Pretty much every day i receive a notice from my flickr activity feed stating in not many more words “DEPRESSED added as favorite”.

I have to admit I find it quite depressing that this should be my most favored photo on flickr…

Not much more uplifting, but at least a little more indignado, in second place is “FRUSTRATED“. Maybe you can help me start a race to get FRUSTRATED to take the lead? Please visit and click favorite here:

Both photos are from 2007 Isabelle Krieg: KRIEG MACHT LIEBE at the Musee PasquArt in Biel-Bienne. The complete sentence that she created with tree branches was “REFUSE TO BE DEPRESSED OR FRUSTRATED”.

Guys. The end is nigh … Unless the revolution starts now. No wait. It should have started yesterday! … There I go again, falling into my pessimistic outlook.

But really, is it already too late to save the world?
We can only speculate, only time will tell.
At any rate, profound change needs to happen and fast, now, yesterday, or it will certainly be too late.

So what do I think is wrong? What needs to change?

Well, where do I start? We managed to create such a mess on this planet, that it’s quite difficult to decide where to begin.

We are the 99 %

The deregulated financial market has gone out of hand years ago. It is a miracle, that it has not collapsed yet. The gap between the super rich and the poor has increased to perverse levels. The greed of some of the super rich seems to know no limits.

Any economy that declares certain companies “too big too fail” will sooner or later be in real trouble. At that point the power shifts from the state to the corporations and we no longer live in a democracy. The super rich and their companies hold all governmental bodies by the balls. Democracy has turned into a de facto oligarchy.

While most of the super rich stay in the background and influence politics through lobbies and campaign support, some of them get openly involved in politics. In Switzerland, just as an example, one of the richest guys in the country, also runs and probably pretty much finances – we don’t know for sure, since there is no obligation for transparency – the Swiss People’s Party, running on a populist and xenophobic agenda that is about as right wing as it can get before turning brown. His main goals, deregulation and social cuts, typical neo con fair, thinly disguised underneath the immigration issues and xenophobia that he uses to scare and mobilize the masses. Who profits from his politics? The rich and super rich? Yet who supports Blocher and his party in Switzerland? The farmers and socially disadvantaged. It is so frustrating to watch and rarely so obvious, but in Switzerland money really does buy political influence.

In Switzerland 1% of the population own 59 % of the wealth. That is an even more extreme ratio than say in Germany or the US. This ratio is as extreme as the one in Columbia. The problem in this country, the “poor” people here are still pretty well off, unemployment is low, social services function, the wealth somehow seems to trickle down. But even worse, we are all collectively responsible for this situation. In a sense all Swiss citizens profit from big business and the banks, these same banks that generate their blood money by offering tax haven and banking secret to the super rich from around the world. Name one of the recently toppled dictators who didn’t have a Swiss bank account … The Swiss are collectively caught in this scheme, which leads to reactions from shame to cynical boasting.

Meanwhile a mixture of guilt and outrage over deregulation and social cuts has finally brought a timid group of people here in Switzerland to join the international occupy movement in protest.

But will we be able to reach a critical mass and motivate any real change? It’s late in the game … We are already in extra time.

We are a cry from the heart of the World

Even more grave, and of course totally related to corporate greed is our environmental situation. Our planet is overpopulated and it’s not looking as if population growth will slow down anytime soon – sauf catastrophe.

Human population was able to grow out of proportion, because of medical advances and industrial agriculture. Big agriculture relies on fertilizers made from and produced with fossil fuels as well as a distribution system that relies on oil. Most areas where Big Agriculture grows corn and wheat would no longer yield anything, unless more and stronger fertilizer keeps getting added. The top soil is pretty much depleted, should we stop to add these fertilizers in these areas, we would be left with a pile of dust that would blow away in the wind.

Meanwhile many scientists claim, that we have already moved beyond Peak Oil, meaning our oil reserves will start to run out soon, with the immediate effect that fuel will get more expensive. Fossil fuels also contribute heavily to global warming and other potential ecological catastrophes. We look at overpopulation made possible by a resource about to be depleted, and at the same time this is just one of the mechanisms, that might well lead to the demise of our species.

