Monthly Archives: October 2010

my childhood right there

Every Woman by Nancy R. Smith

    “For every woman who is tired of acting weak when she knows she is strong, there is a man who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

    For every woman who is tired of acting dumb, there is a man who is burdened with the constant expectation of “knowing everything.”

    For every woman who is tired of being called “an emotional female,” there is a man who is denied the right to weep and to be gentle.

    For every woman who is called unfeminine when she competes, there is a man for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity.

    For every woman who is tired of being a sex object, there is a man who must worry about his potency.

    For every woman who feels “tied down” by her children, there is a man who is denied the full pleasures of shared parenthood.

    For every woman who is denied meaningful employment or equal pay, there is a man who must bear full financial responsibility for another human being.

    For every woman who was not taught the intricacies of an automobile, there is a man who was not taught the satisfactions of cooking.

    For every woman who takes a step toward her own liberation, there is a man who finds the way to freedom has been made a little easier.”

Link

Conceptual Physics Costumes for Halloween

It’s late October, which means that the thoughts of small children and adults who have never quite grown up turn to selecting appropriate costumes for Halloween. In the spirit of these literary suggestions and these abstract concept suggestions, I thought it would be useful to offer some suggestions for physics-themed costumes, for those who want to dress as something from the greatest science.

Of course, there are some really obvious choices for physics-themed costumes (Einstein: rumpled clothes, white hair, distracted manner, German accent; Feynman: black pants, white shirt, brushed-back hair, bongo drums. Both of these are accentuated by shamelessly hitting on every woman at the party.), but here are a few ideas for costumes that might not be so obvious, to add a physics flavor to your Halloween party:

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: As soon as you arrive, hide in a secluded place and remain perfectly still. If anybody sees you, run really fast in a random direction.

The Pauli Exclusion Principle (Requires two people): Dress in identical outfits, and refuse to be in the same room with one another. If circumstances force you to be close together, one of you must stand on your head.

Schrödinger’s Cat: Wear an ordinary cat costume, but when you get to the party, go hide in a closet. When somebody opens the door to check on you, flip a coin, and if it comes up heads, pretend to be dead.

The Higgs Boson: Stand in a narrow hallway, and impede the motion of anybody who tries to get past you.

Isaac Newton, Alchemist: Wear a long silver wig, and babble to people about the transmutation of elements and the nature of God. For the Method-actor version of this, drink a bunch of mercury a week before the party, and then just be yourself.

P. A. M. Dirac: Dark suit, thin mustache. Don’t say anything.

Sometimes it’s easier to fall in love with cities than it is with people. Take, for example, New York – a monolithic tangle of skyscrapers and spires, or Paris – full of poetic details and varying shades of grey, or Chicago – windy and sunny summers with shiny windows reflecting the inherent bustle at stop lights. Places that hold special moments in time, suspended within the corner cafes and parking garages, lingering in old bookstores and taxi cabs, mingling with the smoggy air of the streets. My favourite memories are cradled within these sprawling human centres.

But what do you have to offer me? You’re a person. You’re a tangle of long limbs and a mop of messy brown hair. You’re hardly a city. Yet, you gaze at me with those piercing eyes and I feel as vulnerable and exhilarated as I do in the streets of Manhattan – where the people passing by on the street and the windows of monolithic buildings are all silent, are all watching me. Perhaps you’re my own private, portable, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Chicago, whatever.

letters to crushes

i-am-the-lighthouse:

FCP made the following statement on commercialisation:

If we were to acknowledge that sexuality is personal and unique, it would become unweildly. Making sexiness into something simple and quantifiable makes it easier to explain and to market. If you remove the human factor from sex and make it about stuff – big fake boobs, bleached blonde hair, long nails, poles, thongs – then you can sell it. Suddenly, sex requires shopping; you need plastic surgery, peroxide, a manicure, a mall. What is really out of commericial control is that you still can’t bottle attraction.

“you still can’t bottle attraction.”

Strange as it seems I think I forget this sometimes. There is really no ideal to strive for or look for. People just make you feel a certain way, and it’s rarely, if ever, because of how they look or what they have. It tends to go beyond their talents and skills, even past beliefs and the similarities and differences between you and them, although surely these all contribute. I think this is the main reason people believe in something beyond science: the indescribable complexities of human interaction and emotion.

Christmas is coming… 😀

shoepastryheart:

(via chrizvb, losemysoul)

this is how I like to lay in hammocks too!