prosthetic knowledge
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Science Fiction Art Used For ZX Spectrum Computer Manuals
Created by John Harris in the early 80’s, some of these works would be familiar to anyone who was interested in home computing at the time.
Larger prints are available, more information here
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Horizon - Clive Sinclair, the anatomy of an inventor (1989)
Old BBC documentary on a key figure in the history of consumer computing, particularly the UK. While everyone knows the stories of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in the US, Sinclair was the first to bring the home computer at an affordable price to many. He was also an inventor, and brought to the public market the worlds first digital calculator, digital watch, and portable television.
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![Great Britain. Her natural and industrial resources
Infographic map of Great Britain made in late 1930s, at Boston Public Library:
Title: Great Britain. Her natural and industrial resources
Created/Published: New York City : Distributed by the British Information Services, an agency of the British Government
Date issued: 1939-1945 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 print (poster) : color
Summary: Map of Great Britain’s resources.
Genre: Travel posters; Prints; Maps
Notes: Title from item.
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: Rights status not evaluated
[Link]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwu2abgFve1qav3uso1_1280.jpg)
Great Britain. Her natural and industrial resources
Infographic map of Great Britain made in late 1930s, at Boston Public Library:
Title: Great Britain. Her natural and industrial resources
Created/Published: New York City : Distributed by the British Information Services, an agency of the British Government
Date issued: 1939-1945 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 print (poster) : color
Summary: Map of Great Britain’s resources.
Genre: Travel posters; Prints; Maps
Notes: Title from item.
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: Rights status not evaluated
[Link]
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It’s officially Christmas in the UK.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE :D
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Oh dear …. (via@TVNewsroom
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Brixton Pound e-Currency Launches Today via Londonist
A borough in London has it’s own digital currency (I have never heard of local currencies being used, in London or anywhere before …)
Today marks the launch of an electronic currency for part of south London as the Brixton Pound goes digital.
The Brixton Pound (B£) has existed in physical form for two years (today is its birthday, in fact). It can be spent in almost 200 local shops, encouraging residents to buy their goods and services in Brixton. Notes carry images of local celebrities such as environmentalist James Lovelock.
From today, the pecuniary peculiarity goes digital. The Brixton Pound e-currency (B£e) can be used to pay via text message or online. There’s a 10% bonus on offer for anyone signing up to the parallel currency. If you’d like to find out more, and meet the brains behind the scheme, there’s a launch party tonight at The Electric. A new set of physical notes will also be unveiled, featuring more local heroes.
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Prefab - Art collective from Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Digital Collagists and Street Art Creators - More Here
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THE TERRIFYING GANGS OF ENGLAND via Adam Curtis’ Blog (and cantcopewontcope: + notational)
In the immediate aftermath of the riots there is a media fascination with the terrifying “feral” youth and the gangs who were behind the looting and the violence.
But this fear and fascination with gangs is not new.
I want to put up a wonderful and odd film I have found in the BBC archives. It is a documentary made in 1969 in response to a growing panic about violent teenage gangs in England and it focusses on the Hells Angels and Skinheads.
The filmmakers went off to get in with a group of Hells Angels and with a gang of skinheads. Their aim was to find out who the scary psychopaths were that made up the gangs that were threatening society. But what they came back with is a weird and brilliant mini-drama about two groups of individuals who are not that different from us - but more bored.
It is also sometimes very funny - because the gangs have their own rules and structures that are absurd and distorted reflections of our own society.
Both parts of the film can be found at the original post, both fascinating to watch. They both look a little staged for the sake of filming, and often unintentionally funny due to the time, the British accents, and probably regrettable interviews of participants.
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“ But England is not Latin America, and its riots are not political, or so we keep hearing. They are just about lawless kids taking advantage of a situation to take what isn’t theirs. And British society, Cameron tells us, abhors that kind of behavior.
This is said in all seriousness. As if the massive bank bailouts never happened, followed by the defiant record bonuses. Followed by the emergency G-8 and G-20 meetings, when the leaders decided, collectively, not to do anything to punish the bankers for any of this, nor to do anything serious to prevent a similar crisis from happening again. Instead they would all go home to their respective countries and force sacrifices on the most vulnerable. They would do this by firing public sector workers, scapegoating teachers, closing libraries, upping tuitions, rolling back union contracts, creating rush privatizations of public assets and decreasing pensions – mix the cocktail for where you live. And who is on television lecturing about the need to give up these “entitlements”? The bankers and hedge-fund managers, of course.
