Brains...........

Artist Sara Asnaghi has sculpted brains out of different foodstuffs. If she did one for my food habits lately, it would be made of oatmeal, potatoes, squash and garlic.

Yup, Necessary

I totally suck at watering my basil and oregano. Enough so they keep attempting to die, as well as look like I've been feeding them caffeine.

Shane McAdams

exploring the notions of landscape in the broadest sense of the term, brooklyn-based artist
shane mcadams creates abstract paintings from ink extracted from ball-point pens. the body of work
focuses on the often dueling relationships between natural and synthetic forms, illustrating through
process the phenomenon of elemental forces incrementally sculpting a land over time.

displaying a soft and colourful array of tones, the pieces push the boundaries of ballpoint pen ink
through a series of non-traditional applications: once extracted, the liquid is heated and mixed
with solvents before it is applied to the surface. mcadams does not 'draw' in the conventional sense
but rather lets gravity, wind, and other physical forces direct the movement of the ink.
resembling a chromatography test, subtle gradients and unexpected streaks emerge to create
a ghostly multi-toned image. by allowing the painting to, in essence, come to being by itself,
it forces the viewers to question what is organic and what is artificial.

I would hate to know that what his budget for pens runs each month.

Paper Wine

A newly created paper booze holder that is biodegradable with a foil bladder, and takes less than 10% of the energy to produce? I'm in. I already love the wine bladders you can buy from camping stores, but hate they are made from plastic, so this is a wonderful alternative.

Who Left a Coffin in the Library?

It started suddenly. Without warning.

Last spring, Julie Johnstone, a librarian at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, was wandering through a reading room when she saw, sitting alone on a random table, a little tree.

It was made of twisted paper and was mounted on a book.

Gorgeously crafted, it came with a gold-leafed eggshell broken in two, each half filled with little strips of paper with phrases on them. When reassembled properly, the strips became a poem about birds, "A Trace of Wings" by Edwin Morgan.

What was this?

"This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas..." said a note, addressed to the Library by its twitter name "@ByLeavesWeLive". There was no artist signature, no one to thank. The staff, totally nonplussed, asked on their blog if anybody knew who made it. They described the gift as a "poetree" and waited. Nobody claimed authorship.

Then, it happened again.

..via NPR via my awesome sister.

Sang Sik Hong Straw Sculptures

Korean artist Sang Sik Hong works magic with drinking straws. His large-scale sculptures, made up of thousands of straws, focus on human desires, namely: power and sex. He likes the irony in using straws, a weak structure and disposable item by itself, to create the contrasting strength of power and desire.

Serenity

The Liyuan library, designed by Li Xiaodong Atelier looks my ideal library. Sleek, simple, cozy with the windows covered by sticks on the outside of the glass to diffuse the light.

How Many Slaves Work for You?

Slavery Footprints allows you to take a survey and based on personal consumption choices and see how many slaves make your lifestyle possible. I could justify this as .00006% of the world, however, it still sucks.

Walmart IS Evil

25th largest equivalent GDP in the world, from a company without morals. This is one reason why the US deserves to fall. We're too stupid to not buy from this company. And yes, I am that snob that refuses to give them my money.

Also: Walmart is the reason you have shitty, falling apart, replaceable goods.

Things I Want #12,970

It's just so.....pretty. And cheap! Christmas present for me!

Perils

http://thephotosociety.org/reality-check/

For years and years, being a photographer for National Geographic was a dream. I think a big part of why I went to school for archaeology was a half-brained notion this would pan out. Seeing as how it has happened not once, but twice, that a seat belt has broken while tilted over a volcano, I am beginning to think not following that path was a wise idea.

Mashups

Super creepy art pieces by Christine Chin. Absolutely love them.

Pace Against a Marathoner

Can you keep up with a 4:46 mile marathoner? Subway walls allow people to try for a short time. Imagine it for 26.2 miles.

