Pedro.A
Shared posts
The First Colour Of The Early Universe
When it first appeared, the universe was much warmer, about 3,000 K. The early universe was filled with a bright warm glow.
We have a good idea of what that first color was…. a bright orange-white glow, similar to the warm light of an old 60-watt light bulb.
If we could go back to the period of that first light, we would probably perceive an orange glow similar to firelight.
What was the first colour in the universe?
Bourdain
The Poetry Of Science
I can’t help but approach science and history from the standpoint of language. Because I’m a writer, sure, but also because that’s where those things truly live. Science can produce the greatest poetry of the age. Even headline writing at otherwise sober institutions like phys.org take on mad poetry, just because that’s the way things are now. Actual headline: “Multifractals suggest the existence of an unknown physical mechanism on the Sun.” An UNKNOWN PHYSICAL MECHANISM ON THE SUN. Just let that sink in. Because that bit alone is some demented Lovecraftian genius. Which may only be topped by THIS actual headline about the NASA NuStar satellite: “NuStar captures possible ‘screams’ from zombie stars.”
This is the real music. “Cosmology in ghost-free bigravity theory with twin matter fluids: The origin of “dark matter”.” And, a personal favourite: “Crystals May Be Possible In Time As Well As Space.”
(Taken from the talk I gave in Dublin a couple of weeks ago.)
A nudez de Lara Stone
Science Comic Strips
Here's a few of the one page science strips I've been working on recently. I'll be doing many more of these. Anyone interested in giving them a home in their publication or website should let me know.
A IMAGEM: Isabel Martinez, 2015
ISABEL MARTINEZ Paris Fashion Week / W 2015 |
O marketing dos Oscars
Pedro.AOs resultados dos Oscares não têm grande interesse, mas estes vídeos são adoráveis.
"Je suis Syriza"
He-Gassen: Revisiting Japan’s Edo Period Fart Scrolls
Pedro.A"As the comedian Louis CK once expounded, you don’t have to be smart to laugh at farts. But you would have to be stupid not to. And he gives some fairly convincing reasons why the fart is the perfect joke: it comes out of your ass, it smells like poop because it’s been hanging out next to it all day long, and it announces itself with a toot noise when it comes out."
As the comedian Louis CK once expounded, you don’t have to be smart to laugh at farts. But you would have to be stupid not to. And he gives some fairly convincing reasons why the fart is the perfect joke: it comes out of your ass, it smells like poop because it’s been hanging out next to it all day long, and it announces itself with a toot noise when it comes out.
Of course, Louis CK wasn’t the first to realize the inherent comedic effect of farts. And since today is National Pass Gas Day, I thought it would be appropriate to recall one of the most epic acts of flatulent artistry. Over 150 years ago a group of anonymous Japanese artists created a 34-ft long scroll titled He-Gassen (屁合戦), literally: “Fart Battle.”
The scroll, which was created during the Edo Period (probably around 1846) in Japan, consists of roughly 15 different scenes depicting people directing their farts at other people or objects. There are people farting at each other. There are people farting through objects. There are people combating farts with fans. There are bags of farts being released. Trees and cats get blown away by farts. And the scroll culminates with a divine gust of flatulence knocking over a ceremony and causing complete and utter chaos.
So why did these artists create this scroll? Some have argued that it’s a form of social commentary depicting anti-foreigner sentiment as Japan was beginning to emerge from isolation. Others feel we try to read too much into the art and that it was created simply because farts are funny. This scroll definitely isn’t alone in its sub-genre. There were many artists practicing Ukiyo-e – woodblock prints that emerged as a form of low-brow entertainment – who took up flatulence as a way to gain laughs. Several of these prints even resurface at auction houses every once in a while.
The scroll in its entirety was digitized by Waseda University and can be seen in hi-res format by accessing their database.
Noma Japan’s Shrimp Are Served Covered In Ants
Chef and restaurateur René Redzepi has temporarily relocated himself and his entire staff to Japan. The highly acclaimed Noma restaurant has kicked off a two-month residency as Noma Japan and are serving diners from the 37th floor of the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo. Now, if was eating at a restaurant and there were ants on my food I would try not to shriek but I would definitely walk out, not pay and never eat there again. However, at Noma you pay for ants on your food. The first dish that’s served is shrimp with “flavors of the Nagano forest.” And we’re not talking leaves or tree bark. Food writer Robbie Swinnerton explains:
The magic kicks in from the very first course, jumbo shrimp served atop a platter of ice. They are superb, premium sashimi quality and so fresh they’re still dancing their final quivers. But it is the seasoning — “flavors of the Nagano forest” the menu calls it — that defines this dish. A dozen tiny wild black ants are carefully arranged on the shrimp, their little pinpricks of sharp acidity acting as a perfect accent for the sweet, pink flesh.
