Infocult: Uncanny Informatics

Ghost factories of Greece

Gothic language comes to the Greek crisis, as one article applies haunted language to the situation. America's Rust Belt has a new cousin in Greek ghost factories.

(thanks to Todd Bryant)

Dark glimpses of London

Dark, eerie visions of London are what Jason Langer photographs.  

Shot solely in black and white, these photos aim for:

"Life, death, a haunting feeling, sexuality, the idea that being here is kind of an illusion, a dream. I generally photograph either people without recognizing their faces to project a kind of universality, or I photograph inanimate objects, mostly faces, which seem to be alive. There is a bit of a question of what is alive and what is not, what is really there, what is not...”

It's a lovely and threatening vision.

(many thanks to Thomas Burkdall)

The dangerous selfie

Once derided as artifacts of narcissism, selfies may now become the next object of digital fear.  The Russian government issued a warning about the dangers of selfies. 

Among the more memorable cases was an incident last month when a drunk Siberian man accidentally toppled a statue of Vladimir Lenin while trying to photograph himself with the Communist leader.

Then there were the two fishermen — also in Siberia — who wound up in the hospital after reportedly attempting to take a selfie with a snake, their hands swollen from venom.

...

Just last weekend, a 21-year  old Muscovite fell to her death from a city bridge during a selfie attempt. In May, another 21-year-old woman accidentally shot herself in the head with a non-lethal pistol, causing severe injury, while trying to strike a pose.

Other grim incidents involving selfie-takers have included electrocutions and even deadly grenade explosions. In fact, police reported that about 100 people have been injured and at least 10 killed since the beginning of the year while attempting selfies...

Let's see if this specter moves west.

(thanks to Todd Bryant)