“Sometime around 1957, in a fluorescent-lit lab at the University of Wisconsin, psychologist Harry Harlow carried out a study that would come to haunt the field of behavioral science.”
From RESTRICTED FREQUENCY #224: False Monkey Theory
“The experiment, which would be difficult to receive grant approval for today (for good reason at that), involved separating newborn monkeys from their mothers just hours after birth (evil!). The infants were then placed in solitary confinement with two ersatz 'mothers'—one, a minimalist wireframe fitted with a bottle of milk; the other, soft and wrapped in fabric, but offering no sustenance...”
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The next RESTRICTED FREQUENCY is scheduled to drop on Sunday. In it, we draw on a chilling monkey experiment from 1957 to illustrate how comfort is often sought after over truth—nationalism, corporate “families,” and expat illusions are all explored within. Plus: a poster giveaway, smoothie recipe, and sharp cultural picks.
An issue not to be missed! If you haven't already, sign up now to make sure it lands in your inbox and makes it in front of your eyeballs.
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“So wuddya think?” said the kid who brought me a photocopied sheet of paper.
This is amazing, I shrieked!
“Thought you might like it, being the artist and all.”
Can I borrow it and bring it back to you in a couple days? Just to make my own copy.
“Sure,” he said.
Later that day during recess, I sat with the thing and fiddled with it in a feeble attempt to understand the magic behind how it worked. How is it even possible that a simple sheet of paper featuring four pigs laid out in grid, when folded a certain way, would magically turn into the face of Saddam Hussein?! What strange sorcery was this?!
From the latest RESTRICTED FREQUENCY. Issue #223: Insidious Swine. Sign-up page can be found at Ganzeer.com/newsletter
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For as long as I can remember, I'd come across an interesting Japanese tradition or philosophy of some kind that can be summed up in one word; things like Wabi-Sabi: finding beauty in imperfection and transience, Ikigai: the intersection of passion, mission, vocation, and profession that culminates in the reason for being, or Kaizen: continuous improvement through small, incremental changes. Fascinated, I often wondered if other cultures also had their share of single-word philosophies, ignored for one reason or another by the international gaze (if we can call it that). Over the course of the past few months though, I have come to realize that Egypt almost certainly boasts at least one such tradition: Karwata.
Read more in the latest RESTRICTED FREQUENCY, #222: Karwata.
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After a bit of a [accidental] hiatus, the newsletter is back with issue #221: Because Cairo.
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Here's a link to the web edition of the latest RESTRICTED FREQUENCY – 219: The Great Shi(f)t is Upon Us.
In other news, one of my bookshelves made the Shelfies newsletter. Really delightful initiative by authors Jared Shurin and Lavie Tidhar.
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A new RESTRICTED FREQUENCY is scheduled. Titled The Great Shi(f)t is Upon Us, it goes out in about 15 hours.
Here's the link to the previous RESTRICTED FREQUENCY – 218: Between Venice, Rome, and Cairo
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“Footsteps on cobblestone bounce off the walls in Venetian passageways. Aside from the sound of the occasional motorboat, there isn't much else to be heard on the streets of Venice; A much welcomed change of ambiance for someone who does not drive but hails from a world dominated by cars and multi-lane motorways. In Venice, wherever your eyes fall, there is only beauty to be seen.”
From issue 218 of RESTRICTED FREQUENCY, scheduled to go out late this evening.
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A new RESTRICTED FREQUENCY is out! It is issue #217, and in it the question of cultural funding is explored.
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Newsletter scheduled to send in a few hours from now. This will be issue #213 and its title is The [Inherent] Evil of Techno-Optimism, and just as it says on the tin, its main feature is a [partial] takedown of Marc Anderseen's horrendous The Techno-Optimist Manifesto.
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A snack and dishes before tending to those. Would like to kick the weekend off with a clean slate. Sumud for Palestine tomorrow.
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