Failing better since '85

  1. 19 Jun


    A friend wants to know why humans don’t have tails. Please help, #anthropology peeps. See pic for his full question EDIT:  -> John Roby said: «Perfect example of how dirty old evolution doesn’t give us things that would rule, just things that we need. I use tails as an example in class for that very reason. “Prehensile tails would be awesome”“But in our environment and for bipedal walking, don’t aid survival or reproduction. So no tails, sadly”.»   -> Matt Spire replied this, when I told him about Roby’s reply:  «Well, I’m aware we lost tails about 23MYA in the split between old world monkeys and apes, but even the above explanation runs contrary to my understanding of evolution. We still have an appendix. Unless tails at some point became disadvantageous, they should theoretically still be vestigial appendages at least. I can only deduce that as intelligence increased, bouncing erratically on one’s tail all day came to be seen as a lackadaisical existence. Those rare and unfortunate apes born without tails instead focused their newfound intelligence on profound epistemological riddles such as “why skyball disappear get cold die?” and not long after, the first instance of proto-human segregation occurred against the Boing-Boing apes, who proceeded to bounce into evolutionary obscurity. The Non-Boingers proceeded to woo she-apes with their incredible insight into hypothermia. Evidence exists of this today amongst contemporary humans who, finding themselves lacking, use their spare time to ask rhetorical questions to impress females. (See John Mayer, et al.) Tell John Roby to write that down.»     I’m now laughing so hard my brother came to my room to check up on me. xD  

    A friend wants to know why humans don’t have tails. Please help, #anthropology peeps. See pic for his full question

    EDIT: 

    -> John Roby said:

    «Perfect example of how dirty old evolution doesn’t give us things that would rule, just things that we need. I use tails as an example in class for that very reason. “Prehensile tails would be awesome”“But in our environment and for bipedal walking, don’t aid survival or reproduction. So no tails, sadly”.»

     

    -> Matt Spire replied this, when I told him about Roby’s reply:

     «Well, I’m aware we lost tails about 23MYA in the split between old world monkeys and apes, but even the above explanation runs contrary to my understanding of evolution. We still have an appendix. Unless tails at some point became disadvantageous, they should theoretically still be vestigial appendages at least.

    I can only deduce that as intelligence increased, bouncing erratically on one’s tail all day came to be seen as a lackadaisical existence. Those rare and unfortunate apes born without tails instead focused their newfound intelligence on profound epistemological riddles such as “why skyball disappear get cold die?” and not long after, the first instance of proto-human segregation occurred against the Boing-Boing apes, who proceeded to bounce into evolutionary obscurity. The Non-Boingers proceeded to woo she-apes with their incredible insight into hypothermia. Evidence exists of this today amongst contemporary humans who, finding themselves lacking, use their spare time to ask rhetorical questions to impress females. (See John Mayer, et al.)

    Tell John Roby to write that down.»

     

     

    I’m now laughing so hard my brother came to my room to check up on me. xD

     

     

  2. 12 Jun



    No Time for Love: Worldwide Regrets Counter for Misplaced Priorities

    No Time for Love collects stories of regret from people dealing with the delicate balance of life, love and labor. In a reality where time is finite, prioritizing love, in any form, can be challenging. This project acknowledges that struggle.

    This project is amazing. I submitted my regret (publishing approval pending at the moment) and it was very cathartic.Bit by bit I’m being able to let it all out and this site helped. Here’s what I wrote in it:

    “I could have finished my Masters and be in a better situation, but instead I put my thesis on standby in order to work, but it was a scam… We were (and are) having economic difficulties as a family. Lots of stress, too. It feels like we just can’t catch a break. On the year that I was supposed to finish my Masters degree by doing my thesis I had a (work) proposition of someone I considered a good friend and I accepted it. After 6 months with no pay and a lot of moral harassment I quit it. The worst of it all was that I never told my mom back then what I was going to do. My hubris and wish to prove myself independent were my undoing. If I had told her she wouldn’t have let me go to work in those conditions, with no pay for so long under the “startup excuse”, and with nothing on paper. If I had told her (instead of pursuing a plan of telling her later, as a surprise, that I had a job) she would have intervened, I’d have finished the thesis and now my life wouldn’t be this mess. Because I put my thesis on standby to work for nothing, I lost timing. And now the economic situation is worse and I can’t pay tuition. Without it I can’t attend University anymore and without that I can’t finish the thesis. Without the thesis and the Masters I’m in a limbo of over and under qualification. Too much qualification for jobs like a cashier, and too little for any job in my field. Oh, yeah, and I’m 27 already. Academic clock’s ticking. If anyone gets something from my story let it be: 1. trust no one/keep biz and friends apart; 2. don’t let hubris win you over; 3. when it’s too good to be true… guess what?”

    What happened to me… I still feel shame for what I endured. I feel stupid for letting it happen to me. Even though I know I’m not the one who should be ashamed, that’s how I feel. Even though I know I’m not the one to be blamed or accused of anything, I feel guilty. I feel guilty for having trusted someone. I accuse myself of being stupid, gullible, naive… you name it! And I’ve isolated myself and silenced myself for far too long, which only made me feel worse. One of these days you’ll hear the whole story (yes, because that was only the short version). One of these days… I’ll either do that or explode.

    Anyway, that’s my regret and it prolly won’t get past the pending approval state because it’s not “romantic love related” (although me and that thesis were in a serious relationship). *shrugs* What’s yours?

     

  3. 11 Jun


    dictionaryofobscuresorrows:

    Sonder [2:39] by John Koenig

    sonder - n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own…

    More than any other, this particular definition seems to have struck a chord with people—even if they don’t know I made up the word. I’ve even watched it start to dip its toe into the lexicon as a real word, at least in some circles. 

    Anyway, when I’m not inventing dictionary definitions I’m a freelance video maker and graphic designer, so I decided to expand the definition into a short video. Written, directed, edited and narrated by me. Enjoy.

    Music: “Campfire” by Jon Hopkins from Monsters OST

    This has always been one of my favorite words from this dictionary, and not it has a video. Neat! ^_^

     

  4. 11 Jun



    Twipster

    Safari & Chrome extension for a simpler, more readable Twitter experience.

    This add-on is the shit! And by “the shit” I intend to say that it is awesomesauce! \o/

    Thank you, Brent!

     

  5. 1 Jun



    eloisavaldes.com on facebook

    Photography, Artisan Crafts, Blogging and some reactions on books, comics, tvshows and movies.

    Now also on facebook!

     

  6. 31 May


    #LastFrys: “Hir” is a poem by Alysia Harris & Aysha El Shamayleh about the struggles some people are burdened with since birth. It made me cry a little.

     

  7. 29 May


    anthropologymajorfox:

    siuilaruin:

    anthropologymajorfox:

    siuilaruin:

    Shit Anthropologist Say When Going Through The Anthro Tag

    Okay, so franzboas dared me to make a video in the style of all the recent “Shit ______ Say” videos specifically for anthropologists who are going through the Anthropology Tag. I hope you are entertained. 

    Ugh, sorry you all had to find out how gross your mod looks on a Sunday night.

    I think its time to bring this back…

    All I have to say about this is…

    (Source: siuilaruinismoving)

     

  8. 18 May



    Oh, look! I'm on Instagram too!

    Add me! :D

    I follow my friends and similars.

     

  9. 12 May


    There’s a… I don’t even know what can I call it. Store makes it sound cheap, because what they do there is art. Art in cakes and chocolate. Boutique. I’ll use that word. It’s classy.

    There’s a chocolate boutique in Espinho (Perles de Chocolat), and they make some spectacular looking cakes. A couple of months ago they had these Cabaret/BDSM theme ones that I couldn’t resist to shoot. They were so pretty! *.* So, I went there, told ‘em how I always love their “windows” and asked them permission to shoot and post this. They obliged and here we are! :D

     

  10. 8 May



    Tag QUESTionnaire

    Rule 1: Post the rules

    Rule 2: Answer the questions the tagger set for you, then make your own questions.

