TIL #2: Thomas Edison’s To-Do List, Octavia Butler, & the Creepiest Drum Ever Made

I don’t know if this week’s list is actually so much things I like as it is things that fascinate me. (Really this feature should be called “Random Things That I Saw on the Internet This Week” but it’s a bit late now.) My time is short today so I’ll keep this brief as well.

#1: Thomas Edison’s To-Do List

I know that we’ve all had those days where our To-Do lists seemed insurmountable. I was feeling that way this weekend…until I saw Thomas Edison’s.

The lists have everything from “ink for the blind” to tons of mysterious machines. It’s a bit like glimpsing into the thoughts of a mad scientist. I’m sure the Oatmeal would agree.

#2: Octavia Butler fanvid

The Parable series by Octavia Butler is one of my favorite works by any artist ever. It speaks to me in ways that few other books have. It could be my personal–and strong–connection to that story but when I saw this video, it brought a tear to my eye.

#3: A Drum made out of human skulls

As an author who writes novels named after artifacts, I’m always keeping my eyes open for new ones. I uncovered this ritual pellet drum from Tibet in the digital collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (Man, do they have some great objects!)

Whenever I find myself looking at an artifact like this, it brings to me all kinds of questions. Why did they use human material in the making of the drum? How was it obtained? For what rituals was it used? Through what hands did this drum pass? What about the artifact are we misinterpreting simply because of its age and provenance?

A lot of interesting questions. I may have to do some further research later on.