Have you ever heard of a cinemagraph before? The basic concept is that you take a still image, and then insert a moving image either into part of or all of the picture. It's similar to an animated GIF, but with a still component to it, and you can make them with programs like Cinemagraph Pro. Said Dagdeviren of Istanbul, Turkey, used that same concept to create these beautiful images here.

I've never done anything like this before personally, but seeing these makes me want to dive into the program and see how it works. Imagine what other cool things you could do with this concept!

A Portland woman shared this awesome note she left in her glovebox after her car kept being stolen. Apparently, it worked!!

She says “I left a snarky note in the glovebox of my Honda the last time it was stolen. Just recovered the car from the most recent theft. They read my letter and I think it worked – they ditched it in front of a house this time.”

Click here to see the full size photo and Reddit post.

h/t thebrew

The post This Woman in Portland Gets Her Car Back After Thief Reads Her Note appeared first on That Oregon Life.

They blessed the rains down in Africa.

Perhaps you've heard of Kristen Bell, aka Anna from Frozen, and Dax Shepard, aka Crosby from Parenthood. They're married, it's awesome.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

They also have two kids, Lincoln (born in 2013) and Delta (born in 2014). But it seems that before they had kids, they took one final kid-free vacation...

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...to AFRICA. And they danced and recorded it to the tune of Toto's "Africa" as only two Toto enthusiasts could.

How do we know it was their final kid-free vacay? ’Cause they told us in the video description: "This was our last trip before having kids. Our sole objective was to rage hard and honor Toto properly. Hope you enjoy :)"

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Kristen looked at some zebras and danced.

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It’s a tired old cliché, I know. “Couple leaves behind successful careers in petroleum engineering to open vape shop.” Classic pie-in-the-sky fantasy romanticized by Hollywood for ages. But I get a crazy feeling that we can actually do this, you know?

Just imagine it. The future sprayed before us in black-lit neon graffiti, like our own nicotine-free fairy tale. Us investing a grand total of $1,500 to get the store off the ground. It becoming wildly popular inside of a week. Raising a family, growing old, handing the business down to our children once they’re old enough to be douchebags.

We’ll call the place “Sweet Vape Hut,” or “Country Kitch’n Vap’n,” or “Platinum Vapez.” Something down-home and cozy that’ll really stand out in a strip mall between an H&R Block and a Boston Market.

And we’d stay faithful to the culture of vaping, the pure A-hole pastime we always talked abut it being.

Our store will serve as a tribute to the early vape shoppes of Fall 2014 — before the industry went all commercial. Just a glass case for the mech mods, shelves lined with homemade e-juice, and a suspended 40-inch plasma screen to display hideous marketing messages we’ll design ourselves in PowerPoint.

Sure, it’d be a mild nuisance, building a business from scratch. We’d have to find advanced variable voltage tech to compliment the basic starter kits. We’d need to attract a loyal clientele of cloud chasers, marker-types, and confused meth heads. Plus, we’d have to invent new names for the e-juice hybrids after we run out of popular cereals to add z’s to.

But deep down, I know this is the right path for us. We’re entrepreneurs at heart. And I’m so tired of the rat race. So sick of the petroleum engineer grind, with its hollow six-figure salary and soulless above-average benefits package.

They’ll be vape detractors along the way — there always are. But we won’t listen to the naysayers with their "negative market projections.” Or the trusted financial advisers and their crippling statistics for long-term growth.

Let’s not forget about another starry-eyed couple that defied the odds: Your grandparents, who followed through with a kooky little plan to open and operate Pensacola’s number one pet rock distributor from June 1976 until later that June. Or my old man, who successfully ran the region’s premier Pog emporium for nearly three generations of Space Jam Slammers.

Will this all happen overnight? The more I think about the logistics, yes. We should be able to have everything up and running by tomorrow afternoon.

So why not make an honest to goodness go of it? After all, this is our pipe dream, and I will not watch it go up in dank Cap’n Crunk vapor like so many insanely plausible business ventures before.

We have a massive opportunity here, guys. A REALLY huge client has asked us to help turn their brand around. I’m talking about an ancient practice that every one of us has experienced countless times. The client is Sitting. And right now, it’s in trouble. Apparently, a lot of health nuts are claiming that Sitting is the “new smoking.” Do you guys remember smoking? It’s that thing used to be cool, but thanks to advertising, is now banned in public. So, yeah, you can see why Sitting is flipping its shit.

What’s the plan? Well, per usual, we need to take a broad view of Sitting. We need to find out who’s doing it, where they’re doing it, why they’re doing it, and what they’re saying about it on Facebook. How is Sitting portrayed in movies? Is Rihanna instagramming about it? Has it ever trended? Right now our Cultural Insurgency Team is out gathering data and conducting surveys that — once compiled — will get jammed into at least four Keynote slides that, along with our basketball court and quirky workspace, will convince Sitting that we don’t just know its brand, we fucking LIVE IT. The setup is clutch. If we can we can hook it with unverifiable stats supported by a table full of artisanal scones, it’ll buy whatever creative we present. And I don’t want to jinx it, but I could see the Cannes judges going apeshit for something like this. (Also: I’m on the jury.)

