Flicker Fusion

“Part III: Starbuck as Post-Feminist” explores the question of the subject in Battlestar Galactica. The series involves an ensemble of complex characters. In this, it is reminiscent of established concerns with gender, race and identity within legal theory. However, Battlestar Galactica distorts the transmission of these; its equality is undercut by a violent emphasis on biology. This triumph of essentialism is short-lived. Battlestar Galactica’s projection of an essential biological nature is deceptive for what seems like essence is actually posited as technologically mediated.

“Part III: Starbuck as Post-Feminist” explores the question of the subject in Battlestar Galactica. The series involves an ensemble of complex characters. In this, it is reminiscent of established concerns with gender, race and identity within legal theory. However, Battlestar Galactica distorts the transmission of these; its equality is undercut by a violent emphasis on biology. This triumph of essentialism is short-lived. Battlestar Galactica’s projection of an essential biological nature is deceptive for what seems like essence is actually posited as technologically mediated.

—From the abstract to a scholarly legal article titled “Frakking Toasters” and Jurisprudences of Technology: THE EXCEPTION, THE SUBJECT AND TECHNE IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Lexis-Nexis, you know all the right things to say.

Everyone in the tech industry knows the patent system is entirely broken. Other than a few sleazy actors like Intellectual Ventures there’s an understanding in the innovative side of the tech business that you don’t file aggressive patent lawsuits. You write a lot of patents, you file defensive lawsuits and countersuits, but in general you don’t use your patent portfolio as a big club to try to destroy competitors. Apple’s taking a big crap on that detente. It’s pretty hard to love a company that is going to exploit the broken patent system to stifle innovation.

Everyone in the tech industry knows the patent system is entirely broken. Other than a few sleazy actors like Intellectual Ventures there’s an understanding in the innovative side of the tech business that you don’t file aggressive patent lawsuits. You write a lot of patents, you file defensive lawsuits and countersuits, but in general you don’t use your patent portfolio as a big club to try to destroy competitors. Apple’s taking a big crap on that detente. It’s pretty hard to love a company that is going to exploit the broken patent system to stifle innovation.

—Nelson Minar on Apple’s lawsuit against HTC

The WP7S layout and typography have a looseness found in marketing, an inappropriate metaphor for a handheld information and communication device.

The WP7S layout and typography have a looseness found in marketing, an inappropriate metaphor for a handheld information and communication device.

—Edward Tufte on the Windows Phone 7 Series interface. I was having a hard time figuring out what, exactly, I didn’t like about it and this is exactly it – it looks like interface that’s built to be marketed, not used. [via Daring Fireball of course]

Thom Yorke’s “other band”, the one he did ‘The Eraser’ with (“it has been decided that we call ourselves Atoms for Peace”), will be touring in April

Thom Yorke’s “other band”, the one he did ‘The Eraser’ with (“it has been decided that we call ourselves Atoms for Peace”), will be touring in April

Flying Lotus is opening! Get ready NYC, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and Santa Barbara. (via the official Radiohead Twitter feed that I almost unfollowed a while back but am now glad I didn’t)