Voice of Virtue

On this day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to venture into space. People around the world celebrate ‘Yuri’s Night’ by throwing parties and holding educational events in commemoration of this momentous moment in human history.

Learn more about human exploration and development in the solar system with this open access Oxford Research Encyclopedias article.

Don’t fuck with the scientists and park rangers.

They largely consider themselves above politics.

The open source movement was built and pioneered by scientists. The concept of the internet as a freely available and accessible worldwide tool was an extension of scientific culture. Before that, other media and communication efforts went through the same process. There are so many cool underground stories of small groups of scientists using their limited power and a bit of secrecy to create open source cultures and free information under the noses of political and business interests trying to restrict such things for personal gain. 

Scientists consider themselves above everything – politicians, business, the law if the law restricts truth, other scientists. A nervous grad student who thinks they’ve found a flaw in the work of a Nobel laureate would be *expected* to challenge that work publically; respect for seniority is for business decisions, not for ideas. Scientists never grew out of their rebellious teenage phase after discovering that the world was unfair. Scientists are punks who channelled their energy into learning as much about the laws of the universe as they can. Scientists are basically the punk community if it were interested in information rather than music, and they do not ever grow out of it, and they do not ever stop. We had staff at our university who were frequently driven to tears because they couldn’t find ways to convince the senior scientists to take their vacation days for over a decade and it was causing serious administrative problems. They had to bribe the scientists to work from home for a month and pretend to be on holiday, and then everyone pretended not to notice when the scientists showed up to work to advise us poor grad students in person anyway. Scientists do what they want, and the first thing they are taught is how to see bullshit – the second thing they are taught is that it’s their fundamental duty to call out bullshit in anyone they see using it, no matter how prestigious or powerful. They do not rest, they do not stop, they fear no death or ridicule or government sanction.

Paul Morley (via

quotemadness

)

Let’s start a revolution- Let each nurture what we claim to love and rather than consume, care more for & cherish its growth than any gain to be had by its use…

so dawn comes to sea’s edge  peony-pink  the early dark

“Yes.”

“In order to hurt them?”

“…Correct.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t really get how that’s possible.”

The man walked across the room, his burly hand scraping along the gold-plated walls as he walked. “It’s quite simple really. There’s no easier way to be in control of people than to make them happy.”

The pride in his voice caused anxiety to well up in my chest. “And why do you control them? What do you do them when they let their guard down?”

He laughed. It was a condescending, disempowering sound that eerily reminded me of my childhood.

“I don’t need to do a thing to feed on their misfortune, but fulfill their desires. Primal things that bring momentary joy, and a lifetime of misfortune on a grand scale.”

I clenched my teeth in fear at what he might do. How did I get here? One minute I was at home…

“But won’t people find out eventually? What then?”

“Then they will bury their heads in the sand, because they always have, and always will be, infatuated with my influence.”

There was no door in sight. Nor did it matter, since he was quite obviously growing into something less human, and less escapable.

“I know you aren’t happy right now. Nor am I, actually. But I have… multiple personalities,  and some demand I cede control and allow people some truth every now and then. That’s all I want to do, is enlighten you.”

“Who… are you?”

“I have existed for as long as states, and longer. I am the devil in every ear; the destroyer of progress; the personification of Rome.”

Cold, wicked wings sprang out from its back as it stomped towards me, and lowered its golden mask to my face, featureless aside from a triangular gap for an eye.

“I am the embodiment of the information within people. Your friends, your family, your country, your church, your history. Everything you were taught to be, is me.”

And suddenly, the eye flashed bright yellow. I cringed, overwhelmed, as if I were staring into the sun. My life flashed before my eyes, but my memories were brought back with more detail than I ever noticed. Sometimes, more than I ever wanted to notice. My heart beat faster, as my fear was accompanied by the growing realization that I had always lived in hell.

“I… I don’t want to see this. Please let me go home. Please let…” my own voice faded to me, as I slowly lost my breath while choking in panic. The room darkened, and then his mask, and then the eye.

“I… Am Legion.”

—

I woke up, face planted in the pillow, drenched in my own sweat. “Something… is someone…” I raised my head and realized the alarm was going off.

“It was a horrible string of murders, wasn’t it Tom? Anyways we’re out of time on the subject. You’re listening to PatriotFM 91.9. Next up, what you need to know about the proposed new curriculum, and why it would gouge your wallet”