Thumbs and Ammo posits the idea: would it be funny to replace guns with thumbs up in stills from movies?
YES!
Gravitational Radius by David Adey
Digital printouts of fashion imagery from various places online, laser-cut and pinned to a foam panel.
Amazing Symmetrical Trees by Oliver Delgado
Oliver Delgado explains that despite seeming unreal, these are genuine photographs not digital montages.
“all images are real. I only adjusted levels in Lightroom”
Funny and Entertaining Animate GIF movies from Guillaume Kurkdjian
They really do play like little looped movies, these animated GIFs from Guillaume Kurkdjian.
Patterns in Urban Spaces in Photos by Jared Lim
Singapore-based Jared Lim on his project:
"Urban Exploration consists of photos I took during the course of my full-time, travel-related career. Since most of the places I travel to are major cities, architecture is the prevailing theme. I have loved geometry since I was a kid. Even when I was young, I loved to create repeated patterns and designs at school."
See also Patterns in Urban Architecture
Young Daughter Models for Photographer's Re-creation of Famous Paintings
Melbourne-based photographer Bill Gekas has his young daughter fulfill a lot of roles in this series of photos re-creating these famous paintings.
The World Seen From Above Captured by Cameron Davidson
Based in Washington D.C., Cameron Davidson is an aerial photographer whose work has been featured in such publications as National Geographic, Vanity Fair and Smithsonian Magazine. To see more of his work, visit camerondavidson.com.
See also Kite Aerial Photography
Sunday 2 pm for The Great Beyond @ Beyond Baroque
If you are in the Los Angeles area this Sunday May 19, you should catch my reading at 2pm as a featured poet for the Great Beyond at Beyond Baroque On Venice Blvd in Venice.
Norman Mailer’s character timeline for Harlot’s Ghost.
Authors' Handwritten Charts and Outlines
A lot of the work of novel making is the handling of an immensely complex imaginary system of people, incidents and actions. Not surprising, a lot of writers resort to charts, outlines and graphs to handle it.
See also Harsh First Reviews of Now Cherished Books
Joseph Heller’s chart outline for Catch-22.
J.K Rowling's chart for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
James Salter’s outline for Light Years.
Sylvia Plath’s outline for The Bell Jar.
William Faulkner’s outline for A Fable — written on his office walls.
Part of Jennifer Egan’s plan for her short story “Black Box.”
Henry Miller’s manuscript plan for Tropic of Capricorn.
All the Books Mentioned
IndieGoGo Projects We Love - W.S. Merwin Doc: EVEN THOUGH THE WHOLE WORLD IS BURNING
From the PROJECT PAGE:
Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin has won almost every major poetry prize that exists, including two Pulitzers. His legacy is based not only upon his writings, however, but also the singular form of environmental activism and land stewardship he embodies.
Now in his 86th year, Merwin has dedicated over three decades to preserving and regenerating native plants and palms on a 19-acre site on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii. Called the Merwin Conservancy, the preserve holds the most comprehensive private collection of palms in the world, with over 800 species. These tangible actions for the environment go hand-in-hand with his poetry, offering important insights for an era marked by environmental degradation, human disconnect with natural processes, and rapid climate change.
Merwin is a vibrant, humorous and challenging subject, and has not been involved in a feature documentary before. EVEN THOUGH THE WHOLE WORLD IS BURNING is an intimate portrait of a man who is often called a “national treasure.”
Contribute now (I just did) »
I was made to think of this poem by today's post: Moving Endangered Ecuadorian Frog Portraits by Peter Lipton
POTD - On the Coast Near Sausalito by Robert Hass former Poet Laureate
On the Coast Near Sausalito
by Robert Hass
1.
I won’t say much for the sea,
except that it was, almost,
the color of sour milk.
The sun in that clear
unmenacing sky was low,
angled off the gray fissure of the cliffs,
hills dark green with manzanita.
Low tide: slimed rocks
mottled brown and thick with kelp
merged with the gray stone
of the breakwater, sliding off
to antediluvian depths.
The old story: here filthy life begins.
2.
Fish-
ing, as Melville said,
“to purge the spleen,”
to put to task my clumsy hands
my hands that bruise by
not touching
pluck the legs from a prawn,
peel the shell off,
and curl the body twice about a hook.
3.
The cabezone is not highly regarded
by fishermen, except Italians
who have the grace
to fry the pale, almost bluish flesh
in olive oil with a sprig
of fresh rosemary.
The cabezone, an ugly atavistic fish,
as old as the coastal shelf
it feeds upon
has fins of duck’s-web thickness,
resembles a prehistoric toad,
and is delicately sweet.
Catching one, the fierce quiver of surprise
and the line’s tension
are a recognition.
4.
But it’s strange to kill
for the sudden feel of life.
The danger is
to moralize
that strangeness.
Holding the spiny monster in my hands
his bulging purple eyes
were eyes and the sun was
almost tangent to the planet
on our uneasy coast.
Creature and creatures,
we stared down centuries.
Hass' clear human voice, full of curiosity and attentiveness, has always been a deep source of inspiration for me. This poem from his first collection was one of the first of his I began to connect with in that way.
