red planet. its first 4k video was released couple of days ago on youtube.

(turkish: ayasofya) a cathedral built in the 6th century in modern-day istanbul, turkey. constructed under the direction of byzantine emperor justinian i, it is considered one of, if not the most significant byzantine monuments. it stands today as a symbol of the religious developments that have taken place throughout the ages in this city. presenting elements of both islam and christianity alike, it started as an orthodox christian temple and was converted to a muslim mosque after the ottoman conquest in 1543. it was converted to a museum and named a unesco world heritage site in 1934, and has since been converted back to a mosque.

almost the national bird of the united states. a large domesticated bird most commonly used for food. traditionally served during the holidays. (see: thanksgiving)

research and investment area for billionaires.

i love you.

i wish i wrote the way i thought
obsessively
incessantly
with maddening hunger
i’d write to the point of suffocation
i’d write myself into nervous breakdowns
manuscripts spiralling out like tentacles into abysmal nothing
and i’d write about you
a lot more
than i should

- benedict smith

"a clumsy and easily frightened animal. some can even be the size of a human being. in fact, at first glance, they even look like humans. the grip of his claws is weak. he is incapable of climbing hills, and comes down a slope by sliding (frequently falling as he does so). he has almost no hair on his body; he has large eyes but weak sight, which is why he cannot see danger from a distance."

(see: the disconnected)

wondering.

a country where there is no culture of resignation.

derogatory name given to all colonists, even those who didn't support the rebellion.

napoleon bonaparte, emperor of france, planned to base an empire in north america after establishing a naval base on the island of hispaniola in the caribbean sea. his plans were ruined by toussaint louverture, who led a revolution of slaves and free blacks there. louverture was captured, but his followers kept the revolution alive, frustrating napoleon's plans. napoleon lost interest in louisiana and sold it to the united states.

(aka the lone star state) in the 1820s, moses austin, followed by his son stephen, gained permission from the mexican government to settle 300 american families in the state of coahuila, soon to be known as texas. thousands more settlers were granted permission and followed. by 1830, they outnumbered mexicans in the region four to one.

in 1835, the dictator of mexico, general santa anna, moved an army into texas to establish military control. about 100 texans defended their settlements at the alamo. on march 6, 1836, surrounded by 5,000 troops, they were all killed. other conflicts followed. the texans, inspired by the rallying cry "remember the alamo!" overwhelmed the mexicans and captured santa anna. in september, the republic of texas was formed, with sam houston as president. the lone star republic would remain independent until 1845, when it was annexed by the united states.

(see: #635)

an adaptation of an african lyre, was a common instrument in slave quarters. singing songs reinforced slaves sense of community and tied their lives in america to their ancestors' in africa.

thomas edison was the most famous inventor during the great age of invention. in his lifetime, he was granted 1,093 patents. his inventions included a telegraph that would send and receive messages simultaneously over the same line; a transmitter for bell's telephone; the phonograph; the incandescent light bulb; the mimeograph machine; waxed paper; and the basic system for making motion pictures.

working at his laboratory in menlo park, new jersey, edison worked long hours, slept little, talked to himself, and became lost in his work. in fact, on his wedding night, he forgot about his bride and went back to his lab to work out a problem.