New razors!

Thanks to a good friend, I received 5 new razors this week. I received a 1962 Gillette "Slim" adjustable (the same kind that James Bond uses in Goldfinger). I also received a Q3 1956 Red Tip "Super Speed," and a 1955 Flare Tip "Super Speed." Also, there was an English Tech in there (unknown year). Finally, there was a Open Comb Tech that I've decided to keep even though it has quite a bit of damage on the handle and "cap." But I am most fortunate to have doubled my "collection" in one go. I've used most of these razors so far and have enjoyed them very much thus far!

Paradises by Iosi Havilio

Paradises is a sequel to Havilio's book, Open Door. You may recall that I didn't particularly enjoy that earlier book, though it did keep my attention as I was reading it. The sequel came up on Noisetrade (unfortunately, it seems to be no longer available there), and so I thought I would take the opportunity to read it. Like the first book, it is a "page turner": it kept my attention throughout. But I maintain that the reason why I continued to read the book was for some sort of resolution. I was hoping that something would happen. I suppose I should commend Havilio for keeping my attention, because as I read the book, I became more invested in the protagonist and her son. I hoped for her happiness, and knew that the various steps she was going to take would probably not provide for that need.

This book seemed to feature less instances of fantastical imagery: it takes place in an urban environment for the most part. The protagonist now lives with her son in a sort of squatter's apartment block, an apartment which she is able to occupy in return for daily injections for another woman living in the building. This is one constant throughout the book - she gives injections, and the woman complains.

I think I'm happy that I've read this (these) book(s), but I'm not so sure. Funnily enough, I'm not sure I can think of myself as not reading them. In other words, they have, in a strange way, become a part of my thoughts. And I suppose Havilio needs to be commended for that.

Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products by Leander Kahney

I am an Apple enthusiast, and I look forward to books about the company. I was not that impressed, though, with this particular book on Jony Ive. This book was immensely readable, but I found that I knew most of the information already. While I appreciated the (seemingly brief) presentation of Ive's biographical details—such as his link to evangelical Christianity in his younger days—I was seduced by the promise of a revelatory look into Ive's design studio, where all would be revealed.

Ive seems a kind person in public, and the book suggests that this is a genuine personality trait on his part. But he comes across a bit like Jobs in the Isaacson biography: arrogant and somewhat narcissistic. But I don't doubt Ive's altruistic motives in designing at Apple (though I suspect many might), and I don't doubt his genius. I am a very big fan of Apple design, and it was the Bondi Blue iMac—and an early version of OSX—that really captured me way back in 1998 or so. I suppose I wanted to read a book about the design language that Ive developed at Apple. Instead, I got a dissatisfying glimpse behind the scenes of one of my most compelling worlds.

Generation A by Douglas Coupland

What can I say about this book? I have always been a big fan of Douglas Coupland's work, but I fear that I might have grown out of it. That seems strange to say: I've written a paper on Coupland, used his work in classes and presentations, I've heard him speak and met him a number if times. I own pretty much all of his writing; most of my Coupland books are signed by him. At one point, I had a binder of all of the Coupland writing I could find, be it online or in magazines. I say all of this to say that I was not very impressed with Generation A.

The book explores some compelling, albeit fictional, ideas regarding semiotics and the decoding of written communication, as well as physiological effects of narrative creation and the development of new forms of, say, cognitive life. But I do feel that Coupland repeats himself, and I almost feel personally slighted by him. Does he care about his readers? I cannot speak for him as a person (when I have met him, he has always seemed to be a generous and kind fellow, spending extra moments to speak to me at our last meeting in Winnipeg), but I feel he doesn't.

Or maybe Coupland is no longer appealing to me: he is part of my past, and feeds that more melancholy (for the sake of melancholy) me of years ago. In any case, I didn't feel satisfied by this book, and it doesn't make me want to read his newest novel, though I will.

I feel bad about this. Douglas Coupland is one of these defining authors for me. I can't bear to say he was.

Open Door by Iosi Havilio

I've just finished reading Open Door. I'm not sure why I started reading it, though I suspect the description of the book caught my eye. I like to think of myself as a bit of a Romantic, and irrational (in a good way), but I'm not sure that this book was worth my time. I should say, though, that I kept reading it, which points to something; the book was able to hold my attention, doing what few books seem to be able to do. There is a scene that seems to stick with me, though: the protagonist goes to the local library in order to find historical information regarding the local insane asylum. She spies, then, the librarian crying in the bathroom with cuts on her ears. The scene ends with no explanation, nor is any given throughout the book.

