shrapnel

The Ronald McDonald baby. Too terrifying an image to repeat here. Click at your own risk.

The philosophy of The Simpsons.

It is, quite simply, one of the greatest cultural artefacts of our age. So great, in fact, that it not only reflects and plays with philosophical ideas, it actually does real philosophy, and does it well.

How can a comic cartoon do this? Precisely because it is a comic cartoon, the form best suited to illuminate our age.

To speak truthfully and insightfully today you must have a sense of the absurdity of human life and endeavour. Past attempts to construct grand and noble theories about human history and destiny have collapsed…

The Simpsons does this brilliantly, especially when it comes to religion. It’s not that the Simpsons is atheist propaganda; its main target is not belief in God or the supernatural, but the arrogance of particular organised religions that they, amazingly, know the will of the creator.

It seems everyone in the world is playing World of Warcraft now, so it was just a matter of time before people started using it for business deals and other sorts of real-life networking.

Even as the guild members–virtual priests, hunters, warriors and paladins–go on raids together or sit around in WoW talking about the game, some are using their access to one another to do what they do best: put their heads together to create new software.

“Because we have a lot of IT geeks in our guild, a lot of us are now focused on building guild management tools,” said Ito, “which I think is going to be a key part of the guild eventually.”

While some might view WoW’s sophisticated socialization features, which allow people to chum around in the virtual world, as a sort of “new golf,” Ito thinks it’s more than just a way for people to hang with their own kind.

Are they all evil?

“Since 1960, there have been 67 movies that have featured the Evil Albino,” while barely a handful have tried to give albino characters a positive spin.

The films are anything but obscure, and include Cold Mountain, The Time Machine, The Princess Bride, Disturbing Behavior, Hacks, Dark City – and The Matrix: Reloaded, whose dreadlocked, ghostly bad guys, The Twins, have inspired an Albino Twins fashion line.

The phenom has even made it into the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which has separate entries for “Albinism” and “Evil Albino.”

Yes, that’s Michael Moorcock’s Elric in the image, perhaps the nastiest albino of all — and soon to be a major motion picture!

See also “10 Books Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe.”

Mona Lisa for the 21st century.

Is he really painting landscapes in his small town and then burning them? One thing’s for sure — the locals aren’t talking.

If you’ve never been to Chagrin Falls, you really should make the trip. Everyone there is blond and blue-eyed, prosperous-looking in a genteelly restrained way. If you were going to disappear somewhere, you could do worse.

Sadly, they can smell outsiders. The bartender at Rick’s Café was less than forthcoming when I asked about the town’s mystery man. “I know nossink,” she said, channeling Sergeant Schultz, the sides of her mouth turning up in a sly grin. At the Popcorn Shop, the owner simply pointed to a picture on the wall, the winner of this year’s coloring contest — a crayon sketch of Calvin running out of the store.

Book covers — the unappreciated art. Until now, thanks to blogs like Book Covers and Book Covers from the NY Times Book Review. See also John Updike’s New Yorker article on book covers. (All links an homage to Metafilter.)

The NY Times asked a number of prominent critics, etc. What, no Super Flat Times?

Sure, everyone who’s rich has a swimming pool. But what do the really rich have? Swimming pools they don’t use. On a related note, botox cures depression. (Both LA Times links.)

Sure, the Sony Bravia ad is cute, but we’re in a time or war, damn it! (Last link is YouTube video with sound.)

Coffee not doing it for you anymore? Why not try a shot of oxygen instead?

Each can contains enough oxygen for about 35 doses, in either a grapefruit or peppermint fragrance.

“The peppermint should be really good for mornings when you’re tired, or when you’re driving, or when you really have to concentrate,” Matsumoto said.

“The grapefruit should be good before you do sports or while you’re working really late.”

Tired of waiting for the delayed film of A Scanner Darkly? There’s always the remixed trailers to tide you over.

Why not try your DNA?

Or is it just another theme park?

If you’re a regular reader of Shrapnel, you’re probably noticed an obsession with weird or abandoned theme parks. But Legoland (corporate link), while perhaps a little weird, is definitely not abandoned. In fact, it’s so popular people are competing to work there.