Keep in mind, Sitting has never had an agency, so it’s not accustomed to how we operate. It’s used to being a thing that people do and don’t think about. Sitting has never had to actively manage their brand, so things like social engagement and paid media might be weird for it at first. But we’ll hold its hand, and if we need to explain what Vine or SnapChat or — don’t laugh — Tinder is, we’ll just take it slow. So Digital Ninjas, you guys should do a social audit and then spend at least two hours bookmarking websites and making a graph.

OK, Creatives: this brief is wide open. Banners. Viral videos. Out-of-home. Guerrilla street teams. Those planes that fly over the beach. Anything goes, because We. Are. Changing. Culture. And we need to take convention and flip it on its head. Like — and this is not it — maybe we make Sitting the new thing-that’s-not-as-bad-as-smoking. The “new” breaking your glasses. The “new” double parking. The “new” interrupting. Just ideating here. Or maybe — and don’t turn this in — we show the face of Sitting. Like, we get real people — your friend, your neighbor, your grandma to “come out” and admit in gorgeous Gondry-style Hulu pre-roll spots that “I Am a Sitter.” Or maybe instead of rebranding Sitting, do we rebrand the chair? Petition congress to establish National Chair Day? Create an online gallery of celebrity chairs that people can virtually sit in? Sneak into Beyoncé’s house at night and steal all her chairs, then get Gondry to film her reaction? Is that buzzworthy enough? I don’t know.

I do know that the tag is gonna have to do some heavy-lifting. So copywriters, start blowing stuff out. We need something sticky, like… SITTING: A THING YOUR BUTT DOES, or SITTING: HOW AMERICA RESTS, or SITTING: BECAUSE STANDING SUCKS. Okay, those are terrible, but you get the idea. Art directors and designers, I want to see logo concepts when you turn in your rounds. This is really an awesome opportunity, because Sitting has never had a logo. So whatever we come up with could become the next Nike swoosh, Apple apple, or Handicap bathroom icon. Just try not to get too literal — everybody knows what Sitting is, so the logo doesn’t have to explain it. The logo needs to elevate it.

Think about what Sitting represents to our target: rest, relaxation, a break from standing or walking or pretty much anything else that’s not Sitting. It’s probably best to stay away from stuff that feels too office-y or food-related, since those are client watch-outs. Sitting is concerned about being associated with immobility, so consider playing with active constructs like recumbent biking or squats or that thing when you’re about to get off a ski lift and one butt cheek is kind of lifted. Shit like that.

So, we don’t have a formal brief yet, but the account team should finalize one in the next few weeks. I know it’s Friday afternoon, but we need to get ahead on this if we want a shot at a VMA spot — so the first round is due Monday morning.

Finally, as you work, try to do some Sitting yourself. Experiment with it. Think about what Sitting means to you. If you were the target, why would you do it? And, if you don’t know what smoking is, ask a planner. As Abraham Lincoln — a dude, incidentally, who sits eternally on a big-ass chair in the National Mall — once said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make it a friend.”

Any questions? OK, cool. If you need me I’ll be in my office writing a manifesto at my standing desk.

The history of Oracle cards does not seem as rich and lengthy as its Tarot counterpart, but the history of these cards does start with the Tarot. Oracle cards branched off into their own particular brand of divination around 200 years ago – not long after the Tarot itself started being used for divinatory purposes.

Of course like anything, they also come with criticism. Our thoughts? Have fun with it, see how the answers or pieces of wisdom make you feel, but don’t feel like you need to put all your eggs in one basket.

These were provided by Tarot Reader Sonya Singh. You can find a brief bio of her at the end of the article, and you can also access her website here.

Aries

You may be going through emotional healing this month. Your message from the angels is to open your heart to love and let go of any past hurt and disappointment. Clear your heart of anything that is not serving its purpose to make room for new blessings. You may also be caught up between making choices, which leave you confused. Be honest with yourself and the people involved in your life about what you want. Don’t be afraid to speak your truth. Take some time out from routine, especially if you are overexerting yourself in both personal and professional life. This “me” time is necessary to avoid burnout and will help rejuvenate you, ensuring that you are better able to fulfill your duties.

Taurus

This is a month to balance your giving and receiving ratio. You may be giving too much of yourself to others or vice versa. Give something each day without expecting anything in return; this may include your time, a donation of any kind, or simply appreciating the people in your life. Similarly, ensure you are receptive to receiving help. Your message is to stop worrying too much about a particular situation in your life, as everything is working out in your favor. Be patient at this time, as your dreams and goals are about to manifest. This is also an excellent month to take up learning, continue further studies, resume school, or research on a topic. If your desired outcome is delayed, then take heart in the knowledge that everything will fall into place at the right time. This period of waiting is a great opportunity for you to absorb more information and fine-tune your skills.

Gemini

This month focuses on releasing any anger or judgment you hold towards yourself or others. This is a time of forgiving, as you are undergoing healing and it is necessary to release any blocked emotions. This month also marks the perfect time for you to act on your inspirations. Avoid delays and procrastination. Sometimes, it is all about taking that first step towards your goals rather than waiting until you figure out all the details. Don’t worry about the “how” and “when.” Your ideas are like seeds which need to be tended carefully right now. For most of you, Autumn is the season when you will reap the rewards of your hard work. Work with Archangel Uriel to help release and heal your emotions.

