That Ol' Ephemera

paleoillustration: Thylacoleo carnifex by Adrie and Alfons...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:57 -0400

Thylacoleo carnifex by Adrie and Alfons Kennis

The murderous marsupial lion, from thylakos (pouch-lion), carnifex (murderer, tormentor, butcher) was a large, carnivorous marsupial mammal that lived in Australia from the early to late Pleistocene Era. Despite its name, it wasn’t part of the cat family, but was more closely related to wombats. it was one of the apex predators at its time, and probably fed on early man. Dinopedia

Guys, it’s a WOMBAT-LION.

This creature actually existed. I am delighted.

the-lonely-scottish-guy: ‘stop being overdramatic’ they say ‘i dont know what you mean’ i say as i...

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:42:36 -0400

the-lonely-scottish-guy:

‘stop being overdramatic’ they say

‘i dont know what you mean’ i say as i descend from the ceiling, surrounded by mist

The Prophet Lilith: OK, there’s something about the debate on the new Star Trek movie that...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:19:38 -0400

The Prophet Lilith: OK, there’s something about the debate on the new Star Trek movie that...:

czgoldedition:

bazilisk:

theprophetlilith:

OK, there’s something about the debate on the new Star Trek movie that really bugs me. And I’m writing this as a white person who loves Star Trek—who grew up watching TOS, who was excited over the movies, who loved TNG and DS9 and Voyager quite a bit, who even plays Star Trek Online.

It’s not…

Good points. It, and most TV and movies made by the mainstream, is annoyingly conservative.

I’m glad the OP indicated that it wasn’t so much a problem with Star Trek as television and films in general, because I can rattle off a whole list of shows that all fit the description of depicting more white characters than other racial backgrounds. Heck even shows that are supposed to have a different cultural background are “guilty” of this - take for instance, Firefly, where everyone speaks some degree of Chinese - where are the asian characters in that universe?

I wanted to hypothesize though that this pattern in fiction isn’t so much because of a particular mentality or conservatism or desire to reinforce a power structure as it is accidental. Writers are always told to “write what you know” because you’ll do a more believable job depicting aspects of your own experience, and how many of us were lucky enough to grow up and live in a racially and culturally diverse area? The “token” non-white characters might be a true representation of all the more persons of other races these writers have ever known. I grew up in an Ohio town in which out of a 100-something class of kids, maybe 2 were black and 1 was asian. In college, though I moved to a completely different state and a city that was mostly black (Baltimore), the student body was still mostly white. Out of a group of nine friends I spent time with, one was black and one was korean. The other seven were white. Similar ratio to Uhura and Sulu on the bridge of the Enterprise, or Chakotay and Kim on the bridge of Voyager? Yes. Did I purposefully only befriend two people of different races? No. It was incidental. I doubt the writers of shows like Star Trek are purposefully keeping the ratios down either.

Now I live in New Jersey, and it blows my mind that sometimes I walk into a restaurant and there is a family of a different race sitting at every table. It is SO COOL. I love the diversity, and I wish there were more of that on television too! But the reason sitting down in a restaurant and seeing not only white families but black, middle eastern, asian, and indian (as in from india, not native american - sadly that is even more rare) families is unique and so damn interesting to me is because never before in my life have I experienced it. I wish I would experience it more often. So maybe different races need to mix more not only in fiction, but in real life too.

It is ‘accidental’ - nobody is saying that the mostly white Star Trek writers are deliberately trying to exclude all but white people from the franchise. Of course, one writes what one knows, that is pretty easy and authentic.

The problem is that about 50% of the country isn’t white. But very far from 50% of the writers for mainstream TV and movies are. That has to change, and until that does, there is an idea out there that maybe the white writers should force themselves to realize the realistic quality of having a ratio of background and foreground characters that are closer to 50% white.

And maybe largely white studios should even go out of their way to get a larger diversity of non-whites involved in production - as is, it’s all a very tightly knit circle of people-who-know-people who are largely middle/upper class coastal (NY/CA) white people. If they aren’t going to bother hiring people based on merit instead of just friendship, or maybe to ‘remember’ to hire their non-white friends, too, maybe there is racism in that process, then they should at least bother to paint a more socially realistic portrait fo the future, even if that means stretching their writing ability a bit.

I mean really? It’s easier to write a Klingon character from the 22nd century than, say, a black Brazilian character from the 22nd century?

Another thing to keep in mind, pointing out that something is racist in its depiction of minorities isn’t pointing out that the creators are being actively racist. The vast majority of racism nowadays in the US is the subtle, polite, and even unintentional kind that often can’t even be noticed by its perpetrators unless an outside observer steps back and looks at the numbers, and notices the numbers are skewed in a racist way. Lots of racism nowadays happens by omission rather than deliberate, 1950’s-style exclusion or aggressiveness/violence. Especially when talking about racism amongst middle/upper class people like movie-makers.

Ugh nostalgia just got the better of me. Playing Arkham Asylum...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:30 -0400

Ugh nostalgia just got the better of me.

Playing Arkham Asylum right now and it’s so lifted from the show that it’s great.

