Tuesday 17 November 2009
Brad Pitt's Cryptic New Tattoo Explained!
Brad Pitt's Cryptic New Tattoo Explained!
Photos of Brad Pitt boarding a helicopter in Monaco with sons Maddox and Pax yesterday instantly set the intertubes abuzz, as the aircraft's rotors blew up the actor's shirt, revealing a mysterious new tattoo covering his lower back. The seemingly random series of horizontal dashes and shapes were initially thought to be a highly encoded abstract design, each line representing one member of the ever-growing Pitt-Jolie clan. But now, Defamer can exclusively report (Must! Credit! Defamer! Pitt! Tattoo! Exclusive!) that the tattoo is not yet finished, with the final result paying homage to one of the great design triumphs of the 20th Century. An artist's rendering of what it will look like is after the jump:
[Photo Credit: Splash News Online]
- Brad Pitt Flys With His Boys [Just Jared]
Monday 16 November 2009
Tattoo you, Netters
A few readers emailed to ask whether famous Netters (born between 1974 and 1983) are really as heavily inked as I've claimed. I spent some not entirely unpleasant hours this morning doing research into this question, and have thoroughly vindicated my claim. See below.
PS: I skipped a dozen or more Netter celebs who merely had a couple of tattoos; sorry about that, Orlando, Usher, Anna K., Jessica, and Sarah Michelle! Maybe next time.
Tattoos: Gothic script "Know Your Rights" between shoulder blades; Buddhist Pali incantation written in Khmer script on left shoulder blade -- covering up previous tatoo; "Strength of Will" Arabic script tattoo on right arm -- covering up previous tattoo; "XIII V MCMXL" (date of famous Winston Churchill speech) on her left underarm; Tennessee Williams quote ("A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages") on left arm; cross tattoo and Latin phrase ("Quod me nutrit me destruit", meaning "What nourishes me, destroys me") on stomach -- covering up previous tattoo; rune style tattoo (the letter H) on left wrist; longitudes and latitudes of the locations where her children first entered her life, on upper left arm -- covering up previous tattoo; 12-inch long, 8-inch wide Bengal tiger tattoo on lower back -- covering up two previous tattoos; various removed tattoos, including a tattoo in the pubic area referring to Billy Bob Thornton.
Tattoos: shooting star and angel on back of left shoulder; "What goes around comes around" on right wrist; "tru luv" a little higher up; tattoos on upper left thigh: "Mr. Pink", oriental style dragon; cartoon cat on lower stomach; barcode from album "Missundaztood" just below hairline at back of neck; frog on left foot; kanji for luck/happiness on right ankle; infinity sign on hip; red star on hand; dad and brother's army dog tags on left foot; portrait of her dog Elvis; several others.
Tattoos: Over 25 "dumb" tattoos, each one of them intended to get a laugh. They include: parodies of Angelina Jolie's tattoos (including the name "Billy Bob," in Gothic script); the phrase "I have a small weiner," on arm; and a giant self-portrait, complete with signature, on back.
Tattoos: "Love & Hate" on lower stomach; heads of Jesus and Satan on lower stomach; "Beau" (grandmother's name) on neck; axe with "Marquise" (son) and "Warrior" on right biceps; "Sabrina" (mother) and "Ghetto Angel" on right lower arm; angel on shoulder; "50" on left biceps; crucifix and "God understands me" on left lower arm; "G-Unit" on right hand; giant "50" on center of back; "South Side," "Gangsta," "Cold World," and "G-Unit" also on back; others.
Tattoos: lion on right shoulder blade (a reference to "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"); fairy on the inside of right wrist; praying hands on left hip; a bouquet of sweetpeas on lower back; "Move or Bleed" on the left side of ribcage; "Jack" (a dead pet) on right thigh; a sparrow on right breast; a mermaid on left ankle. Unconfirmed: two red stars, plus "I'm the toughest girl I know" in script, under right breast.
[more after jump]
Tattoos: Gothic-style "Brooklyn" (son's name) across lower back; Gothic-style "Romeo" (son) above crucifixion/guardian angel on upper back & "Cruz" (son) underneath; "Victoria" (wife) in Hindi, supposedly misspelled, plus "Ut Amem Et Foveam" ("So that I love and cherish"), lower back; Roman numeral VII (7 was his Man United jersey number), underside right arm; seven-inch image of Victoria, naked, lying on her back surrounded by stars, on left arm; Hebrew text, from the Song of Songs, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine"; "Perfectio in Spiritu" ("spiritual perfection"), right forearm; angel, plus "In the face of adversity," right shoulder and bicep; winged cross, back of neck; many others.
Tattoos: David Beckham's initials on left wrist; five stars representing herself, her three sons, and her husband, on lower back; Hebrew text, from the Song of Songs, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," on neck and upper back; others.
Tattoos: "Xtina" on back of neck; flower on left wrist; design on inside left forearm; Hebrew text (I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine"), on small of back; unknown tattoo just below bikini line; others.
Tattoos: Initials on ankles; cross on left shoulder; large angel with "Guardian" on back; others.
Tattoos: large cross on ankle; butterfly under belly button; angels on back; blue moon with smile, plus star at tip, on right foot; flowers on left hip bone.
Tattoos: Couldn't find a description anywhere. I'm not the only one interested. The internets are replete with questions like this one: "what does lil wayne's tat on the left side of his back say??!?! anyone?" Lil Wayne, please let your fans know.
Tattoos: rosary beads and cross on ankle and foot; angel wings on shoulder blades; "Richie," plus red bow and ribbon, on back of neck; tiara on hip; red shooting star on right wrist; "Virgin" on left wrist; ballerina slippers on abdomen; cross on lower back; dots on finger; others.
Tattoos: fairy on lower back; daisy circling second toe on right foot; butterfly leaving a vine on left foot; lower with Chinese symbol for mystery on lower stomach; three Hebrew characters on back of neck; pair of pink dice inside left wrist (changed); small star on right hand; red and pink lips on wrist; black, white, and pink cross on lower hip; others?
Tattoos: flower on back; angel on ankle; small green heart on stomach; sunflower just above panty line; possibly others.
Tattoos: winged ankh on back; feather on left forearm; lightning bolt on right forearm; several pin up girls; "Hello Sailor" plus anchor, on stomach; others.
Tattoos: Maori design on left arm; Celtic cross on right hip; lion with "Born to be Mild" under it, and "Elvis, Grant Me Serenity" above it. on right arm; musical notes and Beatles lyrics on small of back; saint holding cross with name "Jack Farrel" (his grandfather) under it, inside right arm; "Mother" on outside of same arm; "Chacun A Son Gout" on chest; others.
The whole point of the Suicide Girls -- founded by Netters -- is that they're tattooed.
ALSO: Lindsay Lohan ( a flower and a ladybug on the back of her neck, a Sanskrit character for lotus flower on her wrist, and a bow tattoo on the small of her back); Jessica Alba (a flower and a ladybug on the back of her neck, a Sanskrit character for lotus flower on her wrist, and a bow tattoo on the small of her back); Bam Margera (heart-a-gram symbol on his lower stomach, a large tattoo design on his right side, large portrait on his right shoulder (done by Kat Von D), a large razorblade under his left arm and several others); Travis Barker (a large checkered-flag design on both sides of his neck, a large banner inscribed with "Can I Say" across his collar bones, the outlines of nude women on opposite sides of his upper chest, a large "Boom Box" radio on his stomach, a large design on his mid-lower back, both arms sleeved - meaning that they are covered in tattoo designs for their entire length - (one arm contains a Virgin Mary dedicated to his mother), his left leg has a logo from a Descendents album, many other tattoos); Kelis (a saying on her right wrist, a butterfly on her stomach, a Kanji symbol on her right calf, and a large Japanese inspired design that runs from her buttocks, up her back all the way to the shoulder); many others.
SensesLost
For this week’s Tattoo Tuesday we came across this tattoo of a gun and brass knuckles. An interesting idea for a tattoo.
TATTOO IN JAPAN
TATTOO IN JAPAN
There are various ways to express the word "tattoo" in Japanese kanji. In Japanese, "irezumi" is the word for "tattoo", and you can express it in 7 or more different words written in kanji characters. In addition, there are various purposes for tattooing, as a decoration, as a punishment, as a belief, as a symbol of status, as a custom and as identifying oneself to prove one's occupation. There is nothing surprising about the diversity of tattooing in its both purpose and expression. Continuing since about the 3rd century, tattooing in Japan is a tradition that has been developed over a long period of the history. Moreover, there are a variety of the pattern of motifs for tattooing; carps, tigers, mythical animals such as dragons and phoenixes, flowers such as Japanese cherry and chrysanthemum, and the Buddhist motifs like Amitabha Tathagata, bodhisattva and Siddham script (bonji). From the traditional motif to the pop illustrations, anything seems to go in these modern days.