Cancer

This is a favorable month to start something new. Pay attention to your inner calling and act on the new ideas and inspirations that come to you. These are divinely directed. This could be a project, a new business venture, or even an emotional beginning. You are being watched, guided, and protected during these changes. News related to pregnancy is also on the cards, so get ready or be careful. They also gently remind you to let go of judgments and look past the errors and misunderstandings of others. Forgive someone you have been facing difficulties with of late. Focus on love and the goodness in yourself and others. Drop any self-defeating thoughts and lift your vibrations if you doubt your own abilities or find yourself in an unloving situation.

Leo

An excellent month for Leo to move forward with their plans and ideas. You may be afraid of changes or are wondering whether to proceed further or stick to the familiar. Trust in this divine timing and move forward. Do not hesitate or doubt yourself, as this is a favorable time. You will find the necessary support and resources to back you up. Stay positive during this transition. Your etheric body needs healing and you would benefit from spending time close to the ocean. If this is not possible, then consider a salt-water bath. Salt is excellent at neutralizing and transmuting negativity and will help rid you of negative energies from your aura.

Virgo

Your financial situation is improving. Your finances may have been blocked due to numerous factors in the past and as you follow your inner guidance and release any negative conditioning about money, you will notice that many opportunities and doors open for you. Be patient. May is also a great month to work on your relationships. Singles are likely to find love and those in an existing relationship will be able to overcome any challenges in their current relationships. It is also important to let go of any feelings of unworthiness when it comes to receiving love. Open your heart and welcome new beginnings.

Libra

Think creatively! Focus on a project that you have been procrastinating on for a while. If you have been delaying the start of a new venture that involves your creative input, then this is the time to showcase your talent. It doesn’t matter if your skills are market ready. Continue to pour your energy and passion into this task. Give away any feelings of insecurity or limitation to the universe. If you have been worried lately about the outcome to a difficult situation, then take comfort that everything is working out beautifully. A little more patience will go a long way. Meditation and prayer will help illuminate your path ahead and bring you peace.

Scorpio

May marks the beginning of pursuing something new, which brings you rewards and recognition. You may be feeling frustrated at not getting something right. This could be a hobby or a newly developed skill. Your keyword is practice. Keep trying and don’t give up, as you are very close to mastering this art. This is a great time to polish your skills. You are also advised to spend more time outdoors, especially if you have been spending too much time indoors, depriving yourself of fresh air and close contact with nature. Your body craves oxygenated air. Consider spending some time gardening, taking a walk in the park, hiking, trekking, or simply being close to nature in any way possible. You can also ventilate your home to let fresh air flow in. Deep breaths will also help relieve stress.

Sagittarius 

You may have been struggling to fix something for too long that is not going the way you had hoped for. Your divine message is to let go of the need to control and surrender your situation to the Universe. Release your worries and have faith. Letting go doesn’t mean you are giving up. Instead, it means you choose not to let yourself be weighed down by situations that are beyond your control. It may also be the right time to release something or someone from your life. Make a list of everything that is not serving its purpose in your life, then let it go with your intentions. There may be decisions to make and if you’re feeling confused, ask yourself which path brings you closer to peace and makes you feel good about yourself. You already know the answers. Be open and admit to yourself and others what you truly desire.

Capricorn

Good news related to your finances is highlighted this month. Any past debt will be lifted as your financial situation improves and you will find ways to bring more abundance and prosperity into your life. You may find a new job or an additional one to draw multiple incomes. You are also strongly advised to shed your fears and worries, as they only attract what you don’t want, blocking your chances at a speedy manifestation. The situation you are concerned about is under control and there is nothing to worry about. You are also being guided to pursue education, further studies, and take up courses that will help expand your knowledge and polish your existing skills. Do some additional research on a topic close to your heart and focus on learning.

Aquarius

Business and romance are the highlights for Aquarius in May. A new business venture is in the cards and you should trust and follow your instincts with this new opportunity. If self-employment is on your mind, then this is a great time to act on your inspirations. Your creativity will help open doors for you. Do not belittle yourself and express your creative side without worrying too much about how it will be received. A new romance is likely to blossom for most of the single Aquarians. Your existing relationships improve as you reignite their passion. Ensure you are striking a healthy balance of giving and receiving in your personal life.

Pisces

Pisces, this is the month to act and charge ahead! You’ve got the power and the abilities to make a change and bring your desires to fruition. You may have doubted your capabilities in the past and it is now time to pay attention to your divine inner light and have the confidence to move forward and make changes. This is a great time to pursue new opportunities, and if you have been wondering lately whether to stay put or proceed further with regards to a situation, then the Universe is reassuring you to move forward. Let your intuition be the guide. Do not dismiss your inner guidance, as it is pushing you in the right direction. Procrastination could act as the culprit that will block your progress.

*art work by Zachary Gibson of Bag Fry. For more information and to purchase the print please go to http://society6.com/product/cant-stop-flower-poster_print#1=45

Life takes courage. Courage to live it. Courage to embrace it. Courage to co-create it. 

It takes courage to get to know ourselves, our desires, our hopes, our dreams and our talents, because once we do it’s devastatingly difficult not to be true to them. It takes courage to stand up to internal and external naysayers and exclaim our greatest joy. But, in the long run, it can be more difficult not to, as our greatest duty is to make manifest our talent in the world.

It takes courage to be in a process of becoming. There is no security when we are growing for we do not know what shape we will ultimately take. Our lives must be big enough, roomy enough, bendy, stretchy and flexible enough to hold our evolving selves. 

