José Bruno Barbaroxa

My Friend Tamagotchi, Phuzzy Comics.

“Midnight - Hunter ready to write.”

2011-ben csak erre vágytam

Buzzfeed watches on as they seed services with a fake history  

And this is why I don’t like to use messages.  Or the phone.  Or the vacuum.

I’m the one in blue.

 

 

PS.  The cat is fine. My ego is bruised.  My phone is grounded.  My friends get me a little too well.  It’s disconcerting.  And awesome.

por Maíra Souza

Ano novo, vida nova, ai que loucura, ai que badalo! Nessa época do ano, muito se fala de planos pro carnaval, do Big Brother Brasil 46, da nova temporada de Mulheres Ricas (risos), de mudanças, de prosperidade etc. E também POUCO se fala das barbáries que são cometidas diariamente por aí – e não me refiro às da Lindsay Lohan.

Pois bem. Pouco antes do natal, uma estudante indiana foi estuprada e assassinada por 6 homens enquanto voltava para casa de ônibus. Paralelamente, uma estudante de direito da PUC-SP foi à festa de fim de ano na empresa em que estagiava, e lá recebeu um boa noite cinderela, foi abusada sexualmente por um colega de trabalho e, dias depois, cometeu o suicídio.

No primeiro caso, houve uma série de protestos e vários comentários culpando a cultura indiana pelo ocorrido, tal como a postura um tanto quanto secular do país no que diz respeito aos direitos das mulheres.  Já no segundo caso, a mídia brasileira publicou a notícia praticamente um mês depois do ocorrido e, ainda assim, sem grandes comoções.

A estudante de Nova Délhi teve seus órgãos destroçados porque não deveria andar na rua à noite e, segundo o líder espiritual Asharam,

“esta tragédia não teria acontecido se ela tivesse evocado o nome de Deus e caído sobre os pés de seus agressores. O erro não foi cometido apenas de um lado”.

Já a estudante de São Paulo – que havia dito que sofria assédio do chefe, foi protagonista de um boato que surgiu na empresa de que ela havia feito sexo com um colega na festa -, teve a sua memória ““respeitada”” pela empresa, que, por sua vez, alegou que

“não há indícios de qualquer relação direta ou indireta entre o evento comemorativo do escritório e a morte”.

Ou seja, a mulher é culpada pela agressão e pela legitimação das barbáries cometidas e, infelizmente, isso não é restrito à Índia, nem ao Brasil e tampouco aos outros BRICS.

A verdade é que não vivemos em um país livre. Liberdade não pressupõe medo, coerção ou receio. O temor da violência sexual existe e não escolhe classe social, aparência física e nem lugar. Ele pode estar presente no ambiente de trabalho, na cautela com o copo em festas, no medo de pegar táxi à noite, na preocupação de andar sozinha, entre outros. Não obstante, a hostilidade à sexualidade da mulher é visível na “encoxada” nos transportes públicos, nas piadinhas de mau gosto, na violência doméstica, no famoso teste do sofá etc.

A imposição de códigos de vestimenta, mesmo que indiretamente, é o maior exemplo de que a sociedade brasileira também tem um pezinho no secularismo. Não é raro ouvir comentários como “ninguém mandou se vestir desse jeito” ou “ninguém mandou beber tanto… afinal, c* de bêbado não tem dono”, como se alguém fosse incitar ou provocar o próprio estupro.

Para muitos, a aparente fragilidade feminina se traduz na obrigatoriedade de que o “NÃO” significa um “SIM” com charminho. Ainda que disfarçado, a cultura do estupro existe e é, muitas vezes, legitimada pelo mercado – como o caso da propaganda da Prudence, que afirmou que tirar a roupa e abrir o soutien de uma mulher sem o consentimento dela gasta mais calorias. De qualquer forma, os dois casos supracitados não são exemplos de violência isolada. A mulher – seja brasileira ou indiana – é desrespeitada, subjugada e estigmatizada todos os dias, e na maioria das vezes, em silêncio.

Finalmente chega ao Brasil a aguardada “Never Mind the Anabolics”, cerveja da BrewDog feita para as olimpíadas.

