy emphasis on these things. However brilliant Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of this cynical, peoplephobic doctor is, though (and it is brilliant), House (the show and the character) really shines through the interactions between the titular doctor and other people. The most ingenious, and entertaining, device of the show is the way in which the writers have secondary characters react to House’s alternately absurd, tragic, pathetic, and admirable traits.

Unfortunately, the show’s premise and character-developing banter has grown to be, while still well-executed and insightful, a bit predictable. For example, whenever House hatches some crackpot plan to cure the patient, the most likely reactions are: Foreman sighs, Thirteen cries in outrage at first but then submits to House, the late Kutner happily signs on, and Taub looks indifferent. Of course, the other characters have to get involved too, involving such shocking developments as: Cuddy refusing to allow House’s treatment (which he ultimately gets around), Wilson giving House good advice that he doesn’t follow, Cameron trying to distance herself from the situation, and Chase looking generally confused.

Because of this, I thought that one of the best things that the show could have done, and the best thing that the show did during the premiere was to introduce a new and untested plethora of characters. When House spends most of his time around the same group of people, the personality insights tend to run out, the only source of new intellectual stimulation usually being the patients, who are generally not very smart. In the premiere, not only was House thrown into a building with at least eight new personalities, but few or none of them had any preconception of House going in. This opened up new avenues of development for the character, as he isn’t used to people attempting to approach him in an amiable of even compatriatic way. And in this case, instead of House wholesale dismissing the characters, through the course of the program he begins to open up, to build relationships, and to help people. In essence, House starts to feel good about what he does, a major change to the series, and one that I hope keeps.

Dr. Nolan, head of Mayfield Psychiatric, has seen it all before.

The most moving and effective character was Dr. Nolan, the head of the pysch ward, who is not only as stubborn and resilient as House, but is about as intelligent as well. House isn’t used to having his cage rattled by an equal, and this let Hugh Laurie expose some emotional context that helps us understand our favorite mysanthropic doctor a bit better.

The rub is, I’m not sure how long this innovative and welcome change is going to last. At the end of the double-episode, House is in fact released from the ward back into the free world, a development I did not expect, having thought that the creative team would keep him in the ward for at least a few more episodes. The reason this doesn’t sit well with me is that we just lost to the closed halls of the crazy house a multitude of dynamic and new characters that were in many cases in a position to become an important part of the show. Because of this, nex week we will see House interacting with the same seven people he’s always hanging around with, and will lose a lot of the novelty and uncertainty that was felt in the premiere. In addition, it seemed to me that the previews of next weeks episode looked like the same old House again, which disheartens me, as I wanted to at least see this newer, slightly altruistic, happy-ish House show his new self to his posse. I hope that they manage to maintain his newfound attitude though the drudge of medical mystery and misery that is sure to abound in the season to come.

All in all, the House premiere was a fresh take and welcome change on an amazing show that is managing to age extremely gracefully, and in fact get better and fresher with time - let’s just hope the production team has the nerve to stick with their guns through what promises to be an interesting and certainly surprising season.

I don’t want this to be long, but I have to tell you that I rely heavily on the wonderfully versatile application for OS X known as Quicksilver, which allows me to quickly launch applications, send emails, navigate through folders, operate iTunes, and perform most other simple tasks. I am so dependent on this utility that I’m often frustrated by most other computers’ lack of launcher applications.

Anyway, if you are on a Mac, download Quicksilver now. It will change the way you work, and you will get so much more done. Muscle memory has never been so much fun! If you’re on Windows or Linux, check out Launchy (cross-platform), Skylight (Windows only), or Gnome Launch Box if you’re running Gnome. If these don’t work for you, search the Linux repositories or simply Google “quicksilver alternatives.” Good luck, and happy launching!

If there is one symbol universally accepted across the West as a symbol of hate, it is the swastika. However, as many of you may already know, this emblem has a rich history, used in nearly every major culture prior to the Third Reich. Once I had learned of the Nazi’s distortion and mutation of this symbol’s connotation (a while ago, for your information), I was furious. It was entirely unfair that millennia worth of credibility and respect for the swastika was instantly vanquished. The destruction of this symbol by the Nazis may, in fact, be one of the longest-lasting legacies of the Nazi movement, because who knows how long it will take for its original meaning to be restored?

Etymology

The name “swastika” has its roots in the Sanskrit word svastika which refers to a lucky object of sorts. In addition, Wikipedia states that the Proto-Indo-European root svasti means “well-being” or “good,” and that colloquially “swastika” can be translated as “lucky charm.” This makes it a natural choice for any organization (and has been used in logos for several), and the Nazi Party was no exception. The blue swastika you see to the right is the emblem of Lotta Svärd> a Finnish women’s organization formed around the turn of the 20th century at the beginning of the Finnish Civil War. Finland has used the swastika extensively, especially in their Air Force, where it featured until 1945, at which point the connotation of the symbol forced them to change it to a plain blue circle.

Cultural Evolution

Ultimately, the origin of the swastika can be traced back to the East during the Neolithic period, where it was and still is considered a sacred symbol for almost all Eastern religions. For Hindus, it stands for Brahma, the creator, and represents the evolution (and involution!) of the universe. For Buddhists, it represents both eternity and Dharma. The swastika is used very frequently in Jainism and appears on every temple and holy book, and most religious ceremonies start and finish with the creation of a rice swastika. Because of its historic use, the swastika is ubiquitous in southeast Asia.

