Brendan I. Koerner's Blog, page 79

The Robots' Victory (Cont'd)

In our haste to post about Dave Tompkins' vocoder opus, we neglected to mention one of the book's best features: the fact that it highlights an epic Klaus Kinski performance about which we were entirely unaware. Despite our passable knowledge of French, we can't quite grok the plot of 1979's Zoo zéro based on the clip above. But we'd say it's a safe bet that Kinski plays the villain here. How the Wreck a Nice Beach does its best to sum up the avant-garde action:

Kinski smokes away his vocal...

This Is How We Lost to the Robots

The nexus between technology and music is obviously a topic of great interest 'round Microkhan headquarters, so we couldn't have been any more delighted to receive a gratis copy of Dave Tompkins' How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop a few weeks back. The book is everything a great piece of information art should be—killer dusty-corners research combined with insight and passion. But more than that, each page exudes Tompkins' genuine wonderment and joy; whenever ...

The Travesty in a Nutshell

Until their 2010 first-round draft choice inevitably blows out his ACL before scoring a single point, we will not blog about our beloved Los Angeles Clippers again. But we couldn't let this dismal season pass without dredging up an anecdote that sums up the franchise's eternal woes in about as concise a package imaginable. It comes from a decade-old Los Angeles Times column, in which a former Clippers coach recounts the big boss's ridiculously skinflint ways:

"I'll never forget [owner Donald...

Some Things Never Change

Staying on the ancient sports theme, we'd like to call your attention to the clip above, which depicts the not-so-delicate art of bull leaping. (We've got it cued up to the good stuff, so click away in the knowledge that you'll be wasting zero time.) What fascinates us about this sport is not so much its danger, but rather its age—jumping over charging male cattle was basically the Minoans' version of basketball. The full knowledge here, including this lovely tidbit:

There was apparently...

Winning Isn't Everything (Anymore)

Another lost season for our beloved Los Angeles Clippers has got us thinking about what fate our team would have faced in a less forgiving age. It's easy to forget that sportsmanship is a rather recent innovation, and that athletes in the ancient world often faced dire consequences should they lose a single contest. We're not necessarily speaking of the obvious examples, like those poor Roman gladiators or unfortunate Aztec ballplayers. The penalty for poor athletic performance wasn't always ...

I Saw the Shadow of No Parting From You

The last week's been mighty rough, as we suffered through an illness akin to that which Pip endured toward the end of Great Expectations. Yet just as Dickens' hero pulled through the ordeal to hear the joyous news that Joe and Biddy got married, we have come through the other side with lifted hearts and sky-high spirits. We're not quite ready to get back into the thick of Microkhan, but a relaxing Easter weekend with the clan should do wonders for our mental clarity. In the meantime, we hope ...

Bzzzzzzzzz…

Seems that we've come down with a case of the dreaded Osaka flu. Barely enough energy to type, let alone think deep thoughts. We're doing out best to knock out the sickness with rest and caffeine (as opposed to more dubious remedies of yore). Back as soon as our head's clear; in the meantime, check out the sample behind that Nas and Damian Marley collaboration we posted a few days back.

You're Breaking My Heart

Primarily known to Westerners through its association with Madonna, Malawi is one of the most socially conservative nations in Africa, if not the entire world. The country's aggressive censorship board has long forbidden any hint of sex or violence, even when public health has been at stake. And the banning hasn't just excluded allegedly raunchy entertainments—under long-serving President for Life Hastings Banda, the censorship board put its seal of disapproval on all manner of books, music, ...

The Inevitable Crackdown

Today's bombing of the Moscow Metro has elicited a predictable reaction from Ivan (and Ivana) Sixpack, who suddenly yearns for the KGB's iron fist:

"It's the Chechens," said Nina Ivanovna, a 57-year-old pensioner. "They will never let us live in peace. Solzhenitsyn correctly said that we should build a Great Wall of China to keep them away from us. They should be locked away. They hate us, and they will always hate us."

Yet such repression will be impossible without inviting great...

Thwarted by Ocular Weakness

If you have even a passing interest in the nuts and bolts of warfare, we highly recommend this thorough exploration of Afghan marksmanship. We've all heard how rural Afghan boys are essentially born with rifles in their hands, and that meme has led to a belief that Taliban soldiers are expert shots. But the reality is quite different, at least according to C.J. Chivers, and his piece goes to great lengths to analyze the reasons why.

At the end of the article, though, Chivers throws the floor ...