Years ago I worked with someone who was a great coworker, and is still a friend, but who seemed to Hate a lot of things. I don't know if it was because he was getting tired of the job, or if he's always like this. But he would have these regular outbursts of "I hate--!"
Another coworker and I started secretly writing a list of his Hates whenever he said them. I wish I still had it. There's only three that I remember.
#1 "I hate people who don't have answering machines!" - He thought it was barbaric.
#2 "I hate Elie Weisel types!" There was me--aghast: "You can't hate holocaust books! It's not allowed!" But then I realized he meant books that were put on the market in a wide variety of formats.
#3 The best one: "I hate intertextuality!"
Actually, he's French-Canadian, so it came out: "I hate intertextualité!"
Thursday, June 3, 2010
back on the chain gang
I'm reading a great New Yorker article on Icahn. But it's 5 AM and I must go to bed. It's back to work tomorrow!
James Cameron and Marina Abramovic and BP
An article about the inclusion of James Cameron for brain-storming over the Gulf, and they're trying out a technology invented by Kevin Costner or something. (The Cameron inclusion isn't as weird as you think--read here.)
While it's scoff-worthy, I was recently reading about divergent vs convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is where you bring all your resources to bear on problem--it's the Sherlock Holmes method of eliminating everything until you have the answer. Logic. Divergent thinking begins with an idea or question, and then spins off in as many directions as possible. Apparently artists and schizophrenics have brains more wired for divergent thinking, which supports the age-old theory that it's a fine line between madness and artistic genius.
So maybe they should be inviting the WEIRDest artists they know. Like the performance artist whose latest work just closed at the MoMA: The Artist is Present. For 3 months, she sat for 7 hours a day facing an empty chair, and you could come and sit in the chair and stare her in the eyes. Now that's the woman you want on your committee!
(And I'm not mocking her art--I lurv modern and contemporary art.)
While it's scoff-worthy, I was recently reading about divergent vs convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is where you bring all your resources to bear on problem--it's the Sherlock Holmes method of eliminating everything until you have the answer. Logic. Divergent thinking begins with an idea or question, and then spins off in as many directions as possible. Apparently artists and schizophrenics have brains more wired for divergent thinking, which supports the age-old theory that it's a fine line between madness and artistic genius.
So maybe they should be inviting the WEIRDest artists they know. Like the performance artist whose latest work just closed at the MoMA: The Artist is Present. For 3 months, she sat for 7 hours a day facing an empty chair, and you could come and sit in the chair and stare her in the eyes. Now that's the woman you want on your committee!
(And I'm not mocking her art--I lurv modern and contemporary art.)
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