Sithel

UPSIDE DOWN can be spelled upside down using right way up letters of the alphabet: umop apisdn.

ruleoneandrun:

dracofidus:

princeofdoomrps:

ghostcries:

also guys i think it’s time to start spelling ‘small’ right again,, it’s been long enough

see the thing is, at this point, smol isn’t even a “mispelling” of small anymore; it has its own connotations. while small is a regular adjective, smol acts more like a diminutive marker, which English has been lacking

in essence, a smol dog will always be a small dog, but not all small dogs are smol.

THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING

Small = size indication, smol = precious and small

I just want to point out that similar things have happened before. “Cute” is originally a variation on “acute”, and now people don’t even think of them as related. 

A Linguist Tweets Too Like The Lightning by Ada Palmer 

After I read an excerpt from Too Like The Lightning on Language Log, I couldn’t rest until I’d read the book. It turned out to be really linguistically interesting, so go check out the livetweet and the book. 

Vowels are like the fuel that makes word-machines go. Consonants are hardware.

Skp th vwls? Mch lss mvmnt.
I e ooa? ou ue.

This tweet doubles as a great explanation of the difference between semantic and pragmatics: 

A: Your greatest weakness? 
B: Interpreting semantics of a question but ignoring the pragmatics
A: Could you give an example?
B: Yes, I could

IT'S GUNNA EAT MEEEE...oh wait

#everyoneisspecial #homemade #pretzels

BIG NEWS! The L.W.A. will be making a rare West Coast appearance for an afternoon of letter writing and postal chatter inside of Secret Alley. A commemorative stationery (pictured, isn't it rad!?) will be provided to send out your coded missives and your encrypted messages. There will also be invisible ink for your most secret of letters from the Secret Alley. You should bring yourself and your stamps and addresses. YOU WILL NEED A TICKET! A small donation will secure your spot in this extraordinary space for what is certain to be an extraordinary afternoon. I'm serious you guys. This place is rad. I can't wait to see you in it, writing letters.

Where: Secret Alley

When: Friday, August 19th, 3PM - 5PM

Cost: $5, all proceeds directly benefit the Secret Alley

Here's the link to the Event Brite page. The password is SWAK. Hope to see you soon. Yours, secretly,

She looks a bit wobbly on the dummy- my dressform is so knackered I can no longer adjust her, so I had to pin the jacket a little for the photo.

also, I think I got the neckline a tiny bit askew, it’s hard to tell until I’m actually wearing it due to the wobbly broken nature of my poor old dummy

.

Cutting the ribbon for the ties turned out to be pretty nerve wracking because I think I paid almost as much for five metres of double sided silk ribbon at maculloch and wallis as I did for the yellow satin on ebay.

the original had alternating colours of ribbon, but matching the yellow satin, even vaguely matching it, proved impossible because it’s a very odd yellow. So I went for all blue, which looks nice enough, although two colours would have been quite cool.

I’m tempted to just stitch a strip of the blue ribbon along one edge as a kind of modesty strip because the ribbon ties inevitably leave a gap – the same gap shows on jenny tiramanis reconstruction as well, so it’s not just me. I’m also considering a hook and eye behind each tie. I know the gap must have shown on the original as well because the ribbons are right on the edge, but…

The original also had tiny cuffs, which I omitted for two reasons,

1. I’m going to wear lace cuffs, as seen in portraits of this kind of jacket.
2. if I had to do one more couched swirly there was a danger I would take up axe murdering.

My rendition of Laffo, a clown monk as played by a friend in the D&D campaign I am running.

I am both captivated and horrified at the same time.

Read more...

I meant to post this Thursday, but I felt overwhelmingly meh all week, so I never got round to it.

There are quite a few of these triangle faces in the psalter. I think they’re a satire of the fashionable headress of the time, but I think they’re sort of cute.

From Thomas Turner’s excellent FLYING LESSONS newsletter, here is a simple guideline for knowing when you should contact ATC to declare an emergency. 

Should I declare an emergency?

If I’m:

• Performing a task or procedure from the Emergency Procedures section of the Pilot’s Operating Handbook or Airplane Flight Manual;
• Violating or in danger of violating an airplane Limitation;
• Violating or in danger of violating a Federal Air Regulation (or international equivalent) with no way to rectify the situation; and/or
• The safe outcome of the flight is in any way in doubt;

then I should declare an emergency. There is no question; it is not a judgment call. Get the help you need right away.

