The clever folks at the School of Life post many charming videos about philosophy, but today they posted an article...

The clever folks at the School of Life post many charming videos about philosophy, but today they posted an article in support of a philosophical aesthetic. "Kintsugi" is an approach to beautifully mending broken things, and is compatible with Zen Buddhism, as well as some ancient Japanese traditional approaches to appreciating and respecting physical things. (A culture that has a temple ceremony dedicated to thanking broken sewing needles possesses these kinds of ideas.)

This post reminds me that my favorite modern artist employing this approach to create rather than 10 then is the Korean ceramic artist YEEsookyung. I may need to post about her also.

#zen #repair #aging #wabisabi
http://www.thebookoflife.org/kintsugi/

This is a thoughtful article by a Canadian who came to SF to work in the misnamed "sharing economy," which is based...

This is a thoughtful article by a Canadian who came to SF to work in the misnamed "sharing economy," which is based on having desperate strangers run your errands for less than minimum wage.

As someone who tried these employee-benefit-less jobs for research, the author offers insights on the flaws in these models.

#exploitation #labor #appoverlord
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/apploitation-city-instaserfs

"“We live in a world of radical ignorance, and the marvel is that any kind of truth cuts through the noise,” says...

"“We live in a world of radical ignorance, and the marvel is that any kind of truth cuts through the noise,” says Proctor.

It is unfortunate that people are so easily (and willingly) misled.

#ignorance #sellingdoubt #agnotology
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160105-the-man-who-studies-the-spread-of-ignorance

American satire organization "The Onion" is so funny because it is mostly true.

American satire organization "The Onion" is so funny because it is mostly true. Here is a recap on how the truth is stranger than satire. (Be sure to watch the videos.)

#theonion #truthstrangerthanfiction #fakenews
http://fusion.net/story/247634/the-onion-2015-literally-unbelievable/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialshare&utm_content=desktop+top

I've finally looked at the scans of my Lomochrome Purple film test, which I exposed in a Lomography Bel Air camera.

I've finally looked at the scans of my Lomochrome Purple film test, which I exposed in a Lomography Bel Air camera.  

The near-infrared (Kodak Aerochrome-like) film is great, but the zone-focusing Bel Air plastic camera (which is a replacement for a previously returned camera that could only produce soft-focus images) is unreliable: only six of twenty-four images came out in focus.  Infrared light wavelengths are a bit different than visible light wavelengths for focusing purposes, so the choice of this film wasn't ideal for a camera test... but my Bel Air images focused to infinity are fuzzy, which is unexpected.

The film is quite nice, and I plan to use more of it (in a reliable, antique camera of mine).

#lomochromepurple   #lomographyfilm   #film   #filmphotography   #infrared  

Those of you who know me well know I'm fond of cephalopods.

Those of you who know me well know I'm fond of cephalopods.  So, sharing this is inevitable.  Look at the gorgeous coloring!

Appropriately enough, this comes to us via Laughing Squid.

#squid   #giantsquid  

Originally shared by Laughing Squid

Incredibly Rare Underwater Footage of a Stray Giant Squid Swimming Around Toyama Bay in Japan
http://laughingsquid.com/incredibly-rare-underwater-footage-of-a-stray-giant-squid-swimming-around-toyama-bay-in-japan/

This is a pleasant interview with bell hooks, who is teaching at a tuition-free Appalachian college and spreading...

This is a pleasant interview with bell hooks, who is teaching at a tuition-free Appalachian college and spreading her sweetly radical calls for love in the midst of our pathology-ridden culture.
#bellhooks
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/opinionator/2015/12/10/bell-hooks-buddhism-the-beats-and-loving-blackness/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20151211&referer=https://t.co/FExlmylGWW

If you are a nearly daily user, and often find yourself Wikipedia-wandering (as I do), now is a good time of year to...

If you are a nearly daily user, and often find yourself Wikipedia-wandering (as I do), now is a good time of year to tell the organization how much you love them - with cash.

#donate   #wikipedia  
https://donate.wikimedia.org/?utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=ThankYouPage&utm_source=GooglePlus

It's another day with strong light, and so I gave up on my chores anddecided to both test a gift camera (a Polaroid...

It's another day with strong light, and so I gave up on my chores and decided to both test a gift camera (a Polaroid Sun 660) and burn through the old 2013 Impossible film in my fridge, after realizing that the old film packs I didn't refrigerate don't work at all. (The chemistry dried up.)

Thanks to good storage, I got lucky, and each package worked.

I just had to get used to the Sun 660's always-flashes warm up time, which is longer than expected. The shutter won't fire until the flash is charged, so you don't waste film... but I didn't believe the camera was working at all! The secret is to hold the shutter button down "halfway" until a red light in the viewfinder goes out. This requires patience!

My smartphone improves the contrast of the prints, but still gives a good general idea of what the Impossible Project's 2013 color 600 films were like.

It was good to get away from my chores for a few hours!

#theimpossibleproject #sanfranciscowinter #polaroid

I grew up here, but sometimes space aliens drop new buildings in orrepaint a sign that had forgotten what paint is,...

I grew up here, but sometimes space aliens drop new buildings in or repaint a sign that had forgotten what paint is, which is disorienting.
#themission #sanfrancisco

Good advice. Not like you need it!

Good advice. Not like you need it!
#beniceontheonternet #dontfeedthetrolls

Originally shared by CollegeHumor

Just don't be an asshole, okay?
http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7034804/7-things-to-keep-in-mind-whenever-a-terrible-thing-happens

I'm lucky enough to work frequently in Switzerland, where glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate.

I'm lucky enough to work frequently in Switzerland, where glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate. Here the BBC and a Swiss scientist show the changes to just one.

(Yes, previously frozen valleys turned soggy are not especially stable, if you were wondering.)

#glaciers #climatechange #switzerland
http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/34908482

Tomine's collection of short stories displays his mastery of expertly expressing moments of insecurity, uncertainty,...

Tomine's collection of short stories displays his mastery of expertly expressing moments of insecurity, uncertainty, and alienation.

#adriantomine #bookreview
http://teahousehome.com/yes/yes035.html

This article covers many news topics, but I especially like this quote about what being "developed" as a country in...

This article covers many news topics, but I especially like this quote about what being "developed" as a country in an advanced (integrated and democratic) form means:

~[Malcolm] Turnbull quoted the mayor of Bogota: “A developed coun­try is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use pub­lic trans­port.”~

#development #society

Another great quote comes in opposition to IS' efforts to alienate Muslim refugees from Europe:

~“Those who organised, who perpetrated, the attacks are the very same people who the refugees are fleeing, and not the opposite,” Juncker said in a press conference. “And so there is no need for an overall review of the European policy on refugees.”~

#refugees




http://gu.com/p/4e8c8?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Kate Beaton's new comic collection is fun! But you knew it would be.

Kate Beaton's new comic collection is fun!  But you knew it would be.
#katebeaton   #comics   #bookreview  
http://teahousehome.com/yes/yes034.html

I recommend the attractive sketchbook-centric zine, "Sketch School," by Carol Sogard and her students at the...

I recommend the attractive sketchbook-centric zine, "Sketch School," by Carol Sogard and her students at the University of Utah.
#sketchbook   #drawing   #zine  
http://teahousehome.com/yes/yes033.html

Dave Eggers' novel about a technological company's aspirations to share information provides a timely warning about...

Dave Eggers' novel about a technological company's aspirations to share information provides a timely warning about trading privacy for convenience.   #daveeggers   #bookreview  
http://teahousehome.com/yes/yes032.html

I enjoyed Amy Poehler's Book, "Yes, Please!" and think you will, too!

I enjoyed Amy Poehler's Book, "Yes, Please!" and think you will, too!
#amypoehler   #bookreview  
http://teahousehome.com/yes/yes031.html

Geometry really DOES make me happy! It's fun to explore geometric ideas as applied to fine art and design projects.

Geometry really DOES make me happy!  It's fun to explore geometric ideas as applied to fine art and design projects. 
#bookreview   #geometry  
http://teahousehome.com/yes/yes030.html

This is the best article I have read on creativity in a long time!

This is the best article I have read on creativity in a long time!

What I like best is the experiment story: students were split into groups graded on either aesthetic perfection or quantity (weight). The quantity group produced the most beautiful work (!), because they had practiced far more (and more freely) than the perfection group had.

This article is revealing educational and perseverance secrets that our culture obscures with myths about geniuses who never fail and whose every idea is pure gold.

#creativity #practicemakesperfect #design #process #howtolearn #persevere
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34775411