"Simulation As Communication (2)"

Achilles: I think I got the reality thing now.
Tortoise (waking up, slowly opening her eyes): Did you? Well, then you are kinda clever, I have to admit.
Achilles: Ah, it was not that difficult. But something else strikes me as a complicated issue now.
Tortoise: And what would that be?
Achilles: What is imagination?
Tortoise: Imagination. Now that's not that easy. Let me put it like this: Imagination. Imagination is closer to seeing than to speaking. Imagination is enclosed within a longing, a longing which impels images and views that are not yet transformed into concepts and assertions.
Achilles: Vague.
Tortoise: Okay, I will try to be more specific. There is a feeling, intuition, sensation and judgement that is not guided by reason or rationality. More like a mirror of recognitions, indications which are not being spoken yet.
Achilles: Vague.
Tortoise: Yes, because every spoken word would miss the point in this case. The imaginary can't be spoken, it is exactly this difference between view and image and the spoken word that defines it.
Achilles: Vague.
Tortoise (nodding): Yes.

"Simulation As Communication (1)"

Achilles (excited): What is reality?
Tortoise: A symbolic and imaginary construction. *yawns*
Achilles: What does that mean?
Tortoise: It is something we invent and reinvent in the circulation of our practices, routines and institutions in order to describe and explain the order, patterns and problems of our way of life.
Achilles: But there are things out there, things I don't invent, things that already exist before I come into place and will exist after I am gone. How so? Doesn't quite fit your definition, does it?
Tortoise: Well, dude, I didn't mean that there is no independent world which is not mediated by our consciousness. It's just that I - well, WE are unable to explain, dream or simply describe it otherwise.
Achilles: But how do we know it exists, if we are unable to describe it anyways?
Tortoise: Because it gets us every once in a while.
Achilles: I don't understand.
Tortoise: Come on, dude, never experienced something uncertain? A gap? Something really shocking? Something that shatters your worldview? Those are the moments in our lives when reality bites us.
Achilles: But why don't we keep it real from then on?
Tortoise: Because the recognition of those moments fosters a process of interpreting them, of giving them a symbolic or imaginary meaning. You know, we have to protect our reality against the real.
Achilles: Interesting.
Tortoise: Nonsense.
Achilles: Why now nonsense?
Tortoise: If we don't give recognized moments a symbolic or imaginary meaning, they are nothing more than nonsense. Non. Sense.
Achilles (sitting down next to the Tortoise, pondering): Hm ... .
Tortoise (laying her head onto the sand, closing her eyes): Poor boy, never stops to ask those nasty questions ... .

"Summer In The City (4) - Potsdam By Bike"

In between all the reading and writing and learning, it was about time to cycle last weekend. The deal: Potsdam by bike with some friends, a tour of about 35 kilometers, so that even the not-so-sporty student (me) was able to follow and get back and forth without suffering from a breakdown or seriously aching muscles the next morning.

Lake Schwielow is surrounded by a nice concrete worm to cycle on, and having some piers to have a lunch break on is a real pro as well.

"Homi Bhabha: Writing Rights and Responsibilities"

Doing some research for this afternoon's appointment, I stumbled over the University of California's youtube site. I am well pleased with listening to Homi K. Bhaba in addition to reading about his theories in my favourite new book today.

N-Joy!

"Fusion 08 - Dub Station, Civilization"

Dub StationFusion Festival - mostly electronic music, some reggae, few acoustic guitars, one single violin playing punk rock. Among others, goa fans, hippies, techno-people, rastafarians, and - poi players. I took the chance to learn moves and continue practicing with the others.
In between everything, just sitting down to ease my mind, meandering over the old airport area, hanging in some wicked XXL-spidercobs in the woods and laughing because of the funny tree houses and plate sculptures was very appealing. Two days away from the desk of doom again feel like two weeks of holidays. Even with little sleep.

Honestly, I didn't really feel like worrying this weekend, worrying about whether the political purpose of many active participants from the anti nuclear power, anti wrong way of globalization and anti fascism front continues to be fruitful or not, whether it is just about performance these days, or not, whether certain thoughts still arrive in some young open yet noise penetrated ears, or not. Talking to a few good people left me behind with a feeling of warm ambivalence. All I can say for now is: there is still some reasonable human energy walking around these days. Some, however, are less careful in their adrenaline appreciation of a weekend's freedom. But still, there is more hope than dope.

Civilization