austinzappas-blog

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My favorite President, ever.

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And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.

John Steinbeck (via 7daystheory)

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…………….sweet dreams

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Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Follow Ultrafacts for more facts

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Daily dose of love quotes here

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Augustus, that's me.

Daily dose of love quotes here

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Running robots of future may learn from world’s best two-legged runners: Birds

With an eye toward making better running robots, researchers have made surprising new findings about some of nature’s most energy-efficient bipeds — running birds.

Although birds are designed primarily for flight, scientists have learned that species that predominately live on land and scurry around on the ground are also some of the most sophisticated runners of any two-legged land animals. These characteristics may have been evolving since the time of the dinosaurs and, some would say, now transcend the ability of other bipedal runners, including humans.

In a study published today in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers from Oregon State University, the Royal Veterinary College and other institutions outline how running birds have achieved an impressive ability to run while minimizing energy cost, avoiding falls or injury, and maintaining speed and direction.

"Birds appear to be the best of bipedal terrestrial runners, with a speed and agility that may trace back 230 million years to their dinosaur ancestors," said Jonathan Hurst, an associate professor and robotics expert in the OSU College of Engineering.

Running birds come in an enormous range of sizes, from tiny quails to an ostrich that has 500 times as much body mass. Most, but not all, can fly, but spend most of their lives on the ground, and they don’t always look the most graceful when they run. But researchers found that they maximize the results while keeping their priorities straight — save energy and don’t break a leg.

In the wild, an injury could lead to predation and death; and in like fashion, when food resources are limited, economy of motion is essential.

"These animals don’t care that they appear a little unstable or have a waver in their gait," Hurst said. "Their real goal is to limit peak forces, avoid falling, be safe and be as efficient as possible. If their upper body seems to lurch around a little as a result, that’s okay. What they are accomplishing is really quite elegant."

Even more surprisingly, a wide variety of ground-running bird species with very different body sizes use essentially the same strategy to accomplish these sometimes conflicting tasks. In order to hop over obstacles on uneven ground, they use a motion that’s about 70 percent a “vaulting” movement as they approach the obstacle, and 30 percent a more-crouched posture while on top of the obstacle.

"Evolution has shaped running birds into all different sizes and skeletal structures," said Christian Hubicki, a doctoral student at Oregon State who co-authored the study. "But we found their behavior in how they run is essentially the same."

Continue Reading.

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Every star has at least one planet.

Truth

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This is the best way to describe what I see/feel/hear when I look at humans. Every single one is beautiful, and just as important as the other. Do not make up what your aura is by finding a description that you like or think best suites you or that you think is the coolest and will get you the most attention. I say this because I have seen lots of people do this. Find out what your true color is and embrace it as others do, and as I do <3

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People know what they do; frequently they know why they do what they do; but what they don’t know is what what they do does.

Michel Foucault (via hqlines)

True story.

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can u pretend im not ugly and annoying and fall in love with me

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Bitter..

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Why do you look sad? Because you speak to me in words, and I look at you with feelings.

Pierrot le fou, Dir. Jean-Luc Godard (via wordsnquotes)

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Intimacy is not who you let touch you. Intimacy is who you text at 3am about your dreams and fears. Intimacy is giving someone your attention, when ten other people are asking for it. Intimacy is the person always in the back of your mind, no matter how distracted you are.

Nadir (via wemightdietomorrow)

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Book store signs.

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There is an eloquence in true enthusiasm.

Edgar Allan Poe (via itsquoted)

True story