new variant on “your boos mean nothing; I’ve seen what makes you cheer”

Architecture is one of those fields that’s perpetually on the border of “You’re all full of shit” to me. This is an NYC office building that was built in 1977:

Apparently that little circular doohickey up top was, at the time, a revolutionary departure from modern design principles and had every prominent architect at the time absolutely furious for that reason. 46 years on and it’s seen as an architectural treasure that made the NYC Landmark list.

It’s. A circle. Literally just a circle. I don’t get it.

I can explain this, but you have to start with the understanding that this entire thing is a gigantic in-joke of a piss take. This is going to be long.

First, you need to understand about ornamentation. Ornamentation is anything in a building that is basically a slightly superfluous detail.

In this colonial revival house (which is supremely balanced and has very clean lines), you can notice how the bottom windows have these clean ornamentations at the top, the way the columns fan out into a small design; the way the dormer windows have their own different style of decor complete with arch and keystone! That’s the ornamentation, it’s the small touches of structural decor. The majority of the time, they were there because they were needed to support something, to give additional support

Modernism changes that. The arrival of concrete and steel on architecture means you can explore structures that were never possible before, ways of getting light into a room that were never possible before, shapes that were never possible before; it basically heralds a new era entirely. For instance, Louis Sullivan’s National Farmer’s Bank of Owatonna, though a late entry into modernism (1908!):

Look how none of the voids (windows and doors!) have any sort of ornamentation. There is some ornamentation around the corners, sure, and while the ornaments themselves are very baroque and refined, there’s also a textural element on the tiling itself being patterned. But that’s very up-close detailing, or very far away detailing. You end up with a mix of the shape and texture being where detailing is explored, less so the ornamentation of before. Importantly, none of that ornamentation is, in any way, shape, or form, anything that is fundamentally structural. It’s become nearly superfluous.

And this keeps developing and developing and you arrive at things like skyscrapers. Sullivan may have been the father of the skyscraper, but I can think of no better follower than the trio of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, who are most notable for the Empire State Building, but 500 5th Avenue may be the most direct example of what I’m talking about:

This modern-day ziggurat is almost all shape - the mullions (those vertical lines dividing windows) are largely decorative, and the ornamentation is very minimal and only serves to bring forward the shapes - notice how they only exist in what’s essentially the ceiling of each floor!

So we’ve established that ornamentation is steadily going away and no longer en vogue because architects are exploring the limits of shape itself, and they’re exploring unusual textures. But fast forward some 50 years, and this has become the singular architectural style that even exists. And a trio (Denise Scott Brown, Robert Venturi, and Steven Izenour) go to Las Vegas on a trip and come back with post-modernism. The idea is that buildings are either decorated sheds (ornamented houses) or ducks (buildings where the shape itself is the draw). The duck is a bit of joke to Americana - they passed by a duck building where the entire point was that it was a duck. There’s a disagreement, but even among the detractors, you’re going to see a more humorous take on Modernism. They’re going to make buildings that resemble other aspects of buildings, or other buildings, or whatever. It’s extremely in-jokey. It’s amazing.

Venturi and Scott Brown’s first major work is the Guild House, which is an apartment for the elderly. See if you can spot the joke:

Did you get it? The entire 5-story building is topped off with a colossal arch, treating the balconies like a void that you have to add an ornament on top. It’s a call back to the windows that we saw on the colonial house! This is a joke for a specific audience, but goddamn it’s really funny.

So the post-modernists are basically gonna set up jokes with architectural elements and play with aspects of it. It’s architecture for architecture nerds. It’s so obviously trying to be clever, and I love it.

Which brings us back to 550 Madison Avenue, by Johnson and Burgee, at the top of this post. The circle isn’t just the circle. It’s the entire slope and circle. The thing crowning the building. And you’ve seen it above doorframes and windows in a number of places.

The thing atop this dormer is called a pediment. It’s that mini roof. In this case we have a standard apex (the top) and a broken base (the bottom). This means that the top is connected and doesn’t recede to let in any ornamentation, but the bottom is broken up into two parts to let in the ornamentation.