    Rule 3: Tag 11 people in your post.

    Rule 4: Let them know you’ve tagged them.

    I was tagged by: veritardis

    —

    Questions from veritardis:

    What’s your favourite quote or saying?

    - If you don’t risk anything you risk even more. ~ Erica Jung


    What quality do you like most about your best friend?

    - The fact they are honest, caring and intelligent people. Plus, they get me.


    If you could change your name, would you? What would you call yourself and why?

    - No. For years I’ve struggled with my name because I have to spell it for people every time, and sometimes even reply to their questions about it due to its exotic nature, but I’ve made my peace with it. At last.


    What’s your favourite fairy-tale and why?

    - Little Red Riding Hood, mostly because I was always disobeying my mother so I kind of identified myself with the girl.


    What was the first book your bought for yourself? (Not for school reading.)

    - The Little Prince was the first book my mom bought me that I actually could read by myself, when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I still love it.


    If you could learn any language, which would you choose?

    - HMTL5 is the next language I’m going to learn. :B


    What would your Patronus be?

    - A Sea Lion.


    What 3 words best describe your personality?

    - Quirky. Curious. Temperamental.


    When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

    - A hairdresser. I even made some attempts at cutting my own hair, after making some dolls bald. LOL. It didn’t go so well in me either. xD


    Chicken or lasagna!?!  

    - Lasagna. I’m a sucker for Italian cuisine. *drools*

     
    - - - > TAG, YOU’RE IT:

    Wapy, thelightofthewest, inthemachineryofnight, shinizices, gentleshark, somethingdifferentfromthis, doctorseleven, gettinglostincities, aldasilva, philosophyfortea, joaoscrumbs



    ——> My questions for you: 

    1. What’s your favorite book?

    2. What do you like the most about yourself?

    3. Whom do you call when you’re having ghosts running around your house? Just kidding… What’s your favourite 90’s movie?

    4. What’s your most embarrassing moment, from the last 10 years?

    5. What’s your alignment? Chaotic Neutral, Lawful good? Don’t know? Here’s a quiz: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20001222b

    6. What are your rules of thumb?

    7. What’s your favorite meme?

    8.  Do you have a favorite GIF? What is it?

    9. If you were a comic book character who would you be?

    10. Pizza or Burger?

     

  11. 8 May



    Hey, Eloísa! Y U SO SILENT? D:

    On the second weekend of April I visited Coimbra, the place where I lived for about 8 years till last Summer:

     On Friday I went to the bar I missed the most with a friend and we had a lot of fun. The music was awesome from beginning to end. I think that place had a webcam. Wait… YES! Here ya go, proof of a fun night:

    image

    :B

    Saturday was spent with a major hangover and catching up with another friend. On the way back home a guy in the bus asked me for my number out of the blue. It was a bit creepy, not only due to how the situation presented itself but mostly due to how he looked at me when he spoke. I felt like in some kind of twilight zone - a feeling that remained until I left the city, for the next day wasn’t any less creepier…

    On Sunday I spent a couple of hours with Joana in the mall. We perused the book store, had some ice cream and, before we parted ways, we went to the supermarket. Why am I telling you this? Because that’s where a really weird thing happened that surpasses what I once called the most original pick-up line I ever got.

    <pseudo harassment-lesson story> 

    Me and J were walking down an aisle. She was about to grab a chocolate bar when all of the sudden a weird big guy blocked her from doing it, and us from going anywhere, with a supermarket car and two kids inside it. We went to the left, he went to the left. We went to the right, he went to the right. Then we gave up on quickly getting away from him and just stood there watching him. Not saying anything, while he talked nonsense, mostly because we thought one of us could actually know him, for he acted with familiarity, as if we were friends or something. Otherwise he’d totally get a reaction like this:

    image

    We looked at each other probably with the same puzzled face of “do you know that guy?” while his face was all smug and victorious for some unknown reason, while he joked about sexual harassment:

    First he wanted us to notice how his kids stopped us from getting the chocolate (lol, yeah right, it was the poor innocent kids inside the cart who did that, alright). Then he went on, on how they’re learning the ropes of sexual harassment (which he called “messing with the ladies”) from an young age. His smile was disgusting. I can “see” him clearly advocating his kids cat calling women from the backseat of a car, and blocking women’s way just like he did, to meet and talk with them, because suuuuuure, that’s what we’re here for, right? To be stopped, blocked, looked at with lust and whatnot. That’s what women are for. Humph.

