Brené Brown is a big-hearted, über-thoughtful Texan research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent a decade of her life studying the effects of “vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame” on the day-to-day human experience. Both of her TED talks have gone megaviral, for understandable reasons. She bravely asks her audience to parse and confront the following quandaries:

How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?

Here’s Brown’s first TED talk, from 2011, called “The Power of Vulnerability”:

Talk number two, from 2012, is called “Listening to Shame”:

Brown puts her finger on some extremely tender universal trigger points, and presses with gentle frankness. If you haven’t watched them yet, both of these talks are highly recommended viewing on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Post tags: Faboo, Grrrl, Memes, Science

DOIN IT RITE:

Via Tristan.

Post tags: Better than coffee, Crackpot Visionary, Flora & Fauna, Memes, Silly-looking types, Stroke Material

Pro-LDR? Anti-LDR? LDR-ambivalent? S’all good. (No matter what, it’s important to maintain a healthy sense of humor about life. And scrutiny. And Donald Duck.)

Post tags: Better than coffee, Memes, Music, Silly-looking types

This shiznit’s already megaviral. But just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here’ a video of filmmaker Devin Graham and chums swinging sweet and low from the Corona Arch (that’s 130 full feet of freefall, folks!) in Moab, Utah:

Post tags: Better than coffee, Madness, Memes

Who knew that the Nyan Cat song could lend itself so well to space rock and shoegaze genres? Turn up the volume, close your eyes, and drift away in a tiny poptart rocket to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, leaving behind a rainbow of tiny bells and transcendental distortion.

Post tags: Cosmos, Memes, Music

VERY cool. Perhaps somewhat less cool: it’s apparently viral marketing for that movie Chronicle. “Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… product placement!” But still. Wow.

[Via Wayne Chambliss / Gizmodo]

Post tags: Advertising, Memes, Surreal, Technology, Testing your faith, Uncanny Valley

Matthew Innman, twisted mastermind behind The Oatmeal webcomic, made this splendid beast. Then Ariana shared it. And lo, now it hath become the unofficial Better Than Coffee mascot. That is all. Carry on.

Post tags: Animation, Better than coffee, Comics, Geekdom, Memes

Coilhouse Magazine + Blog wishes all of you an inspiring, creative, compassionate, exhilarating, loving, and giggle-filled 2012.

Post tags: Coilhouse, Events, Memes

WOOOOOOOOOO!

But srsly. What are you guys up to this year, fer realz?

Post tags: Events, Memes, Misinformation, Silly-looking types, Testing your faith

Now there’s this:

(Via Ariana.)

HAPPY PEANUT BUTTER TUESDAY, Y’ALL.

Post tags: Crackpot Visionary, Memes, Silly-looking types, Television, Testing your faith