Friday morning links

"What is so great about [the Mona Lisa] portrait?' It's her smile, not her eyes. There's a teller at my bank who has the same semi-smile. I find it mesmerizing.

#1 snopercod on 2019-01-11 08:20 (Reply)

The Magical Gaze of 'Mona Lisa' Is a Myth

The power of suggestion. What is so great about that portrait? Or is it famous for being famous?

Mona Lisa is a real dog! And her painting is just "famous" for being a DaVinci!

You want a painting of a truly captivating, lovely woman? Go here:

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/5396/lady-agnew-lochnaw-1864-1932

#1.1 Old Codger on 2019-01-11 10:54 (Reply)

Well, old Codger, Singer-Sargent was a truly great painter. But that girl looks way more high maintenance than would be a very good idea.

#1.1.1 pbird on 2019-01-11 15:32 (Reply)

snopercod: It's her smile, not her eyes.

That's right. You can't see the effect in a photograph as it depends on the translucent quality of oil paints. Da Vinci knew that the eye perceived things differently when the eye was focused on an object than when the object was peripheral to the field of vision. The effect is that Mona Lisa appears placid when you look at her, but smirks when you turn your gaze away, as if she is having a private joke at your expense.

The Science Behind Mona Lisa’s Smile: How Leonardo da Vinci engineered the world’s most famous painting.

#1.2 Zachriel on 2019-01-11 16:30 (Reply)

"Why didn’t the GOP-held Congress fund the wall?"

There is a number of influential groups who benefit from a steady influx of cheap labor and potential voters. Republicans too take money from these groups and are part of the conspiracy to replace Americans with cheap labor which will destroy the middle class. No one retires from congress without becoming a millionaire. Illegal immigration costs us 100's of billions a year, even legal immigration costs us more than 100 billion a year. Who pays and who benefits?

#2 OneGuy on 2019-01-11 10:36 (Reply)

Soon the GOP will become the MAGA Party indeed.

#2.1 R.J. Torre on 2019-01-11 12:55 (Reply)

After Months Of Complaints, Seattle Clears Homeless Encampment

And all but one refuse free shelter. In this case, is "homeless" a euphemism for bums and addicts?

"HOMELESS" is always a euphemism for bums and addicts! Those losers are the detritus of society and simply just want free stuff, including cash they'll use for drugs and booze.

If you're driving a pick-up truck, pull up next to a "homeless" person holding a sign that says, "Will work for Food" and ask that person to climb in the back, since you have a job that person can do and you'll pay them by feeding them.

Virtually all of them will decline that offer; they are there to beg, not ask for work!!!

#3 Old Codger on 2019-01-11 10:45 (Reply)

Back in 2000 I pointed out to a homeless person that the homeless could rent an apartment on the diverse side of town relatively cheaply, with two to a bedroom. The reply was that he would rather live in the woods than live in the diverse side of town. (not his precise worlds)

#3.1 Gringo on 2019-01-11 15:19 (Reply)

Actually that is pretty astute on his part.

#3.1.1 Anon on 2019-01-11 18:04 (Reply)

Gender transformation at college

Can you see it now? Do you understand what has happened?
Beginning with The LIE (Homosexuality is genetic) which was "supported" by corrupt "research" in a Swedish university, the truth gradually began to emerge--too, too many people suddenly afflicted with genetic caused sexual confusion. THEREFORE, we need to acknowledge the facts: sexual confusion begins at a very early age--is a social, cultural (family environment) phenomenon.
But, now that the truth is out--homosexuality is choice--there is a huge population of deviant democrats who have been getting paid to make it easy for anyone to become a part of their community, and so the story--the phenomenon escalates because the schools are also funded by this very wealth community. AND, they are such a rich source of sexual gratification--watching all those young people be turned away from the traditional is so titillating don't you think? Almost as much fun as a "introductory conquest": you know when you are the first one to have sex with a previously "straight" young person. Ohhh . . .

#4 faculty wife on 2019-01-11 10:51 (Reply)

Re IBM and the PC revolution...

IBM's PC - the 5050 - was an expensive thing at the time. IBM never figured it'd be a big mover, compared to their mainframes, so didn't see any problem putting out all the specifications and descriptions of how it worked into the public domain. Who'd go through the expense to replicate it and mass-produce it?

But other companies grabbed them and came out with their own models, significantly cheaper than the IBM PC. Even Hyundai had a PC. AST came out with accessory I/O cards that were a LOT cheaper than IBM's - and they sold like crazy.

IBM, realizing they let a cash cow run out the gate, tried to grab the PC market back with a new proprietary system - the PS/2. It was supposed to pair with IBM's O/S2 - and we used to joke it was half a piece of shit combined with half an operating system. It had also significant issues with I/O cards, and ended up on the scrap heap of computer history.

But hey - they still had their mainframe business... That'd never go away, right? (Grin)

#5 JLawson on 2019-01-11 11:34 (Reply)

And I got the model wrong - sorry! It was the 5150 that really sparked it all.

http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5150.html

#5.1 JLawson on 2019-01-11 11:42 (Reply)

Sanders Associates - Now BAE - had all the pieces for a desktop PC in the 1970's but no one tyought anyone would want that. Data storage and telephone download.

#5.2 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2019-01-11 16:23 (Reply)

There is a correlation between what you see with Sears today and what happened to IBM. Sears was positioned to be the Amazon of the world but the vision or will simply wasn't there. Notice now that Walmart can sell you almost anything on line, just like Amazon, BUT you can pick it up at your local store tomorrow (or sometimes a day or two). I bet the Amazon leaders are looking over their shoulder.

#5.3 Anon on 2019-01-11 18:09 (Reply)

Bill Clinton Dems: Dead; or now with Republicans?

#6 Sam L. on 2019-01-11 12:23 (Reply)

French theory philosophy out of fashion...Sartre always sucked along with the French "seating arrangements".

#7 indyjonesouthere on 2019-01-11 12:41 (Reply)

re homeless:

LA's Battle for Venice Beach: Homeless Surge Puts Hollywood's Progressive Ideals to the Test

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/las-homeless-surge-puts-hollywoods-progressive-ideals-test-1174599

#8 feeblemind on 2019-01-11 14:46 (Reply)

IBM did not invent the " Microsoft system " Microsoft was founded in 1975 and partnered with IBM in 1980 . They licensed their MS-DOS system to IBM .

#9 treefroggy on 2019-01-11 21:38 (Reply)

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Friday, January 11. 2019

Friday morning links