“You Have The Burden Of Proof Backwards When You Insist That Other People Need To Prove You Wrong.

Friendly reminder that Vincent van Gogh willingly checked himself into an asylum so that he could get better, resulting in him creating some of the most iconic paintings of his entire career, done in the asylum, when he was being treated 24/7, because he finally didn’t have to struggle with his demons and could instead focus on his muse, WHICH WERE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!

Remember this little insignificant painting?

How about this one?

Check this one out:

All of these and more were painted in the asylum when he was receiving treatment for his mental illnesses and I know I just said that but I said it again and I’m saying it a third time until you dramatic abled assholes understand!

VINCENT VAN GOGH

- KNEW THAT HE WAS MENTALLY ILL

- WANTED TO CHANGE THAT

- WENT TO AN ASYLUM

- GOT THE HELP HE NEEDED

- PAINTED SOME ICONIC MASTERPIECES AS A RESULT!

SO DON’T YOU DARE COME OUT HERE WITH THIS, “I WISH I WAS DEPRESSED SO I COULD BE AS CREATIVE AS VAN GOGH” BULLSHIT BECAUSE EVEN HE KNEW THAT HIS DEMONS WERE HARMING HIS WORK, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, HIS HEALTH, AND HE DID EVERYTHING WITHIN HIS POWER TO FIGHT THEM EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS LIFE, UNTIL THEY ENDED UP WINNING! 

It’s disturbing how often we go into the biographies of famous and revered men and find: he was a serial cheater; he was a sexual predator; he abused his wife and abandoned his children; or even simply–he never did an ounce of domestic labor, and relied on the servitude of the women around him to support his enlightened endeavors. These are kind of viewed as unfortunate blemishes on the oeuvre of an otherwise great man…“acceptable signs of wear,” so that we will still buy and endorse the product with no remorse. Now I’m all for learning great lessons no matter where they come from, and for learning about any person who has changed history, but we as a culture are right to have started a movement toward using these men’s behaviors to shine a critical light on their work. We should think critically about how these men’s misogyny, interpersonal callousness, and entitlement constitutes a fundamental flaw in their understanding of reality, and therefore a fundamental flaw in their overall thought. And we should keep asserting that women are not cannon fodder for men’s glories, and that we should not have an automatic “acceptable casualty” perspective when it comes to women.

Can we as millennials and gen-z’s collectively agree that NObody Cares about elbows on the table like Why was that Ever A Problem for Anyone?? We can chill right?

The 'witch' who protected a village from genocide

Zura Karuhimbi had only her wits to protect the people she hid during the Rwandan genocide.

This s the obituary of Zura Karuhimbi, who may have been over 100 years old when she died and protected hundreds of people during the Rwandan genocide. 

She did it by pretending to have magic powers. 

Picture with me for a moment the sheer gall necessary to do this. An old woman, living alone, stuffs her tiny house with people running from militias. And when the militias show up at her door covers herself with irritating plants, so that when the militia try to manhandle her it ‘burns’ and proves her powers. 

We’ve lost a legend.

Yesterday was hard.

I'm in some courses all this week, and I don't understand anything that 3 of the 4 speakers say. And I've just met the new PhD student of the department, and he's really smart and he's understanding most of the things. And on top of that my advisor is asking me to finish a big amount of writing. I feel really stupid and discouraged.

So, list of positive things to take into account this week:

- All of the courses are about PDEs and not Dynamical systems (which is my research topic). It's normal to not understand most of them.

- It is a great opportunity to see how people of other topics work, and what are they interests. You don't need to understand everything perfectly. Let go and enjoy.

- I learned a lot from yesterday's poster session, and from other students.

- Next year I would have a very smart PhD partner from who I could learn a lot.

- I am a slow-learner when understanding new topics, and that is okay. I could have other qualities that make me a good mathematician.

The fifth season - N. K. Jemisin (spanish edition)

Finish it! And it was incredibly good. Can't wait to begin the second book in the series!

I'm a huge fan of science-fiction and I used to really enjoy fantasy as well, and specially the one with maps at the beginning and new and different worlds, Tolkien style.

But I have kept away from them because it got boring to me. I began to feel like it was always the same: medieval Europe with male white protagonists and dragons or magic.

This book is different. It takes the same base and it innovates. And at the same time gives voice to all the characters that usually don't even have name.

I could talk for hours about it, but I'm terrible at putting words together coherently, so: Really-really good book.

The truth is that Pluto was demoted not because we have anything against Pluto, but because if we let Pluto be a planet we’d have to let Ceres be a planet too, and, like, fuck Ceres in particular.

The Old Astronomer

Reach me down my Tycho Brahé,—I would know him when we meet, When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet; He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how We are working to completion, working on from then till now. Pray, remember, that I leave you all my theory complete, Lacking only certain data, for your adding, as is meet; And remember, men will scorn it, ’tis original and true, And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you. But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learnt the worth of scorn; You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn; What, for us, are all distractions of men’s fellowship and smiles? What, for us, the goddess Pleasure, with her meretricious wiles? You may tell that German College that their honour comes too late. But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant’s fate; Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night. What, my boy, you are not weeping? You should save your eyes for sight; You will need them, mine observer, yet for many another night. I leave none but you, my pupil, unto whom my plans are known. You “have none but me,” you murmur, and I “leave you quite alone”? Well then, kiss me,—since my mother left her blessing on my brow, There has been a something wanting in my nature until now; I can dimly comprehend it,—that I might have been more kind, Might have cherished you more wisely, as the one I leave behind. I “have never failed in kindness”? No, we lived too high for strife,— Calmest coldness was the error which has crept into our life; But your spirit is untainted, I can dedicate you still To the service of our science: you will further it? you will! There are certain calculations I should like to make with you, To be sure that your deductions will be logical and true; And remember, “Patience, Patience,” is the watchword of a sage, Not to-day nor yet to-morrow can complete a perfect age. I have sown, like Tycho Brahé, that a greater man may reap; But if none should do my reaping, ’twill disturb me in my sleep. So be careful and be faithful, though, like me, you leave no name; See, my boy, that nothing turn you to the mere pursuit of fame. I must say Good-bye, my pupil, for I cannot longer speak; Draw the curtain back for Venus, ere my vision grows too weak: It is strange the pearly planet should look red as fiery Mars,— God will mercifully guide me on my way amongst the stars.

- Sarah Williams, 1868