MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'genius'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:02:20 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4121920&cid=t_118283_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F30%2Flaugh-when-youre-afraid%2F “If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane,” sings Jimmy Buffett. “Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods,” says a Japanese proverb. A sense of humor, for me, is by far the most useful weapon in my depression arsenal. Which is why Eric is panicked when I stop laughing, when my funny bone is split in 43 places. For two nights in the psych ward, our group therapy session was to watch a comedy act by an actress (I forget her name, sorry … I was on too many sedatives to take notes) who pokes fun at depression and mood disorders, the way I try to do on Beyond Blue. Our psychiatric nurses were well aware of the studies showing that laughter can be a powerful tool for recovery and healing. In between meals and meds, they did their best to evoke a fe... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4121920 Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:11:56 +0100 4121920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3885563&cid=t_118283_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2F85PjxAwgNFQ%2F Editor’s note: This is a guest post by James Adams whose ideas on building a better brain are top notch. Brainstorming is a valuable method for rediscovering your creativity. Some days, you are drowning in an ocean of ideas. Others, you are looking at the desert and hoping for an oasis. You are creative, your brain just needs a bit of priming. Here are ten methods for brainstorming to get the idea river gushing. 1. Free Writing Stream of consciousness writing is one of the most unpredictable forms of writing. You do not know where your brain will lead you, but you can be assured that it will be interesting. There is no special preparation for this method. Open a new Notepad window or pick up a sheet of paper and start writing. 2. Wordplay Start writing poetry about your favorite to... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3885563 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:00:19 +0100 3885563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3441093&cid=t_118283_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FDza9lmmizf8%2F “We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.” – Richard Dawkins I’ll grant Richard Dawkins‘ views on life and death are controversial, but I still love this quote. To me, it asks several important questions. Only the naive among us will ne... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3441093 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:26:00 +0100 3441093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916470&cid=t_118283_180_f&fid=38610&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.productivity501.com%2Fstriving-for-genius%2F5529%2F Thomas Malthus ( 1766 – 1834) had a theory that continual increase in the world population would eventually cause food demand to outpace supply, and a collapse that would push the survivors back to subsistence farming conditions. Obviously, this hasn’t happened and there are a number of theories why.  For example: Malthus’ theory is just flat out wrong. He didn’t take into consideration the growth of technology and the productivity of farming over the last 200 years has increased faster than what is necessary to (temporarily) prevent worldwide famine. Population levels determine agricultural output, not the other way around. Malthus didn’t understand the impact of geniuses. I’m not really interested in discussing Malthus or his theories here, but I d... Productivity501 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916470 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:00:05 +0100 2916470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820280&cid=t_118283_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F22%2Felyn-saks-receives-macarthur-genius-grant%2F USC law professor Elyn Saks is one of the recipients this year of the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grants” of $500,000 — no strings attached. You may remember her as the author of the book, The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, her story of living with schizophrenia which was published in 2007. She’s led an extraordinary life and career, demonstrating that even serious mental illness doesn’t have to be a handicap: Saks, 53, suffered from schizophrenia all her life, but kept it hidden while excelling in her academic studies, receiving a philosophy degree from Oxford University and a law degree from Yale University before joining the faculty at USC. She is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego, where she does research abo... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820280 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:25:57 +0100 2820280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405356&cid=t_118283_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F11%2Fthe-situation-of-genius%2F David Brooks had a worthwhile, situationist op-ed in the New York Times on sources of “genius.”  Here are some excerpts. * * * Some people live in romantic ages. They tend to believe that genius is the product of a divine spark. They believe that there have been, throughout the ages, certain paragons of greatness — Dante, Mozart, Einstein — whose talents far exceeded normal comprehension, who had an other-worldly access to transcendent truth, and who are best approached with reverential awe. * * * The latest research suggests a more prosaic, democratic, even puritanical view of the world. The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s de... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405356 Mon, 11 May 2009 04:01:45 +0100 2405356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232534&cid=t_118283_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2009%2F03%2F01%2Fis-there-a-creative-genius-in-all-of-us%2F Is there a ‘creative genius’ in all of us? Elizabeth Gilbert, author of bestselling book Eat, Pray, Love (One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia), thinks so. In this TED talk, she considers the possibility that everyone has a ‘genuis’ inside them and they just need to find it and let it out. Watch it. It will inspire you to keep working on finding your genius. Tags: creative genius, creativity, elizabeth gilbert, genius, positive thinking, SuccessShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232534 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:27:59 +0100 2232534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2149714&cid=t_118283_88_f&fid=35612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheknifeman.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fit-all-sounds-same.html Courtesy of Scalpel (Source: The KnifeMan) The KnifeMan blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2149714 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:50:00 +0100 2149714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964131&cid=t_118283_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fyb6yxO-6Qo0%2F According to the November 15th Slate, Barack Obama needs to choose a cabinet of really smart genius types—that is, with those who are “brilliant—albeit prickly, semi-autistic, and egomaniacal—thinkers”: The issue starts at the Treasury Department, where the best choice would be former Clinton Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers. Summers is the outstanding international economist of his generation, someone whose brilliance is immediately evident in any conversation. ……………. Summers can also be arrogant and politically incorrect. He sometimes does a poor job hiding his contempt for lesser intellects and loves to play the intellectual provocateur. Socially, he can be a bit autistic. But these are the defects of a superior mind, and they are a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964131 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:08:22 +0100 1964131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1927881&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F03%2Fi-want-to-be-remembered-as-someone-who-made-trouble-where-trouble-was-needed%2F Grazing the Internets this weekend is to follow intimate, overheard snippets in the shaping of a legacy. So I compile what the people are saying in a downright tsunami of link love, the hours well spent. Studs Terkel 1912-2008 “The thing that horrifies me is the forgetfulness.” A cigar and martini man, white-haired and elegantly rumpled in his trademark red-checkered shirts, an old rebel who never mellowed, never retired, never forgot, and “never met a picket line or petition I didn’t like.” He won a Pulitzer Prize for listening to other people’s thoughts, fears and dreams which he called guerrilla journalism but writer Garry Wills described as “underdog-ism” used his words, whether on radio or on the page, to celebrate the People with a ... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1927881 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:03:12 +0100 1927881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1879924&cid=t_118283_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FwYAcF8axAd4%2F Anecdotally, you may have heard of people with autism who are gifted or talented in the arts, music or math. Now researchers have actually found evidence that autism is associated with intellectual skills. The finding has emerged from a study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students, which found the condition was up to seven times more common among mathematicians than students in other disciplines. It was also five times more common in the siblings of mathematicians. No gene has actually been associated, and that’s the next step, but the incidence among family members may suggest some genetic component. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the autism research centre at Cambridge and lead scientist of the study remarked to the Times Online that the responsible genes co... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1879924 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:08:58 +0100 1879924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1870945&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F11%2Fballad-of-a-teenage-queen%2F She shouts for a reckoning with entire mouth and unspoilt heart. My friend Poodle (”Ursula”) from Christchurch NZ declares her joy, in love with these times. (rule for radicals: that’s why she’s a teacher and you’re not) so thats me in the corner-thats me over there–was a hard arse interview 2 do-my dyslexia gets in the way some-times-just bear with it and it will show its beauty Living With the Scars of Abuse by KIM THOMAS Source: Press, The Christchurch, New Zealand Posted on: Wednesday, 1 October 2008, 15:00 CDT New Zealand’s mental health system has a dark history, with hundreds of former patients alleging abuse in state hospitals. Kim Thomas tells the story of one woman who suffered abuse and explores what former patients are doing to try an... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870945 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:54:34 +0100 1870945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1859655&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F07%2Fjimmie-dale-healer%2F Welp, I went ahead and signed up to put in my time and am delighted to find the Obama campaign has impeccable taste. Tonight’s local debate party will be kicked off with music by the world’s most charismatic outlaw who’s sly compassion is as legendary as his high and lonesome zensoaked warble. Jimmie Dale Gilmore is a Saint. This is not hyperbole, but a well-known fact. I can’t find the words and believe me I’ve tried. Anyone familiar with my (cough cough) oeuvre might recall I spent my first year in Austin lost and determined to self-destruct in a flamboyant way but what you don’t know is it was Jimmie’s Wednesday night supper shows at Threadgills that kept me tethered to the planet. And I didn’t have to pretend I wasn’t hateful, alien... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1859655 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:32:57 +0100 1859655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1853992&cid=t_118283_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F411408487%2F Thank you to everyone who has written so many fun haikus over the summer (following the post Top 25 Brain and Mind Haikus. Yours?). These are the 10 I have enjoyed the most: (Also, Can you write a haiku describing anything crossing your mind now? Remember the simple rules: write 3 lines, which don't need to rhyme, containing 5,7, and 5 syllables. You can leave your haiku as a comment below for extra points...) ----- Top 10 Brainy Haikus - enjoy! - Amit: Love, college, career. A new world of transitions. Will I survive? Yes. - Kathy: My release technique, Forgive, forget, love all, Meditate on that! - Alan: Through the microscope, slice of brain stains pink and blue, the wonder of thought. - Justin: Justin the genieus Must spell check the word genius to post this Haiku - Tim: writing quick... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853992 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:02:25 +0100 1853992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1554392&cid=t_118283_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fjesus-and-mo-work-of-genius.html click to enlargeI have just discovered something very special. Jesus and Mo. Can't believe I have missed it before. Earlier today I was bemoaning the fact that while Christianity was always fair game for humour, no one dared do the same for Islam. But then I had not seen Jesus and Mo. Humour does not get better than thisclick to enlargeBoth these cartoons are used with the specific permission of the author. "Jesus and Mo" is available daily here. (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1554392 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:31:00 +0100 1554392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1231945&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F02%2F14%2Fa-love-supreme%2F Nature Boy: I was just a boy when I sat down To watch the news on TV I saw some ordinary slaughter I saw some routine atrocity My father said, don’t look away You got to be strong, you got to be bold, now He said that in the end it is beauty That is going to save the world, now And she moves [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1231945 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:35:16 +0100 1231945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1219959&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F02%2F09%2Fan-ode-to-elliott%2F I just found this, Dr. Mark Dombeck’s fine tribute to Elliott Smith in what he calls his Gift of Vulnerability Music at Mental Health Net: …. I was seduced again by the rawness and immediacy of the pain that the man was able to capture; was talented enough to shape and record; was courageous enough to [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1219959 Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:45:12 +0100 1219959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1148219&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F01%2F13%2Fhelp-make-austin-a-safe-zone-for-artists%2F An action alert from Dr. John Breeding about the fifth annual Roky Erickson Psychedelic Ice Cream Social Celebrating Electroshock Survivors. As someone who has been out of the closet in love with Robyn Hitchcock for half my life, it blew my mind to see his stand-up appearance midway through the video; [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1148219 Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:25:20 +0100 1148219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1107084&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F12%2F20%2Fnetroots-calling-we-have-come-for-your-stigma-this-is-only-the-beginning%2F Oh my god it worked. Something actually, for once, when we need it most, all the efforts generated by the Autism community the last week have drop-kicked the above campaign into the mess with us and we’ll mess with you acid vat of wrongheaded proposals forever without end, amen. Via Wall St. Journal Blog, NYU [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1107084 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:40:51 +0100 1107084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1045153&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F11%2F22%2Ftry-to-praise-the-mutilated-world%2F Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops of wine, the dew. The nettles that methodically overgrow the abandoned homesteads of exiles. You must praise the mutilated world. You watched the stylish yachts and ships; one of them had a long trip ahead of it, while salty oblivion awaited others. You’ve seen the refugees heading nowhere, you’ve heard the [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1045153 Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:11:57 +0100 1045153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1002853&cid=t_118283_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F179768715%2Fworker_81_claims_brains_need_n.html What holds the interest and vitality of an 81 year old professor who continues teaching college classes and insists that brains need not age?  