The Weekly Swarm: 12/1 - 12/7
PSA: If you have a gas heater/furnace in your apartment, be careful operating it. I spent the majority of the past two weeks suffering from acute carbon monoxide poisoning, and it was not a good look. Make sure you have your heaters inspected by your landlord or gas utility man, have your carbon monoxide detectors up to date, and show general care when using them. I lucked out, but who knows what may happen in the future without the proper care?
Now that that's off my chest, we had a pretty solid week at Ruby Hornet with some features from a few new faces. We'll have many new writers coming out of the woodwork over the next couple of weeks, and we'll give them a proper introduction then. For now, revisit last week's content, including our video from Vic Mensa's show at the Metro, Travis's editorial on why Rick and Morty is the best show on TV, Xander's thoughts on England censoring women in British porn, the all-star cast announcement for DC's Suicide Squad, Rachel's editorial on photographer Jimmy Nelson's book, Before They Pass Away, and more below!
[RH Video] Vic Mensa at the Metro (11/28/2014)
Rick and Morty: Best Show on TV?
Female Ejaculation Censored From British Porn
Five Things to Know in Music This Week (12/1 - 12/5)
Will Smith, Jared Leto Among Stars Cast in DC's Suicide Squad Adaptation
Bond 24 Officially Titled SPECTRE, Cast Unveiled
[Weekly Netflix Fix] James Bond Highlights New Netflix Additions
[Review] Red Knot
GoPro Might Produce Their Own Camera Drones in 2015
Before They Pass Away: One Photographer's Personal Ethnography
Female Ejaculation Censored From British Porn
A new set of regulations put into effect by the British government yesterday will censor female ejaculation from any UK-produced pornography. Among the sex acts to fall foul of the new rules are spanking, 'aggressive' whipping, watersports, facesitting and fisting, with the latter two among those marked out as 'life endangering'. Notions of consent have not been taken into account in compiling the list, which is already being heavily criticised for seemingly focusing on acts in which women either traditionally derive the greatest pleasure or are depicted as powerful and in control.
In interviews with Vice UK, producer and professional dominatrix Itziar Bilbao Urrutia, or Ms Tytania to her subs, called the regulations "absurd and surreal", while Jerry Barnett, founder of anti-censorship campaign Sex And Censorship, described them as "a set of moral judgements designed by people who have struggled endlessly to stop the British people from watching pornography." Director Erika Lust, writing for the Telegraph, fears the new rules will turn porn into a "boring, unrealistic, male fantasy of bimbos eagerly pleasing men as if it is their duty, where women are submissive and lack ownership of their sexuality."
Despite this widespread censorship being justified under the guise of child protection, the rules solely affect UK porn producers and in no way limit the rights or ability of viewers to seek out videos from abroad depicting the banned acts.
Few would deny that child access to pornography remains a very serious issue, especially when it comes to some of the more hardcore material which can potentially affect sexual development and expectations at a young age. At a time when casual social misogyny and the sexual mistreatment of women is finally being taken as seriously as it should, that these regulations so heavily focus on censoring depictions of female pleasure is not only damaging, but outright repellent. They enshrine in law the idea that male sexual satisfaction is more important and acceptable than that of women, while making seemingly arbitrary judgments on what is deemed 'good' and 'bad' sex between consenting adults.
In this case, such censorship represents a government attempting to enforce its outdated, puritanical and simplistic morality on a modern issue requiring more careful and considered education to help those affected better understand such essential ideas as consent, respect and the difference between sex as fantasy and in reality.
In any case, those Monty Python boys had better watch out. All together now...
[youtube id="FKeQpeDkoGc"]
The Weekly Swarm: 11/24 - 11/30
How was everybody's holiday weekend? Mine was adventurous, to say the least... definitely not a period of time I want to revisit anytime soon. Today marks the first of December, and the last month of 2014. It's been a great ride this year, hasn't it? I think the best is yet to come, but I am a bit biased. For now, let's re-live last week's content below.
[RH Photos] Jeezy at Stubb's (11/20/2014)
How Awkward Can a Feminist Get?
