2016-01-08
       
       Nuggets of Culture
       
       I'm always haunted by the feeling that things are going on in the
       world that I know nothing of. Whole fields of experience that have
       brilliant people pouring their lives into them, and I'm missing
       them just because the knowledge of their existence hasn't hit me.
       Partly because of cultural barriers, partly because of narrow field
       of social interaction...
       
       Anyway, here's a small, growing list of some possibly hidden
       nuggets for people with the same itch. The kind of things I would
       have wanted to be told about if I didn't know about them.
       
       - Adolescence of Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena, Japan
       1999). Mindblowing, strange, like-nothing-else
       stuff. This of course goes for the whole varied field of anime,
       which some people don't bother looking into for stupid reasons like
       the stereotype set by some popular shows.
       - Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Valerie a týden divů,
       Czechoslovakia 1970.). Same as with Utena, the
       field being foreign films in general. I've very little experience
       on this field, unfortunately.
       - Nijigahara Holograph (虹ヶ原ホログラフ, Inio Asano). Same
       thing, with 'foreign films' → 'manga'.
       - The Sanskrit Language ...And languages in general, and
       constructed ones specifically. Interesting stuff.
       - Anything by Greg Egan. The hardest science
       fiction there is (not 'possible with what we know right now' hard,
       but 'write a formula, follow through'-hard). Unfortunately I'm not
       educated enough to actually appreciate the math, but a) the
       concepts played with are described in language for mortals too, and
       b) knowing there is a rigorous backing for all the ideas gives
       warm, fuzzy feelings.
       - Anything by Nick 'Ulillillia' Smith. The most magical guy in 
       the internet. He is not like us, but he is not less than us.
       - Perry Bible Fellowship. Category: web/strip comics. In this context
       XKCD and Fingerpori must be mentioned.
       - Susumu Hirasawa's music. Sekai Turbine, Parade
       - Julee Cruise's music. Into the Night, Rockin' Back Inside My Heart
       - Harumi Miyako's music, enka music (older Japanese popular music) in
       general
       - Chiptunes
       
       I think 'sense of wonder' is something that is common to many of
       these entries. The more you know about the world, the more the same
       it all feels, so any deviations from the norm, anything that makes
       a thing feel deep (be it well grounded deep like Egan's, or even
       pure smoke and mirrors fluff, if done right) is welcome.