Friday, 22 August 2014

Unconditional Love

I just read an article extolling unconditional love as a romantic ideal.
Am I alone in finding "unconditional love" to be a massive insult?

If you tell me that you love me unconditionally, I'm hearing that what I do, what I say, what I think, how I look, and the person I am are all irrelevant to you because I could change them all and you'd still love me.

If that's what you're saying then sod you. Go love a brick.

If you're going to love me, love me conditionally! Love me if I'm a person that deserves and earns your love. Love me because the things I do, the things I say, the things I think, the way I look, and the person I am make you love me.

Don't love me regardless of me.
Love me because I'm me!

Sunday, 10 August 2014

What is art? And who owns it?

I'm never sure what I think of stories like this. I think photography can undeniably be an art form. I'm always hazy when the photographer hasn't arranged the elements themselves though. For example, landscape photography. Is is art if i wander into a field and take a pic with my phone of the landscape. What of a tree? What about of a dropped crisp packet on the floor? If so can I claim ownership of that photo? What if I hand my phone to a stranger and get them to take a photo of the crisp packet. Do I still own the rights to that picture? It's on my phone so I guess I do. Does that apply if I set a camera up aimed at a crisp packet and step back and throw stones at the camera until after knocking the camera to not point at the crisp packet, I finally knock the shutter release button. I've not actually specifically arranged the shot, instead setting it up so natural processes like physics actually dictate the composition and actually release the shutter. 

David Slater hoped this picture would earn him a fortune, presumably because it's a remarkable picture. But actually, this picture is only remarkable because David Slater didn't take it. The macaque did. 

"You're saying I can't have this picture and it's not mine because I didn't do it! 
But that's exactly why it's important and why I want it: Because *I'm* the one who made sure I *didn't* take it!"

What a position to have to try to defend!

Wednesday, 6 August 2014

LTSC

Well, it seems that "Learn To Speak Cat" isn't coming back to The Metro newspaper, so I thought I'd fill the gap myself. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "Learn To Speak Curt"!

What do you reckon?