I’m not sure how far into infinity this goes, but Zoom Quilt is for those moments when you want to swim inside an animation forever. It did get me dizzy but it’ll also take you to fantastical distant lands.
Freedom: Taking it away in Alabama
I grew up in Alabama and I love the rivers, the sweet tea, the y’alls, the bless your hearts and of course the fireflies and honeysuckle. But I’ve rarely loved Alabama politics, chock full of hypocrites, corruption and religious zealots. And today they outlawed basically all abortion, including cases of rape. Remember, this doesn’t mean that politicians and other folks of privilege won’t have access to abortions for themselves or their mistresses or daughters or whatever. The legislators are above this law, and there is a long history of pro-life politicians who encouraged their extra-marital affairs to have abortions. Like Tim Murphy and Scott DesJarlais.
From my understanding, the law won’t go into effect for six months, and it (or another state) will likely end up in the Supreme Court’s lap in the future to challenge Roe v Wade.
Anyway, I just donated to the Alabama ACLU and The Yellowhammer Fund (which assists women in Bama with medical costs, travel and a place to stay, if they need and/or want an abortion). Maybe you could support these organizations and others like it too?
Buy: An affordable dream home
House-hunting can feed your daydreams of a different reality and context but in many places and for many people this dream is out of realistic financial reach. The Instagram account cheapoldhouses brings your different life closer to home by posting gorgeous, unique, historical homes — often in deep need of fixing-up or in obscure locations — all for less than $100,000.
Gonzo: Hunter S. Thompson on Letterman
The next reporter has been called the least factual and most accurate reporter working today.
David Letterman
Here are a couple videos where gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson appeared on David Letterman, 1987 and 1998. These interviews are wacky and unpredictable. The website Open Culture writes: “Do we find our current crop of journalists lacking in moral courage, righteous fury, death-defying risk-taking, gallows humor, literary reach, thoroughgoing independence of thought? The failing industry may be to blame, one might argue, and with good reason.”
Patterns: Puzzled in puzzles
Artist Tim Klein noticed that jigsaw puzzle companies often stamp out their puzzles using the same patterns so he began recontextualizing the pieces into something more interesting.
Vicious: Australian paraglider lands, is attacked by kangaroo
“I was concentrating on the landing and didn’t notice the kangaroo until after I landed. As it ran towards me I thought it was being friendly so I said, ‘What’s up, Skip?’ It then attacked me twice before hopping away. I packed up my paraglider and had to walk several kilometers to get phone reception and call a friend to come and collect me.”
Jonathon Bishop
Time: “Distortion” stop motion
Stop motion videos are super captivating to watch and even more so when you understand how they are made. This one, “Distortion” by Guldies was entirely molded in clay and took 2500 still shots to create. One user comment suggests slowing it down “to .25x speed to appreciate the effort that went into the animation.”
Revolution: Trigger Warning with Killer Mike S1E4
“Because I was raised in a Christian culture, I never considered myself to be a totally free human being.”
James Baldwin
Trigger Warning is a Netflix show featuring rapper Killer Mike. Although many of the episodes could be described as controversial, Episode 4 jumps all in challenging religion and creating a new one in an effort to explore this oppressive subversion that is deeply ingrained in our culture.
Killer Mike’s episode-ending narration: “When black people can see God in themselves we are reminded we are special, we are connected and we are hope. 500 years of oppression and conditioning tried to convince Black people that we need a master in the sky.”
Macro/Micro: Get lost in tiny things.
Kate Esme Unver has a tantalizing Instagram account showcasing very tiny objects created by artists around the world. She also has a new book out.
Magic: Michael Pollan on Denver psilocybin mushrooms initiative
Magic mushrooms are now the lowest priority of law enforcement in Denver, and soon Oregon might vote to legalize psilocybin therapy.
In this New York Times article, How to Change Your Mind author and UCal communications professor Michael Pollan hypothesizes that ballot initiatives might not be the smartest avenue to harness the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics:
I look forward to the day when psychedelic medicines like psilocybin, having proven their safety and efficacy in F.D.A.-approved trials, will take their legal place in society, not only in mental health care but in the lives of people dealing with garden-variety unhappiness or interested in spiritual exploration and personal growth.
My worry is that ballot initiatives may not be the smartest way to get there. We still have a lot to learn about the immense power and potential risk of these molecules, not to mention the consequences of unrestricted use. It would be a shame if the public is pushed to make premature decisions about psychedelics before the researchers have completed their work. There is, too, the risk of inciting the sort of political backlash that, in the late 1960s, set back research into psychedelics for decades. Think of what we might know now, and the suffering that might have been alleviated, had that research been allowed to continue.
Michael pollan