Welcome to issue 10 of the nothing here newsletter. We’ve officially reached double digits. That went fast. Hi, how are you? We’ve got a wide variety of stuff to share with you this time around - dense philosophical essays, lost pop-culture artifacts, a heavy dose of Australian content, and plenty more.
Corey J. White (CJW)
The VoidWitch Saga. Newsletter facilitator. Naarm/Melbourne. Tweets @cjwhite.
Marlee Jane Ward (MJW)
Writer, reader, weirdo. Author of ‘Welcome To Orphancorp’ and ‘Psynode’. Host of Catastropod. ADHD, spec fic, feminism, cats. Melbourne, Australia. @marleejaneward
Austin Armatys (AA)
Oh Nothing Press // @ohnothingpress on Instagram // ONP’s first release MechaDeath Magazine available for free right here
John English (JE)
Photographer - Solvent Image. Writer of upcoming comic CEL. Based in Brisbane, Australia @Herts_Solvent
m1k3y (MKY)
Wallfacer / Apocalyptic Futurist / #salvagepunk / @m1k3y
I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of this essay (credited to n1x aka Nyx Land) for a while, and I’m not disappointed. It is Quite The Thing:
Other males, however, must recognize that the era of testosterone is coming to an end, that being a man is not what it once was. That it is rapidly becoming an unpleasant and insane existence held up primarily today by exploitative and pseudo-scientific neo-masculine self-help fads — of sociopathic hypersexual pick-up artistry, of masochistic “NoFap” asceticism, of repressed homoeroticism, or of a wishful desire for everything to come crashing down and decelerate back into a state of humanist tribal hunter-gatherer societies. These other males, perhaps being the most evolved, perhaps being the most in-tune with the flows of technocapital, have chosen the pink pill. They have rejected the masculine in favor of the feminine. They have chosen the future.
CJW: This essay is a dense but utterly fascinating look at the history of computing through a gender lens, leading to a discussion of Judeo-Abrahamic religion and a love affair between Eve and Lillith, and the way that trans women, feminine men, and femininity in general will be the death knell of masculinity/patriarchy/capitalism/human civilisation, forging a path to a post-human future with our heirs and children, the AI. Needless to say, this covers a bunch of topics that frequently appear in this newsletter, but all from Nyx Land’s unique perspective.
AA: The thing that struck me most about Gender Acceleration was the dizzying density of ideas on display here. Nyx has produced nothing less than an authoritative work of Satanic Agit-Theory. This essay is provocative, bold and admirable on a number of levels, even if only for her engaging prose style & the way it brings together disparate ideas in such an engaging fashion.
I’m not sure this essay deals seriously enough with the material conditions of acceleration, and there is an obvious anti-humanism at the heart of these ideas I’m not comfortable with - a byproduct of the essay’s theoretical grounding in the work of Deleuze and Guattari via Nick Land (insert villainous sting), perhaps? But overall reading this essay was an exhilarating experience, and I’m interested to see how its ideas are received. Nyx has certainly demonstrated a willingness to debate some of the contentious elements of this essay over on her Twitter account (@nyxlandunlife), so those interested in learning more about Gender Acceleration should probably head there.
MJW: ‘‘These classes of men have taken the black pill; masculinity has no future, and they have chosen this non-future to keep their masculine identity.’
There was so much to take away from this article. I’m not sure how much I agree with everything nyx talks about and not sure I completely understand a lot of what’s being said (I’m not l33t by any stretch of the imagination), but this quote above rang true for me. Some men, unwilling to give up the patriarchy, would prefer to just burn it all down instead. The constant castration metaphor really rang true. It’s less a fear of losing the phallus, and more the fear that men will be treated the way men have treated women.
‘the female is no longer in the service of the male as a machine to produce the future, to produce offspring to inherit the spoils of production, but rather the future produces itself faster than human beings are capable of.’ I found it weird that femininity is posited as the future, when I think the future is skewing more genderless, and AI is an example of this.