Amazed by the beauty of the Japanese "tattoo", one of publishers in Germany has released the large, thick and heavy book, "TATTOO IN JAPAN", showcasing the traditional and modern tattoo in 4 different areas of Tokyo, Chubu, Kyoto and Osaka, Japan. Creating this book have them driven to promote Japanese custom tattooing on the level of fine art and also to introduce the highly diverse styles of tattooing in Japan today to the world.
© Geoff Johnson
One of the tebori (tattooing by hand) masters, Horitoku explains in the book that as far as he knows, there might be only 3 of the tebori tattooist in Tokyo. The number of "masters", who can follow their experienced craftsmanship in the future, have been decreasing not only in the fields of traditional arts and crafts, but also in the tattoo world. "TATTOO IN ART" starts its page with photographs of the Horitoku's studio work and his tattoo "works". You will recognize his powerfulness as a tattoo artisan in his eyes when tattooing. At the same time, from his sedate and warm looking, you will find a mixture of his pride as a tattooist and his love to his tattoo works. Inserting colors under the skin little by little for a dark-color-outlined dragon is likely to breathe life into the lying dragon.
© Martin Hladik
Each people's skin is a canvas for showcasing the vividly highlighted pattern of tattoos. In those patterns, shooting in close-up, you are able to see artisan-like exquisite details towards their "representation" of the tattoo works. Turning over pages, it seems each vibrantly tattooed portrait shows both inside and outside of his/her "pattern" of life.
© Geoff Johnson
It has taken for few years to report and compile for a book, "TATTOO IN JAPAN" including bold colored photographs from Tokyo's traditional tattoo by the tebori master to Osaka's more pop and fashion-oriented tattoos which are intended to be "shown" to the others, and tattoo patterns from the head to the toes, and furthermore to the entire body. You will fully enjoy more than 200 tattoos, reflecting the modern tattoo culture in Japan.
How to Make Tattoo Ink Lighter
- Step 1
Decide if tattoo fading.removal is for you. When individuals get tattoos, they realize that they are permanent, but they don’t always think about how that permanency will come to affect them later in life. Meeting new people, getting a new job—new steps in your life can change your outlook and can change your mind about decisions you made when you were younger. If you find yourself with a visible tattoo that could potentially affect an important experience in your life, your only option may be to lighten your tattoo or remove it all together. There are several methods currently available to individuals that can help them to fade a visible or unwanted tattoo.
- Step 2
Consider tattoo removal creams. Creams like Wrecking Balm and Tattoo-OFF are over the counter creams that when used correctly, can help to break apart and fade permanent tattoo ink. The active ingredient found in tattoo removal creams is trichloroacetic acid (TCA). TCA is a compound acid that is commonly used as a skin peeling agent. It has also been medically proven to fade tattoo ink. The TCA works to peel the skin layers that cover the tattoo, as new skin layers form the tattoo ink slowly fades. Tattoo creams only contain a percentage of this active ingredient. Therefore, users will not experience peeling skin, but an eventual fading in the tattoo. While this procedure is very effective, the cream needs to be applied as directed for several months in order to see significant results. If you are simply looking to lighten your tattoo ink then tattoo removal creams containing TCA will help to do just that. If you are looking to remove your tattoo completely, combining the application of TCA with laser tattoo removal treatments will help to achieve more affective tattoo removal.
- Step 3
Try Dermasal, another over the counter tattoo fading agent that provides users a more natural option for fading tattoos. Dermasal is a three step process that is quick and easy to use; just 10 minutes a week is all you need. The Dermasal process involves the application of soothing agent that prepares the skin for a topical solution, the application of the topical solution that effectively breaks apart the tattoo ink so that it can be naturally removed from the body, and the application of a protectant gel is then applied to soothe and protect the skin. Dermasal is a completely safe and an all natural way to remove unwanted tattoos with no pain and minimal cost. This product only utilizes natural ingredients so it is perfectly safe to use on any part of the body.
