a visual collective outlet of inspiration
the 2nd layer of this short is how amazing the experienced innocence of grandparents is. by kl
mind candy
six degrees of the second sex
choose your own absurdist-philosophical-romantic-nihilistic-feminist-realist adventure! by sv
electrocuting an elephant with nikola and tom
earlier today, in the dreary cabin in the middle of nowhere known as ts headquarters, we were discussing the differences between nikola tesla, thomas edison and their feuding. more specifically, the war of the currents. the subject came up following a series of paralleled conversations, particularly why there is a difference with 110 and 220 voltage in the united states and europe. basically, the system of three-phase alternating current electrical generation was invented by tesla, and he found that 60hz (cycles per second) was the best frequency for an AC (alternating current) power generation. tesla preferred 240 volts, which angered edison, whose DC (direct current) systems were 110 volts. our mindful kt then added that edison (in my opinion just a lucky inventor and by no means on the scientific level tesla was) had once electrocuted an elephant. we found the video, and if you haven’t seen it, it’s disturbing but historically present. i could go on about their differences, in hygiene and interpersonal skills, but we can leave that for another post on some other day. by sv
the cabalistic order of the rose cross
these two rosicrucian composers, claude debussy and erik satie, were both musically inclined and applauded for their esotericism. although debussy is reported to have detested ornamentation (he thrived on refinery) there are also reports that he loved children’s toys (especially those of his daughter, chouchou) and the circus. on the other hand, satie’s worldliness spoke volumes in his treatments for piano, and additionally as a writer and philosopher. satie was published in minimalist journals and vanity fair, to extract his diversity. these two concentrated on a musical renewal, not a recycling, and were members of an order far beyond comprehension. how quaint, to be influenced by a superior philosophy; in essence, to live and breathe every corpuscle of what you do in perpetuum. by sv
a liberal decalogue
bertrand russell, a paragon of many genres, discusses his ideas on the vindications of education, the undenying value of uncertainty, the quintessence of critical thinking and intelligent criticism. these are, if nothing else, words to live by for any pseudo-quasi-hip-atheist-agnostic-self-but-not-really-loathing human being:
“perhaps the essence of the liberal outlook could be summed up in a new decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it. the ten commandments that, as a teacher, i should wish to promulgate, might be set forth as follows:
1. do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2. do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3. never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4.when you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5. have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6. do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7. do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
8. find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9. be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
10. do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.” by sv
“knowing others is wisdom…
…knowing yourself is enlightenment.” reflective self-portraits in the “contemplation cove” at the san francisco asian art museum. lao tzu would be impressed. by bh
if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?
“and it says a lot about you that when your friends jump off a bridge en masse, your first thought is apparently ‘my friends are all foolish and I won’t be like them’ and not ‘are my friends ok?” a wonderfully illustrated series depicting the woes of modern day life with a sense of wit but more importantly some common sense thrown in for good measure, all by randall munroe at http://xkcd.com/. by bw
3 things i hate
vandalism, irony, lists, i had to think for a minute, but that’s why it worked.
courtesy of jjjjound, gotta give credit when credit is due, not that jjjjustin gives any credits!! but we won’t hold that against him. by uh
Great minds…
great minds fuck each other
words of wisdom… not by godard but i can assure you he would have agreed! by xy
is the man who is tall happy?
i suppose i have been living under a rock? noam and michel, in an animated conversation? the livelihood of two archetypes in their own respective fields, very exciting. by sv
da vinci on despair
leonardo’s lament, or lack there of. by sv
mechanisms and apparitions
it’s been a wallace stevens couple of weeks for me. one of the most relevant and significant poets of the last several hundred years, there is truly no one like him. although ‘the man with the blue guitar‘ is one of my favorites, his solid voice reading ‘so-and-so reclining on her couch‘ is sublime. the projections, traces of plato, traces of modigliani perhaps? beautiful. by sv
