i see the superbowl
about once per decade, and since my hosts on
maui threw an outdoor viewing party, this was my
year. i scribbled pages of observations but
balked at sharing them because who needs another
pop culture think piece? but in sum, it seemed
to be all about nostalgia for less fraught
times, from '90s hip hop halftime revival to an
absolute lack of masks in the stadium or any
commercials. but the weirdest moment was the ad
for Meta, which aimed for the feelgood
sentiment of Toy
Story but landed in the horrifying uncanny
valley of Child's
Play, making the so-called metaverse
about as appealing as a lobotomy. now, after five
weeks of nature immersion, Seattle itself
seems like a simulacrum, from the unnatural
color and flatness of this petroleum
byproduct playfield to apartments that
look built of pixels, we're already surrounded
by low-effort computer renderings brought to
life that embody the slapdash artificiality of a
virtual world. yet there are signs of life,
flashes of color! like this
receiver's stunning catch--though they
risked incurring a pee-nalty for excessive
celebration. |
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