We are more than how we appear. Our eyes deceive us as easily as they convince us that we’re seeing a truth. Truth doesn’t appear on the surface. Sometimes it can only be found when you look much deeper. I live that truth everyday because I’m more than I appear on the surface. Probably because my surface seems to confuse so many people. The most common question in my life is, “What are you?”. How do you answer such a blatantly rude question (even if it’s asked in ignorance)? Continue reading
Lately, I can completely understand the comment, “music soothes the savage beast”. It seems to be the only thing that’s been working for me so that I can write words that are a bit calmer than what mainstream news provokes me to write. While I was swimming around my usual haunts (thanks again Ted.com), I came across a brilliant cellist, Caroline Lavelle. Her music is definitely soothing and opens up my mind for creativity.
http://youtu.be/sO5P80x-m6k
Art is personal. This story tells it best, as it covers the war between two graffiti artists: King Robbo vs. Banksy. It’s a fascinating look behind two creators with two different styles. One free-styler who helped to start the graffiti art revolution in England. The other, an up-and-coming artist who bowed to no one and made his own rules that went against acceptable behavior. Two camps supporting two artists in a field that even the police look upon harshly most times, calling it vandalism unless you were part of their chosen few. The story doesn’t have a happy ending, much like in life.
This story is a parable that is repeated in every sector, as a person’s goal is usually to reach the top of their chosen field. The lesson is to choose a path that you and others can live with.
– found by Imaginary Foundation -> Ysarna’s Vimeo video -> Channel 4
September 17, 2011 = #occupywallst
If you listen to the voices across this country, you’ll notice that they are not all agreeing with how votes are being portrayed in mainstream news. With our economy in a perpetual slump, job loss getting higher by the day, and opportunities scarce for the majority, many have wondered why the voices in the USA haven’t been as loud as those in other countries. Frankly, I’m one of them. Unlike what I’d read from a commentator on NY Times, the whole country is not moving to the right. Mainstream news is not the only place to get your voice heard, and we citizens need to do a better job at getting our own messages acknowledged.
We are a country which was founded on liberty and opportunity for all. We have a Statue of Liberty that stands as a symbol of enlightenment. After the centuries of oppression and serfdom that our forefathers suffered under tyrannies that resemble our current societal and political structure, they rose up to fight against this inequality and even wrote the most inspiring words to commemorate that event: Declaration of Independence. Hundreds of years later, we are a country divided by our own hands. It’s apparent that our system no longer works as it was first designed. Too many hands tampered with it for too many years, so that now only the few benefit on the backs of many. No more! We want a world that we first envisioned: A world where our dreams and hard work can come into fruition, so that we can truly build a beautiful, safer, saner, more inspirational world for all.
Many people are trying to create their own opportunity, and are coming up with creative ideas to fight their stagnation. But those efforts pale in comparison to the outright blasphemy that is being perpetrated by those who can afford to pay enormous amounts to drown out the majority’s voices through politics and economics. So, the battle cry on social media was launched: #occupywallst.
For those of us who can’t be there, we can still make our voices heard. If you agree with this campaign, then post your own thoughts on your blog and spread it around. All voices rising up together won’t get drowned out when their pitch becomes greater than any opposing pitch. So, raise your own voice and pass it on! Join the rest of those voices which are already out there agreeing with you. This is just the beginning, and we need to sustain it, because we are fighting for the most important thing to us: our future. This is democracy in action!
more info: Occupywallstreet.org
Symphony of Science videos have been popping up around the Net because they have some amazing messages. This one seems completely appropriate and timely, as well as timeless:
So, I’ve spoken about how much I love to fly. Well, this is what it feels like. Only in my case, I’m surrounded by metal. But when you focus on the sounds of the wind flowing by you like whispers in your ear, you feel one with the sky. I would imagine that this is what birds feel? All I know is that it’s amazing! And you’ll see the world in a whole new and inspiring way.
This video, Experience Human Flight, was created by Betty Wants In for Melbourne Skydive Center and Infinity List.
– found in a DesignTaxi post
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Typically, you go to the library to read about treasures, or better yet to find some. But now, it seems that treasures are finding their way to the library all on their own. The Guardian UK put out a story in March 2011 that the Scottish Poetry Library was an anonymous recipient of an amazing treasure: a “poetree“. The sculpture is shaped as a tree taking root in a book, made from paper with loving care and craftsmanship. The attached note stated, “It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree.… We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?). And next to the tree was an open egg containing words that, when put together, spelled out the “A Trace of Wings” poem by Edwin Morgan. Continue reading
I read an interesting article about how Google Translate works (thanks again, Gisele, for the retweet). It was eye-opening to read that their software aggregates and mechanically interprets the translations already present on the Internet in order to come up with its translation to those foreign words that you entered. Now of course, the technology is only as accurate as what we put into translations already available. If there is no available word combination like those that you entered, then you’re probably going to get back nonsense. After all, a machine is providing the translation from those already completed by humans (or worse translating each word individually and mashing together a translation). Like I said, interesting approach for a divisive practice. Continue reading
Yukihiro Shoda has a powerful message to present in this video. It’s about time that we hear it, and do something about it now.
“Turning away from today’s reality will blind our future”
– found in a DesignTaxt post and Kickstarter campaign page
When you need a moment where your jaw can hit the floor, count on nature to provide it. Here’s an amazing photo from National Geographic, taken by Australian cinematographer Murray Fredericks, that remind us of just how beautiful Earth is:
