There and Back Again

Nautilus Reading Lamp

The shape of the nautilus shell provides the perfect space to conceal a light bulb, the newest form of technology at the time. As a result, this lamp was a critical success and sold both in this original form and with the later alteration of a bronze mermaid for the stand and an actual nautilus shell for the shade. By Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company (around 1899–1902)

STUDIO GHIBLI + ROCKS / GEMSTONES

Castle in the Sky (1986)  Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)  Princess Mononoke (1997)  Spirited Away (2001)  Whisper of the Heart (1995)

you think you’re going to have a normal field trip and she shows up wyd

Just had my nth conversation with someone about mask-wearing today - yet another well-intentioned moron who was like 

‘But the virus is gone now’ (it isn’t) 

‘But the mask is uncomfortable’ (ventilators are worse)

‘But you’re young, you won’t die’ (having this thing could impact my health for decades to come + it’s my responsability to protect those who’re more vulnerable than I am because that’s how society works)

‘But are you going to live in fear for the rest of your life’ (taking concrete safety measures actually helps me feel more in control and less worried)

‘But are you going to give up everything and stay inside like a rat’ (no, but I’m definitely going to decide what’s worth risking my health for, and shopping for bread rolls is not very high on my list of literally-to-die-for activities)

‘But what if they never find a vaccine’ (then we’ll get used to the situation just like we got used to a thousand other things like seat belts, bike helmets, and increasingly weird true crime podcasts). 

I know it’s tiring to have people call you paranoid all the time - but you’re right and they’re wrong. Check the news, keep a safe distance from others whenever possible and keep wearing your mask!

[ID: A tweet by @karaokecomputer reading “I’m sensing a trend here” with three attached screenshots of other tweets.

The first screenshot shows a tweet by @AndrewSolender reading “BREAKING: NYPD have taken a knee in solidarity with protestors. #nycprotests.” This tweet is quoted by @diabliitax who adds “They beat the living shit out of us an hour after this.”

The second screenshot shows a tweet by @OrlandoPolice reading, “@OrlandoPDChief Rolon and @SheriffMina knelt down to pray with demonstrators for #GeorgeFloyd, and everyone hurting right now. Just as @orlandomayor says, Orlando is united in love, compassion, and understanding.” This tweet is quoted by @NeeNeinNyetNo who adds, “Literally 45 minutes later they maced us in the face for the crime of standing in their vicinity.”

The third screenshot is a tweet by @starrydanni reading, “PORTLAND PD AGREED TO TAKE A KNEE WITH PROTESTORS. THE MEDIA GOT THEIR PHOTOS IN. IMMEDIATELY GAS MASKS WERE PUT ON AND GASSED AN ENTIRE PARK”

How to support protestors in the Twin Cities!

(5/29/20) After receiving an incredible outpouring of donations, Minnesota Freedom Fund has announced that “there is an urgent need for supplies and support out in the field. Please connect to the groups doing the work - Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, and others.“ So boost the following groups, get involved, and give if you can!

Twin Cities orgs needing support:

Black Visions Collective MN - BLVC is a Black-led, Queer & Trans centering organization whose mission is to organize powerful, connected Black communities & dismantle systems of violence. DONATE. Instagram, Twitter, FB. Text @blacklives to 23559 for alerts. Hold local electeds accountable by signing #DEFUNDMPD.

Reclaim The Block - Calling on Minneapolis to invest in violence prevention, housing, resources for youth, emergency mental health response teams, & solutions to the opioid crisis - not more police. DONATE. FB, resources/graphics.

North Star Health Collective - Health providers and street medics working in alliance with mainstream and anti-authoritarian organizations to create a safe and healthy events. DONATE, paypal at [email protected]. Send supplies/checks to North Star Health at 3319 E 50th St, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417. FB.

MIGIZI - Native youth organization whose offices just burnt down, despite protestors’ efforts to protect them. DONATE HERE. Twitter, FB.

Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar - TCCFJ fights against police terror with a multi-national working class approach. Organizing for an all-elected, all-civilian council with power over the Police Department to hire, fire, and prosecute cops. DONATE HERE. FB.

Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB)- Legal services fighting police brutality. 24hr Hotline: 612 874 STOP / 612 874 7867. DONATE HERE. Twitter, FB

Twin Cities Mutual Aid Resources:

Minnesota Freedom Fund - Legal Rights Center: 612-337-0030, National Lawyers Guild: 612-444-2654. Request bail funds here. Read their COVID-19 statement & make some calls to #FreeThemAll.

