TheListServe Blog

Once I saw a swan crash land onto/into the road in Dublin. It was along the quays and the Liffey was very high and black, and hey, it was an easy mistake to make, man. It tumbled and stood up, seemingly unharmed, and then strutted in the middle of the road, hissing at anyone who thought there might be something funny about the situation. Swan was not happy. A man got out of his car and attempted to herd it out of the road. Swan was having none of it. And then, man just got behind swan, picked swan up and flung swan over the wall into the river. I cried with laughter. Just a regular Thursday morning in Dublin. Later that night I saw David O' Doherty do his comedy thing. He mentioned swans enough (twice) in his act that I thought this would be a Great and Amazing story to tell him as he signed a CD for my friend far away (Hi Hannah!). It was not. Rapid word vomit, still cringing. I live in Edinburgh now. Trying to weasel my way into the book world. In fact, I have a feeling somehow t...

I often think about my childhood home, even though I don't want to live there now. Tell me about your idea of home. What does the word, the idea mean to you? Do you associate it with a person, place, or feeling? A song, book, or movie? Email me or use the hashtag #listservehome on Twitter or Instagram. I'll post all results on a tumblr page called listservehome. I can't share a link here because of Listserve rules, but you can google "listservehome" and "tumblr" - or email me and I'll send you a link. Stephanie P stephanielistserve[AT]gmail.com Brooklyn, NY PS: Happy birthday Shane! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I suffer from moderate to severe social anxiety along with waves of severe depression. I try not to allow my mental illness define me, but I do not hide it from those around me, since it is a part of who I am. I can almost remember the day when I stopped wanting to go to stores or visit friends. Don’t get me wrong, I was never the most social kid. Yet, before I was 19, I had a few friends and went out on Friday nights. Then one summer, I stopped calling people and began to be content being within the four walls of my home. There was nothing that had happened, there was no traumatic incident. The outside world suddenly became scary and unknown. Now, some years later, I am a university student trying to make my way out of school. My boyfriend is working very hard to convince me that I deserve to think of myself as an equal to my peers and deserve to be treated as such. University was not what I expected. I have to spend a lot more time arguing with professors then I thought I would. I ha...

Disclaimer: Not Gods; I'm talking about petty, little everyday gods."Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" Under this context, do you think our society would look magical and god-like to someone from 1764? Consider the evidence: - We can communicate instantly with anybody around the world (cell phones) - We can learn (almost) anything from home (Internet) - We can get from one place to another in the world quickly and safely - We can carry most of our wealth with us and make transactions everywhere (credit cards) - We have instant access to (almost) every piece of art, entertainment and debate (Internet again) - Many other things: Microwaves, online translation, wireless everything, flying cars (ok, maybe not!) If you think its possible we look a little god-like to our time-traveller, let me ask you the next question: Do you feel like a god? Why not? Maybe we are at a great moment in human history but are too busy trying to make sense of th...

Dear Listservians, Sometimes, I feel my life is not as exciting as I thought it would be when I was 12. I try to mitigate that feeling by going on little adventures with calculated risks. With your suggestions, I'd like to make a bucket list of uncommon, odd, curious spots for myself to visit, one day. Of course, the best ones are free. Send me a quick note with an idea of what I could put on my list. If you've already been to your singular point of interest, took a picture and feel like sharing it with the rest of the pack, please do so! Use the hashtag #SophiesWorldWonders on Instagram. Don't forget to let us know where it is. Here are some examples... As you can see, it doesn't have to be super fancy: - I took the picture I posted on Instagram this week. It's a historic sign in New Hampshire, off route 3 near Lincoln, about "The Betty and Barney Hill Incident". It's funny because it's super official, but the sign talks about how Betty and Barney...

I know she’s frustrated. They say we should gradually surrender the things of our youth as we age but I can’t help but rail against that notion as I see her struggling to feed herself, to even say hello. A relic of the past, she stares at me with wide eyes. With so much wisdom and experience contained in one person, I ask the question I had been meaning to ask for a while now. She had been married to my Grandfather for over 50 years until he passed. ‘What’s the key to a successful marriage?’ Unable to name her brothers and sisters just a few moments before, I expect a confused, disjointed response. She turns her attention to me with a hawk-like focus and steely states ‘Listen to each other. Always listen to each other.’ In a moment, like the conversation had never happened, she’s back wondering what’s for dinner that night. I’m thankful I listened. _____________________________________ In six months I’ll be walking down the aisle to my best friend. If you’re married, engaged, in a rela...

