Archive for June, 2009
Weather: Maine, June 2009
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
One reason I stay.
This one is personal. I love living in Maine and usually the month of June is as close to climate perfection as a European descendant can imagine. The trees have leafed out, peonies, irises, strawberries, window boxes, grasses and oh! the roses are all in show-off mode. June normally gets a bounce effect from wet, cold May and many Mainer’s still harbor a grudge against winter. June is the sweet reminder of why we stay put. Weekends find every park decorated with posing brides and their matching entourage. It’s also pre-tourist season so the state is ours to enjoy until visitors arrive next month. June is usually… delightful.
Reason two.
This June has been replaced by her evil twin. She’s as cold and weepy as they come. I don’t like her.
Are we blaming this unusual pattern on mother nature’s reaction to the shrinking ozone layer? Latest research says most likely, and the droughts in Australia and China too.
Another one.
What’s to be done? Move? There is no place that is safe from a global shift in weather patterns. So, we accept our bi-polor June and muddle through with friends, chocolate and whatever else can appease our need for sunshine.
And one more reason.
The weather report is not very promising for the tail end of June, so I’ll keep these pictures close to hand and hope for sunnier days in July.
Tags: june 2009, maine, maine scenes, weather
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
On a Designer’s Book Shelf: The Dot & The Line
Friday, June 12th, 2009
Here is the anguished story of a distraught straight line who falls in love with a frivolous dot…
It is a wonderful introduction to an equally wonderful little book. The Dot & the Line: a romance in lower mathematics’ delight lies in the ageless tale of unrequited adoration and the lengths to which one will go to to win over a fickle heart. The twist: this star-crossed pair are the product of Euclid, not Shakespeare.
The characters.
The dependable line tenderly woos the geo-perfect dot. Sadly, the dot only has eyes for the wild and unkempt squiggle. The line falls into a depression and realizes that if he wants to gain the dot’s favor he must go beyond what is expected of him. He must… bend. His first attempts are awkward but eventually he discovers his latent linear capabilities.
How does it end? Let’s just say, to the vector belong the spoils.
It is one of the favorite books in my collection and came at a time in my life when graphic design usurped fine art as a calling. It was published several years before I was born but remains a timeless tale in a universal language. It speaks to the passion and possibilities of math and what we can accomplish if we just… bend.
You can still get copies of the book through Amazon.com and occasionally find this small blue book on the shelves of specialty book sellers. Enjoy.
This version of The Dot & the Line was animated and produced by Chuck Jones (another mighty talent) and is its own piece of delightful art.
Tags: designer's books, norton juster, the dot & the line
Posted in just for fun, on design | No Comments »
On a Designer's Book Shelf: The Dot & The Line
Friday, June 12th, 2009
Here is the anguished story of a distraught straight line who falls in love with a frivolous dot…
It is a wonderful introduction to an equally wonderful little book. The Dot & the Line: a romance in lower mathematics’ delight lies in the ageless tale of unrequited adoration and the lengths to which one will go to to win over a fickle heart. The twist: this star-crossed pair are the product of Euclid, not Shakespeare.
The characters.
The dependable line tenderly woos the geo-perfect dot. Sadly, the dot only has eyes for the wild and unkempt squiggle. The line falls into a depression and realizes that if he wants to gain the dot’s favor he must go beyond what is expected of him. He must… bend. His first attempts are awkward but eventually he discovers his latent linear capabilities.
How does it end? Let’s just say, to the vector belong the spoils.
It is one of the favorite books in my collection and came at a time in my life when graphic design usurped fine art as a calling. It was published several years before I was born but remains a timeless tale in a universal language. It speaks to the passion and possibilities of math and what we can accomplish if we just… bend.
You can still get copies of the book through Amazon.com and occasionally find this small blue book on the shelves of specialty book sellers. Enjoy.
This version of The Dot & the Line was animated and produced by Chuck Jones (another mighty talent) and is its own piece of delightful art.
Tags: designer's books, norton juster, the dot & the line
Posted in just for fun, on design | No Comments »
Beauty in a Handicraft Hyperbolic Reef
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
"Crochet Coral and Anemone Garden" with sea slug by Marianne Midelburg. Photos © The IFF by Alyssa Gorelick.
Math. It’s pretty cool. Okay well, I have to admit it was not the favorite subject of my youth, but I have come to appreciate math for what it is… the language of the universe. Margaret Wertheim is one of the reasons why math now sings to me instead of screams. She has been leading a quiet movement that incorporates high math, shrinking reef worlds and a humble woman’s handicraft.
The Crochet Coral Reef Project attempts to explain hyperbolic geometry via the creation of an undulating choral reef using an army of crochet-hook wielding crafters. Gallery installations and news articles of the project serve to bring these shrinking worlds (the actual underwater variety) to the awareness of thousands.
Video:
Margaret Wertheim explains The Crochet Coral Reef Project on TED.com
If you’ve got 15 minutes and are still wondering what hyperbolic math is you should link to the TED.com video above. Margaret does a way better job of explaining it than I ever could.
Intrigued by the possibilities of math? Check out The Insitute for Figuring. The site will stretch your brain… fractals, vectors and planes, oh my!
Tags: crochet coral reef, hyperbolic geometry, iff, institute for figuring, margaret wertheim
Posted in do it yourself, just for fun, on design | 2 Comments »
About the Designer
Tile design is a functional aesthetic. It's that place between art and
order where I am most happy to be. I'm a graphic designer by training,
a painter in practice. Painting appeals to the artist in me, while I
rely on the grid and functionality of tile to bring order and utility
to environments. Welcome to my site and that place where art meets
utility.
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