MonthNovember 2004
Interesting. Marijuana research has lead scientists to create a drug that does the exact opposite of marijuana as a diet drug.
Called rimonabant, the drug in one study helped people who were overweight drop an average of 20 pounds and in another doubled the chances that smokers would quit. […]
The drugs inhibit the activity of a receptor called CB1 that is part of what’s known as the endocannabinoid system, the circuitry that marijuana stimulates to give users the munchies.
Mindwarp‘s first piece for Key 23 is up, a review of Psychic TV’s recent San Francisco gig.
GPO these days is quite a sight to see (here’s a recent pic), as he continues his experiment of alchemical/surgical/cosmetic fusion with his wife, Lady Jaye Breyer. The aim of this process (which the couple laid out in the 2003 essay “Breaking Sex!”) is for the two P-Orridges to achieve the creation of a third entity through a process of ?cut-up? of their own bodies, which is making them more and more similar to each other. The two recently got a matched pair of breast implants, and Genesis’ surgical alterations so far include a substitution of all his teeth with a set of gold replacements, and enhancements of his cheekbones (and, judging by their size, maybe his lips as well). Down to the smallest choice of gestures, schtick and vocal timbre, Genesis comes across more and more as the lascivious diva who, on some hidden level, he?s been all along.
Weird living for difficult times:
This page provides links to some of the major Dada-era publications in the International Dada Archive. These books, pamphlets, and periodicals are housed in the Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa Libraries. For reasons of copyright, no documents published after 1923 have been included.
R.U.’s former co-conspirator Mark interviews R.U. on the Boing Boing blog:
I think it does the job of establishing that there is this stream; a spirit really, that runs through history. Several spirits perhaps. This non-authoritarian, non-conformist, antic, changeable character, or community of characters, keeps coming up throughout human history. Sometimes they show up as artists or anti-artists, sometimes as religions or spiritual path; sometimes as a political revolution or change, sometimes as a scientific movement, sometimes as nihilism. Some seem to contradict others; representing opposite political sides. Or they represent opposite attitudes towards civilization and technological development ? that comes up quite a bit. And yet, I think the book shows various memetic lines of transmission that sometimes seem to run in parallel and sometimes seem to criss-cross.
The Economist on new smart drugs:
At least 40 potential cognitive enhancers are currently in clinical development, says Harry Tracy, publisher of NeuroInvestment, an industry newsletter based in Rye, New Hampshire. Some could reach the market within a few years. For millions, these breakthroughs could turn out to be lifesavers or, at the very least, postpone the development of a devastating disease. In America alone, there are currently about 4.5m people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and their ranks are expected to grow to 6m by 2020. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), defined as memory loss without any significant functional impairment, is estimated to afflict at least another 4.5m people. Because the majority of MCI patients will eventually develop Alzheimer’s, many doctors believe that intervening in the early stages of the disease could significantly delay its onset.
The Economist: Supercharging the brain
(via R.U. Sirius).
Oh yeah, this is what I’m talking about:
As one participant naturally sways to the groove, the PDA’s motion sensor detects his motion and shifts the tempo of the song. With the song’s intensity building, another listener subconsciously grips her PDA tighter, introducing echo effects into the mix. The closer that listening partners move to each other, the more prominent their part in the song becomes. Meanwhile, the software applies various “error correction” techniques to prevent an onslaught of arrhythmic noise, unless of course that’s the goal. As they listen to it, the mobile music orchestra transforms the tune into a dubby, spacey version of the familiar Bjork song. […]
An artist, he says, might release a song from an upcoming album specially prepared for the Malleable Music System. Someday, malleable music may even become an art form in its own right, leading to a duet between the artist and the audience.
Phenomena Magazine:
In January through March of 1918 Crowley began a series of magickal workings called the Amalantrah Workings in furnished rooms in Central Park West, New York City. These were a performed via Sexual & Ceremonial Magick (his spelling) with the intent to invoke certain “intelligences” to physical manifestation. In actuality, the workings typically manifested as a series of visions and communications received through the medium-ship of his partner, Roddie Minor.
Phenomena Magazine: Alien Abductions and Aleister Crowley: Magick or UFOs?
(via New World Disorder).
Long Fortean Times article about the role of magic in war. One might also do well to read up on the Nazi Party’s occult ties, and their bizarre UFO history.
Doing the unexpected has always been the key to military success, but there?s more to victory than just careful planning. With a flash and a bang and just a hint of sleight of hand, our fortean prestidigator Gordon Rutter opens our eyes to the role of magic in bringing hostilities to a satisfactory conclusion.
Fortean Times: Magic Goes to War
(via Disinfo).
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