This post is the first in a series of 13 impressions of my winter residency Utila. You can find the Island of Utila in the Caribbean. It consists of a small coral reef that has roughly about 5,000 inhabitants, of which about half of them are expatriates. It forms part of the Bay Islands, an … Continue reading Welcome to Utila
The Birth of the Cyberspace
The term cyberspace was first used by the American-Canadian author William Gibson in 1982 in a story published in Omni magazine and then in his book Neuromancer. In this science-fiction novel, Gibson described cyberspace as the creation of a computer network in a world filled with artificially intelligent beings. The real cyberspace is a global … Continue reading The Birth of the Cyberspace
Assimilation.
This painting has the tension field between individuality and cultural assimilation for subject. While it´s a generally accepted fact that progress of civilization is a process of assimilation, one must conclude that inevitably there is going to exist a tension field between progress and multiculturalism.The best example that comes to mind to illustrate this comes … Continue reading Assimilation.
The Cryptomathician and his Lady in Red wish you a Happy Halloween
Halloween is more than just a party occasion: it´s a time of the year that many Christians are commemorating their departed relatives and friends.
The Blogoscope.
The Blogoscope. Acrylic on canvas 46 x 36 cm by Shaharee Vyaas. More info on https://maharajagar.com/2021/10/15/the-blogoscope/(opens in a new tab)
Artists and the Middle Way.
Why do you have so many contemporary painters who pose with brush and pallet in their hands while most of their work consists of digitally created canvas prints? Previous generations were proud to pose with the latest tools of their craft that offered them more possibilities to increase the quality and quantity of their output. … Continue reading Artists and the Middle Way.
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
Why would a smart New York investment banker pay $12 million for the decaying, stuffed carcass of a shark? By what alchemy does Jackson Pollock’s drip painting No. 5, 1948 sell for $140 million? Economist Don Thompson explores it in his book, tracing the money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of the art world in an attempt … Continue reading The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
Bloggers and Trends.
If your interests can be determined by an algorithm, this implicates that the majority of your choices are determined by external factors and not necessary in your own best interest.
About Promotion Burnout.
Marketing is the bane of my existence as a writer. It distracts me from what I really want to be doing: writing. It forces me to enter into the uncivilized world of advertising, where strident ads claw their way into the consumer’s consciousness, convincing the public to buy what they don’t want, can’t use, but must have.
Writers Writing for Writers.
The sheer abundance of writing, editing, publishing and promotion manuals for authors make me sometimes roll my eyes.
Flunked the IKEA Relationship Test
Ikea is a relationship deathtrap; something like Temptation Island or consorts. One psychologist has even referred to Ikea as “a map of a relationship nightmare.” And she’s not wrong — from beginning to end, the whole Ikea process seems almost engineered to stir up tension among the poor fools who naively enter its doors. The first phase … Continue reading Flunked the IKEA Relationship Test
The Modern Nomad
It seems to become trendy among travelers to label yourself as a nomad. Strangely enough, those who’re really living the nomad life style don’t seem to bother about labeling themselves as such, but rather state what defines them as a person, with the frequent change of venue as a side effect of this. Examples are; … Continue reading The Modern Nomad
Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestically Product
Throughout modern history, societal progress has been measured in terms of GDP. The higher the GDP, the more developed a country, so goes the general belief. There is, thus a mad rush for increasing GDP. Hence, over time, GDP came to be seen as a surrogate for societal wellbeing – something it was never designed … Continue reading Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestically Product
Zen and the 7 principles of beauty.
While browsing through the websites I'm following on this forum, I stumbled upon a quote Oscar Wilde made in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890); Veil after veil of thin dusky gauze is lifted, and by degrees the forms and colors of things worth of pursuing are restored to them, and we watch the dawn remaking … Continue reading Zen and the 7 principles of beauty.
The Desire-virus
The Desire-virus catches on by visuality. Smaller than a bacteria and only able to reproduce in a living cell, the virus is a simple structure. Even so, I believe that humanity would be way less privileged if it didn’t exist. As we can thank the virus for being able to fall in love, the fact … Continue reading The Desire-virus