Comparative Myths

Assistant Village Idiot has an excellent and pithy post on the different myths our society argues about, and their comparative impact.

A good quick morning read, go and enjoy.

Ow!

Or possibly Oi...


... and she includes Ross Perot. I don't think I would have been that blunt, but then again, the time for bluntness has come upon us.

Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says “There is no self.” So, maybe we're off the hook.

The sayings of a Jewish Buddhist at Maggie's Farm




Heh!

Go Now and Read!

Jessica Palmer at Bioephemera has a wonderful post on Medieval Astrolabs


Quadrant, January 3 1775, "M. H.", Danvers, Massachusetts, inked paper over wood

I've had the opportunity to see and photograph some of the Octants, Quadrants, Astrolabes and Sextants at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA. (click here for Flickr photo set then scroll about halfway down the page) These are truly marvelous and elegant bits of history.

Go and read Ms. Palmer's post. For one thing, her images are clearer than mine.


Planespheric Astrolabe, mid 17th century, attributed to Maquim Muhammed (active 1644), possibly Lahore, Pajistan, brass

The Internet as One Vast Cabinet of Wonders


Crickets

I had a very privileged childhood. By that, I don’t mean that my parents were affluent, had influence or power, or were in any social sense important. On the other hand, I had an undoubtedly rich time growing up. My parents insulated me from a lot of the news and confusion of the ‘60s. (Unlike others my age that I have known, I have no idea where I was when JFK, or even RFK were shot, but I can remember Studebakers as new cars.)

The real richness was my parents’ love of all things printed and bound.

The old farmhouse that I grew up in was filled with books. These increased in number every year, covering history, biography, the classics, fiction, art, myth, and literature (as well as some of the more obscure areas of spiritualism, my Mom’s contribution). My kids now get to read from the “First Book” series that I had as a kid, which are copyrighted in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. As a kid, I got to read stuff that had been written and printed in the middle of the 19th Century. With the collections of different stuff, the craft projects, tools, and other fascinating sundries, the house I grew up in was something of a wall to wall Cabinet of Curiosities.

Now my wife and I share the same bibliophilic passions as my parents. We have been given (or given stewardship over) a good number of the 6000 plus books that were in the farmhouse. I had been accumulating art books and magazines for some time before our marriage, and my wife has been doing her level best to catch up. We have well over 1200 books easy to hand, and at least 1500 more in storage.

And now there’s that Internet thingie. I love books, there are usually three or four going at the same time. There are a few art and history books that get taken out and referred to at least once a month. But when I need info, especially visual info, where better to go than to the web, the greatest Wunderkammer of all time. You can search for images in overwhelming numbers. Are you doing research on Chartres Cathedral? A simple Google image search finds 41,000 images. Search under just the one word, “cathedral” and Google comes back with approximately 5,600,000 images!

Or, if like me, you like to collect things from the natural world, a search for “Coyote Skull” brings back about 91,300 images. Searching for a skull to put into your very own cabinet of curiosity? Searching “Coyote Skull Retail” brings back over 66,000 sites, but you may want to further qualify your search terms. As of my typing this, there are nearly twenty different human x-ray images for sale on eBay (over a dozen of them in eBay Stores). In fact, on eBay, you can find things like crocodile teeth, meteorites, or the disarticulated skeleton of various small mammals. Building your own Wunderkammer is just a PayPal account away....

Then there are the photo sharing sites. My two favorite are Pbase and Flickr. You can search for something and get caught up forever chasing link after link, as one photographer or artist may have another fascinating person making a comment, or as part of the first one’s contact list. I’ve already blogged about Len Cowgill. There is another artist who deals with assemblage (amongst other things), GODLOVESDEATH. Then there are people like Steffe in Sweden, who photo-documented an old Oxel tree in a field at Välsta for a year and he still periodically posts new photos of this lonely hardwood. And speaking of finding everything on the web, I found a former professor of mine on Flickr, with whom I had lost touch for over twenty years, Karen Marlene Larson, with her absolutely gorgeous photos, interesting essays, and all her faithful commenters.


Marionette by Karen Marlene Larsen

Searching amongst the public Flickr photo pools for “Cabinet of Curiosities” yields five different groups (actually, the search pulls up eight, but the last three really aren’t on topic… ed.) with up to 7000 images between them (depending on how many images are in more than one of the groups.) My favorite by far is Wunderkammer, which I am a part of.


Extinct Birds

Curiosity Cabinet- Handmade Specimens is also amazing, especially the artifice and imagination involved.

There are also many pools for images from museums around the world, two of which are At the museum and The Global Museum with tens of thousands of images between them.


Sexual Dimorphism in Insects

In fact, even The Library of Congress and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have a presence on Flickr, though the latter’s photostream is rather thin. A list of museum photo groups on Flickr (probably not exhaustive) can be found here.

