Thinking: Meme

A meme (pronounced /miːm/) comprises a unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices; such units or elements transmit from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena.

In internet land, a meme is just another word to describe a giant in-joke.

I first came across the word when I discovered the Song Chart Meme on flickr. Here, a bunch of people with way too much time on their hands have created graphs and charts to describe their favourite songs. Like these. Can you guess which classic songs they depict?

Kinda like cryptic crosswords, but actually fun.

Looking: Barbara Kruger

No More Junk, originally uploaded by traffman.

The lovely mondomuse kindly tells me that this pic reminds him of Barbara Kruger, the anxiety-inducing NY conceptual artist who pioneered guerilla art by plastering her work on billboards and bus shelters, long before Bansky.

Kruger's work has parallels to more contemporary satirical media, including The Simpsons and, more locally, Kath & Kim, as it subverts mass media and popular culture in a relevant and easily-digestible way.

You can create your own Kruger-esque images at the wonderful ConsumeDaily.