Rehabilitation

http://www.good.is/post/prisoners-transform-through-knitting-behind-bars/

The men were reluctant at first, complaining that knitting was too girly or too difficult. But Zwerling assured them men had invented the craft, then gave them a five-minute knitting lesson she swears can teach anyone. Suddenly, Zwerling says, the men “found the zen,” and got hooked. Now, every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., they come to class, leaving their crimes and the hierarchies of prison life behind.

I get that most people normally think of little old ladies knitting, but that is wrong. Knitting is very peaceful, something to concentrate on when your brain is going a million miles a minute. As said in the article, zen. I love this idea.

NPR Voices

How NPR personalities sound to artist Gaelen Kelly.

I really love Diane Rehm, Kai Ryssdal, and Carl Kasell. They completely fit my idea of what they should look like.

I Hate U2

Bono says, "I do try to avoid it. If I hear our songs on the radio I tend to turn them down. Not because I don't like them or believe in them. Actually, my voice annoys me. I always think I could have sang it better.

Me too, Bono, me too.

Seriously WTF

I hate living in this state. I hate this is my 'representative' and that the majority voted for this ignorant man. I really can understand forgetting the point, we've all been there. However, forgetting your point, when you are running for president, and wanting to eliminate oversight over some of the largest groups that were established to help the common man, makes me cringe. Let's eliminate the education department nationwide, while Texas has the some of the highest levels of drop outs in the country. Let's eliminate commerce departments, because as we can see across the world, companies regulate themselves, and each industry is looking out for balancing the books. And then, let's eliminate the EPA, whose sole purpose is to protect people from not dying slow painful early deaths. Nothing says profits like poisoning the people near you, no need for pensions!

I can understand that some people have a hatred for Wall Street vs hatred for Government. I see why the line is drawn against both and why people can be adamant. I just can't see why the hatred is split. It's the same damn thing.

Rant over, I'll step off my soapbox.

NPR vs Conservative Talk Radio

I don't normally watch Jon Stewart, but I found the clip funny, especially after having a long conversation today with a co-worker about the greatness that is NPR.

Knitting Art!

Cute roundup of some knitting art I've come across. I know no one else will probably care, but I knit a lot, and I cannot even begin to think of knitting on this scale.

Knit glass hand by Carol Milne

Etsy seller worthysoycandles's hung Cupid purse.

I have a bit of a thing for octopi. So this guy really makes me happy. Max's Knitting knit octopus

Atheist Ten Commandments

I'll admit readily, I do not like Penn Jillete, nor find him funny. I think he is a boor. That said, he came up with a pretty damn good list of equivalent ten commandments as an answer to Glenn Beck. And, I really dislike Beck. I don't see this as having to be strictly atheist, more just how to be a good person.

1. The highest ideals are human intelligence, creativity and love. Respect these above all.

2. Do not put things or even ideas above other human beings. (Let’s scream at each other about Kindle versus iPad, solar versus nuclear, Republican versus Libertarian, Garth Brooks versus Sun Ra — but when your house is on fire, I’ll be there to help.)

3. Say what you mean, even when talking to yourself. (What used to be an oath to (G)od is now quite simply respecting yourself.)

4. Put aside some time to rest and think. (If you’re religious, that might be the Sabbath; if you’re a Vegas magician, that’ll be the day with the lowest grosses.)

5. Be there for your family. Love your parents, your partner, and your children. (Love is deeper than honor, and parents matter, but so do spouse and children.)

6. Respect and protect all human life. (Many believe that “Thou shalt not kill” only refers to people in the same tribe. I say it’s all human life.)

7. Keep your promises. (If you can’t be sexually exclusive to your spouse, don’t make that deal.)

8. Don’t steal. (This includes magic tricks and jokes — you know who you are!)

9. Don’t lie. (You know, unless you’re doing magic tricks and it’s part of your job. Does that make it OK for politicians, too?)

10. Don’t waste too much time wishing, hoping, and being envious; it’ll make you bugnutty.

Molotov Cocktail Art

Russian artist Radya Timofey paints portraits by sketching outlines with homemade napalm and oil and then throwing Molotov cocktails and letting them burn.

I love this. I can't express how much.

