Seasons

On google maps, Montreal is a patchwork of seasons. Winter slashes across the island and engulfs the North-Eastern part. Dunno why, but it's quite beautiful, and somehow a little sad...

M83 - Midnight City

Here is the official video for M83‘s ubiquitous summer hit ‘Midnight City‘ coinciding with the release of the album ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming‘ this week.

directed by French duo Fleur & Manu; the video follows a group of gifted children running away from their captors with Los Angeles acting as a backdrop. Anthony Gonzalez‘s recent relocation to LA may have played a part on the choosing of a location.

Summary courtesy of Cougar Microbes

Chemistry Joke

Unguarded Weapons in Libya

Human Rights Watch video on abandoned weapons stashes in the Lybian desert, unguarded and uncounted....

Choice

Courtesy of Nick Rose.

Yesterday was Picasso's 130th b-day!

Genius in action... Short interesting blog post on Picasso and the origin of this clip at BrainPickings.

Coaching Styles and the Brain: Boyatzis' Collaboration with a Neuroscientist

Lovely Ancient Image Of Woman Giving Birth May Be World’s First

This may be one of the earliest images in Western art of a woman giving birth, but that isn't the only reason it's incredible; it was found by a student who's legally blind. William Nutt of the University of Texas at Arlington found the 2,600-year-old relief on a fragment of a pot in an ancient Etruscan site near Florence, Italy. "I used dental tools and a sharpened trowel to slide along the ground. I'd run my hands along the soil, feeling and uncovering different layers," says Nutt. "The image is unique because in the classical world, we don't see a lot of birthing scenes." In January Nutt and the other researchers will be present their findings to the Archaeological Institute of America.

Via Jezebel

Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans

This video has a similar aesthetic to the first one I posted from her -I think she edited them herself, too. I'm hooked.

Card for Jaimie & Gord

Hi! So did you know that Jaimie (Nick's sister) and her husband Gord are expecting their third kid? Well, they are. It's past the 'risky' period (phew) and thus "official" (it's customary not to make any public baby announcements before 3 months, because shit happens, y'know?).

I am sending them a little word of congrats. Check out the envelope I made! (it's an illustration glued onto one of the little envelopes I got for Christmas from Alex- such an awesome gift).

I mean, you guys know the symbolism of the stork, right?

In English folk mythology and old wive's tales, storks deliver newborn babies to mothers by dropping them down chimneys. This is the origin of the phrase "Dr. Stork" to refer to an obstetrician.

Storks have been revered in Europe since the Middle Ages. Their association with babies and birth announcements originates many centuries ago in legend and lore native to northern Germany. One popular stork tale revolves around the folk legend that the souls of unborn children live in watery areas such as marshes, wells, springs and ponds. Since storks visit such habitats frequently, they were believed to fetch babies’ souls and deliver them to their parents.

More on the stork in popular (baby) culture here.

"Sardonic"

Ever heard the expression "sardonic wit"? I knew how to use the word, but I was never quite sure what "sardonic" meant.

sar·don·ic

   [sahr-don-ik] Show IPA

adjective

characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical;sneering: a sardonic grin.

But the really cool thing about it is the origin of the word (its etymology).

Origin: 1630-40; alteration of earlier sardonian (influenced byFrench sardonique) < Latin sardoni(us) (< Greek sardónios ofSardinia) + an; alluding to a Sardinian plant which when eaten was supposed to produce convulsive laughter ending in death (dictionary.com)

Wikitionary tells a slighty different tale:

French sardonique < Latin sardonius < Ancient Greek σαρδόνιος (sardonios), alternative form of σαρδάνιος (sardanios, “bitter or scornful laughter”), which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (Ranunculus sardous), known as either σαρδάνη(sardanē) or σαρδόνιον (sardonion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (sairō, “I grin”).

And what does this killer plant with the twisted sense of humour look like?

It's a variety of buttercup.

Eye Spy

The London Eye is a 135-metre tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London. I'm sure you guys have seen it...

Nick and I went on it in 2007 (we look youuuuunnnggg, weird). And it offers pretty incredible views of London.

Anyway, all that to say that you can see the reflection of the London Eye in the Thames from Google Earth, which I think is pretty beautiful.

Cool, huh? Fun fact, Big Ben is also in this photo, but it's hard to find if you don't know where to look.See the tube station sign in the bottom left corner of the photo? about a centimetre below it, slightly to the right, that little pyramid-like structure? That's it!

Other cool fact? You can tell what time the photo was taken at based on the direction of the shadow (shadow pointing westward --> sun coming from the East --> Early AM)

Arcade Fire & Neil Young - Helpless - Bridge School Benefit - 10/22/11

Occupy Wall Street - Chris Hedges shuts down CBC Kevin O'Leary

CBC interviewer pnoed by journalist, author and professor Chris Hedges.

CBC's Kevin O'Leary: "Listen, don't take this the wrong way, but you sound like a left-wing nutbar". So professional.

Interesting side note: The Hurt Locker opened with a quote from Chris Hedge's book War is a Force that Gives us Meaning (2002): "The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug."