There were an awful lot of people in Bourke St Mall, but apart from that it was OK. We went to the museum first, which wasn't crowded, and then shopping after.

I like the Armored Skeptic's title better, "Nut at the Museum".

Up until I saw my fellow countrymen (including many I respected) fawning like chimps at a tea party during that whole "jubilee" thing I might have agreed. There seems to be a huge cognitive dissonance for most people when it comes to the royals.

On the one hand most don't really take it very seriously, on the other many (maybe even most) appear to have a sub-conscious desire/need to submit to their natural betters. Our whole national identity is built on the myths of Kings and failed rebellions and I fear for many the Monarchy represents a kind of bizarre political security blanket. We claim to not really care but deep down I think many of us secretly fear loosing our mythical matriarch.

One might liken it to celebrity worship backed by 100's & 1000's of years of religious mythology. The Royal's aren't really human to us, they are more like some closely related parent species born to a life we could only dream of. I realise that when asked directly most people would consciously acknowledge that was silly, but most would also respond the same to say Christian sexual repression. They know sex and nakedness when considered rationally are nothing to be ashamed of, but they still continue to treat their own urges as somehow sinful when they do not fall within rigidly defined social parameters.

We still haven't gotten over such Judeo-Christian self policing because the social structures built up around it are still with us (even if we fool ourselves into thinking we are beyond the reach of such sub-conscious influences). I don't think we will ever get over our master-slave culture while class and unearned privilege are still built into the fabric of our society. Having a Royal family, no matter how symbolic, is the very living embodiment of this kind of backwards ideology.

It's like trying to quit heroin while locked in a room with a big bag of the stuff.

It's true to say most don't take the whole thing very seriously but that to me is almost as concerning. Most people when asked don't believe advertising has a significant effect on their psyche but Coke-a-cola still feels like spending about 3 billion a year on it is worthwhile. One of them is clearly mistaken!

Our royal family here, is to me working in the same way as coke's advertising. It's a focal point for a lot of sub-conscious concepts we are bombarded with our whole lives. Naturally there are many sides to this and it wouldn't work without heavy media manipulation, state indoctrination etc. but it's an intrinsic part of the coercive myth none the less. Monarch's, Emperors and wealthy Dynasties are all poisons to me. No matter the pragmatic details, the sub-conscious effect seems significant and cumulative.

"Dead" symbolisms IMHO can often be the most dangerous. At least one is consciously aware of the devils we see. No one is watching the one's we have forgotten.....

The above is reason enough for me but I have bog all better to do this aft so I'll dive into the rabbithole a bit.....

(We do very quickly start getting into conspiracy theory territory hare so I'll try to keep it as uncontroversial as I can.)

A. The UK is truly ruled by financial elites not political ones IMHO. "The city" says jump, Whitehall says how high. The Royal family being among the wealthiest landowners and investors in the world (let alone UK) presumably can exert the same kind of influence. Naturally this occurs behind closed doors, but when the ownership class puts it's foot down the government ignores them to their extreme detriment. (It's hard to argue with people who own your economy de-facto and can make or break your career)

B. The queen herself sits on the council on foreign relations & Bilderberg group and she was actually the chairwoman of the "committee of 300" for several years. (and that's not even starting on club of Rome, shares in Goldman Sachs etc.)

C. SIS the uk's intelligence services (MI5/6 etc.), which have been proven to on occasion operate without civilian oversight in the past, are sworn to the crown. This is always going to be a most contentious point as it's incredibly difficult to prove wrongdoings, but I have very strong suspicions based on various incidents (David Kelly, James Andanson, Jill Dando etc.), that if they wanted/needed you dead/threatened that would not be especially difficult to arrange.

D. Jimmy Saville. This one really is tin foil hat territory, but it's no secret he was close to the Royal family. I am of the opinion this is because he was a top level procurer of "things", for which I feel there is a great deal of evidence, but I can't expect people to just go along with that idea. However given the latest "paedogeddon" scandal involving a extremely high level abuse ring (cabinet members, mi5/6, bankers etc.) it certainly would come as little surprise to find royal family members involved.

Points A&B I would stand behind firmly. C&D are drifting into conjecture but still potentially relevant I feel.

But even if we ignore all of them, our culture is built from the ground up upon the idea of privilege of birth. That there are some people born better or more deserving than the rest of us. When I refer to symbolism this is what I mean. Obviously the buck does not stop with the monarchy, England is hopelessly stratified by class all the way through, but the royal family exemplify this to absurd extremes.

At best I feel this hopelessly distorts and corrupts our collective sense of identity on a sub-conscious level. At worst....Well you must have some idea now how paranoid I'm capable of being about the way the world is run. (Not that I necessarily believe it all wholeheartedly, but I'm open to the possibility and inclined to suggest it more likely than the mainstream narrative)


On a pragmatic note: Tourism would be fine without them I think, we still have the history and the castles and the soldiers with silly hats etc. And I think the palaces would make great hotels and museums. They make great zoo exhibits I agree, just maybe not let them continue to own half the zoo and bribe the zoo keepers?


Anyway much love as always. You responded with considered points which is always worthy of respect, regardless of whether I agree with it all.

Unbelievable.. Just stunning.

Of course since it has two of the most important pieces from the original two films (Thunderdome does not exist in my universe): Director/Creator and the Car.. He even does his own stunts, meaning the real lead actor, the Car aka Pursuit Special.

That is just super cool, i mean, the original Pursuit Special has to be considered a museum piece, an object too valuable for being damaged, a price collection article. So it's kind of same as T. Cruise doing stunts: if something goes wrong it's gonna be bloody expensive.

And this is probably the second time in my life i want to watch a trailer second time.

mushrooms enhance the Owens Corning museum, btw.....

They have one at the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate NY. I took my nieces to it last summer and they had quite a bit of fun.

Swiss artist H.R. Giger, who designed the creature in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic Alien, has died at age 74 from injuries suffered in a fall, his museum said Tuesday.

Sandra Mivelaz, administrator of the H.R. Giger museum in Gruyeres, western Switzerland, told The Associated Press that Giger died in a hospital on Monday.

Giger's works, often showing macabre scenes of humans and machines fused into hellish hybrids, influenced a generation of movie directors and inspired an enduring fashion for "biomechanical" tattoos.

"My paintings seem to make the strongest impression on people who are, well, who are crazy," Giger said in a 1979 interview with Starlog magazine. "If they like my work they are creative ... or they are crazy."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/h-r-giger-designer-of-alien-from-alien-films-dead-at-74-1.2640867

I also like how they cut down all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum.. good to know that's where the world is heading.

Your video, USAF Flash Mob - National Air and Space Museum, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Ant?? You're a MONSTER!!!

Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum
Division of Biological Science
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812

Makes me hungry.

Funny story about my oldest son: Whenever we go to our local children's museum and he sees the young chickens walking around in their small enclosure, I tell him to say "Hi chickens," but he instead always just yells "Yummy!"

I really want to instill an understanding and appreciation in my children for the origin of their food, especially the breathing kind. Growing up, I guess it always seemed to me like technology had gotten us to the point we could manufacture all our food.

I don't know what would be a good age to show my sons live animals being slaughtered and butchered.

Yeah, there should be a museum or something...

But seriously, the holocaust museum is very powerful, and although sad, everyone should visit at least once.

Yes most research is incremental, it can also look lame because it's being shown in a very raw form.

TED has just been giving people an earlier look at things they probably wouldn't have seen until they hit market and that could be 5-10yrs from now.

It also doesn't have to be about revolutionising your entire life, this sort of tech would be well suited in museums, libraries and the like. It also likes a fairly interesting educational tool, especially if it was programmable by the students.

The "try" before you buy is a very interesting concept, you could easily imagine a future where lights also double as projectors, imagine seeing if that TV or sofa *actually* fits in your room. That's hardly incremental, that's fucking awesome.

Even if only that comes out of this research as a marketable product, it was a success.

Anyway, my point is, take things with a happier stride

The Warther Museum... right down the street from here... well freeway, but it isn't far. Far more interesting than the pliers are the working trains his dad carved...

Weird I just watched this film with the same train Saturday at the museum.

http://www.imax.com/movies/m/rocky-mountain-express/