Flickr is just one small part of the internet. I haven’t even had a chance to touch upon the many talented people who aggregate the unusual, the beautiful and the rare, like David Thompson’s Ephemera posts, Bioephemera, Shorpy Vintage Photos, BibliOdessey, Lines and Colors, or the Art Renewal Center.

So, go and play inside the largest Wunderkammer ever!

…Not that I have to tell you.

If It Hasn't Got A Tail It's Not A Monkey*


Two interesting essays on the conundrum that is Evolutionary Theory.

First, from Lee Harris at TCS Daily, Why We Are Still Arguing About Darwin

And from New Wineskins, The Myth of Time + Chance = Mankind


Both pose interesting observations about the Theory of Evolution. Excellent quotes, "Thou shalt not act like a monkey—this is the essence of all the higher religions, and the summation of all ethical systems." from the first essay.

And What’s glossed over in that budding scientific understanding of complex and self-organizing systems, fractals, chaos theory and the like is whether all types of ordered complexity can be created this way. from the second.


Personally, the issue is a non-starter for me. If you really believe in a Sovereign God, then that God is sovereign over all things, and questioning his methods is an exercise in hubris. You weren't there, so claiming one method over another as correct is silly. I am not smart enough to tell God what to do, especially in retrospect.

Besides, if you really are tied to a literal reading of the first two chapters of Genesis, then the "lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night,... [that] serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years..." were made on the fourth day. If the Sun was not made till the fourth day, then a literal reading of Genesis precludes the creation happening in seven 24 hour periods, because there was no 24 hour day before the "fourth day".

To stake all faith on the ability to precisely understand one small passage is counter-productive. If you perfectly understood everything, you wouldn't need faith.


* with apologies to VeggieTales (click the middle title, "Monkey")

Happy New Year!

and the New Year's greetings from those I daily read...

The Glenn and check out his FORECAST FOR 2008: A 100% chance of alarmism.

Charles Johnson, Party in Bagdad

New Year's Day links from the folks at Maggie's Farm

Ann Althouse

The Moxargon Group's Year in Review

And I'm sure there are many more out there, but as my resolution for this year is to have a more disciplined mind, I'm going to shut down the computer and stop looking at political garbage.

(Hmmm, that may mean turning off the internet for the whole year... ed.)

Amazing Progression of a Painting

TheARTDEPARTMENT provides an amazing series of images of the progression of a painting by David Bowers. I haven't checked TheARTDEPARTMENT in a while, my bad. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a blog run by Irene Gallo, the art director for Tor, Forge, and Starscape Books. I'm glad I didn't miss this.

The progression actually goes clockwise, so don't be confused by the order. Click on the images for larger versions.

This is great stuff, and I love to see how artists build up their work from beginning to end. I post progressions at my Flickr site. The figurative work of David Bowers is truly wonderful. It's great to get an insight into his process.

This image was featured on the cover of Spectrum 12: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, an annual of fantastic art and illustration.


Oh, I need to browse through my art-blog bookmarks more....

Amazing Progression of a Painting

TheARTDEPARTMENT provides an amazing series of images of the progression of a painting by David Bowers. I haven't checked TheARTDEPARTMENT in a while, my bad. I'm glad I didn't miss this.

(The progression actually goes clockwise, so don't be confused by the order. Click on the images for larger versions.)

This is great stuff, and I love to see how artists build up their work from beginning to end. I post progressions of my own at my Flickr site. The figurative work of David Bowers is truly wonderful. It's a treat to get some insight into his process.

This image from David Bower's website was featured on the cover of Spectrum 12: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, an annual of fantastic art and illustration.


Oh, I need to browse through my art-blog bookmarks more....

Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't

Charles Johnson put up a quote of Euripides last night, Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.

That quote put me in mind of two verses from the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 26:4-5

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.

This is as close as the Bible comes to saying that, in dealing with the folly of men, there are indeed "No-Win" situations.

I am tempted to make snarky remarks about politics, but I will refrain.... (No you didn't! ed.)

Best Public Service Announcement You'll See Today

Kim du Toit posts today's must read.

And there is nothing I can add to that, except maybe, say "Thank you."

I've blogged on this before

...but as Walking the Berkshires has a new carnival, called "Cabinet of Curiosities" I thought it time to post this again. Besides, my Cabinet has changed a bit since moving my studio.



One part of it is contained in a miss-matched set of barrister book shelves, with a drop front desk halfway up. My parents had bought these at a junk shop before I was born. (Of course, now they are antiques.)

On the upper shelf, you can see on the left a glass jar with the finger-bones of a coyote, which I found along with its skull and much of it's skeleton in the woods. The skull is to the right (on top of the remains of a pull toy that had belonged to my mom, and may be from the 20's or before). On the second shelf, on the right, is a small jar of knucklebones from the same unfortunate beast, and one of its thigh bones is on top of a cast metal level that has passed down through the family from my great uncle. The books on the second shelf are all antiques from the library of the house I grew up in.