On top of this door, you have a pediment broken on the apex. It’s filled in by that egg-like thing.

But what if you put a gigantic broken pediment one with no ornament on top of a building?

And there we have it. 550 Madison, a gigantic, supremely large scale shitpost, brought to you by technological advancements in construction and shifting design philosophies. “This skyscraper is structured like a window” is a really funny gag to pull if you’re the kind of person who actively has the same degree of architecture nerdery that I do. And architecture is one of the most common forms of art that you can observe and pull apart on your daily life.

Architecture is one of those things where because its so aggressively public, communal, and (seemingly) long lasting, its design should be equally so. But it turns out architects are just a bunch of little guys doing their weird hobby shit like everyone else, with back-and-forth fuck you’s to match. And that’s beautiful, it should never change.

If that doesn't have potential for some fairytale nonsense, I don't know what does.

In the right wintry conditions, an ice bridge forms between the Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait. Theoretically, this is the only place where you can walk from Russia to the United States (and vice versa), however travel between one Diomede to the other is strictly forbidden.

On the West side sits Russia’s Big Diomede with a population of 0. The smaller Little Diomede to the East has a small population of 82 (as of 2021).

[Source]

A bridge between Today and Yesterday, you say? Only there at the right time of year, with a certain amount of luck?

That absolutely has the makings of a quest destination.

hm!

Crab detected! ✅

novel Law 2 cover parody <3

i stand corrected it was not the final novel cover

THIS IS

okay sickening thank you holy shit

tumblr? tiktok did not like this video.

but y'all?

i think y'all will know what to do with it.

This made me laugh. At least he’s honest about how awful he is.

This is the Danny Phantom equivalent of that one Spider-Man panel

parents got a new cat they named lord montague and this morning i heard my dad in the other room say "i would have to advise against that decision, my lord" followed by a crashing sound

⁽⁽꜀(:3꜂ ꜆)꜄⁾⁾｡･*･:

There are so many different shades of white light bulbs, I am so overwhelmed walking down the light bulb aisle, and then I'm never happy with the one I choose, no matter which one I choose, I get it home and I put it in and I'm like, ugh, I don't like THAT white

Color temperature range charts may be useful when going to try the next option (i kept a list of "nopes" in my wallet until i discovered I want shaded reading lamps, bathroom and kitchen lights all between 3800-4200 and everywhere else not above 3200 nor below 2800. YMMV, I enjoy warmer tone colors but not too warm or I'll get sleepy/depressed).

Different temp-colors for different areas/tasks.

Omg but this is so helpful, I am so glad I am not the only person just completely bewildered by how many different tones are being labeled with a single word! This will help me so much!!!! Thank you!!!!

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

Plan B has a shelf life of 4 years

(Also, you can get 4 months of over the counter birth control (progestin-only pill form) at Costco for $50. Or 3 months on Amazon for about $45.)

If you're planning to keep medication at home - please do your research and check the conditions the medication needs to be stored at, bevaise the shelf life given to medication assumes that the meds are kept in a climate controlled pharmacy.

My pharmblr buds will be able to say more, but Contraceptives can lose efficacy if stored at higher temperatures than expected. When I was working in my sexual health job, we had to adjust the expiry dates on a ton of contraceptive rings, for example, because the heatwave and lack of AC had meant we could not guarantee that they would be functional. Store contraception exactly how it states on the packet, and never let anyone else have access to your medication. If you have a partber who could tamper with it, keep it out of their reach.

Take plan B as soon as you can after the PIV - it's more reliable the sooner you take it - take it within 72 hours if you can. The planned parenthood website explains it in more detail.

On a more general note, copper IUDs are the most reliable EC and you can keep them in after using them for emergency contraception.

Also, if you can get a copper IUD they can last for 5 years. Some types will last as long as 10 years. They can make your periods heavier or more painful, unfortunately.

On the other hand, hormonal IUDs can last for 3 or 5 years and can make heavy or painful periods better for a significant portion of users. They are the first line treatment for heavy or painful periods.

