Blackout Poetry

I’m not a poet by any stretch of the imagination. However, I recently attended a small conference on unique accessible poetry for non-poets. It was an excellent experience that pulled me out of my comfort zone, while maintaining some semblance of guardrails.

In short, Blackout Poetry is a form of “found poetry/erasure poetry”, in which an “artist” uses existing text such as a page from a book, and blacks out the majority of the content. The words that remain visible form a new and unique “poem”.

One famous example of Blackout Poetry is Tom Phillips “Treated Victorian Novel” Humument. Phillips took an all but forgotten 1892 novel title A Human Document, and used the blackout process throughout the novel to create a brand new story, using words that were already in place. Even the title Humument is simply the remnants of the original title. The lead character “Toge” can only be referred to when the original author would use terms like together/altogether. This is can be a long process that can take years or even decades to complete.

During the conference, we were limited to an hour. I selected one page from Nietzsche’s Will To Power, and turned what was a famous original piece of work from a gifted philosopher into a rambling incoherent mess, but it was fun, and I walked away feeling more comfortable with a new way of artistic expression.

I thought it would be fun to try this technique out on one of our most popular articles,
ATC and ATC Guide: Comparison Review. What follows is a well-intentioned attempt at Blackout Poetry based on a Black Diamond ATC gear review. Although my intentions were sincere, the outcome approaches incoherence. It starts off as what might be described as a description of climbing, and quickly meanders into what can only be described as a kind of deranged climber’s romance bordering on soft-core porn, before mercilessly ending in a jumble of nonsense.

“CAT View”

There’s a lot of talk out there about the safety and usefulness of belay devices without assisted braking (e.g., ATCs). I will not pretend like I can give you an expert’s opinion…but I do believe it is a nuanced matter without a clear right or wrong. Here, I present a comparison review of Black Diamond’s ATC Belay/Rappel Device (ATC) and ATC-Guide/Rappel Device (Guide)—I believe that ATCs still have an important place in rock climbing……………………………………

ATC

The ATC is virtually the most basic belay device you can find these days, if not the cheapest as well. It is a tube style belay device without any special Teeth for functionality to assist in braking. It’s very light, and itcan be used for rappelling as well. Even more, it’s exceptionally straightforward…it’s really hard to set it up wrong, and while belaying it does exactly what you ask it to without snagging extra levers. etc. Perhaps because I learned to belay on this device, I think it can be a good device to learn belaying with because of how basic it is—no detail is obscured, forcing you to see and learn the fundamental principles of belaying.

Guide

You can consider the Guide to be two steps above the ATC in terms of upgrades, which would be:Grooves/teeth for the brake ropeextra hole. for applications such as multi-pitch

Since ATCs are not assisted braking devices, it can be a challenge to control lowering or rappelling speeds with certain climber weights or rope types. Indeed, this is a major reason why many gyms require that their patrons belay exclusively with assisted braking devices in the gym; many argue that climbers are dropped more often with devices like ATCs because there is extra expertise and focus. required to lower properly with them. Consequently, however, it follows that belayers who are conversant with devices like ATCs can be more skilled/focussed belayers because of the extra care needed to use these devices, and for some a better belayer is more important than a better device.

The grooves on the Guide provide extra friction so as to aid belayers in lowering their climbers, (note this does not make the Guide an assisted braking device). Similarly, rappelling can be more comfortable with these ridges as it generally feels a bit smoother. ……………………..Last Thoughts

Both devices are basic, tube style, Friction belay devices that are not assisted braking devices but can teach belayers valuable skills. They can be used for belaying and rappelling, with a wide range of rope diameters, and are relatively light compared to most assisted braking devices. The Guide is a bit heavier than the base ATC, but it has Ridges that add friction to the system, and you can use it for a multi-pitch climbing. The base ATC is the most straightforward (you can’t load it backwards like the guide. since there are No ridges for the brake side), and it is cheaper than the Guide, though both are on the cheaper end for belay devices. In choosing between these devices, consider how much weight/price budgets and your intended use, for the device. Overall, ATCs are a staple for belaying and rappelling, but there is just less room for error. with these devices than assisted braking devices…………………………………………………………….

For those of you who don’t love trying to read through what looks like an early version of the redacted Epstein Files, the final product is as follows.

I like a nuanced comparison of climbing. Teeth can be used for exceptionally hard snagging levers. I think it could be good to learn the principles of an extra hole. A challenge to climbers is focus. Consequently, it follows that extra important grooves provide friction in climbers, this does make it feel a bit smoother. Friction can teach valuable skills. Ridges add friction for a straightforward guide. No ridges end your intended use, for there is less room for error.

This was actually really fun, and for any writers out there who are looking to revisit some old work with a new twist, I cannot recommend this enough. I may have to practice a little more before really getting the hang of it, but don’t be surprised if sometime in the near future I provide you with another taste of my terrible blackout poetry!