As I write these words, I am 18 years old, 8 months, and 3 weeks old. I can’t speak for every 18-year-old on the planet, but I think this is a funny age. You are just old enough to know how young you really are, you are full of idealistic thoughts that you sheepishly acknowledge as maybe just a bit too idealistic. You still feel like a child parading in adult’s clothing. You recognize that you probably don’t know all that much. So here’s my question for the community - what did you wish you could tell yourself when you were 18? It can be life advice. It can be a story. It can be a baking recipe. I don’t know all that much, but I’d like to learn. Kathleen Princeton, NJ kathleendoesthelistserve[AT]gmail.com

What is UP Listserver's?! I live in NYC, so I will keep this brief and to the point. I understand that time is money, and Your time is valuable. What do You do with this precious commodity? I was once on an interview and that was the only real "interview" question I was asked, he said "What can you say is your biggest accomplishment in your 25 years of life?" I sat there, and millions of answers rushed to my head and raced to the tip of my tongue, and before I could reason with myself and give a million dollar answer, I replied "helping people". I didn't always believe this, and it wasn't until I was 18 and had tried to fill a void in my soul with too many pointless things, and failed. My life drastically changed for the better when I realised that it was not a "what" that could fill my void, but a "who". Instead of going to college when I graduated highschool, I took an opportunity to travel the world. I joined an orga...

Last night I almost had a three-some. I only needed two more people. It’s a true story. Maybe. But more importantly, I hope it grabbed your attention or made you laugh. This timeless joke reminds me of an old school Mark Twain quote: “Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile.” I think there’s more to the quote, but you get the gist of it. Life is too short. If you can’t find something to laugh about every day, try harder. It’s out there. Don't take things so seriously. There's more to life than work. Find a healthy balance, and spend more time with your friends and family, and laugh with them. Uncontrollably. That's what ultimately matters in the long haul. Shoot me an email back describing something that makes you laugh everyday and how you find a healthy work/life balance. Mine is slipping and could use some fresh new perspective and ideas. Or just say hello and where you...

Imagine my surprise to open the letter saying "you've won" today. I've always thought about what I'd write and now that I have the opportunity to actually write it I've changed my mind. Today at work (in a restaurant) I had a guest with a coupon for two free meals. She was by herself and asked if the other free meal could "go to the next person who looks like they could use it". It's little things. Little things like a free meal, holding the door, smiling at a stranger that make the biggest difference. There's so much wrong in this world. So much scary out there that sometimes we've become so guarded that we forget that were not the only thing that matters. It doesn't matter that you're a successful business man, or a single mother, or homeless. We all need to be there for each other or else what is our life worth? So I challenge you. All of you. Do something nice. Pay for the next cars order, smile, have fun, be nice, and for God...

***Note from The Listserve: We made an error in today's email. Here is the correct message from Jowel Balcita. Our apologies!*** Hello all, I don't want to rub it in too much but I WON! I'm thrilled to be writing to you all today and considering the amount of people on Listserve, I never dreamed to win. Consequently, I don't have anything prepared so off the top of my head here we go! I consider myself lucky, I was born in the US whereas my parents emigrated here from the Philippines and have all the luxuries they dreamed of having as children. I appreciate their hard work and their tenacity to provide a better future for their children. On a visit I recently had, I saw where they grew up, a family of ten in each side of my family growing up in houses smaller than the one I live in now, poorly paved roads where they walked miles to school to educate themselves and the general poverty of the area; it was humbling. One thing however they weren't lacking in was their s...

No big life lessons here, just a few things that lift my spirits and revive my sense of wonder. It's never a bad time to be reminded that people (and the things we make) are awesome, and that we live on/with an ornately fabulous planet, right? Never underestimate the power of going for a walk. Don't forget to look around, the details in the everyday can be the most surprising. As Ed Hutchins once said, "nothing never happens". Travel. I especially recommend Oaxaca, Mexico for it's astounding botanical, cultural, ethnic, and culinary diversity. When you can't travel you can explore the world vicariously with Fun for Louis (on youtube). For a master course in the wonder of the everyday (with a focus on the built environment), listen to 99% Invisible. For a similarly masterful treatment of everyday humanity, try 'Death, Sex, and Money'. These podcasts have managed to make my commute something I look forward to. If you are the kind of person who can read ...

No big life lessons here, just a few things that lift my spirits and revive my sense of wonder. It's never a bad time to be reminded that people (and the things we make) are awesome, and that we live on/with an ornately fabulous planet, right? Never underestimate the power of going for a walk. Don't forget to look around, the details in the everyday can be the most surprising. As Ed Hutchins once said, "nothing never happens". Travel. I especially recommend Oaxaca, Mexico for it's astounding botanical, cultural, ethnic, and culinary diversity. When you can't travel you can explore the world vicariously with Fun for Louis (on youtube). For a master course in the wonder of the everyday (with a focus on the built environment), listen to 99% Invisible. For a similarly masterful treatment of everyday humanity, try 'Death, Sex, and Money'. These podcasts have managed to make my commute something I look forward to. If you are the kind of person who can read ...

