Social Rituals, Assembly-Line Confession, and Cosmological Confusion

Last updated on: April 7, 2017 at 11:24 am By Tom Swiss

And so what is currently thought to be 68% of the universe may suddenly disappear, if these calculations hold up. Science can indeed be destructive! Read more

Icelandic Heathens Rising, Cultural Appropriation Violence, And Free Software And Sexual Freedom

Last updated on: March 30, 2017 at 1:12 am By Tom Swiss

The idea of "cultural appropriation" has once again provoked violence from someone who decided they have the right to police the personal choices of others. (If you're new here, cultural appropriation is something we've discussed before.) Read more

“Big Black Cat” (Song, “52 Make-Up” Week 12)

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 10:21 am By Tom Swiss

Where do songs come from? In this case, from 1. Seeing a big black cat in my back yard, 2. Tweeting about it, and 3. Noticing the nice rhythm of the phase "Big black cat in my backyard". Read more

Zen And The Art Of…Obeying The Rules?

Last updated on: March 27, 2017 at 6:36 pm By Tom Swiss

To some extent, “stability” means “resistance to change". To change an unjust system you may need to create some instability -- some holy chaos. Read more

Bad Maps, Say His Name, And Stopping A Street Fight

Last updated on: March 23, 2017 at 1:37 am By Tom Swiss

Our usual mid-week selection of quick takes. Bad Maps: Gall-Peters is no cartographic hero Breathless news stories this week described how Boston’s adoption of the Gall-Peters projection of the world map over the Mercator one would correct “500 years of distortion” [The Guardian] and how its introduction was “blowing [student’s] minds”. [Boing Boing] Please. Yes, the Mercator grossly distorts the sizes of nations, making those farther from the equator (the US, Canada, Europe, Russia) seem bigger than those nearer (e.g.,... Read more

“Walking the Dog in the Equinox Twilight” (Poem, “52 Make-Up” Week 11)

Last updated on: March 20, 2017 at 10:31 pm By Tom Swiss

I'm going to try to show something about revision, and how a rough bunch of words can start to be formed into something poetic. So you're going to get two versions of some equinox reflections. Read more

Chuck Berry And My Dad

Last updated on: March 19, 2017 at 11:24 am By Tom Swiss

Every close relationship has moments of magic. They might be soap bubble fragile, so ephemeral that they can't be spoken of, and you might wonder if you're the only one carrying them in your heart. But still, they are there, part of the warp and woof of your life. Read more

Dirty Fighting, The Normalization of Disease, And Privacy Sold Separately

Last updated on: March 16, 2017 at 12:42 am By Tom Swiss

Presented for your consideration, our usual Wednesday round of three stories I found interesting this past week. Read more

“Blue And Gold” (Digital Art, “52 Makeup” Week 10)

Last updated on: March 13, 2017 at 4:57 pm By Tom Swiss

By controlling focus and illumination -- and aren't those very words suggestive -- photography can help remind us of the "suchness" of things. Read more

“Sarasvati” (Song, “52 Makeup” Week 9)

Last updated on: March 12, 2017 at 8:46 pm By Tom Swiss

This is the first time I've written anything along the lines of a chant or hymn to a deity. I could go on about Sarasvati and her Japanese avatar Benzaiten, but I should probably just let the song speak for itself -- or fail to do so, as you may judge. Read more