We poison our food with chemical agents to preserve it, make it look better, fluffy, shiny, white or what not. On the markets we speculate on food, pushing the price of corn and wheat to record levels, which in turn contributes in large part to world hunger. Of the 7 billion people on this planet 1 billion are poor, which means they can experience catastrophic famine at any moment.

As if these potential disasters were not grave enough add to these nuclear waste, water scarcity, and the many more toxic and poisonous materials humans have produced and discarded into landfills, and all this why? To satisfy our greedy consumerist lifestyle …

Nature is pretty much fucked. We should have started to unfuck it years ago. The timid attempts to protect nature that were initiated over these last years just did not go far enough. Is there still time to save the planet?

This is the beginning of the beginning

The past few years I have been compulsively checking my Twitter feed for messages announcing impending doom. I had pretty much lost all hope that we can turn this mess around. Ask me then, I would have answered, it is too late, we have let things go too far.

But instead last winter and spring I read about the arab spring, then spain, and in summer I found #occupywallstreet, and all this has given me hope. I might project too much on it, but here finally are people who are saying enough is enough and doing so in a non-violent, creative, constructive ways. It took off in the US and when it came to Switzerland naturally I joined. It’s been fun and constructive, but I keep wondering why there are not more people getting involved.

I am grateful to see the occupy movement taking a stand and I fully support it. But how can we affect real change? We are looking at such profound changes that need to happen, many of us, even some protesters, will have trouble to accept them. Consumerism is everywhere and some of the stuff money buys is so fucking cool.

Create the Change You wish to see in the World

The deregulated global economy? It needs to collapse.
Corporations effectively running our governments? That needs to stop.
Or their greed will simply kill us all.
But every single one of us need to be willing to make huge sacrifices individually and change our ways.

In my own life I have tried to change to a very careful and respectful life style. But there is only so much I can do, and, if I am perfectly honest, so much I am willing to do. I grow my own vegetables, eat only organic vegetarian food, use public transport, no longer own a car, we even moved to a so called ecological development, that turned out to be one huge disappointment, but that’s another story. But so much is wrong with all the things i currently do, much of it does serve not much more of a purpose, than to appease my own guilt. For instance, I can only grow food because I got lucky and happen to live in the small area on the earth, where that is even possible, right climate, enough water, good topsoil. Move me to central Spain or Africa, and my project goes bust. In other words, I am privileged on so many levels. And then I still love my gadgets, my plasma TV and my hip clothing way too much. Just last week I bought some winter boots “Made in China”, knowingly. Yes. i felt guilty, but I still bought them.

The annoying demand for demands

Some people will read this and say “duh”. Others will reject it with violent denial. Most won’t ever read it, since I am just one small voice on the huge internetz adding to the noise. Even I wonder, why I would suddenly feel the need to state the obvious here?

Everybody, the press and everyone else, keeps pointing out that the Occupy Movement does not have a list of clear demands. We are confronted with a ferocious demand for demands. But look at the state the world is in, look at all the problems we have to address, so much is going wrong. If anything, we have too many demands. And as naive as this may sound, we mainly just want a better world.

And this quote might also explain it:

you can’t just say, we demand a world of peace, demands have to be specific. [yet] anything that people can articulate can only be articulated within the language of the current political discourse. and that entire political discourse is already too small. and that’s why making explicit demands kind of reduces the movement and takes the heart out of it. that’s a real paradox, but I think the movement understands that [source: the revolution is love]

Here’s how I would say it: If humanity is running straight into the open knife, do we need to stop humanity from running or do we have to take down the knife? Probably both, and that is why this task feels sooooo enormous… It feels overwhelming. I am confused and I don’t have the solution. But I am willing and exited to start the process and to look into possible ways, and to learn how to find consensus and interact with others in a non-violent, democratic way. Let the change we want to see in the world be the guideline of how we go about it.

Only tribes will survive

Food, Energy and Finance are the three main areas where huge shifts need to happen fast. However we could get there faster by starting at the other end, by building tribes, by organizing ourselves in our neighborhoods, to grow our own food, share our resources, our fridge space, our kitchens, to reduce our collective carbon footprint, etc. asf.

Maybe the shit really does need to hit the fan before things start to change. Some of the solutions we now develop might well have to be for post-apocalyptic times. It might well have to be the end of the nation state as we know it and the dawn of a new way to organize humans into smaller, localized communities and tribes. “Small is beautiful”. “Bolo’Bolo”. Localized, regional economies and live-work units interwoven with each other, in touch with nature and socially responsible must replace the nation state.

i wouldn’t say brilliant, but this is quite good…

last night i went to a talk by p.m., the author of the pretty great bolo’bolo book all these years ago. older, distinguished, grey haired he presented a new, equally simple theory, how we could organize the planet, yup, the whole damn planet, and keep everyone at 1000 watt energy usage. it was brilliant, humorous, smart, ironic. the numbers seemed to make sense. neustartschweiz.ch

as i sat there i thought to myself, let’s just go with this, let’s just give this theory a try. but instantly after his talk people started to nitpick the theory, getting stuck on terminologies and details. how will we ever change things if even a small room of not even 100 lefties can’t agree on anything?

it’s goddamn hopeless…

this talk was part of the vision2035.ch event-series organized by mathias stalder

rssart.cc

Die Entscheidung vom vergangenen Sonntag gegen den Bau von Minaretten hat weltweit Schocks und Missbilligung ausgelöst und dem Ruf der Schweiz als ein Land der Toleranz und des kulturellen Pluralismus empfindlichen Schaden zugefügt.

Zeigen wir der Welt, dass wir dieses Verbot aufs schärfste verurteilen und dass die Schweizer Bevölkerung sich grundsätzlich entschlossen gegen Angstmache und Vorurteile stellt.

Geben Sie bitte nachstehender Petition auch Ihre Stimme – sie wird in Zeitungen muslimischer Länder veröffentlicht, sobald wir 100.000 Unterschriften gesammelt haben.

Sunday´s vote against the building of minarets has sparked shock and widespread condemnation from all corners of the world, tarnishing Switzerland´s reputation as a land of tolerance and cultural pluralism.

Let´s show that we strongly disagree with the ban and that Swiss people remain genuinely committed to fight fear and prejudice.

Add your voice to the petition below, and it will be delivered to newspapers across the muslim world when we reach 100,000 signatures.

sign here

Endlich wieder eine Schweizer Comedy Figur, die es in sich hat. Auch weil die alten Giacobbo Figuren vorallem eines sind, alt.

Doch leider gibt’s keinen direkten Link zum Sketch auf sf.tv, seufz… Klick hier dann dort – so last century.

Burri über Promis

was bloss ist mit das magazin geschehen (erm, deutsse spragg swere spragg)? in der heutigen ausgabe geht es um werbung – wir sind ihr überdrüssig, unmöglich sie interessant zu reden, oliver kahn – dem blonden kamikaze-torwart und kotzbrocken, berühmt bloss wegen seiner nie geahndeten killer-attacken auf die stürmer dieser welt, und ausserdem unterstellt slavoj zizek allen westlern, die sich mit dem tibet solidarisieren, sie tun dies primär wegen der hedonistischen new-age-spiritualität, die in letzter (?) zeit so ungemein populär werde.

vor einer weile habe ich mich auf diesem blog “beklagt,” das magazin sei immer so verdammt gut, und fragte verzweifelt, woher die zeit stehlen es jedesmal zu lesen. inzwischen ist eh egal ob man das magazin, die weltwoche oder den neuen blick liest, politische liegen sie eh auf einer linie. und der blick geht am schnellsten.

