benjamin and the dump

so the other night during dinner i had this silly idea, which somehow seemed sublime to me in some way. so utterly simple, completely absurd, mildly disgusting (or perhaps just gross), quite funny, immature, and ripe for waxing philosophical. i was considering doing this myself, (seriously) but then of course contemplating if i REALLY wanted to put so much effort into the actual writing and the endurance needed.

so i walked the dog and thought about it. i giggled to myself a bit, for it somehow seemed to embody to me some great metaphor about the internet itself, regarding what it CAN be and how it CAN function. it made me think of Walter Benjamin's writings on "aura" and "objects," and how the internet and its staggering myriad of information could effectively be an object rather than a mode of communication, entertainment, commerce, and porn. (i should include art, community, and activism, though those come last for sure as they occupy MUCH less space here than the four previously mentioned activities. though there is hope.)

so then keri called me from another room and we spent a fair amount of time at this website:

brilliant i say, just brilliant.

Posted by jeff pitcher at November 13, 2007 09:07 PM

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