"A man must live like a great brilliant flame and burn as brightly as he can. In the end he burns out. But this is far better than a mean little flame." -Boris Yeltsin

The Amount of Sugar in your Food

Sugar Stacks shows exactly how much sugar is in your everyday foods. This site has been around for a few years, but still interesting. i also like the inclusion of fruit, so you can see what nature already gives you without the additional sugar you intake.

One Day on Earth

One Day on Earth - Original Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

One Day on Earth is a project to capture how humans live in every country on the planet. It is collaborative, anyone can submit footage, creating a giant video archive that encompasses something of each culture. The original date was 10/10/10 and this year on 11/11/11 the group wants to be able to get even more footage, to act as a time capsule of how the world is at this time.

This is a celebration of individual beliefs, expression and perspective.

Cuore by Liviana Osti

Two glass carafes shaping a human heart when joined together. The heart is a reminder for the generally underestimated but essential role health plays in our lives.
In order to prevent cardiovascular and blood pressure diseases we have to start with the root of the problem, our daily consume of food and beverage.
A wine decanter is built together with a water carafe. A half half coloured mix of red and white. Red wine stands for low pressure, water stands for high pressure.
The organic heart shape has been developed into two different, stand-alone objects according to the natural division of ventricles.

Or, if you are like me, one would be full of red wine and the other carafe full of scotch.

Starbucks Reinvesting into the Neighborhood

In under-invested urban communities, systemic issues such as consistent quality education, access to jobs and other opportunities for revitalization are further exacerbated by the financial crisis.

That is why Starbucks is taking an innovative approach in helping address these concerns by sharing the success of our stores in two neighborhoods.

One store in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles and one in the Harlem community of New York City will be pilot stores for this new approach. A portion of each store’s profits will be reinvested into the neighborhood through two local non-profits, the L.A. Urban League and the Abyssinian Development Corporation. We are collaborating with these amazing organizations, which are leading holistic and sustainable change in their respective communities by helping to improve economic development, education and access to social services. This marks a new way of doing business and supporting our non-profits by sharing the success of these stores within their immediate neighborhoods.

Fish Misrepresented

Recent studies indicate that between 20 percent and 70 percent or more of snapper, cod, grouper, and wild salmon are mislabeled at restaurants and stores. Oceana, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that is campaigning against seafood fraud, also discovered mislabeling this year when it conducted DNA tests of fresh and frozen fish at 15 Boston-area supermarkets. Nearly one in five fillets tested had the wrong species name, according to Oceana. Atlantic cod was the most frequently misrepresented fish.

Those were among the findings of a five-month Globe investigation into the mislabeling of fish. It showed that Massachusetts consumers routinely and unwittingly overpay for less desirable, sometimes undesirable, species - or buy seafood that is simply not what it is advertised to be. In many cases, the fish was caught thousands of miles away and frozen, not hauled in by local fishermen, as the menu claimed. It may be perfectly palatable - just not what the customer ordered. But sometimes mislabeled seafood can cause allergic reactions, violate dietary restrictions, or contain chemicals banned in the United States.

Truly doubting this is any better elsewhere, especially since it's a lot harder to get actually fresh fish in a non-costal area.

Zombie Run POV

Run For Your Lives 2011 from Alexander Turoff on Vimeo.

Man am I jealous of those that got to participate in the Zombie run in Baltimore. This looks like so much fun. I really like the way they incorporated the flags as whether you make it through dead or alive.

Marathon runner stripped of medal

Runner Rob Sloan claimed third place in the Kielder Marathon after completing the 26.2 mile course in an impressive time of 2:51:00.

But suspicions were raised by fellow runners bemused that they had not seen Sloan pass them during Sunday’s race.

After initially denying any wrongdoing, Sloan admitted to hopping onto a bus at the 20-mile mark because he was feeling tired. He then re-emerged from a wooded area of the course and picked up the bronze medal.

Witnesses reported seeing him hide behind a tree until the first and second placed runners went past, then rejoining the race behind them.

The 31-year-old now faces dismissal from his club, Sunderland Harriers, and could be banned from taking part in future marathons.

I can't even begin to fathom having the capability to run 20 miles at a time let alone the whole marathon. Maybe he should stop taking cues from The Office and start being happy he could make it 20 miles.

40 Years of Brian May

The “new” May is generally adept at combining in one seamless thread his past, present and future. “There are still moments when I want to get on with my life,” he concedes, sipping at a glass of water, “but, on the whole, I accept that Queen will always be part of me. It’s like you have built this beautiful house and one day you have to move out of it, but you don’t stop enjoying looking at it now and again. You just don’t want to live in it any more.”

There again is that endearing humility about May. He appears anxious, at all stages, not to talk himself up or claim some innate talent. “I’ve always worked very hard at everything I’ve done,” he emphasises.

His current writing project – on astronomy – is with his great friend, 88 year-old Sir Patrick Moore. Occasionally he does guest appearances on Sir Patrick’s long-running television series The Sky at Night. Another contributor once remarked that far from looking like an archetypal rock star, May was the spitting image of Isaac Newton.

Safwat Saleem's A Bunch of Crock

A Bunch of Crock is a reaction to the current political landscape. It is a kind of gag reflex.
It is an analysis of political messages directed at the general population in an election year.
It is an attempt to share what politicians truly mean when they say something.
It is a collection of political posters and audio/video installations.
It is a bunch of political messages.
It is a bunch of crock.

Jump on a Ginger

Jump on Ginger from jump on a ginger on Vimeo.


Man....if only I planned on procreating. The idea, however, is still fun without bettering my kind.

Vast Green Expanse Waiting....

Semantics

Semantics (from Greek sēmantiká, neuter plural of sēmantikós) is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata.

Linguistic semantics is the study of meaning that is used by humans to express themselves through language. Other forms of semantics include the semantics of programming languages, formal logics, and semiotics.

The word "semantics" itself denotes a range of ideas, from the popular to the highly technical. It is often used in ordinary language to denote a problem of understanding that comes down to word selection or connotation. This problem of understanding has been the subject of many formal inquiries, over a long period of time, most notably in the field of formal semantics. In linguistics, it is the study of interpretation of signs or symbols as used by agents or communities within particular circumstances and contexts. Within this view, sounds, facial expressions, body language, and proxemics have semantic (meaningful) content, and each has several branches of study. In written language, such things as paragraph structure and punctuation have semantic content; in other forms of language, there is other semantic content.

I love words. I love that they have defined meanings, that they can be used in both a literal or figurative manner. I love that they are malleable, and can change over time to incorporate different ideas and meanings. Constantly in my life I am making up new bastardizations of words, or new meanings based on inside jokes; names, verbs, nouns, everything. I hold words very closely to me, as words are mostly thrown around without thought to effect or interpretation. It has been a day of words, a week of trying to standardize the way in which multiple people use and are affected by specific words and their meanings.

I've sat before in a large group and argued my point in what words mean many a time over a large span of years. Which ones are completely useless except to incite, which ones have more meaning for what they mean, and which are ignorant for the sake of the person using them. I have a hard time understanding when people misuse words, seeing the way the can easily control an emotion. Language is already an impossibly difficult thing to master in connotation and emphasis, and it is always going to fail to overcome a preset notion when a specific word is misused.

Every audience requires a different set of words. There are always going to be difficulties in trying to match up the user to the receptive listener, which in some ways, makes it a wonderfully fun challenge. Other times you want to run screaming from a room just to escape the emotion a word can create.

Today was a day of words, as was the week. A horribly difficult week of scraping up an impassible mountain full of words and ideas without a summit. May tomorrow be better.

Flying Over the Earth

A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, El Salvador, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon. Also visible is the earths ionosphere (thin yellow line), a satellite (55sec) and the stars of our galaxy.

Sometimes

Timing is Everything

What to do in Case of an Emergency: Redux

Similar to the safenow version of emergency protection, updated version from Frogman

Before I Die

With help from old and new friends, Candy Chang turned the side of an abandoned house in her New Orleans neighborhood into a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and share what is important to them. Before I Die is an interactive public art project that transforms neglected spaces into constructive places where we can discover the hopes and aspirations of the people around us.

