Omnes Semitas ad Bonum

I love you. They say these three words, are not enough but where you and I are at, they are all I...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 02:10:10 -0400

I love you. They say these three words, are not enough

but where you and I are at,

they are all I need for you to fully and completely understand

how I feel.

showslow: Maurizio Bongiovanni is the man behind the brush of...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:25:09 -0500

showslow:

Maurizio Bongiovanni is the man behind the brush of these incredible paintings, all of which are on his Flickr.

phytos: Ligier Richier - Transi de René de Châlon, 1547

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:12:11 -0500

phytos:

Ligier Richier - Transi de René de Châlon, 1547

fangirlforever95: youwontlivethisonedown: Last week, as part...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:10:55 -0500

fangirlforever95:

youwontlivethisonedown:

Last week, as part of a cultural discovery project for one of my classes, I spent three days wearing ‘girls’ clothes while going about my day. I wanted to explore the general reaction and preconceptions that people in my city have to clothing, especially in regards to gender. To me, the idea that a piece of fabric or accessory can be so intertwined with who are in our conscious is perplexing. I didn’t want to show off, or offend anyone by my act of curiosity. Rather, I wanted to act as a meticulous observer of the times, to see if the community around me was really as open-minded as I wanted to believe that it was. After all, if such things really only had a place in the realm of high-fashion and in Scottish tradition, then something bigger must be at work.

On the first day, I wore a long-sleeve pink top cropped at the collarbone. I received many compliments, a few glares and even a free Venti gingerbread latte. On the second, I rocked a pink blouse with a high-waisted belt. Again, the same amount of well-wishes, questions and passing eye-rolls. These things were to be expected, as it isn’t necessarily the norm to see someone like me wearing things like these. I felt collected and confident in these modest outfits, seemingly convinced that the world around me could care less about the clothes someone wore. Most affirming was the response to my nails, which were almost always met with a cheerful grin, a high-five and a few words of encouragement.

What happened on the third day changed my perspective on humanity forever. I dressed myself as I normally would; band t-shirt, cardigan, plain Vans, etc. However, instead of black jeans, I complimented the outfit with a plain black skirt and matching set of tights. For me, this was a huge step in self-image. Years ago, I was barely confident enough to leave the house for school. These days, the opposite couldn’t be more true. As I set off about my day, the absolute worst in people came out in a full-force flurry of expletives and discomfort. I was ridiculed in whispers. I was mocked in glances. I was obnoxiously and filthily cat-called by a construction crew who, from behind, couldn’t tell that I was a man. Stopping by a bathroom before a lecture, a frat-bro went out of his way to shove me into the adjacent wall after eyeing me up and down on his way out. Expletives and names that might induce me to vomit were I to repeat them, were casually thrown in my direction with almost zero passing thought. By day’s end, I feared a full-on breakdown, unable to stand up for myself or what I believed in to maintain the integrity of the observer’s perspective. In a way, I had no right to feel that way, mostly because of the realization that this is the way that many have to live their lives. I fought back tears as every stare and ill-formed word engrained themselves in my sub-conscious.

Though I may not know you, I think that it’s important that we all come to understand why these things happen. In my book, cat-calling, shaming and harassment are among the worst actions we can engage in. As a heterosexual male, I will never truly know the fear that women may experience while walking home from work, going see a friend for lunch, or being sized-up in public based on their clothing. I will never truly know the gut-rot that a transgendered individual may feel while being eyed up and down at the store or in class, strangers seeming to think as if the clothing they see before them begs a legal invitation of ridicule. I will never truly know the plights of these people, but as an ally and a human being invested in true equality, it is now my obligation to stand up for them as if I did.

What scares me the most is not the glances, mixed emotions, or 10-page paper that will inevitably come as a by-product of this project. No, what scares me is that this is the world we live in. We exist in a place where individuals living their truths can be subjected, directly or otherwise, to fear simply for living those truths. We live in an age where feeling ‘normal’ in your own clothing can create unfathomable contention with strangers, despite them having zero investment in their lives. We live in a world where the material, the fabric, the pieces that adorn you are somehow allowed to say more about who you are than the convictions in your heart and the sincerity in your deeds.