The Art Of Saving A Life
Guest List: Manuel João Vieira
Levá-lo a levar-se a sério não é fácil mas a selecção musical de Manuel João Vieira é tudo aquilo que se imagina no móvel da residência de Campo de Ourique. Trovas do período dourado da pop francesa e italiana. Psicadelismo orbital. Tango. Jazz ressacado do fim da Lei Seca. Country cinematográfico dos irmãos Coen. Blues matriciais. Um bolero cubana. E dois dos mestres: José Afonso e Carlos Paredes (este acompanhado por Fernando Alvim).
Todas estas dimensões convivem na cabeça de um ser inquieto por natureza. Artística, política e romântica; as três unidas pelo desconstrutivismo de um ex-candidato a candidato a Presidente da República do qual ainda se espera vir a ser eleito para se poder demitir não sem antes alcatifar Portugal e torná-lo um país verde por fora.
Esta quarta-feira, os Ena Pá 2000 tomam a resolução de passar a noite no Santiago Alquimista “para acabar irrevogavelmente com 2014″. No ano do “inconseguimento”, é bem provável que a banda que tem o recorde não confirmado pelo Guinness de mais capas viradas do avesso consiga ser mais credível que um político a fazer promessas. O voto nem sempre é secreto. Manuel “Alegre” João Vieira ao poder.
BOBY LAPOINTE – FRAMBOISE
MARINO MARINI – LA PIU BELLA DEL MONDO
JOSÉ AFONSO – DE NÃO SABER O QUE ME ESPERA
PINK FLOYD – ATOM HEART MOTHER
CARLOS GARDEL – POR UNA CABEZA
PAUL WHITEMAN – LOVE IN BLOOM
IRMÃO, ONDE ESTÁS? – CONSTANT SORROW
ROY SMECK – BANJO STEEL
BOLA DE NIEVE – AY AMOR!
CARLOS PAREDES E FERNANDO ALVIM – VARIAÇÕES EM RÉ MAIOR
A abstenção segundo o PCP
Fotograma de IVAN O TERRÍVEL (1944-1958) de Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein |
Em todo o caso, para quem nos massacra com um discurso teleológico de defesa da pureza virginal da esquerda, assumir uma posição de "neutralidade" face à homenagem a um cidadão que, justamente na história da esquerda portuguesa, está longe de ser uma abstracção, constitui um prodigioso acto falhado. O PCP quis votar contra e não foi capaz — em nome da esquerda?
Benfica - Braga em tempo real
Link: The best round-up of Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving parodies
At this time of year if there is one thing as certain as dressing and leftovers it’s parody verions of Norman Rockwell’s famed “Freedom From Want.” And I finally found the best round-up of parodies including the Justice Society one. A little of these goes a long way so here are a mere three.
The Science Of Begging
The last 24 hours:
A recent acquaintance wrote to me about an Exciting Event taking place about 90 minutes away from me. How lovely!, I thought. I never get invited to things. And I wasn’t. I was instead being asked for a list of interesting people who they could invite to the event. I wasn’t invited.
A stranger wrote to me on behalf of an author I met some years ago, about review copies of their new book. How lovely!, I thought. I love books. But I wasn’t getting one. I was instead being asked for a list of interesting people who they could send copies of the book to. I wasn’t getting one.
An old acquaintance wrote to me. How lovely!, I thought. I haven’t heard from them in years. But I wasn’t, really. It was a spam message going out to a list of everyone they’d ever written to, a pile of contacts scraped out by an assistant. The message did in fact state that I may not have heard from them in years, and in fact may never hear from them again, but nonetheless exhorted me to pollute my social media channels with plugs for their book. Which I haven’t read.
The art of asking is alive and well, it would seem. I totally understand its place in the combat zone of attention economics. But I do hope that people actually get good at it soon. Or at least learn not to make each other feel like agalmic vending machines. That turns the practise of agalmia into a zero-sum game that leads to petty and charmless posts like this one.
Reading: IN THE DUST OF THIS PLANET, Eugene Thacker (UK) (US)
Bill Watterson draws poster for Angoulême 2015, but will not participate in fest —UPDATED
Updated, The Billy Ireland’s Library’s Caitlin McGurk has confirmed that she and Jenny Robb—who helped organized the Watterson art exhibit at the library—will represent him at Angoulême.
Earlier this year, the selection of Bill Watterson as the Grand Prix winner at the Angoulême comics festival created quite a stir. The winner is traditionally the “grand marshal” of the whole festival, helping plan exhibits and appearing at official events. (Or, as in the case of Willem, last ear’s winner, hanging out at Le Chat Noir until 1 am with everyone else.) It seemed a bit of a stretch for Watterson, but was it impossible?
Although the once reclusive Calvin & Hobbes creator hasn’t exactly turned into Taylor Swift, he makes occasional semi public appearances and is way more accessible in interviews. (If you call once or twice a year accessible.) When the win was announced, Watterson’s editor Lee Salem said he would try to tell him how wonderful Angoulême is, so maybe Watterson would make an exception for this so not a comic-con event?