6%
India Pale Ale

Ingredientes: Creatina, Café, Guaraná, Ginseng, Gingo, Maca Powder, Matcha Tea  e noz-de-cola.

creatina fornece energia
ginseng é uma planta utilizada na medicina chinesa há milhares de anos para incrementar a longevidade e a qualidade de vida.
gingo pequena fruta tropical bastante rara, encontrada no México
maca powder é um potente energético , altamente valorizado pelos guerreiros incas para aumentar a resistência, impulso e combater a fadiga.
matcha tea é uma variedade de chá verde em pó
noz-de-cola é um fruto com gosto amargo e grande quantidade de cafeína

Back in late November, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” had clocked 792 million times on YouTube, and the Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei Wei filmed his own Gangnam Style parody video. Now, just five weeks later, the video has logged over 1.1 billion views. That’s one view for every seven people on the planet. What has made this pop song a global phenomenon? Various critics have chalked it up to a fluke, or to the randomness that belongs to many internet memes. Such non-answers probably wouldn’t fly with Slavoj Žižek, the nose-rubbing, shirt-tugging, Slovenian philosopher who offered his own take on the Gangnam Style Phenomenon. Speaking at the University of Vermont on October 16th, 2012, Žižek attributed Gangnam’s wild popularity to modern forms of spirituality. But I’m sure that that summary is oversimplifying things. If you have 90 minutes to kill (and I do mean kill), you can watch Žižek’s complete UVM talk below. His Gangnam musings come around the 35:10 mark.

Slavoj Žižek Demystifies the Gangnam Style Phenomenon is a post from: Open Culture. You can follow Open Culture on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and by Email.

I’ve recently been digging into the “Yogis, Heros and Poets” anthology on the Nath tradition that Phil recently reviewed. The article that I found most striking was reflection by David N. Lorenzen on the similarities between the perspectives of Gorakhnath and the mystical poet Kabir in relation to their perceptions of religious difference. For Lorenzen the inspired intellectualism of these two teacher/poets allowed them to express a sense of liberty from religious division that seemed in contrast to mere folksy syncretism.

Alongside this I’ve been reading quite a bit about of the Bauls of Bengal-both the rather romantic To Live Within by Lizelle Reymond and Jeanne Openshaw’s Seeking the Bauls of Bengal – although variation between Baul’s is inevitable, their music, poetry and spiritual praxis is often informed by a heady synthesis of traditions which includes Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Nath lore and Sufism. So it’s fair to say that I’ve had a lot of thoughts regarding syncretism and religious diversity on my mind!

It feels somewhat inevitable that I should be drawn to an exploration of this type of material given that my own spiritual journey has been concerned with the relationships that might exist between differing traditions and their potentially competing truth claims. As discussed in more detail here – Strange adventures in Tantra – my own inability to accept the exclusivist claims of Christian orthodoxy, drove me on to seek new perspectives that would allow me to nurture myself with a more diverse array of perspectives.

Eventually I found some answers by taking refuge behind the rusty punk rock bike-shed of Chaos Magick-its energy, irreverence and accelerated syncretism seemed at least to have the benefit of accurately reflecting the immediacy and jagged edges of the culture I experienced. But old habits die hard! As a somewhat errant child of the Postmodern age, part of me can’t help but long for a big shiny unifying truth. On one level this is hardly surprising given the degree to which contemporary occulture still leans heavily on perennialist perspectives such as theosophy and the reductionist application of the Qabalah as a classification system. The tempting metanarrative offered by the Perennial Philosophy can feel like a blessed relief when contrasted with the endless “cut-ups” and deconstructions of a more Chaotic approach.

Like the Perennial Philosophy before it, the Integral philosophy espoused by Ken Wilber also offers an alluring attempt at mapping cosmic holism. While providing many helpful insights, in my view it often confuses the concepts of similarity with sameness. While it may be helpful to pay attention to the trans-personal connections that exist in the mystical narratives of differing traditions, there is also a considerable risk of minimising difference and rich diversity in the pursuit of such a totalising vision. For me part of the problem with such approaches, is less about the sense of holism that might emerge from an encounter with the numinous, and more about any overly linear, reductionist attempt to tie the stages of such a process down.

If I’m unable or unwilling to take the leap of faith that feels necessary in embracing the “top-down” metaphysics of Integral and Perennial perspectives, I’m left wondering if there are other mechanisms via which I can construct some sort of spiritual meaning in a more emergent “bottom-up” fashion that enables me to move beyond the consumerism and rootlessness that often seems part and parcel of extreme relativism?

