San Francisco: Green Apple Books On The Park

Cultures of Energy 7: The Work of Alternate Worlds

The year is 1812.

Mr. Smith of Huddersfield walks into the premises of his new state-of-the-art shearing factory. When he arrives at the desk in his office, a letter awaits him.  

“Sir”, the letter reads, “Information has just been given in that you are a holder of those detestable Shearing Frames, and I was desired by my men to write to you and give you fair warning to pull them down… You will take notice that if they are not taken down by the end of next week, I will detach one of my Lieutenants with at least 300 men to destroy them.”

Signed: “The General of the Army of Redressers, Ned Ludd”

Staying Crisp

Snip. There goes my potential heart disease. Snip, snip. Goodbye acne and dry frizzy hair. Stitch. Hello, hint of eumelanin. Hello, Jared Leto eyes. Stitch, stitch. Hello, glorious member, envy of all men.

When I was little, there were a lot of things I didn't quite understand about aging.

Why are there so many ads on television for pimple cream? I'd ask my brother.

Why don't you have any hair in the middle part of your head? I'd ask my father.

Why don't you race me up the stairs anymore? I'd ask my mother.

Age, they'd respond. Getting old, they'd say. Life, they'd mutter.

It wasn't a good enough answer for me, because before "age" was the reason behind all their ailments, it seemed to be the very source of their power.
 

In Casablanca

This piece I wrote in and about Casablanca a good year ago has been picked up by The Arsonist Magazine, for which I made a snazzy new illustration.
 

The Pleasure Principles / Topic

• An old acquaintance of mine from the days of the Tahrir Square uprising started a Koshary food truck in Berlin, which according to Roads & Kingdoms has become "a meeting point of sorts for Arab activists and artists... a 'Little Egypt on wheels'."
   
• Frequency Freak Adrian Reynolds wrote the screenplay for a short sci-fi film called WHITE LILY, and it is now available on Amazon Prime.
   
• Fascinating Podcast on the beginnings of Print in 19th Century Cairo, which includes the first known example I've ever heard of for crowdfunding books.
   
• POWER LINE – a four part audio documentary on the hydroelectric empire of Quebec, who really benefits from it, at whose expense, and how environmentally-friendly is is really.