curiosity...

The Pixel Painter

Do you have an undying passion? One you could cultivate over a lifetime? Perhaps the story of this seasoned artist will inspire you to find something for yourself. A hobby that you feel called to master one day could be one of the many standout features that will define you. Let yourself fall in love, my friends!

Enjoy!

Happy 157th Birthday Tesla!

Today marks the 157th birthday of the scientific genius and visionary Nikola Tesla. Tesla is perhaps the most profound inventor of the modern era, and you might be surprised to find out just how many "smart" devices we use in today's tech-savvy culture that can be attributed to his revolutionary mind.

Here's a fun and educational doodle created by the artists over at theoatmeal.com that gives a little snippet of Tesla's life accomplishments and prophetic visions of a future aligned with technology. And here is a comedic biographical drama of Tesla's life story. Enjoy! And now go out and imagine your own groundbreaking ideas!

18 Of The Coolest Water Slides From Around The World

Have you ever been to the waterslides as a kid? Maybe even as an adult? If you can recall that sudden rush of heart-pounding adrenaline you get when hurling down a giant plastic tube with some spirited nostalgia, then you will not want to miss out on these incredible waterslides around the world.

30 Abandoned Places That Look Truly Beautiful

More specifically, an eerie tone of beauty which lies in the mystery of human desolation. Because we are mortal beings, we are an amnesic species from generation to generation; and our past is nearly as mysterious as our future. What we can remember, marks the capacity of human knowledge. What we have yet to learn, marks the capacity of human potential.

Incredible. Isn't it?


Craco, Italy.

20 Gentle Quotations From Mister Rogers

Today marks the 85th birthday of Mister Fred McFeely Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. And in honor of his life's work and dedication to educating the public, particularly the youth, I would like to share some insightful pieces of wisdom from Mister Rogers himself. Additionally, below is a re-shared post of the most excellent audio/visual production by melodysheep for PBS Digital Studios called "Garden of Your Mind." Enjoy, neighbors! 

Mister Rogers | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios

Liquid Drop Art

Here's a totally different perspective. Artist Corrie White turns simplicity into breath-taking close-ups of physics in action. Results in psychedelic awesomeness may vary.

Michio Kaku: The Universe in a Nutshell

It's Monday, time for some mental exercises in theoretical physics! If you have 42 minutes and just the smallest ounce of curiosity, you will definitely enjoy this entertaining lecture by the popular Japanese-American physicist, Michio Kaku, as he delivers a more practical approach to appreciating a world full of cultures full of physics. It is the cornerstone of all the fields of science after all. Stay curious my friends, and be enlightened!

Tilt-Shift Crazy

I finally got around to leaning how to create these awesome miniaturized style photographs on photoshop. I've included the how-to below so you can learn how to create your own tilt-shifted photos too. Have fun!












1. Enter Quick Mask Mode in Photoshop by pressing Q on your keyboard.

2. Make sure that your foreground color is set to black and the background color is set to white. If they are not, you can reset them to this setting by pressing D on your keyboard.

3. Select the Gradient tool by pressing G on your keyboard. If the Paint Bucket tool is set as the default, simply click and hold down the mouse button over the Paint Bucket icon, then select the Gradient tool icon.

4. Set the gradient to “Reflected Gradient” and the gradient type to “Foreground to Background”

5. Move the mouse cursor to a focal point of the image. This is the part of the image that you want to make appear to be the most clearly miniaturized. Hold Shift, click and hold the mouse, then drag the cursor vertically to about halfway up the picture and release. For scenery pictures a good guideline is to drag the cursor from your focal point to about where the skyline meets the horizon. 6. A red gradient will appear. This is why it is necessary to be in Quick Mask Mode.

7. Exit Quick Mask Mode by pressing Q on your keyboard. The red gradient will disappear, and in its place, the image will now appear with a selection around the area of the focal point.

8. Now apply a lens blur to the image. Select “Filter” then “Blur” and click on “Lens Blur”

9. The Lens Blur dialogue box will open. Apply the following settings to the blur--set the “Shape” to “Hexagon”, set the “Radius” to “15", set the “Threshold” to “245” and set the “Distribution” to “Uniform”. If you’d like, you can play with these settings until you achieve the desired effect. Click OK to apply the blur.

10. The image should now look blurred with a clear area where you selected your focus point. Now, deselect the selection around the focal point by clicking “Select” then “Deselect” or by pressing “Ctrl + D” (on a PC) or “Cmd + D” (on a Mac).

11. Open the Hue and Saturation settings for the image by selecting “Image” then “Adjustments” and clicking “Hue/Saturation” or by pressing “Ctrl + U” (on a PC) or “Cmd + U” (on a Mac)

12. Set the Saturation to roughly 25 to 35. You can also play with this setting until you get the desired effect.

13. Click OK to apply the Saturation change. Objects in the image should now appear miniaturized or toy like in their appearance.

And here is a different, supplementary site for learning how to create the tilt-shift effect.

Let's Go!

Tom Petty - The Trip To Pirate's Cove

Groovin' along this Saturday afternoon. Isn't Life sweet? Time to relax and enjoy it :)

Music & Wine

Upon some deep consideration,
I have come to graciously embrace this analogy
that Music is very much like Wine. 

Often times new and different varieties offend the untrained palate
but what we fail to realize is
that it is not the music that is poor in quality or flavor
but our own tastes that are narrow, lacking and ill-formed.

To branch out
and explore the diverse varieties is part of the fun and enjoyment
To sample, so to speak, and find the particular blends that really truly suit you
Not just you as a connoisseur,
but you as a person
A unique soul
that is what we are searching for.

Each style has its own specific purpose
its own mood, its own feeling
Pop can be the 2 buck chuck
It gets the job done in some respects.

In the same vein however,
we must not forget
that there is a such thing as a good wine and a bad one
That is for certain.

So my friends, drink it all in
go and expand your playlist! So many songs to be heard, so little time!

Mayer Hawthorne - Dreaming

Does this music video remind anyone else of Chuck E. Cheese's back in the '90s? Ahh... back when life was simpler :)

Mister Rogers Remixed | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios

An Imagination is a Terrible thing to Waste~

Here's an awesomely created video featuring one of my tv role models. It's really wonderful to be able to look back at my childhood influences and finally be able to fully appreciate the amazing people out there spreading good vibes and planting seeds of wisdom in the youth. I pray that we live and never outgrow that youthful spirit and innocence we had before we became so impressionable, and continue to truly absorb ideas and create endless possibilities with the full potential of our unleashed imaginations. Stay tuned! I'll be sharing more sweet music videos from melodysheep in the future :)  

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More from John D. Boswell (melodysheep):
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