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Sailing against the tide

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  • Animals - Articles - Books

    Exotic pets of writers and artists

    August 20, 2020 - By Tom

    Most people are happy to own a cat or a dog, or perhaps a goldfish, but some prefer other more unusual creatures. Here there’s an article I just published elsewhere that talks about a few writers and artists who had a taste for exotic or unusual pets, most of which I did not mention in the boo “Our Pets and Us“.

    Frida Kahlo with Granizo.

    Continue Reading

CONTRARIUM

Sailing against the tide.

Cheer up, young man. The future is not yet written. The "AI" dystopia they want is not going to work. Scenes from: "La prime notte di quiete" (Zurlini, 1972), "Blade Runner" (Scott, 1982), "Faust" (Murnau, 1926), "Idiocracy" (Judge, 2006), "Solaris" (Tarkovsky, 1972), news clips and and amateur footage.
00:00 Intro
00:18 Chapter 1. Superintelligence, or ultra dumbness?
01:55 Chapter 2. The soul of the artist lost in Botland
04:22 Chapter 3. RIP The Internet (1991-2026)
05:36 Chapter 4. No planet for young men?
09:16 Chapter 5. A glimmer of Hope
The Wrong Dystopia: The future is not "Blade Runner", it's "Idiocracy" with robots
Daddy, is this the end of the world? Riots, the French Revolution, and a defence of Marie Antoinette. Scenes are from "Nostalghia" (Tarkovsky, 1983), "Mouchette" (Bresson, 1967), "La Revolution Française" (Enrico/Heffron, 1989), and footage of the recent protests.
Waiting for the collapse
If your ancestors were rich, you're probably rich, and if your ancestors were poor, you're probably poor. A look at how genealogy influences our lives and our current society.
I'm poor, this channel is not monetized, and it's unlikely anyone cares, but, just in case:
-Like, share and subscribe or comment
-Buy me a coffee or donate: https://buymeacoffee.com/contrarium_tom
-Subscribe also to the blog: https://contrarium.substack.com
-Schedule a private language class (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, English, or even a Film workshop): https://contrarium.org/classes
-Buy my books available at Amazon or B&N: https://contrarium.org/books
-Buy other books and magazines here: https://contrarium.org/shop
-?!?!?
-Pray.
Genealogy
A rambling, incoherent video mostly about Tarkovsky and about how neither communism nor capitalism nor any system can really help to solve the human condition.
My videos are not monetized because YouTube sucks, but you can help in the following ways:
-Like, share and subscribe or comment
-Buy me a coffee or donate: https://buymeacoffee.com/contrarium_tom
-Subscribe also to the blog: https://contrarium.substack.com
-Schedule a private language class (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, English, or even a Film workshop): https://contrarium.org/classes
-Buy my books available at Amazon or B&N: https://contrarium.org/books
-Buy other books and magazines here: https://contrarium.org/shop
-?!?!?
-Pray.
There is no human solution to human problems
Elegy for a simpler, better time.
Works included in the montage:
"Bimbo's initiation" (1931), Fleischer Brothers cartoon full of masonic symbolism.
"Western Europe: A New Look" (1986), documentary.
"Metropolis" (1927), Fritz Lang
"September Clues" (2009), Simon Shack, documentary about the hidden truth of 9/11.
"The Jetsons" (1962), Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
"Who's minding the store" (1963), Jerry Lewis.
"Stalker" (1979), one of the best films ever by Andrei Tarkovsky.
Fake New World
A little short movie I shot and edited in less than two weeks. It  was supposed to be just a silly joke but I'm happy with the result. I think it looks pretty nice considering how quickly it was done. No AI was used, just stop-motion animation, manipulated images, recorded human voices (mostly mine, but not only) and sound effects. 
The choir singing in the video is the Regensburg Cathedral choir, but I could not use their audio for copyright reasons, so the voices are from the Capella Sistina Choir in Rome (a bit out of sync). "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, peace to men of good will". (Luke 2:14)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
"World Peace: A Christmas Carol" (Animation, 2025)
An Advent message. Merry Christmas to all!!!
How to be positive in a negative world
I don't know the answer to that one. There is clearly an ongoing shift of power from the West to the East, but not everything is written down.
Can Europe be Saved?
The current 2020s decade seems like a dark time, but the 2010s and 2000s were not much better. The 1990s seems like the last "happy" decade. But was it really "happy"? And which earlier decade was the best? A nostalgic video about a troublesome present and apparently simpler, happier times.
Will anyone be nostalgic about the 2020s? And which decade was the best?
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