Book Description
Stelarc is the most celebrated artist in the world working within technology and the visual arts. He is both an artist and a phenomenon, using his body as medium and exhibition space. Working in the interface between the body and the machine, employing virtual reality, robotics, medical instruments, prosthetics, and the Internet, Stelarc's art includes physical acts that don't always look survivable -- or, as science fiction novelist William Gibson puts it in his foreword, "sometimes seem to include the possibility of terminality."
Stelarc's projects include Third Hand, a grasping and wrist rotating mechanism with a rudimentary sense of touch that is attached to the artist and activated by EMG from other body areas; Amplified Body, in which the artist performs acoustically with his brainwaves, muscles, pulse, and blood flow signals; and the Stomach Sculpture, a device -- or "aesthetic adornment" -- placed in the artist's stomach and presented through video. Works in progress include the Extra Ear Project, a soft prosthesis of skin and cartilage to be constructed on the artist's arm. Stelarc's work both reflects and determines new directions in performance art and body art. Although there have been hundreds of articles written about Stelarc since he began performing in the late 1960s, Stelarc: The Monograph is the first comprehensive study of Stelarc's work practice in over thirty years. Gathering a range of writers who approach the work from a variety of perspectives, it includes William Gibson's account of his meetings with Stelarc, Arthur and Marilouise Kroker's emphatic "WE ARE ALL STELARCS NOW," and Stelarc himself in conversation with Marquard Smith. Taken together, these writers give us a multiplicity of ways to think about Stelarc.
Customer Reviews:
glittering vision of a transhumanist future.......2007-05-15
In the early 80s, I brought Stelarc to speak at Caltech. He showed up with a mechanical third arm and a collection of slides. He proceeded to declaim at length about his previous art performances throughout the world, and his vision of what his performances were meant to convey to a lay audience. Then, I recently ran across this book, with a foreword by William Gibson, no less.
It is a collection of essays by various intellectuals, revolving around analysing Stelarc. His worldview is presented. A different approach from that epitomised in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Kapek's RUR, Saberhagen's Berserkers or the Terminator movies. Those echo the fear of a machine, born of man, that turns against humans. Instead, Stelarc's view is much cheerier. He is a performance artist, whose exhibitions are physical metaphors that suggest a peaceful evolution of humans, where we incorporate technological items into or perhaps on or around our bodies. He draws a distinction between Darwinian evolution, where obsolescence can mean extinction. Instead, any differences between us and machines are elided, as we absorb what they can offer, to exhance and extend our capabilities.
To some this is repulsive. To others, it is a glittering vision of a transhumanist future. Where we can someday (soon?) overcome the limitations of frail flesh. The book has echoes of views espoused by Vernor Vinge and Ray Kurzweil. Though it does not go so far as to posit a technological singularity in the near future.
The photos in the book show Stelarc's remarkable talent. He has exhibited in Tokyo, Copenhagen, London and many other places since the 1980s. In many of the photos, he is naked, but adorned with some strange electromechanical gizmo, that has some type of feedback with his body. (When he spoke at Caltech, he was fully clothed.) Other photos show him dangling by many fish hooks through his skin. In one instance, one storey above a city street.
At least one chapter comments on the irony of his exhibitions. While he speaks of a metaphor of transcending the human form, his very nakedness starkly emphasises that form.
Of course, when he first did his exhibitions, all he could provide were rough metaphors. Limited by the crude mechanical devices of the time. But as microminiturisation proceeds, and as genetic engineering takes on more of an engineering aspect, all coupled with a world wide web, then he looks prescient.
Book Description
Tweens and teens will love this guide to making 25 unique, fabulous purses-all presented with easy-to-follow steps and cool illustrations! The projects use a range of unconventional, inexpensive materials, all easily obtainable, including contact paper, felt, old blue jeans, shoelaces, and place mats. Purses are quick and easy to make, some requiring only tape and a hole punch, others a simple sewing stitch easy for this age to master. Full-color photographs of the finished projects are included.
