Tag Archives: Egypt

The Birth of the Robot: 1936 Experimental Advertising Film by Len Lye for Shell Oil Company

by Cimaxion


In 1936, experimental filmmaker Len Lye made this short surreal animation to advertise the benefits of Shell oil for lubricating things. The film is a hyper-saturated stop-motion extravaganza that involves a mechanical world turning on some sort of hand crank. There’s an adventurer driving around the sands of Egypt. His car winds down and konks out leaving the man dead in the desert. The angel of oil rains drops of lubricating crude down on the Egyptian landscape bringing the parched skeleton to life as the Shell Oil robot. Fascinating. It’s got that awkward, shiny, naive beauty that could only be achieved in the 30s. Parts of this thing look like they might be influenced by Salvador Dali’s work. Something about that dead skeleton and the desert looks like it could fit right into the Surrealist master’s paintings.

Lye was from New Zealand and worked not only as an experimental filmmaker but also in newsreels and advertising. He was a kinetic sculptor, poet, painter and a writer of essays on artistic theory and philosphy. He made a 1935 short film called ‘A Colour Box’ which was the first generally exhibited film made by painting directly on the film emulsion. It’s a brilliant experimental animation posing as an advertisement for cheaper parcel post.  I’m sure the great direct paint filmmaker Stan Brakhage must have been familiar with Lye’s work.

Here’s a gallery site with information and examples of his artwork.

Egyptian Military Leaders Begin Systematic Beating and Slaughter of Peaceful Protesters

by Cimaxion


The Egyptian military, which is supported by the United States military, has begun a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters by beating and killing. Recently, they appear to have targeted mainly women, beating them with sticks, stomping on their heads and chests, and dragging them half naked through the streets.

This is the Egyptian military. This is the leadership of Egypt. The revolution of January 2011 has failed. Egypt has sunk into a brutal military dictatorship that has begun to rape, beat and kill all dissenters. I do not believe in peaceful revolution against murderous dictatorships. When confronted with barbaric monsters like the current leadership in Egypt, one must kill or be killed. My advice to Egyptians is to eliminate soldiers wherever you might find them by any means at hand – like the Libyans did. I say that because I’m an American. And nobody on the planet knows how to do a revolution like the Americans do. And the one thing we know about revolution is that when you want to win you put your gun in the other guy’s face and pull the trigger. Peaceful protests are for smirking idiots like the Dalai Lama.

But I do not think Egypt’s revolution will work. There are too many poor uneducated religious people and they will react to freedom with more brutal attacks on women. It is the nature of religious people under pressure to brutalize women. It happens in all places where you find poverty mixed with religion. In fact, it is oppression of women that fundamentally defines all religious behavior. Reading a Bible or a Koran is like reading an instruction manual for the subjugation and enslavement of women. These books are horrific works by deformed men who were terrified that they might not know for sure who really fathered their children. That is about all I have to say on the subject of the very sad and dying nation of Egypt. Arab Spring looks to me like a death march. I am also deeply ashamed of my country’s military association with Egypt. It is a profound embarrassment to all Americans to know that our military officers give advice and money to rapists. Disgusting.

Needless to say, I will not be visiting the fucking pyramids any time soon.

This news video contains disturbing images and shocking violence:

Killing the Net: A Film by Duncan Elms

by Cimaxion

This short film by Duncan Elms explores the danger of an Internet that can be shut down quite easily by governments that want to suppress free expression or crack down on popular movements toward freedom. The recent experience of Egyptians trying to stage a revolution and spread information about it amongst themselves and to the world should be very informative. The Mubarak government was able to turn off Internet access throughout the nation. Even in the U.S., President Obama has sought the power to switch off the Internet if he declares an emergency. That effort has since been watered down, but it is clear that the U.S. government does in fact seek a method for shutting down the Internet.  The continued treatment of China, a nation that monitors every single word typed into a web site, as even remotely civilized is an embarrassment to the entire world.  Those people won’t even allow a person to think freely, much less post freely on the web.  There must be a way to maintain worldwide access to the Internet that is beyond the control of any national government, including the United States government.

Three Big Pigs – A Middle East Revolution Animation

by Cimaxion

Egor Zhgun presents a cartoon news report on the revolutions rocking the Middle East. Some of these revolutions, though coming from noble intentions, are failing miserably. Egypt has rid itself of a dictator only to be taken over by a barbaric military that conducts organized rape and torture of men and women who seek to engage in any further protests. Egypt is now a military dictatorship. It is sheer stupidity to believe otherwise.  I won’t go visit the pyramids any time soon because I don’t want to be raped by Egyptian soldiers.

Tomb of the Mummy Puzzle is a Facebook App

by Cimaxion | 1 Comment

I’ve turned the original Tomb of the Mummy puzzle game into a Facebook app.  So if you spend most of your time over there you can give it a try.

It’s really pretty difficult and has resulting in tons of nasty emails for me.  One guy worked on the puzzle for three weeks and left it on his monitor when his girlfriend came over.  She apparently sat down and solved it in thirty seconds.  The guy was furious and really let me know about it!

Enjoy.

Here’s the link to the Tomb of the Mummy on Facebook.

A Film About the Secrets of Alchemy

by Cimaxion

With all of the talk recently about religions that forbid the fundamentally human act of drawing, it is perhaps refreshing to think about a spiritual pursuit that not only encourages the act of drawing, but expresses itself almost entirely through drawings. Alchemy is the subject of this fascinating film. It’s in eight parts and well worth clicking through all the way to the end. The later part of the film features some comments by Carl Jung and there are tons of illustrations to puzzle over. If you can get past some of the slightly amateurish narration, you will be well-rewarded with a presentation of ideas that might be completely new to you.  The film gets more interesting toward the last three parts.

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

What I like about alchemy is the sense I get of people working toward something. The entire history of alchemy is one of people searching for what amounts to a spiritual understanding of themselves through constant questioning and investigation. This seems to me to be superior to most religious practice which primarily involves people accepting instructions from an outside and unverified source.

Puzzle Game: Tomb of the Mummy II

by Cimaxion | 1 Comment

TombOfTheMummyIIWant to ruin Halloween?  Sure.  Why not?  Give it a try.  This puzzle has driven many players totally insane.  I’m actually not kidding.  I’m dead serious.  It’s really hard.  It can warp your helpless mind and make you smash your computer.  I have received more hate mail for this little puzzle than for any other reason.

Why don’t you try it?  Go ahead… see if you can solve it.

You won’t regret it… for a while.

Playmobil Ancient Egypt Adventure Animation

by Editor | 5 Comments

German toymaker, Playmobil, has a new Egypt play-set out that has been one of the highlights of the 2009 Toy Fair in New York City.  It includes a giant pyramid with secret traps, treasure chamber, tombs and removable walls.  But what is really great about this whole thing is that the company has produced a series of animated films based on the play-set’s characters.  It’s a wonderful adventure in a fanciful ancient Egypt.  You’ve got to see this.  Here’s part 2 of the film.  Here’s part 3.