Every now and then our lives become crazy complicated. I mean what is a daily schedule other than a series of problems/crises’ that we have to solve periodically? Ok, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far, but really, it can be difficult to navigate our strangely complex and difficult lives. Sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder that our world is crazier than we are. There’s a strange comfort in the way that the insanity of the world gives us a sense of belonging. Like “We’re all mad here” or something. But enough of the vague references, let’s take a look at a couple of recent headlines that make me feel like a normal human in comparison.
First of all, starting with a film that will take ONE THOUSAND years to develop. No, we’re not making this up. You would think with our modern technology we can move a little quicker than that. Ok, maybe I took a little creative liberty in that description. A Professor from Arizona thought it would be rather interesting to take a massive time-lapse of the Tucson landscape over the next thousand years. This means that this camera is going to have to stand the test of time until the year 3023 when it can finally be viewed. Who wants to take bets on whether it will last? Just kidding, none of us will be around to witness it anyway.
Speaking of incredibly draggy artwork, how about the longest musical composition in the world? There is a piece that was composed by John Cage, a late American composer who wrote a tempo marking that dictates it is to be played “ASLSP” or “as slowly and softly as possible”. Some performers in Germany took that a little too literally and have been playing this piece on organ over the span of 639 years. Yes, I said that right, 639 years. Small sandbags are put in place to hold the notes in place as they continuously play. The site remains a tourist destination in Halberstadt, Germany since 2001 when the performance began.
Ranchers in the Midwest may see some strange changes in their farms over the next generation or so. For a while now, the Angus cow has had the spotlight on beef production in the United States, but what about the famed beast of the plains? The American Bison offers an interesting alternative to the beef industry. Some ranchers have taken those two ideas and combined them making a beast known as the Beefalo. Part bison, part bovine with the ultimate goal of creating a superior cattle that combine the milking ability and hardiness of bison. Beefalo are supposedly supposed to be more cost-efficient than your typical Angus as well, but who knows in this market? I always did like bison, but who knows what will come of this new hybrid creation?
Needless to say there’s a lot of crazy stuff going on in our world all around us. Sometimes it’s a little nice to remind ourselves that we aren’t the craziest thing that our neck of the woods has to offer. On the flipside, this could be viewed as a calling to be a little crazy every now and then. After all, development and progress are typically viewed as rather strange to begin with. We can always be proud of what differentiates us from everyone else around us. So go on with your crazy time-lapses and strange farming tendencies. Who’s gonna stop you?