Ignacio Torres

Stellar by Ingnacio Torres

What we should have been taught in high school

The
Oatmeal speaks truth. This would have been a lot more helpful than physics.

Love is still the answer, take my hand

Without doubt, the best, most amazing Google doodle of the day ever. I normally am not a fan of the 'xxxx birthday of some dead person', but this is my favorite singer with an over the top great 8-bit animation to go with one of my favorite songs. Thank you Google, for doing it right.


This made my week.

Things I Want # 12312

Can someone buy this Tord Boontje Tangle Globe for me when Artecnica starts selling these later this year? Please?

Al Gore at the Aspen Institute Forum

“Unnoticed in Washington and New York as the debt-ceiling debate was going on, the ratio of television advertisements was nine to one on the 'Don't-lift-the-debt-ceiling debate. Spending is the problem.' And now we're going to tip the country back into recession. It's absolutely insane,” Gore said. “Mark my words on this we became the greatest country on earth because we made better decisions than any other nation. And we made better decisions because we used shared consciousness-shared reality rule of reason best evidence democratic discourse free debate to figure out what's more likely than not to be the best decision here. It didn't always work but it worked a hell of a lot better. Since we adopted this new system we are making catastrophic decisions that have massive consequences. The Iraq invasion. What just happened with macro-economic policy. It really is extremely difficult.”

Collaborative Art of Cara Thayer and Louie Van Patten

I love the absolutely raw and visceral emotion these paintings give off. It's not just a matter of the colors being able to demonstrate the way the light reflects and the skin tones, but the way the skin is pulled and moves. Gorgeous work by Cara Thayer and Louie Van Patten

Ideas

It is worth remembering that the output per man in this country has increased on the average about two percent a year during this century. Mere continuation of this trend will mean a future full of better things for people. But it is my own feeling that the tremendous gains which have been achieved by machine techniques may be substantially matched when we learn to make better use if ourselves as people.

-Henry Ford

The only things that evolve by themselves in an organization are disorder, friction and malperformance.

-Peter Drucker

Never shrink from doing anything which your business calls you to do. the man who is above his business may one day find his business above you.

-John Drew

Adoption and continuation of policies that incorporate a maximum of forward thinking should be the most valuable single consideration of all executives.

-Charles Presbrey

In modern business it is not the crook who is to be feared most, it is the honest man who doesn't know what he is doing.

-Owen D. Young

Comfort

“I am the creator of a television show that gives hope and joy and inspiration to millions. … Then who am I? … You’re the star.”

The Truman Show (1998)

Thanks.

Onwards

Video by James Jarvis. If I had to climb that many stairs while running, I think I'd quit. That said, I'm the idiot that goes running outside when it is 106° F outside.

3D Printed Custom YOU Dolls

Thanks to the Japan-based company Clone Factory, you can give the gift of an unsettling plastic simulacrum formed deep within the uncanny valley. Blogger Danny Choo has a post up explaining the entire process, which involves multi-angle photography, face-mapping, and custom 3D printing. The cost of your very own pint-sized doppleganger is 138,000 yen or around $1,700, but the effect of it is priceless.

..via Geekosystem

Starbucks WiFi Ending?

It has been only just over a year since Starbucks announced that all stores would have free WiFi, and now it seems they are regretting the decision. In a true American fashion of getting something for nothing, there have been droves of people who come into the stores and soak up the free WiFi without spending any or much money. Rather than treat the company as a business, people have been using the stores as their own personal offices or living rooms.

So now Starbucks faces the dilemma of how to reduce the amount of time people are sitting and not buying, weighing options from limiting the time to a few hours to putting covers over the electrical outlets to limit the use to only as long as your battery lasts.

Personally, I am very curious how this will work out. I know when I was a barista, it was frustrating to have someone sit there all day and conduct their business from the seating area. Even though they were in a public place, often the people camped out would try to take over the entire seating area for their own, meeting clients and expecting the other patrons to be quiet and respect their needs only. While I can fully understand the need for some people to use public WiFi due to pricing or availability at home, that does not mean Starbucks or any company there should be expected to accept people who sit for half the day in their stores without the patrons paying back into their profits.

