I've got blisters on my fingers.

"There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:01:23 -0400

“There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”

- The Plague, by Albert Camus. (via aknightinplaidarmor)

I’ve been meaning to read this. Maybe I’ll get to it this summer.

interretialia: Optime! Yes, that is a thing. It is a...

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:51:21 -0400

interretialia:

Optime!

Yes, that is a thing. It is a periphrastic construction comprising the future active participle and sim/essem: e.g. Scio quo iturus sim, I know where I am going to go, Scivi quo iturus essem, I knew where I would go.

johnpurlia: Muhammad Ali playing a Stax Records’ 45 on his...

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:31:11 -0400

johnpurlia:

Muhammad Ali playing a Stax Records’ 45 on his car’s hi-fi phonograph!

Hank's Tumblr: Thoughts on the Yahoo! Thing

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:27:53 -0400

Hank's Tumblr: Thoughts on the Yahoo! Thing:

edwardspoonhands:

First, I love Tumblr and want to keep loving it. And yes, it is immediately terrifying to hear that Yahoo (which, from a lot of our perspectives, is a laughably backwards and culturally irrelevant company) is going to own Tumblr. I sympathize.

But there are a number of circumstances in which…

hodgman: This is why I am glad to be an only child. I would be...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:27:02 -0400

hodgman:

This is why I am glad to be an only child. I would be so mad if one of my dumb BROTHERS got to be the one to marry mom.

9 Questions That Atheists Might Find Insulting (And the Answers)

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:19:55 -0400

9 Questions That Atheists Might Find Insulting (And the Answers):

eupraxsophy:

Some questions make atheists feel second-class — and make you look like a jerk for asking them.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been personally offended per se, but I have been annoyed by encountering the same thoughtless assumptions regularly. Then again, some people genuinely misunderstand the atheist position, and that’s understandable — it’s not exactly a commonly accepted one, nor have we had much opportunity throughout history to articulate our position.

I’m with Prax on this one. Usually when I get these questions it is from people who are genuinely ignorant/curious or genuinely concerned, which I appreciate. It’s all the more interesting for me, since I am not an atheist, but am often taken for one, since I tend to agree with atheists on so many issues.

wilwheaton: I really hope Yahoo doesn’t fuck up Tumblr like it’s fucked up … well, every single...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:00:56 -0400

wilwheaton:

I really hope Yahoo doesn’t fuck up Tumblr like it’s fucked up … well, every single thing it’s ever touched in the history of the universe.

nevver: Spanked I sure hope he meant that.

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:53:22 -0400

nevver:

Spanked

I sure hope he meant that.

"Really good fiction could have as dark a worldview as it wished, but it’d find a way both to depict..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:50:30 -0400

““Really good fiction could have as dark a worldview as it wished, but it’d find a way both to depict this world and to illuminate the possibilities for being alive and human in it.””

- David Foster Wallace (via realmsofeternalbliss)

Eupraxsophy: Fun Fact About Tumblr

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:47:03 -0400

Eupraxsophy: Fun Fact About Tumblr:

eupraxsophy:

Has anyone else noticed that Tumblr doesn’t seem to have an obvious revenue stream? There’s no advertizing, pay wall, or membership fees. Yes, there are premium themes that cost money, but these can’t possibly make enough money to run the site.

That’s because Tumblr is not profitable. It’s funded…

But I wonder…

If Tumblr truly is not profitable (and I do not doubt you on this), why exactly is Yahoo ready to buy it, and what will they do when they get it?

Christmas is coming soon…

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:47:56 -0400

Christmas is coming soon…

eupraxsophy: Iraqi Kurdish female guerilla.

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:38:53 -0400

eupraxsophy:

Iraqi Kurdish female guerilla.

neil-gaiman: odditiesoflife: Stunning Landscape - Cappadocia,...

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:37:48 -0400

neil-gaiman:

odditiesoflife:

Stunning Landscape - Cappadocia, Turkey

The mysterious rock formations and underground cities of Cappadocia make this region of Turkey one the most beautiful in the world. The rich history of this site can be told through the villages, subterranean churches and fortresses that have been carved straight into the soft, porous, eerily eroded rock.

Popular activities in the region include visits to the underground cities, viewing the ancient Christian cave art, seeing the “fairy chimney” rock formations, and taking sunrise hot air balloon rides for a view of the breathtaking landscape from above.

When I am certain everyone else in the world is following odditiesoflife I will not reblog everything she puts up quite so industriously….

"But in the end one needs more courage to live than to kill himself."

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:01:06 -0400

“But in the end one needs more courage to live than to kill himself.”

- Albert Camus (via eupraxsophy)

This is why he is called Uncle Albert at my house.

interretialia: Almost—it’s from Latin libra,...

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:26:23 -0400

interretialia:

Almost—it’s from Latin libra, “pound.”

I’m not sure I understand the difference. Doesn’t the term legitimately apply to both? Libra does hold the scales which is what you would use to measure librae.

tyleroakley: buzzfeed: George Takei responds to “traditional”...

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:41:51 -0400

tyleroakley:

buzzfeed:

George Takei responds to “traditional” marriage fans.

George Takei is flawfree.

liberalsarecool: Kevin Drum: “In 2010, such legislation was...

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:41:41 -0400

liberalsarecool:

Kevin Drum:

“In 2010, such legislation was introduced, and died when it was filibustered by Republicans in the Senate. More generally, media organizations have been lobbying for a federal shield law for decades, and Congress has been resolutely unwilling to pass one…. Politically, Obama is basically daring Republicans to put their money where their mouths are. You want to make the DOJ leak investigation into an issue of executive overreach? Fine. Then rein it in. Pass a law making it clear what DOJ can and can’t do in leak investigations.”

And the fact that they won’t is as funny as when Harry Reid called Mitch McConnel out on a bluff and forced McConnel to filibuster his own proposal.

joncarling: ‘The Misunderstanding’ Sketchbook Exhibit #141

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:35:01 -0400

joncarling:

‘The Misunderstanding’ Sketchbook Exhibit #141

dispirits: On December 8, 1980, Annie Leibovitz had a photo...

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:34:11 -0400

dispirits:

On December 8, 1980, Annie Leibovitz had a photo shoot with John Lennon for Rolling Stone, promising him that he would make the cover. She had initially tried to get a picture with just Lennon alone, which is what Rolling Stone wanted, but Lennon insisted that both he and Yoko Ono be on the cover. Leibovitz had John remove his clothes and curl up next to Yoko. She recalls,

“What is interesting is she said she’d take her top off and I said, ‘Leave everything on’ — not really preconceiving the picture at all. Then he curled up next to her and it was very, very strong. You couldn’t help but feel that he was cold and he looked like he was clinging on to her. I think it was amazing to look at the first Polaroid and they were both very excited. John said, ‘You’ve captured our relationship exactly. Promise me it’ll be on the cover.’ I looked him in the eye and we shook on it.”

Leibovitz was the last person to professionally photograph Lennon — he was shot and killed five hours after this photograph was taken.

nevver: Popular error In my own parlance this is what I call...

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:01:06 -0400

nevver:

Popular error

In my own parlance this is what I call “having sharp teeth.”