just for now

Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz on the deeper truths of the show:

What is honest in the show is there are family dynamics. The family speaks in code, family has its own mythology. In many ways, your family wants you to be what they think you are. My father said to me recently, ‘Hey, I didn’t know you could write longhand.’ Or, ‘I didn’t know you knew how to write in handwriting.’ [And I said] ‘Of course I do. I’m a grown man.’ ‘Oh, I didn’t know you knew how.’ ‘I think you’re thinking of when I was 8.’ ‘You definitely couldn’t [then]. I’ll show you cards. …’ And there’s something fun about how your family won’t let you change, in a way, and the push and pull of like, ‘No, I’m a different person!’ And of course, they’re kind of right.

npr: (via Other Worlds: From Speculation to Confirmation) In...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:19:21 -0700

npr:

(via Other Worlds: From Speculation to Confirmation)

In its four years exploring the depths of space, NASA’s Kepler space telescope has found 132 potentially habitable planets and another 2,740 candidates. Marcelo Gleiser writes about astronomy’s journey from philosophical to scientific and the consequence of new discovery:

“Of course, if other Earths existed, the centrality of ours would be threatened. This was, and remains, an essential question in the debate on the plurality of worlds: are we unique and hence important in some sense, or are we the norm and typical of what’s out there across the vastness of space?”

Photo: NASA

"Without work, all life goes rotten, but when work is soulless, life stifles and dies"

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:03:41 -0700

“Without work, all life goes rotten, but when work is soulless, life stifles and dies”

- Albert Camus, quoted in the wonderful How to Find Fulfilling Work. (via explore-blog)

soupsoup: reuters: Reporters worldwide are grappling with...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:26:10 -0700

soupsoup:

reuters:

Reporters worldwide are grappling with government censorship and limits to reporting. Some are even accused and convicted of activities against governments that are landing them in jail.

In the past week alone, the following reports have been made:

An Egyptian blogger has been convicted of insulting the president.

In China, most mentions of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre were censored from the Internet.

Turkish protesters accused media of ignoring unrest; reports of anti-press attacks amid Turkey protests raise questions of censorship.

Congo Republic suspended four independent newspapers

Burundi enacted media law that reporters say curbs press freedoms.

Guinea media set strike after government shuts opposition radio.

The Palestinian Authority arrested the general manager of a Bethlehem radio station.

Ethiopia arrested a reporter after he covered the story of evictions in dam region.

Toronto Star reporter was arrested and ticketed after taking photos of injured public transit employee.

Imprisonment of journalists worldwide reached a record high in 2012, driven in part by the use of charges of terrorism and anti-state offenses against reporters and editors, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists in its annual census of imprisoned journalists.

CPJ video summary of the 2012 report on media imprisonment:

Photo: Activists wearing masks of jailed Nobel laureate, writer, professor and activist Liu Xiaobo hold candles during a night vigil at Liberty Square in Taipei June 4, 2013, on the 24th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. REUTERS/Steven Chen

Nice job by Margarita putting this all together.

"Don’t let fear of writing something imperfect or wrong keep you from doing it. It’s key to publish,..."

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:13:14 -0700

“

Don’t let fear of writing something imperfect or wrong keep you from doing it. It’s key to publish, get feedback, and keep going.

[…]

And if you want to write criticism or commentary, don’t be afraid to ask questions, or evolve publicly. Vulnerability is a vaccine.

”

- Alyssa Rosenberg, echoing David Foster Wallace’s admonition against perfectionism, offers some advice for aspiring writers – some good, like the above, and some questionable, like:

If you’re trying to break in, read everything and everyone on your subject. If you’re a day late on an old idea, you’re not of any use.

The best ideas have no expiration date and what makes them compelling is the particular point of view. Conflating good writing with newsiness is one of the most unfortunate byproducts of writing for a chronology-biased medium like the web.

Complement with the collected wisdom on writing from some of history’s greatest authors.

(via explore-blog)

"[T]he brain is an artist, creating images out of separate visual components. Maybe our ability to..."

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:07:24 -0700

“

[T]he brain is an artist, creating images out of separate visual components. Maybe our ability to read a curve drawn on a flat surface as a three-dimensional figure is related to our reception of visual data from the world as edges—lines and curves. Maybe when artists draw they are doing with their hand what the brain is doing with its electrical pulses.

Consider, too, our brain’s extensive face-recognition equipment, including the ability to read feeling in facial expression and body language. Our “face patches,” located low in the temporal lobe, along with our emotion-tracking amygdala, light up equally when confronted with a face or a picture of a face. Art is intermingled with biology and inseparable from it. As we are wired to recognize faces, so portraits and self-portraits—images of the human face and body—have proliferated throughout the history of art.

[…]

Making art requires persistence, the ability to work in a rather dogged manner over time, openness to unconscious material plus the patience to receive it, technical skill with materials, and the practice of engaging in a dialogue with the work as it develops. Making art also requires a particular sort of brain. The sort of brain we happen to have.

”

- In a meditation on art and the brain, Priscilla Long adds to history’s finest definitions of art and echoes Dennis Dutton’s Darwinian theory of art.

(↬ The Dish)

nevver: Simon Birch

Wed, 29 May 2013 20:18:20 -0700

simon birch simon-birch.com

simon birch simon-birch.com

simon birch simon-birch.com

simon birch simon-birch.com

nevver:

Simon Birch

projectunbreakable: heavyheadedastronaut: littlemermaidtears: ...

Mon, 27 May 2013 23:15:52 -0700

projectunbreakable:

heavyheadedastronaut:

littlemermaidtears:

ohdearhermione:

cynthiacloud:

raiseyourweapon:

alcohol-is-sexyy:

The many faces of rape.