I don’t know about you, but I refuse that world. I refuse to let these things overcome the passion and genuine honesty that I’ve been so fortunate to bear witness to in my time. I refuse to let backwards, unprogressive mindsets stifle the glow and drive of those who are undeservingly robbed of it. Don’t say it can’t happen to you. If it happened to me, under the most average of circumstances on the streets in a progressive-leaning city, it could happen to anyone, and that is something I truly do not understand.

After all, it’s just a skirt.

What is it about a piece of inanimate, plain fabric that scares you so much?

hifas: Diffusion by James Linkous

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:49:43 -0500

hifas:

Diffusion by James Linkous

平等

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:44:48 -0500

neurolove: This is another example of a test that can be done...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:22:19 -0500

neurolove:

This is another example of a test that can be done with a split brain patient (for more information about this, see this post). They will look at a half picture of a child on the right (left hemisphere) and a woman on the left (right hemisphere). When asked whom they saw, they will only be able to tell you the picture on the right, as the left hemisphere has language. However, when asked to point to the image they saw, their left hand (right hemisphere) can point to the image on the left. This is akin to the word task, but done with facial recognition (which is a specialized process that occurs in the fusiform face area of the temporal lobe).

[Image Source]

"You’re beautiful, but you’re empty. No one could die for you."

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:17:51 -0500

“You’re beautiful, but you’re empty. No one could die for you.”

- Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince (via showslow)

showslow: Talk about action! Most artists struggle to convey...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:16:40 -0500

showslow:

Talk about action! Most artists struggle to convey dynamic poses in their work, but Leah Yerpe seems to be the queen of motion. On her website she states:

“I enjoy using the human figure in my work because we cannot help but project on and relate to it. The bodies in my work are multiplied in different poses, twisting, floating and falling on a ground purged of contextualizing marks. I never pose my models; they have free reign to move in an immediate, improvised dance. This looseness contrasts with a fastidious drawing technique, where I capture the bodies of my models as if formal elements in a collage. I see them transformed from free individuals into symbolic figures. This is akin to the transformation of human experience in mythology and religion. The influence of mythology on my artwork is often hinted at in the titles, though my work is not a direct illustration of the stories. What I’m after is that kernel at the heart of the story, the core that will always resonate human experience.”’

phytos: Debra Mason - Death of a Cyborg, 2010 William-Adolphe...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:15:07 -0500

phytos:

Debra Mason - Death of a Cyborg, 2010

William-Adolphe Bouguereau - The First Mourning, 1888

Photo

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:21:16 -0500

College First Term

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:20:45 -0500

Okay wow. First term of college only has two weeks left..

this is a big step. I fucked up— after thinking

——this is college. I wouldn’t possibly freak out——

no, this is real. shit gets real, and shit got real, and i got shit on real.

——fuk

It’s okay though, I didn’t fuck up THAT much,

just enough to make me realize

wow, there goes 8 weeks ..

will be revising my lifestyle.

College

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 19:36:55 -0400

I want to be brilliant;

make connections that are rarely made

discover wonderful and terrifying things about myself..

uncover deep secrets of mankind

hidden behind the media, society,

undeniably accurate—

I am a servant of mankind

“There is no truth, all is permitted”

neurolove: I saw this and knew it was too cool not to share… a...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:31:20 -0400

neurolove:

I saw this and knew it was too cool not to share… a lab from North Carolina State University has figured out a way to basically control the movements of a cockroach. As you can see in the video above, they can effectually get it to walk along a curved line pretty accurately. There is a microcontroller that is connected the roach’s antennae and cerci (both of which are their sensors for the rest of the world). The microcontroller basically just sends an electrical impulse onto the antennae or cerci, which makes the roach think it’s hitting a barrier, so it will move away from it. You can then get it to move along a pathway by sending the appropriate signal to the appropriate body part. A suggested use for this kind of technology is to search collapsed buildings for survivors (such as after an earthquake). It’s a fairly impressive result from a logical idea. For more information, see this article.

More funziez

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:09:54 -0400

More funziez

Just some fun with Photoshop/Sketching.

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 10:59:00 -0400

Just some fun with Photoshop/Sketching.

DAMN :D

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 17:36:17 -0400

DAMN :D

Bookcase HOLY MOTHER I WANT THIS FOR MY DORM

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:36:50 -0400

Bookcase

HOLY MOTHER I WANT THIS FOR MY DORM

Photo

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 09:47:49 -0400

FDA approves first pill to help prevent HIV | Fox News

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:17:14 -0400

FDA approves first pill to help prevent HIV | Fox News