Tea Leaves

Via @diemkay

Straight To Video

Some things I take a bit too seriously. And some things I don't. I made the clip above a short while back so that I could test the Twitvid function on Tweetdeck. I bought the sheeps mask and tried it out. It's only worth embedding because I'm not taking myself seriously and it's consistent with the next clip.

Same shit right? Nope.


The trouble is, I have no recollection of doing the one above. I realised the next day something wasn't right as I couldn't recall getting home. Most unusual for me, so I retraced my steps. The main event was buying a couple of pairs of sunglasses from the night market. I did stop off beforehand to have a couple of local spirits called Lao Cow.

It's served in a small shot glass and often coupled with seasonal sour fruits like unripe tamarind pieces or wild berries and then dipped in chilli sugar. It's very blue collar, an acquired taste and most valuable for getting an unvarnished view of the world. I mean talking to people it's hard to normally break the ice with. I don't mean with beer Goggles on.

So as I lost my memory, I thought maybe I'd been spiked or something. But then I remembered a girl joining me who always turns up when I'm around. I roped her into a mini flurry of Lao Cow shots. Nothing that excessive, but definitely more than I've ever had before. I think six shots.

Then all mayhem apparently let loose.

I"m guessing I came home, tweeted about my glasses and then made the Twitvid above. There could easily be lots more carnage judging by the random replies to me on Twitter the next morning. I've still not checked my timeline to piece together the full story but just in case anything abrasive was said or done, I do apologise.

This post is sponsored by @pristyles who sheltered me (most graciously) from harm.

Who Let The Logs Out?

I've always liked politics though it wasn't till I turned my gaze on the United States and began to inhale a lot of political  biography that I discarded with European policy debate. The thing about American political life is that it's the only game in town. Noam Chomsky memorably pointed out in Manufacturing Content that the reason the European Press gets to say a lot more than its transatlantic other half is that they are largely irrelevant. That's the truth of it in much the same way that most E.U. politicians ignore the English Language Xinhua despite a prestigious and ostentatious recent Manhattan office lease deal.

The internet though is proving to be the most creatively fertile and outspoken media aperture ever. Here are two I came across yesterday. I'm usually suspicious of any appropriation of Rap because it gets done so badly but Robert Foster's Juice Media is exceptionally coherent, hip and engaging. 

And lest anyone accuse the internet of dumbing young peoples chances of learning then EconStories.tv is the most polished and tightly edited introduction to Keynesian Economics available anywhere.

I came across this thumb snapping content through the only news media organisation that I watch on screen. I don't have a TV by choice, and Al Jazeera are the most even handed global news service to my mind so I picked up on this via there Listening Post channel on Youtube. Incidentally one of their last shows titled Thais turn to New Media is worth a look.