My bicycle was stolen when I was 13 or 14. I’ve never looked back. Now I feel really good about my decision not to replace it, as I’ve clearly avoided these medical horrors.
I think it's one of the most delightful and wonderful parts of going to see live music, IMO! You would think it would be confined to punk/metal/rock but it is a phenomenon that transcends genre. We've seen some super serious free jazz shows here in NOLA and the bass player is always doing some free-form mugging. I am a huge fan of it. : )
Later that day Sam Thompson went on to think; “If I were the editor in Chief at some place that churns out art product like a meat grinder churns out sausages, I might be tempted to fire my entire art department and hire YouTube guy.” Think Harlequin Romance and its endless need for saucy cover art. Of course, that’s terrible for the people who lose their jobs, but the decision is inevitable. Just as no one husks cotton by hand since the invention of the cotton gin, no one should have to turn out rubbish art to pay the bills, unless it’s artisanal and by choice. Instead of hand wringing about all the jobs that will be lost to AI, our time would be better spent building a world where being unemployed doesn't mean automatically losing access to healthcare and housing. The AI apocalypse will bring an end to a lot of meaningless toil, and it’s going to do so a lot faster than the previous revolutions in automation and agriculture. Society is going to have to make a very concentrated effort to make this transition a kind and equitable one if it wants a future of flying cars that fold up into briefcases.
Rewatching the Jetsons intro, it's clear that some of those animated panels are hand-painted. : ) Not very space age, eh?
So, funny thing, while I was writing this I thought about working at St. Louis Magazine, and how around August we would get these GIANT directories filled with samples of art so that we could find illustrators to hire. We rarely used pepole from St. Louis for illustrations. It often took forever, which sucked in a deadline-driven environment, and talking to artists by email meant they misunderstood the story and just didn't hit the mark in terms of what was needed. And I swear some of them churned out really crappy art on purpose because there was a part of them that resented the grunt work. I can relate to that as a writer. Earlier this year I decided that I was never, ever going to write any more trash journalism, including clickbait headlines, listicles, charticles, Top 10 lists or holiday/theme-y roundups. That's also the perfect thing for AI to do, even interns hate writing those pieces.
Totally agree about the automation/AI impact on society at large. I'm not sure how that's going to happen, but it does feel like we are approaching a tipping point where survival is so untenable for most people things are just going to fall apart for a little while, and we'll have to figure out a way to actually make the world work for most people.
That's real, and I relate! During the pandemic, I had to wear KN95 masks at my school job for 8 hours a day and I had a milder version of mask face, but pretty much constantly. It made me want to invest in a balaclava!
My dad used to say there may be something to the rough weather affecting the faces of every Montana woman he met--except for my mother. Lol! Having been inside many MT bars after storms makes me wonder if he was right...
Like being sandblasted by weather every day, right? And the dry air, I guess. Down in NOLA everyone complains about the humidity but then give a little caveat about how it's "good for the complexion," lol. I'm glad your Mom got a pass! I think Nevada is a whole other phenomenon, having more to do with tobacco. We stopped at a very bewildering little bar in a town that only had one place to get gas, and the pumps were those ancient ones with the number tiles that flipped to measure the gallons. Everyone in the bar was puffing away, including the bartenders. The head bartender was a lady who was just this David Lynchian vision, with dyed red hair and eyebrows that looked like they were drawn on with a black crayon. She wore a little powder-blue pantsuit and had her hair piled up on the top of her head. She also had the most complicated set of wrinkles I've ever seen. Western face is a thing!
Yeah, I suppose most did it to stay warm. Some of my relatives figured out the magic formula--some didn't. But, the ones that didn't seemed happy. At least thats what my mom always said; that it was no joke and that she asked me to show empathy regardless and treat everyone the way I'd like to be treated. Easier said than done, I suppose. I just know that they always showed her the utmost respect and admired her for coming to see them despite the fact they were urinating on themselves uncontrollably behind the bar because their disease was so wretched. But, she always made a point to see all of them when she visited. Anyway, that's probably a bit too deep, but suffice it to say I enjoyed reading this piece. You have a way with words.