the black sheep campaign used by SVP (xenophobic rightwing party of switzerland) during last years elections is getting imitated around europe:

discovered in sevilla and uploaded to flickr by regine of we-make-money-not-art.com

rssart.cc – art feeds via RSS

we soft launched RSS Art earlier this year. the spammers have already discovered us, so it’s about time we make it public.
alot has happened this year already, we moved house, i lost my job … but RSS Art is fun.

so far there are only two blogs: RSS Art 001 and RSS Art 000 .

the latter is of course not really an artists blog. it’s more like the beta blog of the project, where i will occasionally publish my pathetic attempts at being creative.
the first is by my lovely and very talented partner franziska nyffeler.

we hope to attract more artists, who want to explore with us this form of publishing their work.

if you know someone, that you think should participate in this project, please point them this way, or contact us here, for us to contact them.

we plan to create a propper portal of sorts, where the latest additions to the various RSS Art blogs will appear. if anyone has an idea for a technical solution to accomplish this, please let me know. it runs on wordpress.

so now, without further ado, access no longer denied. please enter and enjoy! (oh and if you like it, subscribe to the feed ;P)

all the lift08 videos are getting uploaded at nouvo.ch/liftvideo. “like being there without the Swiss fondue” as bruce sterling expresses it.

edit: gut gespielt. und keine angst vor peinlichen drohungen. wer je mit einem kind im trotzalter zu tun hatte weiss, trotz ist ein miserabler motivator. die svp wird sich in der opposition verheizen und spalten, bald wird sie wieder angekrochen kommen.

this streetartsy advertisement campaign by swiss aids organisation aids hilfe schweiz works well, because it makes the passerbys do a double-take. at first i wondered, if this was a streetart project, which in and off itself would have been quite a cool idea – a girl hidden behind huge advertisement panels.

but the text reads: “children like lea do not hide for fun, but because they are afraid of discrimination” [translation: mine]

the campaign’s aim is to prevent discrimination against HIV-positive people.

link

liebe welt,

bitte bitte glaubt mir, nicht alle schweizer sind xenophobische, nationalistische hetzer; es handelt sich “bloss” um knapp 3 von 10 … DREI von ZEHN????

ich schäme mich für dieses resultat.

die svp flirtet in einem perfid kalkulierten wahlkampf mit rassistischen themen, geht mehrmals haarscharf an die grenze des erlaubten, erhält mehrere verweise, und trotzdem geht die rechnung auf: die nationalkonservative partei muss leider als die grosse gewinnerin dieser wahlen gelten.

ich schäme mich für unser land.

im kanton bern müssen die resultate aus sicht der sp besonders als schockierend gelten: sie verliert 2 sitze, die grünen gewinnen jedoch bloss 1 sitz, während die svp 2 dazugewinnt. kann es sein, dass gewisse wähler direkt von der sp zur svp abgewandert sind? kleine highlights sind die wahlen von ricardo lumengo (kumuliert, obschon ich sonst grün wähle) und alec von graffenried. auch nicht schlecht: die schweizer demokraten um bernhard hess verlieren ihren sitz.

resultate von hier.

nächste frage: wohin sollen wir auswandern?

what’s this? too depressed to translate, try google.

aber trotzdem, bloss da sitzen und warten und nichts tun geht auch schlecht…

[photo 2: by my mum]

ok, ich gebs zu, ich habe keine ahnung was auf diesem foto abgeht. es wirkt surreal und eigenartig.

es soll aber aus der schweiz stammen, aus den frühen 1990ern, und irgendwie erinnert es mich an wahlkampf – so ein wahlkampf wär doch verdammt süss und ein gegenpunkt zu heute.