Customer Reviews:
Odd designs, not something I'd make.......2006-09-10
I'm glad I borrowed the book from the library before buying. Are these bags what "hip" people make? I guess I'm not hip. Some of the designs are absurd like the duct tape bag and the newspaper one. Definitely beginner projects.
tiny bags that are kinda silly.......2006-09-07
All the bags in this book are very small. Also, None are good projects for adult sewers. All were kind of juvinile and not sturdily made. Most weren't sewn at all.
Hip Handbags for Young People.......2005-08-04
This is a good book for teens who want to sew handbags or for anyone wanting to sew handbags for young people. Many good ideas for people who do crafting and not sewing.
The Hip Handbag Book - A Creative Start for Beginners.......2005-06-23
This book is a great beginners handbag book for those that are "sewing challenged"! The bags are easy to make and are genuinely creative ranging from a duct tape purse to a placemat bag. You are given step by step easy to follow directions, including the basic tools you will need. I definitely give this book a "thumbs up" for beginners!
Book Description
Sit on the couch. Speak. Engage in witty banter and share ideas with friends who really understand your predicaments. Sounds like the perfect café. Especially if you're a dog.
Pooch Café is the home away from home for Poncho and his canine buddies. No Collar, No Service marks the second collection of the hip hit strip Pooch Café, named for the place where Poncho, Boomer, and the rest of their pals regularly gather to discuss life among the humans and to hatch their plans to catapult all the world's cats into space. But you won't find this spot on Main Street. Its actual location is a canine secret compromised just once when they tried to get a pizza delivered.
Poncho is as passionate about his love for his master, Chazz, as he is about his distaste for kitties. When Poncho and Chazz move in with Carmen and her medley of cats, Poncho pals up with "Fish," a goldfish who conveniently speaks dog, to learn the lay of the land. Poncho views his master's new life as a threat to the sacred man-dog bond, despite Carmen's efforts to make peace with Poncho using love, tenderness, and cheese. Good thing there's always the gang at the café.
No Collar, No Service is the latest saga of a strip that captures the intensity of the human-dog bond in a way that resonates with pet lovers everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Pooch Cafe is laugh out loud funny .......2006-11-20
Move over Calvin & Hobbes - there's a new dog in town. I read the daily adventures of Poncho and gang in The Daily News but having a whole collection in one book is just non-stop laughs. Pooch Cafe is far superior to most strips out there because of the wit, humor and simplicity of the story lines. I enjoy introducing people to Pooch Cafe and once the've read a few frames they become instant fans too. Canine kudos to creator, Paul Gilligan, for sharing this funny little masterpiece of a strip with the rest of us.
A fresh comic you might actually laugh out loud reading.......2006-01-21
Pooch Cafe was recommended to me by Amazon.Com, I suppose because I enjoy FoxTrot, Calvin & Hobbes and the like. It's fresh and funny - definitely worth a look if you're hunting a new comic strip to fall in love with.
Quirky, original humor and amazing art!.......2006-01-05
Pooch Cafe has quickly become my favorite comic strip, and I don't even LIKE dogs! Paul Gilligan has a talent for originality, and I appreciate it. If you're tired of cookie-cutter comics, try Pooch Cafe.
Excellent Service at the Pooch Cafe.......2005-08-15
This is one of the best comics written today!!
Average customer rating:
- Enjoyable, Entertaining, and Educational
- The Perfect Research Tool
- From the "Lonesome Dove" reference shelf
- "Tie yer Hats to the saddle and let's go!"
|
Cowboy Lingo
Ramon F. Adams
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
English (British)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Slang & Idioms
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Linguistics
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Vocabulary, Slang, & Word Lists
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Western Words: A Dictionary of the Old West
-
Cowboy Slang: Colorful Cowboy Sayings
-
Don't Squat With Yer Spurs On!