- Step 4
Consider permanent laser removal. One of the newest methods for making tattoo’s lighter is laser tattoo removal. Laser tattoo removal provides revolutionary tattoo removal results without causing permanent damage to the skin. During treatment, the laser light penetrates the outer layers of skin and is attracted to the tattoo pigment below. The laser energy transforms into heat and the heat effectively fragments the tattoo ink. The fragmented ink is then absorbed into the body and naturally expelled. A series of treatments are needed (anywhere from 6 to 12 treatments spaced out every 6 to 8 weeks) in order to see successful tattoo removal results, but patients will see gradual fading throughout the entire process. Laser treatments are very successful for darker tattoo ink colors, but additional treatments may be necessary for lighter inks. For those individuals who want successful tattoo fading without permanent scarring, laser is definitely the way to go.There are other more invasive methods for complete tattoo removal, but for those who are looking to make their tattoo ink lighter, any of the above methods will get the job done. Thorough research will help to determine which of these methods is right for you.
Love at first SocioSite
Your car doesn't have to be big. As long as you can paint the url of the SocioSite on your car.
"We don't like it when the reputation of the SocioSite is misused by entrepreneurs for commercial purposes", says the chief editor of the SocioSite. "They just use the strong reputation of the SocioSite to sell their cars. These sharks should pay me money because they exploit my work for their profit. But we love it when people use their phantasies and resentments to improve this popular information system on social matters."
Your car doesn't even have to be a real car. You can use your imagination and create a virtual car with avatars in front and back seat. And if you don't know how to do it, just try to play with PhotoShop.
A famous anthropologist recently discovered a very ancient, but highly developed civilization of the fifth century before Christ. The technological culture of this civilization was very advanced: bricks, mortar, and even windows of glass. The people of this ancient civilization, which was located between the Tigris and the Eufrat, seem to have a communication system that highly resembles modern English. And nobody seems to know why.
Archeologists say these wall inscriptions indicate that these early civilians used a well-known window to the social needs and anxieties of the people. Some specialists persist that the famous drawing of Running with a Heart might be a self-portrait of the founder of the SocioSite. We are sceptical about this claim. It's a habit: we are non-believers.
- Source
- Arnugarah led Fharmani [1253]
Archaeological tracks and traits of the SocioSite - Fiction or Fact.
The SocioSite has a lot to offer to people who are really interested in fundamental and practical questions about beliefsystems and science, spiritual inspirations and moral principles. As scientists we don't believe anything at face or emotion value. We simply cannot afford the luxury of hiding our ignorance behind a strong religious dogma. We cannot permit us the escape of a weak believe in a mysterious something. The SocioSite also has fans which abide by the law of the Lord —Jaweh, Allah, Krisnamurti, Osama bin laden etcetera— and praise this site as a almost holy source of inspiration. We are pleased to hear when people use the SocioSite for their own purposes and create circumstances where they can interact, communicate and (re)built a strong community.
The image of Jesus has been (mis)used for commercial and political purposes. With this picture a SocioSite fan has expressed his chilliast feelings. It's funny, although it might be on the border of blasphemy.
The SocioSite has a reputation on the exploration of the ultimate (Death) and intimate (Love) peculiarities of the internet. This picture represents the male adult phantasies on a decent image of an innocent baby between the legs of his mother. It is a very beautiful and clever child. So young and curious enough to search for the Holy Grail. Keep on searching and fumbling. Your destiny might be hiding just behind any leg.
Later on you will learn to investigate more intrigrate problems. "How long should a woman's legs be"? The most trivial answer could be: "Just long enough to reach the ground!"
The Dutch Royal Airlines, better known as KLM, used to be a Dutch company> It became a crucial part of the Dutch 'national identity'. The airline industry has been especially characterized by centralization and globalization. The KLM has been taken over by Air France. That's why most of the Dutch are a little bit sad about the KLM. They say: "I feel that I've lost something". In the end the Dutch might only build their national identity on their identification with one of the most retarded institutions: the heritable kingdom. There seems to be only one contender that is powerful enough to withstand such a serious loss of national identity. Some analysts suggest that SocioSite has invested all its resources in a friendly takeover over KLM and Air France. Plane spotters have sent their first pictures of this remarkable development in the air traffic industry. One of the most prominent editors of the New York Times wrote an alarming article: "Will the Dutch go SocioSite?" In the Netherlands nobody dares to put this question in public. Why?
Confronted with massive evidence the chief editor of the SocioSite tried to cover his tracks: "These pictures have been manipulated". But then he added: "Of course, we are talking with KLM, we are interested in the flying business. Our target is to bridge the gap between the speed of light at which we can transfer our information to other people, and the speed at which we can move ourselves as physical-biological beings".