Most people know some of this. Most people realize that the swastika is still used in Asian cultures, and most people realize that it was also used by the German Nazi Party. However, the swastika’s penetration into old culture goes much further than this. The symbol has been found in the art of the Ancient Greeks, the Danish, the Celtics, the Slavs. And it’s not completely unbelievable — the shape is so simple and so placid that I’m surprised it wasn’t used even more — why wasn’t this symbol embraced by the West? Why do we see it in the history of the Greeks, the Slavs, the Buddhists, the Japanese, but not the British, the French, the Americans, or the Canadians?

Swastika in Montreal

The answer: You’re wrong, and those were trick questions. It was embraced by the West! It only took us until the 20th century to realize its use. For a complete rundown of how the West used the swastika before World War II, check out this Wikipedia article. The symbol was used plenty before the Nazis got a hold of it — especially among WWI aviators as a token of good luck — and can still be found built into numerous historic buildings, including the infamous U.S. Naval base we’ve all seen.

Many symbols have been formed and transformed over the course of human history — the peace sign, hand gestures, the star, the skull, the sword — and many words have gradually lost historic definitions and connotations over time (look in any dictionary for a definition with the word “archaic” next to it), but none, to my knowledge, have been transformed as quickly as the swastika. The Nazis took this double cross, put it in a white disk on a red background, and killed whatever intrinsic good was stored inside.

But alas, not all hope is lost, and I believe ultimately we can restore the original meaning of the swastika. After all, it is used contemporarily in at least half the world, and even in the West it bears significance to obscure religions like Theosophism, Ananda Marga, and Raelism, which shares some of my beliefs towards the swastika (primarily that its historical meaning should be brought back into use). But a task such as this has to be done very carefully, as there are many ignorant people who still associate this symbol with hate (and, no doubt, they have a reason).

I wish for a society of open-minded people who don’t mind disregarding a mere war’s worth of evil connotation for several millennia of good-natured, righteous, spiritual use of the swastika. Personally, I think the swastika is, frankly, a really cool-looking symbol. It’s symmetry and simplicity makes it perfect for use in architecture and all other kinds of art, and, put quite simply, it’s extremely frustrating to have such a universal symbol so restricted. I want to be able to use this symbol, and the only thing stopping me is the Nazis. Just imagine — what if Hitler had chosen the heart? Or the Greek letter pi? Would we choose a different symbol for circular calculations? Would, if he had chosen the heart, have shirts that say “I 卐 NY?”

Since it is illegal in tons of places, try displaying this symbol privately. Tell your guests its story. Let them know it’s alright and make sure party invitations clearly state you’re not a Nazi.

Dear readers, I’m not done here. The swastika and its misuse has deeply influenced me to figure out why, how, and if this can be reversed. Expect more information, more analysis. This symbol is far too revered and far too meaningful culturally and historically to let die. We didn’t say “Ok, Nazis, that’s alright,” when they were killing people, and I don’t think we should let them kill such a pervasive and important symbol such as the swastika either.

Image Descriptions: The red swastika a few paragraphs up is the Boreyko Coat of Arms as used by the Slavs.

If any of you are as addicted to Tolkien and his works as I am, and find yourself constantly pining for new knowledge and insight into his rich and vibrant secondary world of Arda, then have I got a link for you! As I was searching iTunes last week for music inspired by Tolkien (yes, I am that pathetic), I came upon a delightful free podcast by the name of Tolkien Professor.

No, not that Tolkien professor!

Tolkien Professor is done by college professor and Tolkien fanatic Corey Olson, who delights in the world of Tolkien and has made available multiple lectures (currently 10) on various themes found in Tolkien’s work. In addition to several non sequitur podcasts about various issues such as the origin of dragons and whether or not the balrog in The Bridge of Khazad-dum had wings (very important!), he is working through the entire trilogy and the Hobbit, doing an in depth reading and analysis of each work.

The lectures are extremely well thought out, not to mention entertaining, so I highly recommend that you subscribe to the podcast, sit back, relax, and get your nerd on.

So instead of having an actual post, here’s a puppy being adorable.

Ok, horrible puns (if you don’t get it now, you will by the end of this article) aside, I just want to share a recent trend with all you devoted followers (and apollogize for having disappeared for a few weeks. I was working on a paying movie gig. I’ll write up that story once its all over). A while back I started noticing that there were more and more really nice looking road bikes around in my life and after a bit of research stumbled upon the source of this stylish madness: FIXED GEAR BIKES! So, just to explain: besides being totally awesome looking, fixed-gear bicycles only have one gear in the back (as opposed to a cassette of gears and a deraileur) which is connected directly to the crank in the front. As long as your feet are moving, the bike is too (and vice versa). This means NO COASTING, which leads to some hardcore innovation especially when i comes to skids, which are the only legit way to stop a fixie. And in all this fixie madness I came upon a series of totally awesome videos, which was really the whole point of this post, actually. Nice-ass bikes in nice lookin videos, doin nice ass shit:

MACAFRAMA - an important bay-area fixed group with probably the nicest lookin vids around. Look them up on vimeo and watch all 18 of their 30 second long videos. Soooo good.

Macaframa SF Track Bike Promo from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

Track Bike Troops - Of course we can trace the root of the crazsanity all the way back to Japan. They know how to do their shit. And start trends.

HELLRIDE FILMS “TRACK BIKE TROOPS”1/3 from UNKNOWN Live magazine on Vimeo.

MASH SF - Finally another Bay based group who knows how to tear shit up.

Enjoy your trend update! And get a bike.
- Sam

*BONUS TIEM LOLZ!* - the Mash team in Austin friggin Texas bombin down Congress with our man Lance! Super duper video. See how many of the locations you know.

MASH Austin with Lance Armstrong 2008 from MASH TRANSIT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.