For many the concept of syncretism has something of a bad name, it speaks of blurred boundaries, conceptual overlap and a dilution of tradition. Personally I believe syncretism is all of these things and that it is inevitable. In thinking about an ideology-be it a political or religious one, even those that make claims to being revealed rather than emergent, are reliant on context and the adaptation of or reaction to existing ideas. As I have written about elsewhere – Slow Chaos – it may be that our discomfort with syncretism is more about the pace at which it occurs rather than it happening it all. In contrast to a more organic process whereby two or more differing perspectives interact over time, perhaps my own sense of psychic indigestion relates to the rate in which I’m bombarded by a plethora of competing worldviews day-in-day out.

Perhaps the beginnings of an answer to how the process of syncretism can be both slowed down and directed creatively can be found via the process of hybridisation. In trying to tease apart the possible differences between the process of syncretism and that of hybridisation, one of the primary differences seems to be the degree of consciousness brought to the activity. While syncretism often occurs unconsciously via proximity, hybridisation usually involves the deliberate splicing together to at least two differing perspectives in order to produce a new entity that functions more effectively within the context that it is developed. In reflecting on my own adventures in hybridising Zen sitting practice with Heathenry (see www.odinthewanderer.org) I have begun my own process of trying to identify some of the common traits that might be shared by those engaging in conscious hybridisation. Some of my suggestions are as follows:

1.A sense of vision related to the hybrid being proposed- rather than it being just an amusing “mash-up” the individual or group involved feel that something important is being offered and that there is a sense of aesthetic coherence between the paths involved e.g. for me the combining of Zen and Heathenry related to ideas around personal responsibility and stoicism as well as my own perception of a more minimalist sensibility.

2.A desire to engage as thoroughly as possible with the primary source material of which ever traditions or ideologies that are being combined.

3.A high degree of transparency with regards both the sources being worked with and the process of combination itself.

Probably like any good art, the sacred technician seeking to work with these hybridising processes needs to combine both vision and discipline. Vision ensures that the endeavour itself is fuelled by the uprising of creative energy inspired by the need to contextualize spiritual ideals. Discipline hopefully reduces the likelihood of simply using religious buzz words in order to legitimise personal whim.

Sources
David N. Lorenzen and Adrian Munoz (Eds.) Yogi Heros and Poets (Suny Press 2011)
Jeanne Openshaw Seeking Bauls of Bengal (Cambridge University Press 2004)
Lizelle Reymond To Live Within (Doubleday 1971)
Ken Wilber A Brief History of Everything (Gill & Macmillan 1996)

Down By The Tree, Samantha Mash

This week, we address the rather large reaction to our previous episode.
Come discuss this topic in the forums!

I’ve mentioned terrarium cemeteries before, and here’s a similar, equally splendid idea: A miniature meadow featuring a teensy Stonehenge.

This garden is by Two Green Thumbs, a site devoted to miniature gardens. There’s no information on the materials used, but the greenery looks like Irish moss and I suspect that the stones might be made from polymer clay. This would be super-simple to create–you could even go to a hardware store and get flagstones cut to shape if you felt like being particularly authentic–and would be a striking addition to a patio (or even a windowsill if you made it small enough).

The Two Green Thumbs site and accompanying blog are also a wealth of ideas for other miniature gardens, including “fairy gardens:” Full miniature landscapes with tiny furnishings (benches, paved pathways, etc.) and real plants. They’re an interesting cross between dollhouses and gardening, and there’s plenty of ways to make them spooky; indeed, a number of the ideas on the blog are Halloweenish in nature.

This would be a fun, easy project and would also make an interesting gift.

Bonus Link: When I was looking for the source of the original photo I ran across Clonehenge, a site devoted to Stonehenge replicas.

(Hat tip to WitchArachne)

To my great surprise, young people now somewhat frequently contact me in order to solicit career advice. They are usually in college or highschool, and want to know what the best next steps are for a career in security or software development.

This is, honestly, a really complicated question, mostly because I’m usually concerned that the question itself might be the wrong one to be asking. What I want to say, more often than not, is something along the lines of don’t do it; when I got out of highschool and focused on the answer to that same question, it was very nearly one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

Since I get these inquiries fairly regularly, I thought I’d write something here that I can use as a sort of canonical starting point for a response.

Read more...

“Belgium is a country invented by the British to annoy the French.”

