TVSTRANGERTHINGS
todays bird
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YOU ARE THE REASON
shark vs the universe
ellievsbear
Mike Driver
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JBB: An Artblog!
Monterey Bay Aquarium
izzy's playlists!
PR's Tumblrdome
Kaledo Art
🪼
almost home
Sade Olutola
i don't do bad sauce passes
taylor price
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
seen from Colombia
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@thefemalegamgee
The polar opposite of corporate accounts trying to come across as hip and super friendly are the ones for libraries, aquariums, parks systems and the like, that are basically just trying to get people excited about learning and the wonder of history/science by posting things like this:
You know how much I would lose my mind if I was at an aquarium and turned a corner to see a wild ass heron staring at a fish tank
By wearing this watch you confirm that you are not Anish Kapoor
The Fence has published an exposé on Stuart Semple (of Anish Kapoor 'feud' notoriety) which they have been working on for six months.
investigation reveals Semple / his studio / his partner Emily Mann (who's described as acting as his 'enforcer' in his business) :
mishandled £400k grant of public money intended for a public gallery, allowing the money to flow freely between the public project, his own personal studio and personal projects such as Culture Hustle (his online business selling paint etc)
underpaid or failed to pay many of his assistants to the tune of several thousand pounds each.
former assistants have taken him to court and he simply hasn't bothered to show up and he's threatened to sue former assistants who asked for their back pay
repeatedly funds ambitious projects that never see release eg Abode, an 'Adobe-rivalling' suite of creative software (he claims he still intends to release this)
encouraged a cult-like atmosphere at his studio in Bournemouth
was frequently in debt and having to negotiate with bailiffs etc for his debts while at the same time crowdfunding various projects
ran fake social media accounts boosting Semple and his work
The portrait that emerges is one of decades-long scam artistry tbh and someone who's juvenile, manipulative, narcissistic.
The Fence btw is a decent fairly small-circulation quarterly magazine from the UK which specialises in satire, investigative journalism, culture, and fiction. You can read the piece in its entirety if you register (which is free).
a few links:
The Fence's newsletter from April discusses this article & how Semple has tried to muddy the SEO waters
Semple threatened to sue The Fence for publishing this story - many of you are American so here's the relevant UK law on defamation.
& the subreddit r/culturehustle is worth a look to get an idea of just how badly run his paint business is
Holy fuck.
I had a feeling something was up with him, but like, I assumed it was going to be something slightly sketchy, not...this.
I got some of his paints when he first announced the mirrored paint.
The first thig that put up a solid red flag was the shipping material. It's cool that he has custom boxes for his studio, it looked really neat. Then I opened it and sae things like "Not for bean boy" printed all over the inside of the box.
Between Mirror, hyper pigments, and black 2.0, none of them were as extremely out there as the videos on his site made them seem. The colors are vibrant, the black is dark, and the mirror is shiny. But the level the videos showed them at are not levels I can recreate.
So like, he exaggerated as an advertising scheme. Alright, shame on him.
But reading that... Yeah. I don't expect him to sell anymore stuff.
Fucking told y'all.
But also, holy shit.
Art!Fili Posing (Fullsize)
Can’t people across the way see me?
Fíli hovered uncertainly in the doorway, swathed in a faded blue cotton yukata Kíli had tossed his way. He’d left his own clothes draped neatly over end of Kíli’s plain iron bedframe and his work boots standing guard nearby, completely unaware that they would find a permanent home there.
Kíli glanced up from sharpening his pencils with a small whittler’s knife. His eyes glittered with mischief. Only if they’re looking. Anyway, I need the light.
--- Revelations by @flow-it-show-it
Another drawing intended for the sequel. Maybe one day ;)
This drawing is from this year and was the last one I needed to complete the set.
There will be one more drawing next weekend. ;)
I’m glad that OP:
1) Figured this out.
2) Shared so others can learn from their mistake.
the persecution of lefthandedness is insane to think about because it was so intense for so long, in some places still is, without any clear profit motivation. sheer love of the game. as late as the 70s at least they were smacking my stepdad's hands for it with a wooden ruler at school, to this day he's in weird ambidexterity situation where he's not great with either side and notably clumsy due to poor hand-eye coordination. just wtf
It is fascinating to me that people also think of handedness as an example of bigotry that just...went away. As you note, it...hasn't in some places. I know people who grew up in the mid-late 90s who still had this problem.
But also, and this is really important to keep in mind regarding bigotry that still causes in many ways larger problems, that the structural problems are not actually fixed.
If you go to any computer lab or public library, the mice will be on the right side of the computer. Sometimes they can be moved. Sometimes they can't. Many computer mice are curved to only fit in right hands.
It is impossible to find lefthanded scissors without going to a specialty store, because most scissor makers don't even make them. And it's not just a matter of grip; the slicing side of the blades is obscured if you use righty scissors in your left hand, so your cut is off.
All those signing pads with the little chained styluses? Almost always on the right side, often not even long enough to stretch to the left. Makes signing for lefties extremely difficult.
