Tag: humans

humansofnewyork:

(2/2) “Mom tried her best to pay for flight school, but we kept running out of money.  I’d have to drop out for a few weeks, and since flying involves so much muscle memory, it would take me a while to get back on track.  So one day I bought a stack of magazines and newspapers.  I went through every page and cut out the advertisements.  Then I opened my pantry and wrote down every brand I could find.  I sent all of them letters, asking for help.  Almost everyone said ‘no.’  But I did receive an amount from a grocery store called Pick-n-Pay.  And Breitling sent me a brand new watch to raffle.  That was a huge break.  I sold six hundred raffle tickets.  Things were going so well.  African Pilot Magazine promoted the raffle for free.  A man from Australia bought 100 tickets.  But then I got a letter from the Lottery Board ordering me to end my raffle.  They said it was illegal.  I tried to explain that I was raising money for my education, but they didn’t care.  I was so disappointed.  I’d have to sit out another year of flight school.  But when I called everyone to explain the situation, nobody would accept their money back.  They told me to keep it!  It was enough to keep me in the air for months.  Then around Christmas that year, one of my mentors invited me to eat lunch at the airport.  When I stepped out of the car, everyone who had ever helped me was there.  They all started clapping.  And somebody handed me the phone.  A person on the other end said: ‘You’re live on 94.7, and we’re going to pay for your entire education!’  That was nearly four years ago.  I just got my license last week.  My plan is to fly for South African Airlines, but first I want to do some teaching.  I want to visit schools in black neighborhoods.  I want all the kids to see what an African female pilot looks like.”
(Johannesburg, South Africa)

Overheard on Campus:

xiaq:

A tall muscular undergrad walking purposely toward the English building, talking on the phone in a loud, assertive voice: I’m gunna kill it!  I’m prepared! I’m confident! I’m ready! I believe in myself!
After a moment of silence, in a much quieter voice:  Yeah, thanks, mom. That helped. I’ll call you after and let you know how it goes. Love you.

So I got this ad on youtube…

elodieunderglass:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

smothermewithaffection:

It’s for U.S. Cellular, specifically advertising how great their streaming service is. You can even , the guy in the ad says, stream hours of grass mowing.

And I go… “wait a minute…that sounds weird…why hasn’t this ad ended yet?”

And I look at the bottom. 

the ad is seven hours long.

UPDATE

i’m half an hour in

the guy’s come back a couple times. his mower broke down and he went to get more gas. he came back and started it up again, drove around a few more times making comments about it being fun and “you still watchin? weird.” After a bit he took out a ruler and started measuring the grass.

He pulled out a book and a lawn chair and started reading, but he just left and said he’ll be back soon

he brought out an umbrella but it fell over so he left and came back and tried to fix it but it completely broke so he stalked off, dragging the chair behind him. i’m loving this.

HE BROUGHT OUT A HAND-HELD UMBRELLA

he’s really getting into the book

He put away the umbrella and book and stuff and now he’s measuring the grass again.

HE’S GONNA PLAY CROQUET

the sprinklers turned on…i’m two hours into this thing

more compelling than real tv tbh

Humans are STILL weird.

samuraiknitter:

Yes, I’m still at it. I can’t stop. Send help. 

LINGUISTICS: 
Human language is very difficult. Too much is conveyed by body language and what they call ‘tone’. Thankfully Humans are patient with misunderstandings, and largely shrug off difficulties and explain as needed. No one is quite sure what the word ‘fuck’ means, and they are all afraid to ask. Its use is wide and varied, and too often leads to violence of one kind or another. 

HOBBIES: 
When Humans began signing on as crew for multi-species vessels, they began hauling in all sorts of… things. Things that had NOTHING to do with their abilities to do their jobs. Musical instruments, pictures that were cut to pieces which are then reassembled painstakingly, chemical enhancements imbibed for recreational purposes, miniature pre-contact transportation vessels built in containers of glass that serve no evident purpose, meters and kilometers and LIGHT YEARS of string and sticks and small fiddly bits. 
“What do you do when you’re not working?” 
“Prepare for more work.”
“Wow. Sounds boring.” 

KNITTING: 
Really, not just knitting. The construction of any and all garments on-board ship. Often garments that serve no clear purpose. All needed gear is issued upon arrival. So why is that human standing watch with a handful of long metal wires and a ball of string? AND HOW DID IT BECOME A SOCK? WHY DO THEY KNOW WHAT SOCKS ARE? Crocheted lace is banned among some species because it triggers a closed-loop neurological function when watched. 

BOREDOM: 
It’s not so much being bored that confuses other species. Any beings who traverse the stars are familiar with moments, sometimes long moments, of nothing to do. It is Humans’ approach to this feeling that is unusual. They DO THINGS. Too often, they involve others. “Bands” playing harmonious sounds. “Movie Night” becomes a thing in Human space, so common that for a long time other species thought it was a ritual of some kind. They include the rest of the crew; the crew is usually confused by Human ideas of entertainment. Attempts to share stories in the other direction only lead to the Humans themselves being confused. 

The first Human to introduce rugby to a ship as a way to kill time was nearly tried for mutiny. 

apparentlyeverything:

I sometimes wonder if some people here in their late teens/early 20s just rarely or never interact with unrelated adults older than them so they tend to base their understanding of what *adults* are like and how they should act on their relationships with their parents and teachers, and other authority figures. So many seem to believe that other adults, particularly those older than them, have a responsibility to protect them as if they’re still vulnerable children. They don’t seem to realize that they are in young adulthood themselves, and that other adults are not required to act as their mentors or stand-in parents. 

And like, I really don’t think they realize that most people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond aren’t *that* different from them. Most are still dealing with some of the same shit that they were dealing with at age 20. If you don’t accept that humans are complicated and weird, no matter how old they are, you’re gonna have a hard time navigating your own adulthood. If you’re expecting every older person to be more mature and wiser than you, you’re gonna be very disappointed. People are hot messes at all ages. 

aliofbabylon:

“I used to believe that the human race as a whole was basically a few steps above wolves. That given the slightest change in circumstances, we would all, sooner or later, tear each other to shreds. That we were, at root, self-interested, cowardly, envious and potentially dangerous in groups. I have since come to believe — after many meals with many different people in many, many different places — that though there is no shortage of people who would do us harm, we are essentially good. That the world is, in fact, filled with mostly good and decent people who are simply doing the best they can. Everybody, it turns out, is proud of their food (when they have it). They enjoy sharing it with others (if they can). They love their children. They like a good joke. Sitting at the table has allowed me a privileged perspective and access that others, looking principally for “the story,” do not, I believe, always get. People feel free, with a goofy American guy who has expressed interest only in their food and what they do for fun, to tell stories about themselves — to let their guard down, to be and to reveal, on occasion, their truest selves. … People, wherever they live, are not statistics. They are not abstractions. … I’m not saying that sitting down with people and sharing a plate is the answer to world peace. Not by a long shot. But it can’t hurt.” – Anthony Bourdain