This makes me sick to my stomach.

As disturbing as this is, I think it’s important to give these women voices. They are survivors.

This is just horrible

This made me cry.

projectunbreakable.tumblr.com

Oh no! The original poster didn’t credit back to Project Unbreakable; here are a few key links, if you happen upon this post and don’t know anything about the background of our work:

website - project-unbreakable.org
twitter - twitter.com/projunbreakable
facebook - facebook.com/projectunbreakable

inothernews: danorst: Moon Rise Time Slice…. this is a collage...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:33:25 -0700

inothernews:

danorst:

Moon Rise Time Slice…. this is a collage of 11 photos taken over 27 minutes and 59 seconds

It’s beautiful and it’s freaking me out.

elizabitchtaylor: Yes, I support traditional marriage. A union between one middle-aged man and a...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:08:47 -0700

elizabitchtaylor:

Yes, I support traditional marriage. A union between one middle-aged man and a 13-year-old girl for a dowry of eighteen cows.

four-thirdsgentleman: Disclosure (Ft. Alunageorge) | White...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:37:51 -0800

four-thirdsgentleman:

Disclosure (Ft. Alunageorge) | White Noise

Voicemails from my grandma in the final months before her death

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:14:00 -0800

12/3/11
4:22:29 PM
Onyou-ya. How are you doing in the cold weather? Are you having a hard time because we didn’t go grocery shopping that day? Uh, please don’t skip meals and eat something. You need to eat in order to be healthy. I just called because I was curious about you, whether you were eating and staying warm in the cold. Uh, okay, grandma called you. Onyou-ya, be well.

12/23/11
11:54:46 AM
Onyou-ya. Are you sleeping? I’m calling because we are out in LA and want to eat lunch with you. But you’re sleeping. Okay. I’m hanging up. When you get this, call me back quickly.

12/30/11
12:04:00 PM
(hushed voice) Onyou-ya. Are you sleeping? You know last year, you and your brother bought me a pair of sneakers. They’re too small and my feet won’t go in… So you should know that. I can’t wear it because it’s too small, so I’m just leaving it…

1/31/12
3:27:41 PM
Onyou-ya. Do you have time on Friday? Grandma has to go to the hospital; you should come with me. Please call me later, or grandma will call you.

2/9/12
9:48:48 PM
Onyou-ya. Are you sleeping? Grandma has a favor to ask you. You know how grandpa, on the 28th, has to go [to the hospital]? Grandma has to go to the hospital on the 17th. So I wanted to ask whether you had time, but if you can’t, maybe I’ll ask your brother. When you get this, call grandma back. Right now it’s 10 minutes before 10 p.m. Be well.

2/15/12
4:51:20 PM
Onyou-ya. Did you finish your classes? (silence) Right now grandma just came back from the hospital, and tomorrow, no, the day after tomorrow, early morning on Friday you have to come out to LA. If you don’t, I can’t do anything. When you come home after finishing [class] at 10 p.m. on Thursday, are you able to go back to LA that early? We have to be there by 8 a.m., meaning we need to leave by 7. Just wanted to let you know earlier. We’ll talk about this tomorrow. Don’t forget! I request! Grandma’s hanging up now. Onyou-ya, eat well and don’t be sick. This is grandma. I love you. (away from receiver) she’s not here-

2/16/12
9:23:08 AM
Onyou-ya. Did you wake up or go to class? You told me you have the most classes today; are you able to come early in the morning tomorrow? I’m not sure if you heard my message yesterday. If you don’t come, it will be serious trouble. Grandpa will send you the address on the internet. If you receive it, please call grandma at home. See you tomorrow! You have to come early tomorrow.

3/1/12
4:19:03 PM
Onyou-ya. You must be in class. Grandpa was supposed to be released from the hospital today, but the number, some number had to be 1.0 but it fell short so he couldn’t be released. I’m not sure if he’ll be released later tonight. Right now he’s there alone. It will be serious trouble if he is released tomorrow because there’s no one to pick him up. If he is released tonight, then your brother can pick him up. He can only leave if the doctor says he can. He’s there right now. You should know that, and call me.

3/1/12
9:55:04 PM
Onyou-ya. Sorry, you must be busy. Grandpa was released tonight, so you don’t have to worry about tomorrow. Go to your meeting, aye? You’ve done a lot. Your brother went and brought him back. Grandpa is sleeping now.

3/23/12
10:54:22 AM
(faint voice) Onyou-ya. Did you wake up? Daniel has been here all night and he’s exhausted… What to do? You need to hurry here so he can go. Call me back soon.

4/1/12
11:39:31 AM
Onyou-ya. It’s hard to hear your voice. Mmm. Increasingly hard. Are you well? Your stepmom said she’s leaving on Wednesday. I’m worried about your grandpa. Be well.

4/20/12
11:48:20 AM
Onyou must be busy. Heard you’re coming today or tomorrow. Ever since your mom left, grandpa’s laundry situation been urgent… are you doing laundry? It’d be nice if you could do your laundry with grandpa’s. Call grandma back later! Onyou-ya, it’s a request. I miss you. Right now it’s 11… (to my grandpa: what time is it?) oh, it’s 11:50. I’m calling from the hospital. Grandma awaits your call. Uh, be well.

Photo

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:36:58 -0800

stayglued: xxxy - Got Me So [Preview]

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:09:36 -0800

stayglued:

xxxy - Got Me So [Preview]

suicideblonde: Yolandi Vi$$er by Soey Milk

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:36:11 -0800

suicideblonde:

Yolandi Vi$$er by Soey Milk