[RH Photos] Run the Jewels at Metro (11/22/2014)
FAA Proposes Major Restrictions on Commercial Drone Usage
[Trailer] Jurassic World
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Early Thanksgiving Update
Jurassic World Almost Featured Human/Dinosaur Hybrids
[Teaser Trailer] Star Wars: The Force Awakens
[RH Photos] Jeezy at Stubb's (11/20/2014)
[RH Photos] Run the Jewels at Metro (11/22/2014)
FAA Proposes Major Restrictions on Commercial Drone Usage
FAA Proposes Major Restrictions on Commercial Drone Usage
If you haven't watched any episodes from this season of South Park, I highly recommend doing so. South Park has always been a bastion of consistently entertaining satire, but the quality has elevated even more this season with well-thought out social commentary on topics such as the gender binary, existentialism, and privacy. It's this last theme that brings the rest of this article full circle. As South Park is wont to do, they poked fun at UAVs (re: unmanned aerial vehicles or drones) in relation to privacy, voyeurism, and self-policing. Beyond the humor and entertainment of the episode, it did pose a question over whether or not personal drone use is as safe for those being captured by video without their consent.
Recently, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) suggested their proposal to regulate drone usage with limitations and restrictions. Namely, they want to require valid pilot's licenses for commercial drone users, or those who intend on making a profit from the footage their drones capture. Other regulations include only allowing drone usage during the day, stay under 400 feet in altitude, and ensuring drones are always in sight of their users for all drones weighing 55 pounds or less.
The FAA plans on making an official proposal by the end of the year, but is keen on input and suggestions to help formulate an ideal decision that would make sense for both consumers and their agency. Again, it should be noted that the regulations would apply to commercial use of drones only, but where is the line drawn between commercial and private use? How will that be tracked and regulated? I'm sure answers to these questions and many others will be clarified over the ensuing months when the proposal is made public.
[via Engadget]
[RH Photos] Jeezy at Stubb's (11/20/2014)
Photos by Tami Weis. Review by Diego Montes.
Back when Jeezy was still Young Jeezy, I remember hearing his song with Akon for the first time and thinking, "I'm not feelin' this shit at all. I bet it's gonna be a huge hit." I had no idea how popular he'd get in strip clubs, or that all these years later, the dude would still be around to tell haters like me to fuck off in person. That's exactly what happened Thursday night at Stubbs.
"Ten years. That's a decade my nigga," was more or less the theme of the night, and by the ninth or tenth time he said so, I realized you do have to hand it to him on two points. First, ten years is a decade, he was adamant about that. Second, he has had real staying power, at least enough that it made sense to drop the Young from his name, a move that most Young rappers don't rap long enough to make.
Of course, every rapper claims to be the best, and Jeezy is no different. He's not the best, but he is pretty good at what he does and seems to know what his fans want. Even with threats of rain at an outdoor venue, Jeezy was able to draw a decent-sized crowd with a wide range of people, and those that did show were giving a lot of energy. I only saw one guy make it rain, which was a little disappointing, but since I wasn't about to step up myself I figured I couldn't complain. Jeezy certainly didn't seem disappointed, repeatedly commenting on the crowd's hype and genuinely giving love to all parts of Texas.
There were a lot of people having fun, so it was easy to join in, and that seems to be what Jeezy wanted his shows to be about. He even closed the show with a motivational speech about keeping good people around you or some shit. Honestly, I tend to have an opposite reaction to motivation, so I mostly tuned that out, but I liked that he did that because it's good for some people.
Whatever else you may think of him, don't ever say Jeezy doesn't care.
The Weekly Swarm: 11/17 - 11/23
Happy early Thanksgiving, friends and family. Given the holiday week, we might be a bit more sporadic than usual with our updates over the next few days. However, we'll hit the ground running come December to make up for it! For now, revisit last week's content below, which included Virgil's personal photos from this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest, an op/ed on the media's role in Charles Manson's upcoming marriage, a look at a vigilante photographer documenting Chicago crime scenes on social media, trailers for some upcoming films and documentaries, and more below!
