If you didn’t read this week’s post “Singular Humanity: Approved Modifications to Accommodate a Better Life” I will read it to you, dramatically and enthusiastically, below. 👇
Reading commences as soon as you hit play. Enjoy!
Notes from the Captain
I swear I didn’t know—this wasn’t planned. I was rambling on about Pi and Pie in this week’s post. Rambling on about how you gain infinite enlightenment (the “Pi-State”) by trying all the pies and, yes, the pie eating was a metaphor and I did all that without realizing that one day this week—Thursday—was the magical date 3/11. Pi Day!
Co-inky-dink or fate? You be the judge.
Pi Day only works in America, because of course it does (we need some kind of compensation for the Health Insurance thing, I mean, c’mon) and it’s one of those things that’s not a thing. But if we can have Valentines Day then sure, let’s have Pi day. Let’s celebrate by eating a piece of pie. What could be more wholesome? Are there cards? I just looked. Of course there are.
I don’t know why I like it (Pi Day, not pie. Pie is delicious). I’m not sure why Pi appeals to me because I HATE MATHS with a fiery passion that could ignite the wettest logs in the mossiest forest.
Years ago, I bought a t-shirt with the pi-sign on it but styled in the old Apple logo colors—the 1997 rainbow logo—thus creating Apple Pi. The circle of infinite pie linkage, complete. It makes me very happy, that shirt. Is still have that shirt. I should’ve worn it for this video! Dammit. Infinite possibility lost.
Apple Pi. It’s the apple company with the pi sign and it’s pie. Giggle. I love puns. But not as much as I love pie.
And not as much as I love the thought of infinite… anything. (Not sadness, obviously. Not infinite bad stuffs of any kind.)
I’m talking infinite bliss, infinite galaxies, infinite possibilities.
The infinite infinite-ness of you and me and everyone.
Being human is hard. A constant learning. A constant forgetting it seems lately. Of history, of pain, of what it is to strive to be a better human for the sake of—not to be too high-falutin’—humanity.
I am no doctor (but I do play one on my own brain), so the human modifications guide was very Me-based and not founded in science. But I think part of the journey of becoming a better human involves thinking about how to improve the human condition at an individual level. Not financially, not selfishly, not egotistically. Spiritually. Thinking about how we treat others, where we are in the world, and HOW we are in the world and with people.
Why do we set moral codes? What’s the point? Why is it good to be a good human anyway? Aren’t we striving toward something that isn’t real? Why do we need to be enlightened?
I don’t know, but I enjoy evolving. Finding out the potential of the human condition.
Some people do not feel that pull.
To all the people who do: I love you.
Make something glorious this week. Think of a small way to show someone you appreciate them.
Be a better human.
Your Captain, Janeen 🫡
Thangs from this episode…
👩✈️ How many matches can you stick up your nose?
I’m guessing people are probably done with sticking things up their noses, what with COVID tests and the like, but here’s the story about Peter, our intrepid nostril explorer.
He explains why he chose this… goal here: Danish Man Crams 68 matches into his nose to set world record
If you’re curious about the guidelines for verifying your Guinness Record attempt, here is the link to How to Collect and Submit Evidence. There are even templates to help ensure that your record attempt documentation is not rejected.
👩✈️ Phar Lap
Phar Lap was born in New Zealand, but like Russell Crowe, Australians like to gloss over that bit. We used to claim Mel Gibson too, but let’s not talk about that (he was born in the USA, we say, pretending we never knew him). Here is the trailer for the movie, Phar Lap, starring the Man From Snowy River himself, Tom Burlinson. It’s a great film. If you like horses.
Phar Lap’s heart was big, but not as big as Secretariats. That horse had a tremendous ticker that weighed 10kg!
This is the photo I took of Phar Lap’s heart at the National Museum of Australia. It had bits missing, which they’ve since found. You can also look at Phar Lap’s skeleton.
The Phar Lap Collection at the National Museum
He was also called the ‘Red Terror’. Here’s some basic info from the National Film and Sound Archives in Australia and includes some archive footage of Phar Lap and his trainer, Tommy Woodcock, AND HIS PIPE SMOKING TRICK! Don’t smoke and race, Phar Lap. (It’s not much of a trick and he spits it out right quick.)
👩✈️ 21 Grams
There is a movie, that I’ve never seen, but it is based on the study I mentioned in the video. Here is a short documentary on it that’ll bring you right up to speed.
👩✈️ The Blue Whale’s heart
Here’s a link to the Wired story on how they preserved the whale heart (pictured.)
How Scientists Preserved a 440-Pound Blue Whale Heart
The Vox story that goes with the above video 👈
Guinness World Record: Largest Heart
👩✈️ Become a poet!
Here’s some advice by Billy Collins
But what is a poem?
👩✈️ Pi Day
From Wikipedia:
In 1988, the earliest known official or large-scale celebration of Pi Day was organized by Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium, where Shaw worked as a physicist, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies.
Thanks for listening/watching and sharing this week. If you want to chat about any of the concepts in this week’s post—or just in general—feel free to leave a comment for the Captain (it me.)
Do. Make. Be.
I’ll see you out there.
🫡
Shameless Podcast Plug
Listen to audio versions of early issues of The Stream on my podcast, Field of Streams, available on 👉 all major podcasting platforms 👈
Here’s Apple
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