-
I See by Your Outfit: Historic Cowboy Gear of the Northern Plains
-
Cowboy Wisdom
ASIN: 0618083499 |
Amazon.com
"The cowboy was not a highly educated man as a rule," says Ramon F. Adams in his introduction to Cowboy Lingo, "but he never lacked for expression." After years of keeping his own notes on the "terse, crisp, clear-cut language of the range," Adams decided that it would be "selfish" not to pass them along. Thus was born Cowboy Lingo, which was first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1936 and appears now after being long out of print. Adams's book is arranged thematically--with chapters on ropes, cattle, brands, the trail, outlaws, and the like--telling as much about the life of the cowboy (or cow-puncher or buckaroo or ranahan or saddle-slicker or waddie) as about his language. As might be expected from a pioneer of the western range, the cowboy "respected neither the dictionary nor usage," says Adams, "but employed his words in the manner that best suited him." And perhaps no other group has come up with a better collection of insults. A bad tracker "couldn't find a calf with a bell on in a corral"; a worthless person's "family tree was a scrub"; and an ignorant person "couldn't drive nails in a snow bank." Great fodder for word mavens, writers of Western fiction, and Wild West enthusiasts alike. --Jane Steinberg
Book Description
The cowboy — that enigmatic, larger-than-life icon of our culture —has long been considered a figure of fast hands, steel nerves, and few words. But according to Ramon Adams, cowboys, once among themselves, enjoyed a vivid, often boisterous repartee. You might say that around a campfire they could make more noise than "a jackass in a tin barn."
Here in one volume is a complete guide to cowboy-speak. Like many of today's foreign language guides, this handy book is organized not alphabetically but situationally, lest you find yourself in Texas at a loss for words. There are sections on the ranch, the cowboy's duties, riding equipment, the roundup, roping, branding, even square dancing. There are words and phrases you'll recognize because they've filtered into everyday language — "blue lightnin'," "star gazin'," "the whole shebang" — plus countless others that, sadly, are seldom heard in current speech: "lonely as a preacher on pay night," "restless as a hen on a hot griddle," "crooked as a snake in a cactus patch."
As entertaining as it is authoritative, COWBOY LINGO captures the living speech of the Great Plains and serves as a window into the soul of the American West.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable, Entertaining, and Educational.......2007-09-06
I bought this book to help give me some different authentic words for my western stories. I didn't know I'd derive so much enjoyment from doing research! Cowboy Lingo not only gave me interesting phrases, but it's full of information about their mannerisms, clothing, horses, names, and habits. I know I'm leaving out some things because the book is too full of all the tidbits a good writer needs to know. Plus, Ramon Adams will make you laugh if nothing else. The book is lively unlike a lot of other research books that I find dull. I recommend it for all types of readers whether you're writing your own novel or just want some fun.
The Perfect Research Tool.......2006-06-30
I must say that I'd never grinned so much as I did in reading Adam's COWBOY LINGO. Not only did it make me chuckle, it made me appreciate the 'uneducated' cowboy and his ingenious way with words.
Having need of a character who could 'talk a cow out of her calf' in a recent children's novel, I found this book invaluable. Now Grandpa Albert drinks coffee that's 'strong enough to kick up in the middle and carry double' and when aiming at a rattlesnake he has as much luck in hitting it as he would 'tryin' to scratch his ears with his elbow'.
Adams covers a multitude of topics ranging from brands and cattle, to a cowboy's riding equipment. I learned more about cowboys and roping in one chapter than I did in any other book I'd used for research.
Not only is this a fun read, it's an excellent resource.
From the "Lonesome Dove" reference shelf.......2002-08-06
Larry McMurtry once said he based "Lonesome Dove" on a handful of reference books about the Old West. This classic compendium of cowboy terminology first published in 1936 by Ramon Adams is surely one of them. In the chapter on cowboy nicknames, there is told the story of Dishwater Martin, who like Dish Boggett in the novel, got his name by mistaking dishwater for drinking water.