CJW: I think you’re right, but I think that in Nyx’s argument, genderlessness would be anti-masculine, which puts it squarely in the female camp. Also, there have been a few different essays over the past couple of years about the feminine aspect of AI - Cortana, Alexa, and Siri all female by default. Obviously AI would be technically and literally genderless, but they’re packaged as female - likely a continuation of misogynist tendencies to reduce women to roles of assistant/secretary/unpaid laborer (emotional or otherwise).
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CJW: In case you’ve been asleep all year (lucky jerk), and just now want to catch up on the year in AI, this from AI Now is both the opening talk from their recent symposium, and a round-up of 2018’s biggest stories in AI (some of which we have already covered here).
CJW: A Jobless Future is Coming
“China is saying we want to be one of the best in AI. It’s an aspiration. I think the ultimate hope of the Chinese government is that the Chinese people will be well off with the advances in AI. And the American dream ought to be that the Americans will be well off with AI. This is not a grabbing of resources, oil or land. This is each country developing its capabilities.”
I think the “ought to” is really interesting here, because it highlights precisely what is wrong with the idea of Silicon Valley-style automation. No one imagines that the start-ups, VCs, or corporations that are pushing automation care the slightest bit about average workers. If UBI happens, it’ll be because the corporations realise that people without money can’t be customers (or, more likely, we’ll end up with some form of rentism).
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A recent email exchange with Sean Oscar (co-host of the astoundingly good Wyrd Signal podcast and @hauntonaut on Twitter) reminded me of the existence of Umberto Eco’s essay “Ur Fascism”. If you haven’t read this piece, now is (unfortunately) the perfect time to do so.
Eco starts with a reminiscence about his encounters with Italian Fascism as a youth before going on to identify 14 key features of “Eternal Fascism”. As Eco says, “These features cannot be organized into a system; many of them contradict each other, and are also typical of other kinds of despotism or fanaticism. But it is enough that one of them be present to allow fascism to coagulate around it.”
It is always worth re-reading Eco in my opinion (the world is poorer for not having him in it), but I am certain anyone paying even the slightest attention to what’s happening in the world will find much that is disturbingly familiar here.
CJW: I read this for the first time in the past year (possibly I found it from William Gibson’s twitter feed?), and it is indeed an important read. If you want something that ties Eco’s article with today’s politics, pair it with Fire, hatred, and speed! an essay by Jay Griffiths on the links between Italian Futurism/Fascism and the Neo-Nazis in America today.
JE: Great to come back to this after so many years. Rings so true today, which is terrifying.
AA: Formidable intellect aside, Eco also had a warm and engaging style of public speaking, which is most evident in his excellent lecture on the history of ugliness. (Site requires Flash to watch the lecture, unfortunately. But it’s worth it.) I’m also particularly fond of Eco’s episode of Desert Island Discs, which I often listen to on planes because I find it so soothing and pleasantly hypnotic.
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MKY: Australia: Temper and Bias
There is nothing postcolonial about Australia. It still has a Raj mentality and a vindictive adherence to colonial myth. Our country has never really investigated the colonial legacy, preferring to express horror at the inadequacy of the Indigenous population and the need to control their destiny and band-aid the wounds.
I am so happy to see that Meanjin have made public Bruce Pascoe’s excellent, mandatory reading for all Australians imho, essay from their latest ‘extinction branded’ issue.
CJW: That essay makes me angry at the lie of terra nullius that we’ve been telling for hundreds of years to justify the theft of this land and the murder of so many of its people.
Pair Pascoe’s essay with this one by Megan Davis on the racism and white supremacy running through modern Australian politics and media: Free speech has never been ‘free’
The US history of racism is brutal, horrendous and unimaginable, yet well ventilated. The truth-telling is messy, difficult and ongoing. The legacy of white supremacy continues, and the country constantly grapples with racism in its many manifestations.
Here in Australia, there is an agreeable, patrician silence. […] There has been no proper ventilation of our history, and I am not limiting this to Aboriginal history. The history of white supremacy and racial purity that I first learnt of in Cowie’s textbooks is rarely referenced in contemporary debates about asylum-seeker policy or multiculturalism. The White Australia policy was a legislative framework passed by Australia’s parliament and enabled by the Constitution, both of which today are considered so sacrosanct that nothing can constrain the former and everyone is too timid to amend the latter. Where are the public monuments to the frontier massacres? Where are the public memorials to the ritualised institutionalisation of Aboriginal people on reserves and missions?
This essay serves as a great summary of the sort of racist bullshit that’s made up a frankly disgusting proportion of political discourse in Australia this year, approaching it all from the under-represented perspective of an Indigenous Australian. Must-read for any Aussies, and I’m sure others will appreciate it too.
The notion that people like Bannon should be debated so that their views can be delegitimised is largely shouted down by anyone except the types of journalists referred to in this article, and this (which has just been doing the rounds on twitter), seems to reinforce that idea.
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CJW: Don’t despair: the climate fight is only over if you think it is
“The future hasn’t already been decided. That is, climate change is an inescapable present and future reality, but the point of the IPCC report is that there is still a chance to seize the best-case scenario rather than surrender to the worst.”
A cautiously optimistic take on climate change and the future, in the wake of the third IPCC report. And frankly, we need all the optimism we can get here in Australia where our government continues to behave as though they’re chemically dependent on coal (rather than simply the money they get from the fossil fuels industry). Hopefully this helps to balance out some of the depressing climate apocalypse stuff we’ve delivered into your inboxes…
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AA: Post Malone is the perfect pop star for this American moment. That’s not a compliment.
If you’re lucky enough to have avoided the pop-rap juggernaut known as Post Malone so far, then this article by Jeff Weiss in The Washington Post is a hilariously scathing way to burst your bubble of blissful ignorance.
The most popular young artist in the most unpopular young nation is a rhinestone cowboy who looks like he crawled out of a primordial swamp of nacho cheese. Post Malone is a Halloween rental, a removable platinum grill, a Cubic Zirconium proposal on the jumbo screen of a last-place team.
While this article is a funny dissection of Malone as a symptom of America’s current cultural state, the writer also displays a deep knowledge of the relationship between hip-hop & the zeitgeist. It’s a great read. Congratulations.
JE: While most of what he writes is true, and it is an entertaining article for sure, he fails to mention that a lot of his criticisms of the lyrics themselves and Post’s general outlook could be levelled at most rappers and pop stars. I think this was overly harsh. This article sums up how I feel really well.
In saying that, I can’t defend his music. His beats are great, but the lyrics are everything Weiss says and more, terrible “ghetto” stereotype derivatives. Postie does seem like a sweet kid though.
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Furthering my obsession with retro-futurism, I’ve been reading a bit about failed consoles lately. The tech described in the NEMO (using VHS tapes to create a Dragon’s Lair style experience) for home audiences is absolutely insane to me. If this kind of thing excites you as it does me, then check this bad boy out.
AA: I think you’ve buried the lede on this one, John. This article reveals something I previously only could’ve dreamed of: A LOST VINTAGE-ERA POLICE ACADEMY CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE GAME!
We actually made an interactive Police Academy game,” (NEMO team member Mark Turmell) says. “With the actors. We actually went down and had all of the production, weeks of filming, and it was all interactive. You could choose this path or that path. Everything was a big flow chart — that was a very exciting project.
This abortive venture was, in Turmell’s estimation, effectively a “lost Police Academy movie.”
makes siren noise with mouth
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JE: There’s a passionate write up about the Vectrex here, man I’d love to see one of these in the wild.
CJW: I’m starting a book club over at Ganzeer’s forum Restricted.Academy. The book for November is AUTONOMOUS by Annalee Newitz, so if you want to join the forum and take part in the conversation, just join the forum at the link above. The community is filled with intelligent and creative people, and it’s still small enough that you can keep on top of all the discussions taking place without needing to dedicate a whole lot of time to the task.
