Cultrface – a blog dedicated to culture and how it enriches our lives.

In Norway, hot dogs are universally great […] on May 17, Norway’s national day, the country’s 5.4 million people celebrated by eating an estimated 13 million hot dogs. (via)

This Cool Link was published 11 months ago. (#)

Trailer for Dalíland, a Salvador Dali film starring Sir Ben Kingsley

/ / / / /
Dalíland - Official Trailer | Starring Sir Ben Kingsley | Directed by Mary Harron | Opens June 9

Mary Harron (director of American Psycho and I Shot Andy Warhol), is directing a film about Salvador Dalí called Dalíland starring Ben Kingsley as Dalí.

If you were hoping for a biopic, you’ll be disappointed as Dalíland focuses on the artist’s strained later years and his relationship with his wife, Gala (played by Barbara Sukowa). The film is set in New York and Spain in 1974 and told by James (played by Christopher Briney), Dalí’s new assistant who preps the eccentric artist for a big gallery show. Interestingly, we also see Ezra Miller star as a younger Dalí which I didn’t see coming but given who this film is about, it probably won’t be the strangest thing we’ll see.

D&D moral alignments in Blade Runner

/

For Screen Rant, Megan Summers assigned each character from Blade Runner with a D&D moral alignment:

Deckard: Lawful Neutral

The movie’s protagonist and anti-hero is a plainclothes bounty hunter working for the Los Angeles Police Department. His job is “retiring,” aka killing, replicants. While he’s good at what he does, he follows his own code. As the film progresses, Deckard develops a romantic relationship with the replicant Rachael, and his views about the value of replicant life change.

Lawful Neutral Deckard exists in the bureaucratic world of private enterprise and public sectors, resigned to his professional obligations. Deckard tries to keep his feelings out of the equation, an increasingly difficult task as he becomes more involved with the world of replicants.

Here it is in table form:

LawfulNeutralChaotic
Good–J.F. SebastianRachael
NeutralDeckardGaffPris/Leon
EvilHarry Bryant/TyrellRoy–

More on Blade Runner: Rick Deckard’s whiskey glass

Fuji and gala apples to replace pippins and russets due to climate change?

,
/ / /

The effects of climate change are due to hit apple horticulture according to experts:

Apples such as pippin or the the ancient nonpareil, grown in Britain since the 1500s, are struggling in the changed climate because there are not enough “chilling hours” for the trees to lie dormant in winter and conserve energy for growing fruit.

Scientists at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are planting 40 apple trees, a third of which are heritage varieties that once grew in its Georgian kitchen gardens. Another third are new varieties bred to need less cold over winter, and the final third are from warmer countries including South Africa. The varieties will be compared to see which has the best crop in London’s warming temperatures.

via The Guardian

Hot apple take: I prefer fuji and gala apples from Japan and New Zealand, respectively, but not at the expense of climate change and a likely hike in costs. And coupled with bee population reductions and ongoing shortages, things aren’t looking great for fruit and veg in the UK.

Apple related: Indo apples, samurai, and Japanese farmers

Why does AI think Michelangelo was a Chippendale?

, ,
/
AI Art Is So Powerful

Big Joel, on his Little Joel YouTube account, posted a short comical review on an article called “Thanks to AI, We Can Finally See How 15 Famous People From the Past Looked in Real Life“. Of course, this is all nonsense but that makes Big Joel’s mini-review even funnier as goes through a few.

My favourite is the one of Michelangelo which transforms the Italian artist into a cast member of the Magic Mike series due to the flesh coloured body under his black and white collar (look up Michelangelo on Google Images and you’ll see other versions of the same painting and what he actually wore). Wait a minute… Michelangelo… Magic Mike. I think AI is onto something there!!!

Dark patterns on the Dominos pizza web

,
/

I found this really interesting case study on Dominos and how they use dark patterns to overcharge for their pizza and sides. It centres on their “Deal Wizard”, enticing vouchers, and a bunch of UX psychology that makes you think you’re getting a better deal than you actually are.

Perhaps, similar to how popular celebrities often get away lightly with bad behaviour, household corporations like Dominos and Pizza Hut are big enough for consumers to be misled, without ramifications.

But a great user experience is built on trust and clarity—and for the vast majority of start-ups, that’s paramount.

I don’t think I’ve been burnt by their Deal Wizard as I often check prices with or without its help but who knows. I’ll scrutinise a bit harder next time and if they rip me off I’ll… not call the police; that’s too far.

Culture influences emotional responses to music, claims study

,
/

According to a 2022 study of some communities in Papua New Guinea and Australian participants, there is little evidence to suggest that there’s a universal emotional response to major or minor music:

The results show that the emotive valence of major and minor is strongly associated with exposure to Western-influenced music and culture, although we cannot exclude the possibility of universality.

Smit, Milne, et al (2022)