I'm all for powerful and fantastical images, but I would have liked a bit more context to moments like this. The book carried me on, and encouraged me to turn the page, but perhaps it was only my desire for resolution of the enigmas presented therein. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

In any case, if anyone is interested in reading the book, it is freely available in electronic format from Noisetrade.

Shaving, Part 9

This post is delivered with sad news. This morning I had a tragic Alum Bar accident. The damage sustained to the alum bar was massive, and I am deeply saddened.

I suppose all is not lost. A simple $8 transaction would fix all; as they say, anything can be fixed if you have enough money.

Many have wondered to what I was referring when I mentioned the gift from my parents in the mail. I knew that my father had (currently has) a stash of old aftershaves and colognes in his dresser drawer (what we at home referred to as a "bureau" drawer). So, I asked my mother ever so kindly if father had any glass bottles of Old Spice, thinking that I would find a late-1970s bottle of Shulton Old Spice as a kind of treasure. Her reply was a hearty yes with the addition that father had two bottles. I immediately requested they be sent to me by post.

After my father paid the near-$20 shipping fee, I received the bottles in the mail. One was aftershave, and the other, a smaller bottle of Old Spice cologne. When I looked to the back of the bottles for dates and so forth, I noted that they were copyright 1997, well after the purchase of the brand from Shulton. A simple olfactory test suggested that this Old Spice, though probably 15 years old or so, was the same sort of stuff that I could buy--and did buy--in the present.

Nevertheless, I treasure the glass bottles. My sadness at the alum bar incident has nudged me toward purchasing some Indian Old Spice (that is, Old Spice made in India) as it is based on the older Shulton formula, apparently nicer in its smell than the modern North American version. Now on to ebay to see if I can find some...

Writing for the Media

For those of you who have followed my blog at all in the past might remember that I encourage my students in Writing for the Media to create blogs themselves. I often link to those blogs from this very blog. In our class this morning, we spoke about what 100 words looks like on a blog entry, and so here are 100 words or so. It really isn't a lot of writing and, in fact, there isn't really a lot that can be said in 100 words, but it is a start. And that's one of the aims of the course: to begin the process of writing and doing so regularly, and with a framework in mind. And, in case you were counting, the word count is 129 words.

Shaving, Part 8

The shaving "adventures" continue. I decided to order a cheap mass-produced razor, a sort of replica of a Gillette Tech razor, called a RiMei. I paid a whopping $4 (shipped), but was not completely impresses by its performance, but thoroughly impressed by the case and mirror! Then, on a trip downtown, and a visit to an antique store, I picked up a Gillette Tech from around 1938 to 1945 (made in Canada, too). I also found a Gillette Rocket Aristocrat Jr., probably from 1949. Both were quite inexpensive, and proved to be comfortable razors.

As an aside, I performed 2 passes with the Aristocrat Jr. this morning, and I suppose I was too flippant in my technique, resulting in some razor burn. Of course, this was nothing that some Old Spice couldn't remedy.

I also took a trip with some friends to one of their family cottages. In the garage, I spied a strop, a leather accoutrement for the sharpening of straight razors. As my colleague was also trying to rid his life of leather objects, he happily passed it on to me. I suspect that this is not a sign of straight razor shaving to come.

Now I am waiting for a special package from my parents with more surprises!

Shaving, Part 7

I realized quite early on that, while I had a brush, a scuttle, and a razor, many blades, a lot of cream, and even some aftershave, I was missing a very important item: a stand for my razor and brush. In doing some research online, I found that a brush stand could be gotten quite easily for an extremely reasonable amount of money, except that there is free shipping from many of these sites only when you spend a more significant amount. You might have figured out by now that I spent quite a bit of money thus far on this little hobby, and so I was reluctant (and even encouraged by those around me) to consider an alternative.

Hanging a shaving brush bristles-down is not a requirement for proper maintenance of said brush, but I thought I would figure something out to make that happen. After a cursory look on the Internet, many made stands from pieces of wood, finely sculpted and stained. Others used wire coat hangers bent into proper shapes. The latter seemed more my style, though I couldn't locate a wire coat hanger in our home (imagine!). But then I saw a bottle!

The bottle is a very nice blue colour, and I found some nice embroidery floss that matched the colour of the bottle (I didn't really try that hard, in case you're wondering how long I took on the project). After a few tries tying dental floss around the brush, embroidery floss seemed the better choice. And so my razor and brush stand was complete! And it cost me nothing (except for a few tasty beverages).

Shaving, Part 6

Now onto the enjoyment of wet shaving: there are certain ways of doing things that make shaving actually pleasurable. There is a strange satisfaction that comes from making proper lather, from the cooling sensation of menthol soaps like Proraso green, and from the sound that the razor makes as it cuts stubble from your face. It really is quite enjoyable. The razor burn, though, is not. I have been told over and over again that it should not occur, but the culprit is probably pressure. To use a DE razor, one must have an extremely light touch.

I read about a sort of concoction that further enhances the experience: one should take Williams shaving soap and, just before lathering, add a few drops of Aqua Velva. The resulting lather is called a "Blue Willie," apparently a wonderfully cool thing to do on a hot day, and because of some magical ingredient in the AV, a particularly rich lather. So, off to the local drugstore went I, looking for Aqua Velva. The only one that they had is stock was a Sport scent, but the price seemed right and so I bought it (I didn't smell it).

I should mention here, if my readers are sad and anxious, that the AV does not smell bad. It smells fine but not really nice. Of course, there is a reason why, as children and young people, we used to make fun of people wearing cheap aftershave. It is what it is. But it did make me want to buy more aftershave.

So off I went looking for Old Spice, my favourite "go-to" when I was young (a cheap aftershave wearer that got made fun of). They still make it (though those in the know say that you should look for the Shulton version made in India rather than the P&G version made in North America) and it's in a familiar (plastic) bottle. As an aside, my father is famous (among his wife and children, anyway) for having a stash of old aftershave in one of his dresser drawers. This week I asked my mother if he happened to have any old Old Spice in a glass bottle, and my mother checked and found that he had two. I asked that they be mailed to me immediately.

By the way, I tried the "Blue Willie" concoction. I enjoyed it. I should mention, though, that I apparently used the wrong version of Aqua Velva, perhaps the source of my olfactory dissatisfaction in the first place. I was to use the Ice Blue Classic variety rather than the green Sport variety. I think I will call my version the "Lesser Green William."

Shaving, Part 5

After trying to shave with a DE razor, I realized that perhaps 3 passes was too many for my extra-sensitive face. Also, it seems that the evils of cartridge shaving taught me bad "technique": I pressed the razor into my face (don't worry, the injuries were not as graphic as one might think, considering I mentioned pressing). The fine folks at the website seemed to think that lather was a problem, and so off I went in search for soap. And I found lots!

At the mall, I went straight to the shaving aisle, to find some shaving soap. The first thing I picked up was a cheap soap "puck" called "Williams," an old brand that doesn't seem to have much prestige attached to it, though some swear by its ability to produce a lather. Next to it was a blue bowl of soap manufactured by Wilkinson Sword, and so I immediately picked up that as well. These were not particularly expensive products: the Williams soap cost less than $2 and the Wilkinson Sword bowl cost around $5.

I continued the search at a local drug store and found a seeming motherlode of shaving accoutrements, namely a pre-shave lotion (to be used before shaving, obviously) by an Italian company called Proraso (which I had heard all sort of good things about). Beside the pre-shave lotion was Proraso shaving soap and shaving creme. So, I decided to buy all of these products, of course never satisfied with just, say, a $2 puck of soap!

I was also told that perhaps my Feather blades were just too sharp, and so I was pointed to Astra Superior Platinum blades, which could be obtained for around $18 on Amazon. You might not be surprised by now to learn that I ordered 100 of those as well.

I was certainly not going to save money doing this, this was certain, but would it be enjoyable? The answer is forthcoming!

Shaving, Part 4

After the first shave with my new DE razor, following the instructions that I found in the excellent Youtube video, I found that I had cut myself quite formidably. Thankfully, I had also purchased an alum bar, a post-shave solution to razor burn and any nicks or cuts that might have been suffered as a result of lax lathering or sloppy shaving. I should remind you that I had followed the instructions in the video. I performed 3 passes with the razor, at 4, 4, and 2 (the settings on the Merkur Futur adjustable razor). I only realized later that 6 is the most aggressive setting; that is, more of the blade is exposed above the safety bar of the razor.

