Guess THIS one!…oh well, drat.
November 12, 2009
Oh well, THAT took about five minutes. (sigh) So a couple of days ago I promised a free drink to the first one to correctly identify the subject of this image:
If you’ve been reading the blog you may have noted my recent forays in the rainy Portland Farmers’ Market, which might have been a clue. It’s where I picked up this intriguing-looking, organically grown heirloom broccoli variant of cauliflower, Broccoli Romanesco (Roman broccoli):
As usual, Gary gets one free drink for being first to hit it generically (and at this rate, Gary, it’d better be lemonade unless you want a hangover of elephantine proportions the next time you hit town). But Ondine not only named it, she gave the real name of the beast, so I think that’s good for another. Lemme know when you want to collect, Ondine.
Despite my love of cruciferous veggies, I mostly bought this one for its photogenic qualities. Between the leaves and the whorls on the fruit itself, it probably corners the market on mathematical equations. Those knobs are particularly interesting-looking fractals, arranged in near-logarithmic patterns, so I couldn’t wait to photograph it. After it’d be sliced, roasted and incorporated into a linguini for dinner.
Too bad it’s a particularly high-protein veggie, thanks to the thousands of houseguests it brought along. I set it up in the kitchen (if you’re into photographing produce, always get a kitchen with a black granite counter–built in backdrops), started snapping away with long exposures and noticed odd blurry areas in the images. Went back and checked, and discovered green aphids, white aphids, odd little purple- and blue-striped bugs, caterpillars, gnats and spiders. (The dancing bugs are the soft blue-white spots on the photo at left)
That cauliflower had more insects than an ant farm, and they eagerly set out to explore the kitchen.
I immersed the veggie in a fast-running coldwater bath for about 15 minutes, probably destroying entire civilizations’ worth of bugs without a whit of conscience. Then I took the rest of my photos.
The bath didn’t phase the surviving bugs a bit–turns out those whorling nodes make excellent bug shelters. When the cauliflower had rested and dried a bit, they popped back out and resumed explorations. More bath, more bugs. When the three-inch caterpillar wended his way across my viewfinder, I pretty much lost my appetite for cauliflower.
So the cauliflower wound up in the yard debris bin outside. And I’m still itching and scrubbing down the kitchen.
You know, sometimes a few pesticides aren’t the end of the world..
P.S. Looked it up on the web and read that it’s very delicious, far more than regular broccoli or cauliflower. Also that the spirally, fractal florets are great hiding places for bugs and that it needs to be soaked in salt water for at least 15 minutes to get rid of them. Hmmmm. Must be the salt that does it; soaking in fresh water only encourages ‘em…
Guess THIS one!
November 10, 2009
I don’t know why I even bother, since every body seems to guess right on the first or second try, (the solution obviously being to find a less savvy audience which so far, thank heavens, hasn’t happened) but I suppose I’m the eternal photo-optimist. For a free drink of your choice next time you’re in town, be the first one to correctly identify the subject of the following image:
Answer will be published in a day or two…
The Fun Theory
October 13, 2009
‘Way back when, I had a janitorial business. We cleaned offices and medical clinics and along the way I learned a few things about human behavior:
- Health care professionals may be the messiest folk on the planet (the stories I could tell about one doctor’s clinic would turn a pathologist’s stomach)
- Women have a peculiar need to kiss mirrors and an inability to hit the trash can
- If it’s in a bathroom, men can’t hit anything, period
I got so tired of scrubbing the unspeakably nasty walls behind one mensroom’s urinals that I bought a giant red permanent marker and drew targets, dead-center, on each urinal. Then I hung a sign on the wall just above:
Can YOU hit the bullseye?
Believe it or not, it worked. Next night, for the first time in three years, the walls were clean and dry. Apparently, I’d discovered something called The Fun Theory: Turn it into a game, and more people will do it.
