August 2023 Links
The fragility of complex systems, necromancy, Japan's surrender, and more. 8 links.
There are enough independent creators to keep people entertained for the rest of their lives. So why do conservatives continue to lament the fall of Hollywood? This is a good article on how stories indoctrinate.
This objection misses the point because it assumes that the Death Cult spread its message through heavy-handed propagandizing. That’s just the frog finally noticing the water is boiling. Hollywood has been a Death Cult vector since at least the late 60s, yet most people are only being turned off now.
The second mistake that thwarts counterculture art is more common among Conservatives. They likewise start from the false premise that overt message fic is how the Cult delivers its propaganda. Then they rush straight into the equal but opposite error of deliberately making their own message fic.
Placement of ancient hidden lamps, skulls in cave in Israel suggests Roman-era practice of necromancy. Were they successful attempts? Given it was a hideout for Jewish rebels, it seems the Jews at the time had learned nothing form their history.
Researchers have found more than 120 oil lamps, various weapons, vessels, coins and even three human skulls. Many of the artifacts were found wedged into tight spaces. In this new effort, the researchers analyzed the artifacts and the places where they were found and hypothesize that at least some of them were used in attempts to speak with dead people, a practice called necromancy.