Round Up

My time is almost over and there's still gobs of stuff I wanted to share with you. So here's a brief list of things I would feel just terrible if I didn't let you know about.

1. Robots and Monsters: A Charitable Menagerie, is back. They launched in 2007 to fundraise for SF AIDS Foundation, and now they're relaunching to support the EFF. For fifty dollars, Joe Alterio or another fabulous artist will pen a custom robot or monster for you - defined by three words you supply - and send it to your door. You get a cool picture and the EFF gets fifty bucks to help keep the net a happy and good place.

2. Scott Draves Software Artworks, 1992-2008. This short film chronicles the work of software artist Scott Draves. And it's pretty cool. Dreams in High Fidelity.

3. Consumatron. Do you know this guy? He writes down and reviews everything he buys. It's kind of obsessive, but tells a story.

4. Trajal Harrell Dance Style is a totally different approach to dance - an effort to rewrite the language of dance by using real world movement (from fashion show walks to bar room swagger) instead of whatever that stuff is we usually think of as "dance." His performances are infrequent, but there's one coming up this month at DanceTheater Workshop and if you're near NYC I'd suggest you be there.

5. The Atheon: A Temple of Science for Rational Belief. If I were going to join a church, this would probably be it. It's like a church for brights, but it's not as serious or anti-God as Richard Dawkins. Just an effort to make faith rational - but still fun and inspiring.

Douglas Rushkoff is a guest blogger.

[#1 posted by FoetusNail , October 4, 2008 6:17 PM]

You will be missed, and surely there will always be a place waiting for you. Continued success in everything you do.
Time Marches On

[#2 posted by edgore , October 4, 2008 7:29 PM]

Yay! Go Spot!

[#3 posted by wolfiesma , October 4, 2008 8:23 PM]

The Scott Draves work is beautiful. Eye candy with brains...

[#4 posted by sidb , October 4, 2008 8:32 PM]

I haven't seen the Atheon, but my favorite cathedral of science is the Natural Science Musuem in London. You walk in and think you're in a cathedral, but the decorative carvings around all the arches are of monkeys and owls and leaves and bones, and where the altar would be is a statue of Charles Darwin.

[#5 posted by wolfiesma , October 4, 2008 9:09 PM]

Oh my. Must see that. I vote Xeni gives us a video tour. Carved owls and monkeys and leaves and bones? Too lovley.

[#6 posted by Takuan , October 4, 2008 10:47 PM]

Dear Doug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Z_hskvz1M

[#7 posted by Johnny Cat , October 4, 2008 10:49 PM]

au revoir rush

[#8 posted by themindfantastic , October 4, 2008 11:05 PM]

"A religion thats not really anti-god and not very serious... I thought we already had Discordianism?" said a devout believer in Eris and has carried a pope card around for a good 15 years. "However Discordianism isn't really all that rational... but thats kind of the point."

[#9 posted by starcadia , October 4, 2008 11:28 PM]

Good stuff, Rushkoff. The Robots and Monsters endeavor is the sort of thing that gives me hope for the future, in that it recombines what Descartes fractured: the mind and the body, the idea and the material.

Similarly, it's nice to see a church of sorts that combines religion and reason, without being antagonistic to either. Totally crucial.

Good luck. Hope to see you back.

[#10 posted by devophill , October 5, 2008 3:49 AM]

Too soon! You're the only guestblogger I ever read all the posts of.

...er, whose posts I read all of?

...all of whose posts I read?

...aww, crap. You'll be missed, Mr. Rushkoff!

[#11 posted by JFlex , October 5, 2008 7:16 AM]

Who did what in the where now?

[#12 posted by ssuleman , October 5, 2008 8:24 AM]

The Atheon seems like a very interesting phenomenon. To bring rationality into faith or the belief system is what we really need.Has anyone been to this secular temple?

[#13 posted by Talia , October 5, 2008 8:56 AM]

the robots and monsters project is a great one; I got my picture back when it first launched and I love it.

[#14 posted by teddanson , October 5, 2008 9:32 AM]

Wow, that Scott Draves stuff certainly is pretty. Reminds me of a next generation music visualisation.

Also, SidB: do you mean the Natural History Museum, or the Science Museum? I think the Science Museum has the statue of Darwin.

[#15 posted by w000t , October 5, 2008 11:48 AM]

Fare thee well, Rushkoff.

P.S. - If you like Consumatron, check out the group effort Heat Eat Review.

[#16 posted by AwedJob , October 5, 2008 12:17 PM]

ctron used to do a 60 second video blog. This one got some air time on CNN: http://blip.tv/file/188961/

[#17 posted by Kieran O'Neill , October 5, 2008 1:44 PM]

So long, and thanks for all the posts.

It's been fun. I think you've ruffled the feathers of quite a few of the commenters, and that's a good thing. Keep it up.

[#18 posted by sidb , October 5, 2008 2:49 PM]

teddanson: No, this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_History_Museum

[#19 posted by Anonymous , October 5, 2008 4:15 PM]

Yay for Spot! Electric Sheep are awesome - I've been contributing since the 2.7 server came out and the sheep are better than ever.

[#20 posted by crsbarn , October 5, 2008 8:39 PM]

Trajal Harrell just performed at Cornell last week (10/2). An hour into the performance the audience began leaving in droves, creating more interesting choreography than what was happening on stage. Very disappointing work...