[planet4546b]

im currently completely losing it about the great stalacpipe organ. are you fucking kidding me they made an organ out of a CAVE???? IT TAKES UP THREE ACRES??? i legit am about to lose it

[planet4546b]

this is a comment left on a recording of moonlight sonata played on an organ that is literally made out of a cave and its making me so emotional its not even funny

[image id: a youtube comment that reads ‘wonderful…and the moon has never shone there…’ end id.]

[marlynnofmany]

All that and no pictures??

According to Wikipedia, it works by hidden rubber mallets on the naturally-musical stalactites that tourguides have been knocking on for over a century. The guy who made the organ may have gotten the idea when his son whacked his head on a stalactite.

Here’s a video. It is hauntingly beautiful.

[spirit-pyrite]

In case anyone is looking, here’s the link to the video op mentions.

https://youtu.be/HsKUUn29tSs

[frougpepe]

*looks at sherlock* it’s very smoll

[frougpepe]

oh my god it was me

[thealogie]

this is the very first ever documented use of smoll. you’re all a witness to language history here.

[badmode-deactivated20230124]

the damage you have done to society

[breadbird]

[fictionadventurer]

I love that Jules Verne asked the question "What kind of person could circumnavigate the world in 80 days?" and decided that the answer was not a groundbreaking explorer or genius inventor, but a guy who's really, really, really obsessed with train and boat schedules.

[oqmemphis]

my final paper for my CS degree was literally "how can we algorithmically optimise for the fastest possible circumnavigation route on commercial flights?", which incidentally required me to adopt a very good working knowledge of what flight options are available at what times (and also led to me accidentally memorising several hundred airport codes)

[oqmemphis]

incidentally the fastest possible route seems to be about 51 hours, if you're working from 2022 schedules like i was. if you use current schedules and are very optimistic about how quickly you can transfer between flights, you can maybe get it down to around 48 hours (also known as 25 millivernes).

[fictionadventurer]

The very best thing about tumblr is that you can make a post about a 154-year-old novel and get responses like this.

[the-domestic-mammoth]

EVERYTHING'S FINE :) By W.B. Yeats

Tracing a neat straight line, adept and sure, The falcon heeds the calling falconer; Things hang together, and the center holds; Mere symmetry is ordering the world, The sea-bright tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence proceeds; The best have strong convictions, while the worst Are full of resignation and are sad.

Surely no revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming's far away. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When an indifference borne of stable comfort Leaves my sight clear: somewhere in sands of the desert A lion with lion body and the head of a lion, A gaze calm and leonine, as is usual, Is moving its slow thighs, while all around it Reel shadows of the normal desert birds. What a nice lion, right? And now I know That twenty centuries have gone along And things were bad sometimes, and things were good, And if a lion slouches toward Bethlehem, That's 'cause it's native to the Levant.

[harkthorn]

Sometimes it's worth it to force yourself outside even when you're running on under three hours sleep for multiple days in a row and you're angry and pessimistic about everything, because you'll come across things like a sleeping bee on top of a flower and things won't seem so bad after

(The ant touched the leg of the bee after this photo and woke it up and was kicked off, it was very cute)

[xenostalgic]

(Horace, Odes IV.vii)

Higgledy piggledy, snowmelt is patchily greening the fields, and the trees are in bud.

Earth is remade by the change of the seasons. The rivers return to the riverbeds' mud.

Spirits of nature come all unapparelled and dance unabashedly, joyous at play.

Hope for no permanence: nonsempiternally, years, like the moment, are rushing away.

After the frost is the warmth of the spring, but it's trampled by summer, as greenery wilts—

slain in its turn by the heliocyclical bountiful autumn, then winter's white quilts.

All that is lost to the seasons' revolving, though, moon after moon in their time will restore;

we, when we die, like the mythocanonical heroes and kings, will be dust evermore.

No one can say if the gods will capriciously grant us the morrow, and maybe they won't.

All that you give to your heart, all you love, will be lost to your heirs on the day that they don't.

Once you are gone and your shadow is facing its judgement in death and the sentence is passed,

never, my friend, will your family, eloquence, piety, anything, save you at last.

Even Hippolytus, famously virtuous, dear to Diana, in death must remain; Theseus too had to leave his Piríthoüs love-unavailingly Lethe-enchained.

