Why I hate the Nirvana smiley face logo

I’m sure you’ve seen it on someone’s t-shirt: a roughly drawn smiley face with X’s instead of eyes and a protruding tongue. Together with the word Nirvana in its distinctive, elongated typeface – the font is Onyx, a popular one in the early 1990s – the effect on the viewer is striking.

Enlightenment? Or something else?

Right away the viewer notices that the word Nirvana, the Buddhist concept of the highest state of consciousness, is presented with levity and elegance, but the drawing of the conked-out drughead below is scribbled and rude, something that might have come from the margins of a high school notebook. The contrast might have been critical or aspirational; there’s no way to tell. Oh the irony!

But it never was intended to be the band’s official logo. It’s only official by default, helped along by the vast amount of consumer goods anointed with it.

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Worldbuilding Wednesday 4/10/24: Hamsters

When Zhu Zhu Pets came out in the beginning of the 2010s they were the hottest toy around. These little stuffed creatures were modeled on hamsters and came with wheels, so they could zip up and down trackways and do all the things Hot Wheels cars could. In addition, they made cute noises when they banged into each other or hit obstacles. Giant plastic playsets that looked like Habitrail cages came out so children could house their zhu zhus together, watching them interact and zip around. (So strong was their impression that for years I thought they were called Zhu Zhu Hamsters, until today when writing this post. That was my Mandela Moment.)

As a gender-neutral toy they were nearly perfect, appealing to both boys and girls. Unlike living hamsters, they could be mashed and crashed with glee, and didn’t need to have their cages cleaned or be fed. That, in my mind, is what made them such a great plaything — they saved the real-life animals from death and neglect.

Ever since I started these Worldbuilding Wednesday posts I wanted to make up randomly assembled names for them, but the project kept falling to the wayside. After my AI posts about hamsters the time seemed right, but to my surprise I received another Mandela Moment shock. I had remembered the creatures in the toy section back then having silly names like Squeaky and Gigglescooter, but in reality, only a few did. Most had more plebian monikers. Nevertheless, I’m sticking to my memories of the names, which would also be fitting for actual hamster pets.

 

Hamster Names

Bloobelle

Buttnoodle

Captain Tankjet

Chubby Primple

Chubdoozle

Chunkling

Coobits

Dydeedoodler

Flaptootle

Flitterbrip

Floopster

Flubwuffle

Flurkler

Fushwugguns

Fuzzrample

Gigglepants

Glimkins

Hypepper

Hyromp

Jerringle

Kooffle

Koozoo

Li’l Bitstuff

Lompi

Major Shirfy

Meegle

Miss Chunkfluffle

Miss Dashdingle

Miss Pingling

Moogle

Mr. Pipkins

Mrs. Crashboongle

Mugglette

Mushboy

Nordle

Oompers

Plooftastic

Ploon-a-choo

Popscooter

Schlubbins

Scrunchfrazzle

Sergeant Nudgenongle

Shiffle

Shookmums

Shootzie

Springle Girl

Shrellow

Shroomlegs

Sir Squashinator

Snickershart

Snikwaffle

Snowheelie

Squashcheeks

Teapopper

Tinkiebomb

Toonmallow

Tubbystubbs

Whufflup

Whumpy

Wrinkleberry

Yefluff

Yeekie

Yibble

Yinky-dink

Zoondink

Zoybutt

 

AI Art Adventures: Hamster Accident (with Dave Grohl)

Well, I had to find some way to link the recent book review with the posts before and after it, didn’t I?

Hamsters are often inflated to the size of cats when AI lends a hand.

Two Daves are better than one!

From an old news story about Dave.

 

The Storyteller
[Reading Challenge 2024]

The Storyteller

by Dave Grohl
HarperCollins, 2021
[ # 19  Like a novel, only real: Creative nonfiction.]

Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller is not the usual kind of rock and roll autobiography whose arc most often goes from rags to riches with a side tour into addiction. Instead it’s a series of short vignettes that illustrate his love of music and his gratitude towards the people and circumstances that helped him get where he is. In that is very refreshing to read.

Grohl started out as the drummer for the grunge band Nirvana. Though his career with them lasted only four years (up to the time of Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994) it’s perhaps what he’s best remembered for, even though his later band, the Foo Fighters, lasted eight times longer and garnered more Grammys. I had followed Nirvana’s career since the Bleach days, but neglected to follow up on Dave’s. Most of the 2000s I was immersed in the world of Latino music, Rock en Español, as it seemed to me that with the decay of the Grunge era, and the rise of boy bands, there was nothing new or interesting in the U.S. rock scene anymore. Perhaps I should have. There was no dirt in the book on Kurt (for whom he had the highest respect) or Courtney Love, and I didn’t expect there to be. The Storyteller is not a book about bitterness.

Grohl’s tone is genial and he comes across as the world’s biggest geek, and also the world’s biggest rock and roll fan. That was the main difference I found between him and some other music autobiographies I’ve read — Pete Townsend, Grace Jones, Scott Weiland. He felt more like a peer than a virtuoso. We are six years apart in age but grew up in similar circumstances – middle class East Coast – and experienced the same eras. It was sobering, in fact, to realize that we both lived through decades that are long gone and never coming back, and that the music world itself has inexorably changed from the time Nirvana first released Nevermind.

The book’s design enhanced the text. The front and back inside covers are filled with Grohl’s handwritten notes and notable comments of his in the text are set off in a font based on his handwriting. There are many fine photographs and some of them gave me a bittersweet feeling as well, like the postcards he sent to his mom from the road, which are crowded with innocent text and little drawings, something I, too, did in the late 1980s while traveling and quirky postcards were available everywhere. It’s hard to remember that Grohl was barely 21 when he joined Nirvana, and not even 25 when it disbanded. Even though I was older when they were at their height, I thought they had worlds of experience beyond me. Turns out, I was wrong. The first thing Grohl bought with his first Nirvana check were some air guns and a game system from the Olympia Fred Meyer.

A bittersweet journey overall.

 

AI Art Adventures: Hamster Accident (Refined)

By themselves, the pics in my last post about hamsters and exercise wheels were pretty stupid. But it’s always possible to refine them.

I had put “flying” in one of the prompts, but instead of giving me a hamster flung off his exercise wheel and flying through the air, I got superhero-type hamsters wearing capes. I replaced the nonsense lettering on one of these to create this nifty panel that might have some from 1970.

I cut and rearranged other four-panel versions of the Midjourney hamsters to create more coherent stories of hamster disaster. Here, a hamster (mouse, really) is surprised by a bright light above his head, which sucks him inside, leaving an empty shed.

This hamster notices a strange round device popping out of the ground, and when he touches it, it explodes.

This hamster gets his head stuck inside a ring and struggles to get out.

Not exactly, overall, what I was looking for, but the pathos was nice.

AI Art Adventures: Hamster Accident

You’d think that a cute, fluffy, chubby, adorable little hamster having a mishap on its exercise wheel — a sight common on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and the like — wouldn’t be a problem for AI to generate. Especially as it’s an element common to many peoples’ childhoods, a hamster running so quickly he flings himself into the air, or orbits around astronaut-style from his sheer momentum.

Think again.

These are two depictions that Midjourney gave me.

Cartoon panel generated in Midjourney

I can’t fault the energy and horror here, but the action looks obscure.

Cartoon panel generated in Midjourney

This one is oddly static with its hamster-tiger hybrid.

Stable Diffusion XL on huggingface yielded single-panel results that were more in tune with what I was looking for. Mostly.

Hamster AI art

This one gave me the 1950s look I put down in the prompt, and the wheel is spinning, or rather vibrating, furiously, and the hamster is vibrating too, hence his blurred body with its four eyes and three front paws. However, he’s not running on the wheel as I’d hoped, and the wheel is weirdly lopsided. But there are some happy artistic accidents here, too, like the eerie, empty room and the flying pieces of debris from what the viewer can assume is the edge of the wheel digging into the floor. The primary colors too are a nice touch.

Hamster AI art

This hamster brings to mind Sisyphus pushing his stone uphill. The wheel is again deformed, looking more like a wooden wagon wheel. For this one I asked for the style of a dry-witted New Yorker cartoon.

Hamster AI art

Changing some words of the prompt gave unexpected results, like this superhero hamster on a treadmill.

Hamster AI art

Using just “hamster accident” gave me this vision of existential angst showing a frightened creature amidst the wreckage of disaster.

Worldbuilding Wednesday 4/3/24: Papua New Guinea Names

This billnote features native decorative elements and a bird of paradise which are endemic to the large, rugged island.

Some of the first human beings ever to leave Africa colonized southeast Asian tens of thousands of years ago, using continental land bridges for transit as the sea was much lower. Since the end of the Ice Age, the islands were isolated; but the beginning of recorded history brought more visitors, among them Indians and  Chinese; Dutch, Portuguese and Islamic traders; American military personnel, and Christian missionaries. Personal names of modern Papua New Guinea are a hodgepodge of all of these. It’s as common to find a Mohammad or Jennifer there as a native language name from  centuries ago, or some new creation blending all of them. In that spirit, I came up with these randomgenned names based off recent birth records.

