Kalles Kaviar @ Volkshaus

Kalles Kaviar @ Volkshaus
Originally uploaded by Stürmifüdle.

So no more french philosophers that already have a slight smell of decay. I'm reading Malinowski's "Diary in the strict sense".
Malinowski was one of the founding fathers of social anthropology, especially of a school of thought called functionalism. He created the still employed method of participant observation on long field trips when he went to the Trobriand Islands, close to Papua New Guinea.

What does this have to do with anything? While I was researching the camera models that he used to take pictures of all the "niggers" (in that time, also a term for any non-white population), I stumbled upon this.

Turns out the camera equipement from the beginning of the last century was the basis for some very well known fiction about science, including oversized fat slugs, yeti-lookalikes, judo-style outfits and something called "lightsabers". And then I found out that the blasters were just customized Mauser pistols, nicknamed "broomhandles", which happen to have been the weapon of choice of a chap called "Lawrence of Arabia". Now didn't he ride around the desert on some weird looking fury animal, just like that guy called Skywalker?

time to get your foucault out

"He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constranits of power; he makes them play sponatenously upon himself, he inscribes himself in power relations in which he simulatenously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection"

(Foucault, 1979: Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison) just made me think about all the Germans that were formely known as "Hartz-IV Empfänger" (Receivers of the very basic social insurance money) and are now officially called "Unterschicht" (lower class). It didn't made them feel better about their situation, but now they can complain while -seemingly- accepting their social shortcoming. Made & makes me think.

The qoute, by the way, is from a very thorough paper on the history of photography and anthropology, heavily influenced by the french poststructuralist gang of four (Foucault, Barthes, Derrida - but, now that I checked, no Lacan).

Went out ,stayed in

Semester Opening Party at "Das Schiff"
Originally uploaded by Stürmifüdle.

Party time again! The official opening party was not only slightly late, but also sold out (about 900 people) as the venue is a ship in the rhine, anchored just opposite the border to Germany, while on the other side of the rhine France can be seen. International, baby!
Not long before, on wednesday, the students union put up a bar crawl for the freshmen, and quite surprisingly, about 25 came. Normally media students from Basel are quite lazy and not very out-going, so I guess we were lucky, especially as it was a weekday. See all pictures here.

As I was quite hammered the day after, I didn't went to Mr. Martinsons critically acclaimed presentation of his trips to Pakistan and Iran and all along the silk road. The images are really interesting, check them on his flickr page.



Finally, I had to realize that my itunes is a softie. I had it running along my cleaning duties, and look what it put together on random setting:

Al Jarreau – Agua de Beber 12 Nov 2006, 11:46
Robbie Williams – Let Me Entertain You 12 Nov 2006, 11:40
Carla Bruni – Le Plus Beau de Quartier
Jack Johnson – Sharing Song 12 Nov 2006, 11:33
Foo Fighters – What If I Do 12 Nov 2006, 11:28
The Cranberries – I Can't Be With You 12 Nov 2006, 11:25
OutKast – Mighty O 12 Nov 2006, 11:21
Heather Nova – All I Need 12 Nov 2006, 11:17
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Death Of A Martian

I mean, please! Out of the 6000ish songs I have it could have mixed something more upbeat, rockish, whatever. But it decided for the calm, poppy, airwave common-sense style. Your such a bore, itunes. Stop it.

On a -final- sidenote: Anyone getting much more spam on gmx (the mail provider) lately? I think they switched off their super-spam-filter in order to convince people to switch to their premium, payable service. Not nice, not nice.

Quick catch-up on a weekend gone

Windows of the world
Originally uploaded by Stürmifüdle.

I've been home last weekend and went out with some old friends. This pictures is at the "twenty-one", a bar on the highest floor of the town hall in Kaiserslautern. JC and me ended up there on last Friday, for one last beer. So, greetings and thanks for a nice weekend to JC, J and C! Saturday we went to see a youth centre close to Kaiserslautern, and afterwards we went into town. I should have taken some pictures there already, but I forgot.

this will make your hair stand up

this will make your hair stand up
Originally uploaded by Stürmifüdle.

Sinti, owner of this miraculous device, just told me he want a game theory blog. Uh, Sinti! There are already hundreds and hundreds of others covering that ground. But I might just think about it. If you are interested in some links, watch this space. A good start is Terranova, a collaborative blog about virtual worlds.

pentagon reloaded

pentagon reloaded
Originally uploaded by Stürmifüdle.

So, this is where I sit. If you click on the picture, you get to see the little note. Here I spend my days, typing, reading, browsing, looking at other people. For a library, this one is quite loud. A big space within the dome doesn't exactly silence the sounds. People turning pages, packing, unpacking, a constant flux of comers and goers. And, of course, the runners with their mobile phones, whispering to their distant callers.
Outside, in the meantime, the "Herbstmesse" goes on and on, a fair for all the folks young and old. Loads of food stands with all swiss and non-swiss specalites are on the Petersplatz, a square in front of the university's main building. How are we supposed to learn like that?

By the way: I want comments! That way, you can keep them updates coming. Just say bla, if you don't got anything else to say.

Basel again

Basel again
Originally uploaded by Stürmifüdle.

So I'm back! I'm looking for a job while trying to figure out if I can write five papers till may, so I'm finished with university till May 2008. What a perspective!
Plus, this city feels so small now...Now wonder, you might say, after the likes of alcoholic Helsinki and exciting Berlin. Right, maybe. So I will try to focus on the cultural advantes like the Eros-Exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler or the Kandinsky-Exhibition at the Kunstmuseum, now that I have a nice little card called "colour key" that grants me free access to most of the museums. Last year, though! You only get em till you are 26. After that, I guess, you should have enough money to pay for your cultural inspiration...What a shame I will be already 27 when I finish.