“The scientists by large know more liberal arts, than the science known by liberal artists and that needs to change. If you go to a science cocktail party and someone talks about Shakespeare no one is gonna say “Oh I was never good at Shakespeare! I was terrible in nouns and verbs!” No, you’ll never hear that. But if you go to a liberal art party, an artists party, and someone start talking about math it’s all “Oh I was never good at math, I hated math” and they all chuckle and all agree, and all like sip the next sip of champagne and go on talking about the art and that’s somehow ok. No that’s not ok.” —
I agree. But it really makes me sad when I hear scientists saying that literature is useless because it’s all about unreal stories, or that art in general is meaningless because is subjective. It’s not ok this either.
(via scipsy)
“And so, if you wish to ask the question of the ages—why do humans exist?—a major part of the answer, touching those aspects of the issue that science can treat at all, must be: because Pi- kaia survived the Burgess decimation. This response does not cite a single law of nature; it embodies no statement about predictable evolutionary pathways, no calculation of probabilities based on general rules of anatomy or ecology. The survival of Pikflia was a contingency of “just history.” I do not think that any “higher” answer can be given, and I cannot imagine that any resolution could be more fascinating. We are the offspring of history, and must establish our own paths in this most diverse and interesting of conceivable universes—one indifferent to our suffering, and therefore offering us maximum freedom to thrive, or to fail, in our own chosen way.”
—
My MBP’s new custom desktop. Took a little while, but i’m really digging it.
so much style it’s wasted
This fascinating article from The Atlantic is on a study Harvard did about what makes us happy. Starting in the 1940s, researchers followed over two hundred Harvard students throughout their lives to see where —and why — they succeeded or failed. Some became old and content, others diedin a gutter of alcoholism. Definitely worth a read.
Achewood -
From the Wikipedia Page:
Achewood is a webcomic created by Chris Onstad in 2001. It portrays the lives of a group of anthropomorphic stuffed toys, robots, and pets. Many of the characters live together in the home of their owner, Chris, at the fictional address of 62 Achewood Court. Another address used in the strip is 11 Via Verde, the home of main character Ray. The events of the strip mostly take place in and around the house, as well as around the town of Achewood, the fictional suburb which gives its name to the comic.
“The comic’s humor is most often absurdist, generally lacking a set punch line, and sometimes branches into the surreal.[2] The world of the strip is expansive, featuring many major and minor characters with detailed backstories, and often references previous events, making it an ongoing narrative. The most frequently used font in the strip is Blue Highway, which does not have any italic characters. As Onstad is a food and cooking enthusiast,[3] many Achewood strips contain some reference to food or drink.
Album of the Day: Robyn Hitchcock’s I Often Dream of Trains.
In case you’ve never heard of it, this hilarious website features stock illustrations (ranging from Victorian characters to modern day cubicle workers) that are used in unexpected ways.