 

Papua New Guinea Names

Female

Aherinka

Bensa

Effi

Egrilka

Ehya

Emotki

Ewylud

Frengiwen

Giva

Huleen

Huli

Jikira

Lekaika

Lesfuni

Moivanki

Mutheleen

Namwen

Nidya

Oktla

Pashoti

Saireela

Sanei

Sumleen

Tapaika

Veava

Welena

Yamyaika

Yilva

Male

Akkelud

Darsri

Eknaik

Erimtag

Fuwati

Henlei

Husvar

Jamwek

Kistojan

Kopka

Lukti

Luttah

Mohamti

Molomnan

Namjulud

Paksatwei

Ratist

Sandorsmai

Sipeti

Sipud

Sumeah

Tarfan

Toltah

Welbeen

Yahava

Yailka

Yparal

Yshota

Worldbuilding Wednesday 3/27/24: Shades of Red

 I used to be disgusted
Now I try to be amused
But since their wings have got rusted
You know the angels wanna wear my red shoes

— Elvis Costello, (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

Red is the most dominant and eye-catching color in the spectrum. To even say its name is to conjure up pools of blood, female lips, whoredom and wars and cities in flame. From the mawkish “Lady in Red” by Chris De Burgh to Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” the color has no shortage of catchy tunes either. Who hasn’t sung along to UB40’s “Red Red Wine” or “99 Red Balloons?”

Red was, in fact, probably the first color ever named by humans. The brilliant scarlet of animal blood was likely the most brilliant color any of them would ever see. In hunting and war the color meant death, but in birth and nourishment, life. Red was so revered the first humans used red ochre, a clay colored by iron oxides, to paint their dead and create paintings on cave walls. The ochre was a particularly durable compound, so these ancient artworks have survived down through the centuries and attest to the artists’ skills today.

Red blood and blood-red remained entangled throughout human history. Red is associated with royalty even more than purple is, as the right to rule is passed down through one’s bloodline. It also has a destructive side, given death often entails large amounts of blood. “Streets ran red with blood” is a common phrase used throughout history when describing conflicts, and to pair it with another word not usually associated with red changes its meaning, as in the “Red Wedding” of Game of Thrones fame wherein a whole wedding party was massacred. Stars that have a red shade, like Aldebaran, and planets like Mars are considered harbingers of war and destruction. To see a red dawn brings misfortune, and red comets (likely far-ranging aurorae) are the worst of all.

A typical red devil

OF COURSE red means danger!

Red’s association with evil began with the ancient Egyptians, but it was only in the last few centuries that, in Western civilization, began to be ubiquitous. There’s that link with fire and heat  of course, but red-as-evil received a hefty lift when Satan began to be depicted as a red-colored imp in popular art with pointed ears, horns, and a mustache and goatee. In truth, this depiction came about because of the traditionally red theatrical costuming of Mephistopheles, the devil figure in the Goethe play Faust. Before that, the devil was usually black. (I’ll write a much longer post on this later because is a long and wide-ranging tale.)

Red also means danger. In traffic and industry it means STOP! and while flashing, KEEP BACK. For disasters from hurricanes to forest fires red denotes the highest rating of danger. When a submarine enters combat, its lighting systems dim to red. The communist revolutions of Russia and China, born amidst violence and high ideals, are red; to “be a red” in the 1950s was to be a degenerate and Godless. (As for China, red worked out fine for its revolution, as it already was a culturally salubrious color.)

The New York Dolls tried to revive their career by wearing eye-catching red patent leather outfits and performing in front of a Communist flag.

Yet, because humans blush and flush, and red lips and genitals are considered alluring, red has also become the color of sex, lust, and love. Valentines are red, but so is the Whore of Babylon’s gown. A bright red stiletto-heeled pump is movie shorthand indicating its female wearer is hot to trot; for males, red shoes are more of fashion statement, as the lyrics of the Elvis Costello above song say. Even red fruits have sexual significance. To “pop a cherry” means to take a partner’s virginity, pomegranates are an aphrodisiac, and Eve tempted Adam with a ripe, red apple. And though Eve is commonly depicted blonde in Western religious art, it can be also be said she was a (sexually voracious) redhead, henna being a red cosmetic meant to give allure.

Lucille Ball swore to  keep her hair dyed bright red to please her fans.

For some Asian cultures, red is considered a fortunate color, one meaning happiness. Chinese New Year decorations are traditionally red, and even in the west red can be celebratory, as “red-letter day” and “paint the town red” imply. Christmas is associated with red and so is Valentine’s Day. Red as a primary color (along with yellow and blue) red conveys the simple innocence of childhood, everything from red balloons to rubber balls, red tricycles and baseball caps and hair ribbons.

