Come and wash away teh pain.

This is a children's book written by Daphny and illustrated by somebody... anyway, it's about a black hole named Brunhilde who gets hungry, and HILARITY ENSUES.

Please enjoy this choice piece of literature exclusively for the kiddies.

SPONGY BRAINS!

One of these brains is infected with mad cow disease (more properly known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or, in humans, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease); one of these is not. Since you can't see inside your brain, guess which one is which!

"This is your brain. This is your brain on bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Any questions?"

*

"Where Your Eyes Don't Go"
by They Might Be Giants

"Where your eyes don't go a filthy scarecrow waves its broomstick arms
And does a parody of each unconscious thing you do
When you turn around to look it's gone behind you
On its face it's wearing your confused expression
Where your eyes don't go

Where your eyes don't go a part of you is hovering
It's a nightmare that you'll never be discovering
You're free to come and go or talk like Kurtis Blow
But there's a pair of eyes in back of your head

Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders
What the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of
Should you worry when the skullhead is in front of you
Or is it worse because it's always waiting where your eyes don't go?

Where your eyes don't go a part of you is hovering
It's a nightmare that you'll never be discovering
You're free to come and go or talk like Kurtis Blow
But there's a pair of eyes in back of your head

Where your eyes don't go a filthy scarecrow waves its broomstick arms
And does a parody of each unconscious thing you do
When you turn around to look it's gone behind you
On its face it's wearing your confused expression
Where your eyes don't go"

Perseus

Perseus Eurymedon, as you may know, was a mythic Greek hero who rescued Andromeda from the sea monster and cut of Medusa's head. For this and other heroic feats, Perseus's name has been ascribed to many things, including an online database of art, archaeology, and translations. He has been represented in painting and sculpture by such notable artists as Dali and Cellini. There are multiple operas celebrating his feats, and authors have been inspired by his myth as well; Melville in Moby Dick calls him the original whaler, and Sylvia Plath has a poem about him.

Perseus was one of the main heroes of Greek myth, and as such is often associated with a saving force of good, sky, or light, and an animating masculine character. The monsters he defeated are dark and of the earth, and often represent the "mysterious" character of female-ness which myth-makers of all eras seemed to have such a hard time dealing with. (In my opinion, there is no more reason to associate females with darkness, the moon, or the earth any more than with donut holes or strappy sandals, but then again my opinion doesn't count since I'm a woman. Har har har.)

Of course, many of us know Perseus through the constellation which bears his name. Its brightest star, Mirfak, is 62 times more luminous than our sun; the best-known star, Algol (from al Ghul, the "ghoul" or "demon star") represents the gorgon Medusa's eye, which was said to turn mortals to stone. The famous Perseid meteor shower takes its name from this constellation, and although the shower peaked early this morning, you can still see meteors streaking through the sky tonight and for the next few nights.



For best viewing, get away from the ambient light of your cities for once. The best times to view the showers will be between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. For those of us here in the East, Perseus will be visible in the northeast and continue to rise to the north as the night progresses.

Get your outdoors gear in order and go! There's no reason whatsoever for you to miss this. How many more meteor showers will you see in your life? Probably not as many as you'd like to think. And, since neither of us have any clue as to whether or not you'll be able to view meteor showers after you die, it's about time that you decided to carpe noctem and go view this dazzling display (which is actually just very shiny, glorified debris hitching a ride in the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle). Meanwhile, I'm really digging this painting, "Perseus and Andromeda - A Role Inversion" by Christina Neofotistou, and I think you will, too (click for bigger).



Art, stars, monsters and myths. As always, I strive to remain,

Mz. Your-One-Stop-Shop-For-Things-Not-Of-This-Earth

Don't worry, be a collective brain instead.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale.

from the World Science Festival's website: "What Bobby McFerrin does is not an act; it’s spontaneous invention. He peers over the edge of the cliff, acknowledges the void below, and dives head first, buoyed by the element of surprise. Bobby uses dense rhythms, extraordinary scales, and complicated intervals that accomplished musicians and educators have studied and dissected.

For many people, the name Bobby McFerrin will always be associated with the first a cappella song ever to reach #1 on the charts in America, a feel-good ditty with an inspirational message: 'Don’t Worry, Be Happy.'

Bobby’s legendary solo performance and collaborations with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and The Vienna Philharmonic have toured the world. For Bobby McFerrin, music-making is an unending quest. 'Music for me,' says Bobby, 'is like a spiritual journey down into the depths of my soul. And I like to think we’re all on a journey into our souls. What’s down there? That’s why I do what I do.' "