Nor to Disturb Your Peace

“You are not compelled to form any opinion about this matter before you, nor to disturb your peace of mind at all. Things in themselves have no power to extort a verdict from you.”

Marcus Aurelius

Maybe it’s my delving into stoicism as I age, but over the last year, I found myself returning to this quote from Aurelius. In many ways, it’s become a motto for me. Perhaps this is me kicking against the goads of our modern culture. The internet—and social media specifically—pressures everyone to have An Opinion™ on everything, share our opinion, get angry over our opinion, and die on the hill of our opinion. And it’s ready to damn you for not having an opinion on the daily Opinion Topic du Jour. The cycle is exhausting. So yeah, more and more, I’m finding myself stepping away. I’m intentionally removing myself from the nonsense and finding myself grateful that Aurelius’ wisdom still echoes from the past.

Friday Link Pack 11/06/2015

It’s Friday! That means it’s time for the Friday Link Pack, my weekly post covering topics such as writing, art, current events, and random weirdness. Some of these links I mentioned 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:

Dune: An Appreciation At 50 Years
This year, Frank Herbert‘s masterpiece, Dune, turned 50. Paste magazine put together this quick retrospective look at this seminal science fiction work and its lasting impact on the genre.

How Do You Cope With Bad Feedback On Your Work?
Not everyone is going to like what you write. Some people are going to loathe it. How do you deal with that sort of feedback? How do you overcome it? The ever amazing Warren Adler has some ideas.

Alan Moore Talks To John Higgs About The 20th Century
In this video John Higgs, author of the upcoming book, Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century, discusses the previous century in weird-fiction great Alan Moore’s own work. Along the way, the two discuss the H.P. Lovecraft (heavily), as well as Jack the Ripper, the Red Scare, the fear inherent in the early 1900s, and a lot more.

ART:

Paul Klee’s Notebooks Are Online
The pages within the notebooks of the Swiss-German artist, Paul Klee remind me of a strange yet wonderful mathematical infused grimoire. It’s fascinating to see behind the curtain on one of the most influential figures in Bauhaus. [Thanks to Steve for sharing this.]

Portraits Of Auto Mechanics Are A Homage To Renaissance Paintings
A classical look at a hard working profession. When I first saw these photos I thought it was meant to be a joke—and perhaps it is on some level. But at the same time it raises the nobility of the blue-collar worker and places them at a place where they are rarely viewed. I love it.

Museum Dedicated to Over 100 Hyperrealistic Miniature Film Sets
In the center of Lyon, France, there is a museum that houses painstakingly recreated film sets in miniature. The level of detail is so incredible that you will have a hard time telling these miniature sets apart from their physically more imposing cousins.

RANDOM:

Ranking 40 Dystopias by Their Livability
Dystopia in fiction is here to stay, but until now, no one had compared each by their liability. Which is best? Which would be the most comfortable? Jm Vorel is on the case in this article for Paste magazine.

No, Spooning Isn’t Sexist. The Internet Is Just Broken.
The internet is driven by clicks vs. quality content. As a result, it’s broken often spreading vindictive stupidity vs. well thought out discussion. Do you know who is to blame? All of us.

The World’s Northernmost Big City—A Polluted Hell On Earth
Norilsk, Siberia one of the coldest places on earth, surrounded by nearly 100,000 hectares of burned out land also happens to be one of the most polluted. io9 shares some surreal photos from this surreal city.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Tempest Prognosticator
The tempest prognosticator, also known as the leech barometer, is a 19th-century invention by George Merryweather in which leeches are used in a barometer. The twelve leeches are kept in small bottles inside the device; when they become agitated by an approaching storm they attempt to climb out of the bottles and trigger a small hammer which strikes a bell. The likelihood of a storm is indicated by the number of times the bell is struck.

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

The White Ship
A lighthouse keeper walks a bridge of moonbeams to go on an adventure with a robed man on a ship that appears only under a full moon.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

going to the moon, brb

Friday Link Pack 06/06/14

Step inside Elon Musk's incredible new space machine
It’s time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Let me know!

Writing:

It’s Too Late. Exclamation Marks Are Unstoppable Now
New York Magazine observes the prevalence of the exclamation mark in modern communication and what it means going forward.

25 Words That Are Their Own Opposites
Mental Floss compiles a list of words that with a slight change in use can mean something completely different. (See, this sort of stuff is why people hate on the English language.)

Five Things I’ve Learned From Working Remotely
There’s not much of a separation between writing and working remotely. While this is tailored to the latter, these handy tips are great advice for a writer.

Tastefully Understated Nerdrage: Magic!
I am a huge fan of Mr. Btongue’s analysis into video games, movies, and culture in general and I have linked him before. In his recent episode he examines magic, what makes it interesting, and how the greats have used it in their writing. Some good food for thought.

Art:

Photographer Goes To Great Heights For Call To Arms On Sprawl
Some stunning aerial photography capturing the issues of sprawl in America in some beautiful and shocking images.

Redd Walitzki “When We Break” And Andy Kehoe “Inner Mystic”
I went to the opening Seattle Artist Redd Walitzki‘s “When We Break” last night and was really impressed. Her latest work is hauntingly beautiful and has a slightly dark twist. (Some of her work could be considering NSFW, so keep that in mind.) Andy Kehoe’s resin pieces are also pretty great, but really need to be seen in person to capture the depth. Worth checking out.

Random:

These 3,000-Year-Old Trousers Are The Oldest In The World
Pants. Really old pants.

40 Maps That Explain The Internet
Great collection from Vox explaining the internet, how it came to be, what it is, what it’s doing, and how it’s under attack.

Step Inside Elon Musk’s Incredible New Space Machine
The creator of the hugely successful Tesla takes a crack at sending people into space, and it’s awesome.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Horror at Martin’s Beach
Summer is here, so let’s celebrate by reading a beach story!

Farewell Gif of the Week:

everything needs googly eyes