I caused actual muscular problems in college having to twist around in order to write at right-handed desks in college when there weren't enough lefty desks--and there never were. Some classrooms didn't even have a single one.
I could go on.
But the point is, bigotry isn't just a mindset shift. People can't just decide they're not bothered by that particular difference anymore and everything's fine, because society is still structured and designed to cause problems for marginalized people. And they're never even going to notice all the little ways their life is bent to convenience them that inconveniences others.
When kiddo was learning to write, their teacher—who was a beautifully kind, caring, compassionate person who even thanked me for making them aware of certain kinds of left/handed supplies, because their new toddler was a lefty and they’d never even thought about it—was teaching the kids a method for word spacing that involved placing their free index finger down at the end of each word and then writing the next one.
Pause for a moment, especially if you’re right-handed—and I’m being serious here, physically do this if you have two functioning arms and hands—and grab a writing tool in your left hand. Now place your right index finger down and try to start writing a word next to it.
Yeah. Great technique, huh? Really convenient and comfortable and easy. 🙃
I sent in a small baggie of small popsicle sticks I’d custom painted for them and labeled with their name for kiddo to use instead, but ultimately they stopped because it wasn’t as convenient when nobody else had to get something out.
Writing in English is difficult enough when you’re left-handed (most of our letters are designed with pull motions, but lefties must push), but even other foundational basics are made more difficult than they have to be, because their needs aren’t considered, even in situations where overt hostility isn’t intended.
Even now, in an older grade, they’re now all sharing a lot of the supplies, but my kiddo has their own pair of labeled lefty scissors they keep in their personal cubby. Teacher was 100% chill with me sending them in, but didn’t even consider to take the step further when I’d asked about whether or not they had them to just… get some for all the lefties. I know there are other kids, know some of them personally. (I made a set of writing spacing sticks for the single one that I knew of back in 1st grade.)
Regarding computer mice? Kiddo had standardized testing last year. They do it on chromebooks now at their school. They did their entire first day with the track pad instead of the mouse, because none of the teachers proctoring or assisting even knew you COULD switch the sides/toggle a setting to switch which button was the dominant select. We happened to have one at home thanks to remote learning during Covid’s early days, so that night we sat down together and found the setting ourselves so they could fix it the following day. But on a student account at school, they couldn’t change that setting. And? None of those teachers knew enough about technology to be able to override it. So even when I went above and beyond and personally sought out the skills and tools to help my child level the playing field on their own, the teaching staff was so unaccustomed to even considering this as a need or problem, that they weren’t able to remove the incredibly basic barriers to a fair schooling experience.
And this is honestly a good school, with staff that care and work hard and take 99% of bigotry concepts very seriously, teach about truth and compassion and how to recognize at this kid level a lot of the basic seeds that can grow into hate and hurt and also healing and helping. But the fact that left-handed needs are different? It is so ingrained to default to right-handed layouts that even left-handed staff don’t conceptualize these problems, because they were taught the exact same way.
The Tube Post has been updated for 2026! Endless thanks to @andstuffsketches for the amazing art (!!!), @rowenabean for checking this over for me (all remaining mistakes are my own), @kelpforestdwellers for extra tips, and @appleyblam for an editing pass. Thank you all!
If you would like to download the zine for your own use, you can find it for free on itch.io.
I defend my oral dissertation at 1pm today (4 hours) and I’m nervous but excited! You can call me Dr after that!
Call me Dr Camille because I passed! 🎉
i don't know what older adults were on about when they said being a teenager was good <3
Happy pride to those 5 seconds where Charlie Swan thought Jacob was coming out to him in the most insane way possible
Swarovski can continue to fuck off.
In 2021, Swarovski (the company that makes the very sparkly crystals you see in certain jewelry, on figure-skaters' twinkliest outfits, on red carpet dresses), decided they didn't want the grubby fingers of small-time jewelers, clothing designers and costumers and crafters on their shiny beads and rhinestones anymore. They decided to limit their sales to "luxury" and couture creators, not girls who sell stuff on Etsy. The tenor of their press release on the subject was snide and insulting. Resellers (like your favorite bead shop) would no longer be allowed to carry their product; the average Jane on the street would not be able to purchase them. You could only get them if you had an authorized business agreement that bound you to very strict brand behavior. And those of us who still had good stock of the crystals would no longer be "permitted" to use the brand's name in our listings for sale.
Every bead shop and craft supply place and many, many small clothing makers--wedding shops, prom and dancing dress suppliers, the sort of salt of the Earth mom and pop time machines of shops that are the backbone of the field--scrambled to find something that could replace them. The last of the stock dwindled quickly, all of us grabbing what we could get while there was any chance of it, and then it was gone and we no longer had any access.
