Archive for May 2nd, 2007
Dumbo Octopus
From The Deep, by Claire Nouvian
www.thedeepbook.org
Collision Detection posted this link to a French film of deep-sea organisms. I don’t know if it’s the hypnotic French narration, or the freaky organisms, or that fact that I went running five miles in a rainstorm and may have pneumonia, but this is trippy.
The star is the Dumbo octopus, Grimpoteuthis, which has actual flapping Dumbo ears. I now have a favorite cephalopod (for all the times I’ve been asked that question at cocktail parties, which is of course many times indeed). The picture above is from this promo for The Deep, a beautiful book of photography by Claire Nouvian. But it doesn’t do the ear-flapping justice, so check out the video too.
May 2nd, 2007
Is it too late to start a band at 45? (Salon)
You might need to click through the Salon Site Pass rigamarole to get to it, but this letter and response are surprisingly earnest. “Lost in Portland” does lapse into grandiosity, and many of the comments call him on perceived immaturity. But let’s be honest: a bit of ego is intrinsic to the artistic endeavor, and it’s hard to be mature when one is seriously depressed and alienated. Whether or not you relate to “Lost in Portland,” this exchange is relevant to anyone who has contemplated a career in the arts - and anyone familiar with the creakings of the “inner machinery of self-defeat”.
Here’s part.
“Lost in Portland”:
I have worked jobs, such as in retail, the restaurant industry and business offices, that have left me bored, unfulfilled and feeling like my soul has been crushed. On the side, I have done creative things: singing in bands, performing in local theater, putting together and performing with comedy troupes. These things kept me alive and interested in the world, but never paid the rent. I tried studying some of my creative interests in a university setting, but honestly don’t feel I could be happy teaching. . . So my current dilemma? I am tired of being unhappy and not being myself.
Cary Tennis:
How do you and I, with our myriad difficulties and lack of understanding, our lack of connections and affability, our inner machinery of self-defeat, how do we reconcile this? How do we reconcile creativity with the practical requirements of living?
To be blunt: Maybe we do and maybe we don’t. But we start by being honest. We start with a self-correcting catechism of ego deflation: The world doesn’t owe us a living. Instead, we owe the world. We have been entrusted with something.
May 2nd, 2007
eternal
Berkeley, CA, 2003
The Visual Dictionary is a photographic compendium of found words (from signage, advertising, etc). The goal is to eventually represent every English word as at least one image; users can search the database for a word, or contribute a word yourself.
I actually found this site last fall, but for a while, the editors were uploading very slowly. They seem to have caught up now. So for those who share my fascination with typography, here’s an excuse to go word-hunting: there are just under 3K words in the visual dictionary, but over half a million in the 2nd edition of the OED. Take your digital camera and fill some gaps!
May 2nd, 2007
Proof that biology is so much weirder than anything I could ever make up:
To test her hypothesis, Dr. Brennan plans to team up with a biomechanics expert to build a transparent model of a female duck. She wants to see exactly what a duck phallus does during mating.
May 2nd, 2007