JE: Apostle (Netflix, 2018)
Satanic/Pagan Cult horror seems to be all the rage right now and I am not mad at that. Apostle is director Gareth Evans’ (most famous for The Raid series) foray into horror, a wicker-man esque tale of a man going to a secluded island to rescue his sister from a cult.
I was curious to see what I thought might Evans’ attempt at psychological horror, and yes he pulls that off very well. But what sold this for me was when he flipped the script half way through for a balls out Resident Evil 4 style action rollercoaster, all set against a turn of the century backdrop that is very believable.
Evans showcases a plot-sloppy world dripping with atmosphere. This will service any fans of cults, shotguns and super violence. I loved it.
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MJW: The Wave (Netflix, 2016)
If you’re like me and your brain candy is disaster movies (I find them comforting and often watch them to help me fall asleep - don’t judge me), then Norwegian film The Wave is a decent addition to the genre. With a believable concept (the film is based on true geological fact regarding the mountainous fjords of Norway) and spare but realistic CGI, it’s a step above standard disaster fare. Rotten Tomatoes says: “Well-acted and blessed with a refreshingly humanistic focus, The Wave is a disaster film that makes uncommonly smart use of disaster film clichés.”
MKY: This has been on my list for ages, thx for the prompt to finally tick it off ;)
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MKY: BlacKkKlansman
I’m calling it, along with Sorry To Bother You this is the best, most relevant film of the year. Like, to my mind the two films are orbiting each other in some supra-fictional metaverse.
With BlacKkKlansman Spike Lee did a better job than a thousand think-pieces and bios on bastards like Steve Bannon to show us all the long game that ‘the invisible empire’, the white nationalist international, has been playing. The real world scenes of David Duke and Trump at the end almost felt too much, but srsly now is not the time for subtlety. No, now is the time to make great art as resistance.
The dynamic between John David Washington (why has this guy only been getting work on Ballers?) and Adam Driver (who I now love in everything that isn’t StahWahz) was fantastic.
What I loved most of all is that unlike nearly ever film in this subgenre of ‘police/fed infiltrates neo-nazis/etc’ there was zero fucks given to the idea of the infiltrator going native; no flirtation with (forgive me) joining the Dark Side… it’s a completely (forgive me again) black and white tale… as it fucking should be!
The only thing that felt forced in the film was the idea that the police were functioning as a part of civil society… but damn do I look to shows like Billions and Berlin Station where parts of the justice system and intelligence community are fighting back against white nationalist international. I mean, I’m not sure what’s so civil about society anymore (to bastardise Guns’n’Roses) but as a salvagepunk I’ve very interested in what parts, if any, are still functioning as intended.
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MKY: The Night Comes For Us
One to watch after Apostle maybe? Def. if you’re a Raid fan.
Sometimes you just need to watch ultraviolent Asian action movies and be bathed in the blood of sinners. Or something. This only disappoints in not giving us enough Iko Uwais action, but at least it’s better than having to sit through what I presume to be the dreadful Mile 22 (based on the trailer alone) to see him fuck up some white boys.
CJW: I found this kinda flat overall. I mean, the action was great (moar liek Night of a Thousand Stabs) but the story tying it together was both overwrought and really thin.
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MKY: I Am A Hero
I was informed that this was the best Japanese zombie movie in some time and dammmmmmmmmmmmn son.
Shout out to this guy’s entry and dramatic exit from the film.
Shout out to the NEET’s declaring their time has come (then watching them all bleed out etc).
Just.
Whoa.
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MKY: American Horror Story: Apocalypse
I wanna revisit this as it nears its season end to say how blown away I’ve been by AHS: Apoc. As I mentioned first time around, previously I’d only watched AHS: Coven, but as this latest season has unfolded I’ve been going back to fill in the clearly telegraphed gaps… like, watching all of AHS: Murder House prior to AHS: Apoc’s ep Return to Murder House was one giant nonlinear loop whose closure was very much rewarded - and so great to see Dylan McDermott live up to his promise in Hardware. After the latest ep (and one scene in particular) I’m now mid-way through AHS: Cult and finding it perhaps even more interesting and relevant rn than if I’d tuned in as it screened. (Yes, I should’ve watched Hotel too, I’ll get there…)
If you’d asked me a month or so ago what my favourite horror tv show was, I’d have said Channel Zero, which has continued to improve and hone itself with every season - I mean, who doesn’t love nightmare tulpas and oh yeah, KILLER CLOWNZ??? But now I see where the real masterwork has been happening.