This was absolutely hilarious. There's so many fantastic quips in this that it's hard to pick my favorite, but I have to say I genuinely laughed out loud at was your "An astonishingly medically accurate" quote under the Kyphosis bicyclistarium picture. That was legitimately hilarious.
All that being said, this is another example of things I'm sure I've heard of - after all, we've all been made aware of the various societal aversions to newly blooming tech, then and now - but not something I've seen dived into with such interest and humor, so well done! I love how you'll track down these things that have lots of history but maybe haven't been as discussed as they could be, in particularly in one piece with lots of sources. You're doing the world a favor by writing everything you do! I have an Aunt and Uncle who go on long bike rides with groups, and I'm sure they would absolutely love this, so I'm going to share it with them.
I love riding my bike, but sadly it's been broken for ages and I can't afford to get it fixed, nor is there anywhere to ride here. But then again, perhaps it's a blessing, because it's saving me from attaining Bicycle Face.
Thanks Maggie! I always appreciate and enjoy your comments and insights so much. There was an embarassment of riches with quotes/images on this one for sure - some of the newspaper articles on this topic had me laugh-crying, including that skeleton illustration. I hope your Aunt and Uncle get a kick out of it - thanks for sharing! I haven't had a bike in a month of Sundays either, but it used to be my primary mode of transportation. Maybe we both gave it up before the creeping affliction known as bicycle face took its toll!
My bicycle was stolen when I was 13 or 14. I’ve never looked back. Now I feel really good about my decision not to replace it, as I’ve clearly avoided these medical horrors.
Ah! I believe this is what some pepole call a "blessing in disguise?"
Being the son of a career bassist, I’m all too familiar with the “bass face” and it’s seemingly uncontrollable nature
I think it's one of the most delightful and wonderful parts of going to see live music, IMO! You would think it would be confined to punk/metal/rock but it is a phenomenon that transcends genre. We've seen some super serious free jazz shows here in NOLA and the bass player is always doing some free-form mugging. I am a huge fan of it. : )
Later that day Sam Thompson went on to think; “If I were the editor in Chief at some place that churns out art product like a meat grinder churns out sausages, I might be tempted to fire my entire art department and hire YouTube guy.” Think Harlequin Romance and its endless need for saucy cover art. Of course, that’s terrible for the people who lose their jobs, but the decision is inevitable. Just as no one husks cotton by hand since the invention of the cotton gin, no one should have to turn out rubbish art to pay the bills, unless it’s artisanal and by choice. Instead of hand wringing about all the jobs that will be lost to AI, our time would be better spent building a world where being unemployed doesn't mean automatically losing access to healthcare and housing. The AI apocalypse will bring an end to a lot of meaningless toil, and it’s going to do so a lot faster than the previous revolutions in automation and agriculture. Society is going to have to make a very concentrated effort to make this transition a kind and equitable one if it wants a future of flying cars that fold up into briefcases.
First, thanks for reminding me of this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyinD6ZDqeg
Rewatching the Jetsons intro, it's clear that some of those animated panels are hand-painted. : ) Not very space age, eh?
So, funny thing, while I was writing this I thought about working at St. Louis Magazine, and how around August we would get these GIANT directories filled with samples of art so that we could find illustrators to hire. We rarely used pepole from St. Louis for illustrations. It often took forever, which sucked in a deadline-driven environment, and talking to artists by email meant they misunderstood the story and just didn't hit the mark in terms of what was needed. And I swear some of them churned out really crappy art on purpose because there was a part of them that resented the grunt work. I can relate to that as a writer. Earlier this year I decided that I was never, ever going to write any more trash journalism, including clickbait headlines, listicles, charticles, Top 10 lists or holiday/theme-y roundups. That's also the perfect thing for AI to do, even interns hate writing those pieces.
