enigmaticgale - Tumblr blog

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Lac des fées by Benoît Deniaud

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Truly a shame there's not more yak appreciation on tumblr.

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The "Cup of Chosroes" AKA the "Cup of Solomon". Produced in the Sassanid Empire during the reign of King Kosrow I (531 - 579 BC). Later given as a gift from the Abbasid Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid to Charlemagne.

Housed at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France

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Jade high stemmed cup, China, Western Han Period, 206 BC - 8 AD

from The National Palace Museum, Taipei

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Sometimes you just gotta doodle the girl just standing there, ya know?

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by michelloup

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Gold ring with spinel seal and hidden key, India, mid to late 19th century

from Christies

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Dragon Eye, a metamorphic rock formation, was found in a stone mine in Lancashire, England.

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Pro Tip: The Way You End a Sentence Matters

Here is a quick and dirty writing tip that will strengthen your writing.

In English, the word at the end of a sentence carries more weight or emphasis than the rest of the sentence. You can use that to your advantage in modifying tone.

Consider:

In the end, what you said didn't matter.

It didn't matter what you said in the end.

In the end, it didn't matter what you said.

Do you pick up the subtle differences in meaning between these three sentences?

The first one feels a little angry, doesn't it? And the third one feels a little softer? There's a gulf of meaning between "what you said didn't matter" (it's not important!) and "it didn't matter what you said" (the end result would've never changed).

Let's try it again:

When her mother died, she couldn't even cry.

She couldn't even cry when her mother died.

That first example seems to kind of side with her, right? Whereas the second example seems to hold a little bit of judgment or accusation? The first phrase kind of seems to suggest that she was so sad she couldn't cry, whereas the second kind of seems to suggest that she's not sad and that's the problem.

The effect is super subtle and very hard to put into words, but you'll feel it when you're reading something. Changing up the order of your sentences to shift the focus can have a huge effect on tone even when the exact same words are used.

In linguistics, this is referred to as "end focus," and it's a nightmare for ESL students because it's so subtle and hard to explain. But a lot goes into it, and it's a tool worth keeping in your pocket if you're a creative writer or someone otherwise trying to create a specific effect with your words :)

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Xu Zhen - Hello 

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the stuff going on at columbia campus rn is genuinely incredible

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If exercising hurts your joints, isometrics are an effective, simple way to train your body. The lack of movement allows you to use greater pain-free force than you normally would - building more strength and muscle! 

Isometrics can build muscle, by the way. There’s no reason they can’t. The studies that show lack of hypertrophy usually have very low-intensity exercises that wouldn’t build much muscle even if they were dynamic. OR they are done at such low volume that the metabolic stress required is not present.

I like combining isometrics with full range of motion at lower intensity. Sometimes MUCH lower intensity if needed!

However, some people are unable to do reasonably do full ROM even when heavily assisted. Start with what you can and work your way up!

Take your time. Patience matched with consistency can yield great long term results!

Legal Notice: Consult your doctor before beginning any kind of exercise program. This video does not replace a physical therapy program or consultation with a medical professional.

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If you're applying for office jobs and you're lying about being proficient in Excel (which you always should bc nobody knows anything and google is free) a handy video to give you the basics on Excel's functionality is Joel Sposky's You Suck at Excel Video. It's about an hour long and gives you enough background info to know what people are talking about when referring to Excel, and from there you can do your own further research. There are also handy little guides and notes people have taken on the presentation that go over the highlights here and here <3

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Hirō Isono

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Ars Poetica in Which the Poet is Not a Cockroach, Jason Myers

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