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monochrom is an art-technology-philosophy group having its seat in Vienna and Zeta Draconis. monochrom is an unpeculiar mixture of proto-aesthetic fringe work, pop attitude, subcultural science, context hacking and political activism. Our mission is conducted everywhere, but first and foremost in culture-archeological digs into the seats (and pockets) of ideology and entertainment. monochrom has existed in this (and almost every other) form since 1993.
Sex and the City 2? Home video of gay men playing with Barbie dolls!
If you haven’t heard of Lindy West before, be warned: dangerous, profound, addictive. Sex and the City 2 is “essentially a home video of gay men playing with giant Barbie dolls.” Discuss. We’ve been thinking it for two long years. All of us. Gnawing our cheeks at night, clutching at sweaty sheets, our faces hollow … Read more
Marine Phytoplankton Declining: Striking Global Changes at the Base of the Marine Food Web
A new article published in the 29 July issue of the journal Nature reveals for the first time that microscopic marine algae known as “phytoplankton” have been declining globally over the 20th century. Phytoplankton forms the basis of the marine food chain and sustains diverse assemblages of species ranging from tiny zooplankton to large marine … Read more
How a patent for XOR ended Commore Amiga in 1994
Apparently Commodore-Amiga owed $10M for patent infringement. Because of that, the US government wouldn’t allow any CD-32’s into the USA. And because of that, the Phillipines factory seized all of the CD-32’s that had been manufactured to cover unpaid expenses. And that was the end. Commodore-Amiga had basically gambled everything on the CD-32 being the … Read more
Applesphere, byebye: US Library of Congress says it is legal to jailbreak phones
Apple likes to maintain tight control over what programs can appear on the iPhone — a task that just became a little bit harder. The Library of Congress, which has the power to define exceptions to an important copyright law, said on Monday that it was legal to bypass a phone’s controls on what software … Read more
Haitian Peasants March against Monsanto Company for Food and Seed Sovereignty
On June 4th about ten thousand Haitian peasants marched to protest U.S.-based Monsanto Company’s ‘deadly gift’ of seed to the government of Haiti. The seven-kilometer march from Papaye to Hinche—in a rural area on the central plateau—was organized by several Haitian farmers’ organizations that are proposing a development model based on food and seed sovereignty … Read more
What work is really worth
The UK budget, and the next five years of government policy, means to persuade, or force, the workless into work. A new study examines the value of work, not to a company or organisation, but to society as a whole. Imagine for a moment we asked a crucial, and crucially different, economic question – not … Read more