Even long after the body grows old?Dr Marian Diamond professor of anatomy … and one of the world's foremost neuroanatomists …  changed science by showing how human brains don’t have to grow old. Do you believe that? At 81, and still a professor of anatomy at UC Berkeley, Dr. Diamond’s determined that the brain can stay young through stimulation. How so?  Diamond’s five phase … no nonsense approaches to brain youthfulness: 1. Eat well – to optimize nerve cells and their branches2. Exercise – to increase blood and oxygen flow for healthier brainpower.3. Think new - to challenge your... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1002853 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 22:59:37 +0100 1002853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=991831&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F10%2F30%2Fsex-as-backdrop%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } amanda interview 0052a, originally uploaded by the wilderness. I did my first interview at TheNervousBreakdown.com. Here’s part of the intro: Throughout three academic degrees, this intersection has regularly been my focus: mating and dating rituals, gender identity, sexual harassment laws, pornography regulation, obscenity laws, feminism, polyamory, rights for same-sex couples, sex work, and plenty more. . . . . I’ve watched students and coworkers openly discuss the most recent sensationalistic HBO special about sex. I’ve realized that people recognize the name Ron Jeremy (and his book) without mis... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=991831 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:16:50 +0100 991831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=982555&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F10%2F26%2Fmyspace-and-the-bare-breasted-mermaid-issue%2F Jen Raven , an artist, poet, writer, and performer, recently had her work banned from MySpace. She showed the work instead at The Empty Space as part of the “Burn the Witch” exhibit. You can read about it here. Some people just won’t be silenced. Kudos to you, Ms. Raven! Raven has also been open about having lupus. Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=982555 Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:52:38 +0100 982555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=838155&cid=t_118283_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F151693784%2Flinks_between_creative_and_cra.html Many of us have shaken hands with innovative people who seemed crazy at times. How often have you questioned the fine lines between creative and crazy? It likely hits home faster when a fellow worker fits Einstein’s belief that … Imagination is far more important than knowledge.The mad genius according to Dr. Ellen Winner, professor of psychology at Boston College … has scientific basis. Exactly how the elements of genius and madness connect in the human brain though … is far less understood. Let's face it ... these connections will likely either inspire your curiosity or take you out ... whenever they hit your workplace. And it's rarely insignificant when Jeckel meets Hyde.  Is creative genius inextricably mixed together with crazy, or is ... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=838155 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:52:49 +0100 838155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=817678&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F08%2F23%2Fa-good-psychiatrist%2F I could imagine him falling asleep in front of a schizophrenic patient and I realized that he was probably the only psychiatrist in the world who would actually do such a thing. He would not be afraid of psychotics because their experience is not foreign to him. He has been to the farther reaches of the mind himself, has experienced their ecstasies as well as their terrors, and would be able to give an authentic response, based on his own experience, to virtually anything a patient could show him.* Ronald Laing died 18 years ago today. He was a hero and a fuckup and many speak his name with reverence because not only did he get it, he insisted that getting it is no big deal, that all you have to do is try. At face value Laing was a scholar educating other scholars about the experience of m... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=817678 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:41:41 +0100 817678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=800122&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F08%2F15%2Fwe-could-be-heroes%2F I mentioned Jeff for the first time here in the previous thread, when we talked about my motivation. I’ve always wondered when I’d bring him up and what would happen next. My lifelong consort, the only family I’ve ever known, and I’ve been writing openly about our erratic relationship for 20 years but not here. I’ve been wondering the last two days where to go next, and he just called, so that’s settled. He’s part of this, he’s included. It’s all out there, but if you’re lost, a little backstory can be found here. That was five years ago, now NAMI’s got him by the balls. He’s the reason I’m hip to what it means to be mad in America and I won’t walk away til he’s busted out. This is my resolve. Are w... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=800122 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:15:43 +0100 800122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676768&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F06%2F16%2Fnick-drake%2F I’ve given up proselytizing to people who could benefit from digging into his life and work, and have just found him all over youtube. I can’t even begin, I should be happy but I’m angry first, it’s like see, dipshits, see, I’m not the only one to think he’s important. For 20 years I’ve talked [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676768 Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:35:19 +0100 676768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651348&cid=t_118283_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F05%2F31%2Frilke-appreciation%2F Sketch by Leonid Pasternak (Moscow c. 1900) Themes: Invocation towards authentic existence; examination of the role of fractured self-consciousness in modern life; the discrepancy between romanticism’s ideals, and the realities of human inadequacy to attain those ideals in the face of modernity; human longing for completeness and for the absolute in the face of deficiency, transience, and emptiness due to the changing flux of values and standards; language as both indicator of inadequacy and tool for praise; the prickly and problematic role of the artist, and the artist’s role in the world at large. Style: More than any other poet, Rilke embodies what one thinks of what a poet is—gloomy, passive, hypersensitive and delicate to the point of resembling a wilted flower takin... Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651348 Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:47:53 +0100 651348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623503&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F05%2F18%2Fwithout-clothes%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } body 004 background fixed, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. Spicy Cauldron mentioned my post about the people/person who stole my three tops. Thank you! ‘Tis an honor. To the thieves’ credit, they took the funkiest tops and never took a plain one, the rat bastards. Good taste, bad morals. I’m sure there’s a dirty joke in there somewhere. Check out Spicy’s listing of posts that will make you think, yearn, meditate, and want to read more. Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623503 Fri, 18 May 2007 14:57:12 +0100 623503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=612072&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F05%2F16%2Fpage-23%2F I’m thrilled that A Life Less Convenient: Letters To My Ex has been included in the Page 23 program at Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, AZ). Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=612072 Thu, 17 May 2007 23:44:35 +0100 612072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=602380&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F05%2F08%2Fforced-consumption%2F The story of the video is here. Summer is here, and the thing is, you shouldn’t trust. I know it’s warm and sometimes, the world seems lighter in heat. I left three summer tops in the laundry room, thinking no one would dare touch them. I was wrong. I am now without those three summer tops and need replacements, though really I have no interest in going shopping. I had to stop in Macy’s over the week to take advantage of a gift certificate. That was my first time I was ever in a Macy’s, unless someone brought me there when I was a little kid. I begged a random Prescriptives lady to show me where to go for clothes because all I saw was a sea of stuff and stuff and stuff. She walked me to a department and told me to come to her counter later because she would do my ... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=602380 Fri, 11 May 2007 05:43:37 +0100 602380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=604532&cid=t_118283_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F115519242%2F This morning an email popped up, entitled “A good day for the world: The Encylopedia of Life is born”. The email was from TED. It was an email announcing the launch of E. O. Wilson’s Encyclopedia of Life. I first learned about it from Wilson’s TED Talk. What is it? From the press release we get the following Over the next 10 years, the Encyclopedia of Life will create Internet pages for all 1.8 million species currently named. It will expedite the classification of the millions of species yet to be discovered and catalogued as well. The pages, housed at http://www.eol.org, will provide written information and, when available, photographs, video, sound, location maps, and other multimedia information on each species. Built on the scientific integrity of thousands of ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=604532 Thu, 10 May 2007 05:06:09 +0100 604532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=595201&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F05%2F07%2Fbehold%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } promotional image for Femmethology, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. That there is a promotional image for Visible: A Femmethology. Maria Angeline, the editor of Queer Shorts, is now collecting submissions. From Maria: Femmes are still invisible. Society can’t see past our heels to hear our stories, so we must continue to build platforms for our voices. Visible: A Femmethology, a forthcoming anthology about the power and complications in presenting femme as a gender and breaking the traditional meaning of feminine, aims to showcase blunt, personal essays exploring what “femme” means to those who claim it... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=595201 Mon, 07 May 2007 10:03:14 +0100 595201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=595202&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F05%2F07%2Ftake-two-2%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } *, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. Eric Spitznagel keeps a blog where he originally presented a series that can now be found at its own home on the ‘net: Vonnegut’s Asterisk, where Eric writes: I’m not sure if there’s a point to any of this, or if it says anything meaningful whatsoever about how Vonnegut inspired and influenced generations of writers. I like to think that it’s more than just a homage to a great man who wrote great books. In a weird way, it feels like it has something to do with why any of us decided to become writers in the first place. The best writing, after all,... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=595202 Mon, 07 May 2007 09:40:58 +0100 595202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=595203&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F05%2F07%2Fthe-saints-are-coming%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } October 9 red light hunting 019, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. More meditations on having Catholic roots at TheNervousBreakdown.com. The Book still possesses a pervy sensuousness to the pictures and tales that has stayed with me long after any priest hammered home the gospel from the pulpit. Each saint is covered in one page with a few paragraphs, an ode, and a color sketch that captures something of the saint’s essence and patronage. Some saints have fascinated me more than others. With some, I can easily tune into the grotesqueness of their physical suffering, the way it was subtly eroticized, and th... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=595203 Mon, 07 May 2007 08:51:28 +0100 595203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=579317&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F04%2F29%2Fsenses-bitingcenobiting%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } for thenervousbreakdown.com, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. Retired Waif took a shot at the Cenobite theme as applied to pregnancy, which takes on a whole ‘nother level when the mom is also managing chronic illness. I know a major, cataclysmic change is coming. I know that I’m not very good at self-hypnosis, perceiving pain as “energy,” “sensation,” “pressure,” or anything other than pain. I know that, as Sam Peckinpah pointed out and Haruki Murakami reiterared, nobody gets shot by a gun without bleeding. I’m not a particularly empowered person, but rather one who submits to experience. S... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=579317 Sun, 29 Apr 2007 20:02:14 +0100 579317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=576974&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F04%2F29%2Fif-this-doesnt-make-you-feel-better-i-dont-know-what-will%2F Rose and Olive, a.k.a. tethered to the sun: Some of their other work, via Nerve: creepy, sensual, self-absorbed without being about the self… Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=576974 Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:25:18 +0100 576974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=569642&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F04%2F25%2F365%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } *, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. Author Eric Spitznagel is working with a truly inspired idea. Remember Kurt Vonnegut ’s sketch that went something like this: * Eric has taken Vonnegut’s cue and raised it to an art form, literally. You can check out my contribution to his authors’ gallery here. Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=569642 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:05:24 +0100 569642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=549768&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F04%2F17%2Fthe-herd-of-elephants-cometh%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } , originally uploaded by shadowplay. . . . and that means sometimes you lose your head. I just finished reading Bryan Richards’ meditation on failure - you know, “when your best just isn’t good enough.” Great job, and I just can’t resist making a plug. While I’m at it, Doug Mulliken continues this theme with thoughts on leaving his job and freelancin’ it. Photo credit: Hans Proppe’s photo stream on flickr captivates, as usual. he also keeps website at ShadowplayImages.com. Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=549768 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:42:11 +0100 549768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=530246&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F04%2F08%2Fthe-lifebook-a-compass-for-your-own-life%2F Silvis Rivers discussed making a Lifebook here. This video clip explains his idea and his history of wanting to witness what others don’t want to see: Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=530246 Sun, 08 Apr 2007 05:58:56 +0100 530246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=515830&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F04%2F01%2Fi-dont-think-of-myself-as-male-or-female%2F “It’s not just your body. It’s your soul.” “You want them to see your true self. Your body gets in the way.” Those are some lines from Venus, the lead singer of All the Pretty Horses. I liked finding footage of the band on YouTube: I have years invested in glam/punk/metal music (helloooo, Killtime!) and performance art (oh how I love thee, Painted Bride and Arts Bank!), with more than about two tons of genderbending thrown in for good measure. Emily Goldberg completed a documentary about the band and about Venus’ journey with music, her marriage, and her gender identity and body: Venus thought she would opt for surgery, but decided instead to go without. Goldberg’s documentary shows people reacting with bigotry, others showing acceptance, an... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=515830 Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:54:27 +0100 515830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=514561&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F03%2F31%2Fmore-from-silvis-rivers%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } March 22 2007 018, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. Silvis, meditating on this pic of my rice bowl, cooling by the open window: There is the bowl Without me Or me watching where I was As I let the spoon Free Its a life soup of leaves In the stopped breeze Cooled by a god’s sigh I’ll be the ghost on the path You know Misting And curling away From “I” Did I tell you At the end A light lifts It is electric blue It is Where the soul Sifts And in other energies It feels its own Gifts Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=514561 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 01:20:29 +0100 514561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=499258&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F03%2F24%2Fplease-submit-posts%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } boots pills series 010b, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. I am hosting the the International Carnival of Pozitivities this April. It’s coming up very quickly! I’m really honored and happy for the opportunity…and speaking of opportunities, would you please submit a post? The submission page is here. Some notes on content from the founder of the ICP, Ron Hudson: The intent of this carnival is to provide an international forum for interaction among those of us who are living with HIV/AIDS and for their caregivers, family and/or friends or those who are involved in the fight to end this Worldwide ... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=499258 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:10:23 +0100 499258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=483702&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F03%2F20%2Fimage-words%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } March 13 2007 CAT scan 021 version 2, originally uploaded by Jnnburk. Poet and artist Silvis Rivers (whom you can find on MySpace) contributed a poem for this image that I took last week on one of my usual routes: I fell into A yellowed past Where buildings were cut in half And could not last I’m a paperback eye in amongst Musty smells Orange leaves Rack by rack Story shells Where we eye snails had left them … And there’s always A Jerusalem A shadow of a cross on a wall Strange isn’t it How a domestic kind of bloodless blood Drains away To A speechless zeitergeist That cannot even crawl... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=483702 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:38:00 +0100 483702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479172&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F03%2F14%2Fcaffeine-is-always-good%2F …and it’s even better in a comic by Shannon Wheeler called Too Much Coffee Man. You can check it out here. Wheeler keeps an LJ page here and a MySpace page here. Wheeler’s comics appear at The Onion, and his work is also being translated into Norwegian most recently. From Wikipedia, a list of memorable quotes from the strip: That which doesn’t kill you doesn’t make you stronger, it makes you bitter and cynical. Patience comes to those who wait. Each day goes by so slow but my life goes by so fast. If you can’t be happy naturally, be happy unnaturally. The key to productivity is to rotate what you’re avoiding. One’s expectation is the scriptwriter of one’s experience. Imagine if we had failed. If we had failed, we wouldn’t be able to imagine it. If one c... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479172 Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:31:49 +0100 479172 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479174&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F03%2F13%2Fpregnantand-sick%2F .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } pizzo2, originally uploaded by rent-a-moose. I’m not the pregnant one. In fact, as I’ve noted, I’ve written off the possibility of ever being pregnant now that I am over ten years into the illness and nine years into the “big guns” of drugs to treat these problems. I still want to be a parent though. I’ve found that as a disabled person (quick note: I don’t use “person with a disability” in relation to myself as I don’t feel that captures my reality or my body), my right to being a parent is often questioned and judged by folks who really don’t ... A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479174 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:52:28 +0100 479174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=479176&cid=t_118283_129_f&fid=34862&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alifelessconvenient.com%2F2007%2F03%2F10%2Frandom-and-wonderful%2F I logged onto YouTube to find a clip from the Deborah Palfrey case and instead I randomly came across this baby sloth at the Sloth Rescue Center in Limon, Costa Rica. Share This (Source: A Life Less Convenient) A Life Less Convenient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=479176 Sun, 11 Mar 2007 03:45:20 +0100 479176