The Prophet Lilith: OK, there’s something about the debate on the new Star Trek movie that...

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:10:40 -0400

The Prophet Lilith: OK, there’s something about the debate on the new Star Trek movie that...:

theprophetlilith:

OK, there’s something about the debate on the new Star Trek movie that really bugs me. And I’m writing this as a white person who loves Star Trek—who grew up watching TOS, who was excited over the movies, who loved TNG and DS9 and Voyager quite a bit, who even plays Star Trek Online.

It’s not…

Good points. It, and most TV and movies made by the mainstream, is annoyingly conservative.

theworstroom: East Village, Manhattan. $700.00 (Loft Bed Above...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:42:20 -0400

theworstroom:

East Village, Manhattan. $700.00

(Loft Bed Above Closet in Kitchen)

This is… incredible. Wow.

"Here is the thing, okay? Coming into a feminist conversation with, “Have you considered that..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:04:20 -0400

“

Here is the thing, okay? Coming into a feminist conversation with, “Have you considered that sometimes women acquire free drinks at bars?” is like walking into graduate school during Philosophy finals and saying, “Have you considered that the color blue that I see may not be the color blue that you see?”

Imagine you are the guy who just walked into that Philosophy class and laid that shit down. Imagine the class full of students who have worked very hard and committed themselves and sacrificed to be here, students who have spent several years of their lives learning about this subject. Imagine now their feelings when you go to the head of the classroom with a smirk on your face and demand the professor give you an A for effort. Imagine now that they think you are a douchebag asshole, because they do, and because you are. You are a douchebag asshole because you are obviously so self-centered, arrogant, and completely ignorant of the world around you, that you thought you could walk into a high-level course with no background and no work and say something profoundly simplistic and totally unrelated and also everybody should congratulate you for having done this thing, so brave, so provocative.
[….]
You are not asking us a real question. You are simply illustrating, for all to see, your own ignorance. You are saying, “I have not considered the implications of the question I have just asked. I have not taken the time nor effort nor commitment to sit down and ask myself this question. Instead, I have come into your philosophy classroom/office/feminist blog and shat out my question with a smirk, because I believe that my two seconds of thought are worth more than your long-term analysis, because I believe I am worth more.”

”

- Fugivitus: A few things to consider when you find a feminist blog (via absolutely-spiffing)

Why I Love Electronic Music but Hate Dubstep

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:43:34 -0400

Dubstep is described in this Spotify artist biography of Skream as “…UK garage’s dark, half-speed offshoot” that uses the “tension and release formula.”

Thank you, writer of that biography, for putting your finger exactly on why I love a lot of electronic music but hate dubstep. It is too slow. And the tension-and-release formula gets really old, really fast.

It’s melodramatic. It plays with the expectations of the audience in such a cloying way - it’s the soap opera to normal dance musics’ regular drama. It is exactly the cheezy cliffhanger in musical form.

And yeah I know dance music is repetitive and uninspired very often, but at its best it is a great thing to dance to (I believe that some music should serve a purpose, like dancing to) and it can be complex and layered in an orchestral way. Normal dance music fills me with energy, but dubstep just pisses me off, and only now do I see it described right there, plainly, why. “Slow” and “uses the tension and release formula”. I’d take “Fast banging on a (synthesized) drum all night long with lots of atmospherics and maybe some samples and layers that change over time” formula over that any day.

I know it’s just my taste, but only now do I see the specifics of it. I can imagine someone else liking dubstep’s slowness and enjoying the feeling of the tension and release on a dance floor. I don’t want to insult anyone who does. It’s just not my thing.

On 'white people do such and such' jokes

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:48:32 -0400

Hmm I don’t think it’s wrong for white people to make jokes about how dumb white people are because it forces other white people who may see their own race as invisible or default to see that it exists and shapes their lives. To stop being so stupidly and naively ‘colorblind’ as the most annoying people say.

Maybe these jokes force white people to recognize the places where they are privileged, and awareness is a good thing.

It’s not just whites patting themselves on the back for being such enlightened ‘non-racists’, it’s also a way to try to deal with a burgeoning understanding of race and race relations while trying to stay light hearted.

rhamphotheca: Meanwhile, in outerspace… (via: I fucking love...

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:47:08 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Meanwhile, in outerspace…

(via: I fucking love science)

Most likely scenario.

Second most likely, dudes with boards on ropes in the middle of the night.

doctorfuture: #daftpunk#gq#boss#robots#ysl#tuxedo#saintlaurent#...

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:04:05 -0400

doctorfuture:

#daftpunk#gq#boss#robots#ysl#tuxedo#saintlaurent#instadaily#picoftheday#menswear#mensfashion#polished#sharp by anthdefaz

Daft Punk for GQ

Well that’s the fanciest robot I have ever seen.

Also, May 20th. What do you guys think the chance is it will be available for purchase if I just wait for that day and walk into an indie record store and ask for it as a CD?

Oh, nobody buys CD’s anymore? Cool, I’ll be safe then.

