Siamese Crocodile

Over the past few months I have asked a male architect for ideas & drafts for the renovation of the farmhouse, and at every turn I am stunned by his utter disregard for any cleaning-related concerns. For example, he is very into the idea of having in the living-room a big, non-openable window near the ceiling—which, granted, looks pretty, like having a piece of blue sky when you raise your eyes, but immediately I’m like, with a high ceiling, how will I clean this? You can’t open it so you have to clean both sides separately, and you can’t easily reach either side. I’ll need a tool with an absurdly long telescopic handle. He says, a stepladder. I’m like, but I’ll need to carry it by myself to the living-room and the front of the house every time. “So?” So a very tall stepladder is heavy? And it will be hard not to get dirty water dripping down the wall. He reacts like he can’t believe he is being asked to bring the concept of dirty soap water into his grand designs, like these are base, trifling considerations, when to me it’s a crucial factor in the decision to add this decorative window.

Similarly we both agree on leaving most of the wood beams exposed because they’re old and beautiful, but when I ask if we ought to insulate in such a way as to cover every other one, so the remaining ones are farther apart and it’s harder for spiders to use them as ready-made anchors for their webs, he just looks disgusted, like “I am talking about Architecture and you bring up spiderwebs.” At this point I start to entertain the idea that men make horrible architects. You design someone’s house to give them a nice, convenient space to live in, not to make their life more difficult. A man who has never used a sponge in his life should not be allowed to graduate from architect school and that’s the end of it.

This account is primarily for sharing videos and photos from regular people living in Gaza, but in this post I want to highlight what it is like for someone who has been able to leave.

Maram Alshurafa is a dental student from Palestine. In December, her family was able to send her to safety in Canada.

Despite being somewhere physically safer than Gaza, she is experiencing a new hardship feeling isolated and afraid for her family in Palestine.

Maram is on Instagram @ maram_alshurafa. She is raising funds to help the rest of her family escape. You can help by donating here.

Pros and Cons of Bipedalism

Pros:

One of the most efficient gaits of the animal kingdom

Can carry and use tools while walking

Less area for sun exposure back in Africa (top of the head vs whole back)

Can carry our young since their stupid tiny hands can’t cling to us anymore like proper primates

Taller: see predators coming, pick fruit from trees, give better high-fives

Look scarier to other animals

Cons:

Back hurty

BIRTH HURTY x100

Knees: “I didn’t sign up for this.”

Heart: “I didn’t sign up for this.”

our circulatory system has to work so hard bro

Big tiger can see us better

Did I mention how much birth hurts bc of our stupid upright hips? Seriously, commonly dying in childbirth isn’t an evolutionary benefit smh

Anyway, I would like to hold a re-vote on walking upright, who’s game? 

If you are a British/UK citizen, there is currently a petition running (with only 125 signatures) that ends in June 2025. The petition calls for the government to make it so that you do not need a diagnosis of gender dysphoria to change your gender.

If you are a British/UK citizen, and would like to sign:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701159

If you're not a British/ UK citizen it'd be much appreciated if you could share this post !! :)

Windcatchers are fascinating.

Also called wind towers and wind scoops, windcatchers have been used in North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years to provide natural ventilation & passive cooling. They fell out of popularity after the introduction of HVAC systems, but are now experiencing a revival because they’re so practical and cost-effective. Here’s how they work:

Not only are they an engineering masterpiece–they’re gorgeous

Windcatchers rely on local weather instead of the electric grid, making them affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly. they’re a terrific example of how vernacular and traditional architecture is often more suited to its environment–and more livable–than modern polite architecture. 

I can't wait to get the COVID vaccine and level up

*makes this noise at you*