Haere mai dear friends! This week, Robert Greene’s insightful advice on how to achieve strategic #mastery, a Ukrainian watchmaker breathes new life into a clocktower, funky 90s #house music, festive #vegan fried rice more #ContentCatnip #InterestingThings
Maxi Jazz from Faithless on the power of the universe inside of you
Maxi Jazz the musician, singer and poet from the electronic group Faithless sadly died about a year ago. Their music left and deep indelible mark on my life and his deep gravelly voice is so iconic. Here are some of his last words and boy oh boy, they are beautiful. Miss you Maxi and may you rest in power.
Decoding Animal Banter Using AI
Tech entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and the Audacious Project have unveiled a $10 million prize for anyone who can crack the code of animal banter! The Earth Species Project aims to use AI to translate the secret languages of our furry, feathered, and finned and clawed friends. This global challenge invites scientists and tech wizards to team up and unlock the mysteries of animal communication, paving the way for a deeper connection with wildlife and sparking a conservation revolution. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, just imagine mutual understanding between species?! It might just be the beginning of a more respectful relationship with them!
Fran Lebowitz on culture
“People show me their babies to see if I can tell if they’re gonna be smart. You can tell a baby is smart if she laughs. If she doesn’t laugh…don’t spend a lot of money educating the kid because it’s not gonna work”
“Things may be in fashion, but maybe you shouldn’t wear them. I would really like adults to dress like adults. Children look cute in children’s clothes but adults don’t. They look either deviant or like a slob. Usually more like a slob”
hahaha oh gosh I laughed so hard 😅 🤣
Finding Peace Amongst the Chaos
It may be challenging to find balance in what has become a relatively chaotic atmosphere. The scales have been swinging wildly from one side to another and it seems as if the harmony that you and those around you so desperately crave will never arrive. Do not be disheartened by this beautiful child! There is a peaceful center point, over the course of Earth’s existence, that has been achieved time and again. It may feel like it will never happen but, The Universe always finds a way. Your part in this process of much bigger than you think. When you move closer to your loving center and find balance within, the energy is added to the others who are doing the same. This creates what your world needs in order to for evenness to exist. Do not give up, it is on its way! ~ Creator
The Muses Companion by Thomas Slatin
My lovely friend on here Thomas Slatin has an ongoing series that is designed to inspire, embolden and give creative writers a breath of fresh air. It’s a weekly series with thoughtful and inspiring poetry, quotes and facts from history. Her weekly inspiration round-up is amazing check it out!
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.Henry David Thoreau
Great lessons in strategic mastery by Robert Green
I’ve read and loved all of Robert’s books he has taught me so much!
Poppies by Colleen Parker
Ukrainian watchmaker who fled war fixes a historic clock in her new home – a tiny Newfoundland village
In an improbable confluence of geopolitical strife, childhood wonder and salty air, a Ukrainian watchmaker has repaired a 118-year-old town clock in eastern Newfoundland that hadn’t told time in decades.
Liudmyla Pass, 68, had been in Newfoundland less than a month when she climbed the stairs to the long-silent clock tower in the coastal town of Carbonear on Tuesday, armed with her tools and five decades of expertise.
About four hours later, she had the clock’s gears clicking and turning, said her daughter, Yulia Veretennyk. The metal was rusty and crusted over with salt from the ocean air, said Veretennyk, translating for her mother. Pass gave it a good scrub and then carefully reset the machinery.
Jex Opolis – Pneumatic
An early 90’s acid house trip that sounds funky and optimistic for modern times.
On being silent
Some of the times
There are no words,
so let us just sit here in the silence.
Together in the silence we shall be.
Little thoughts by Athey Thompson
Via Enchanted Seashells
Hope by River Crow
Hope is the spark within the flint,
The birth of flame, the rage of life.
It is the tree within the seed, the song within the shell,
The briar that protects the heart.
Hope is the tears that sting the eyes,
The love that screams into the dark.
Shatter my soul in shards of silver;
Mirrors to the stars.
The face reflected is your own -
See me, and see yourself.
A thing of flesh and bone, no angel's wings
To fly above the blood and pain,
But hands to hold, to heal, to sow,
A voice to sing laments or praise.
Through all the aeons, it is here
With us, Hope makes her home.
By River Crow
What Taoism teaches about the body and being healthy
Taoist texts described Lao Tzu’s body as a kind of map for the entire cosmos, visualizing their own individual body like a smaller version of the entire cosmos, and likening the entire cosmos to a larger mirror of one’s own body. Bringing one’s body in alignment with the cosmos was understood to grant Taoists the ability to transform the environment around them by transforming their own bodies.
What happened in the body was understood to have an effect on the entire universe, just as the environment has an effect on one’s body.
What advice would you give to your younger self? Don’t be scared – take risks!
“And all the lives we ever lived And all the lives to be, Are full of trees and changing leaves.”
~ Virginia Woolf, ‘To the Lighthouse’
Human Evolution from Protocells to People
Stone in Focus by Vision Logic Landscapes
It seems that Mastodon is brimming with cool people who post cool things. If you are a biophiliac, nemophilist, animal or nature lover, or you like paganism and spirituality you will find amazing stuff on Mastodon. Like this incredible photo called ‘Stone in Focus’ by Vision Logic Landscapes. And yes the title is inspired by the incredible piece of music of the same name by Aphex Twin (see music below image).
Festive fried rice with a festive variation from Will Yeung
Looks superb!
Morning in a Pine Forest (1889) by Ivan Shishkin
Did you enjoy this collection? let me know what you think of it below. Thank you for reading my dear friends!
Content Catnip 
Thank you so much for the kind mention and the pingback! I deeply appreciate your support and the recognition of my work. It’s always encouraging to see fellow creators acknowledge each other’s contributions. Your platform has been an inspiration to many, including myself, and I look forward to continuing to engage with your insightful content. 😀
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So sorry for delay in response dear friend. Thank you so much for that compliment and also for your incredible output too
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Oh my goodness, I am deeply honoured to be included in one of your interesting things round-ups! Many thanks!
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You are very welcome dear friend 😘 that poem was incredible you are very talented
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Aphex Twin was my fave music in the 90s.
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Awesome! Selected ambient works is my go-to for calming down and chilling still sounds very timeless i think
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