Likewise the contraceptive implant lasts for at least 3 years, in the pandemic we received guidance to extend that for 4 years. It can also make periods lighter or make them go away. They don't work well for everyone- some people get heavier bleeding or other side effects, but if it doesn't work for you, you can get it removed.

You can get extremely reliable contraceptives - as reliable as getting your tubes tied - that will outlast a Trump presidency.

And if you aren't safe, your partner doesn't even have to know you've got one of these forms of contraception in place. Though it is still important to try and leave them in a safe manner when you can. You can't see the implant and you can only feel it if you know where to look, it leaves a tiny scar after the initial bruise fades.

And for IUD strings, if you leave the strings a little longer, they generally can't be felt - they just curl up around the cervix. Short strings are more poky and more likely to be felt.

As your friendly neighborhood O+G doctor, I second this.

I would just add that regarding the hormonal IUD that cramping and spotting is expected for the first month or so, so bare with it (obviously if it's too painful, get it removed and tey something else)

The implant also has an approximate contraceptive rate of 97.5% (compared to the implants 99%) and also lasts for about 18 months (depending on brand).

I would also reiterate that if possible condoms should still be used because none of the above protect you from STIs (the should also be used for at least the first week commencing a new contraceptive to ensure therapeutic levels of the medication have been reached).

For anyone who may need it: look at the following website

https://www.nhs.uk/contraception/methods-of-contraception/

*especially those in countries where misinformation is allowed to be rampant/peddles by health care workers with an agenda. The NHS is a lot of things, understaffed and underfinded for a start; but it legally cannot knowingly peddle false information or have a religious agenda, the advice is also research evidence based (where possible).

The above website also has generally good advice for most chronic conditions and minor illnesses. Please use regardless of what country you are based in - I know how hard it can be to get reliable medical information in a simple format.

Look after yourselves. Especially now.

Yes to all of this good stuff from my medblr buddy @bluestarsandcomets !

Also contraception choices by the FSRH breaks down each method nicely, especially the pros and cons and the effectiveness.

(Tw for the infographic showing woman-in-dress stick figures that may be triggering for trans men and enbies. I do wish they'd change it but I think the site is useful despite that).

If one method doesn't work for you, another method may work well - and for some people for whom all hormonal methods are rubbish/dangerous/have too many side effects, permanent surgical options and condoms or diaphragms should be an option.

Fertility awareness is a hormone free method CAN also be effective if your periods are regular and if you learn how to do it effectively and are extremely cautious/use condoms around your fertile time. However; it's not a great choice for most people as we tend to stop thinking about risk when horny, and the tune around when we ovulate makes many of us hornier.

I track a lot for conceiving purposes and my bloody apps are always updating my fertile window based on my LH testing, CM and basal body temperature data. The same thing happens if you aren't trying to conceive, so days you thought were safe may be revealed to have been fertile days if you ovulate a bit sooner or later than expected.

Also, please note that the majority of the apps that track periods are not calibrated or trained on data to prevent pregnancy and may not be accurate. It tents to be a better method for people who won't mind if they do get pregnant- like couples who are hoping to wait for a year or wo and are re-establishing their cycle post birth control in preparation.

You can only really get pregnant in the fertile period- but it's hard to always accurately predict when that is. And every once in a while if you have a very short or long cycle it might be much earlier or later than you expect. Which is why some people incorrectly tell you that you can get pregnant outside the fertile window - they mean that you can get pregnant outside of the predicted window your app gives you. Because you may have the wrong information about when your fertile window actually is.

Diaphragms and discs with spermicide have fallen out of fashion but they go in before sex and aren't easy to feel during sex. If they fit you well they can be pretty secure. They are more reliable than condoms, with 12/100 pregnancies each tear to.condoms' 15, with typical use.

I'm saying this explicitly if you are having sex with someone with a penis who refuses to use condoms and want to avoid pregnancy but struggle with hormonal contraception. I would recommend leaving such an arrangement when you are safe. But I want you to know there are options to protect yourself.

bro LMFAOOOO

Pirate fellas

did this morherfucker just make apples out of apples??

sanji doodles