Totally agree about the automation/AI impact on society at large. I'm not sure how that's going to happen, but it does feel like we are approaching a tipping point where survival is so untenable for most people things are just going to fall apart for a little while, and we'll have to figure out a way to actually make the world work for most people.
I went snorkeling once but got too upset by mask face. It really was awful; I felt totally disfigured for a good two hours afterwards.
That's real, and I relate! During the pandemic, I had to wear KN95 masks at my school job for 8 hours a day and I had a milder version of mask face, but pretty much constantly. It made me want to invest in a balaclava!
I know what you mean! The tighter the silicone seal, the likelier the emergence of the dread Mask Face!
And let’s not forget the whole new set of complications that comes with Bicycle Built for Two-Face.
That could be its own separate post! So much to unpack there....
My dad used to say there may be something to the rough weather affecting the faces of every Montana woman he met--except for my mother. Lol! Having been inside many MT bars after storms makes me wonder if he was right...
Like being sandblasted by weather every day, right? And the dry air, I guess. Down in NOLA everyone complains about the humidity but then give a little caveat about how it's "good for the complexion," lol. I'm glad your Mom got a pass! I think Nevada is a whole other phenomenon, having more to do with tobacco. We stopped at a very bewildering little bar in a town that only had one place to get gas, and the pumps were those ancient ones with the number tiles that flipped to measure the gallons. Everyone in the bar was puffing away, including the bartenders. The head bartender was a lady who was just this David Lynchian vision, with dyed red hair and eyebrows that looked like they were drawn on with a black crayon. She wore a little powder-blue pantsuit and had her hair piled up on the top of her head. She also had the most complicated set of wrinkles I've ever seen. Western face is a thing!
Yeah, I suppose most did it to stay warm. Some of my relatives figured out the magic formula--some didn't. But, the ones that didn't seemed happy. At least thats what my mom always said; that it was no joke and that she asked me to show empathy regardless and treat everyone the way I'd like to be treated. Easier said than done, I suppose. I just know that they always showed her the utmost respect and admired her for coming to see them despite the fact they were urinating on themselves uncontrollably behind the bar because their disease was so wretched. But, she always made a point to see all of them when she visited. Anyway, that's probably a bit too deep, but suffice it to say I enjoyed reading this piece. You have a way with words.
This was absolutely hilarious. There's so many fantastic quips in this that it's hard to pick my favorite, but I have to say I genuinely laughed out loud at was your "An astonishingly medically accurate" quote under the Kyphosis bicyclistarium picture. That was legitimately hilarious.
All that being said, this is another example of things I'm sure I've heard of - after all, we've all been made aware of the various societal aversions to newly blooming tech, then and now - but not something I've seen dived into with such interest and humor, so well done! I love how you'll track down these things that have lots of history but maybe haven't been as discussed as they could be, in particularly in one piece with lots of sources. You're doing the world a favor by writing everything you do! I have an Aunt and Uncle who go on long bike rides with groups, and I'm sure they would absolutely love this, so I'm going to share it with them.
I love riding my bike, but sadly it's been broken for ages and I can't afford to get it fixed, nor is there anywhere to ride here. But then again, perhaps it's a blessing, because it's saving me from attaining Bicycle Face.
Absolutely excellent piece, Stefene!
Thanks Maggie! I always appreciate and enjoy your comments and insights so much. There was an embarassment of riches with quotes/images on this one for sure - some of the newspaper articles on this topic had me laugh-crying, including that skeleton illustration. I hope your Aunt and Uncle get a kick out of it - thanks for sharing! I haven't had a bike in a month of Sundays either, but it used to be my primary mode of transportation. Maybe we both gave it up before the creeping affliction known as bicycle face took its toll!
My neighbor has skateboard face. I have beer belly face.
Send photos! I've never seen skateboard face. Do those squirrels stealing your beer have beer belly face too? I'm guessing: yes?
I wonder if having a sissy bar had any effect on me...
LOL!