Oddly_Even

Pandora restocks her Box_

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:58:00 +0000

When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus’ brother. With her, Pandora was given a beautiful container which she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by her curiosity given to her by the gods, Pandora opened it, and all evil contained therein escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the container, but the whole contents had escaped, except for one thing that lay at the bottom, which was the angel of Hope named Astrea. Pandora was deeply saddened by what she had done, and was afraid that she would have to face Zeus’ wrath, since she had failed her duty; however, Zeus did not punish Pandora; because he knew this would happen.

The Amphibious Red Couch, A Bicycle-Pedal-Powered Paddlewheel Pontoon Couch

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:52:38 +0000

The Amphibious Red Couch is a “Bicycle-Pedal-Powered Paddlewheel Pontoon Couch” project created by Dawn Thomas and Robert Van de Walle that they will bring to aquatic events like Ephemerisle, Camp Tipsy, and the Rivertown Revival. It uses a fancy red velvet couch for seating. They recently started a small fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to finish its construction.

Harnessing the power of wing-nuts of unusual size The Red Couch shall become an aquatic conveyance of extraordinary utility and amusement!

(Link)

Jack White Responds to Guinness World Records With Hilarious Record Attempt

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:58:34 +0000

"Most metaphors in a single concert"

Jack White recently criticized Guinness World Records as an elite and arbitrary organization, when he (erroneously) believed that they rejected the White Stripes’ attempt to set the record for world’s shortest concert. Guinness responded, encouraging White to explore different means of getting into the book.
And now, the plot thickens: According to a comedic press release, Jack White will spend the duration of his current Blunderbuss tour attempting to set the world record for “most metaphors in a single concert.”

From the press release:

The attempt may prove very exhausting and at times even dangerous, but the results could prove to be glorious and possibly even vainglorious. White and Third Man Records are certain that the extremely scientific and intricate analysis of the metaphors that occur will be examined in accordance with Guinness’ usually very thorough methods probably, or at the very least if somebody answers the phone at the pub.

Third Man Records encourages all attendees of said concerts to please not interfere or interject with any metaphors that they witness occur during the show as to not disqualify or worse yet, trivialize the metaphor in question. In addition all concert attendees are encouraged to entice as many metaphors to occur during the show that they possibly can as long as they don’t endanger themselves or Mr. White.

Check out Jack White’s dates in North America, Europe, and Japan here. White has been performing a mix of White Stripes, Dead Weather, Raconteurs, and solo songs on tour. So here’s the video for the Dead Weather’s “I Cut Like a Buffalo”, which features a variety of metaphors (and similes):

(Link)

Eyes of the Wise_

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:51:18 +0000

Owl get around this…

When a Blow to the Head Creates a Sudden Genius:

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:22:36 +0000

Brain injuries can sometimes reveal extraordinary talents in people. Now, savant syndrome is helping to create whole new fields of scientific discovery.

For a long time, it was a mystery as to how horses galloped. Did all four hooves at some point leave the ground? Or was one hoof always planted? It wasn’t until the 1880s when a British photographer named Eadweard Muybridge settled the debate with a series of photographs of a horse in midstride. Muybridge took a great interest in capturing the minute details of bodies in motion. The images made him famous.

Muybridge could be obsessive — and eccentric, too. His erratic behavior was blamed on a head injury he’d sustained in a serious stagecoach accident that killed one passenger and wounded all the rest. Now, researchers believe that the crash, which gave Muybridge a permanent brain injury, may actually have been partially responsible for endowing him with his artistic brilliance.

Muybridge may have been what psychiatrists call an acquired savant, somebody with extraordinary talent but who wasn’t born with it and who didn’t learn the skills from someplace else later. In fact, Muybridge’s savant abilities had evidently been buried deep in the recesses of his mind the whole time, and the stagecoach incident had simply unlocked them.

It sounds crazy. But Muybridge is actually one of a number of people who’ve miraculously developed artistic, musical, or mathematical abilities as a result of a brain injury. There’s Orlando Serrell, who was struck in the head with a baseball as a 10-year-old and found he could remember the weather for each day following his accident. There’s Derek Amato, who woke up after hitting his head at the bottom of a pool and became a master pianist at 40, despite lacking any sort of musical training. There’s Alonzo Clemens, whose verbal and cognitive abilities stopped developing at the age of three due to a head injury but who can assemble incredibly detailed sculptures of animals in a matter of minutes.

Continued: (Link)

Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z collaborating in 1996 on ‘Get Money’

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:17:29 +0000

Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z teamed up for a rendition of Biggie’s hit “Get Money” at a 1996 birthday party, and the ancient footage surfaced this week. Just two legends of the game, doing their thing…

ASCII Pharaoh_

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:47:40 +0000

The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII, pronunciation: /ˈæski/ ASS-kee;) is a character-encoding scheme originally based on the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text. Most modern character-encoding schemes are based on ASCII, though they support many additional characters.

Kinetic Creatures, Cardboard Walking Animal Sculptures

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:35:10 +0000

Kinetic Creatures are cardboard walking animal sculptures by Alyssa Hamel & Lucas Ainsworth. The sculptures are made of cut cardboard parts that fit together with tabs and slots. They walk via a hand crank or on their own with an optional electric gear kit. Kinetic Creatures are intended to be learning projects for classroom or home use. Hamel and Ainsworth are raising funds on Kickstarter to finance production of the sculptures.

(Link)

Spaced In_

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:27:08 +0000

Your Mind is Ours.

A Cloud Darkens Over Vapor Room in SF

oddly — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:06:39 +0000

Is the federal crackdown about to claim a nine-year-old Haight Street institution?

Just weeks after Berkeley Patients Group announced it was shutting its doors, Bay Area medical cannabis supporters are facing another gut-wrenching closure, only this time it’s in the heart of San Francisco. David Goldman, organizer for Americans for Safe Access in San Francisco, said the nine-year-old Haight Street institution Vapor Room is “going to close sometime this month.” Like BPG, Vapor Room will morph into a delivery service and seek another location, he said.

Goldman said Vapor Room’s landlord received a letter from US Attorney Melinda Haag, who has been threatening dozens of landlords in Northern California with property forfeiture for leasing to dispensaries. Haag’s office didn’t return requests for comment, but has said in numerous public statements that she is targeting dispensaries within 1,000 feet of school, parks, or playgrounds. Vapor Room is about 750 feet from Duboce Park.

Vapor Room operator Martin Olive would not comment for this story, but dispensary staff are telling patients and growers the club might close soon. Legal maneuvers are under way to buy time. Vapor Room is also asking patients to sign “pleas for compassion” addressed to Haag, as well as letters of support for the iconic club.

Federal pressure on Vapor Room also may explain the timing of a San Francisco Board of Supervisors commendation that the club received May 1. In it, city leaders exalted the nonprofit’s contribution to the Lower Haight, calling it a “model medical cannabis dispensary” since its establishment in 2004. The club founded the Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbors Association in 2006, and “participates avidly” in street clean-ups, the board said. The dispensary increases public safety through frequent communications with police, and with better street lighting. The cooperative also funnels its earnings to local HIV/AIDS cancer hospices, the Food Bank, and the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics.

What the commendation doesn’t say is that Vapor Room has quite possibly the best style and location of any club in the world. From its longtime partnership with skate culture artist Jeremy Fish to the delicious local restaurants, bars, and cafes nearby, Vapor Room has been a city institution, and its pending loss cuts very deep. Qualified patients should soak up as much time in the Room as they can.

(Link)