And if you've read "Lonesome Dove" much of the early material in this book will be a little familiar. Adams discusses at length the duties of cowboys on the job in open rangeland, on cattle drives, and on ranches. Their manners, habits, attitudes, and codes of behavior are discussed, especially the close bond between cowboys and their horses. And interwoven through all of this are the words, terms, and phrases borrowed and invented by cowboys, observed and noted by Adams over many years as an amateur lexicographer.
I found the reading got more interesting as Adams explored topics that spilled over into storytelling and something I guess we'd call socio-linguistics today. The chapter on cooks, cooking, food, meal-time etiquette, the chuckwagon itself, and the sharp wit of cooks is especially enjoyable. Adams also makes good reading out of his chapters on cattle rustling, guns, the afore-mentioned nicknames, and (much too briefly) cowboy dances, also known as 'hoe-digs,' 'shin-digs,' 'hoe-downs,' and 'stomps.' I learned square dancing as a boy but never heard calls as arcanely mystifying as the ones Adams records here.
While Adams observes that cowboys were also notoriously profane and wildly inventive in their profanity, the mores of 1936 prevent him from giving any examples. Sad to say, that's the only chapter I have to report as missing from this otherwise entertaining and informative book.
"Cowboy Lingo" is one of those rare reference books you can read for pleasure. It opens a wide and richly detailed window into a uniquely Western world.
"Tie yer Hats to the saddle and let's go!".......2002-02-16
Ramon F. Adam's book of Cowboy lingo is a great addition to the growing library of reference books dealing with cowboy culture and the cowboy way of life. This book is great for writers and cowboy enthusiasts alike.
Here's why:
The Author Adam's divides his 'dictionary' into chapters, with specific themes ranging terms for cattle, to nicknames for people. Chapters include the commentary of modern cowboys and the author's own observations. (This is NOT a dictionary in the traditional sense, so don't expect a sterile list of terms with definitions or you might be disappointed). =-) Words and phrases are scattered throughout each chapter in no particular order.
Find out for yourself what the words "Buckaroo," "Fence-Stretcher" and "Talk Turkey" mean.
Saddle up, and prepare yourself for an exciting adventure into the ways and words of a Cowboy life!
Customer Reviews:
Hokey Pokey.......2006-04-09
I don't know whether to call this cutesy or juvenile, but it was definitely not informative. The "slang" was not historical, but the kind of stuff you hear on old westerns. Some real information on brands, cattle, and horses was interesting, but not very in-depth.
Not a book for adults, but small children might be amused.
not enough maps.......2004-10-06
Interesting book, some neat pictures and drawings, cowboy slang scattered through-out, a few maps. Dry reading. My biggest complaint is there are no maps of the main areas or landmarks discussed, such as the Indian reservations, mesas, mines, towns, mountain ranges, etc. What use is it to say "the mailtrain went from here to there" when one has no idea via a map or anything else where here or there is. I'm very partial to maps, which is the reason for low stars.
Hilarious.......2004-03-12
I bought this to add color to a character I am creating. I found it very well suited to that purpose and it has adorned my bathroom ever since providing daily laughs.
Colorful Cowboy Sayings!.......2002-02-24
Edgar "Frosty" Potter has put together an excellent compilation cowboy slang. This book is chock full of amusing phrases such as: "He's as slow actin' as wet gunpowder" and "Hot words lead to cold slabs." This book is a MUST, for anyone looking to spice up their written dialog with amusing phrases, or for any fan of the cowboy/western genre in general.
Unlike other books, with the same theme, this is a book of phrases, arranged in a logical concise order. Several amusing illustrations are scattered throughout.
A useful source.......2002-02-21
This is a small [128-page] "dictionary" listing words or phrases that cowboys do use, did use, or might have used. Like most slang and old colloquial language that does not have much of a written record, there is not much about origins, simply because there is no way to find them. Not listing origins is better than making them up!
