An Exercise in Audacity

"Wit is my sword, sarcasm is my shield. Fight me – it'll be fun, I promise." Amanda (17) | She/Her Not a lover, but a fighter. 1/2 of Fitted Fiction

[opticallyaroused-deactivated201]

A Painting Made From Pieces of Glass

[intergalacticju]

[turnthehourglassover-deactivate]

that’s amazing

[the-stray-liger]

i just realized it’s not just pieces of glass

they’re shaped as paper planes

the piece can be complete and aesthetically pleasing even when there is no projection this is so good and it makes me so happy

[uumans]

THIS IS ALSO SCIENCE. SCIENCE ART. THE BEST KIND OF ART.

[fleurdulys]

it kinda annoys me when people post these things and they don’t give credit to the artist. so the artist’s name is Rashad Alakbarov and he’s from Azerbaijan and he’s done several other pieces using shadows :

[trilllizard666]

so this is the same motherfucker that designed all those Resident Evil light puzzles

[jasonttodd]

[science]

[apandawrites]

On Genius – 2am Ramblings

So there’s this mailing list that I’m subscribed to for like ~$2 a month called The Best of Journalism by Conor Friedersdorf (who writes for The Atlantic) and it’s actually one of my favourite things. In last week’s selections, there was this article from a magazine that I had never heard of called The Believer about Srinivasa Ramanujan.

According to the article, Ramanujan was a mathematician who “found a way to carry himself over the infinitely steep hill, all the way to the gates of infinity itself, and then, miraculously, to disappear through a keyhole and come out on the other side.”

Admittedly, I had not heard of him before. Yes I am a bad maths nerd – but upon some googleing, I discovered that Ramanujan (link to wikipedia) was not just famous for his 3900 theorems but for his incredible life story. He was an autodidact who received no formal training in pure maths. “Without a FA degree, he left college and continued to pursue independent research in mathematics, living in extreme poverty and often on the brink of starvation.”

Okay so I’m like: Wow. This article is great, this person is fascinating – I should toally send this article to Yash. Who is Yash? Oh he’s a friend.

So I’m like, “Hey Yash, have you heard of Srinivasa Ramanujan?"And he was like "Yeah! He’s a famous Indian mathematician – there was recently a movie about his life." “What? Really! That’s SO COOL.” (something like that)

So he tells me about this movie: The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016) and I’m like ok I need to watch this film. Like, right now. Like, it is an ungodly hour of night but I need to watch this film. So as it loads (read: right now) I had a lot of rambly thoughts.

First of which is: Was Ramanujan some kind of genius? By the dictionary definition, yeah pretty much – but that refers to the idea which we somehow collectively subscribe to, that people are just born great or smart and some were just destined for greatness while others were destined to hang out eating Doritos etc. 

I think that definition of genius oversimplifies people too much. 

The Greeks (at least I think it was the Greeks) believed that a genius was some kind of muse. It was not a person, but a spirit that came to a person. 

So I’m thinking about wtf even is genius but the main idea that I’m trying to get at is the answer to the question of “what is the difference between moments of genius, and normal mental drudgery?” 

And I’m like: Oh, intuition. Perhaps the separation between the genius and the mundane is intuition.

Ramanujan clearly had an intuitive sense for the infinite and if geniuses (such as Ramanujan) are able to "take a few angelic leaps of pure intuition and arrive at an unexpected new truth,” (as said in the previously linked article) then I have a worthy question.

Can genius be learned? 

Or, in other words, can intuition be learned?

imo - a: Absolutely.

[imperfectlyxo]

If you are scrolling through Tumblr trying to distract yourself from something you don’t want to think about, or you’re looking for a sign. It is going to be okay. Just breathe. You are alive and you matter. 

[jadelabouff]

Let's be clear - no one who truly believes in the #blacklivesmatter movement thinks this shooting is justified. We just don't think the other shootings are justified either. I reiterate, you can be pro-police and anti-police brutality.

[odinsblog]

Saydat

[gaybybirth]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maIqBhtTxrQ)

I just watched Hannah’s video and thought I’d share it with you guys. 

Please take five minutes to watch this. Please. 

[mariyapilipenko]

A candle for the victims of the Orlando shooting.

[bookgeekconfessions]

I don’t want to hear anymore about the shooter. I want to hear about the victims. How they lived and how they died. I want to hear about the souls who died for the ones they loved, who shielded others from bullets, who helped pick strangers off the floor.

I want to hear about the final texts and phone calls. I want to hear about the survivors, the good samaritans and the heroes. I want to hear about the reunions, the hugs and the promises to never let go.