In the virtual realm of Berners-Lee we proceed at the speed of mouse clicks, in the physical world of Newton we can move our bodies with the speed of airplanes. Bridging that gap seems to be the strategic object of the SocioSite project.
Railways used to be a fast way of transportation. Trains are a very efficient way to transport people and things. Trains are getting faster. At middle range they are closing the gap with airplanes.
SocioSite tries to contribute to the acceleration the communication between social scientists and strives for the revival of the academic community.
Virtual socialization takes time. Social norms and regulations only emerge when enough people spent enough time in regular interactions. Community emerges when people frequently interact and develop a mutual interests in the continuation of this interaction.
A SocioSite fan created this image of a fast train with the sign of our internet addres. It is supposed to be "a metaphor of a concentrated amount of human resources at high speed". Metaphors are major weapons in the conquest of a beloved partner. That's the lesson of Pablo Neruda in Il Postino (The Postman) created by Massimo Troisi. Mario, the postman, asks Neruda how to become a poet —who can charm a beautiful woman by metaphors. Neruda advises his pupil to take a walk along the island's shoreline and see what image come to mind. The postman occasionally makes some startling insightful observations. Such as "the whole world is a metaphor for something". Mario does not seem to realize how provoking his comments are.
A cow in the sky. She's looking suspiciously Dutch and is floating in the blue air as a big balloon.
It is a picture I got from a dear friend who lives in eastern Europe. She just broke up with her boyfriend. She is a well educated and civilized women —and a very attractive and therefore wanted species. Her creative phantasies are balanced with her personal and professional aspirations. Until she spotted an unexpected event. "Still mourning about my lost love I could onle stare into the sky. I could feel that I was a part of a vast universe. All alone, but connected with ever human, and even animal beings. I wass'nt crying, but I had to brush some tears away. Suddenly I saw it: a cow in front of a bright blue sky. There it was — in all her splendor and strength. The only dissonant were those letters. Then I realized that cows don't fly onless there's a magic (wealthy) sponsor behind them."
"I am very excited and I am looking forward to this," he told UEFA's website. "For me it is a fantastic feeling to be now preparing myself and the team for this first big tournament."
Conflicting rumours are going round about the new personal sponsor of Van Nistelrooy. Although the world's largest mobile operator Vodafone is sponsoring Manchester United with 52 million euro, Van Nistelrooy seems to prefer a smaller sponsor from the Netherlands.
His manager refused to give a comment on any statement. The spokesmen of the SocioSite told us: "We are a fully transparant organization. Everything we are, we are online, in the open cyber air. We don't have anything more to say than we do online."
Is there any connection or contract between SocioSite and Van Nistelrooy? "We don't talk in public about potential employees we try to recrute. We simply have to respect their privacy. So please be patient, I cannot satisfy your curiosity in this respect."
In Western cultures all problems seems to be reducable to the couch of the shrink. All human aspirations and frustrations fuse in the situational metaphor of the psychiatric treatment. It is an imaginative place where people freely articulate their deep feelings, sentiments and fears. It is a save place for uncomfortable truths or insights. The metaphor of the psychiatric couch is extremely flexible — it can be used to articulate almost any human, political or moral problem in a highly dramatized, caricatural expression. A patient is lying on the chouch, and a psychiatrist is sitting in a chair. In this case the person on the couch is a very attractive, sensual woman. It could also be a very ugly old man. The character of the patient varies a lot, but the role of the therapist is generally performed by a rather dull and sterile male figure.
Although we are familiar with this scene, we expect something exceptional. This surprising message evokes a commic effect that is enclosed in the caption. The picture can be endlessly reproduced and the caption can be varied at will. Anybody can write his own text below this picture.
In june 1967 the Beatles released their revolutionary album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. One of the great songs on this album was "With a Little Help from My Friends". In this song Lennon/McCartney are begging for a little help from their friends, and —of course— for someone to love. One of the pertinent questions asked is: "Would you believe in a love at first sight". An old Beatle fan has borrowed this line to say something nice about the SocioSite. 
This picture exemplifies that some fans demonstrate their love for the SocioSite in a extreme manner. We cherish all our fans and we like their enthusiasm and creativity. But we don't like it when people mutilate their own body to express their affection for the SocioSite. Butts were not created to serve as a bill board. 