JE: Sidewalks and Skeletons
Ok the name sucks.
I found this producer through the brutal twin-stick cyberpunk ‘em up RUINER, as he produced most of the soundtrack. This is a rather late entry into the genre is termed as Witch House (originating around 2010 with the likes of Salem), an occultish electronica focusing on ethereal synths and chopped and screwed trap beats. It’s been much maligned over the years by chin strokers and music bloggers alike. But for me, it always worked.
S & S’s first two albums are great examples of the Witchy sound and are on heavy rotation at the Solvent workstation.
If you enjoy this, check out Salem’s album King Night. Happy Halloween!
JE: Escort
This month Jon (Cel co-creator and artist) and I made this one page horror comic for a competition. For about a month I had this idea but could not parse it, basically it came from a kind of fever dream, one of those ones that loops for entire night. On the last day before the deadline I wrote it out like this:
Then luckily Jon pulled it together and drew it all up in an afternoon and we got it in!
We didn’t win, but I’m really happy with it. It’s on display all this month at Comics Etc in Brisbane.
AA: This is super cool, great work guys. I’m astounded at how good Jon’s artwork is, and he just keeps getting better. I implore people who dig what they see above to check out his Instagram for more mind-blowing stuff!
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MJW: At Clarion West in 2014 Ian McDonald turned me on to Scrivener, and I’ve been an ardent user ever since. My laptop died last month, I’m using a borrowed Mac for the moment (the only way I’ll ever use a Mac, that’s for damn sure) and my free trial of Scrivener just ran out (it has a 30-day NON-CONSECUTIVE free trial that you should totally take advantage of.) I’m not paying $60 bucks for a Mac license (though if this was my forever laptop, it would be completely worth it) so I’m going without for the moment. Its absence has made me realise how useful a writing tool Scrivener is - moving back into a standard word-processing program (this Mac is too old for any of the available versions of Word, I’m using fucking Pages) is like using a hammer to fix a delicate vase or something. How did I write anything before Scrivener? Come to think of it, I’ve not written any of my longform stuff without it. I’m working on a novella at the moment and I can’t quite make sense of how to write it when I can’t see all the parts at the same time. I guess what I’m trying to say is, Scrivener is amazing and if you write long shit, you should be using it. You can often find discount coupons and occasionally the site itself will have a sale, but even if you’re paying full price, it’s worth every cent.
Sigh.
MJW: The second episode of Catastropod is up, and this time it’s writer, academic, and my very own flatmate, Sally Evans and I talking our favourite movie Mad Max Fury Road. Listen to us babble and gush about it here or on your favourite podcast app. Witness me!
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MKY: A New Life Awaits Us On The Alien Earth
I gave a short talk this week on why we should all embrace life on the now ‘alien earth’ and work together as planetary stewards to shape its future.
Planetary Stewardship is the ultimate rescue mission, and I’ll be hovering around this point for a while I think. Feels… idk… a bit important rn?
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CJW: I can finally talk about this: the VoidWitch books are getting the audiobook treatment! They’ll be out through Recorded Books, and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Pre/order them wherever you get your audiobooks from, including Audible.
MKY: Woohoo! W00t! Way To go!
CJW: Thanks, man! I’m really excited about this. Looking forward to long-haul drivers, work commuters, people with sight issues, and anyone else who reads exclusively via audio books having a chance to discover my work.
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CJW: And that’s it for another issue. Hope you enjoyed this dispatch and found something interesting at the links. We’ll be back in two weeks with another issue, and perhaps another special guest.
Until then, it’s a big, harsh world out there, so look after yourself, keep your loved ones close, and find a little joy wherever you’re able.