Archives for March 2014
that old cute Europe
14 March 2014 | Culturology, Geography | No Comments
was prepping a little — and spotted a beautiful quote:
Staff of Slovak and Slovenian embassies meet once a month to exchange wrongly-addressed mail! :)
aren’t they lovely? self-irony, that’s what makes the nations strong.
sharks vs. blood
13 March 2014 | Cinematograph, Television | 3 Comments
the second season of “House of Cards” is even more entertaining than the first one. brighter? indeed, it is. tougher? as a two-dollar steak, they say. ruthless? the manner death can be. even more real? in a sense — even though they’ve skipped quite a bit of our nowadays issues (like Wikileaks or NSA), and the only, well, real thing shown was Tor (dear me).
still, I love this touch of truth from behind the scenes. enjoy watching that filth of manipulations I do despise so much. and the constant fight for pork. like a zoo, one may say, a cabinet of curiosities. or, rather, a parade of instincts. which are beautiful simply because of their perfection:
For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted.
on the other hand (or, actually, recalling my impressions from another evening), “American Hustle” seems to be directed by a man who admires Martin Scorsese to a sickening degree too much. and therefore I can only note that Sam Rothstein in “Casino” had a way larger wardrobe.
eat this
12 March 2014 | Culturology | No Comments
love the points our Russian peers make on emigration — and some of those quoted in the set seem to be very interesting and reasonable people, of course. some others, though, are either wishfully blind or just dumb.
today, however, this is the most interesting piece-of-shit:
ЮРИЙ ДЕГТЯРЁВ, ОСНОВАТЕЛЬ СТУДИИ MY DUCK’S VISION: С удовольствием переселился бы из России в рамках какой-нибудь секретной правительственной программы по расширению границ страны.
Я и десятки миллионов других волонтеров, равномерно, в разные отрезки времени активно селимся на какую-нибудь заграничную территорию, осваиваем её, пускаем корни. Через несколько лет инициируем в столице страны подобие майдана, при помощи крикунов различного калибра, голодных до хэппенинга и щедрого финансирования со стороны России. После победной фазы основной заварушки в столице, я и волонтеры (уже со своими семьями и детьми) начинаем показывать боязнь за собственную жизнь и инициируем референдум, в ходе которого заселенная нами территория отходит к России, где наших уже проживает процентов 90% населения. Можно так оттяпать часть Гоа, например. И никакой Кришна бы им не помог.
Вот такой могла бы быть единственная причина моего желания уехать из России.
you may even know these people, right? not forgotten soviet relicts, not another imperialist horde, but those of your age, education, vision. talk with ’em on a daily basis, work, party. your fellow citizens, huh?
what a company.
a megaphone
12 March 2014 | Internet, Lifeform, Privacy, Software | 1 Comment
welcome the new way of communicating:
The new app, Secret, which was released on Thursday on the iTunes store, is meant to help one share what one is thinking and feeling with friends anonymously. One can write anything that is on one’s mind, free of judgement.
being free of any constraints, wouldn’t that talk become the stream of unconsciousness of your social circle? I thinnk, it should:
For a number of reasons, Secret is a fascinating app. <...> It transforms the passive-aggressiveness of a subtweet into a product, creating a space for people to speak their minds with less of the filter required by traditional social networks. It created a new type of newsfeed — the SecretFeed — which is not bound by being presented the traditional, reverse-chronological manner, which allows secrets to resurface over time.
me, I’d prefer to absolve from that usual socialness, and put the whole Internet under the hood, no matter if the users are your contacts or not (even though some may be worried by the funders or possible usage).
remember Molly, aye? now, replace her usual ‘I’ — with ‘us’. with secrets, dreams and moves of a community.
isn’t that liberty… inspiring?
watching you
11 March 2014 | Economics, Politics, Privacy | No Comments
oh, watch these Bitcoin ATMs in action:
To use it, you must submit your phone number, a PIN, a government ID, a palm vein scan, and let it take your photo [emphasis mine]. This is to comply with anti-money laundering laws that require money services businesses to keep certain records on their customers.
somehow I’m not surprised.
use wisely
11 March 2014 | Personal | No Comments
“no” is the most powerful word I know.
don’t want to secede? have no such choice
10 March 2014 | Jurisprudence, Politics | 1 Comment
in case you’ve missed it, here’s the ballot for the Crimean Referendum, which offers you the only two options available:
- Do you support joining Crimea with the Russian Federation as a subject of the Russian Federation?
- Do you support the restoration of 1992 Crimean Constitution and Crimea’s status as a part of Ukraine? (1992 Crimean Constitution declares Crimea as an independent state).
you may also like some pictures from the ongoing campaign.
oh, and legality, you say? who cares.
what is it?
10 March 2014 | Apple, Economics | No Comments
So is it true that Apple has given up on developing its business? In 2013, Apple increased its R&D spending by 32% (you can download Apple’s entire 10-K report here); 2012 was + 39%. In the previous two fiscal years ending last September — and without entering any new category — Apple increased its R&D spending by 83% to $4.5B, 3% of revenue. And then it increased it by another 33% in the December, 2013 quarter.
Accelerated R&D spending can only mean one thing: Apple is widening the range of products under development.
Redmond, Mountain View, — or even Seoul, for how long you’ve been unpacking your crystal balls?
on mammoths
10 March 2014 | Technology | No Comments
Mr. Fellowes has also noticed that American serials like “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” have tended to run about five to seven seasons before reaching their natural conclusions. Asked if he was starting to contemplate an end game for “Downton Abbey,” Mr. Fellowes said, “I think you have to.”
on bouquets, more
8 March 2014 | Culturology, Personal | 1 Comment
as for the International Women’s Day, I love one quote, I think it may set the tone:
my body isnt a temple my body is a castle with a moat and crocodiles and a dragon who will set you on fire if you touch me.
you have everything: energy, courage, wisdom. stay that way.