SocioSite was one of the first portals for social scientists. It had tens of million visitors, and most of them were regular visitors. Many of them have contributed to the further development of the information system, SocioSite evolves from what is was from birth, via what it is today, to what it might be tomorrow. SocioSite is a living organism. Therefore it could also dy. A digital pavement stone is what might be a remaining sign of the existence of the SocioSite. Love at first SocioSite
Your car doesn't have to be big. As long as you can paint the url of the SocioSite on your car.
"We don't like it when the reputation of the SocioSite is misused by entrepreneurs for commercial purposes", says the chief editor of the SocioSite. "They just use the strong reputation of the SocioSite to sell their cars. These sharks should pay me money because they exploit my work for their profit. But we love it when people use their phantasies and resentments to improve this popular information system on social matters."
Your car doesn't even have to be a real car. You can use your imagination and create a virtual car with avatars in front and back seat. And if you don't know how to do it, just try to play with PhotoShop.
A famous anthropologist recently discovered a very ancient, but highly developed civilization of the fifth century before Christ. The technological culture of this civilization was very advanced: bricks, mortar, and even windows of glass. The people of this ancient civilization, which was located between the Tigris and the Eufrat, seem to have a communication system that highly resembles modern English. And nobody seems to know why.
Archeologists say these wall inscriptions indicate that these early civilians used a well-known window to the social needs and anxieties of the people. Some specialists persist that the famous drawing of Running with a Heart might be a self-portrait of the founder of the SocioSite. We are sceptical about this claim. It's a habit: we are non-believers.
- Source
- Arnugarah led Fharmani [1253]
Archaeological tracks and traits of the SocioSite - Fiction or Fact.
The SocioSite has a lot to offer to people who are really interested in fundamental and practical questions about beliefsystems and science, spiritual inspirations and moral principles. As scientists we don't believe anything at face or emotion value. We simply cannot afford the luxury of hiding our ignorance behind a strong religious dogma. We cannot permit us the escape of a weak believe in a mysterious something. The SocioSite also has fans which abide by the law of the Lord —Jaweh, Allah, Krisnamurti, Osama bin laden etcetera— and praise this site as a almost holy source of inspiration. We are pleased to hear when people use the SocioSite for their own purposes and create circumstances where they can interact, communicate and (re)built a strong community.
The image of Jesus has been (mis)used for commercial and political purposes. With this picture a SocioSite fan has expressed his chilliast feelings. It's funny, although it might be on the border of blasphemy.
The SocioSite has a reputation on the exploration of the ultimate (Death) and intimate (Love) peculiarities of the internet. This picture represents the male adult phantasies on a decent image of an innocent baby between the legs of his mother. It is a very beautiful and clever child. So young and curious enough to search for the Holy Grail. Keep on searching and fumbling. Your destiny might be hiding just behind any leg.
Later on you will learn to investigate more intrigrate problems. "How long should a woman's legs be"? The most trivial answer could be: "Just long enough to reach the ground!"
The Dutch Royal Airlines, better known as KLM, used to be a Dutch company> It became a crucial part of the Dutch 'national identity'. The airline industry has been especially characterized by centralization and globalization. The KLM has been taken over by Air France. That's why most of the Dutch are a little bit sad about the KLM. They say: "I feel that I've lost something". In the end the Dutch might only build their national identity on their identification with one of the most retarded institutions: the heritable kingdom. There seems to be only one contender that is powerful enough to withstand such a serious loss of national identity. Some analysts suggest that SocioSite has invested all its resources in a friendly takeover over KLM and Air France. Plane spotters have sent their first pictures of this remarkable development in the air traffic industry. One of the most prominent editors of the New York Times wrote an alarming article: "Will the Dutch go SocioSite?" In the Netherlands nobody dares to put this question in public. Why?
Confronted with massive evidence the chief editor of the SocioSite tried to cover his tracks: "These pictures have been manipulated". But then he added: "Of course, we are talking with KLM, we are interested in the flying business. Our target is to bridge the gap between the speed of light at which we can transfer our information to other people, and the speed at which we can move ourselves as physical-biological beings".
In the virtual realm of Berners-Lee we proceed at the speed of mouse clicks, in the physical world of Newton we can move our bodies with the speed of airplanes. Bridging that gap seems to be the strategic object of the SocioSite project.