Mirrored Mannequins by Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen
Artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen fashioned these four reflective mannequins covered in mirrors. Each was lit like a disco ball, and a person in a reflective body suit moved through the space during the reception.
"The mirror surfaces of the mannequins turn our gaze back onto ourselves, forcing us to become aware of our own bodies and consumption habits. This way revealed, we can see ourselves as part of a much larger system, as complex and chaotic as ever the sculptures’ reflections on the walls."
Moving Endangered Ecuadorian Frog Portraits by Peter Lipton
Home to almost 9% of amphibian species in the world (a third of which are endangered) , Ecuador has a program called Balsa de los Sapos (Life raft of the frogs), and these photos from photographer Peter Lipton aim to educate and document in this effort.
Feline Superheros by Jenny Parks
Jenny Parks, a freelance scientific illustrator in San Francisco, has this outstanding set of feline superheros.
Song of the Day - Keep Your Eyes Peeled by Queens of the Stone Age
The Queens of the Stone Age have a new album coming, and this imaginative animated video is for their latest single, Keep Your Eyes Peeled.
Pre-order the album »
Animated Visualization of Earth's Meteor Strikes
Carlo Zapponi created this astounding (and fun) animated visualization of all meteorites that have ever been reported to hit the earth: about 1,042 meteorites in total.
Click through to see the whole experience.
Hanging Around
A two year old Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of the Sabinyo family, plays in the bamboo forest of Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. In 1981, this population fell to 240 because of rampent poaching and habitat loss. Today the population is estimated to be around 800 and rising and this photograph represents the exciting turn around and hope for the next generation. Thank you to the conservationists, rangers and educators working to protect these magnificent cousins of ours and their habitat in the Virunga massif.
Photo and caption by Peter Stanley/National Geographic Traveler Photo ContestAbsolutely Stunning Animal Photos from the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Amongst the many adventure and historic photos in the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest are an amazing collection of animal portraits.
Curious Whaleshark
Whaleshark encounter in the Bohol Sea, Philippines.
Photo and caption by Jonne Seijdel/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Gentoo Chicks
Two newly hatched Gentoo Penguin chicks get their first glimpse at the Antarctic wilderness.
Photo and caption by Richard Sidey/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Osprey Launching
I clicked this photo as the osprey was taking off from his perch.
Photo and caption by Mark Gottlieb/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Togetherness
A family of snow monkeys cuddling up together for security and warmth. They appeared very protective of one another and seemed unsure of my presence.
Photo and caption by Petra Bensted/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Unexpected Alliance
I have seen alligators and turtles together in ponds before, but never like this! I was at Bluebill Pond in Harris Neck NWR when I saw what I thought was an alligator sunning itself on a stump. As I got closer I realized that it was actually perched on the back of a turtle! I wish I had been there to witness how this surprising esprit de corps had came to pass!
Photo and caption by Mary Ellen Urbanski/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
Looking Into My Eyes
This picture was taken on a game drive in the Addo Elephant National Park, the third largest national park in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The park contains a wide diversity of fauna, flora and landscapes and incorporates semi-arid landscapes all the way to a marine reserve. These zebra were so calm and you just got the feeling they wanted to be photographed!
Photo and caption by Natalie Murray/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
In the Rain
This photograph was taken while I was on vacation in South Carolina. It was a rainy miserable day until I happened upon this alligator hanging out in a local pond.
Photo and caption by Kandace Stroupe/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Ruffled Feather Inspection
A cafe outside of Aquas Calientes in the Cuzco region of Peru has perches for wild parrots that come and feed on seed and fruit left out for them. This curious little fella was peeking out from behind a leaf to get a better look at me. Apparently he was entertained by the odd human with the camera because he let me get only a few inches away, where my ring light could better illuminate his beautiful feathers.
Photo and caption by Adam Lichtcsien/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Oregon Lion
Sea lion on Pacific coast of Oregon.
Photo and caption by Gary Migues/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Fighter
Two vultures in action. From Massai Mara in Kenya, while they are fighting.
Photo and caption by Majed Ali/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
One Mothers Love
Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge
I love watching the affection and attention that Bonobos have for their young. They truly are a wonderful species of ape.
Morning Game Drive
Our first morning game drive on safari in South Africa brought us this magnificent leopard. He was bathed in the orange hues of the sunrise and it was breathtaking.
Photo and caption by Douglas Croft/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Google Break Out Easter Egg
Gotta love the whimsy of the Google Easter eggs. Here's a new one. Search for Atari Breakout and suddenly you're playing the old favorite.
Give it a shot!
Euphoric Vision of the Future of Personal Media
This moving and impactful video footage, paired with this is a speech by Antoine Cartier-Wells, founder of Memorize, a Paris based corporation, leading this technological revolution with their Sensen technology.
Dynamic Black and White Underwater Photos by Hengki Koentjoro
Seems a bit counter intuitive to me, but these black and white underwater photos from Indonesian photographer Hengki Koentjoro seem even more vibrant and dynamic than so much underwater photography I've seen. There is a sense of moment, presence and space that often gets obscured by the saturated tones in full color photography. Or maybe it's just this photographer's eye.