Mutual Aid Mourning & Healing Support Signup (for death midwives/doulas, social workers, therapists, and healers)

SouthsideHarmReduction.org (text/call 612.615-9725 to get naloxone, clean syringes, works)

Unicorn Riot Article on Twin Cities Mutual Aid Supplies!

Other Resources & Orgs:

Florida Bail Fund

Existing Campaigns & Mutual Aid Groups in NA by Location

MutualAidHub.org

Where to Support Protestors in Different Cities

Mental health resources for QTPOC

How To Help The Cause When You Need Help Yourself

Also if you donate to ANY of the above groups, send me your receipts and I’ll draw you plant creatures like these!

apple:

not a bad start here overall! this is recognisably intended as a brachiosaurid, and the skull shape and overall profile are pretty good (though they look a bit juvenile-ish). points off, though, for the inaccurate hands - rather than elephantine columns, they were more shaped like lima beans in cross-section. yes, really. they also only had one claw per hand (it was on the thumb). also points off for having the external fleshy nostril located on the dome of the skull; while this is the position of the bony external nostril, there is evidence that the fleshy nostril was probably located at the tip of the snout. its dead eye haunts me

score: 7/10 solid attempt

google:

google clearly went for a cartoonier approach, and to my view it served them well. still recognisably a brachiosaur - the shape of the skull and overall proportions make it resemble Europasaurus, a type of dwarf sauropod that lived on an island in what is now eastern europe. which immediately ups its score in my book. however, it falls victim to the same issues with elephantine hands as did the apple one, and as such i can’t give it a perfect score.

score: 9/10 friendly!

microsoft:

this emoji cleverly avoids any scientific inaccuracies by being extremely cartoony. i like the use of single colours rather than gradients. a little too simple for my tastes though. i can’t tell what find of sauropod, if any, it was intended to be - a brachiosaur, because of the upright neck? a mamenchisaur, maybe? i have little to work with.

score: 6/10 just too vague

samsung:

i don’t like her at all. clearly a brachiosaur - sensing a common theme - but something about it is just unpleasant to me. the body seems too fat, the limbs too short, the tail too noodly, the head too pointy. also messes up the hands again.

score: 3/10. please leave.

whatsapp:

at last, an emoji that bucks the brachiosaur trend!! this is clearly not a brachiosaur. in fact, it looks like a possible Cetiosaurus-type deal. whatever it is, it’s charming. the nostrils are at the end of the snout as they should be and - is it? - can it be? - it is! the hands are anatomically correct! each clearly has one claw, located on the thumb, and though we can’t see well, they don’t appear to be elephantine. i love them a lot.

score: 10/10 only shooting stars break the mold - oh god im so sorry i shouldve phrased that differently–

twitter:

a classic. what it lacks in detail it makes up in simplicity. it has pleasant lines and an appealing silhouette. it’s extremely vague and not based off of any real genus, and the tail is far too short, but for some reason this doesn’t bother me too much. 

score: 8/10. exquisite

facebook:

hm. hmm. a lot of anatomical though was clearly put into this; overall the body form looks like a plausible sauropod. the proportions look a little weird, sure, but that seems to be perspective - after all, most sauropods were gigantic beings. beefy boys, if you will. its nostrils, upon close inspection, are correctly placed; however, its hands and feet are all messed up. i guess the real conundrum for me is that it seems to be a mish-mash of sauropods - remove the braciosaur-like domed skull, and it would be a great fit for an Apatosaurus. 

score: 8/10 i’m conflicted

joypixels

what in the hell is joypixels? and what in the hell is this? i just…the hands and feet are plantigrade, meaning that the ankles touch the ground, when actual sauropods were digitigrade - walking on their toes. the shoulder and hip muscles aren’t there, and instead the limbs are just awkwardly connected to the body. it reminds me of a turtle, and not in a good way.

score: 4/10. uninspired and dull

openmoji:

they didnt try. nor will i.

score: 0/10 make an effort

emojidex

every emojidex emoji i have ever seen has just been awful. this is no different. this looks like a stereotypical loser from a meme, but as a dinosaur. the contrast between the decently moderate level of artistic detail put in and the blatant disinterest towards making it look like an animal is staggering. just awful.

score: -3/10 i just cant care enough about it to rate it lower

emojipedia:

excuse me? what the fuck? what the fuck is this? this is the main character from the low-budget ripoff of the good dinosaur. the head looks like a Corythosaurus  and the body looks like barney in leapfrog stance. the gradients just make me feel a little sick. it’s awful. look at the hindlimbs and tell me that any love was put into drawing this. it’s like how a dinosaur would be drawn on tom and jerry but like, the bad charmless ones made in the 90s that were trying hard to emulate the originals. the hands look like green snowboots.