The Procrastinator (some) Times Sunday 2nd of February Edition

EDITORIAL

Hello everyone and happy Groundhog Day! This edition of the Procrastinator goes out in GMT so by the time I'm writing this I really don't know what is going to be Punxsutawney Phil prediction about the winter, but it doesn't matter, because we have our own. Oh yes, we put together a special Groundhog Day section to honor one of our favorite films, as well as one of our favorite weird rituals of this weird world we live in.

In the news section we have an NSA/Snowden/Facebook triangulation going on, we also have articles about asteroids and genetically modified monkeys; the SS14 Barneys campaign and sex with Google Glass; female advertising, writer's sleeping habits and Michel Houellebecq. Finally our In Dog We Trust section is also a special lovely Groundhog Edition.

We hope the winter turns out to be shorter than we expected. Follow us in Twitter if you want to be  informed about Phil's predictions, and all in all have a happy Sunday and a happy reading!



NEWS

Photo via The Independent.

The first news of this week in our edition is the nomination of whistleblower Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize. "Two Norwegian politicians say they have jointly nominated the former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel peace prize. The Socialist Left party politicians Baard Vegar Solhjell, a former environment minister, and Snorre Valen said the public debate and policy changes in the wake of Snowden's whistleblowing had "contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order". Read full article in The Guardian. E.T.P. 2' and/or The Independent. E.T.P. 2'

Image via Dazed Digital.

This brings us to our second news: a very complete article published in Dazed Digital in which, having learned some of the NSA encryption methods, Stephen Fortune compiled Ten Ways to Fuck the NSA. "While code-breaking supercomputers are mentioned in the disclosures Bruce Schneier, one of the most respected cryptography experts commenting on this matter, assures us that the NSA have not been able to code-break any of the crypto used by cypherpunks and activists to shy away from prying eyes. Absolute clarity on the matter is unobtainable, as the NSA's capabilities in this regard are a tightly guarded secret. Against this backdrop it's not surprising to hear that 86% of (US) internet users have attempted some method of covering their tracks online. But the time has past for half measures: if you want to fuck the NSA check out our top 10 list." Read full article in Dazed Digital. E.T.P. 12'

Image via TIME with my Facebook non-meaningful procrastination info.

Non-meaningful Procrastination.  Finally, our 3rd article this week is about this crazy place that need no NSA to discover everything about our lives, because we just share it all without even think twice: Facebook. "Facebook will celebrate its 10th birthday next week. Created in a dorm room by Mark Zuckerberg and a few friends, TheFacebook.com came to life on Feb. 4, 2004. In its decade of existence, the social network has attracted 1.1 billion users, and all their pokes, wall posts, baby photos and engagement announcements add up to a whole lot of time." TIME magazine invite us to use their calculator so we can have an estimate of how much time we have wasted on Facebook. My case is not as dramatic as many others, I guess because I refused to sign in for a long time. Now I'm lost, like everyone else. Argh. At some point this year I'll sign off, this is my Chinese New Year resolution. Go ahead use TIME's calculator. E.T.P. 6 - 10' 

IN DOG WE TRUST

Photo: Lola via CBS Minnesota.

Hello dog lover! Happy Groundhog Day!

Here are some links you may like to explore:

 

Predicting Groundhog Day with a dog.
 

Groundhog Day's dog competition (Punxsutawney).

Andie Macdowell's dog recovering from surgery.
 

Groundhog dog toy.
 

Groundhog age in dog years conversion.

Video of the week: Shortee the ground vs Nyla the dog.

Enjoy your Sunday! And follow Bill Murray on Instagram

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In Dog We Trust is curated by: Carola Melguizo from La Guía del Perro.

GROUNDHOG DAY SPECIAL

Photograph from AP via National Geographic.

Dear friends, readers, followers, occasional visitors... today, February 2nd, is Groundhog Day. Is the day when Punxsutawney Phil, probably the most famous groundhog of the world, and definitely the only one with weather forecasting powers, comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob to predict the weather for the rest of the winter. I know.

This very peculiar ritual inspired Danny Rubin to write a story that later would inspire director Harold Remis to make a movie, that some would say is a modern classic... or at least a really nice comedy. Thanks to Groundhog Day, the movie, starred by Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, 21 years ago, a lot of people around the world (including some of us) heard for the first time about Phil the groundhog, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and all together this wonderful and bizarre Groundhog/Winter/Forecasting universe.

For our mini Groundhog Day special we put together contributions from regular collaborators and friends and a collection of links for you to find out more about Groundhog Day... if that's what you're into. Also, don't forget to check this week's In Dog We Trust section because it's filled with nice Groundhog facts and info.


Groundhog Mono by Germán Herrera.

Dear Procrastinator by Marie James.

I am very bad with predictions but I found funny that we have to celebrate groundhog, the horse and the "crêpes" at the same time. So I made you a drawing. Happy ground-horse day to you!

A modern prediction, by Kerilyn Tacconi.

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow this Groundhog’s Day, the ‘Amish' trend will really take off. Beards are already heading in that direction, and will continue getting more gnarly until they reach historic proportions. Then Brad Pitt will sport one to the Oscars and metrosexual men around the world will jump on the bandwagon (literally). There will be a run on chambray at JCrew; Smuckers and Tiptree will go out of business; Apple will start developing abacuses. The booze industry need not worry, though, as everyone needs a good rumspringa every now and again.

Groundhog Day Graham Crackers via Babble.

Procrastinate away and find out more about Groundhog Day.

- Really interesting facts about the origin of Groundhog Day, and the use of other animals like bears, badgers and even goldfish to predict nature's changes in this article from The Huffington Post called: The Secret of Groundhog Day. E.T.P. 4'

- Watch Primus performing the song Groundhog's Day live in Bonaroo 2011. E.T.P. 7'21''

- If you haven't seen Groundhog Day, the movie, have a look at the trailer. E.T.P. 2'54''

- If you have seen the movie maybe you want to read this article written by Ali Arikan a couple of years ago in Slant: Imagining Sisyphus Happy: A Groundhog Day Retrospective. E.T.P. 12'

- Finally if you're the cooking type and you are really into celebrating this day, here are some recipes you can prepare to enjoy your Sunday. E.T.P. 1-2 hours.