These Things: What is Language?

Dark Swallows at El Korah Shrine Boise. March 25, 2018.

Why do we need abstraction
in order to communicate with one another?
These images, mental pictures, metaphors,
what are they?

These do not exist.

So I’ll smile and say “hello”
to each of you when we meet.

My Porn Site, Treefort, Molly, and Dark Swallows

I try not to be too invasive with my personal life in “These Things,” because that’s not the point, but last week was a big week for me so it just got personal. If you’re here for the regular, you can scroll down to “The Regular” below.

First, I discovered my WordPress site got hacked and that the mobile version was all porn! And nothing classy, let me tell you. So...I ditched my hosting company of 15 years and built a new Squarespace website for www.jefferyoliver.com. I’m still working to get new and old content up, but it’s been a work in progress since April 2001 so…

Then! Our niece Molly (from NorCal) came to hang out with us and we got to ride bicycles all over downtown to and from and around Treefort which was super fun. We heard some cool music, some music/film industry panels, experienced some VR and AR at Hackfort, and got to watch “Everything Beautiful is Far Away” by Peter Ohs and Andrea Sisson (available on Amazon). But I think just cruising around on bicycles with her was my favorite.

On Sunday I got to hear/experience the Dark Swallows show at the El Korah Shrine (photo above: Stephen Samuelson of Dark Swallows). They’re a Boise-based band with a psych-rock kind of sound and literally the most unpretentious vibe of any band ever. They played music as if to present a gift of “you’re alright” to anyone listening. Really glad I got to catch that show. You can check out their recent album on bandcamp (the last track, “Perseid,” is especially beautiful).

The Regular

Arrival: A Response To Bad Movies - This short video essay gets at the essence of human interaction, the proliferation of bad movies, and why the film “Arrival” is a relief to anyone who loves cinema. Check out Nerdwriter1 on YouTube for more video essays on art, film, and culture.

Shakespeare and Plagerism Software - It’s been said that everything is a remix and this article about testing Shakespeare against plagerism software is fascinating. It’s difficult for our post-modern minds to understand, “But we have to remember that few people had access to books at this time and info traveled very, very slowly. In other words, we wouldn’t have anything without the remix.”

How America preserved British pronunciation - Speaking of the evolution of the speaking of language, it’s fascinating to consider how British English was preserved here in America.

The Voynich Manuscript - Really? There’s a manuscript from the early 15th century written in a codex that no one has been able to translate or understand. Must have been left behind by aliens.

If you’re a human-type human like me, share a smile with someone today because the simple acknowledgement that we’re here now together is more than words can communicate.

So now, Jeff O.