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Check out this video on YouTube: The Qwesi: An Exploration Of Post Irony It’s kind of tedious in some ways but they get the postironic aesthetic exactly right. This video has me asking the question: is postirony simply another name for what Andrew Potter has described as a culture of quirk, a new form of … Continue reading By Any Beans Necessary

Check out this video on YouTube: The Qwesi: An Exploration Of Post Irony It’s kind of tedious in some ways but they get the postironic aesthetic exactly right. This video has me asking the question: is postirony simply another name for what Andrew Potter has described as a culture of quirk, a new form of … Continue reading By Any Beans Necessary

The hotel we’re staying at is quite fantastic–full-service-type, gym, spa, hair salon, “mini-mall,” excellent service, etc.  All our meals are taken care of.  For dinner, we were taken to a gigantic sea food restaurant, packed with people, more than a thousand, maybe two.  You pick your own food from the tanks and tell the chefs … Continue reading The Jakartan Glow

For the first time, I’ve flown over the Equator.  I’m in Jakarta, Indonesia, staying at the Kristal Hotel.  This place is pretty posh and has a fast internet connection.  The representatives of the Raffles International Christian school who are hosting the EPGY camp here seem extremely friendly and excited to have us here; their school … Continue reading Lufthansa 788

At the request of my adoring public, I’m posting my first entry from Singapore. Unlike other places I’ve travelled to, and written about in this blog, I am in Singapore with a very specific work assignment: teaching creative writing for Stanford’s Educational Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), for two weeks here and then for two … Continue reading Singapore Idol

I’m happy to report that I’ve finished a draft of a dissertation chapter, my first finished chapter, on the figure of the trendspotter. The title, for those who have been following along and might be interested, is “Is Selling Out the New Keeping it Real?: The Hermeneutics of Trendspotting in the Cultural Economy.” I am … Continue reading Is Selling Out the New Keeping it Real?

Greetings and salutations kittenfollowers; your fearless leader has returned from a long journey into the groves of academe. I won’t bore you with the details, but the upshot of the last few years is that I’ve written a chapter of my dissertation (on trendspotting/coolhunting) and I’m going to be going to Singapore and Jakarta (see: … Continue reading Singapore! Jakarta!

I’m happy to report that I’ve finished a draft of a dissertation chapter, my first finished chapter, on the figure of the trendspotter. The title, for those who have been following along and might be interested, is “Is Selling Out the New Keeping it Real?: The Hermeneutics of Trendspotting in the Cultural Economy.” I am … Continue reading Is Selling Out the New Keeping it Real?

I haven’t yet had a chance to write an account of the “Postirony in Theory and Fiction” special session I co-organized for MLA ’06. Since I know you’re all very busy people, I’ll be brief: the special session was very successful. The papers, all of which had very different takes on postirony, were quite interesting. … Continue reading Reflections on MLA ’06

Today, Julie and I decided to have lunch at a new “gourmet hamburger” joint on College Avenue in Palo Alto called “The Counter.” When we entered The Counter a chipper and well-groomed girl welcomed us, showed us to our seat, and asked “Have you been to the counter before?” When we said no, she proceeded … Continue reading The Birth of American Fusion Food