Railways used to be a fast way of transportation. Trains are a very efficient way to transport people and things. Trains are getting faster. At middle range they are closing the gap with airplanes.
SocioSite tries to contribute to the acceleration the communication between social scientists and strives for the revival of the academic community.
Virtual socialization takes time. Social norms and regulations only emerge when enough people spent enough time in regular interactions. Community emerges when people frequently interact and develop a mutual interests in the continuation of this interaction.
A SocioSite fan created this image of a fast train with the sign of our internet addres. It is supposed to be "a metaphor of a concentrated amount of human resources at high speed". Metaphors are major weapons in the conquest of a beloved partner. That's the lesson of Pablo Neruda in Il Postino (The Postman) created by Massimo Troisi. Mario, the postman, asks Neruda how to become a poet —who can charm a beautiful woman by metaphors. Neruda advises his pupil to take a walk along the island's shoreline and see what image come to mind. The postman occasionally makes some startling insightful observations. Such as "the whole world is a metaphor for something". Mario does not seem to realize how provoking his comments are.
A cow in the sky. She's looking suspiciously Dutch and is floating in the blue air as a big balloon.
It is a picture I got from a dear friend who lives in eastern Europe. She just broke up with her boyfriend. She is a well educated and civilized women —and a very attractive and therefore wanted species. Her creative phantasies are balanced with her personal and professional aspirations. Until she spotted an unexpected event. "Still mourning about my lost love I could onle stare into the sky. I could feel that I was a part of a vast universe. All alone, but connected with ever human, and even animal beings. I wass'nt crying, but I had to brush some tears away. Suddenly I saw it: a cow in front of a bright blue sky. There it was — in all her splendor and strength. The only dissonant were those letters. Then I realized that cows don't fly onless there's a magic (wealthy) sponsor behind them."
"I am very excited and I am looking forward to this," he told UEFA's website. "For me it is a fantastic feeling to be now preparing myself and the team for this first big tournament."
Conflicting rumours are going round about the new personal sponsor of Van Nistelrooy. Although the world's largest mobile operator Vodafone is sponsoring Manchester United with 52 million euro, Van Nistelrooy seems to prefer a smaller sponsor from the Netherlands.
His manager refused to give a comment on any statement. The spokesmen of the SocioSite told us: "We are a fully transparant organization. Everything we are, we are online, in the open cyber air. We don't have anything more to say than we do online."
Is there any connection or contract between SocioSite and Van Nistelrooy? "We don't talk in public about potential employees we try to recrute. We simply have to respect their privacy. So please be patient, I cannot satisfy your curiosity in this respect."
In Western cultures all problems seems to be reducable to the couch of the shrink. All human aspirations and frustrations fuse in the situational metaphor of the psychiatric treatment. It is an imaginative place where people freely articulate their deep feelings, sentiments and fears. It is a save place for uncomfortable truths or insights. The metaphor of the psychiatric couch is extremely flexible — it can be used to articulate almost any human, political or moral problem in a highly dramatized, caricatural expression. A patient is lying on the chouch, and a psychiatrist is sitting in a chair. In this case the person on the couch is a very attractive, sensual woman. It could also be a very ugly old man. The character of the patient varies a lot, but the role of the therapist is generally performed by a rather dull and sterile male figure.
Although we are familiar with this scene, we expect something exceptional. This surprising message evokes a commic effect that is enclosed in the caption. The picture can be endlessly reproduced and the caption can be varied at will. Anybody can write his own text below this picture.
In june 1967 the Beatles released their revolutionary album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. One of the great songs on this album was "With a Little Help from My Friends". In this song Lennon/McCartney are begging for a little help from their friends, and —of course— for someone to love. One of the pertinent questions asked is: "Would you believe in a love at first sight". An old Beatle fan has borrowed this line to say something nice about the SocioSite. This picture exemplifies that some fans demonstrate their love for the SocioSite in a extreme manner. We cherish all our fans and we like their enthusiasm and creativity. But we don't like it when people mutilate their own body to express their affection for the SocioSite. Butts were not created to serve as a bill board. SocioSite was one of the first portals for social scientists. It had tens of million visitors, and most of them were regular visitors. Many of them have contributed to the further development of the information system, SocioSite evolves from what is was from birth, via what it is today, to what it might be tomorrow. SocioSite is a living organism. Therefore it could also dy. A digital pavement stone is what might be a remaining sign of the existence of the SocioSite.