rondiver

Pretty Chic Little Camper

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:21:46 -0700

fuckyeahawesomehouses:

Rear Window.

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:35:58 -0700

Rear Window.

sorrywehurtyourfieldmister: Construction of the Golden Gate...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:31:07 -0800

sorrywehurtyourfieldmister:

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, 1933-1937

Video

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:11:38 -0800

cameronnewland: Kanye West vs. Daft Punk - Stronger Toys...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:15:51 -0700

cameronnewland:

Kanye West vs. Daft Punk - Stronger Toys (Dotcom Mashup)

They're made out of Meat, by Terry Bisson

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:47:49 -0700

"They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"Meat. They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars."

"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."

"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."

"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."

"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they're made out of meat."

"Maybe they're like the Orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."

"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their life spans, which didn't take too long. Do you have any idea the life span of meat?"

"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the Weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside."

"Nope. We thought of that, since they do have meat heads like the Weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way through."

"No brain?"

"Oh, there is a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made out of meat!"

"So... what does the thinking?"

"You're not understanding, are you? The brain does the thinking. The meat."

"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat!"

"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you getting the picture?"

"Omigod. You're serious then. They're made out of meat."

"Finally, Yes. They are indeed made out meat. And they've been trying to get in touch with us for almost a hundred of their years."

"So what does the meat have in mind?"

"First it wants to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants to explore the universe, contact other sentients, swap ideas and information. The usual."

"We're supposed to talk to meat?"

"That's the idea. That's the message they're sending out by radio. 'Hello. Anyone out there? Anyone home?' That sort of thing."

"They actually do talk, then. They use words, ideas, concepts?"

"Oh, yes. Except they do it with meat."

"I thought you just told me they used radio."

"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."

"Omigod. Singing meat. This is altogether too much. So what do you advise?"

"Officially or unofficially?"

"Both."

"Officially, we are required to contact, welcome, and log in any and all sentient races or multibeings in the quadrant, without prejudice, fear, or favor. Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing."

"I was hoping you would say that."

"It seems harsh, but there is a limit. Do we really want to make contact with meat?"

"I agree one hundred percent. What's there to say?" `Hello, meat. How's it going?' But will this work? How many planets are we dealing with here?"

"Just one. They can travel to other planets in special meat containers, but they can't live on them. And being meat, they only travel through C space. Which limits them to the speed of light and makes the possibility of their ever making contact pretty slim. Infinitesimal, in fact."

"So we just pretend there's no one home in the universe."

"That's it."

"Cruel. But you said it yourself, who wants to meet meat? And the ones who have been aboard our vessels, the ones you have probed? You're sure they won't remember?"

"They'll be considered crackpots if they do. We went into their heads and smoothed out their meat so that we're just a dream to them."

"A dream to meat! How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."

"And we can mark this sector unoccupied."

"Good. Agreed, officially and unofficially. Case closed. Any others? Anyone interesting on that side of the galaxy?"

"Yes, a rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence in a class nine star in G445 zone. Was in contact two galactic rotations ago, wants to be friendly again."

"They always come around."

"And why not? Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the universe would be if one were all alone."

BRYCE DOT VC: Everyone Fails

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:36:27 -0700

BRYCE DOT VC: Everyone Fails:

brycedotvc:

A few months back we took our kids to a used bookstore and let them each pick out something new to read. As kids will do, they pulled out book after book with the funniest titles and brightest cover art. Of course my son found the one book with the word “poop” in the title. He was committed to…

Developing Perspective: Mac Value Analysis

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:26:59 -0700

Developing Perspective: Mac Value Analysis:

developingperspective:

As an extension of my previous post about the new Mac lineup I did a quick analysis of the cost per performance of the current entire range of Macs.

Spoiler: The Mac Mini still wins.

Method

Select each Mac in the current lineup

Choose each available CPU option

Keep every other option (RAM,…

"But the whole dark genius of corporations is that they allow for individual reward without..."

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 07:51:48 -0700

“But the whole dark genius of corporations is that they allow for individual reward without individual obligation. The workers’ obligations are to the executives, and the executives’ obligations are to the CEO, and the CEO’s obligation is to the Board of Directors, and the Board’s obligation is to the stockholders, who are also the same customers the corporation will screw over at the very earliest opportunity in the name of profit, which profits are distributed as dividends to the very stockholders-slash-cusomters they’ve been [expletive] over in their own name. It’s like a fugue of evaded responsibility.”

- David Foster Wallace (via azspot)

The Avalanches - ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:12:09 -0700

The Avalanches - ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’

Bustr Bensn: 3 engines for love and business

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:39:03 -0700

Bustr Bensn: 3 engines for love and business:

bustr:

Engine A

Fail early, fail often. Great for brainstorming, adventure, excitement, following all leads. It’s lustful and risky. It’s about accepting all offers. Being extroverted and social. Driven by adrenaline and testosterone. Manic. Raw energy. Exploring the landscape, being open to all…

Bass strings at high frame rate. “Frequency of the bass...

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:29:00 -0700

Bass strings at high frame rate.

“Frequency of the bass strings and high shutter speed of the camera led to this surprising string-wobble footage.

There is no slowmo applied to the take. Sound is original.
Video was filmed with a Canon 5D MarkII, Nikon 50mm lens on 1,8f.”

rafer: nickdouglas: This shuts them up - Imgur

Tue, 03 May 2011 10:37:36 -0700

rafer:

nickdouglas: This shuts them up - Imgur

sonnynguyen: Breathtaking.

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:50:52 -0700

sonnynguyen:

Breathtaking.

mandaflewaway: CLICK TO MAKE SOME MUSIC

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:32:42 -0700

mandaflewaway:

CLICK TO MAKE SOME MUSIC

heyamberrae: Just Keep Going, You Got Nothing to Lose - Shot in...

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:11:19 -0700

heyamberrae:

Just Keep Going, You Got Nothing to Lose - Shot in the NY subway, this is a powerful and moving video about life.

“Life is just a journey. And wherever you’re going, whatever your destination is, the only thing that matters is the ride.” - Luke Rudkowski

ps the music in this video is amazing

(h/t Willie for sending my way.)

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a..."

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:18:35 -0700

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”

- President Eisenhower. (I wish ten million Americans would send this quote to President Obama.)

vruz: posted and reblogged many times before. never out of fashion.

(via vruz)

dears: This just made me laugh so hard I snorted my tea.

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:21:42 -0700

dears:

This just made me laugh so hard I snorted my tea.

The Aurora.

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:12:38 -0700

The Aurora.

fuckyeahnortherncalifornia: Downtown San Francisco from Twin...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:27:29 -0700

fuckyeahnortherncalifornia:

Downtown San Francisco from Twin Peaks. Jan 2008

Though iv’e been a photographer for over 5 years i only recently made a Tumblr and am still trying to figure out how it all works. Anyways, I took the 37 from Haight Street and got off near Twin Peaks Blvd. There were wooden steps that led up the grassy hills to the road that snakes around Twin Peaks. I still remember how quiet it was while gazing at Sutro Tower, just standing tall in that silence. When i got to the top and looked behind me i knew that it would be a photo that i could display for years to come.

submitted by notesofatraveler.