The alum bar is a bit of an aesthetic conundrum: it is obviously utilitarian, shipped to me in a simple cardboard paper box, not unlike a bar of soap. But it is a beautiful thing to look at, and a nice thing to touch too. Plus, when you wet it and apply it all over your face, it stops the bleeding.

It seemed, though, according to my friends at Badger and Blade, that I was unable to lather. It might not even have been technique, though there are very helpful tutorials available there. I needed to go shopping. Again.

Shaving, Part 3

You may recall that I ended the last post suggesting that my visit to Badger and Blade was a bad one. This is not necessarily the case. If one considers the bottom line according to my pocketbook, then one would have to agree that the visit was not necessarily a good one. But there are other factors to be considered.

After visiting Badger and Blade, and reading various posts, I decided that I would invest in a Safety Razor, one of those old fashioned razors that my father doesn't seem to remember using (nor do I remember ever seeing him use) which come with a removable and replaceable blade. I visited Fendrihan, a Canadian retailer, and found a "kit" that included a particularly expensive (at least to this new shaver) razor and a purported 4-year supply of (very sharp) blades.

I happily received my new Merkur Futur adjustable razor, and eagerly tried it out, following the prescribed advice on the following video:



Unfortunately, a minor bloodbath ensued...

Shaving, Part 2

You might recall that the last entry explored my dissatisfaction with contemporary shaving tools and their monetary costs. My concerns were not allayed by what my wife bought me for Father's Day in 2013, but her gifts made me think strongly about how to solve these problems. At the very least, it made me consider spending more money, which was not the intent.

In any case, about a week after Father's Day, I received a package in the mail which contained some shaving items. The items were a few "pucks" of shaving soap, a rather plain-looking boar bristle shaving brush and a really beautiful shaving bowl (otherwise known as a "scuttle"). The package was from an Eastern Canadian company called Anointment Natural Skin Care, and the scuttle was homemade from a Prince Edward Island potter called Right Off The Bat Pottery.

With my new items in tow, I went eagerly to the sink, in order to begin my new shaving routine, with a brush, and soap in my scuttle and so forth. My first difficulty came with lather, but I figured that I was doing something wrong. I then went to check on technique at Badger and Blade. This turned out to be a rather fortuitous move for me, though it did cost me a bit of money...

Shaving, Part 1

I thought I would begin and document my transforming world of face shaving. While this might not seem to be the most exciting thing to write or read about, it is certainly an interesting subject and experience to work through. To force myself to write about something, I thought, why not shaving? So, here is the first entry of many that chronicles my foray into what is called (by those who know) "wet shaving."

For those of you who might wonder why it is called "wet shaving," when the other sort of shaving (the regular way) also uses water, I can't really answer that question. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that water is used to create the lather; regular, everyday, contemporary, mainstream shaving uses creams and foams that need only a splash of water to function. Soaps and creams used in so-called "wet shaving" require lots of water and lots of time.

So, at the start, I thought I would show you what my world (and those of my contemporaries) is (was?) like. I used a cartridge razor with three blades on a single "head," and my particular model had a small motor in it that allowed it to "buzz" while I shaved. The "buzz" was apparently to "wake up" the hair (vibrate it into standing on end) in order to achieve a closer shave.

I never complained about the quality of the shave; I was never really concerned with the close, "soft as a baby's bottom" shave, much to the chagrin of my wife. Rather, I was not particularly happy with the cost of cartridges. While I used the same cartridge for a month or so (I was never sure how long one could actually use a cartridge effectively), I was always saddened and dismayed when it came time for me to purchase new cartridges. The cost for four of said cartridges was around $16 to $20, and so I would skimp on the foam required, my go-to favourite, Foamy Lemon-Lime, which only cost a couple of dollars.

Because of my dissatisfaction with buying cartridges, I decided to subscribe to a monthly shave service, that sent blades to my address for a small cost: around $7 a month. I figured that I would have a small stockpile of blades in no time, and that I could cancel the service and live off of the spoils for years.

I decided early on that I wasn't happy with the quality of the blades, and cancelled the service, but continued to live off of those spoils.

Then I got a gift for Father's Day in 2013...

Some thoughts on U2's Linear

I stumbled across an email conversation I had with my colleague Michael Gilmour, also from Providence University College. In our conversation, from the Spring of 2009, we discussed U2's film Linear, which accompanied their album No Line on the Horizon.

We both seemed to notice the emphasis on travel and movement throughout the film, as well as a series of binaries. Dr. Gilmour put it as follows: "urban to rural; black and white to colour (and back); Europe to Africa. The motorcycle is classic symbol of liberation and interesting to watch the main character escape his job (police) and his city and the shallowness of his world (all the XXX salons in the opening song, etc.) and discover the open road (a very Kerouacian image). Maybe the police represent the establishment and conformity, which he escapes, burning the bike and eventually losing the uniform." I noted those binaries as well, especially the binary between urban and rural. The beginning and end of the film, in which the protagonist is in a "city" (it's unclear whether it's a city at the end, but it certainly isn't rural) are in black and white, while the section of the film in which he is traveling, stopping at rest stops to eat/look at women with facial hair is in colour. It is most interesting that, once he gets on a rowboat to row to Africa, the film doesn't once again change into colour. Of course, all of this assumes a certain "positivity" associated with colour as opposed to black and white. Such a connotation is not necessarily warranted; in any case, the use of colour in contrast to B&W is striking, especially when the B&W scenes take place in urban settings.

Gilmour noted that the film was disorienting: "When you finally see U2 performing, they are blurry on the TV with poor reception. Maybe this disorientation is positive, suggesting a break with established (European?) patterns of thought ... a little reminiscent of the psychedelic movement. The African cloud appears to be an epiphany of sorts." He also mentions that the film is certainly not a music video, and that the songs are out of order compared to the track listing of the album, with a new song thrown in as well. The disorienting idea is interesting; for me, U2 on the television set is interesting for me because the band is doubly mediated. Even if we saw a crystal clear image of them, they would still be "apart" from us, mediated twice by the context of the story (once through our own televisions and once through the one in the film). The fact that the image is also distorted adds even more distance. I would read this as ambivalent.

Gilmour wrote about the "epiphany" moment and the "African cloud." The three images in that sequence are: Africa in the clouds, the biker evoking Christ crucified, and the the number 1 in the clouds. This is one of the clearest sequences of symbols in the film, but what they might mean strung together like a sentence is difficult.

I would suggest that there are also deliberate links between musical moments and visuals as well. While I only watched the film once, I often find that the images from the film remain in my mind when I hear the songs. I did a very little bit of research on the film, at it seems that there is also the context of racism, immigration and unrest in Paris which informs the first part of the film. The graffiti that the biker sees on the wall at the end of the first song is derogatory towards police, and seems to set him off against his profession and to seek out north Africa, presumably where he himself originates.

In the end, neither of us concluded anything (I think Michael admitted that he enjoyed the film but didn't understand it at all), except that the film did give us a appreciate of the music of the album.

Paul Virilio

This quote reminds me of Walt Disney World:

Take the simulated reality. According to Jean Baudrillard, it stops there. But I have always argued that a simulated reality will change and end up substituting itself for itself to become a different reality. It will integrate its simulation.

From Paul Virilio, The Administration of Fear (Los Angeles: Semiotext(e), 2012), 58.

Dollhouse - Week 11

PW, this is the final post for this course.

Does Jesus actually say anything like "there is no 'I' without desire, and no desire without the 'I'"? (248) It seems Hawk is referring to self-identity ("I"); I'm not sure of the link between her comment and Jesus, but surely it can be unpacked at length (by someone, but perhaps not us).

Does Echo transcend desires? (249) What about her relationship with Ballard? Can the "I" function at all without some sort of desire at work?

The last part of the paragraph at the top of p.250 is important. I like the sentiment, but I'm not sure I accept it.

No longer caught in the subject – object dyad, Ech enacted a truly queer relationship by allowing deeper penetration – unshackled to sexual reproduction or hegemonic heteronormativity – than is possible for any human subject. Her post humanity allowed for, and, indeed, necessitated, a rearticulation of the fulfillment of desire. She was able to transcend desires as well as the physical and mortal constraints of humanity by integrating the man she loved into her very self.

