
An Anonymous Satire of Silicon Valley Now Has a Publisher - tucif
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/01/business/media/an-anonymous-satire-of-silicon-valley-now-has-a-publisher.html
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DaveWalk
I am most amazed that the technocrats who were sent copies of this book
anonymously all decry that it's probably some kind of marketing. Alexis
Madrigal: “It’s so weird in this day and age to just do an art project.”

Seriously!? People are doing pure art projects every minute -- they're call
artists! I feel like this would make Mark Twain smile, like writing satire
about a dimwitted socialite, who then reads it and thinks the book is great
because it's obviously about someone else.

~~~
licoricetic
Alexis is right though. Nowadays most art projects are actually a hook for a
Kickstarter or something.

~~~
goldenkey
This one definitely isn't..

[http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/feb/05/petr-
pav...](http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/feb/05/petr-pavlensky-
nailed-scrotum-red-square)

[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/09/russian-
artist-...](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/09/russian-artist-pyotr-
pavlensky-sets-fire-to-fsb-hq)

Most worthwhile art is done by people who look at life as a different type of
quantity. Whether valued higher or lower, the different outlook is really what
makes for interesting art.

~~~
theoh
... Or even, dare I say it, look at life as quality not quantity, as something
unquantifiable?

(You could have chosen a less contentious example of a meritorious practicing
artist :-)

~~~
goldenkey
I'd say just the concept of Russian Roulette is art in itself. Thereby the
artist I referenced above is not very contentious. He is risking his life for
a message - that gamble with life is art.

On the same note, what may be more contentious is the art of crime. The art of
murder. The art of Sherlock Holmes deciphering the creative tendencies behind
the craftiest of criminals. Murderers. Thieves.

Are terrorists also artists? That my friend, is contentious.

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famousactress
“It’s so weird in this day and age to just do an art project.”

Like I needed more reasons to be super fucking happy I haven't moved to the
bay, but anyways. Here's one more.

~~~
alexismadrigal
I mean: just to be clear, as the giver of the quote, the context for it is
that I was summarizing the feeing of other people who saw the book. I was a
super strong supporter of the idea that this was too well-done to be a
marketing stunt.

That said, it was just incredibly labor intensive for something with no
commercial or even reputational return.

~~~
famousactress
> _it was just incredibly labor intensive for something with no commercial or
> even reputational return._

Yah, but I still declare that a pretty insane and incredibly myopic outlook on
making something beautiful. You and I both have two year olds... How much
commercial or reputational return are you counting on for yours?

Mine seems pretty smart, and plausibly in the height percentile to be headed
to WNBA... but not really counting on returns, and she's the most labor
intensive experience in my life so far :)

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lvs

       “V.C.s have become San Francisco’s de facto philosopher kings, doling out financial, political and spiritual advice while amassing enormous cultural sway”
    

What an incredibly sad state of affairs for such a historically great city,
and what a fittingly excellent project. Hats off to whoever is responsible.

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deankoons
Anyone know the author? I have the @koonscrooks twitter handle and want them
to have it; they deserve such a delicatessen. Tweeted to verify:
[http://twitter.com/koonscrooks](http://twitter.com/koonscrooks)

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im2w1l
Wow what an amazing art project that isn't viral marketing. And For Just $5
You Can Have Your Very Own Copy of This Fantastic Phenomenon. We are so lucky
that Sarah, no doubt after a lot of effort, managed to convince these authors
to publish it.

Keep the playful SF "not everything has to turn a profit" spirit alive, Buy
Now!

EDIT: On second thought, it seems a little bit _too transparent_. If it is
actually a reverse psychology ad for a certain animated TV series, then color
me impressed.

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tabrischen
Putting this on my wishlist for Christmas. It's an interesting project,
illustrating a very particular insular type of culture

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state
This is such a fantastic project.

~~~
johan_larson
What impresses you about it? I read through it last night, and came away
unimpressed. Is there some hidden layer of meaning?

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squozzer
Awesome. Now we need a satire of e NYT that doesn't involve Hayden
Christensen.