There are even two Halloween skull candles from when I was a little kid (some forty and more years ago).

This is the type of stuff I try to surround myself with in my office/studio.

For more notes, and related pictures, go here.

UPDATE: My wife pointed out an omission on my part. On the top shelf, right hand corner, in back, is a small Bell jar containing my ponytail from a couple of years ago.

I have long hair, it's in a jar in my office!

What Goes Around Comes Around



OK This was also linked by The Glenn but this needs as much linkage as possible.

It turns out, a group of guys in the Iraqi Army wanted to do something for the California fire victims, because they felt that the US had done so much for Iraq. So they raised $1000 US, and gave it to the local US Army commander to pass on.

$1000 US wouldn't get a family of four through half a month. In physical terms, it's absolutely nothing. In terms of sacrifice and a heart of compassion, it's everything.

"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others.'" Luke 21:1-3

May God grant these people security and peace.

Amazing!

PK, over at BibliOdyssey, is having a book published based on the excellent, and very eclectic art history blog he has run for the last two years.

(gotta get me a copy....)

Ennui

Well, an overwhelming feeling of ennui over all things political and social, as well as a busy creative schedule, have kept me away from blogging. I couldn't resist linking to the above. (Although, if you are like 99% of web users, and read The Glenn, you've already seen this.)

The best quote...."And the reference to Cruise in the last paragraph is for the movie War of the Worlds, in which we see two hours of Cruise running away from aliens while the American military fights them despite desperate odds. I'm beginning to see that as an analogy for Hollywood in general."

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

You Are a Tuna Fish Sandwich

Some people just don't have a taste for you. You are highly unusual. And admit it, you've developed some pretty weird habits over the years. You may seem a bit unsavory from a distance, but anyone who gives you a chance is hooked! Your best friend: The Club Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Turkey Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

H/T, Dr. Sanity, with whom I apparently get along with rather well.

Happy4th

Go read the links, have a hotdog or burger, watch some fireworks....

If you're reading this in the USA, be thankful for your freedom.

Dr. Helen kicks off her new advice column at Pajamas Media

She discusses what things all adults should be able to do, starting with the famous list by Robert Heinlein, and continuing with additions of her own.

(from Heinlein) A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.

Dr. Helen's additions, drive a stick shift, be able to swim a reasonable distance, surf the web and answer an email, understand and be able to use a basic handgun, give a good backrub.

My abilities as compared to these lists are,

Change a diaper. With three biological children (and several infant foster children who have come through our home) this one is a natch! Ability includes changing both cloth and disposables.

Design a building. I've done stage design and do a lot of historical architectural research. I'd want someone to check me against the codes, but I could do a reasonable job for normal sized wood framed homes or farm buildings.

Build a wall. I grew up in the woods of New Hampshire. Fixing and building stone walls came with the territory.

Comfort the dying. Unfortunately, I have experience in this.

Take orders, give orders. Many years as a boyscout and a few in leadership positions. Believe it or not, but working on the tech side of theatre covers this as well. Check.

Cooperate, act alone. Trained in the theatre, including some acting training, so this one is both literally and figuratively true.

Pitch Manure. Again, farm country boyhood. It didn't happen often, but enough to know I didn't want it for a career.

Cook a tasty meal. The wife and kids think so, most of the time.

Drive a stickshift. Have, will, want to buy something with one (preferably large, overpowered, and from the 60s!)

Surf the web and answer email. Uh, Dr. Helen? You posted this on a new media site. The number of people who will read your column in Pajamas Media who can't do these two is a number aproaching zero.

Understand and be able to use a handgun. Haven't done it much, but yeh. Paraphrasing Tom Selleck's character from Quigly Down Under, "I said I didn't like pistols, not that I can't use them." I'd rather have one of these.

Give a good backrub. Hey, my wife didn't marry me for my looks (or money).

Of the rest, hmmm....

Fight efficiently. Not so much, unless we back up to be able to use a handgun.

Plan an invasion. No miltary training. I could take a stab at it, but this would probably best be left under be able to take orders. I'd rather follow somebody who knows what they're doing, and live, than think I'm capable by myself, and die.

Analyze a new problem. That essentially used to be my corporate job, doing stratigic sales research. Now I spend my time thinking up new paintings and new symbolism.

Balance accounts given a little more enthusiasm for bookkeeping... Nah, that's not gonna' happen.

Solve equations, write a sonnet, not since college....

Swim a reasonable distance, yeh, my doctor would like me to be able to do that as well.

Butcher a hog, conn a ship, program a computer, not yet - probably not likely.

Die gallantly, don't know yet.

If you have any additions for the list, drop a comment at Dr. Helen's column.

Absolutely Hillarious at Iowahawk


H/T Maggie's farm

The Libby Case Explained

...in simple yet accurate terms, with visual aids by Xran at The Moxargon Group.