[via airform archives - thx michael, and nope, not relatives]

Hey ..ich hab schnell ne frage

Wir drehen ein Videoclip zu dem REVEREND BEAT-MAN Song ‚Jesus’ (von johnny cash) das von Marc Littles aus Frankfurt gedreht wirt und der will dass ich leute taufen soll.. jetzt wollt ich fragen ob jemans vielleicht intresse hätte getauft zu werden ? am

SA 20. okt 2007

IN BERN

Im wohlensee.. es könnte relative kalt werden… wir hätten um 6:30 Besammlung bei mir und würden frühstücken dann am für die Prozession.. d.h. an ein paar orten herum laufen und ihr und ich würden geflimt werden dann die taufe am wohlensee.. sollte etwa bis 15:00 gehen.. was ihr haben müsst ist für Männer weißes Hemd schwarze kravatte Frauen etwas schönes züchtiges nüchtern gläubiges..

Hätte jemand intresse da mit zu machen?

Beat-man

ich besitze leider weder ein weisses hemd, noch eine schwarze kravatte und bin ausserdem wasserscheu und bloss minimal kälteresistent. also sorry, ich muss dankend ablehnen.
aber vielleicht darf ich den aufruf mal so weiterleiten und es finden sich auf diesem weg noch ein paar shrinkage-willige reverend fans.

heute sind die wahlunterlagen zu den schweizerischen national- und ständeratswahlen mit der post angekommen.

als erstes ärgert, dass all der spam, all die hochglanzwahlpropaganda, welche dieser tage ungefragt und trotz “werbung, nein danke”-kleber in unserem briefkasten gelandet und von dort direkt in’s recycling gewandert ist, jetzt nochmals geliefert wird, diesmal sogar in plastik verpackt, und – hier ist der kicker – mit dem svp-material zuoberst. letzteres ein echter skandal.

naja, mehr stoff für’s recycling, die bäume wird’s freuen.

hier eine liste von kuriositäten und ärgernissen:

:flash: der slogan der schweizer demokraten lautet tatsächlich “die schweiz den schweizern”. eigentlich erstaunlich, dass solch mimimal versteckter rassismus überhaupt erlaubt ist, geschweige denn für wahlunterlagen verwendet werden darf. und jetzt mal ganz abgesehen von rechtlichen aspekten, wirklich schockierend ist, dass heute wieder mit solchen sprüchen politisiert werden darf.

:flash: das komitee rauchverbote-nein habe ich bereits am samstag erwähnt, die forderungen sind lachhaft: “Schluss mit diesen ewigen Verboten! Schluss mit der Hetzkampagne gegen Raucher!”, das ganze stammt aus dem umfeld der freiheits partei, die üblen gesellen finden immer wieder die übelsten anliegen.

:flash: “ein mann ein wort” ist auch nicht schlecht, wenn auch auf amusantere weise. mit diesem spruch werben die drei herren der MP, und hiermit ist nicht wie man zuerst vermutet die militärpolizei gemeint, nein, das kürzel steht für “die männer partei”. die herren der liste 23 präsentieren stolz die “moderne antwort auf den radikal-feminismus”, “weder links, noch rechts, sondern männlich”. die frage ist bloss, werden sie stimmen streichen, die sie allenfalls von frauen erhalten sollten? konsequenterweise müsste dies so sein.

:flash: PIG, rofl, was ist denn bloss damit gemeint? PIG, ist die “einzige gesundheitspartei der schweiz”, “die partei für verantwortungsbewusste”. ich weiss jetzt nicht, ob es an mir liegt, aber ich würde den parteinamen mit PfV abkürzen, nicht mit pig. die glücklichen schweinchen strahlen jedenfalls wirklich prachtvoll von den seiten und eigentlich müsste man sie bloss wegen dem lacher wählen, den der tageschausprecher mit der ankündigung auslösen würde, “die pig gewinnt 2 sitze”, hu hu he he ha ha. aber ihre forderungen sind mir doch ein wenig zu abstrus.

