3D Fractal Silk Scarf by LOOMLAB
This is one of the best explanations of the Mandelbrot set that I've ever found. The Mandelbrot Set explanation on Wolfram is also nice and straightforward.
Thanks for the gift of beauty in number, M Mandelbrot.
Friday, October 22, 2010
RIP, Benoit Mandelbrot
Benoit Mandelbrot passed away last week. Even people outside of the mathematical sphere are familiar with the words "fractal" and "Mandelbrot set," such was the influence of his work.
3D Fractal Silk Scarf by LOOMLAB
This is one of the best explanations of the Mandelbrot set that I've ever found. The Mandelbrot Set explanation on Wolfram is also nice and straightforward.
Thanks for the gift of beauty in number, M Mandelbrot.
3D Fractal Silk Scarf by LOOMLAB
This is one of the best explanations of the Mandelbrot set that I've ever found. The Mandelbrot Set explanation on Wolfram is also nice and straightforward.
Thanks for the gift of beauty in number, M Mandelbrot.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Geo-Shopping: Amethyst
Amethyst is a rock that I just seem to constantly have in my bead box. It's durable, it comes in a variety of shades, and I just plain like purple. (Being a tomboy growing up, it takes a lot for me to admit to liking such a girly color!)
I recently got an order via Facebook for an order in purple, so I went out in search of a little variety to add to the 10 mm round I had in my stash. I ended up with some very pale nuggets and slightly less pale 6mm round beads, in addition to very dark 4mm round beads.
Amethyst is a silicate, like agates. Technically speaking, amethyst is actually quartz. Just that it's purple.
Like agates, amethyst have a long history that dates back to at least the ancient Greeks. The name "amethyst" actually comes from the Greek "amethustos," meaning "not drunk." Amethyst was believed to protect against intoxication; many chalices from Greek and Roman times were actually made out of amethyst for that very reason.
Unsurprisingly, there are a few stories associating amethyst with Dionysus, the Falstaffian alcoholic of the Greek pantheon. In one variation, Artemis protects a young maiden named Amethystos from Dionysus' unwelcome attention (some versions he's after her chastity, other versions he's just irritated at mortals in general and she's in the wrong place at the wrong time) by turning her into stone. Dionysus is then so moved by her beauty/chastity/etc that he weeps (or pours wine) over the stone, dying it purple. In another, the titan Rhea gifted the stone to Dionysus to keep him from losing his mind to wine.
Amethyst Crystal Soap by amethystsoap
Amethyst was rare in those days, and was also prized as a valuable gem for adornment. Today, you can get amethyst fairly inexpensively, due to rather substantial finds not available to the ancient Greeks. Most of it today comes from Brazil, but you can find it all over. There's even deposits of amethyst fairly close to me in Pennsylvania!
The purple color in amethyst comes from a combination of aluminum and iron. Heat treatment will darken the purple color, or even turn it yellow (at which point it becomes citrine). I've heard that the color will fade if you leave it in sunlight for extended periods of time, but I've never tested that.
More about amethyst:
Amethyst at 3D chem has a neat clickable and dragable molecular model of amethyst (silicon dioxide), as well as some more information.
Amethyst results on Flickr
Amethyst on Mindat.org
I recently got an order via Facebook for an order in purple, so I went out in search of a little variety to add to the 10 mm round I had in my stash. I ended up with some very pale nuggets and slightly less pale 6mm round beads, in addition to very dark 4mm round beads.
Amethyst is a silicate, like agates. Technically speaking, amethyst is actually quartz. Just that it's purple.
Like agates, amethyst have a long history that dates back to at least the ancient Greeks. The name "amethyst" actually comes from the Greek "amethustos," meaning "not drunk." Amethyst was believed to protect against intoxication; many chalices from Greek and Roman times were actually made out of amethyst for that very reason.
Unsurprisingly, there are a few stories associating amethyst with Dionysus, the Falstaffian alcoholic of the Greek pantheon. In one variation, Artemis protects a young maiden named Amethystos from Dionysus' unwelcome attention (some versions he's after her chastity, other versions he's just irritated at mortals in general and she's in the wrong place at the wrong time) by turning her into stone. Dionysus is then so moved by her beauty/chastity/etc that he weeps (or pours wine) over the stone, dying it purple. In another, the titan Rhea gifted the stone to Dionysus to keep him from losing his mind to wine.
Amethyst Crystal Soap by amethystsoap
Amethyst was rare in those days, and was also prized as a valuable gem for adornment. Today, you can get amethyst fairly inexpensively, due to rather substantial finds not available to the ancient Greeks. Most of it today comes from Brazil, but you can find it all over. There's even deposits of amethyst fairly close to me in Pennsylvania!
The purple color in amethyst comes from a combination of aluminum and iron. Heat treatment will darken the purple color, or even turn it yellow (at which point it becomes citrine). I've heard that the color will fade if you leave it in sunlight for extended periods of time, but I've never tested that.
More about amethyst:
Amethyst at 3D chem has a neat clickable and dragable molecular model of amethyst (silicon dioxide), as well as some more information.
Amethyst results on Flickr
Amethyst on Mindat.org
Sunday, October 10, 2010
42 Day Road Trip: Centralia
As luck had it, I didn't work on 42 day! Good for me, because otherwise I would have had to drive all the way from Buffalo, NY to Hellertown, PA in basically one straight shot on the day prior. Instead, I got to break up my driving: Buffalo to Ithaca on Saturday, and then Ithaca to Hellertown on Sunday (42 day) via, appropriately, PA route 42.
Probably the most notable spot along route 42 is the ghost town of Centralia. I've wanted to go for years, and now seemed as good a time as any: no pressing plans for the day, the Pennsylvania hillsides tinged with fall colors, someone to keep me company in case law enforcement or one of the remaining locals got up in my stuff.
Centralia is a ghost town due to a devastating underground coal fire that is still burning to this day. Smoke-bellowing crevices dot some of the remaining roads:
It's creepy as anything. While we wandered around the lot where once there was clearly some kind of building (maybe a house?) a pickup truck and a motorcycle drove by. Both drivers pointedly stared at us, and for a moment I thought I would die right then and there, due to shotgun blast to the head. It didn't help that the short fall day was already approaching dusk.
Proof I was there (sort of): my car is the second one parked there. My partner-in-crime didn't manage to snag any pictures of me.
But nothing happened, of course, and we were content to wander around a small plot that had once been something but was no more. Any further and we were afraid of accidentally trespassing on to posted property.
Any remaining signs of human inhabitance was more along the lines of recent merry-making. My personal favorite was the used tampon; Rob (my partner in crime) was drawn towards the evidence of partying: empty 40s and bottles of beer. Those were certainly less gross to pick up.
But ghosts of Centralia's more legitimate past still lingered. At one point, we came across what we assumed to be a live wire (since it was still attached to the power lines at one end). The other end terminated somewhere in the vacant lot, presumably where it had once hooked up to a house. We also found a couple of rugs from something or other that had not yet finished becoming compost.
A lot of Centralia qualifies as new growth forest, and given a couple more years I'm sure the plant life will take back the pavement as well as the houses. The whole town is like a small, contained sample of the vision posited in The World Without Us
After a couple hours of shooting the breeze and taking pictures, we called it quits. Centralia was still a long way from home, and it was getting dark.
I'm sure there's some great philosophical point to be made about the ultimate answer leading to an empty, abandoned town sitting on top of an eternally-burning fire. We're alone in an uncaring universe slowly decaying due to entropy? Perhaps that's a bit too pessimistic a take. =P
Did you do anything for 42 day?
Probably the most notable spot along route 42 is the ghost town of Centralia. I've wanted to go for years, and now seemed as good a time as any: no pressing plans for the day, the Pennsylvania hillsides tinged with fall colors, someone to keep me company in case law enforcement or one of the remaining locals got up in my stuff.
Centralia is a ghost town due to a devastating underground coal fire that is still burning to this day. Smoke-bellowing crevices dot some of the remaining roads:
It's creepy as anything. While we wandered around the lot where once there was clearly some kind of building (maybe a house?) a pickup truck and a motorcycle drove by. Both drivers pointedly stared at us, and for a moment I thought I would die right then and there, due to shotgun blast to the head. It didn't help that the short fall day was already approaching dusk.
Proof I was there (sort of): my car is the second one parked there. My partner-in-crime didn't manage to snag any pictures of me.
But nothing happened, of course, and we were content to wander around a small plot that had once been something but was no more. Any further and we were afraid of accidentally trespassing on to posted property.
Any remaining signs of human inhabitance was more along the lines of recent merry-making. My personal favorite was the used tampon; Rob (my partner in crime) was drawn towards the evidence of partying: empty 40s and bottles of beer. Those were certainly less gross to pick up.
But ghosts of Centralia's more legitimate past still lingered. At one point, we came across what we assumed to be a live wire (since it was still attached to the power lines at one end). The other end terminated somewhere in the vacant lot, presumably where it had once hooked up to a house. We also found a couple of rugs from something or other that had not yet finished becoming compost.
A lot of Centralia qualifies as new growth forest, and given a couple more years I'm sure the plant life will take back the pavement as well as the houses. The whole town is like a small, contained sample of the vision posited in The World Without Us
After a couple hours of shooting the breeze and taking pictures, we called it quits. Centralia was still a long way from home, and it was getting dark.
I'm sure there's some great philosophical point to be made about the ultimate answer leading to an empty, abandoned town sitting on top of an eternally-burning fire. We're alone in an uncaring universe slowly decaying due to entropy? Perhaps that's a bit too pessimistic a take. =P
Did you do anything for 42 day?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
An owl, an owl, my kingdom for an owl!
This little guy is now part of my Athena Halloween costume!
There were SO MANY HITS for any variation on "owl," "stuffed," and "plush," and while there is SO MUCH CUTENESS in Etsy, this guy is exactly what I was looking for. My biggest criterion was a flat-ish bottom so I could pin him to the sleeve of my peplos.
Eddie the Owl is from NotSoSmallThings, who is just getting started but has some super cute stuff. Thank you, NotSoSmallThings, and good luck on Etsy!
There were SO MANY HITS for any variation on "owl," "stuffed," and "plush," and while there is SO MUCH CUTENESS in Etsy, this guy is exactly what I was looking for. My biggest criterion was a flat-ish bottom so I could pin him to the sleeve of my peplos.
Eddie the Owl is from NotSoSmallThings, who is just getting started but has some super cute stuff. Thank you, NotSoSmallThings, and good luck on Etsy!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
42 Day!
42 day is coming. Are you ready? I am!
You could be as cool as me, with this 42 day nonsense.
Unfortunately, I'll be working on 42 day, so I won't be hopping #42 buses or baking "42 cakes." But I will be prepared with my towel and necklace!
What are you doing for 42 day?
You could be as cool as me, with this 42 day nonsense.
Unfortunately, I'll be working on 42 day, so I won't be hopping #42 buses or baking "42 cakes." But I will be prepared with my towel and necklace!
What are you doing for 42 day?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Birthday Bash: September
My birthday is on the 28th of June, and while I do love my birthday, I've always felt that 28 was an oddball number. Maybe because it's a multiple of 7. (I don't like multiples of 7, unless they're 21 or 42. I couldn't tell you why.) I never seem to meet anyone else with a birthday on the 28th, either, despite the statistics, so I decided to celebrate my oddball natal day by featuring items from birthday sellers on the 28th of every month. Here's September!
Explore. Dream. Discover. Love. by quoteology
I wouldn't say that I'm a typography nerd, but I do enjoy nice graphic design. Crisp and neat enough to match just about any decor, and the perfect inspiration for your work space. What's not to love?
Vintage Super Massage Hand Vibrator from Feeling is Mutual Vintage
Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing this is. I want it just for the kitsch value. If it relaxes my exhausted hands, even better!
Teal Green Sea Glass Pendant from Vintage Faerie
Sea glass is a really fascinating, beautiful process, and Vintage Faerie has captured some of the loveliest results with her assorted sea glass pendants. They come in all kinds of colors, but green is my favorite. Even if it is one of the most common varieties.
Happy Birthday quoteology, Feeling is Mutual, and Vintage Faerie!
Explore. Dream. Discover. Love. by quoteology
I wouldn't say that I'm a typography nerd, but I do enjoy nice graphic design. Crisp and neat enough to match just about any decor, and the perfect inspiration for your work space. What's not to love?
Vintage Super Massage Hand Vibrator from Feeling is Mutual Vintage
Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing this is. I want it just for the kitsch value. If it relaxes my exhausted hands, even better!
Teal Green Sea Glass Pendant from Vintage Faerie
Sea glass is a really fascinating, beautiful process, and Vintage Faerie has captured some of the loveliest results with her assorted sea glass pendants. They come in all kinds of colors, but green is my favorite. Even if it is one of the most common varieties.
Happy Birthday quoteology, Feeling is Mutual, and Vintage Faerie!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Halloween Costumes, Past & Present
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Yes, I still dress up now, and I am the kind of person who will geek out over a Halloween costume and not be satisfied unless everything is JUST SO. Some years, my costumes are simple (Blue Screen of Death is a favorite of mine); some years, they're labor-intensive, like my hand-made Link costume (of Legend of Zelda fame). Unfortunately, I don't have photo documentation of all of them. But here is a list of my favorites!
Costume Gallery!
That's me on the left, as Coked-Out Mia Wallace; on the right is Betty Draper from Mad Men, as played by my good friend Maddie.
The Blue Screen of Death, joined by a physics nerd, Dorian Gray/The Portrait of Dorian Gray, a ninja, Teddy Roosevelt, and an Old-Timey Prospector.
I don't know why this one's so grainy! ;_; But this was the year of Harpo Marx.
This year I'm thinking about resurrecting the Jay & Silent Bob costume. I just need to get the bestie in on it again, because without Jay, I'd just be a Fat White Guy in a Trenchcoat. Otherwise, I'm contemplating Athena (or Minerva, if Roman names are your bag). Then I get to rock a stuffed owl and carry my loom around with me!
What about your costume ideas?
- Ghost Farmer
- Hippie
- Gypsy
- Bag Lady
- Silent Bob (my best friend partnered with me on this one to be Jay)
- Link
- Harpo Marx
- Janis Joplin (for which I and some friends knocked back a fairly substantial bottle of Southern Comfort)
- Blue Screen of Death
- Coked-Out Mia Wallace
That's me on the left, as Coked-Out Mia Wallace; on the right is Betty Draper from Mad Men, as played by my good friend Maddie.
The Blue Screen of Death, joined by a physics nerd, Dorian Gray/The Portrait of Dorian Gray, a ninja, Teddy Roosevelt, and an Old-Timey Prospector.
I don't know why this one's so grainy! ;_; But this was the year of Harpo Marx.
This year I'm thinking about resurrecting the Jay & Silent Bob costume. I just need to get the bestie in on it again, because without Jay, I'd just be a Fat White Guy in a Trenchcoat. Otherwise, I'm contemplating Athena (or Minerva, if Roman names are your bag). Then I get to rock a stuffed owl and carry my loom around with me!
What about your costume ideas?
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