Absurdist Edge


Absurdist Work In Progress

Eleanora Rosati | OUP Blog | 5th September 2023

Can you copyright a banana taped to a wall as a work of art? Would the copyright cover only that banana on that wall, or any banana on any wall? If you had taped a real banana to a wall, and then somebody else taped a plastic banana to a wall, would that infringe your copyright? If an AI had come up with the idea of taping a banana to a wall before you did, would the copyright still be yours? (880 words)


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Forming An Edge

T.W. Lim | Scope Of Work | 4th September 2023

How to make the sharpest possible kitchen-knife. Find the best artisan and find the best steel — probably in Japan. Cheap steel has a "gummy, stringy character”, but Japanese white steel "feels crystalline, and disintegrates into a fine powder when you sharpen it". Whet the blade initially to an edge-angle of 17 degrees, and optimise from there. Chopping chives is the best test of sharpness (1,800 words)


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