Books that will induce a Here is the list of books that will officially induce mindfucks, sorted alphabetically by author. Those authors in bold have been recommended by one or more people as being generally mindfucking - any books listed under their names are particularly odd. You're welcome to /msg me to make an addition to this list. And finally, although he's way down at the bottom, my personal recommendation is definitely Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, as it turns the ultimate mindfuck: inverting the world-view of our entire culture, and it is non-fiction.
Dalai Lama tells his Facebook friends that religion "is no longer adequate" Well, he'd hardly be the first Buddhist to say something like this. From what I've read, there are already lots of Buddhists, and historical Buddhist movements in various countries, who are atheistic and who prefer to return to Buddhism's roots as a kind of self-help, personal psychological and philosophical system—and yes, I realize I'm hugely oversimplifying that ideological stripe of Buddhism—and that's fine. And if this helps the world be a better place, cool. I'm all for it. But as an atheist I had already got to this point without making sand paintings, spinning prayer wheels or staring at stupas or rock gardens to shut off all mental processes and get to Satori. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
25 Beautifully Illustrated Thought-Provoking Questions A question that makes you think is worth asking… At the cusp of a new day, week, month, or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. This process of self reflection helps us maintain a conscious awareness of where we’ve been and where we intend to go. It is pertinent to the organization and preservation of our dreams, goals and desires. If you would like to maximize the benefits of self reflection, our new sister site, Thought Questions, is for you. Remember, these questions have no right or wrong answers. Here’s a sample of 25 recent thought questions posted on the site: Thought Questions is updated daily. Title photo by: Oberazzi For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 6 Questions that Will Save Your Relationships May 21, 2014 In "Life" 20 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Every Sunday
An Essay by Einstein -- The World As I See It "How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving... "I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. "My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities.
Almost Invisible Mirrored Tree House Built In Sweden Invisible TreeHouse? Really?They said it couldn't be done. When we first wrote about the almost invisible treehouse to be built in Sweden by Tham & Videgard, 899 commenters thought it was AutoCad eye candy, impossible to build and death for birds. But they built it, one of six units in a "Treehotel" opening this weekend 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The four meter glass cube looks as spectacular in reality as it did in the rendering. Everything will reflect in this - the trees, the birds, the clouds, the sun, everything. And what about the birds? The units are constructed from sustainably harvested wood and have electric radiant floor heating and "a state-of-the-art eco-friendly incineration toilet" (I have owned an incinerating toilet and they are anything but eco-friendly, using a huge amount of electricity, creating noise and a pall of burned poop smell when the wind isn't blowing. But other than that minor quibble, it appears to be a truly eco resort.
FBI The FBI’s Reading Room contains many files of public interest and historical value. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBI’s capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. Please note, that the information found in these files may no longer reflect the current beliefs, positions, opinions, or policies currently held by the FBI. The image quality contained within this site is subject to the condition of the original documents and original scanning efforts. These older files may contain processing procedures that are not compliant with current FOIA processing standards. Some material contained in this site may contain actions, words, or images of a graphic nature that may be offensive and/or emotionally disturbing.
23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. ~Ernest Hemingway How strong is your writing? No matter how good you think it is, there’s always room for improvement. (***By the way, have you seen this amazing online creative writing course, “Story Is a State of Mind,” created by Giller finalist Sarah Selecky? Want to strengthen your story, empower your performance, and beef up on the publishing business? Here are 23 sites (in no particular order) I look to for daily inspiration and advice: PS If you find this list useful, please share it on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon – I’d really appreciate it! 4) Query Shark A query critique site you don’t want to miss. 5) Men with Pens Fantastic articles on copywriting and freelancing. 6) Ask Allison Writing and publishing Q&A by novelist Allison Winn Scotch. 10) Pub Rants Self-proclaimed “very nice literary agent,” Kristin Nelson, rants about writing and publishing. What sites help you make your writing stronger?
Color Psychology & Infoplease.com by David Johnson Like death and taxes, there is no escaping color. It is ubiquitous. Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. Black Black is the color of authority and power. White Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. Red The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Blue The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. Green Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. Yellow Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. Purple The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. Brown Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Colors of the Flag In the U.S. flag, white stands for purity and innocence. Food for Thought While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing. Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors.
How You Can Spot A Republican: A Joke The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude. "She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be an Obama Democrat." "I am," replied the man. "How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican." "I am," replied the balloonist. "Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. Why Russians Don’t Get Depressed | Wired Science The saddest short story I’ve ever read is “The Overcoat,” by Gogol. (It starts out bleak and only gets bleaker.) The second saddest story is “Grief,” by Chekhov. (Nabokov famously said that Chekhov wrote “sad books for humorous people; that is, only a reader with a sense of humor can really appreciate their sadness.”) And then, if I had to make a list of really depressing fiction, I’d probably put everything written by Dostoyevsky. Those narratives never end well. Notice a theme? One needs look no further than the local Russian newspaper or library to find evidence supporting this belief [that Russians are sad] – brooding and emotional suffering are common themes in Russian discourse. This cliche raises two questions. The first experiment was straightforward. At first glance, this data would seem like really bad news for Russian mental health. According to Grossman and Kross, however, not all brooders and ruminators are created equal. What explains these cultural differences? PS.
Typical Finnish Simplicity Celebrated in Villa Mecklin Finns love to keep a cottage on the archipelago on the Baltic Sea where they can commune with nature during the long hours of “midnight sun” – as seen here. At the typically Finnish ‘Villa Mecklin’ designed by Helsinki firm Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen Architects, a very uncontrived fire pit is covered over when not in use. (This girl is standing on the spot where the fire pit is.) Simple cottages dot the many islands within the archipelago reflecting an unpretentious Finnish design sensibility. The island setting is rocky with low vegetation and ground cover moss, grasses, heather and juniper bushes around. The untreated wood outside will just turn Grey naturally. The entire living space is just under 800 square feet, with the kitchen at the far end of this room. Sleeping quarters for the family are in the central block behind the wall. The bedrooms and a bathroom are accessed by the short central passage connecting the back door straight through to the view out to sea.