A LOCAL newspaper had two articles that challenge the nature of art, a Lego Sculpture and a Computer portrait.
The first one, a Lego construction that sells for $1,500, seems childish in its use of a child’s toy and is potentially dangerous as anyone who has stepped on a Lego block knows.
The second, a computer-drawn portrait of Edmond de Belamy, seems derivative and rather blurry but sold for an astonishing $432,500. This might be a defining example of the computer acronym GIGO – garbage in, garbage out.
A third overall concern is the cost of some art with Wikipedia listing almost 40 pieces sold for over $100 million. Surely a better use of that money might be to build a few hospitals.
I know art is much broader in range than what I like as art works but at times it seems someone is playing a prank, a very expensive prank on the art world.
Turn the computer off, put the Lego blocks away and get out into the sun with some watercolor paints.
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It’s not time for the clowns
The COVID pandemic has caused so many deaths that defeating it must be the world’s first priority and it will come with costs and depravations.
Lockdowns have become a regular event and are generally considered a nuisance, but they are necessary.
Some of the social media have been complaining about the consequences including the cancellation of children’s birthday parties.
Although I sympathize with children missing out on their birthday party, especially twice, the reason they are missing out on their birthdays is so that many more people can continue to have many more birthdays.
It’s not “send in the clowns” but rather send in the vaccine nurses.
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Racing to a profit
The race to make money with crypto products has now hit the racetrack. It is possible to buy, sell and race a digital racehorse and like most crypto products there can be great profits made in a short time.
Basically, buy a “horse”, pay a small amount to race it, and hopefully it will “win” a few races and rise in value – a great option when we are all locked at home due to COVID or is it?
Real horse racing is far more fun. What could match the excitement of standing in the rain at a Wednesday afternoon rural race, waiting for the next race to start once it’s fine?
Not everything is as fun in the digital world although it might not be a good idea to google all the possibilities. I want to see a race where I can judge the horse flesh, and its attitude in the mounting room and where the horses wear saddles and have riders. This is not the sport of kings but maybe rather the “sport” of computer nerds.
Come back to the real racetrack and I’ll buy you an overpriced beer. All that is missing is the smell of house poop but to me this smells of horse poop anyway.
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When good people get strange ideas
The north of Australia is suffering from a mice plague, literally millions of mice, and the farmers are trying to get rid of them by any means including poisoning them. Farmers care for animals but they need to get rid of the mice.
The animal activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has suggested that “…humane traps allow small animals to be caught gently and released unharmed.”
These are not cuddly little furry animals; they are vermin that will eat all the food that animals need, and they are also difficult to catch. The suggestion of releasing them elsewhere is impractical as they need to be moved away from farms but where to, to the desert where they would starve or to the city where they would not be appreciated?
Sometimes people with good intentions come up with ideas that are silly because they have no real understanding of the actual problems.
Let’s save the whales and the pandas but not the mice.
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Imagine giving Bitcoin away
The latest Bitcoin news is that you can donate Bitcoins to charity. The idea sounds good although almost no one wants to get rid of Bitcoins at the moment, much less give them away so it may be an uncharitable option.
The actual reality of the use of the imaginary currency becomes more complex when taxation donations are considered. Since the value, if there really is any, of bitcoins is very volatile, especially over the last few weeks, what are you donating and what can you claim?
If you give $50,000 to a charity at the start of the financial year and it drops in value, then you are not being so generous, you would have been if you used dollars. If the value rises significantly, can you claim the greater value on your taxes? Hint – don’t try it!
Perhaps it’s best to use the old-fashioned approach and donate dollars. If you need an example, the Fred Hollows foundation would welcome your money and more people would be able to see. (dfitzger@melbpc.org.au)/PN