However, an interview at the French language 20 Minutes website has not only unveiled Watterson’s poster for the festival but confirmed that the poster will be the full extent of his participation. The traditional exhibit of Watterson’s work will be based on the exhibit at OSU. According to the brief but news-packed interview, Watterson found the poster an interesting challenge, but did not use his Calvin and Hobbes characters because he doesn’t believe in using them to promote anything—even comics. But according to Google Translate, Watterson says “In this sense, I hope I have managed to express both my work and comics in general. And to pay tribute to what makes this medium so pleasant to read.”
31 Days of Halloween: The Haunted Vagina
Pedro.AWTF?
The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III ploughs into fertile territory first tilled by Jim Balent. But horror has many shapes and sizes…as do the tacky and the just plain oh no.
It’s difficult to love a woman whose vagina is a gateway to the world of the dead…
Steve is madly in love with his eccentric girlfriend, Stacy. Unfortunately, their sex life has been suffering as of late, because Steve is worried about the odd noises that have been coming from Stacy’s pubic region. She says that her vagina is haunted. She doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal. Steve, on the other hand, completely disagrees.
When a living corpse climbs out of her during an awkward night of sex, Stacy learns that her vagina is actually a doorway to another world. She persuades Steve to climb inside of her to explore this strange new place. But once inside, Steve finds it difficult to return… especially once he meets an oddly attractive woman named Fig, who lives within the lonely haunted world between Stacy’s legs.”
31 Days of Halloween: Sexy Ebola Cleanup Nurse is really Sexy Breaking Bad
If you’ve been hanging out on the internet this weekend you have have seen the above shocking “Sexy Ebola Nurse” costume going around on the Reddits and twits. Is it a real thing? Although we can’t imagine some gallows humor experts won’t wear Ebola-themed costumes this year, this particular costume is actually a repurposing of LAST year’s top meme, Breaking Bad, as it began life as a sexy Walter White in the lab costume.
So for those keeping score, both the proper preparation of crystal meth and the prevention of ebola require pristine conditions—and there is no condition so pristine that a sexy version of it cannot be fashioned.
(Source: The Independent)
Don Quijote’s Secret Weapon: Pop Signage Artists in Every Store
A friend of mine once lamented that if there was hell on earth it would be like Don Quijote. He was, of course, referring to Japan’s discount chain stores – colloquially known as Donki – and not the protagonist of Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. But for all its narrow, maze-like pathways and consumer products densely stacked from floor-to-ceiling, Donki has done remarkably well in Japan. One of the reasons, which many point to, are the hand-written signs, created in pop lettering and a dizzying array of fluorescent colors, that point consumers to products the store is trying to push.
In a recent youtube clip, the company revealed a behind-the-scenes look at these pop signage artists at work. “Donki’s POP artists are amazing,” they exclaimed, adding that every single store hires a full-time signage artist.
MUJI’s New Prefabricated Vertical House For City Living
Fifty years ago, on October 10, 1964, the Olympic torch arrived at Tokyo’s National Stadium to mark the beginning of the summer Olympics. 5 years earlier, when Tokyo was awarded the right to host the games Tokyo went on a construction spree with new buildings, highways and trains being built. By the time the games began not only did Tokyo look brand new but so did it’s population, which had grown exponentially to 10 million people.
Currently that number, depending on what area you classify as Tokyo, sits at around 37 million. And despite its impeccable mass transit system, numerous parks and safety, the metropolis poses similar challenges that all city dwellers face: the issue of space.
For several years now the trend among architects has been to build residential homes higher, taking advantage of the air above us. But these designer homes tend to come with a hefty price tag. Now, MUJI, Japan’s minimalist stationary and furniture company, wants to give more people space with their “Vertical House.”
While the company is certainly better known for their smaller items, a couple years ago they started offering prefabricated homes that embody the MUJI aesthetic. And their most recent design – the 3rd in their series – is this vertical house.
The 3-story home features an open stairwell the stretches all the way to the top. And beveled floors create unique spaces for different members of the family. But even though these are cookie-cutter homes, they don’t all have to look the same. MUJI is offered 7 different variations to accommodate different types of families. Depending on which make you choose the homes cost between about 20 – 25 million yen to build.
La isla de los conejos
Okunoshima es una isla parecida a la de los gatos pero en vez de estar invadida por lindos gatitos está llena de conejos. Según Treehugger es una isla donde se producían armas químicas durante la segunda guerra mundial. Hoy en día ya no hay industria en la isla y apenas vive gente en ella, viven más conejos que personas. Tiene un perímetro de cuatro kilómetros, tiene un hotel, un camping, un campo de golf y centenares de conejos.
Seguir leyendo La isla de los gatos.
Advanced copies of my PRIME playing card deck arrived today! On...
Advanced copies of my PRIME playing card deck arrived today! On sale soon. x