MechaMorgan Einherjar


Valravn

I thought I might use this post to introduce myself properly. This is, I guess, a personal blog, in that all view expressed and all tastes professed are my own, and I thought some people might be interested in the author of these posts.

I’m Morgan. I’m 22, and was born in Bath, a city in the south west of England. Currently I study Philosophy at the University of Manchester. I live in the city centre of Manchester in a flat with my friend JR.

I’m a cyclist and a motorcyclist, and I guess those are my primary hobbies. I ride my Charge everywhere in Manchester, and take my Colnago out for longer rides as frequently as I can. I’m not very fast, but I enjoy it. Whilst I’m not interested in advocating cycling to anyone (critical mass is the worst kind of smugness), I love chatting about bikes, and I’m happy to help people out, if you need advice.

I’ve been riding motorbikes since I was a kid, both my parents are bikers. I don’t ride much at the moment, as I can’t afford to insure my Harley in Manchester, but it’s my first passion in life. Nothing beats it.

These are the most recent photographs of my main bikes.

I enjoy photography, and whilst I am not a particularly competent or frequent photographer, I find it a fascinating medium. I don’t shoot very frequently, but when I do I usually use either the Olympus XA series, (1,2,3), the Olympus OM series (1,2n,10,20), my Nikon d200 or my recently acquired Panasonic GF1. I’m interested in the technical aspects of photography as well as the end result, and follow the new releases in lenses and sensors with a masochistic pleasure. As a student, buying film is a infrequent investment, let alone new glass. If you are interested in my photography, some is posted on my Tumblr account, and more on my Flickr.

My music taste is hugely varied, and it might be easier to look at my Last.fm account than for me to list bands or genres I enjoy. I’ll usually post pictures of bands I’m currently enjoying, and they will always be linked back to their respective Last.fm accounts.

I read a fair amount, both fiction and non-fiction. I enjoy poety too, although I read less. Whilst the majority of the reading I do is for my University course, I’m always open to recommendations and will always recommend when asked. As useless as favouritism is, in such a broad art form as literature, my favourite book is House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and my favourite poet is T.S. Eliot. 

In terms of my personal philosophy, I am a hard-line empiricist, and an adherent of Quine. I’m inclined through experience to stand with Hobbes on human nature, though with a strong streak of Nietzschean will-to-power. I am drawn towards virtue ethics, although I’ve not looked in to ethics seriously. Politically, I identify as liberal to a certain extent. I am economically left-wing, though authoritarian. I am pro-gay marriage and for female bodily autonomy, even though they’re not major issues in my country, I’m flying a flag of solidarity for people in less progressive parts of the world. 

This is not an exhaustive list of my hobbies and interests, but maybe it will give you an idea as to my personality. My ask is enabled, and I’m more than happy to answer any questions, give any advice or recommend whatever I can.

A few notes on the content and name of the this blog.

Content, and attribution:

I am not a particularly creative person. I am hugely impressed with people who are, and the images ect. that I post here are works that I enjoy, engage or identify with. I respect artists, and will always give due credit and attribution where possible. I firmly believe that anything less is shameful. I will always welcome people informing me of a work’s creator, and will always credit when I am given the information. I will also always tell people who has created a work if I know, and the work isn’t credited. 

The way I accredit artists is by setting the click-through link to their site. I might strip accreditation in text form from a picture, this is purely for aesthetic reasons. I will never strip credit from a click-through link.

I do not consider the first person to post something on tumblr worth accreditation. Please, you deserve credit for creating something, not popularising or discovering it.

The tools I use to try and find images are Tineye, or Curious Kiwi’s reverse Flickr search, when I know it is a flickr image, thanks to Flickr Originals, a browser plug-in by Jason Ting. I will always search images before posting them. Any images that I post which I cannot find an artist credit for will always be tagged ‘Unattributed’. 

If I post one of your images and it is unattributed, please get in touch. Furthermore, if I have posted an image and you would like it removed, please ask. It is entirely your prerogative, and I respect it.

On tits:

Mostly, I avoid posting pictures of women. There are two main reasons for this.

A) I’m a straight male. I’m a massive fan of the female form. There is also a massive amount of images on the internet, from the mildly provocative to the extremely pornographic. I fear that if I started posting pictures of girls I found attractive, this blog would have very little other content. Again, whilst I am hugely in favour of sexual liberation and people sharing their passions and desires, broadly I find mine a private matter, and have little wish to share them. Obviously, I’m not adverse to answering questions in that area, but I want this blog to be about my other passions, not just girls.

B) Porn and NSFW pictures are a contentious subject. I know many feminists that might argue that under the wrong circumstances, these pictures are damaging and objectifying. Obviously, they can be empowering, but this is largely a problem of context of production and enjoyment. I’m sure many a person has leered in private at the work of Mapplethorpe, just as an art critic might praise the lighting in a porn mag. I don’t want to get involved in this debate. I’m not decided on the issue, and I would therefore rather just avoid it all together.

On the names:

What is Einherjar?: Einherjar is a phrase form Norse mythology. It can be translated as ‘Lone Warrior’, although it has a wider meaning. The Einherjar, in Norse myth, were warriors who died valiantly in battle, living a noble life. The souls were carried by the Valkyries to Valhalla, to feast and spar until the end of times. I like Norse mythology.

What is Mechamorgan?: The name under which I collect my internet activities. If I have an account on anything, it will almost certainly be named Mechamorgan. The prefix is from old Godzilla movies, broadly meaning ‘something mechanical’. Obviously, Morgan is my name. 

What is Valravn?: The Valravn is a supernatural creature from Danish mythology. It translates as ‘Raven of the Slain’, and whilst there are variations on the myth, it’s usually seen as the soul of a man trapped in a raven, forced to seek redemption. In some cases, that’s only found by eating the heart of a child, but I’m going to gloss over that.

What is that symbol?: The symbol at the top of my blog is called a Valknut. It was used in Norse burial rites to mark the grave of a great hero or champion, usually an adherent to the cult of Odin.

If you have any other questions, or just want to get in contact, feel free to ask.

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