plasticbag.org – Page 342 – by Tom Coates

Yesterday on Barbelith (so sue me, I’m stressed): Grant Morrison (Part One) – “In the first part of this archived interview from 1999, Grant Morrison talks about the Justice League, Animal Man, Alan Moore and 2000AD.”

Random

Not just for Porn!

Post author By Tom Coates
Post date June 27, 2001

Possibly the most useful thing in the world: images.google.com – and not just for porn!

Politics

The Problem of Happiness…

Post author By Tom Coates
Post date June 27, 2001

In my mind at the moment is the following quote from Brave New World, combined with my refreshed memory of temp slavery and the realisation that business news is full of conversations about unhappiness at work, frustration and stress and the medical profession is still pumping the population full of anti-depressants.

“The most important Manhattan Projects of the future will be vast
government-sponsored inquiries into what the politicians and the
participating scientists will call ‘the problem of happiness’ – in other
words, the problem of making people love their servitude. Without economic
security, the love of servitude cannot possibly come into existence; for the
sake of brevity, I will assume that the all-powerful executive and its
managers will succeed in solving the problem of permanent security. But
security tends very quickly to be taken for granted. Its achievement is
merely a superficial, external revolution. The love of servitude cannot be
established except as the result of a deep, personal revolution in human
minds and hearts.” [Aldous Huxley]

His ‘suggestions’?
1) The development of suggestion, through drugs and conditioning.
2) A science of determining which people should be doing what and in
what part of the social and economic hierarchy.
3) Something ‘less harmful’ and ‘more pleasure-giving’ than gin or
heroin.
4) A foolproof system of eugenics, designed to standardize the human
product and so to facillitate the task of the managers.

Random

Pixies DVD retrospective?

Post author By Tom Coates
Post date June 27, 2001

Thanks to Luke for finding me a news story about the soon-to-be-released Pixies DVD retrospective. I’m awed, and a little scared by how excited I am.

Random

Buy Davo presents…

Post author By Tom Coates
Post date June 27, 2001

My life has been saved several times by the kindnesses of young Davo. At this precise moment, however, I am unable to buy him a gift for his birthday (tomorrow). So I’m going to send all of you guys off to make his day special and cool (you can buy him shit too if you like) and then I’ll get him something when my finances are perkier.

Random

On Pleasing Poofs…

Post author By Tom Coates
Post date June 27, 2001

Kerry and Sean got their presents. The wonders of Amazon.com vouchers. Twister, Pets.com glove puppets and an Austin Powers Shaguar. What more could two poofs want?

Random

Looking for Tom Coates…

Post author By Tom Coates
Post date June 27, 2001

I’m not the Tom Coates that likes curling, swimming or hunting (although he’s kinda cute), nor am I the Tom Coates that is married to Judith. The most spooky part of this whole process is that I’ve seen both of these sites before. And it wasn’t on a vanity hunt for mentions of myself on the net.

My mother and father split when I was two years old for a variety of reasons. The last time I saw him was when I was four, and I don’t really remember much about him, except him buying me a present and giving it to me on the doorstep. I haven’t heard from him since that time, although my mother was contacted by him when I was six or seven. But since then, nothing. Not a word. His name was Thomas John Coates, and he’d be in his early sixties now. He worked in computers, and every so often I go online and try to see if I can figure out where he might be, if indeed he’s still alive. I don’t know that I want to meet him, but I’d be interested in knowing more about him. So if you get bored, look around for other Tom Coateses – and if you find him, let me know.