:flash: liste 22 ist toll, hier treffen wir auf die JSB. na? kommt es uns bekannt vor? schwer vorstellbar, denn JSB steht für jörg stettler büezer. für hochglänzendes hat es leider nicht gereicht im wahlbudget. auch online findet sich wenig. der gute jörg will als büezer und kleinunternehmer nach bern, und hiess im letzten wahlkampf AJS, aktion jörg stettler, zu nah bei AJZ, was vermutlich die kümmerlichen 0.2% erklärt.

ja, hmm. einen papierberg später weiss ich auch nichts neues. smartvote.ch meint, ich müsste die grüne-alternative liste 11 einwerfen, ich frage mich noch ob, ich damit stimmen für die chancenträchtigere grüne kanton bern liste 9 verschwende. und beim ständerrat muss man ja wohl leider die elegant alle fettnäpfchen umschiffende sommaruga wiederwählen, obschon sie mit einem schlechten schriftsteller verheiratet ist, worauf mich kürzlich eine frau! hingewiesen hat.

ansonsten, sage ich eigentlich immer noch und je länger je mehr “wenn wahlen etwas ändern würden, dann wären sie verboten”.

nachtrag:

eine weitere ein-mann-partei, die interessengemeinschaft gegen missmanagement IGM, habe ich “vergessen”, extra, also nicht wirklich vergessen, get it? ich komm nicht draus, christen hans dipl. ing. htl, biel soll sich mal erklären.

franziska hat gestern beim durchblättern der wahlunterlagen gesagt, sie möchte mit ihren schülern im vorkurs das material nach graphischen standpunkten analysieren. falls dies zustande kommt, bin ich mal gespannt.

kurioses aus dem schweizer wahlkampf kanton zürich gibts jetzt bei bengston zu lesen.

na? basel? st. gallen? luzern?

some more portraits from bern & geneva, switzerland, these photos were taken around 1985. while i agree that these are possibly some of the weaker shots i have uploaded to this series of black & white photos, i still think they are great pictures to represent the era; the grittyness of the pictures matches their subjects, Natasha, GT and unknown punks in geneva.

these are portraits from around 1985, 1986 in bern switzerland, more soon. esra, jim, chrigu and dirk.

these may not be permalinks, so here’s the info for late clickers:
image 1: fischli weiss @ kunsthaus 6.6. – 9.9.2007
image 2: olaf breuning @ museum fur gegenwartskunst 25.8. – 21.10.2007
image 3: san keller @ galerie brigitte weiss 22.8. – 6.10.2007

[teh glorious interweb what got stuck in my :flash: camino tabs this past week]

book lists

:flash: 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written – “1. The I Ching 2. The Old Testament 3. The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer 4. The Upanishads 5. The Way and Its Power, Lao-tzu”

:flash: Sci-Fi Lists – Top 100 Sci-Fi Books – “1. Frank Herbert Dune 1965
2. Orson Scott Card Ender’s Game 1985 3. Isaac Asimov Foundation 1951 4. Douglas Adams Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 1979 5. George Orwell 1984 1949″

baby names

:flash: Tots getting Internet identity at birth – “One of the criteria was, if we liked the name, the domain had to be available.” so all you zuppinger’s out there, you can forget it to name your child jan, cause janzuppinger.com is mine! nah nah nah nah nahhh.

:flash: Google Baby – last week the child named @, but as it turns out there exists already a child named google, *sigh.

swiss/german focus

:flash: SVP-Video: Jugendliche getäuscht – “Ein Wahlkampf-Video der SVP Schweiz sorgt für Empörung: In Biel gedrehte Szenen zeigen sieben Jugendliche, die Drogen verkaufen und sich prügeln. Die Jungen glaubten, dass es um Gewaltprävention gehe – weit getäuscht.”

:flash: OpenExpo – “Das Ziel der OpenExpo ist die Förderung von Open Source Software im Unternehmensumfeld.”

:flash: etoy.CORPORATION / Bus trip Môtiers – “Join etoy.AGENTS on a day out in the green hiking trails, waterfalls, power plants, black holes, absinth, lush forests and art in open air. Book this day in your calendar for a special tour to Môtiers together with etoy.”

:flash: bengston: Travelogue out now! – “It’s a gritty little tune and a homage to recent trips undertaken. It boasts a raunchy beat, weird little noises, a weighty bass and a gonzo loop on top.”

