"Our spirits, as well as the physical world, would be appreciably different if Orwell had not existed. Blair wrote nearly such a sentence about H. G. Wells. But i believe it applies particularly to him for our times." via Gilles Mioni | Comment on the Orwell Diaries today
Organ²/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible) is a musical piece composed by John Cage and is the subject of the slowest and longest-lasting musical performance yet undertaken. It was originally written in 1987 for organ and is adapted from the earlier work ASLSP 1985; a typical performance of the piano piece lasts for about 20 to 70 minutes. The current organ performance of the piece at St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany, began in 2001 and is scheduled to have a duration of 639 years, ending in 2640. via Wikipedia | hat tip Overprocessed
In a technological advance that opens up new possibilities in the fields of robotics and wearable computing, researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a stretchable, rubbery material that conducts electricity and can be incorporated into electronic devices. via Pink Tentacle | Read On
Ms. Okrant does not aspire to is to become Ms. Winfrey. Shortly after making the vision board, she wrote on her blog: “Oprah said ... ‘Isn’t it a wonderful thing to have all your dreams come true?’ I don’t think there are many human beings on this planet who could possibly utter these words. ... I think if I ever get everything I want in life, then I’m not so sure I’d be so excited to wake up each morning. It’s possibilities that keep me moving forward.” via Jessica Grose | NYTimes
The extension we call the net, the grid, the Infobahn, is more than the sum of its parts, it may perchance lead to an actual organizing principle of reality itself. An organizing principle somewhat akin to an operating system, yet directed, and multidimensional, interactive and intelligent. —Wildcat: Mind Habitat, the quest for a home
One of your remarkable discoveries is that water responds to words, whether they are spoken, written, or even thought, as in prayer. Kind, uplifting words tend to produce beautifully shaped water crystals, while angry discordant expressions have produced warped crystals. via HADO | Interview with Dr. Emoto
Polite Umbrella is a shrinkable umbrella that enables users to morph its shape in order to reduce occupied space and to increase user maneuverability. Users can easily adjust their umbrellas anytime by pulling a handle so that they can protect themselves from harsh winds or bumping into others. via JooYoun Paek
This stunning promo was shot in one long take, and is a look behind the scences of Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining, all from the perspective of the director himself. The spot produced by Channel 4 Creative, was meticulously researched and was even shot using the directors favourite lens.
The anthropologist Margaret Mead once observed that in the 1930s, when she was busy remaking the idea of culture, the notion of cultural diversity was to be found only in the ‘vocabulary of a small and technical group of professional anthropologists’. Today, everyone and everything seems to have its own culture. From anorexia to zydeco, the American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah has observed, there is little that we don’t talk about as the product of some group’s culture. In this age of globalisation many people fret about Western culture taking over the world. But the greatest Western export is not Disney or McDonalds or Tom Cruise. It is the very idea of culture. via Butterflies and Wheels
It's rare that new paintings by Old Masters are discovered. But that's exactly what happened in the case of a recently uncovered work by Vincent Van Gogh. It was found at a museum in the Netherlands — but the painting wasn't lost in some dusty corridor, it was hidden under the paint of another Van Gogh. Scientists using a giant X-ray machine found an early portrait of a peasant woman beneath Van Gogh's 1887 work "Patch of Grass." via NPR
Poet. Lover of academy and porch.