I want to hear about the parents who came around because the thought of losing their child is too much. I want to hear about the proposals and the adoptions and the lives they will live to the fullest. I want to hear about the survivors guilt, the ptsd and the nightmares.

I want the good and the bad. But, not the shooter. I don’t want him to be infamous. I don’t want him to live forever. I don’t want to know his name.

I want to know about Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 and Kimberly Morris, 37 and Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19.

I want to know their dreams and aspirations. I want to know who loved them and who they loved.

I want to know about Stanley Almodovar III, 23 and Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 and Yilmary Rodriguez Sulivan, 24.

I want to know what they studied, what they trained for and and all the things that made them them!

I want to hear about:

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20. Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22. Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36. Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22. Luis S. Vielma, 22. Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30. Darryl Roman Burt II, 29. Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32. Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21. Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25. Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35. Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50. Amanda Alvear, 25. Martin Benitez Torres, 33. Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37. Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26. Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35. Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25. Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31. Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26. Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25. Miguel Angel Honorato, 30. Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40. Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32. Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19. Cory James Connell, 21. Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37. Luis Daniel Conde, 39. Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33. Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25. Jerald Arthur Wright, 31. Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25. Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25. Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24. Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27. Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33. Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49. Yilmary Rodriguez Sulivan, 24. Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32. Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28. Frank Hernandez, 27. Paul Terrell Henry, 41. Antonio Davon Brown, 29. Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24. Akyra Monet Murray, 18. Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25.

I want to know about them. I want their names to last forever.

[selenas]

Christina Grimme was murdered. She was fucking murdered for doing what she loved for people that she loved and who loved her. She did what she did for people to be able to relate to her and have a voice. just like every other artist does their work for their fans, she did hers for her own fans and also solely for the love of music that made her happy. To think someone could hate a person so much for doing what they do and reaching out to the people that they reach out to, that they would actually MURDER her for it makes me sick to my stomach. Not to mention the coward shot himself as well. Christina Grimme’s soul and her family will never get the justice they truly deserve and that makes my heart ache. What happened to her is inhumane and downright cruel and id never wish it upon my worst enemy. I hope the murderer rots in absolute hell. She was 22. All she was doing was living her life and making people happy along the way. Is that such a crime? My absolute love tonight goes out to her and her family. It sickens me to think the murderer got away so easily. It sickens me that people like this even exist. It sickens me that concerts are no long a safe haven for people. Everything about this just sickens me.

[culturenlifestyle]

Aquatic Surreal Lovers are Swept Away by the Sea by Chalermphol Harnchakkha

Thailand-based artist Chalermphol Harnchakkham a.k.a. hubucket composes unique and surreal illustrations, which create a psychedelic union between nature and the human body. Harnchakkham’s bold and energetic pieces depict the movement of nature, its roots and its lurching ocean. Drawn in a series of linear lines, which resemble delicate threads, the illustrator creates silhouettes from the flexible linear structures, which result in an intriguing optical illusion.

Often drawing from the power and strength of the sea, the aquatic and lovers illustrations are a portrayal of the ephemeral and fluctuating nature of relationships. The portrayal of the romantic counterparts are intricately connected to the sea, its beauty, strength, delicacy and chaotic passion.You can find his illustrations in his Society6 and Etsy shop. 

View similar posts here!

[apandawrites]

Dear Friend: Unreasonable Deadlines

Every time someone complains about an unreasonable deadline, whether it’s a production deadline, an academic deadline, or some kind of creative deadline, I always think back to that 10 page research paper that I was given like two months to write but decided to procrastinate the shit out of and write in two days. Holy hell, bad idea – bad bad bad bad fucking idea – but I mean I did it.

Point is, don’t second guess yourself. Yeah the deadline might be unreasonable as fuck and difficult as shit but I mean, think about the times that people have procrastinated until beyond the point of reason.

Dear friend: Bitch, if I can pull off some weird horrible research paper bullshit in two days, you can meet your production goal. You got this. You’ve done this before. 

Have a Chinese saying: “世界无难事，只怕有心人”

[artmania-feed]

in the moment by LouiJoverArt

[ctyanonymous]

Shoutout to ctyers who don't get good grades in school. You're still valid and I love you.

[itsokaytobesmart]

By now you’ve probably heard the news that gravitational waves have been directly observed for the first time ever. Are you excited?

Our friends at PBS Space Time are pretty excited about it too, and they’ve put together an awesome video explaining the physics behind this discovery and why it’s so important. 

[nubbsgalore]

taipei glows under a blanket of fog in these photos by wang wei zheng. (see also: dubai)