:flash: Friends of frenZINE – william wall reacts to the frenzine issue that quoted his book “this is the country”.

fun fun fun dj mixes

:flash: osymyso-Fasterer Mix.mp3 – osymyso mixes quality with humor, as usual.

:flash: osymyso-Slowerer Mix.mp3 – and yet another lovely osymyso dj mix.

news and abuse

:flash: Bush Administration Declares War on Mountains and the People Who Live There – “President Bush is poised to issue regulations that will permit and encourage mountaintop mining, a controversial practice in which the tops of mountains are blasted off and dumped in nearby valleys.” will there be one fauxpas, that this administration might skip?

:flash: Man arrested over wi-fi ‘theft’ – “A man has been arrested in connection with using a wi-fi broadband connection without permission.” alright, it’s not cool what he did, but arrested???

:flash: Undercover Cops Incite Violence in Montebello – “Canada’s police are paid to go “undercover,” dressed as activists, in order to provoke protesters into acts of violence.” and later in the week the police admits to using these undercover agents, but claims they were not provocateurs. helas, i hate to say the obvious here, we always knew …

:flash: After Spam, Next Inbox Menace Is ‘Bacn’ – “It’s not really spam. You want to read it (and probably would), you just don’t have the time.”

:flash: Twitter goes to the MTV Video Music Awards – “Could this finally be what breaks Twitter out of the early-adopter geek set and into the population at large? The microblogging service has partnered with the inarguably mainstream MTV for its upcoming Video Music Awards”

:flash: Doma Buenos Aires – “Since 1998 the Argentinian DOMA Collective is an important part of the Buenos Aires Street-Art scene, doing urban installations, stencils, street-projections and absurd campaigns.” [via neat]

:flash: Nightclubs are hell. What’s cool or fun about a thumping, sweaty dungeon full of posing idiots? – “Clubs are despicable. Cramped, overpriced furnaces with sticky walls and the latest idiot theme tunes thumping through the humid air so loud you can’t hold a conversation, just bellow inanities at megaphone-level.” i really enjoyed reading this column a few weeks ago in the guardian, so now that i stumbled over its web link… enjoy!

:flash: Music from the hit series, Weeds – weeds, the tv serires, not only has an excellent soundtrack, but also a usable website that let’s you enjoy it.

:flash: useful flowchart – from “is it fucked up?” to “no problem” in one hip flowchart. [via bb]

:flash: OMIM – SKIN CREASES, MULTIPLE BENIGN RING-SHAPED, OF LIMBS – oh lord, the michelin baby, the one we all laughed so hard about, it actually has a rare disease. shame on us. [via neatorama]

:flash: Are Digital Music Watermarks a Blessing or a Curse? – “With EMI selling its entire catalog DRM-free and Universal soon to experiment with its open-MP3 format, the major labels are finally showing a willingness to abandon the rusty armor of digital rights management. Or are they?”

:flash: CR – “Here’s a fun way to fritter away an hour of your life: search Google Images for logos that have the same initials as your own name.” note to self: must do that sometime.

:flash: d85d4440aa0496700424199290b06b31de6.jpg – a man’s gotta eat, even if his name is ronald mcdonald.

:flash: Barking Dogs Atlas – “Is your neighbor’s barking dog driving you crazy? Here you can add their location to the Barking Dogs atlas.”

[stream: del.icio.us/pieceoplastic | links or subscribe to this RSS feed]

laurent aks:

My buddy Ouriel Ohayon of Techcrunch France kindly asked me to write an article about the Swiss web 2.0. Tough task, as the legendary Swiss discretion combined with the fact that this country is indeed three (and a half) distinct cultural regions. But I am a man of challenge and I have a secret weapon: you my dear readers.

So if you know some good hot Swiss web projects who deserve TechCrunch exposure, please let me know using the comments below or by email at laurent@liftlab.com.

apparently so: the list of swiss web 2.0 projets is building up nicely in comments. anything not on there?