Becoming is a process. One that is never over. One that is always daunting, delicious and decisively ours to do. No one can tell us who or what we are.

They may try to though. 

They may cry with confusion. Why aren’t we acting our part? Our gender? Our race? Our class? Our lot in life? Our “ability”? Why aren’t we towing the societal line? The family line? Why won’t we keep the secrets? Keep up the facade?

In the face of societal, peer and familial pressure it takes courage to believe that giving up security for the sake of our deeper yearnings is our sure path to wealth. Spiritual wealth. Emotional wealth. Psychological health. The kind of wealth and health that we posses when we live lives of meaning and depth. 

Not many will tell us that our main job in this life is to follow our internal knowing with every ounce of energy that we’ve been given. But no matter who has or who has not, one thing is for sure, this is our job to do. 

And all we need ask for is the courage to do so, the discipline it takes to apply our enthusiasm consistently and the wisdom to know when to act, when to hold back and when to take direction.

The new moon in Aries on Saturday, April 18th, at 2:56 PM EST has that kind of pluck. Pluck enough to get us to move our minds and then our behinds to embrace a bold new way.

Aries enthusiastically cracks open the next phase of living. Aries gladly initiates us into the next phase of facing our fears. Aries cannot sit and wait for something or someone to come along and save the day. Aries cannot wait for permission. 

Aries cannot wait period. 

Aries is impulsive, impetuous, impatient and up for a challenge. Pushing through the inertia of the dead cold of winter, Aries is first to rush in reminding us that there is always another chance at life. Aries bears the spirit and signature of renewal. Sometimes butting heads like its symbol the ram, Aries needs to engage with what is challenging, what is stressful, what has never been done before. Aries wants to be first and needs the freedom to break out and lead the pack.

Spring has sprung and this new moon is the official start to the lunar year. The spring equinox on March 20th was the official start of the solar year, so this new moon is like a secondary opener. We need new moons to release the energy contained in each sign. By sign this new moon is conjunct Uranus, encouraging us to break with tradition and innovate our activities.

We can use this new moon to begin something new in our lives with courage, with enthusiasm, and with a belief in our ability to follow the golden threads that lay before us. Golden threads come in the form of hunches, inclination and signs. Golden threads are like pathways laid down before we got here by our souls. Hidden tracks strewn with rewards. Trails to our tender hearts’ greatest desires. 

This is often a different way of moving through the world than following the map of our egos. This path may not have any foreseen praise attached to it. This path is creative. This path is not cut from the same cloth as anyone else’s. This path requires our attention, our energy and our cooperation. We cannot sleepwalk down this path. 

Mars, the ruler of Aries and therefore the “ruler” of this new moon, is the planet of war, aggression, energy and passion. Looking at its sign and aspect can give us a deeper understanding of the quality of this new moon. 

Mars is now in Taurus, the sign of its detriment. Mars has a difficult time in the steadfast, security-driven sign of Taurus because its need for freedom is tempered. Mars in Taurus is bound in a paradox: it wants to express its anger/desire/energy but in a sign that works at creating a state of stasis, control and fixed security through stable productivity. Slow and steady gets the job done, but our projects might take longer than we’d like creating frustration we don’t give into the wisdom of Taurus, which is to take ones time. Restoration and rejuvenation are key to highly creative lives.

At the time of the new moon Mars will be squaring Jupiter. This is a signature of more. Appetites and impulsive actions are exaggerated under this influence but so too is our ability to move mountains. Mars in Taurus makes us want to apply ourselves in slow but steady ways. Add in a square from Jupiter in Leo and we have a definite need to engage with actions that lead us into expansive new territory for self expression. As long as we keep the competitive spirit collegial and the need to dominate in check, this square can bode well for spurring us into long-range action that really adds up. 

And so can the new moon. Whatever you can begin, begin it now. Mercury will be retrograde soon enough.

*If you want to make the most of this Saturday’s new moon and need a little guidance please join me for The Courage to Create: New Moon in Aries Intention Setting. I will lead us through an intention setting process to help overcome the fear that can sometimes block us from accessing the courage we need to live happy, productive, meaningful lives. . 

New moon blessings!

C

The post Creating Courage: New Moon in Aries appeared first on Chani Nicholas.

I’ve always kind of toed around the edges of astrology. I’ve known what my sign is and what signs I’m generally most compatible with, but I never held too much stock in anything. After all, what does being born at a certain time or day of the year really have to do with who I am? Say what you will about the validity of astrological signs but I’ve found a few things to be true across the board when it comes to Virgos. Many look at Virgos as the stuck-up, boring, prude-ish sign, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like anything worth having, you have to work to get to the good stuff. Here are 7 truths you should know about loving a Virgo:

1. We like a plan.

One thing you need to know about loving a Virgo is that we don’t rush into things. We analyze all the options, make a plan, and go from there. Some may call it being a stick in the mud; we call it being prepared. Yes, a spontaneous road trip is great! But first let me just map our route; research food stops along the way, and line up some highly rated Airbnb locations.

2. We make great nerds.

If there’s one thing Virgos are good at it’s details. The minutia is where we live. I’ve been told that I can come off as bitchy or cold. The truth is my mind is going a million miles a minute at any given time, taking in all the details around me or worrying about something that happened at work an hour ago or what’s for dinner later tonight. But we Virgos don’t let it show on our face. And that attention to detail also makes us great listeners. Because we’re actually listening to what you’re saying and not just waiting for our turn to talk. Need somebody to research something for you? We’re your best bet. Need someone to low-key stalk a potential boyfriend to see if he’s got any skeletons hanging out his virtual closet? Girl, we are so down.