Volkswagen’s got a brilliant European campaign along those lines right now. So far they’ve gotten more people to use the stairs by turning them into a piano:
…increased litter pickup by adding sound effects to the trash can:
…and they’re going to try to increase container recycling with a new kind of vending machine. They’re also opening up a competition for other ideas along these lines.
Thanks to my friend Nina for finding it. Definitely worth a look.
The Sandman gets nasty…
August 26, 2009
Just gotta share (and thanks to Jerilyn Marler for sharing the link on Facebook)…
BoingBoing is definitely on my top 100 favorite sites list; it’s kind of a hangout for nerds, or anyone who worships at the feet of Rube Goldberg. BoingBoing posted a video of a rock-the-baby-to-sleep system involving a CD, Linux script and a piece of string.
BooneOakley
June 9, 2009
There’s no such thing as a perfect website.
Websites are SUPPOSED to evolve as people’s requirements (and ideas) change. Therefore, while you might get a website that’s perfect for exactly one nanosecond in time where site design, content, product and people work perfectly together, what you mostly get is the need to improve the site.
HOWEVER…some sites come pretty bloody close to perfect, and BooneOakley is one of them. [Read more]
Blender defender
June 7, 2009
Ever had a problem with your cat getting up on the counter?
http://www.plasma2002.com/blenderdefender/
‘Nuf said.*
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*Although if you’ve got time, also check out the emergency party button, perfect for the friendless geek with a few extra electronics lying around.
200 years that changed the world…and other things
June 4, 2009
There are few things better than a good data visualization.* “Lies, damn lies, and statistics” aside, it’s one of the best ways I know to debunk dogma and put the universe into a bit more perspective. And, in the bargain, many are absolutely gorgeous works of art.
The lookup game
June 2, 2009
When I was a kid I used to grab the nearest reference work–dictionary, encyclopedia, my dad’s medical texts, my mom’s artbooks–then close my eyes and turn to a page. I’d read whatever came up, follow all the “See alsos” I came across, look up terms I didn’t understand and just generally take that page to its logical conclusion.
I called it the “lookup game.” It taught me all sorts of totally useless things (for a kid), including the realization that I never met a fact I didn’t like. It also turned me on to doing my own research and discovering things, people, issues, etc., that probably wouldn’t have appeared in the typical suburban whitekid’s daily routine.
Design by the Book
May 18, 2009
Just a quickie: Cool project with the New York Public Library, called Design by the Book. It’s a collaboration between the library, a group called Design Sponge and five New York artists:
- Mike Perry, an illustrator and author specializing in hand-drawn fonts
- John Pomp, a glassblower
- Julia Rothman, a fabric/wallpaper pattern designer
- Rebecca Kutys, who runs a small printing press
- Lorena Barrezueta, who makes table and body ware in porcelain
The idea is pretty simple: Turn these artists loose in the stacks of New York Public and see what inspires them…and how it changes their work. The results aren’t really revolutionary, but it is interesting. Design Sponge videotaped the process, and incidentally reminded us that libraries are a precious resource and more than just a collection of words that can be put online.
If you’re into Apple iTunes, it’s available as a podcast there, or you can pick up episodes directly from the site. And the librarian in the series, Jessica Pigza, has a blog called the Handmade Librarian that’s well worth a visit even if you’re not interested in the project.
And go visit your library!
Silk mermaids and great big sculptures
May 14, 2009
Not a whole lot I can add to this lady’s blog, SilkMermaid.com, except WOW….and that it’s worth a visit if you’re interested in large-format sculpture, robotic-assist costuming and related topics. Sculptor Kim Graham includes some excellent supplies lists and tutorials on creating sculpture and molds. (and notice the resemblance in the two folk on the left)
This blog is the how. If you want to see Ms. Graham’s sculpture gallery, visit her studio website.
Be sure to check out her digitigrade leg extensions. And, thanks to Patrick Gracewood for pointing me to her stuff.