Watch: John Waters gave the 2015 commencement address at RISD and CRUSHED IT

Cory Doctorow 6:09 pm Sun Jun 7, 2015

The Rhode Island School of Design is the alma mater of Talking Heads, the school that gave William Gibson his honorary PhD–and now it's the school where culture hero and filth elder John Waters delivered his magnificent, world-beating rant on what design is for.

tumblr_np90txzvfJ1u8r5tto4_540

Go out in the world and fuck it up beautifully. Design clothes so hideous that they can't be worn ironically. Horrify us with new ideas. Outrage outdated critics. Use technology for transgression, not lazy social living. Make me nervous!

And finally, count your blessings. You got through college. You didn't commit suicide, O.D., or have a nervous breakdown, and let's remember the ones who did. It's time to get busy. It's your turn to cause trouble – but this time in the real world, and this time from the inside.

John Waters Commencement Address, RISD 2015: Vimeo, YouTube.

(via Wil Wheaton)

Fantastic Azerbaijan rug woven to look like it's melting

Azerbaijan textile artist Faig Ahmed employs ancient craft to create mind-bending textile sculptures. His work is featured in an online exhibition at the Sapar Contemporary gallery, titled "Textile Traditions Re-Imagined."… READ THE REST
Computer finds faces in grains of sand

In artists Erwin Driessens and Maria Verstappen's installation "Pareidolia," a computer vision system uses facial recognition software to find faces in grains of sand. Of course, "pareidolia" is a trick… READ THE REST
Modern porcelain sculpture about greed made in classical Chinese style

Yok and Sheryo are New York-based artists who created "Get the Money," a large porcelain shrine that's a comment on avarice in Singapore and around the globe. Note: strobe effects… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST