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28 December 2010

Weather.com

Besides being ~40° too warm by their estimation right now, Weather.com is also confusing 'drizzly, foggy, miserable and overcast' with 'partly cloudy'.

To You


May loneliness end soon, and routines recommence.

Night of Other Thoughts

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever.” ~Peter Pan

13 December 2010

I am Outdone

Wine bottle Christmas tree by Megkat. My Starbucks tree doesn't come close, but to be fair, for the size of my apartment, I'd have to use mini bottle of wine to produce this same idea. Or, find a bigger place. And I would totally be proud that I drank the whole tree's worth of bottles. Perhaps someday in the future.

Porn Genre Collide


Kaylene Kau's prosthetic tentacle arm. Because a description isn't the same as a picture.

..via Gizmodo

07 December 2010

Aten


Everyone needs some belief to treasure.

Fair and Balanced

As per conversation today, here's another example of the ridiculous, albeit nothing new:

Ten percent of all Muslims are terrorists.

Of course, makes perfect sense. Half a percent of the American population totally equals 1.57 million people. Or, it's half the population. Same thing.

Really, it's like letting the evangelist preach. While drunk. On television/radio. You never go full retard. Lacks credibility.

..via Huffington Post

06 December 2010

I hate Facebook

"The more I read Ayn Rand's work, the more I'm convinced she was just a psychopath who found a way to make not giving a shit sound admirable."

A friend wrote this on her wall recently. Or, more aptly, someone I haven't hung out with for over a year and half but know and see occasionally. But, since I make a concerted effort to rarely log in and even less to update, I am responding here. This makes me both sad and tired, because all I can't help but interpret it as is 'Everyone who enjoys or agrees with Ayn Rand's work is incredibly apathetic and should be praised for it.'

I get it. It lacks emotion in the way it seems the majority of people feel the need to sympathize with everything. Rand pushes empathy over sympathy, as one is truly understanding and showing you share an emotion versus just pretending you understand or care. And from the outside, that can be seen as psychopathic, and yet it gets under my skin. To someone like myself, it seems a lie to sympathize when you have to basis to feel the emotions that could be attached. I can say 'that sucks' with the best of them, but there's no point I can say 'it's ok, we've all been there, it'll get better' if I have no idea if that is a possibility to be there.

And not giving a shit? That makes no sense to me. Every single protagonist in a Rand story gave up everything for their beliefs. Every single one, that's kind of the trend. Love running a railroad but hate who you're giving the profits to because they are worthless bastards? Give it up, even though the book spends chapters on how hard it is to do so. Love architecture but not the way someone tells you it has to be? Become famous for your style for a while, lost it all, rescue your mentor who sold out and then do your thing no matter the money in the end. Love capitalism and a certain roguish fella? Get shot in back and die trying to escape a country imposing it's values.

All of that sounds like not giving a shit.

And yes, I think I've done this argument a thousand times since first reading Rand at 16. I've written papers I've done debates, I am not such a believer I don't understand the flaws of Objectiism, and this is doubtfully going to be the last time I bitch and moan about it. But I can't help but feel when someone posts things like the original statement, they walked in already expecting to have a perspective on the material, and don't see the intent behind it.

Selfishness does not mean not giving a shit. Not blubbering over how life begins/ends does not beget a miracle. Yes, liking Rand means being selfish and figuring out your own self-worth and desires so you can then use your talents correctly. Or if you don't have any, learn something, but damnit, do the job well. Being a psychopath normally precludes passionate love affairs, which, with little digging, you'd see happened with Rand, so dissuades that argument.

I get this is a rant. It was only meant to be as such, and it is lacking in eloquence and better thinking. I get worked up over simple things, but I cannot understand how those simple things are possibly misunderstood. I cannot fathom interpreting the world as others do, if this manaes to work me up this much at 1am when I should be sleeping.

I think I choose also being a psychopath who does not give a shit, if it puts me in the same boat as Rand. Better than crying over the Bronte sisters any day.