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Sep 2, 2010
That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions — the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings.
This is a big breakdown of reason, as far as I’m concerned. This is like saying a top-of-the-line car designed to handle the narrow lanes and hairpin turns of mountainous terrain is less impressive because the same company also manufactures other vehicles suited for other driving conditions.
The existence of other planets, other suns, other galaxies - shoot, other universes - doesn’t mean our planet is any less elegantly and carefully designed for humans.
Sep 2, 2010
Gulf oil platform explodes, burning off Louisiana coast
Did I wake up and it’s all of a sudden four months ago?
via Yahoo! News
Aug 30, 2010
As we learn to make more pictures by taking fewer lenses, we see and think about making pictures intuitively with what we have, instead of wasting time worrying about changing lenses each time.
My basic argument against “camera kit” people.
Aug 23, 2010
Mark Rothko- No. 37/No. 19 (Slate Blue and Brown on Plum), 1958
Before I saw this painting in person at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, I didn’t “get” Mark Rothko. I had certainly read about modernism. I had seen a good selection of Rothko’s work in art books. I could even tell you about his opinions on primitivism and his belief in art as a non-intellectual experience. With that in mind, I assumed that he was overrated, that other people, inspired by his ideas, had taken them further. You had to be there at the time—that sort of thing.
Then, last summer, when I actually saw the above painting in person, I understood. No matter how many times I read 7’ 11 1/4” x 7’ 6 1/4” in the margins of an art book, that didn’t compare to being dwarfed by the painting in person, feeling small in a tangible but also spiritual way.
I was so overwhelmed by it that I started to cry. And I know how art-fag that sounds, but I’m being honest because I think my reaction was more complex than just the feeling that I would suddenly be engulfed by tertiary colors. I also felt shamed.
I was raised to believe that I could learn everything I wanted from a book, but staring down this painting proved that nothing was further from the truth. It was different seeing how meticulously the brushstrokes were blended and how divinely proportioned the piece was. Slate Blue and Brown on Plum was a humbling experience for me, as if—from the grave—Rothko was laughing at how naive I was.
I had a lot of similar experiences that day. I remember seeing Picasso’s Three Musicians and noticing a mistake. You can clearly see a spot on the table that was originally black, but that he painted over in brown. Picasso made mistakes! They never tell you that in art books. And somehow the painting was more beautiful because of the mistake. But none of those revelations compared to my gut reaction to the Rothko piece, when everything that I thought I knew was proven wrong.
With all of the information surrounding us, it’s easy to undervalue experience. But sometimes you do indeed have to be there.
(via ahouseoflies)
Aug 17, 2010
A fitting song at the moment.
Aug 13, 2010
The Dell Streak’s screen size is too big for the device to be used as a smartphone (it would cover half of your face when talking)
This guy must not remember, oh like most of the history of telephones. It’s only very recently that phones didn’t cover half your face.
Aug 11, 2010
Freddy Rumsen: “It looks like an Italian Hospital in here”
Roger Sterling: “Jane got it decorated. I feel like with my hair you can’t even see me in here.”
Aug 9, 2010
(via mostexerent)
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This website was created and is maintained by me, Daniel Genser. These are a collection of icebergs emerging, hiding and bobbing in my head. Traces of me can be found all over the web. Here are some other places you'll find me: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Virb, Biznik, DanielGenser.com and Zigflitz.
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