Apple is posthuman, not only post-PC. Are our very being mapped onto social networks? I suppose.

These last two articles have been refreshingly complex and clever.

New Media - Gaming

PW, you are more the expert at this than I am, I think.

The reading for this final week is available here.

The prevalent attitude regardint the "third place" of games is that “media are displacing crucial civic and social institutions.” That is, the Internet allows connection over time and space (good) but the Internet also enables “pseudo comunities” (bad). But not all Internet use is the same, something which the above claims suggest

The notion of “Third place”
Relationships are fostered at home, and at the workplace (2 places); relationships are also fostered at a new “third place” for informal sociability (pubs, coffee shops) - there has been a decline in participating in “Third place” sociability. MMOs or Massively Multiplayer Online Games are a place for increasing social capital, and a new “Third place.”

Such places are neutral ground: individuals are free to come and go with little obligation to interact with others. These places are levellers: an individual’s rank and status outside are not important. Conversation is main activity: playfulness and wit are collectively valued. There is the notion that these places are accessible and accommodating: they are easy to access and accommodating to those visiting (not sure this is exactly true). There are regulars (people who frequent the place, inviting newcomers and provide a mood), and the place has a low profile (that is, the place is not pretentious). The mood is playful: frivolity and wit abound. It is like a home away from home: home-like - rootedness, feelings of possession, spiritual regeneration, feelings of being at ease, and warmth.

So is an MMO a “third place”? Consider what the authors suggest: an MMO is a “third place” in all areas except accessibility (it costs to have access) and low profile (although it works in terms of conversation, but not in terms of “physical” settings). Are virtual communities really communities, or is physical proximity necessary? (This seems like an age-old question.)

Social Capital (again): this is like financial capital, but for social and personal gains rather than financial. Bridging social capital is inclusive; individuals from different backgrounds make connections between social networks (large, weak networks). Bonding social capital is exclusive; strongly tied individuals provide support to one another (small, strong networks). Bonding social capital was much rarer than bridging social capital.

“MMOs are new (albeit virtual) ‘third places’ for informal sociability that are particularly well suited to the formation of bridging social capital.”

“Perhaps it is not that contemporary media use has led to a decline in civic and social engagement, but rather that a decline in civic and social engagement has led to retribalization through contemporary media.”

The lack of bridging relationships, the opportunity to expand the social structures of which one might be a part, can be looked at as extremely negative. From this point of view, any technology which suggests greater bridging social capital might be seen as extremely worthwhile and perhaps beneficial: “Without bridging relationships, individuals remain sheltered from alternative viewpoints and cultures and largely ignorant of opportunities and information beyond their own closely bound social network.”

Is there a Christian view of games? Christians have often weighed in with medieval and early modern critiques of games: evils of games of chance; slothfulness attributed to gaming; addictive nature of games; avoid leisure and do work instead (“idle hands do evil deeds”). At one point, Dungeons & Dragons was considered a game which opened one up to devilish influences. Once this died down (ironically coinciding with the decline in the popularity of the game), Christians became concerned with video games.

Do we really need a "Christian" game industry? What do you think of this statement, that "gaming is a God-given potential"?*

*Citation: Quentin J. Schultze and Robert H. Woods Jr., eds., Understanding Evangelical Media: The Changing Face of Christian Communication (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2008), 208.

Dollhouse - Week 10

Shuster begins his essay by pointing out an essential aporia, a moment of contradiction, in the show:

1) "There was sopme bodily essence that constantly asserted and reasserted itself, even in spite of imprinting and global wipes,"
2) "We saw precisely how disposable bodies were." (233)

Shuster states, interestingly,

Dollhouse found itself in the strange predicament . . . of decrying the objectification of women while lavishly promoting itself by means of Eliza Dushku's scantily clad body. (235)

I always found this interesting, but more so in the context of third-wave feminism.

So, Shuster argues that aporia exist at both the level of the narrative and at the institutional/organizational level of the television show on FOX.

The citing of Adorno is interesting. I applaud this but I wonder: Dollhouse depicts a fictional genocide (though horrific) but Adorno is referring to an actual genocide (see pg. 237).

I would simplify this article into the following statement: Dollhouse juxtaposes many elements which result in the construction of an atmosphere (or space) of ambivalence.

Further thoughts on this interesting article?