I was watching another excellent TED talk video, this one featuring ethno-mathematician Ron Eglash who got a fulbright grant to study why African villages were built in a fractal manner. In his Introduction to Fractals bit at the beginning he demonstrates how a line segment fractal develops:
Maybe I'm weird (ha, "maybe") but I couldn't help but notice the resemblance to the famous "chunky bacon" foxes from Why's Poignant Guide to Ruby. Now my mind is full of an infinite fractal fox syncytium shouting "chunky bacon!"
Technorati Tags: chunky bacon, ruby
When I was last in Japan, Mie's Aunt gave her some old kimonos to bring back with us. I've been meaning to try using them to add some flair to a pair of old jeans ever since, and finally got around to it today. Lesson learned: sewing something onto trouser legs can be fairly complicated, and I suck at sewing.
I grew up in a Marine Corps town, instilled with a fierce sense of patriotism. I was proud to be part of the United States of America, the greatest nation on Earth. Not great because of our military power, but because of our values. We stood against tyranny. We stood for human rights. We rescued the world from the Nazis. We aided victims of disasters caused by either Man or Nature. We would gladly suffer ourselves to right a wrong, to help others. We were the heroes. From a very young age I believed we were perhaps the most morally evolved people humanity had ever seen. I still tear up when I hear patriotic songs.
As an adult I know that the pure version of that fantasy was false even before I was born, but what I felt inside myself was real. If I felt this way, so also some of my fellow countrymen did as well. The fantasy isn't wholly impossible. We can, as a nation, approach these high ideals and behaviors. We can evolve morally in a more just, a more heroic direction. It hasn't turned out that way though. Today I don't tear up with pride when I hear patriotic songs, I tear up with grief. I am ashamed to be an American.
This film from Amnesty International shows a performance artist subjecting himself to a typical CIA enhanced interrogation technique, called "stress position." Prisoners are forced to stand for many hours in positions that cause extreme muscle fatigue. They are told that the floor is electrified, or that they will be shot if they fail to stay in position. The man in the video is not acting, he actually did this for six hours and his response is real. Two more films showcasing other methods are forthcoming. Ask yourself. Is this who we are? Is this what you asked your government to do for you?
I've put out three new loans on Kiva.org. These are small amounts (about $25 each this time) pooled together with other lenders to constitue loans that range from a couple of hundred dollars to a thousand. The loans are given to small business people in developing countries and paid off over a year or two. Here are my recipients this time around:
Lole has a convenience store in Samoa that she's been running for 4 years. She got a $300 loan to expand the shop and inventory.
Hannah has a plantation business in Samoa. She got a $475 loan to buy equipment for the business. If all goes well, she plans on getting another loan after this one is paid off to help her daughter go to University.
Irène is a hairdresser and will use a $1000 loan to add beauty supply inventory that her customers have asked for.
I was doing a search for Hello Kitty images (for another project) and ran across an image at vexel.net (btw, I really like their bamboo-themed banner). I'd never heard of vexel graphics before although it reminded me of that old Duran Duran style. I ended up following a link to the artist's site and her page at Deviant Art and contacted her to see if she'd do a commission piece. I was thinking it would be cool to have an image of Mie in that style. Before she got back to me on her rates, I considered that maybe I should look into doing one myself as this week's art thing. I assumed at first that it would be much too hard, but realized I should at least try. With a little research I found a pretty good tutorial and realized my Photoshop skills were probably up to the task.
So I started with this image:
Then using the tutorial as a guide I made a basic vexel Mie:
I made sure to have a no hair version so I could play with hair styles a bit:
Then, since I <3 SuicideGirls, I added some spiky hair:
And then some red highlights:
Finally I gave her a lip ring and lightened the skin tone a bit:
If you have Adobe Photoshop, you can download the image file and play around with the layers to make your own custom Mie.
I took this photo a couple of days ago and really liked it. Kind of abstract. Thus, since I'm on vacation in Hawai'i and have been mostly slacking, I'm using it as my art thing for week 7. Anyone know what it's a photo of?
This week I printed out five photos of Potrero Hill in the 1960's from the SF Public Library Historical Photograph Collection and mounted them on wooden signs. Then I placed the signs near the location of the photograph. I intended to shellac them to make them weatherproof, but I wasn't able to find the right sort of goop. I put some varnishy stuff over the photos but they probably are only going to last a week or so with that.
Is this art? I'm not sure to be honest. I like it though.
I used the following five photos:
- AAB-4746 Authorities examining a new crater on Missouri Street as residents stand and watch in the distance
- AAB-5597 Neighbors working together to beautify Vermont Street
- AAC-0364 Group of Potrero Hill residents planting wildflower seeds at Vermont and Seventeenth streets
- AAC-0356 Intersection of Rhode Island and 23rd streets in the Potrero Hill district
- AAC-0361 Young volunteers helping to restore Ida Hamrin's Potrero District home after it was nearly destroyed by vandals and fire