I procrastinated too long to write anything worthwhile. I guess I don't really want to write anything "worthwhile" anyway because then it would just turn out inspirational/corny/would have some universally accepted moral that people have been force fed since childhood. SO: if anyone would like to email me, that would be cool. music suggestions: - everything ever written by the Beatles - Squirrel Nut Zippers - "My American Cousin" by Molly Lewis - Mac Demarco - The Drums - Band of Horses - "Day in Day Out" by Billie Holiday/anything by Billie Holiday -Joni Mitchell ******** "Early Takes Volume 1" by George Harrison ********** (extremely spiritual album. im not spiritual to any extent, but definitely struck a chord with me. my favorite album of all time). Anyone who is an avid Beatles fan, plays the double/upright bass, likes my musical suggestions, is in high school, or is just a person who gets the listserve should email me because you c...

Money can buy happiness... ...for someone else. Spend $5 on someone else and let me know how it went. To find out more about this project and myself, google me. Have a happy day! Cheers, Bryan Ku smallchangeproject[AT]gmail.com San Francisco, California, USA

A school-teacher friend recently asked me what issue I thought would be most transformative for future generations, and I didn’t hesitate before answering. As much as I want young people to get a grasp on climate change or income inequality, I think the biggest generational shift already underway has to do with our concept of gender. And that’s a wonderful thing. As awareness of transgendered individuals grows, the rigid idea of gender as unchangeable and defined by one’s genitals is quickly collapsing. The speed that public opinion on LGBTQ issues is changing also shows that young people are much more accepting towards diverse gender identities and expressions. But in the adult world, we’re far from gender equality. In the U.S., only in the past hundred years have women begun to achieve the same legal rights as men (though due to gender discrimination, they’re still highly underrepresented at the highest levels of politics and business, and even in the same careers, they only earn 78 ...

Religion. Look before you leap. saturnbadger[AT]gmail.com USA

Hi everybody, Last Thursday, Patrick Modiano received the Nobel Prize for Literature, but I would like to talk about another french writer whose work fascinates me: Jacques Roubaud. Mathematician, member of the Oulipo, he devoted his life to the study and production of poetry, he composed only by walking, without taking notes, memorizing the verses until he could write them down. "The Great Fire of London" is his masterpiece, he describes a mysterious "project" partly autobiographical, on a light tone, often funny and moving, in a complex structure full of Oulipian constraints. He manages to make us guess what may be the depth of literature, poetry and mathematics by organizing his knowledge and feelings in a story with "interpolations" and "bifurcations". If you love the game of go, the Grail cycle, troubadours, Japan, memory theories, libraries or literary games you should like these books. The first three «branches» have been translated into E...

“Making a big life change is pretty scary. But, know what’s even scarier? Regret.” That quote is probably one of the driving factors as to why I recently left my job of 7 years, moving to a new city to start over. If you go through life never taking risks, you’re going to end up with a lot of regret. Life doesn’t happen when you’re standing still. And while I loved my previous job, I was stuck in my comfort zone. I wasn’t growing or learning, I could do my job on autopilot. I wanted a challenge, and I needed a change. I needed to prove to myself that I could do this. I needed to prove to myself what others had told me. That I owed the world more than what I was doing. That I had more offer. Have I proven that to myself yet? No. Not even close. But I know I will. And I won’t give up. I’ll always keep improving and growing and learning. That’s my challenge to you. If you’re in your comfort zone, living in a bubble, get out of it. Whether you sell everything you own and ...

People of listserve, what a beautiful day to be writing to you. And what beautiful people you are. I’ve been thinking about why it is that your email each day means so much to me. The best I’ve come up with is that back in the old days, before tweets and tags and status updates, we’d have had a lot more opportunities to strike up conversation with each other. You know, face to face. You’d have told me your yarn, I’d have shared mine. I feel like the Listserve is the closest we get to that now – an unmediated insight into each other’s lives. Keep on sharing. I like hearing you tell me your ideas and experiences, your adventures, victories and defeats, your hopes and despairs, weaving our collective story. The stories we tell ourselves are important. As individuals, as communities, as societies. How and who we want to be matters. This weekend just gone, hundreds of thousands of people around the world took to the streets to tell the story of our ability to shape a better future. I took p...