Clear, simple, and memorable. 

I have a follow up question this morning in my Craftsy.com travel sketching class, on the topic of sketching flowers.

Now, I am not by any means a botanical artist. I’m not even a painter of flowers in watercolor (not yet!).  I know the botanical people are committed to accuracy, and the flower painters are all about lush color and beautiful compositions. But this particular class is more about being able to sketch anything, anywhere, anytime!

I guess flowers are going to come up as often any anything else:)

I think this question has been tricky to answer in the class, because I’ve been going on and on about drawing shadow shapes – and often students think I mean *darks* when I say shadow shapes. But of course, some shapes are quite pale. They’re still shadows on a form though! And naturally – a high key, delicate thing like a flower – that is something ill suited to pen and ink in the first place. So it’s going to take a light touch!

BUT – we can’t shy away from that.  Just go for it, and think – less is more when it comes to this sort of thing.

Here’s two little sketches – first – if I was going to just draw this flower in pen-and-ink, and second, if I intended to paint it.

In point of fact, if I was going to paint it, I might draw that in pencil, so the line was even less dominant. But – for the purposes of this demo, this is a Platinum Carbon EF nib fountain pen, and a few touches of the Kuretake Sumi Brush pen.

Some notes – see the pink line drawn over the photo (click to enlarge) – that is what my eye is ‘tracing’ when I’m drawing the shadow shape of this flower.

Here’s some light washes. See how I’m using that shadow shape like a map for placing the color?

This is how sketching helps us learn to paint. Over time you’ll train yourself to see these shapes without a guideline. But when you’re sketching fast – that pen or pencil line is invaluable to help you paint it later.  (Just like the other day, when I was sketching from life, and painting after).

So that’s going out for Louise B :) Hope that helps clarify my earlier explanation!

~m

 

 

This vegetable nursery in Vietnam has been designed by 1+1>2 International Architecture Company to help promote green growing and living habits. The architecture firm worked alongside Action for the City to create the nursery that’s made almost entirely from bamboo and plastic bottles.

The nursery is clad with around 2,000 bottles that help to provide a degree of protection against the wind and rain. It also serves as a funnel, capturing raining water run-off and channelling it down to the plants. And while it primarily functions as a greenhouse, it can also be used by the local farmers and workers as a rest place, or as an educational space for children to learn about their local ecosystem.

All of the bottles have been donated by locals of the immediate community. The lightweight structure allows the vegetable nursery to be moved with ease. The project was part of a collaboration between the countries of Vietnam and Ireland, and is designed to support the local citizens. According to the architects it is an “example of researching, [and] applying recycled materials in construction which could be disseminated to other models.”

The unit has a floor area of 6 square meters (64 square feet) and is 3.6 meters tall (11.8 feet). The nursery was recently on display at the Museum of Women throughout November and December. It has since been moved on to Soc Son organic vegetable farm, where its being put to use as an active green house.

For more bamboo buildings and spaces check out the floating Blooming Bamboo House by H&P Architects. Or these prefab houses built with bamboo by TYIN, a non-profit humanitarian organization. See all natural buildings.

Via Inhabitat
Photos: 1+1>2 International Architecture Company

This post Vegetable Nursery Made from Bamboo and Recycled Bottles appeared first on Humble Homes.

I think I missed the Adulting class where they explained "networking," you guys.

Not the computer one - I remember missing THAT class - but the quasi-social one you're supposed to do with other quasi-professional types "in your field." The one that's becoming more and more frequent at cons these days. I just... don't get it?

Like, I came home from MegaCon with dozens and dozens of business cards, and now I'm staring at them on my desktop trying to remember when John and I met a professional llama wrangler or a podcaster who specializes in cow sounds. (OK, I made those up. I'd totally remember those peeps. It's the more legit stuff that's worrying.)

My point is, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do from here.

My inner 6-year-old wants to believe "networking" is basically how adults make playdates for themselves. Because that would be awesome. Just think, all our business cards could list stuff like "collects spores, molds, & Ghostbuster references," "likes Disney fireworks," and "reacts adversely to tequila." All information one can actually USE. You know, socially. For the adult playdate thing. But not in a kinky way. THIS IS NOT A KINKY THING OK.

