The Machinery of Night

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Sleepblogging the Apocalypse

Apocalypse scheduled for just after 2100 Zulu, but I have to go to bed now. I've set the alarm to wake me so I can watch it. There may be photos (er, much later). Updates as they happen.

22:05Z: ITEOTWAWKI, and I'm out of film. Fortunately, TEOTWAWKI has been delayed long enough for me to slip in another roll. And delayed long enough for me to get some "before" pictures of the devastation. And delayed long enough for me to get really flipping bored.

I was listening to a radio station which had live reports from listeners. "Hi. I'm calling from Wailuku Heights, and there's nothing going on." "Hi, I'm calling from Kihei, and I'm drunk off my ass." Etc.

In the last few minutes or so they've been saying that the water in Hilo Bay, on the Big Island (where the tsunami would hit first), receded by about one and a half feet, then advanced, then receded.

At this point I've lost 90 minutes' sleep, and I'm thinking the apocalypse can carry on without me, because I gotta work tonight.

I did, however, see whale spouts in Maalaea Bay, so that was cool.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Posted 12:52 AM by Angie Schultz

Où sont les bananes d'antan?

Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

-- Groucho Marx

And an artist flies like a thief in the night.

This is rich. Does anyone remember the long ago, heady days of 2007, when we were menaced by the threat of giant bananas over Texas? A giant banana, made from wood and paper, was supposed to be launched by a Argentinian artist César Saëz from Mexico, with funding from Canada. His lucid rationale, at the time, was this:

It is in Texas because it has oil,
and a lot of Walmarts, Exxons and
Halliburtons. (and the Ranch)

It is a buffoon act, trying to impress...
Texan dominant Aerospace,
and all the Gun Clubs.

Which I trust is inarguable.

He also said:

"It's an artistic statement and a spectacle. One thing I love is the issue of truth or hoax, and I love the ambiguity."

I hope it will come as a surprise to no one that "hoax" was the operative word here, in that the Canadians never saw their banana. Never saw their money back either. The link above has the gory details, in the form of a radio interview with a couple of arts types. (English transcript, link to French original.)

The sophisticated arts commissariot is not too upset over the disappearance of $130 -- ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY -- grand that this clown received. After all, he had to do research. He had to talk to people. He had to renew himself as an artist.

He did not, however, actually have to produce a banana.

You'll see that I kinda sorta predicted this in my original post. The "art" was the controversy over the project, not the damned banana. Ha ha! He got all you rubes in an uproar! ka-CHING!

Via Mark Steyn.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Posted 10:16 PM by Angie Schultz

Foto Friday: Bent Bush

Sunset from North Kihei, Maui
Sep 2008

This picture could be from an ad. What would it be selling?

Religion?
Life insurance?
A prescription drug for an embarrassing condition?
The Greatest Romantic Melodies of ALL TIME!
Feminine hygiene products?
Hawaii??

YOU make the call.

Labels: Foto Friday, Hawaii, Sep 2008

Friday, February 12, 2010

Posted 3:15 AM by Angie Schultz

Foto Friday: No Snow in 5-0

Today's FF comes to you courtesy of Tim Blair, who links to a story suggesting that there will be snow on the ground by the end of the week in all fifty states.

Tim's commenter Bruce asks, "Is there snow in Hawaii this time of year?"

Why, yes!

Mauna Kea from Haleakala, Jan 2009

Here's a close-up:

Snow on Mauna Kea, Jan 2009

Click for a bigger picture. The lumpy white stuff on top of the mountain is not clouds, but snow on the cinder cones.

The banner on this site shows a snowy scene on Mauna Kea, and underneath the rotating image in the middle are links to various galleries that may have snow scenes.

As I type, the temperature is hovering around freezing, which is actually kind of warm for Mauna Kea. The forecast is for dry conditions for the next five days, so it looks as if the fifty snow-covered states are out.

Labels: Foto Friday, Hawaii, Jan 2009

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