“ It is hardly surprising to find that the two areas of human enterprise most concerned with sincerity as opposed to truth—namely, politics and advertising—are also the two areas most steeped in bullshit. Or would it be better to say that politics and advertising are the two areas most concerned with the appearance of authenticity? This might be a distinction without a difference.
Andrew Potter.
more of what i like
a collection of things that caught my eye/ear/brain
see also:
mlarson.orgflickr
last.fm
blip.fm
etc.
“ Gamification is marketing bullshit, invented by consultants as a means to capture the wild, coveted beast that is videogames and to domesticate it for use in the grey, hopeless wasteland of big business, where bullshit already reigns anyway.
Ian Bogost (via austinkleon and douglas wolk). I like when I get to use my bullshit tag. See also Bogost’s Gamasutra feature on exploitationware. Naming is a powerful weapon.
Art Bollocks - Bryan Ashbee
The art market is not a free market. It’s rigged; hugely distorted by the presence of public subsidy — the grants and funding available to organisations and individuals deemed to be producing “significant” work. To get access to this, it’s even more important that artists create the right theoretical discourse to surround their work.Also known as bullshit. A handy guide for writing your own art bollocks:
(via)A useful catch-all formula can be applied to all of this work, which I freely offer here, without charge:
“X’s work
{wryly/mockingly/cunningly/innocently/intelligently}
{deconstructs/subverts/disrupts/parodies/appropriates/undermines}
{popular notions/stereotypes/archetypes/conventions/the mythology/strategies}
of {gender/representation/style/sexuality/commodification/identity}
by …” followed by a nod at whatever images or objects are assembled.
Wine descriptors tell us more about a bottle's price than its flavor. - By Coco Krumme - Slate Magazine
“Graphite. Black currant. Incense. And camphor?” This is a great read. You’ve probably read something similar about wine bullshit before, but this is probably better. Interesting that more expensive wines are described with more specific words.
When it comes to invoking elegance, foreign and complex words have a natural advantage. Cigars and truffle conjure up prestige and luxury. Meanwhile, a little-known berry or spice conveys the worldly sophistication of the critic, which the drinker can share. For a price.
“ When I open my mouth, most of the time something somewhat eloquent comes out, and once in a while I talk a bunch of fucking bullshit. I’m aware of that.
Lars Ulrich in the April 2001 Playboy interview with Metallica.
“ The better the singer’s voice the harder it is to believe what they are singing.
David Byrne (via ). I heartily disagree, although it is good food for thought and I don’t necessarily think the opposite is more accurate. What’s more interesting is how/why these kinds of aesthetic details become/remain valuable to us.