3. We are loyal.

 
Once a Virgo puts their trust in you, that’s it. It takes us a bit to get there; laying low and analyzing everything before we jump in, but once we’re in, we’re in. It’s no surprise to me that the majority of my friends I’ve had for 20+ years. I don’t make friends easily but those that stick around to really get to know me are there for life.

4. We’re practical. 

Maybe it’s all the planning and analyzing and attention to detail, but when it comes down to it Virgos are the most practical of the signs. You may find that boring, but we find reassurance and comfort in stability and practicality.

5. We’re picky about who we love.

I’ve been told more than once that my standards are too high. Virgos have high standards for everyone; most so for themselves. So it takes us a bit to fall in love. But once we do? We’re in it for the long haul. We don’t do casual well. We’re the least likely of all the signs to have a one night stand. And while our symbol may be the virgin, don’t get it twisted; we’re deeply passionate. We’re just not willing to let everyone in on that passion. So count your blessings if we choose you.

6. We’re independent. 

Some call it being a control freak; but I like to look at it as a healthy independence. We’re unlikely to ask for help because given our analytical mind and attention to detail we’ll probably do it better than anyone else anyway. And Virgos don’t like to show any weakness or what’s going on under the surface, which results in a calm exterior and a do-it-myself attitude. The fastest way to piss off a Virgo is to try and take away their independence.

7. We’re discerning … about everything. 

We’re not just picky about who we love; we’re picky about everything. It’s our perfectionist tendencies and love of detail. We’re not willing to settle for “just okay,” when we know we can get as close to perfection as possible. This means you, too. Virgos have high standards not only for themselves, but for those around them.

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This post originally appeared at YourTango.

Philip K. Dick died in 1982, but readers — more readers than ever, in all probability — still thrill to his daring, unconventional imagination, and how tightly he could weave the inventions of that imagination into mundane reality. (Sometimes they wonder, as in his meeting with God, to what extent he himself could tell the two apart.) And like many strong-visioned writers of what roughly fell into the category of science fiction, Dick got consulted now and again as something of a futurist.

In 1980, David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace, and Irving Wallace (the Book of Lists people) rounded up visions of the future from all manner of sages past and present, prescient and incompetent, in order to create The Book of Predictions. Dick’s contributions, republished in the September 2003 issue of fanzine PKD Otaku, go like this.

• 1983: The Soviet Union will develop an operational particle-beam accelerator, making missile attack against that country impossible. At the same time the U.S.S.R. will deploy this weapon as a satellite killer. The U.S. will turn, then, to nerve gas.
• 1984: The U.S. will perfect a system by which hydrogen, stored in metal hydrides, will serve as a fuel source, eliminating a need for oil.
• 1985: By or before this date there will be a titanic nuclear accident either in the U.S.S.R. or in the U.S., resulting in shutting down all nuclear power plants.
• 1986: Such satellites as HEAO-2 will uncover vast, unsuspected high energy phenomenon in the universe, indicating that there is sufficient mass to collapse the universe back when it has reached its expansion limit.
• 1989: The U.S. and the Soviet Union will agree to set up one vast metacomputer as a central source for information available to the entire world; this will be essential due to the huge amount of information coming into existence.
• 1993: An artificial life form will be created in a lab, probably in the U.S.S.R., thus reducing our interest in locating life forms on other planets.
• 1995: Computer use by ordinary citizens (already available in 1980) will transform the public from passive viewers of TV into mentally alert, highly trained, information-processing experts.
• 1997: The first closed-dome colonies will be successfully established on Luna and Mars. Through DNA modification, quasi-mutant humans will be created who can survive under non-Terran conditions, i.e., alien environments.
• 1998: The Soviet Union will test a propulsion drive that moves a starship at the velocity of light; a pilot ship will set out for Proxima Centaurus, soon to be followed by an American ship.
• 2000: An alien virus, brought back by an interplanetary ship, will decimate the population of Earth, but leave the colonies on Luna and Mars intact.
• 2012: Using tachyons (particles that move backward in time) as a carrier, the Soviet Union will attempt to alter the past with scientific information.

Cherry-pickers among us will fixate on Dick’s near-hits: the development of DNA modification, a 1985 nuclear accident in the U.S.S.R. (Chernobyl happened in 1986), and computer use by ordinary citizens (though our status as “mentally alert, highly trained, information-processing experts” admittedly remains questionable). Others might prefer to highlight the most improbable, such as the eliminated need for oil, the creation of artificial life, and not just the 21st-century existence but eventual time-traveling capabilities of the Soviet Union.

Still, even in his fiction, Dick does have his moments of prophecy, especially for those who share his paranoia that we’ve unwittingly let ourselves slip into surveillance-state conditions. But I’ve always found him best, especially in the what-if-Japan-won-the-war story The Man in the High Castle, as a teller of alternate histories, whether of the past, present, or future. These predictions, stretching from just after the writer’s death to just before our time, strike me as nothing so much as the premises for the best novel Philip K. Dick never wrote.

You can find 33 of his stories online here.