The Black Hole

Yup, often, just like this.

Women Hate Pink

Because it's not the color of pink that women hate, according to the study, so much as the fact that pink is "a gender cue" that triggers a "defensive response" among women.

When women wrote an essay about gender, just 42% of them said they would donate to ovarian cancer research. When they wrote a gender-neutral essay, 77% did. And those who saw a pink ad about breast cancer were significantly less likely to say that they'd contract the disease than those who saw an ad with neutral colors."

News flash, ladies: if the real world was "gender-neutral," we wouldn't be talking about breast cancer in the first place, we'd just be talking about "chest cancer." Or, more likely, "testicular cancer." Jesus. You could have told us this before we wore that hideous ribbon!

Ok, so maybe I shouldn't expect much here, considering the source is Gawker. But the overuse of quotation marks, the inaccurate description of color as a means of women hating each other, and the comments focused solely on which ethnicity should actually attempt to wear colors such as pink and yellow, makes me just sad that the point of the entire study was ignored.

Women hate pink. As the interview by one of the researchers explains, it is more that the use of pink has been pushed over the last century as a gender marker of femininity, and the reason women rebel against it is that in the context of such a campaign as Breast Cancer Awareness, pink is a terrifying omen. Pink signifies that it isn't just a cancer that could happen to a faceless population, but that every woman out there has over a 10% chance of developing the disease. When faced with that, most people will do the obvious and run from it, not embrace it. It's a natural instinct to flee from something that you are scared of. And whether it be a noble idea, such as raising money for research or something as base and ridiculous as pink handguns aimed at women, the influx of such a now-generic color that is considered gender related is cause for a vast amount of women to despise it.

I'll be the first to admit that I do not like the color, and when faced with the exact same material about breast cancer in a neutral color I would be more likely to respond. Perhaps if we started a campaign for prostate cancer for men that was color coded in blue and let it run for decades, men would have the same disgust.

Before and After Shots of Joggers

Last summer, Sacha Goldberger decided he would take on a very interesting project. He assembled a team who helped him create an outdoor studio at Bois de Boulogne, a park located near Paris that's 2 1/2 times the size of New York's Central Park. He stopped joggers, asking them for a favor - would they sprint for him and then pose right after for his camera? Many obliged. Out of breath, these joggers showed an overwhelming amount of fatigue on their faces.

Goldberger then asked these same people to come into his professional studio exactly one week later. Using the same light, he asked them to pose the same way they had before.

"I wanted to show the difference between our natural and brute side versus how we represent ourselves to society," Goldberger tells us. "The difference was very surprising."

Also, I dig that guys glasses. And after a session in kettlebells and then a 3 mile run tonight, I am very quite sure I look so much worse than any of these people.

..via Notcot

5K Zombie Run

Protect your brain and run for your life. This is one race where your legs giving out are the least of your problems. Run For Your Lives is a first-of-its-kind event, one part 5K, one part obstacle course, one part escaping the clutches of zombies — and all parts awesome.

I really wish this was coming to Dallas this year. Not just a mud run (which I really want to do), but with zombies chasing you! Incentive!

Boop

Today I turned 30. This completely sums it up. :)

When does crime happen?

Crime based on time of day. Seriously, what's up with Indianapolis? Rest breaks?

Made of Wool

Cute stop-motion, knitted adventure!

Favorite Cross-Stitch Ever

This man influenced so very much of my childhood. I read his books so many times, loved the illustrations, learned not to take myself quite so seriously all of the time thanks to his illustrations. Yet somehow, I never owned the books. This will be remedied for my nieces, as I firmly believe all children should have this amazing nonsensicalism firmly embedded in their heads. That said, some amazing person has decided to make some of his poems into fantastic cross-stitch. And I completely want a set on my wall.

No picture of the final products, respecting copyright law. Click for awesome: lilyvanilli72