- Charles de Gaulle

We’ve heard of chefs who claim that they can tell temperature by pressing a thermometer to their lips. Setting aside the problem that this technique could lead to a trip to the emergency room, the approach seems highly vulnerable to human error. Leaving temperature control to intuition is a recipe for disaster: dry and rubbery chicken, undercooked fish, and scalded milk. What’s more, when cooking at low temperatures, being off just a degree or two can make your food not just unpalatable but downright dangerous to eat.

That’s why the most important tool in your kitchen is a quality thermometer, followed closely by a setup that allows you to set the temperature of the cooking environment with precision. With temperature under close control, chefs can relax and devote more of their creative brain power to flavor combinations and new textures.

Cooking food sous vide (sealed, in a low-temperature water bath) is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to achieve such control. Modernist Cuisine and Modernist Cuisine at Home include hundreds of our favorite recipes for sous vide dishes. We exploit this technique, for example, to slow-cook chicken to juicy perfection while also pasteurizing it, which requires a minimum holding time at the final temperature to knock any germs down to a safe level. It’s crucial to be able to trust your thermometer, because if it reads 60° C / 140 °F when the temperature is actually several degrees cooler than that, the chicken may not be fully pasteurized when you serve it.

Fortunately, high-quality thermometers are widely available and relatively inexpensive. We prefer digital thermometers because they are easy to read and switch instantly between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Moreover, better models, such as Thermocouple’s Platinum RTD probes, are accurate to about half a degree Celsius (a bit less than one degree Fahrenheit). Even inexpensive digital oven probes are accurate to within 1.5 °C / 2.7 °F, even at low temperature. Analog thermometers, in contrast, are all but useless at low temperatures, and spike-and-dial varieties typically vary up to 2.5 °C / 4.5 °F from the true temperature.

These accuracy numbers all presuppose that your thermometer is properly calibrated—not a safe assumption for many off-the-shelf products. So whenever you buy a new thermometer, calibrate it right away by using the simple, tried-and-true method of verifying that it reads 0 °C / 32 °F in water stirred with crushed ice and 100 °C / 212 °F in water at a full boil (but note that water boils at lower temperatures at elevations above sea level, so you may need to look up the normal boiling temperature at your location). Be sure the thermometer probe doesn’t touch the sides of the container, and give it a few minutes to settle on a final reading. If your thermometer hits these targets on the nose, it is suitable for sous vide and other low-temperature cooking methods. But if your thermometer is off by 2 °C / 4 °F or more, return it for a new one or take it to a professional to adjust it.

Once your thermometer is dialed in, you can move on calibrating other parts of your kitchen. You probably won’t notice a difference in your cooking if your oven is off by a degree or two, but if you can’t set an oven temperature below 200 °F / 95 °C, it isn’t suitable for dehydrating food or slow-cooking a frozen steak to medium rare. Because ovens are notoriously inaccurate at their lower ends, be sure to calibrate your oven at several lower temperatures before relying on it for slow baking or braising.

To calibrate your oven, you need a thermometer with a probe and digital display, tethered together by an oven-safe wire. Preheat your oven fully to its lowest available setting (give it a little extra time to settle), and then clip your probe to the oven rack so that the tip of the probe is near the center of the cavity and points upward and inward. Close the oven door, wait a few minutes for the oven to recover its temperature, and then note the temperature you set as well as the reading on the thermometer. Repeat with the probe placed near a back corner and then near the door. Next, increase the temperature by 30 °C / 50 °F, and repeat. It takes some time to record these measurements for the entire range of your oven, but you only need to do it once—and the resulting picture of your oven’s performance is invaluable. You may learn, for example, why your quirky oven burns cookies on the right side of the sheet even while cookies in the back left corner stay stubbornly raw. Oven walls radiate heat unevenly, so you should expect to see some temperature variations within the cavity. Once you know their magnitude and location, you can compensate for them.

As in an oven, the temperature inside your refrigerator is warmer on some shelves than others; the door compartments are often the warmest. This can pose a safety risk if the temperature in any part of the refrigerator exceeds 5 °C / 40 °F. It is wise to set your refrigerator to a temperature that causes lower shelves to drop below freezing if that is what must be done to keep the top shelves in the door within a safe range.

To test the temperature of your refrigerator, place glasses of water in it at various locations, including the door and the top and bottom shelves. Wait several hours and then measure the temperature of the water (take care not to let the probe touch the sides of the glass). Adjust the refrigerator setting if needed, and then repeat to confirm that all parts are at or below 5 °C / 40 °F.

When cooking or cleaning up after a meal, never put food in the refrigerator or freezer while it’s still hot. We used an infrared camera to visualize how much a bowl of hot leftovers warms the surrounding food in the refrigerator, and the results were shocking. The temperature can rise dramatically and stay above the safety zone for hours, long enough for food to spoil.

Finally, use a thermometer rated for subzero temperatures (many digital ones aren’t) to check the temperature inside your freezer. Generally speaking, the lower the better, because fast freezing produces the smallest ice crystals and the least damage to foods as they solidify. But as long as the temperature is -15 °C / 5 °F or lower, you needn’t worry about microbes multiplying in the frozen food.

No one claims that calibrating your kitchen is fun. But it is important, and once you’ve done it, all your cooking will go more smoothly. You can then focus more of your attention on the creative aspects of cooking without worrying so much about being thwarted (or even made ill) by the vagaries of temperature.

Click here to put your newly calibrated oven to use, cooking steak straight from the freezer!

better than the original  

The Misfortune Teller, Danni Shinya Luo

Anatomically themed packaging for Dutch aromatherapy company Van Der Lichaam.  Created by illustrator and designer Virginia Holman, each bottle features an anatomical illustration relating to the aromatherapy of the scent.

• Jasmine + sandalwood fragrance is to increase romance
• Rosemary + bergamot is blended to improve mental clarity
• Eucalyptus + lemon is blended to improve respiratory health

 

View more of Virginia’s work on Behance!

 

Rorschach Tests, Brian Cheung

- - -

Follow Brian Cheung on Tumblr HERE!

The tech world has grown up a lot. So why do its biggest stars insist on dressing like slovenly teenagers?

also: wire safety, fun with capacitors, and how to make a Windows shortcut [via] 

http://ashow.zefrank.com/episodes/92

It has been said that the dominant influences on F. Scott Fitzgerald were literature, Zelda, alcohol, and Princeton. The photos above were taken during the novelist’s Princeton days, where he played an active role in The Princeton Triangle Club, writing scripts and lyrics for what’s now the oldest collegiate musical-comedy troupe in the US. After Fitzgerald failed several exams, he was barred from performing in the club’s 1916 musical production, The Evil Eye!. A shame, given that he co-wrote the script. But F. Scott wasn’t going to be completely denied. Yes, he posed in drag for a publicity photo that appeared in The New York Times on January 2, 1916. The newspaper called him “the most beautiful” girl in the show.

H/T Retronaut

Related Content:

F. Scott Fitzgerald Reads From Shakespeare’s Othello and John Masefield’s “On Growing Old” (c.1940)

The Evolution of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Signature: From 5 Years Old to 21

The Wire Breaks Down The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Classic Criticism of America (NSFW)

Find major works by F. Scott Fitzgerald in our Free eBooks and Free Audio Books collections.

F. Scott Fitzgerald in Drag (1916) is a post from: Open Culture. You can follow Open Culture on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and by Email.

(c) Abigail Larson

We Lovecraftians are a scattered lot.  From the icy reaches of Scandinavia, to the further tip New Zealand, from the Indian subcontinent to central Mexico - we dwell.  Hell, I'd wager there are a few 'Craftians down Antarctica way, doing their occupational duty whilst keeping an eye on the horizon, looking for shadows cast by Mountains of Madness.

We are also prone to be a tad, say, "curmudgeony," to put it delicately.  We have too many books to read and night skies to contemplate and stories to write and songs to sing to venture too far into proper, square society.  When we do, it always ends up being such a waste of time, doesn't it?  The hearth and page is never a let down.

Finally, we are diverse, as much as that would shock HPL, and as much as that constantly delights me.  Cosmicism knows no race, gender, or creed.  The fantastical doesn't choose followers.  You either feel it in your marrow and up your tingling spine, or you don't.

All of these reasons - and many others - reinforce why gatherings devoted to Lovecraftiana are so important, and so interesting.  It gets us away from our tomes and into a predetermined gathering spot, all within easy reach of cocktails.  There is browsing to do and things to purchase - LOVECRAFTIAN THINGS!  Familiar faces abound, as do new people to meet.  The air is abuzz with happy talk of very dark things, and all seems RIGHT with the world amongst those who dream of days when the stars will be, too.

