Friday, September 30, 2005

This is why I subscribe to 3QuarksDaily


Two great links this morning...

Here is a photoblog that is a lot more than just pictures.

Caution: some of these images can be unsettling. But so can a lot of words that have been written. When we sense that words are about to carry us where we do not want to travel we can quit reading. But when we are zapped with an image it's too late not to look. In the same way that one can't un-ring a bell, it is not possible to un-see an image.

Without comment these pictures vividly (I did not consciously choose that word, but the moment I typed it the derivation from viva, meaning life, jumped out at me) illustrate that a picture is, in fact, worth a thousand words.
What a find!
For the record I am pro-choice. I do not believe that abortion should be criminalized.
But I am also in the camp that believes in making that choice fully informed. Abortion as a form of birth control is perhaps the greatest evil of our time. The time to make the choice is before sex, not afterward.

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...shifting gears...unrelated to previous item...
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And here is the most imaginative web design application I have seen to date. Go here with your curiosity glasses on and play for a bit. Don't leave until your mouse gets tired.
On the other hand, forget it. The link has been disabled.
See Abbas' note in the comments.
It isn't officially released for prime time and we aren't supposed to look at it.
But it's really, really cool and I'm glad I was able to take a peek.
(See what you're missing?)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As always, John, I am incredibly flattered by your kind words. I made a mistake by linking to the Seed site before its official launch (I just followed a link back from one of our referrers), and they asked me (nicely) to remove the link, which I have done. It is an amazing design, isn't it? All best to you...

Hoots said...

No problem. I have edited my post content accordingly.
It's kinda like walking through a campus at night and noticing one of the windows in the girl's dorm is carelessly (or maybe not) unshaded. I'm glad I got to look.

Anonymous said...

Hi Hoots,

In some way it may look shocking but as said also words can hurt.
But it learns us that we should think carefully about certain matters.

Looking at the pictures I felt curiousity to see the next one; realizing that these creatures were suppose to live once.
As human beings we can make choices; and although I am not totally against abortion I think it should not be used as a consequence of making a wrong decision.

Hoots said...

Thank you reading and for your comment, Elsa. I would be interested to know under what circumstances you feel abortion is an option.
For other readers, I don't think Elsa's reference to these creatures means human fetuses. Several photos are of other species in the "pre-born" or "pre-hatched" state.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

There might be certain circumstances where abortion is justified. Situations where there is no other choice for women; in this respect I am thinking of the situation when women are raped or that she will not survive giving birth to her child or in case of medical failure.
There are a few things which are beyond a womans control.

Furthermore there is always this one particular question: when does life start???

In Holland this item is discussed already since the sixties.
Abortion is legalsince 1981. The foetus should not be older than 24 weeks; and it is even paid by the AWBZ which is a sort of fund for special medical cost.

It is never the child's fault being born; and it will always be an item of discussion. Do we human beings have the right to interfere?

Very difficult item, I hope it is clear what I want to say.

(Furthermore my apologies for not using always the corrects words; but be sure I never want to harm anyone; it is just the limited knowledge of language which is a pity of course.)

Anonymous said...

Just thought I'd comment...(I took the images on the Lenswork site) and I want to be very clear that I'm Pro-abortion. (Not that I think abortion itself is a good thing, but I do believe that women have the right to choose, and that every child brought into this world is a Wanted child).

Life is indeed precious and wonderful and delicate and precarious (which is what these images are about), but I not intend for the images to be a statement about abortion.

-Tamara