Related Content:

Philip K. Dick Takes You Inside His Life-Changing Mystical Experience

Robert Crumb Illustrates Philip K. Dick’s Infamous, Hallucinatory Meeting with God (1974)

33 Sci-Fi Stories by Philip K. Dick as Free Audio Books & Free eBooks

Philip K. Dick Previews Blade Runner: “The Impact of the Film is Going to be Overwhelming” (1981)

Arthur C. Clarke Predicts the Future in 1964 … And Kind of Nails It

Isaac Asimov Predicts in 1964 What the World Will Look Like Today — in 2014

Mark Twain Predicts the Internet in 1898: Read His Sci-Fi Crime Story, “From The ‘London Times’ in 1904”

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick Makes Predictions for 2001: Humanity Will Conquer Old Age, Watch 3D TV & Learn German in 20 Minutes

Colin Marshall hosts and produces Notebook on Cities and Culture as well as the video series The City in Cinema and writes essays on cities, language, Asia, and men’s style. He’s at work on a book about Los Angeles, A Los Angeles Primer. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall or on Facebook.

Philip K. Dick Makes Off-the-Wall Predictions for the Future: Mars Colonies, Alien Viruses & More (1981) is a post from: Open Culture. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, or get our Daily Email. And don't miss our big collections of Free Online Courses, Free Online Movies, Free eBooks, Free Audio Books, Free Foreign Language Lessons, and MOOCs.

The post Philip K. Dick Makes Off-the-Wall Predictions for the Future: Mars Colonies, Alien Viruses & More (1981) appeared first on Open Culture.

“There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that’s only suffering. I have no patience for useless things.”

— Frank Underwood, D.D.S.

“There’s no better way to overpower a trickle of doubt than with a flood of naked truth.”

— Frank Underwood, Junior Plumber, Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating Company

“Nobody can hear you. Nobody cares about you. Nothing will come of this. Why don’t you let these nice gentlemen take you home?”

— Frank Underwood, SVP Franchise Development, Uber

“I’m the only person who believes in you, Peter, but maybe that’s one too many. The hot water will open up your capillaries. The aspirin you just took will make your blood thinner. It’s up to you, Peter. Oh, and if you do decide to take the coward’s way out, cut along the tracks, not across them. That’s a rookie mistake.”

— Frank Underwood, Volunteer, Samaritans 24-Hour Crisis Hotline

“Centuries from now, when people watch this footage, who will they see smiling just at the edge of the frame?”

— Frank Underwood, Wedding Videographer

“There is no solace above or below. Only us–-small, solitary, striving, battling one another. I pray to myself, for myself.”

— Frank Underwood, Telemarketer

“Did you think I’d forgotten you? Perhaps you’d hoped I had. Don’t waste a breath mourning Miss Barnes, every kitten grows up to be a cat. They seem so harmless at first–small, quiet, lapping up their saucer of milk. But once their claws get long enough, they draw blood, sometimes from the hand that feeds them. For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted.”

— Frank Underwood, Field Technician, Comcast Corporation

“I’m not going to lie. I despise children. There, I’ve said it.”

— Frank Underwood, 3rd Grade Teacher, Pinewood Charter School

“From the lion’s den to a pack of wolves. When you’re fresh meat, kill and throw them something fresher.”

— Frank Underwood, Farm-to-Table Specialty Butcher, Brooklyn, NY

A brief but stern water conservation talk from the front desk — supported by a laminated fact sheet on your pillow; cactus-themed Valentine’s Day display; or overpriced and possibly Anglicized Mexican food?

Answer: B-M-K.

The first person you meet who says “But it’s a dry heat"; that same stock video of what rain looks like and how to handle water in February; or the trending national news story about recent Arizona legislation?

Answer: B-K-M.

An all-ages Segway tour; a hiker; or a golfer?

Answer: B-M-K.

Leathery men and women in Scottsdale karaoke bars who still call themselves “swingers” instead of “sex-positive”; Canadian real-estate representatives; or that family from Nebraska who only packed shorts?

Answer: K-M-B.

Road congestion; sunscreen sales; or sinus congestion?

Answer: K-B-M.

The roaring chaos at the 16th hole of the Waste Management Phoenix Open; the bidder in front of you who came in 336th place at Barrett Jackson; or the corporate retreat trying to decide if this is actually a trail on the mountain behind the hotel?

Answer: M-K-B.

Zero parallel experiences to City Slickers; that weird pedal-cart seen only during the art walk for eighteen to twenty-four people; or a turquoise bolo tie?

Answer: B-K-M.

Classic Day of the Dead cultural appropriation for a sexy tank-top; comments about how hard it must be to not have trees, you know, real trees around; or screenshots of the weather forecast with a special comment about missing the current blizzard terrorizing the Northeast?

Answer: K, K, B.

Directions to Sedona; directions to the Grand Canyon; or questions about immigration?

Answer: B, B, B.

Love at first sight – whether it’s with a person or a place, in life full of endless uncertainty (seriously, how can you ever be sure?), many of us dream of a moment when we just know, from the very first exposure. We long for the universe to say, “I see how hard you’ve worked. Here, have this happiness. No, no – don’t get up. This one’s on me.” We ache for the comfort that moment would bring.