[o-craven-canto]

Higgledy piggledy, midway through life, I did find myself pilgrim-like lost in a wood

so bitter and dark that I can't say how, sleepily, I ceased to follow the path that I should.

The fearful night ending, I saw the sun painting a mountain on whose top I now longed to rise.

But as I climbed higher in that new spring twilight a dreadful new danger appeared to my eyes:

A spotted-pelt leopard, a skeletal she-wolf, a lion whose anger made quiver the air.

These three beasts in concert, symbolically hideous, were pushing me back in the woods of despair.

Deeper and deeper, beset by the monsters (above all the she-wolf), in terror I ran.

A silent, lone figure appearing, I pleaded: "Have mercy on me, whether you be shade or man!"

"No man", he responded, "I was, though; a poet, a Lombard, a pagan, and I sang of Troy.

But why do you linger in terror and darkness, when you could be climbing the mountain of joy?"

"Virgil", I stammered, "o master of poets, o source of my fortune, are you truly here?

See here the monster from which I sought shelter, and help me, my teacher, escape from this fear".

"Not there", after pond'ring said he, "for the she-wolf's not ours to defeat, but a Hunter's to come.

Another path follow, much longer and deeper, on which I shall lead you, or else you'll succumb.

I'll take you to study the damned and the weeping, who've nothing to hope for, but secondly die.

Then you will witness all those who burn gladly, for purging they ready them- selves for the sky.

If you'd see the blessed too, a spirit far worthier than this unbeliever will not lead you astray".

"Master", I told him, "from this and worse evils I'll trust you to lead me; let's go now, I pray".

Then through the deep woods he moved, and I followed; he first, and I second, we were on the way.

(Inferno, canto I)

[jkottke]

A searchable archive of the almost 5000 TV episodes that naturalist David Attenborough has worked on in his career (1954-present). “Search by animal, habitat, location, natural phenomenon, or theme to find exactly the episode you’re looking for.”

[wellmetmat]

This is awesome. What a work of collation.

[asparklethatisblue]

First art class in history

There are some cave paintings that look as if someone held a child's hands to guide them in applying paint to stone

[o-craven-canto]

Leang Leang, Indonesia (Sulawesi), ca. 50,000 BCE

Cosquer, France, ca. 25,000 BCE (pic source)

Cueva de los Manos, Argentina, ca. 7000 BCE

Groenfontein, South Africa, ca. 2000 BCE (pic source)

Awunbarna, Australia, before 1 BCE? (can't find an actual date) (pic source)

Canyon de Chelly, USA, ca. 1000 CE (pic source)

Chhatibahar, India, recent (pic source)

[queenlua]

all engineers are brothers (found attached to a steamship's engine):

1. 'The Squeak' apparently is originating from the Low Pressure (LP) valve. This is a large "D" slide valve with a lot of metal to metal contact. 2. We have inspected the valve, seat and LP cylinder and piston numerous times. We can find no evidence of rubbing, galling, burnishing, or any other sign of metal to metal contact. 3. 'The Squeak' is dependent on engine speed and temperature; as the engine heats up 'The Squeak' increases. Inexplicably, as the speed increases the sound decreases. 4. Suggestions about using WD-40 or needing sewing machine oil are not helpful. 5. If you wish to discuss 'The Squeak' with the Chief Engineer please donate $1 to The Squeak Abatement Fund to aid in construction of a new LP valve. If too many passengers speak with the Chief regarding 'The Squeak', the donation may be diverted to the Chief's beer fund.

[nohoperadio]

just saw a pigeon doing the puffed up courtship dance thing to another pigeon, and as he was strutting around he suddenly stopped for a split second to do a very brief preen-peck at his own side, then returned to the strutting around. and i surprised myself by instantly losing respect for the male pigeon in that moment, like come on man i appreciate you had an itch or whatever but how is she supposed to feel special when you're getting distracted by bullshit like that? which on reflection i don't endorse, i mean those are pretty harsh dating norms i'm imposing on these pigeons, from a total outsider perspective, for no reason. probably not all girl pigeons are as uptight about that sort of thing as i would apparently be if i was a girl pigeon, maybe she even found it endearing who knows, i don't know her. it's none of my business really. sorry pigeons.