[Through My Lens] Fun Weekend
Problems That Fix Themselves' Release Show Recap (11/15/2014)
Did We Help Charles Manson Find Love?
Chicago Man's Crime Scene Photos Document City's Violence
[Trailer] Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty
First Images of The Peanuts Movie
[Trailer] The Peanuts Movie
[Trailer] Amira & Sam
[Weekly Netflix Fix] The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Sony Drops Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs Film, Universal Might Pick It Up
[Trailer] The Sheik
16th Century-Imagined Superheroes by Photographer Sacha Goldberger
[Through My Lens] Fun Weekend
Chicago Man's Crime Scene Photos Document City's Violence
The Weekly Swarm: 11/10 - 11/16
Last week, President Obama publicly showed support for net neutrality, Kim Kardashian attempted to break the internet, Evil Dead is returning as a TV series, Sony is entering the TV streaming business, and we shared recaps of Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 and Antarctigo Vespucci's recent Chicago show. Read all of this and more below!
President Obama Wants to Reclassify the Internet as a Utility
[RH Photos] Antarctigo Vespucci at Beat Kitchen (11/8/2014)
Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Recap
Did Kim Kardashian Actually #BreakTheInternet? (NSFW)
[Trailer 2] Exodus: Gods and Kings
Evil Dead to Return as Starz TV Series
[Trailer] Manny
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Ho-Hum November Update
PlayStation Vue is Sony's Venture into Cloud-Based TV Streaming
[RH Photos] Antarctigo Vespucci at Beat Kitchen (11/8/2014)
Did Kim Kardashian Actually #BreakTheInternet? (NSFW)
Kim Kardashian's claim to fame was the infamous 2007 leak of her sex tape with ex-boyfriend Ray J. There's no escaping the fact. The fall of 2007 found Kardashian and her family make their reality TV debut on E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The rest, they say, is history. In the seven years that have followed, Kardashian has faced criticism over being "famous for being famous," a long line of fashion endorsements, an ill-received marriage (and whirlwind divorce) to NBA player Kris Humphries, a few forgettable film roles, and marriage to your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, Kanye West. As is the norm in pop culture these days, celebrities are shoved down our throats in grocery store tabloids, gossip sites, and social media.
By now, everybody is aware of Paper's tantalizing photo spread and fluff piece on the most famous Kardashian. I have no real criticism with writer Amanda Fortini's expose on Kim beyond its "written just to be written" subject matter. However, in the 24-hour timetable from Kardashian's mooning of the internet to the full article and photo spread release, was the internet actually broken?
If there's anything that will get people talking, it's sex. And for that, well done Paper. Instead of creating some interesting, creative, and compelling content, you paired up with one of pop culture's most powerful female figures (for better or worse), paired her with an unbelievably talented photographer in Jean-Paul Goude, and worked to the lowest common denominator to boost site traffic, increase sales for a physical magazine in the wake of print's dying culture, and get people talking.
But what's more important? Becoming a trending topic or actually breaking the internet with something worthwhile of being considered "groundbreaking"? I understand the importance of embracing pop culture and entertainment when running a media outlet - obviously - and I understand how celebrity can make or break an outlet's popularity and sheer survival in a wide-open internet where we're all competing for hits, Twitter mentions, and Facebook likes. But with articles like Paper's "No Filter: An Afternoon with Kim Kardashian," where's the substance? As Kim joked herself on Twitter, "Because we know you came just [to] read the article..." she understands and acknowledges just how empty the article really was.
So here we are now, with pro-Kim crowds embracing how her Mom boobs really did #BreakTheInternet and anti-Kim crowds calling for people to #FixTheInternet. For a pop culture entity who has tried (and succeeded... at times) to legitimize herself since the sex tape, what do these photos ultimately say about Kim Kardashian, the person and the brand? Is she fully realizing who she is and accepting that which propelled her to stardom in the first place? Or is all of this an attempt to stay relevant before her relevancy runs the risk of fading?
It's too early to tell. And ultimately, what does it matter in the end? You're all here just to "read the article" anyways, right?