This was one of my sister’s favorite books.

In fashion and furnishings, the heady days of bright red suits and wool coats have gone out with the 1980s and have yet to make a revival, as have red-painted walls and cherrywood-stained  furniture. But red never  goes out of style completely. These days (c. 2024) it’s used more as an attention-getting accent.

Below are some shades of red to inspire you further.

 

Shades of Red

Ultimate Ketchup

Titian Ignition

Red-Eye Gravy

In the Red Currant

Cedar Cardinal

Smoke of Erebus

Juicing Melody

Taste of Mars

Scarlet Nomad

Jupiter’s Eye

Scarlet Furnace

Bodega Red

Redwood Resort

Devil Claw

Molten Garnet

Jellybean Red

Scarlet Adder

Summer Barbecue

Tabasco and Eggs

Crimson Cupcake

Ruby Tea

Bingo Red

Dragon Livery

Team Lucifer

Root Beer Buzz

Martian Mesa

God of Sunrise

Russian Red

Cinnamon Magma

Ruby Furnace

Fortune Teller Red

Gingerberry

Cherry Poptart

Chestnut Cottage

Imperial Cherry

Blazing Crimson

Baked Adobe

Rajah Magic

Rust and Honey

Black Cherry Rum

Dragonette

Rusty Rocket

Poppy the Clown

Cherry Confetti

Dreaming of Sangria

Ballroom Cocktails

Fire Kingdom

Scarlet Ambition

Blushing Strawberry

Vermilion Skies

Rumpled Redhead

Himalayan Beetroot

Blazing Canyon

Molten Magic

 

Nettle & Bone
[Reading Challenge 2024]


Nettle & Bone

by T. Kingfisher
Tor Books, 2022
[ #24  Top of the Heap: A book on any Top Whatever list. ]

This is another of those books I got from the Little Free Library down the street. I was surprised to find it there, because it’s so recent, so niche, and was so acclaimed in its niche. The book was labeled as “This isn’t the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince. It’s the one where she kills him” and though that sounds sensationalistic, it was true.

It’s also a type of fantasy book I’m not a fan of: the fairy tale retelling/pastiche. You’d think I would be, as I write them, but in novel form I’ve found they don’t quite transcend their origins. These tales, in Western literature at least, were made to be short and pithy. Stretching them out belabors the point. The critical praise was enough, though, that I started reading, and I was glad I did.

The book hit all the notes of a fairy tale but was grounded in an often brutal realism, with a deadpan narrative style and some unlikely protagonists: a 30-year-old “short and round” princess Marra who’s been living in a nunnery for ten years; a witch who can commune with the dead; the princess’s fairy godmother; and a weathered, exiled diplomat-warrior they rescue from the Goblin Market. Like many fairy tales it’s a quest with a side journeys, but an unusual one. Marra’s sister Kania is married to the abusive king of another kingdom and Marra feels he will kill her after she’s borne his heir, so Marra sets out to kill this powerful king first.

As I said, I’m not a fan, but it won me over because of the intelligence of the writing, its observations about human nature, and its heart. I can see what the accolades were about. I was continuously surprised at how it never stooped to the obvious tropes and what it achieved in a minimum of words. I especially loved how the author took a trope – the fairy godmother – and gave an almost scientific in-depth examination of the skills and duties of such a profession, and even more admiringly, sprinkled them throughout the plot, with humor, instead of info dumping them all at once. It’s something other fantasy writers should take note of.

Other elements I enjoyed: A being called The Tooth Dancer in the Goblin Market who extracts teeth; a Frankenstein’s monster dog made out of bones, a friendly scene-stealer; and a search through an underground tomb complex as mysterious as the hobbits’ trek through Moiria or Tenar’s in The Tombs of Atuan. I could tell the tomb scenes ran away from the author in the realism department – I mean, the kingdom was small, and the tomb HUGE – but it was scary fun, and so was the hallucinogenic idea of it. It was never explained how the place got to be so big, but neither were many of the weirder elements, which again reminded me of the world’ realism, that in real life weird things often aren’t explained and must be taken as is. Justice doesn’t always work out I in this world, but there is coziness and humanity to be had along the way.

If anything annoyed me in the plot, it was the main character kept hold of her introversion and shyness for way too long into the story, when she should have begun shedding some of it at least. But, that was a quibble.

Recommended.

Worldbuilding Wednesday 3/20/24: SFF Theme Burgers (ChatGPT)

The Wintermute Cyberburger garnished, for some reason, by Midjourney with corn kernels.