Now, conventions solely devoted to the works and influence of H.P. Lovecraft have come and gone over the years, but keeping that sustaining momentum going has been difficult.  With that said, I'm here to inform you that this unfortunate sporadicism might be a thing of the past, as devoted Lovecraftian and local Providence resident (Providencian?) Niels S. Hobbs has put together what looks like the Mother of All Lovecraftian Gatherings - the Shubby of the HPL Con scene, if you will:  NecronomiCon Providence 2013, coming this summer (which will be here before you know it), August 23-25.  After going through the planned program of this massive event, I think Hobbs and his ambitious band are going to accomplish their goal, folks.  Read on and tell me I'm wrong...

Please note:  This is a lengthy posting, full of wonderful and edifying information.  As such, be sure to scroll down completely for information on becoming a reward-draped backer via the NecronomiCon Providence 2013 Kickstarter (LESS THAN FOUR DAYS LEFT!), and the official Call for Abstracts, for those of the scholarly bend (like I sometimes pretend to be).

First, some background, lovingly provided by the organizers of NecronomiCon Providence:


Howard Phillips Lovecraft, born in Providence in 1890, is widely considered to be the father of modern supernatural fiction. In tribute to his legacy, the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in his hometown, is organizing NecronomiCon Providence, a multi-faceted convention exploring the works of Lovecraft, his contemporaries, and the modern writers and artists that he continues to influence. This three-day event will feature renowned speakers, panel discussions, and workshops. Participants will be further rewarded with historic tours, art exhibits, film screenings, plays, and concerts that will immerse them in the city he loved and called home – Providence, Rhode Island.

Unusual for an event of this sort, we are working to bring attendees outside the traditional confining walls of the convention hall and into the streets to showcase and celebrate the character of Lovecraft’s city. Working with the municipality, area universities, and local businesses, we are creating a convention that will draw many people to Providence, and help to maintain its status as a destination city, a city that Lovecraft venerated, and immortalized in the minds of countless individuals around the world. It was in this centuries old city that Lovecraft was born, and where his literary mythologies were formed – and those ancient strains still resonate here today.

Theme: “The Rational Mind in Supernatural Literature” – an exploration of the intersection of art and science that lies at the foundation of the H. P. Lovecraft mythos literary genre. The name NecronomiCon is a tribute to the fictional ancient book of knowledge he conceived in his stories, and serves to underscore this theme.

Date: August 23-25, 2013, to coincide with Lovecraft birthday celebrations in Providence.

Subjects to be explored over the three-day convention:

· Literature: Science Fiction, Horror, Mythology…
· Science and Exploration: Astronomy, Archaeology, Biology…
· History: Primordial, Pre-Colombian, Colonial, 1920s…
· Culture: Art, Architecture, Cinema, Theater, Music, Poetry, Gaming, Food…

Many of the foremost Lovecraft mythos scholars and writers have signed on to be a part of this event, including S.T. Joshi, Robert M. Price, W.H. Pugmire, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Laird Barron, and many others. To date, there is already so much positive buzz in the literary and pop-culture community surrounding our plans, that this is expected to be the preeminent Lovecraft conference of the decade, and the largest convention of its kind anywhere in the world.

As we move past the formative steps, we are looking for SPONSORSHIPS and GRANT SUPPORT to help implement this long-overdue tribute to Providence’s own begotten. After more than a decade since the last Lovecraft convention in Providence, the roots have set for a newly invigorated NecronomiCon in August 2013. If you’d like to be a material part of this, with an anticipated audience of upwards of a thousand hungry and passionate fans from around the nation and the world, please contact us via email or phone listed below or through our website.

Niels Hobbs, director
Email:  keeper@necronomicon-providence.com  Phone: 401.743.3250  Web: necronomicon-providence.com

PROPOSED EVENTS

During the course of the three-day convention, NecronomiCon Providence will showcase a wide variety of engaging programs.