    I think what upset me the most was his look and his smile, at the same time smug and at the same time wanting OUR approval - he wanted us to tell him that what he was doing was ok and funny. You could see how he yearned for a glimpse of a smile that’d say that, from either of us. Sick!

    </pseudo harassment-lesson story>


    On the third week of April…

    - I painted my hair red although, since my natural color is dark-brown-almost-black you barely notice it, unless I’m outside and the sun rays hit my hair. My hairdresser said that with time and patience this will change for with every new layer of tint it’ll be lighter, which means more red. I decided not to dye my hair, because it’s more expensive to maintain, but also because it ruins the hair faster. So, let’s see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted, either you want it or not. Mwahaha!

    - I went to the movies with my grandma, something I used to do a lot before I got into Uni. Yes, 8 years without one of those quality time days with grannie (and 2 years without setting foot in a cinema theater). This was a big day! :D

    - I read a lot of Games of Thrones. I even stopped watching so many tvshows and whatnot. Yum!

    - Managed to get up early every day! o/


    On the last week of April…

    - I kept waking up early. +1 for me! W00t, w00t!

    - Read more GoT.

    - Tried to write to my penpals and failed (what started as a nice letter soon became a political rant).

    - Kept up with the TVshows backlog from the rest of the month.

    - Went to the movies again. This time with @agreste, to see Iron Man 3, something I had been waiting to see for a long time. Yay!

    image

    On the first weekend of May I visited Porto, a city I’ve grew to love

     I spent the day with the lovely Wapy; bought some comics (including the vol.4 of Morning Glories, yo! FINALLY!) and, before I left, I still got to spend a lil’ bit of time with @ricardjorg too (who noticed I haven’t been blogging lately, so if you want someone to blame for this wall of text go to him, not me! mwahaha).

    It was an amazing day. The sun warmed us, we talked dirty geeky… Oh, and Ricardo lent me a cool book for me to learn HTML5 game programming. It’s going to be fun putting that to test! :D

     

  12. 26 Apr


    #LastFrys: When I found Vanessa Hidary aka The Hebrew Mamita back in the Summer of 2012 I was baffled. How was it possible that such a cool persona and performances weren’t better known online (or at least in my circles)? Or maybe they are and I just lived under a rock.

    “PhD in Him” is a great reminder and “Fling Gone Awry (aka Brooklyn)” makes for a nice listening combo.

     

  13. 4 Apr



    http://missing-e.com/features

    How on earth have I survived so long without Missing e?

     

  14. 3 Apr



    Submission Guidelines

    anthropologistshaming:

    - Write your secret anthropology shame — or, something you’re gleefully UN-ashamed of, as an anthropologist — on a piece of paper.

    - Take a self-portrait with the paper — owning your shame! Make sure it’s readable! If you’re shy, you can hide behind the paper.

    - Submit it to this blog. If you do not have a tumblr you can email it to anthropologistshaming@gmail.com and I’ll post it for you.

    Note: All email submissions shall be considered anonymous unless otherwise specified.

    Own your shame too, anthro peeps, and help this project inspired by philosophershaming grow!

     

  15. 2 Apr



    April is going to be my month. I just know it. Hear me roar!

    image

    On the first day I watched the return of Game of Thrones AAAAND, even more cool, got invited to collab in what I deem a really cool project. And it wasn’t an April’s Fools, you gaiz! :O

    On the second day I get pinguino’s box full of candy and other goodies.

    I wonder what will happen on the rest of the days of this awesome month. Rain may come but I’m so hyped right now not even thunder can bring me down! :,)