Because ChatGPT did such a good job of generating Hawaii-themed cocktails (granted, edited by me to make them more unique and coherent) I decided to see what it could do with hamburgers. Gourmet burgers in fact, themed after science fiction and fantasy books. In this I was inspired by a Seattle coffeeshop where I and other members of a SFF critique group used to meet back in the day. The place was decorated with SFF-themed toys and decor and had a library of books patrons could read as they sipped. The icing on the cake, however, were the SFF-themed coffee drinks, named after characters like Galadriel and Kreighton of Red Dwarf fame. (After a name and location change, it’s now Distant Worlds Coffehouse.)

So I ran five or six prompts, one using general SF, one general fantasy, and several using particular authors.

The general prompts kicked up very general works, like Harry Potter and Star Trek, and didn’t differentiate between books, movies, and TV series. I only wanted books or book series, so sorry, Spock’s Vulcan Logic Burger.

Where it really got creative was when I specified specific authors, coming up with burgers like this (raw version.)

The Le Guin’s Utopian Burger

    • Beyond Meat® patty, for a future where harmony with nature prevails
    • Smoked vegan gouda, symbolizing the warmth of community
    • Grilled zucchini and eggplant, celebrating the bounty of the earth
    • Sun-dried tomato pesto, representing the vibrancy of a shared world
    • Multi-grain bun, embodying the diversity and unity of Le Guin’s visions

 

Mmm… yeah. The recipe isn’t bad, but it reads kinda dippy.

What surprised me was how appetizing most of the offerings sounded, if overly garnished, and how, in the two cases where the burger was inspired by AI (HAL 9000 and Wintermute) the patties were vegan. I guess because vegan is more modern and futuristic?

I was also impressed by how the recipes stuck to the theme of the book or character. The Legolas Greenleaf burger had Green Goddess dressing, for example, and Estraven’s Winter Burger featured an elk meat patty seasoned with juniper and winter berries, I suppose because such a recipe already existed somewhere in wintry Scandinavia. However, that also led to typical AI gaffes, like Captain Picard’s Engage Burger with its “Earl Grey tea-infused salmon patty” which is something I wouldn’t want to eat.

Open.ai’s SDXL did a fine job of creating the Wintermute burger above. I used Midjourney to combine two variations so I had both the electric blue cheese and neon beet slaw.

 

SFF Burgers inspired by ChatGPT

Gandalf the White Truffle Burger 100% organic grass-fed beef patty topped with aged white cheddar and wild mushrooms sautéed in white truffle oil. Served on a toasted brioche bun dusted with edible silver powder.

(Lord of the Rings)

Targaryen Dragonfire Sandwich Spicy seasoned chicken breast topped with pineapple rings, pepperjack cheese, and jalapeno aioli sauce. Served open faced on a toasted roll with red cabbage slaw.

(A Song of Ice and Fire)

Dumbledore’s Delight
Two beef patties with a “secret potion sauce” of caramelized figs in a balsamic glaze. Topped with arugala and spinach on a sage and walnut hard roll.

(Harry Potter)

Aslan’s Roar
Ground lamb burger seasoned with garlic and rosemary, feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, and baby spinach.

(Chronicles of Narnia)

Dr. Yueh’s Ethical Choice Burger
Black bean and quinoa veggie patty with non-dairy feta cheese spread infused with za’atar. Served inside gluten-free split pita bread with a side of grilled zucchini and eggplant. 100% Vegan.

(Dune)

Wintermute Cyberburger Techno-smoked buffalo patty, electric blue cheese, neon pickled beetroot, cybernetic slaw (red cabbage, carrot, and a hint of ginger), and “digital mustard” aioli sauce. Served on a futuristic black bun with a hint of activated charcoal and sesame seeds.

(Neuromancer)

Shevek’s Anarres Burger Hearty vegan patty made from lentils and quinoa, vegan cheddar, sliced avocado and sprouts, tomato-cilantro salsa. Served on rustic sliced brown bread reflecting the simplicity and hardiness of Anarresti life.

(The Disposessed)

The Illustrated Man-burger
Mixed beef and chorizo patty topped with fried green tomatoes. Served on an artisanial pretzel bun inked with edible tattoo-like designs.

(The Illustrated Man)

BONUS CONTENT!

The Spock’s Vulcan Logic Burger: Vulcan fire-grilled Portobello mushroom cap, vegan cheddar, roasted red pepper, baby spinach, logic-spiced mayo (a logical blend of Vulcan spices). Served on a Vulcan red bun.