We worry and we drink, and when we pray, we whisper, “Not my will, but Yours. But also, here are my preferences.” Then we worry some more and drink some more, and wonder when – if – everything will work out. Because it doesn’t matter where we are; all we care about is where we haven’t made it to yet. And sometimes it’s purposeful. We’re selectively blind – afraid of wanting whatever “it” is because “it” isn’t what we spent our early twenties dreaming about:

He isn’t tall enough. We aren’t enough alike. The ocean isn’t close enough. There aren’t enough skyscrapers here.

Enough.

Fear is healthy. More specifically, a fear of settling is good for the soul. You want more, and you deserve more. You deserve to have everything work out.

But see, what romantics haven’t told us is that there are different variations of the “I-just-knew” moment.

Maybe you held his eyes a second longer than usual and realized that the boy you don’t remember meeting is actually kind of perfect for you. Maybe you left the group hang and started toward your car, but turned around and went back inside because this place is actually kind of cool.

Maybe everything has kind of worked out while you weren’t paying attention. Scary, huh? It’s not at all what you wanted, and yet it is.

It’s okay to want what you want, but it’s also okay to not get it sometimes, because sometimes it’s not about the first moment. It’s about the second. And the third.

And all of the moments after.

In a new Russian TV interview, President Vladimir Putin was asked about the prospect of war between Russia and Ukraine. "I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope this will never happen," said the Russian leader. This will come as news to many Ukrainians who view Russia as already fighting a war with their country, In the Putinverse, war with Ukraine is “unlikely.” For everyone not watching Russian TV, it’s already happening.

Putin also said that if the Minsk Agreement reached earlier this month were fully implemented, the situation in Eastern Ukraine would “gradually stabilize.” Too bad he’s the one not implementing it, sending troops over the border and supporting the separatist rebels who continued to seize territory after the Minsk agreement was reached. As for the week-old ceasefire, the Ukrainian government said last Friday that it had already been violated at least 300 times. 

This disconnect led Secretary of State John Kerry today to accuse Russia of lying about its involvement in the conflict and of engaging in “the most overt and extensive propaganda exercise that I've seen since the very height of the Cold War."

The U.S. is threatening more sanctions against Russia over what it’s calling a “land grab”—the seizure of the transportation hub of Debaltseve last week after the ceasefire had gone into effect. The U.S. is also dipping a pinky toe into providing Ukraine with military aid. Between 5 to 10 U.S. troops are heading to the country to provide medical training to Ukrainian forces. Prime Minister David Cameron also announced today that Britain is sending military personnel to provide training ranging from “tactical intelligence to logistics, to medical care."

This is a long way from the kind of military aid that Ukraine has requested and that the Obama administration claims to be considering, but if the ceasefire continues to collapse, it could inch toward more robust support.    

Whatever happens, don’t expect Putin to call it a war.

LONDON — It's not the most obvious solution for alleviating the strain on Britain's over-stretched healthcare system, but one member of parliament thinks using astrology could ease pressure on doctors.

Conservative Party MP David Tredinnick, who is a member of the health select committee and a Capricorn, gave an interview to the Astrological Journal in which he said astrology could have a role to play in healthcare

Astrology, which was invented in the 2nd millennium B.C., has been defined as the study of connections that exist between the positions of the planets at the moment of a person's birth and that person's character and development Read more...

captainhi-top:

Vincenzo Balocchi - Love in Florence, 1940s.

Levine in 1980.

As we mentioned over the weekend, we’ll be celebrating Philip Levine this week by posting some of his poems from our archives. This one, “She’s Not Gone,” comes from our Winter-Spring 1980 issue. To my knowledge, Levine never reprinted it in any of his collections.

“You met a lot of unpretentious people in Philip Levine’s spare, ironic poems,” Dwight Garner wrote in the New York Times on Sunday. “Come as you are, this important and emotionally committed poet told us.”

Someone enters your life
on a day you no longer
remember. The years pass,
and she becomes the mother
you never had, the older
sister smoking before breakfast,
the first friend.

Read the whole poem here.

Everyone knows that artists make for notoriously bad romantic partners; from John Mayer to Jack White, new examples of what Dept. of Speculation author Jenny Offill cleverly deemed the “art monster” pop up in the blogosphere nearly every day. (Not that bad behavior is by any means limited to men — Susan Sontag was many things, but Mother of the Year wasn’t one of them — but with folks like Norman Mailer setting the bar nice and low for their gender, men do make up the majority of this list.) So for your convenience, we’ve rounded up cultural icons past and present who managed to make it big and be decent spouses, partners, and sometimes parents to the people in their lives. Quality crushing material, right this way.

Paul Newman

Celebrity second marriages, particularly celebrity second marriages to younger costars, aren’t known for their long shelf lives. But Paul Newman’s partnership with Joanne Woodward, who he met in 1953 and reconnected with on the set of The Long, Hot Summer in 1957, yielded three daughters, 50 years of marriage, and ten co-starring roles in feature films. She put up with his passion for race cars; he spoke at her college graduation in 1990, which also happened to be their daughter Clea’s.

floriental:

Trys Dienos, 1992

Soil and Oak Standing Desk Via Etsy

Everyone knows that sitting is killing us, so for the past few months, Apartment Therapy staffers have watched with interest as Senior Account Executive and office trailblazer Caroline experimented with a standing desk. Being the health conscious furniture-conscious girl that I am, I decided to follow suit and tackle a one day standing desk experiment. You know, for science. Wanna come along?

READ MORE »

[Originally published February 3, 2011.]

