Month: January 2023

“Building and maintaining an empire usually required the brutal extermination of a large population and the harsh oppression of everyone who remained. The standard imperial toolkit included wars, enslavement, deportation, and genocide. When the Romans invaded Scotland in AD 83, they encountered fierce resistance from the local Caledonian tribes but eventually devastated the country. In response to the Romans’ peace proposals, the leader Calgacus called the Romans ‘robbers of the world’ and said, ‘robbery, slaughter, and raid they misname empire, they make a desert and call it peace’.”

Sapiens

Yuval Harari

Well, isn’t it just like a cat. Came in, laid down. Settled into the new place.

Says we’ll be writing the business trip report together

At different times in different locations, I captured various things for myself. I’ve gathered here all sorts that might claim artistic value and perhaps belong on a corridor frame.

On the desktop version, do not click on the photos in the previews, but directly on the album. FB’s preview doesn’t show all 70 pieces, just the first couple dozen.

Can you guess where each was taken?

Almost

1969, the Japanese magazine Shōnen Sunday published an illustrated article “Computopia” about a computerized world of the future. The illustrations feature a videophone, a virtual school teacher, automatic iron and vacuum cleaner, 3D television, a food-warming kitchen table, and a surgeon robot.

Illustrations by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, Toshio Okazaki

Rereading Sapiens. Interesting fact: it turns out that dinar, the official currency of Jordan, Iraq, Serbia, Macedonia, Tunisia, and several other countries, takes its name from the Roman denarius. Particularly interesting is that the Indians are to blame, who in the first century AD simply started minting Roman coins for their own purposes

attempt to fix the fifth

Fifth.

It’s a pity it’s too late to correct the mistakes. I’ll take it into account on the next try (update: the next attempt is attached, now there are two photos)

For my birthday, I was gifted oil paints, and now I am taking my first steps in painting. As always, the first attempts are a mess, but I need to track the progress, so I’ll publish whatever comes out. Bought five canvases, have used four so far. Attached in chronological order. Winter cottage — first attempt (terrible, terrible), summer cottage — second (slightly less terrible), grapes — third (no longer terrible but still many mistakes), and here’s the tree — fourth (today’s). I still want to add to the tree, probably need to depict some horizon behind it. Or maybe not, better to create something new.

Folks, if anyone here paints with oil, let me know. I have questions but no one to ask. How do you clean your palette without messing up the sink? What to do if the black is shiny but you need a matte color? Basically, let me know whom I can torment with questions 🙂

I wonder, will they be delivering the ammunition to the roof by elevator?