Average customer rating:
|
Western words: A dictionary of the range, cow camp and trail
Ramon F Adams
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Old West
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Slang & Idioms
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0007FIVJ0 |
Product Description
Cover photo by Ray Manley, taken at the Ganado trading post. 'Saguaro, Majesty of the Desert,' by Claire Meyer Proctor. Photos of Monument Valley in winter, and Petrified Forest in spring, by Josef Muench. 'The Cowman Says It Salty,' by Ramon Adams: All outdoor men possess a talent for idiom and aphorism, but the cowboy tops them all. Drawings by Ross Santee. 'Profile of My People,' by Edward Carl, a Navajo who died in his 19th year, the victim of tuberculosis. His oil painting 'Shiprock' is shown here in color. Other paintings are by another talented young Navajo, Yel Ha Yah, of Santa Fe.
Average customer rating:
|
Cowboy Encyclopaedia
Manufacturer: Rand McNally & Co ,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| Baby-3
| Ages 4-8
| Ages 9-12
| Animals
| Arts & Music
| Books on Cassette
| Books on CD
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Computers
| Educational
| History & Historical Fiction
| Issues
| Literature
| Obsessions
| People & Places
| Popular Characters
| Reference & Nonfiction
| Religions
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Series
| Sports & Activities
English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Slang & Idioms
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0528877100 |
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely fascinating.......2000-08-07
Have you ever wondered what the old Westerners meant when they used words like "rustling," "handle," or "blind trap?" This fascinating book has plenty of words like these, but it is not merely a dictionary. It is filled with history and lore that may keep you browsing for hours if you have even the slightest interest in the Old West, or in American culture in general. While somewhat dated (it was first published in the 1950's), it also highlights genuinely little-known history, such as the "Rustler War" in Wyoming in the 1890's. The information about famous Old West artists like Frederick Remington could be valuable to art historians as well. Speaking of art, the illustrations by Jackie and Fiore Mastri add greatly to the book's appeal, as does Grant's cleverly-written text. Even the typeface is well-chosen. This is very, very worth searching out.
Average customer rating:
|
Cowboy slang.
Edgar R Potter
Manufacturer: SUPERIOR PUBLISHING COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UE0OL6 |
Average customer rating:
|
Four-legged words
Bill Lambdin
Manufacturer: Western America Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Satire, General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Old West
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B00070XANC |
Average customer rating:
|
Texas Talkin
Kay Russell
Manufacturer: Eakin Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0890153140 |
Average customer rating:
|
Cowboy lingo
John Avery Lomax
Manufacturer: Southern Methodist University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Old West
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0007H1794 |
Books:
- Sweet Dove Died
- Talking Funny for Money : An Introduction to the Cartoon/Character/Looping Area of Voice-Overs
- The Aesthetics of Resistance, Volume 1: A Novel (Aesthetics of Resistance)
- The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
- The Beast God Forgot to Invent: Novellas
- The Beautiful Room Is Empty: A Novel
- The Bowl Is Already Broken: A Novel
- The City and the Pillar: A Novel
- The Courage Consort
- The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Stormy Weather
- Line by Line: How to Improve Your Own Writing
- Cleopatra: Being an Account of the Fall and Vengeance of Harmachis, the Royal Egyptian, As Set Forth
- Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires
- Ghosts of the Titanic
- Lecture Notes on Principles of Plasma Processing
- History: Fiction or Science
- George Peabody: A Biography
- County Business Patterns South Carolina 1999
- Regional & Urban Economics II: Harwood Fundamentals of Applied Economics
The Prosthetic Impulse: From a Posthuman Present to a Biocultural Future
Telepresence and Bio Art: Networking Humans, Rabbits and Robots (Studies in Literature and Science)
Materializing New Media: Embodiment in Information Aesthetics (Interfaces: Studies in Visual Culture)
From Technological to Virtual Art (Leonardo Books)
Deep Time of the Media: Toward an Archaeology of Hearing and Seeing by Technical Means (Electronic Culture: History, Theory, and Practice)
