A Spaceman's Blog - Philippe Rose

Saturday, 22 July 2006

Shop for war

March in London At Farnborough Military Show today to have a look at all the new instruments of death dreamt up by today's young and creative minds (manufacturers were indeed recruiting) - please my Israeli friends, pratice with them as much as you can in Lebanon, with your practice in the field, we'll learn fast enough to go to space soon, as it's the same technology.

At the same time, some of us were demonstrating in Central London against the violence in the Middle East, all enacted with the very same tools that we enjoy so much at the show.

My favourite moments: an American red-neck engineer speaking with pride to an English guy about how his cool anti-radioactive missile displayed was helping the US kill our enemy when he was trying to hide (see in the gallery). Then there was a video clip showing an amazing missile that springs open and showers small explosives across a wide radius of land, wiping out an entire brigade of light-armoured vehicles (field-tested in 'Ay-rak' with limited collateral damage, according to the credits).

Farnborough show 2006 And there was also a Command & Control system running live on a big screen, displaying the vicinity of Farnborough airfield. As vehicles drove into the radar's range, they appeared on the system as numbered "enemy", with a window indicating the "suggested doctrine" and how to disable the threat. How cool to press a button and blast this missile- and burger-enjoying crowd...

[22 July]

Tuesday, 18 July 2006

Abscond to Glade

Glade Festival 2006
Phiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil!!!!!! (It was so great meeting you all, what a group you are....respect!)

[18 July]

Monday, 17 July 2006

Dessert

As I was walking through the office today, I couldnt help thinking how all these people here are like small prisoners, kept inside by this illusion of a professional life that needs so much attention to survive and that provides them with a real identity and existence in this world. I imagined them telling their relatives at a family gathering what they "do in life", like "I'm a marketing adviser", and everybody around the table nods in awe, before digging back into their plate of fish and chips, overweight kids around them crying and asking for more dessert.

[17 July]

Monday, 10 July 2006

The beauty

The padrino The beauty of Zidane's move... not 'the horror', like in the press. I'm sick of reading some of the quotes in the papers: "A final and odious headbutt. We were left speechless by such stupidity" - Figaro "This exit from football is unworthy of him" - Le Parisien "How could this happen to a man like you?" - L'Equipe "He is prone like all of us to weakness and anger" - La Montagne "Too much pressure, too much worshipping of a player who was made for a quiet, simple life" - La Republique du Centre "Zidane botched his exit" - L'Est republicain
I missed an intelligent reflexion on the context in which this incident happened. From colleagues. From the cab driver. From the tv pundits. I want to hear about the ongoing investigation in Italy. The fact that many players had played in the same embattled club. The honour code that rules the interactions between players. The match fixing at this level. Only T tonight could speak to me with intelligence about it.

[10 July]

Friday, 7 July 2006

A brief silence

It did work. For a few instants. The crowd was standing still at noon, some people where crying and hugging each other. Buses tried to stop. Tourists were taking picture of Londoners, but with a guilty expression on their face this time. A child was laughing and running around in the middle of the silence, oblivious to it. I couldn't help but think how little it takes to bring that laughter to a stop. All around Central London, newspapers were stacked up displaying their tasteless front pages using the largest type possible about the heroes from a year ago, and heroic commuters still using public transport today (as if we had much choice).

[07 July]

Sunday, 2 July 2006

Bus 12

europride (26k image) Heard today on Bus 12: A women asks her boyfriend, "Say, don't you think it's ironic that this gay protest happens the day before children's art day in Trafalgar Square?" The boyfriend tries to argue. She continues, "It's amazing how they manage to clean it up overnight and get everything ready for today." Me, trying not to burst out laughing...