But truth is, I've been burned too many times with Cake Wrecks to believe the ritual giving-of-the-card has anything to do with a person liking me. I've gone to lunches and park outings thinking I was meeting a a new friend, only to be grilled about my SEO strategy (I have none), how my blog went viral (uhhhh luck?), and how they, too, can make millions by sitting at home in their jammies (they can't, & I don't.)

Even now, when we do 3-4  meetups per month, if the very first question is something businessy about CW I kind of... deflate... inside. Nothing major. I mean, I don't mind talking about my day job. It's just an "Oh. right. THIS is why I'm interesting," kind of moment. (Which, for the record, rarely happens anymore. Most of you guys would rather talk geek. Which is why I like you.)

Then there's this weird, Hollywood-esque vocabulary people fall into when they're trying to network and/or impress you, in which they all have "projects" in the works they can only talk about in veiled, confusing terms, but they have "top-level" "connections" and maybe want your "creative input" and some outright say they want to "network," and I have no idea what any of that means but I still smile and nod and generally try to act like I don't write poo puns for a living. Can we get a Babel Fish over here? 'Cuz it's a minefield, I tell you. A MINEFIELD.


You know what it is? It's me, on my very first book tour, being handed out of a fancy car into an even fancier hotel - doormen in spotless white gloves, chandeliers the size of my living room, nary an unplucked eyebrow in sight - and I'm in a Teeange Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt. Or it's me as a pre-teen accidentally wandering into Fredericks of Hollywood: confusing, eye-opening, and a bit embarrassing for everyone involved.

See, I feel like I should ask you guys for advice here, but all I really want to know is what would be on your Adult Playdate business cards. Which, again - I can not stress this enough - is not a kinky thing. (You have the whole rest of the internet, kinky playdate peeps. DON'T JUDGE.) So yeah, while you're at it, maybe give me a better name for that, too?

The other day Les Amis de la Montagne invited a few sketchers from our drawing group USK:MTL up to the mountain – to attend their annual benefit luncheon Chapeau Mont Royal.It’s a fundraiser in support of the famous mountain park that gives our city its name. But also, an opportunity (or maybe a challenge?) for the glitterati of Montreal to come out on a beautiful sunny day and show off their most extravagant party hats!

Why not combine civic duty with a chance to show off your unique fashion sense? That seems like a perfectly Montreal solution to keeping our park a vital center in city life.

These were sketched as the reception line flew by (we knew each guest would have to briefly stop to shake hands with the greeters – a perfect drawing spot for the sketcher-paparazzi). I’m using only a 0.3mm pencil on the moving subjects, jotting written notes as to colors, then painting with watercolor that afternoon.

We did our best to play along with the theme. I even replaced my ubiquitous baseball cap.  I mean – the most important thing for me is shading my eyes when drawing. Men’s hats right now are experiencing a shrinking brim situation!

So, thanks to Les Amis – and now that we know the score, maybe we’ll be back next year with some fancy millinery arts of our own :)

"Born a slave somewhere in Tennessee, Mary lived to become one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath, or a .38." --Gary Cooper, writing about Mary Fields for Ebony magazine in 1959

After a tip from my husband, I spent a delightful morning researching the life of Mary Fields. Short story, she was a mail delivering badass; however, the long story is worth your time.  Born into slavery around 1832 and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, Mary traveled from Tennessee to Ohio working for a convent as a carpenter and laborer. Her work there lead to a journey to Montana where she helped establish a mission and school.

At the age of 60, she became the first African-American female mail carrier when she demonstrated that she could hitch a team of horses faster than any other applicant. She was the second woman, and the first black person of any gender, to work for the U.S. Post Office. She protected the mail coach with her imposing six-foot presence and a trusty shotgun. She never missed a delivery day. If the snow was too deep for the horses, she'd put on snowshoes and carry the mail herself.

They called her "Stagecoach Mary" and there was a bet at the local bar that she could knock out any cowboy with one punch. Legend has it, she always collected her five dollars and glass of whiskey. This is at a time when women weren't even allowed in saloons in Montana, but she got a special pass from the governor because she was just that much of a badass. I love her so much, you guys. What a special person. She's now my go-to historical figure for the "Who would you like to have a drink with in history?" question. 

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