One of the most important, inspirational, and meaningful sayings I live by is: "all you need is love”. I am 24 and a recent half graduated university student. I’m obsessed with chocolate and my favourite book is “Brave New World”. I've experienced many terrible and many beautiful things in the past few years. However I have been fortunate enough to experience falling in love...two and a half times...I say two and a half because two people I know I love and the half…well you’ll see. The first love was extraordinary. We were together for about a year and a half. He taught me many things that in turn allowed me to grow tremendously as a person. He was also there for me throughout my hardest years of life. During 2011, over the span of 6 months, 5 young people I know passed away. I was a complete fucking wreck and naturally this weakened the progression of a healthy relationship. A few years after these tragedies, and the inevitable crumble of this relationship, I was reminiscing...

Back in the day, astronomers didn't know if there were galaxies in the universe other than the Milky Way. They could see blobs of stuff in the sky that looked like potential galaxies, but that could also be clouds of gas and dust on the edges of our own Milky Way. How to determine which they were? What was the true nature of these 'nebulae'? On one side, enter Harlow Shapley. Shapley pointed out that it’s difficult to distinguish nearby, dim objects from distant, bright ones. But given how (relatively) small and bright these nebulae looked to us, if they were distant and comprised their own galaxies, they'd have to be INSANEly bright and far away to appear as they did to earthbound observers. Plus, astronomers had observed a nova in Andromeda that was brighter than the entire rest of the nebula combined-if Andromeda was a whole galaxy, what phenomenon had released so much energy so quickly? Shapley’s opponent was Heber Curtis. Curtis believed that the nebulae were '...

I like to learn. Partly for the sake of learning and what it teaches me about me, but also because of the creativity that learning new things breeds. I like Coursera, Udacity and EdX courses because I am good at working to deadlines and I don't get motivated by badges or accumulating points. I'd recommend Geoffrey Hinton's Coursera course on Neural Networks for Machine Learning! The common theme among the things I like to learn about is 'emergent behaviour' - when lots of simple systems interact to create complex behaviours. I like ants, slime mould and the brain where lots of simple biological systems interact to create complex outcomes. Ants for example are the most successful living insects and developed farming, both agricultural (fungus gardens) and animal husbandry (aphids and mealy bugs) millions of years before humans - that's right! Ants! I like cellular automata and Conway's Game of Life in particular as well as machine learning and AI. Look some ...

One of my father's earliest memories is running towards his home, terrified that it had washed away after a monsoon thunderstorm rolled in. He was outside with his older sister collecting drinking water from a nearby well. My grandfather had recently moved the entire family across the new border after the Partition of India in 1947. Lacking basic amenities and accommodation, their first house was built with mud: soil, silt, and clay. One of my mother’s fondest childhood memory is falling asleep on the rooftop of her house listening to Punjabi songs under the moonlight. She loved the sound and rhythm of the language and wished to learn, but it was of little use in her village. My grandmother would tell her it was a distraction and she should focus on her studies instead. However, my mother has a endless passion for learning and taught herself the basics of the language. Six decades later my father is an entrepreneur working in Africa and South Asia after spending a career as an Engi...

With all due respect to the brilliant Langston Hughes poem about racial and economic inequality, in other contexts a dream deferred isn’t always so bad. This is a story about bottling up something you are so passionate about that you might not be ready for in an earlier time in your life, only to revisit it years later to satisfying ends. Throughout middle and high school, I studied flute. Most of the music I was interested in was composed and played on trumpets, pianos, saxophones, trombones, but not so much flutes. So I drew my ear training and inspiration from the greats that played other instruments. It’s the usual suspects for a teenage jazz fan - Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker. I also listened to flute players like Herbie Mann and Yusef Lateef, but their recordings were few and far between. When I got competent enough to improvise, I’d have all of these licks in my head that I’d memorize from the greats - Parker's fluttery runs that would make you...

I work in an Italian university.If Italy is Hell, the Italian university is the vestibule of Hell, as described by Dante Alighieri in the Canto III of his Inferno. The vestibule of Hell is the place of the Uncommitted, “those/ Who lived withouten infamy or praise”. Dante's poetic justice sentences them to an endless race after a blank banner. In 2012 Harvard yearly operating expenses were 44% of the yearly state funding of all the Italian universities. We are becoming poorer and poorer. In such a predicament, Italian professors must not only research and teach: they are also forced to spend their time in a lot of administrative and managerial work. Their overwork is paid with promises – with the promise of blank banners called academic honors. Our government is curtailing our budgets and our academic freedom [1], our country is lingering in an unending crisis, financial and, above all, moral and political. Yet, the game of tenures remains the same, even if it has become so direct...