· Speakers and panel discussions covering all aspects of the Lovecraft legacy
· Art exhibits featuring local and international artists inspired by the tales of H.P. Lovecraft
· Film series highlighting cinematic works (full-length features and short films), including classics and new releases
· The infamous Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast, presided over by Robert M. Price
· Gaming rooms for the popular Mythos-based role-playing and board games
· A citywide scavenger hunt organized by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
· Guided tours of Lovecraft’s Providence with stops at key locations in his life and stories
· Vendors representing publishers, authors, artists, cultural organizations, and Lovecraft-themed merchandise
· Collaborative exhibits with area museums, libraries, and observatory
· Workshops on prop-making, film production, and other hands-on activities
· Plays and other theater productions, including live productions of old-style radio shows
· Waterfire activities, including Lovecraft-themed vignettes by Big Nazo puppets
· Music concert, with internationally acclaimed acts
· Restaurant and bar night, highlighting the great cuisine offerings found in Providence.


SPONSORSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS

NecromoniCon Providence is organized by the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council, Inc., a nonprofit organization that dreams of bringing the world-renowned fame of Lovecraft back to its rightful home in Southern New England. We seek business partners, and municipal and state support in order to successfully achieve this dream – a goal with far-reaching benefits. We are presently asking for material resources, venue spaces, financial support, and active involvement from our community. Given the tremendous response we already have, we hope to make this a biennial event.  Our hope is to present Providence as a destination city, to that end all the bridges we build now are ones that will make a much stronger future.

The Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Providence, Rhode Island. We are a networking center for scholars, authors, and fans exploring the literary world of H.P. Lovecraft and associated authors. We seek to examine the intersection of science and art that lies at the foundation of the H.P. Lovecraft literary genre. We work closely with experts and enthusiasts around the world to foster a critical review of related research, literature, art, and the cultural impact of Lovecraft’s writings on the modern world.

ABOUT THE TEAM

We strive to organize public educational events including NecronomiCon Providence – a biennial convention that explores the work of H.P. Lovecraft and that of his myriad literary and artistic offspring, via speakers, panel discussions, book readings, and workshops. We also organize historic tours, art exhibits, film screenings, plays, and concerts to highlight the world of Lovecraft with a particular emphasis on his home city of Providence – a city that Lovecraft honored and immortalized in the minds of countless individuals around the world.

NecronomiCon Providence is organized by a cabal of close friends and associates with a vision. A horrifying, horrifying vision. Join us in making our nightmares come true.

M. McArtor
Our Graphic Designer Mitch McArtor.

Anthony Teth
Web site of writer, occultist, and oddball, Anthony Teth.

Jay Gidwitz Web Design
The art web site of our web designer Jay Gidwitz.

Arkham Film Society
Josh Gravel and Scott Lefebvre run the Arkham Film Society in Providence, RI.
_________________________________________________________________________
Now, let's take care of some business, and provide you with some updates...

First of all, you have less than FOUR DAYS to kick this (in the words of Anthony Teth) "convention, conference, and celebration of all things Lovecraftian" further up into the cold, uncaring cosmos.

If this great video doesn't load, pounce on the provided link:

From the NecronomiCon Providence 2013 Kickstarter Page:

We're bringing Lovecraft back to Providence! Help us stage the greatest event in his memory ever, with renowned scholars and authors.

Resurrecting the Memory of Lovecraft... just a few more essential salts to go.

Dear Friends - we've been overwhelmed with the amount of support, positive feedback, and buzz we've gotten from Lovecraft scholars and fans, Weird Fiction authors and artists, and all manner of people who have a love for Hoary Providence.

Our plans are rapidly moving forward to bring the world the premier Lovecraft literary and scholarly conference and cultural convention, right here in the heart of Lovecraft's beloved hometown, August 23-25, 2013.

Resurrecting the Memory of Lovecraft... just a few more essential salts to go.

Dear Friends - we've been overwhelmed with the amount of support, positive feedback, and buzz we've gotten from Lovecraft scholars and fans, Weird Fiction authors and artists, and all manner of people who have a love for Hoary Providence.

Our plans are rapidly moving forward to bring the world the premier Lovecraft literary and scholarly conference and cultural convention, right here in the heart of Lovecraft's beloved hometown, August 23-25, 2013.

STRETCH GOALS

$19,000 - UNLOCKED!!! - We made it!! Now we will be able to have our good friend Jason Eckhardt, a local Lovecraftian artist of great renown, produce a gorgeous brand-new map poster of Lovecraftian sites around Providence and the wider region - absolutely suitable for framing.  Given this amazing support, we'll make this available both in pdf form for Download backers to Acolyte backers, and in print for Silver-Key and above backers. THANK YOU!