Unpredictable
Head-turning
Majestic
Fast-paced
Expensive
Bone-crunching
Spirited
A hoot

iOS: Editing is often the toughest part of writing, but Voice Dream Writer is an iOS app that helps with the proofreading and organization part by offering up a variety of text-to-speech capabilities.

Read more...

Anya Kamenetz is very clear when she says she didn’t set out to write about standardized testing. A 2014 New America fellow and lead education blogger at National Public Radio, she had already written two books about the future of education and wanted her next project to be about innovations in K-12 education. But as she began researching her new book, The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing—But You Don't Have to Be, she found something surprising: Innovations weren’t at the center of the story for K-12. At best, they were at the margins, always seemed difficult to incorporate. Why? Because of a social and political obsession with standardized testing in America. In order to write accurately about improving K-12 education, she had to write about what she calls "the gorilla in the room."

In writing The Test, Kamenetz traced the history of testing back to its 19th-century origins and found that this gorilla is not the answer to the question of how to build an equality-based meritocracy. On the contrary, she told the audience at a recent New America event: "The more we try to make them [standardized tests] an instrument of increasing equality, the more they’re going to fail us and the kids who really need most of our help and support."

How will testing fail America? As the country becomes more standardized in the classroom, it risks eradicating difference among students, said Kevin Carey, New America’s Education Policy Program Director, cultivating classrooms of robots rather than unicorns. One of the key points The Test makes, according to Carey, is that minimizing difference isn’t necessarily the same thing as minimizing ignorance.

Kamenetz diagnoses two major flaws in America’s testing boom: the lack of transparency about the content of the tests themselves (which she says stifles a robust public discussion about their efficacy) and the punitive dimensions of high-stakes testing. As she put it, "There are some carrots in the No Child Left Behind law, but mostly there are sticks."

Yet for Maurice Sykes, author of Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership, pursuing equality in education isn’t about finding the right way or wrong way to test kids—it’s about reconsidering how society envisions children overall. Based on the current obsession with testing, "our vision of children is that we can assess their development like an assembly line," declared Sykes, who advocates instead for "multiple ways of measuring intelligence." Unfortunately, even with the advent of the more recent Common Core Standards, says Kamenetz, not much has changed when it comes to testing. The Common Core tests are more difficult, but they offer little room for improvement over No Child Left Behind because the format of the tests themselves isn’t substantially different—for example, neither test higher-order thinking like problem solving or critical thinking.

Sykes also raised the thorny issue of the purported "achievement gap," or persistent disparity of educational measures across race, class, and gender lines. For Kamenetz, this disparity is a "tautology masquerading as a problem." Citing a study of students in North Carolina that indicated 85 percent of variation in test scores could be predicted by family income, she asked, why—if income is such a strong predictor—do "we need to administer a test to define what’s happening to these children?"

High-stakes testing has failed as a stand-alone measure of performance for students, teachers, schools, and districts, according to Kamenetz, but the question of useful alternatives is complicated and without an easy answer. The Test, for instance, documents the growing movement of parents who "opt out" of testing. "People leave when they feel that they’re not getting what they want," explained Kamenetz. At the same time, though, numbers continue to wield enormous power. "How many people in this room remember what they got on their SATs?" Kamenetz asked the audience, to a show of at least a dozen hands. Rather than dismissing the validity of "our thirst for metrics and data," which she recognizes is profoundly compelling to parents, Kamenetz said The Test makes a simple argument: "Your analytics are only as good as your underlying data. So let’s really peel back the curtain and see what we really have here."

As critics ponder alternatives, they must also consider assessment and accountability. Carey pointed to "robots, monkeys, butterflies, and unicorns"—the four examples that Kamenetz uses in her book to describe how assessment measurement could be improved. Her book’s takeaway is that America needs to take the "Team Unicorn" approach, which uses existing standardized tests but combines them with individualized measurements like portfolios and performances. Doing away with standardized testing across the board isn’t a realistically feasible option, but adopting a strategy that uses both can help generate data while remaining mindful that tests are far from the only way to assess learning.

So in the meantime, as the country's education system considers how it uses tests and what the best tests might look like, what should parents (and all of the rest of us) be doing? Kamenetz, who suggests in The Test that parents should opt out of testing when they can, affirms that for accountability to be meaningful, it should be community-based—measured by a community’s social norms and cultural values. Sykes cited the recent moves toward universal pre-kindergarten as an opportunity to re-think how the U.S. uses testing to measure child development. Kamenetz had some specific advice for parents in the audience: "The more you understand about how these tests work, the less afraid of them you are and the better you’re going to do at them."

With The Test now in bookstores and sparking conversations across the country, what hopes does Kamenetz have for future innovations in K-12 education? The solution for addressing the "gorilla in the room" is separating testing from consequences or combining the two differently. The upshot for her is that the interlinked problems of testing obsession and educational inequality are "bigger than the people in this room" and "it’s going to take more than the education system to solve [them]."

This post appears courtesy of  New America's Weekly Wonk magazine.

This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/02/why-are-american-schools-obsessed-with-turning-kids-into-robots/385067/

oldtimefriend:

Eva Besnyö, Untitled, Berlin, 1931 

Wilder's memoir reveals that she witnessed more violence than you'd ever know from her children's books. The South Dakota State Historical Society can barely keep up with demand for the autobiography.

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