About ten years ago I was shooting a commercial for organic vegetables on the West Coast of South Africa. Before the cameras rolled, I took a walk with the farmer to inspect the crops. The soil in that part of the world is white and fine - like beach sand. I was amazed that anything grew in it, let alone bulbous aubergines and lush lettuces that were fit for the finest food stores in the world. She explained to me that her job was not to farm the crops, but to simply take care of the soil. To make sure it is healthy, full of nutrients and regularly rested. Good crops, she explained, are just the byproducts of happy soil. As we talked, she spotted something unusual in the distance. She bolted towards it and triumphantly lifted the largest pumpkin I had ever seen. It was growing wildly in the sand amongst the lettuces. The beachy desert sand on her farm had become a fertile hotbed. Whatever seed fell on it just sprouted effortlessly. It dawned on me recently that everyone of us is farmin...

Hola Listserve, What did you do today that was fun? That's what my friend Tyler asked himself everyday -- he had that question written down on a piece of paper, which he put above his door. Tyler passed away in a boating accident a few years ago, but his fun-loving spirit lives on and inspires me to do something fun every day. I find myself asking others that question quite often, which prompts them to reflect on their day and either find fun in the little things or do something fun. I love hearing about the fun things other people are doing! So I'd like to pose the same question to you: What did you do today that was fun? Reply to me with an answer, and I'll tweet out the replies from my account, @ishwr. If you don't want to follow me, and I don't blame you if you don't, I will be using the hashtag #TheListserveFun on all related tweets. Photos are welcome, and I will do my best to attach them to the tweets. If you don't feel like playing that game, then g...

Tomorrow evening I will be heading off to start college at Seattle Pacific University as a freshman. I hope to learn so much academically and personally, even if I am a bit scared. Below is a letter to myself then, of what I wish to achieve, work through, and experience in the next four years. Dear Future Hanna, Right now you plan to study computer science with a minor in women's studies, then go on to get a master's in library science in order to become a librarian. I don't see you changing your mind as you love books and believe in the power of public libraries. I only hope you are able to find work in a community you love. Where are you living? Seattle still, or elsewhere? Where have you decided to get your Master's Degree? I hope it's somewhere back east or the southwest. Have you visited any other countries? What did you learn? How is the family; Dad, with his alcoholism, Jess with a job or college, Katie halfway through high school, and is mom still living in ...

In the past 7 years, I’ve worked for three museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, managed and run a small business, curated art jewelry, tended bar, been a cocktail waitress, facilitated support groups for young adults with mental illness, and programmed databases for a medical research team. Currently I’m pre-med, and I sell perfume. I’ve also been diagnosed with severe bipolar type I with psychotic features, been manic for 2 years, been psychotic for 4 and a half months, spent 9 weeks in the mental hospital, been disabled twice - once for physical and once for mental illness - had three endocrine disorders, and beaten cancer. ******* I was listening to an interview on NPR with a man who is a double lower-limb amputee. People, including his interviewer, have a tendency to be awed when people with disabilities leave their houses and do productive and sometimes wonderful things. On the one hand, I think disability can be motivating: it can teach great empathy, and it give...

When I subscribed to the Listserve this summer I never thought I'd be chosen to write so soon! I've always thought of what I would write if I ever had the opportunity but of course now my mind is blank. So I've decide to write about three things that are important in my life at the moment. 1. Music: Music has always been a huge part of my life. I've never been the type of person to say what I'm feeling or what is on my mind but I feel I can express my feelings through music. Here is some good music I've been into lately and favorites that I've always loved: OctaHate by Ryn Weaver Oblivion by Bastille The Mother We Share by CHVRCHES Ed Sheeran Mayday Parade The City and Girls by The 1975 2.Samantha: I see the love of my life this week after being apart from her for almost two months. Many people roll their eyes or look at me in disbelief when I tell them that I've found "the one" at 22 years old. I can honestly say that I have. When I was 18 I h...

I wanted to write about something I know. This won't interest everyone, but if you are an educator or interested in quirks of UK education law or religion in general then read on. At the end I will lay out some of the problems with RE, for many of them you will be able to find articles in BBC News if you research. I apologise now for being a cynic, but I love the subject and just want to see it be treated better. The Legal Status of RE All schools in the UK must legally provide Religious Education (RE) to its students, this dates back to a time when a huge number of schools providing free education were Church schools. At various times it has been known as Religious Studies or Religious Instruction. In the past it was entirely Christian in nature and taught as fact. Nowadays it must be predominantly Christian and also reflect other beliefs prevalent in the local area. For this reason there is no National Curriculum, instead in each Local Authority (LA) area a council (SACRE) is for...