[wellmetmat]

This is a regular part of the display! Self-preening quickly at the base of the wings, in a way that looks nervous or habitual rather than done for any effect on the feathers, is common to see in many pigeons while showing off; it wasn't just that fellow lacking suavity.

And if the courtship prospers it's done more frequently; I've seen many pigeon pairs billing vigorously, walking round each other in little circles, with the presumptive male stopping every few seconds to preen at the base of his wings thus, often while the other one tries to stick her beak inside his impatiently ("Stop fussing with your suit and kiss me"). They sometimes even delay sex to do it, which seems counterproductive, while the other bird is crouching down inviting them, and may change her mind at any second. I think of it as something like a human nervously smoothing their hair before asking someone out. I believe it's what's called displacement activity - nervous tension or conflicting impulses spilling out in useless but safe habitual actions.

[wellmetmat]

I found this at Ethogram of the Pigeon – Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue:

"G: Displacement preening or ritual preening

In the usual form of this movement, the bird turns its head, thrusts its bill between body and scapulars, and quickly withdraws it. It is given by the male in situations where he is sexually aroused but unable to copulate or commence the pre-copulatory billing either because the female is not yet giving the appropriate signals or because of his own apparent incapacity. That the same gesture is used in these apparently different situations suggests that it is being used whenever an impulse to bill or to copulate is being frustrated but no other positive tendencies – such as to flee or to attack – are present. It also corroborates Whitman’s (1919) opinion that this act provides auto-erotic stimulation as well as serving as a signal to the mate. It is also an integral part of the ceremony of offering to bill, which male performs before proffering his open mouth to the female.

The female does not usually displacement preen so much as the male. This is because she reacts to sexual unreadiness on her mate’s part by more intense soliciting of billing or coition, by “switching over” to allo-preening him or, if the male crouches and invites her, by mounting him instead. She will, however, displacement preen freely and often if thwarted in her sexual desire and unable to find outlet in the alternatives usually shown. Thus a hen Pigeon who considers herself paired to a human being will displacement preen as much as or more than a cock usually does."

[nohoperadio]

just saw a pigeon doing the puffed up courtship dance thing to another pigeon, and as he was strutting around he suddenly stopped for a split second to do a very brief preen-peck at his own side, then returned to the strutting around. and i surprised myself by instantly losing respect for the male pigeon in that moment, like come on man i appreciate you had an itch or whatever but how is she supposed to feel special when you're getting distracted by bullshit like that? which on reflection i don't endorse, i mean those are pretty harsh dating norms i'm imposing on these pigeons, from a total outsider perspective, for no reason. probably not all girl pigeons are as uptight about that sort of thing as i would apparently be if i was a girl pigeon, maybe she even found it endearing who knows, i don't know her. it's none of my business really. sorry pigeons.

[wellmetmat]

This is a regular part of the display! Self-preening quickly at the base of the wings, in a way that looks nervous or habitual rather than done for any effect on the feathers, is common to see in many pigeons while showing off; it wasn't just that fellow lacking suavity.

And if the courtship prospers it's done more frequently; I've seen many pigeon pairs billing vigorously, walking round each other in little circles, with the presumptive male stopping every few seconds to preen at the base of his wings thus, often while the other one tries to stick her beak inside his impatiently ("Stop fussing with your suit and kiss me"). They sometimes even delay sex to do it, which seems counterproductive, while the other bird is crouching down inviting them, and may change her mind at any second. I think of it as something like a human nervously smoothing their hair before asking someone out. I believe it's what's called displacement activity - nervous tension or conflicting impulses spilling out in useless but safe habitual actions.

[wellmetmat]

When cockatoos fluff their cheek feathers they look very sweet.

[wellmetmat]

Pegfoot has a mate! I didn't want to disturb them, but here is a picture of their tails and wingtips as they loaf side by side.

[natoraptor]

“Tour Guides”

-2026

[wellmetmat]

The nurse at the follow-up appointment for my mother's cataract operation wished to be very clear that we can wipe the eye with a cotton pad dipped in boiled water and wrung out; that is to say water that has been boiled and then let cool, not boiling water. It is good to be clear in instructions. I hope that thereby does not hang a horror story.

[nestlesslibertine]

What's up, you cute little loaf?

[pinbones]

I'm not getting across today, am I?