Here is today’s Friday Link Pack! Some of these links I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Do you have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! (Include a website so I can link to you as well.) Let’s get to it…

WRITING:

Shorter
Fantastic article from Cory Doctorow on learning that brevity is often the right solution for any project. He’s right, and it’s good advice to take to heart. It’s something I am still learning myself. Thank God for good editors. [Thanks to Steve for sending this my way.]

Time Management Is Only Making Our Busy Lives Worse
I’m including this in the writing section for a few reasons: first, I see a lot of articles regarding time management and writing, and second: I think it’s good to step back and consider our craft the way we’d consider any other task. Don’t let time management get in the way of your creativity.

10 Key Questions That Can Determine Your Success As A Writer
Great list from best-selling author Jonathan Gunson reminding us what it takes to succeed at writing. Fantastic advice. Give yourself the time to go through these and answer honestly.

Three Quotes On Villains
What makes a villain engaging? What is a villain anyway? I assembled three quotes from three great creators that challenge the notion of what a villain should be.

ART:

Spooky Glass Bottles Inspired By H.P. Lovecraft
Italian artist Andrea Falaschi has created a series of insanity-inducing bottles for your favorite concoction. Fantastic detail. I love how unique each one is and how weathered they look. [Thanks to Scot for sending this to me.]

The Gore and Agony Of New Baroque Sculptures At The Met
Absolutely stunning 17th century sculptures by Pedro de Mena. The level of detail in this work is astounding.

Viral Series by Jess Riva Cooper
I guess this weeks theme is sculpture. I stumbled across these ceramic busts and was struck by the craftsmanship and how they danced on that fine edge between beautiful and disturbing. Fantastic work.

The Sandy Beach Architecture of Calvin Seibert
I fell in love with these temporary sand projects. Incredible work. Part of me is disappointed they were reclaimed by the sea, but that is also what makes their existence so wonderful.

RANDOM:

Japan’s New Satellite Captures an Image of Earth Every 10 Minutes
I just… I can’t… how stunning is this? (Very.)

The Atlantic Slave Trade in Two Minutes
Sometimes it’s hard to realize the scale of an event in history until it is presented in a way that changes your perception. This quick animation from Slate does a good job in putting a number of lives affect during the slave trade into perspective.

The Death Of The Hippies
Photographer Joe Samberg looks back on the era of the hippies and his time on Telegraph Ave. for The Atlantic, recalling how drug addiction eventually destroyed the scene. (A cropped version of one of Joe’s photos serves as the lead for today’s link pack.)

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Hotel Toilet Paper Folding
“Hotel toilet paper folding is a common practice performed by hotels worldwide as a way of assuring guests that the bathroom has been cleaned.[1] Elaborate folding is sometimes used to impress or delight guests with the management’s creativity and attention to detail.

The common fold normally involves creating a triangle or “V” shape out of the first sheet or square on a toilet paper roll. Commonly, the two corners of the final sheet are tucked behind the paper symmetrically, forming a point at the end of the roll. More elaborate folding results in shapes like fans, sailboats, and even flowers.” Continue Reading → 

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

Fungi from Yuggoth
This poem, comprised of 36 sonnets, has long been a connection point between Lovecraft’s other work. Innsmouth is mentioned as well as Nyarlathotep and Azathoth, and we get more backstory for The Dunwich Horror and even Brown Jenkins from The Dreams in the Witch House makes an appearance.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

And, now you know how they worked...