Daily OpusEverything I write is freely rebloggable. Just keep the source and tell people about my books :D [Until I decide otherwise, my pronouns are Ze/Hir/Hirself. As in "Ze went to the shops to get hir medication hirself". Thank you for the respect.]
Park Cannon has been released from jail. She was charged with “felony obstruction,” that she, and I quote her arrest affidavit, “knowingly and intentionally did by knocking the governor’s door during session of singing [sic] a bill.” She is the youngest ever Georgia legislator and one of only three openly queer legislators in Georgia. I have seen her speak and she is truly a person devoted to justice in government. This is a ridiculous and persecutory charge.
She was arrested for being polite??? why the fuck would you arrest someone for having manners?
Hi Everyone!
I’ve had some people reach out to me today about NFT’s, and why it’s bad that Gorillaz is involved. So I’ve decided to compile a ton of info in a post for people who are confused, and tips on how to help!
TL;DR: Gorillaz have announced that they are producing NFTs, a form of crypto currency attached to digital art that wastes more energy than most people’s homes do in a year.
What is an NFT?
An NFT (non-fungible token), also known as Cryptoart, is a unit of unique data that represents a digital item, typically digital art, music, videos, and other digital files. Basically, think of it like a Bitcoin that is linked to or attached to a .jpg.
It’s complicated, but in theory, it’s meant to be like fine art auctions, but for digital art. However, buying an NFT does NOT give you ownership of the file, or even exclusive access to the file. Anyone else can view and save the original image/file. All the buyer gets is the unique digital metadata that is attached to it.
Here is a video by the Wall Street Journal that does a good job of breaking down what an NFT is.
Why is it bad?
NFT’s are controversial for several reasons.
For one, you do not need to prove that you are the original artist or creator of the digital art to tokenize it. That basically means that anyone can take your digital art and sell it as an NFT. Shitty, I know.
It is an incredibly inaccessible and fluctuating market, and works like a pyramid scheme.(linked is a very good infographic on the topic by Cabeza Patata on Instagram.)
However, the most damning and negative side effect is its environmental impact. Because of the large amount of computing power needed to create NFTs, an INSANE amount of energy is used, creating a LOT of pollution. An UNETHICAL amount of pollution.
To quote this article by Uproxx, “In one instance, the 10 seconds it took […] to sell six NFTs consumed 8.7 megawatt-hours of energy, comparable to the amount of electricity used by a household in a single year.”
It’s hard to explain exactly HOW or WHY it uses so much power, so here are some articles that do a better job of explaining it than I can:
This is a huge kick in the face due to the fact that Gorillaz has always produced music preaching environmental consciousness, and is deeply disappointing to fans. It’s hard to say if Jamie or Damon are fully aware of NFT’s impact, but regardless, it is a huge blow to the message of Gorillaz.
What can I do about it?
**DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO GORILLAZ OR SUPERPLASTIC.**DONT EVEN STREAM THEIR MUSIC. DO NOT SUPPORT GORILLAZ FINACIALLY UNTIL THEY ADDRESS THIS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY.
Instead, you can:
Support Gorillaz fan artists by commissioning them or buying their prints!
Buy any Gorillaz merch second hand/used (but take care to avoid scalpers.)
Here is a petition for Gorillaz to cut ties with Superplastic and stop production of NFTs!
Spread the word! Share this Post! Stay informed! Make sure everyone knows about the impacts of NFTs! This should go beyond the sphere of the Gorillaz fandom!
Pulp sci-fi illustration by Italian artist, Aldo Di Gennaro (b. 1938).
This is probably the most culturally important thing I’ll ever seen in my lifetime if I’m being honest. I want this affixed over my mantle, embroidered into my denim, and emblazoned into my flesh so that generations to come may never forget this 1938 gem of an illustration. Put this on my gravestone and name my children after Alfo Di Gennaro. This is what it’s all about.
Artist was obviously a leg man, but I have never seen a female alien love interest designed as THIS alien before. She’s uniquely hairy, bugged-eyed, lines would indicate at least a partial exoskeleton, she has escaped being saddled with the mammories that a non-mammal being would not have, yet she’s got it bad for Space Force Leatherhead and he is so into her. I can practically hear his prose of her cabochon eyes of nebula violet, glowing with the passion to know and be known, in the starlight. The green of her body turning more vivid as discovery (and carnal knowledge) consume her conscious mind.
To suggest a red-blooded, human man could love Greedo’s cousin? Desire her??
This is fantastic, in every sense. How many lives did this change forever?
Early sci-fi took so many more risks than what we have now 😅
Somebody write this, I’ll read the fuck out of it
I might be sleep deprived, but I keep thinking of names like…
Guy Muskly and Chitania
…we’re entering a lockdown out my way. Perfect opportunity for absolute crack
“ooh you hate cops but who are you gonna call when you get robbed?” uhhhhh your moms house? a great tragedy has befallen me and i need to have sex immediately
Every time someone’s like “who are you gonna call when you get robbed?”
1. Know how I know you’ve never been robbed?
2. I am going to call my insurance company and file a claim, the only usefulness a cop has at this point is generating a report number for said insurance company to refer to
3. Seriously all a cop’s gonna do after establishing that the robber/burglar/whoever isn’t there anymore is say “what do you want me to do about it?” and leave
Update on the Ever Given: between the tides and the tugboats, she was straightened out by like…30 meters. The tide has gone back out, so she’s not gonna be free TODAY it seems, but they are making progress.
To answer some questions that have come up in the notes:
1. Ever Given is the ship; Evergreen is the company. Yes, that’s confusing
2. Yes, it’s the same Evergreen that owns the shipping container on the truck (but not the truck itself, I think.)
3. It is also the same Evergreen that has a ship, the Ever Laurel, that spilled thousands of rubber ducks into the ocean in 1992.
Update on the Ever Given: between the tides and the tugboats, she was straightened out by like…30 meters. The tide has gone back out, so she’s not gonna be free TODAY it seems, but they are making progress.
To answer some questions that have come up in the notes:
1. Ever Given is the ship; Evergreen is the company. Yes, that’s confusing
2. Yes, it’s the same Evergreen that owns the shipping container on the truck (but not the truck itself, I think.)
3. It is also the same Evergreen that has a ship, the Ever Laurel, that spilled thousands of rubber ducks into the ocean in 1992.