This is the global Saqueo, a time of great taking. Fueled by a pathological sense of entitlement, this looting has all been done with the lights left on, as if there was nothing at all to hide. There are some nagging fears, however. In early July, the Wall Street Journal, citing a new poll, reported that 94 percent of millionaires were afraid of “violence in the streets.” This, it turns out, was a reasonable fear.
”— Naomi Klein, extract from the article, “Daylight Robbery, Meet Nighttime Robbery” -
UPDATED - Put all the fullsize images in this Flickr set
Surreal Reproductions of News International Report
In the UK news, some developments have happened in the on-going investigation by parliament in relation to the conduct of News International and its employees.
Released today on the UK Parliament’s website is a 102 page document (in pdf form) which features a response to questions asked by committee members from News International. In relation to question 2 is a Code Of Conduct brochure, which is obviosuly reproduced by photocopier.
Its interesting coming across these image of a bizarre relationship of images to statements, the sort of thing Barbara Kruger is famous for, plus some irony. Add the black and white reproductive quality and dithering and you have a weird aesthetic effect.
Direct link to the document can be found here
(NB - Sorry if the visual quality is not great on some of these - obviously must have had images resized)
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Surreal Reproductions of News International Report
In the UK news, some developments have happened in the on-going investigation by parliament in relation to the conduct of News International and its employees.
Released today on the UK Parliament’s website is a 102 page document (in pdf form) which features a response to questions asked by committee members from News International. In relation to question 2 is a Code Of Conduct brochure, which is obviosuly reproduced by photocopier.
Its interesting coming across these image of a bizarre relationship of images to statements, the sort of thing Barbara Kruger is famous for, plus some irony. Add the black and white reproductive quality and dithering and you have a weird aesthetic effect.
Direct link to the document can be found here
(NB - Sorry if the visual quality is not great on some of these - obviously must have had images resized)
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PM uses graffiti backdrop…
Faux sincerity +5
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The MP Tweet List - set up to tweet your MP a message to defend social media In the wake of the UK riots which took place across the UK in August 2011, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced that his government will explore whether to “turn off” social networks such as Twitter during times of civil unrest. However, the evidence that Twitter (or Facebook) was used to organise violence is almost non-existent - in fact, in the days since the riots Twitter has been used for positive action of the kind seen in the #riotcleanup campaign.
Many MPs are active on Twitter. They use the service for communicating their thoughts and views, and for updating us on their activities. This is entirely positive for democracy. At a time when there is an understandable public outcry over the violence that took place in the riots, the Coalition government should not be engaging in a knee-jerk reaction of trying to demonise social networking and use recent shocking events to crack down on the medium in an undemocratic way.
It’s time for MPs who use Twitter to do their part and speak up in defence of social networking rather than being cowed into silence. This site has been set up to give you an easy and convenient way to contact all Twitter-using MPs using pre-prepared tweets, so that we can put some pressure on them to make our (and hopefully their) views known.
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Excert from “The moral decay of our society is as bad at the top as the bottom” from The Telegraph (UK)
The Prime Minister showed no sign that he understood that something stank about yesterday’s Commons debate. He spoke of morality, but only as something which applies to the very poor: “We will restore a stronger sense of morality and responsibility – in every town, in every street and in every estate.” He appeared not to grasp that this should apply to the rich and powerful as well.
The tragic truth is that Mr Cameron is himself guilty of failing this test. It is scarcely six weeks since he jauntily turned up at the News International summer party, even though the media group was at the time subject to not one but two police investigations. Even more notoriously, he awarded a senior Downing Street job to the former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, even though he knew at the time that Coulson had resigned after criminal acts were committed under his editorship. The Prime Minister excused his wretched judgment by proclaiming that “everybody deserves a second chance”. It was very telling yesterday that he did not talk of second chances as he pledged exemplary punishment for the rioters and looters.
These double standards from Downing Street are symptomatic of widespread double standards at the very top of our society. It should be stressed that most people (including, I know, Telegraph readers) continue to believe in honesty, decency, hard work, and putting back into society at least as much as they take out.
