I am in Texazzzzzzzzzzzzz at Rice University for a conference on ethics and politics in information technology organized by chris kelty and Hanna Landeker. I got here a day late (as did everyone else) due to atrocious storms that always leave the city flooded (I have been victim to such Houston floods once before in the past).

I am pretty torn and shred to pieces (from lack of sleep for a week) but this was a fascinating conference that sought to look at the enununciation of ethics in the everyday work of computer scientists as well as recalibrate the way that anthropologists collaborate (the short answer is they don’t). I will hopefully get some time later to post some of my thoughts and comments.

After the conference, I was able to visit the Menil which was outrageously serene. I loved it. I usually don’t like art museums. They overwhelm my soul, my mind, my eyes, yep my being. I feel ragged afterwards, not the way I like to feel after I see some art.

This though was a tiny dose, and really an exquisite range of surrealist and “tribal” art. There was this one room, called the “Witnesses” which was a little strange through stunning. Here is the description from their website:

Already deeply familiar with Cubism and Surrealism, the de Menils began to consider and acquire the art of primitive cultures. They delighted in its conceptual complexity and aesthetic elusiveness; the creative form and style as well as the incomprehensible mystery of these objects engaged them. The influence of tribal art on Surrealism in particular can be seen in