(Don’t ask me why, I get like 90% of my music on Amazon MP3 but for occasional big deals like this I like getting it on an infinitely rippable, easy-to-use, car-readable, XBox-playable CD… maybe that makes me an old lady.)

What’s a web page, anyway?

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:31:45 -0400

What’s a web page, anyway?

horrorpunk: I want to show this to people here.

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:14:24 -0400

horrorpunk:

I want to show this to people here.

rhamphotheca: TERRIBLE NEWS FOR WOLVES, UNLESS WE FIGHT BACK....

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:44:31 -0400

rhamphotheca:

TERRIBLE NEWS FOR WOLVES, UNLESS WE FIGHT BACK.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is putting the finishing touches on a proposal to strip wolves of their protection under the Endangered Species Act across most of the lower 48 states. Consider a donation so NRDC’s wildlife experts will be fully prepared to respond swiftly and effectively the moment this proposal is issued.

http://bit.ly/1010nae

When the comment period opens we’ll be calling on you for action!

(via: Natural Resources Defense Council)

photo by Doug Smith, NPS

If you have a little extra money lying around, consider giving a small amount for this instead of buying that new pair of adorable but overpriced shoes.

Fuck this shit entirely, really.

Let’s all pause for a moment, and remember some of the...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:37:51 -0400

Let’s all pause for a moment, and remember some of the best Troi moments. Peptide cake, man. Peptide cake.

danforth: spineless by Dr. Monster on Flickr. Don’t snicker!...

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:34:55 -0400

danforth:

spineless by Dr. Monster on Flickr.

Don’t snicker! It’s a platyhelminth!

That’s it, I’m getting this as a t-shirt. After maybe modifying the platyhelminth a little bit…

What? How? But WHY?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:09:21 -0400

What? How?

But WHY?

theremina: By Scott Benson, who writes: A quick editorial...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:09:48 -0400

theremina:

By Scott Benson, who writes:

A quick editorial cartoon about the intersection of self-pity, entitlement, rape, territoriality, misogyny and fear of women. You see it all over the place online in the form of Men’s Rights Activists (of whom there are a few reasonable non-misogynists), Men Going Their Own Way, Pick Up Artists, and dudes touting the “Red Pill”, because The Matrix is a good movie. Look any of these up if you have the stomach for it. These are extreme examples, but watered-down forms of these ideas are everywhere.

In lurking their blogs and youtube channels for a while, I’ve noticed that beyond the standard patriarchal chauvinism there is this deep fear of women - what they will do to me, how they will reject me, how they will use me, how they are changing society in a way that does not favor me, how they are making men into something I don’t like, how they are making themselves into something I don’t like, that they won’t give me what I want, and that they won’t give me what I think is rightfully mine. This goes beyond fear of feminism- this is fear of women at its purest. And that, to quote a puppet, leads to anger and hate. It’s sad.

I am a feminist. I think there’s enough ice cream to go around, but it does mean those of us with 3 scoops might have to give one or two up. Also, The Matrix is a fun movie but probably not anything you should be basing a philosophy on.

***I ENDED UP CLOSING THE COMMENTS BECAUSE OF INTERNET. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. HECK, A FEW OF THE COMMENTERS EVEN ASKED FOR THE COMMENTS TO BE CLOSED. IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME, DROP ME A VIMEO MESSAGE.***

I answered some questions, addressed some criticisms and wrote at length about why I’m not wading into comment-wars here. Please read before you rage. The rest of you, keep being awesome.

bombsfall.tumblr.com/post/49106219582/some-concluding-thoughts-and-answers-to-questions

rhamphotheca: GRIST.ORG: Just stick this portable outlet to...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:18:39 -0400

rhamphotheca:

GRIST.ORG: Just stick this portable outlet to your window to start using solar power

by Sarah Laskow

We have seen a lot of solar chargers in our day. And among of all of them, this is the first one we’ve seen that we will definitely run out and buy as soon as it’s made available in the U.S. It’s a portable socket that gets its power from the sun rather than the grid. You plug into a window instead of into the wall. It’s easy.

That was the whole point, according to the designers, Kyohu Song and Boa Oh: “We tried to design a portable socket, so that user can use it intuitively without special training,” they write.

It is really simple. The portable socket attaches to a window like a leech to human skin. On its underside, it has solar panels. The solar panels suck energy from the sun. The charger converts that energy into electricity. You plug in to the charger.

Even better, the charger stores that energy. After 5-8 hours of charging, the socket provides 10 hours of use. You can pop it off the window, stick it in your bag, and use it to charge up your phone with solar energy, even if you’re sitting in a dark room.

(via: http://grist.org/list/just-stick-this-portable-outlet-to-your-window-to-start-using-solar-power/)

(photos: Kyohu Song and Boa Oh)

This is real?

Yay, some good parts of ‘the future’ are actually arriving to consumers, soon!

scientificillustration: just completed this 48x60 eagle owl...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:21:51 -0400

scientificillustration:

just completed this 48x60 eagle owl with dandelions and horns.

Thanks for the submission Frank!

http://frankgonzales.net/home.html

Wow! I would happily buy a print of this!