$23,000 - LOCKED -If we can make it to this level of commitment from all you devotees, we will be able to release an updated version of Jason Eckhardt's superb "Off the Ancient Track" Lovecraft travel chapbook, now long out of print. Given enough support, we'll make this available both in pdf form for Download backers to Acolyte backers, and in print for Silver-Key and above backers.

$25,000 - LOCKED -  After much machinating, fulminating, and otherwise plotting and devising some appropriately eldritch rewards for you all... we're still finalizing some of the details, but suffice it to say, this locked level includes a bunch more goodies for all Silver Key and above backers, made by our local and not so local artist friends - limited edition silkscreens of our amazing posters.

For ALL backers above the Acolyte level (i.e. PATRON and BENEFACTOR levels, and above) - a VERY gorgeous limited run amulet made ONLY for all backers above the basic Acolyte level... So, if you're a PATRON or a BENEFACTOR level backer, no matter the theme, you'll get one of these!

And, for ALL full-pass recipients, from PILGRIMAGE on up, you'll get a high-quality embroidered patch of our sigil design, as shown above.

Stay tuned for more (if our febrile minds can conjure more up!).

$60,000 - LOCKED - "We got a badass over here!!!" Wow, we must be nuts for even considering this, but it's been our dream to have Neil deGrasse Tyson come and join us, and give a keynote address explaining how Lovecraft's literary view of the universe is remarkably in line with present cosmology.  He is NOT cheap, though, and we simply can't skip other our more pressing immediate convention needs for this extravagance - but, with a little help? Backers at this level (we need four of them, each contributing $9,999 for this to work - fully refunded if it falls through for some reason), will definitely get dinner with the Man, AND absolutely everything else we offer - PLUS, we'll cover YOUR expenses, too - airfare, hotel, and meals! Does that sweeten the pot enough?

Prepare yourselves!

Anoint your feet!

The time for the Pilgrimage is nearly upon us!
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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Seeking new Lovecraft-related research for NecronomiCon Providence, 2013

The Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council, Inc. (the organizer of NecronomiCon Providence) is seeking submissions of academic works that explore all aspects of the works and life of famed weird fiction writer, H.P. Lovecraft, including the influence of history, architecture, science (anthropology, biology, geology, etc), and popular culture (movies, theater, etc), on his works.

We particularly hope to foster exploration of Lovecraft as a rationalist who created an elaborate cosmic mythology, and how this mythology was influenced by, and has come to influence, numerous other authors and artists before and since. However, all submissions that contribute to a greater understanding of Lovecraft and associated authors and artists of “weird tales” (science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc) are encouraged.
For this component of the Convention, we are particularly interested in soliciting novel work from young or new academics. If selected, presenters should be prepared to deliver a twenty minute oral presentation summarizing their thesis, and are invited to submit a brief MS for possible inclusion in a proceedings publication.

Selected talks will be presented together as part of a mini-conference within the overall convention framework of NecronomiCon Providence, August 23-25, 2013. Interested scholars, whether faculty, graduate, undergraduate, or independent, should send a 250-300 word abstract, preferably in .doc or .pdf format, to keeper@necronomicon-providence.com by May 23, 2013 for consideration.

For more information on our convention, to learn more about the themes to be explored, and to sign up for email updates, please visit our website: necronomicon-providence.com

NB: In addition to these talks, NecronomiCon Providence will also feature numerous traditional panels and presentations given by many of the top names in the Lovecraftian community.

Check this link for further details.
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Act fast and get in line, kiddies.  Don't let this historic event go down without you.

Alright, so you want something sweet, refreshing, and isn’t made by coca-cola? Son, agua fresca is the fucking JAM. Look, all the shit you need is:

6 cups of fruit (I used cantaloupe, but you can use strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, etc)
1 cup of ice
3 cups of water
3 tablespoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of agave or cane sugar
pinch of salt

Toss all that shit in a blender and zap it. Fucking done. Some people strain the blended fruit for pulp, which makes the consistency a bit more watery. Not me, I like some pulp in that shit. Every sip reminds me what I’m drinking isn’t gasoline.  

Natural sugar is way better for you than that garbage they put in soda.  No bitch, I don’t “wanta Fanta” go get the fuck on. Shit.

Metamorphoses, Kareena Zerefos

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Follow Kareena Zerefos on Tumblr HERE!