Web memes come and go but LOLcats iz forever. The image above is a photo taken at the David Shrigley showing at the 2008 "Life on Mars" Carnegie International. The piece titled "I'm dead" is a taxidermied kitten holding a picket sign that says, you guessed it, "I'm dead." ::shudder:: The caption written on it is my own, and I hope you can appreciate just how difficult using a touch pad is in Paint to do lettering.The Carnegie was full of great new stuff (thanks for the invite Rachael) including this piece which was displayed in a glass case that normally houses stuffed rare birds posed as if about to take flight. I've seen these types of displays before and oddly enough I was never bothered by the artificial life breathed into these creatures by their meticulously crafted, "natural" habitat replicas with their glass eyes and, forgive the pun, dead-pan stares. This cat however, this stuffed animal, was arresting. ::shudder, again.:: The silence was finally broken when my friend pointed out that it looked like a LOLcat. The person giving us the tour, who was also a curator of the show, was confused by the reference. We tried to explain, in as many ways as we could conjure, the intricacies of the internet meme. We described it's 8-bit font and the language it has spawned, and while we were describing the phenomenon, I started thinking, what possesses people to do stuff like this? What is the real point? These deeper questions begged to be answered and so I turned to the only resource I know, the internets.
It turns out that there is a ROFLCon. This is not surprising, there is a wikipedia article on wikipedia. What was surprising was the consideration and depth of thought some of these forums showed. They actually discussed What is the takeaway for making awesome? That was the real title for the discussion, I cntrl + c'd it from their website. And their answers? They were equally as deep, exploring the idea that an idea is bigger than you, that it is an iterative process, that this was a chance combination of interests over a vast amount of time. I would have read more but then I realized I was reading a LOLcat forum, which is even lower than reading actual LOLcats so I moved on. Plus it was all in Lower Leet and I don't care how many text messages I get, that stuff will always be confusing to me. But seriously people, a taxidermied kitteh...yeesh.
Anyways, not to make a long post longer but the day was well rounded with some good food with good friends at mi former casa. Thanks to all those who brought fresh faces, beer and desserts. I hope all of you who came had a good time and if ever you host one at your house, I'm bringing all this beer cause you lushes brought over more than 4 cases for like 12 people. I have great friends.
Piper sez: Eat mah piez. We say gladly. Thanks guys!!1!