I was Big Pissed about it at the time. It was just so goddamn stuck-up, when wholesalers and indie jewelers had made them so much money, when some people I knew--when *I!*--had been brand-loyal for decades. But with no recourse, everyone pivoted fairly quickly, most of us to Preciosa Crystals. Those are Czech, quite sparkly, and considerably less expensive than Swarovski. The faceting method they use is different, but not worse; any differences are hardly noticeable when you're seeing them as a hundred pinpoints of light.
Well, out of nowhere, Swarovski just dropped this: https://www.harmanbeads.com/swarovski-brand-policy-update
"Effective June 1, 2026, Swarovski updated the distribution and brand usage policies introduced in 2021. Businesses may now purchase Swarovski Crystals without signing a Brand Control Agreement, and Authorized Distribution Partners may once again sell Swarovski Crystals to resellers, including bead stores and online retailers. Businesses may also use the Swarovski brand name when following Swarovski’s Proper Use Guidelines. Designers, manufacturers, artists, brands, retailers, and resellers are now eligible to purchase Swarovski Crystals through authorized distribution channels."
They want us back. A lot of the companies who could have kept a brand relationship with them also have swapped to Preciosa, over the last half-decade, in solidarity with indie creators and out of a sour awareness that it could be them, next. And it doesn't hurt that Preciosa was able to expand their line quite a bit now that everyone who wanted sparkle had no choice but to go to them.
And I'm not seeing nearly anyone who intends to return. The feeling is, "Y'all told us to fuck off! Off we fucked! And now, that's what you can do, too!" I'm seeing a lot of "How many of us did you stab in the back?" comments from the people whose money they're hoping to attract.
And personally I'm sitting over here all rubby hands, mean snickering, because they really thought they were going to be able to outclimb the people who actually provided all their profits, and now here they are, hat in hand.
holy shit, I missed this.
.....
So very glad I've been buying Czech beads from the start. Preciosa is very nice, so are...well, I haven't been disappointed by anything they've produced yet. Which is now like 16 years worth of beads (wtf)
Some good environmental news for everyone. Mangroves are making a comeback! This matters because mangroves help A LOT with sucking up air pollution and housing many species of marine life. They can even help to prevent storm surges with their roots! Hooray!
Swampy mangrove forests are staging a surprise comeback - which is good news for coastal communities and the climate.
These pescatarian birds are directly exposed to PFAS contamination due to the island's position near the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Over fifty years of data show a peak in PFAS (also known as "forever chemicals") content in seabird eggs in the 90s, followed by a decrease as regulations went into effect. The most recent findings show a 70% decrease of most common PFAS.
While continued vigilance a regulation is needed, this data indicates that regulations are working to reduce PFAS concentrations in marine ecosystems.
Yes!!!! I did a review of literature on PFASs in human drinking water about half a year ago, and there is a lot of really good progress! Please celebrate this, please don't let this solution be forgotten (at least so quickly) as the ozone layer or acid rain.
We are making genuine progress! Producers are dramatically altering how much they use PFAS and how much gets released in effluent, but also there's a lot better understanding of how to remove PFAS from the environment!
Environmental problems CAN BE SOLVED.
how measurements work in canada (ie/ badly)
@/teaboot
This isn't even a joke it's just what we do
My comms open
Good morning, thanks for view
Hobbits run on strict, predictable schedules dictated by the sun and their stomachs. Inside the deeper levels of Erebor, where natural light doesn't reach, Bilbo constantly loses track of time, which deeply upsets his internal routine. Thorin notices this anxiety and tasks the royal mechanicians to build a highly complex pocket watch. The clockwork face is made of white pearl, but instead of numbers, it features beautifully engraved symbols for First Breakfast, Elevenses, Afternoon Tea, and Supper. The watch chiming mechanism plays a soft, warm tone that echoes the dinner bells of the Shire. Bilbo carries it everywhere, completely dependent on this mechanical piece of Dwarven devotion to keep his days grounded
The head tailor of Erebor is driven to near-madness by Thorin’s sudden and bizarre demands. The King under the Mountain, known for his strict military style, suddenly insists that the stiff gold embroidery on the collars of his shirts be removed and replaced with soft velvet. He also demands that the heavy, clanking metal buckles on his everyday tunics be exchanged for quiet wooden buttons. The tailor thinks the King has lost his mind, until he spots Bilbo resting his head against Thorin’s chest during a quiet moment in the council room. The soft adjustments were entirely so that Bilbo wouldn't scratch his face when leaning against the King
Dwarven pillows are notoriously firm, often stuffed with wool or dense horsehair, which gives Bilbo terrible neck aches. To solve this, Thorin quietly sends a trade caravan all the way to the borders of the Shire with a very specific, confidential mission: to purchase ten sacks of the softest goose down available. When the feathers arrive, Thorin has them stuffed into a rich, dark-blue velvet casing embroidered with the crest of Durin. He places it on Bilbo's side of the bed. When Bilbo sinks his head into the luxurious softness, he laughs and asks how much gold it cost. Thorin merely pulls his heavy blanket up and grunts, "Gold cannot buy a good night's rest for the one who keeps my mind clear"
