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.