Art: scratchboarding

At Michael's the other day, looking for matte board, I came across a scratchboard.  Not familiar with the technique, I began looking around online for information on what tools to use, the range of effects to expect, and general techniques.  I was amazed.  Finished scratchboard pieces remind me of lithographs, without the need for expensive lithograph stones and even more expensive press (although you can grind out many prints with this method).  Attending art classes at the local university is probably the only way an ordinary person can learn and do printmaking.

Here's an example of a lithograph, this one by J. Pilizotti, after a sketch by Albrecht Dürer of Saint Jerome in his study. Master engraver Dürer himself worked with metal plates, usually copper.
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Lithograph by J. Pilozotti, Wikimedia

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Now, back to scratchboard.   This piece was found at the ISSA (International Society of Scratchboard Artists) Master Members Gallery:
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Patrick Hedges, "Cheetah," ISSA

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Artist Russ McMullin sponsors Scratchboard.org, where I found these two pieces:
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Lorrie Dunn, "CanineAncestry," scratchboard.org

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Nico Delort, untitled, scratchboard.org

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Artist McMullin's own work is masterful and can be found at his site/blog.  Here's his portrait of Ralph:
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Russ McMullin, portrait of Ralph

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You can add color to a scratchboard piece, as shown below, but I love the inky blacks, contrasts, and textures.
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Sandra Willard, "Bowl of Cherries," ISSA

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-- Marge

Cartoons: the Republican circus

Steve Sack, "On Lockdown," The Week

That the Republicans in Congress are holding the government hostage over Obamacare really twists my knickers.  Having lost count of the number of times they've voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obamacare, I checked today.  At present it's 42 times.  Fortunately Democrats in the Senate have given the government and Obamacare a little more time.
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Steve Benson, "GOP Circus," Cagle.com

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Michael Ramirez, "Leading From Behind," The Week

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Jim Morin, Miami Herald/McClatchy

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Marshall Ramsey, "Shut Down the Government," USNews

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Mike Luckovich "The Grumpy Old Party," The Week

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A huge thanks to these fine cartoonists for their insights.

-- Marge

DIY: build you own MMO world

No, I'm not talking about MineCraft; but am talking about the much-anticipated EverQuest Next.  Its features will include the Forgelight Engine, voxel (volumetric pixel or Volumetric Picture Element) rendering, and a free-to-play sandbox add-on called Landmark that enables you to build anything, explore, add components to the game of EverQuest Next, collect stuff, and buy and sell items in Player Studio.  

Currently Player Studio allows you to design and sell items for EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, and PlanetSide 2.  According to the web site:

Player Studio™ is a new program that invites (initially US-based) players to download sample geometry, learn how virtual items are constructed, and try designing items. You can try your hand at writing a creative name, item description, and rationale for how it fits into the ongoing narrative storyline.

...Selected items will be offered for sale in the SOE Marketplace alongside items created by staff artists, priced in SOEs Station Cash virtual currency. Revenue from the sale of these items will be shared back with the creative player.

To get an idea of what the excitement for EverQuest Next is all about, take a look at this video from Unit Lost:
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Longer videos, chronicling the release of EverQuest Next, are "EverQuest Next Worldwide Debut: Part 1" and "EverQuest Next Worldwide Debut: Part 2."  Landmark is scheduled for release this winter.  There is an EverQuest Next mobile app available now.
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Capture from Unit Lost video, character expressions

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After building in SecondLife for about 5 years, I can say that building in 3D worlds is fun, engrossing and sometimes challenging, if the tools are right.

--Marge

Immersed in a blue, undulating world

On shopping day, at entering Costco, I suddenly was immersed in and gliding through an undersea world.  It took me a moment to realize that this flowing blue world was being shown on an array of monitors on all sides.  It took a moment longer to disengage.  With that in mind I offer, for your viewing pleasure, some underwater vistas of kelp. For those of you more interested in exploration there's some information about oceanography.

Intending to show you the motion of a kelp forest and how the light shines through, I searched YouTube.  Below is the best I could find (It seems everyone has a message when it comes to kelp.)
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There are and have been some amazing photographers of Earth's undersea worlds. A legacy site for Neville Coleman (1938-2012) catalogs his travels above and below the water's surface.  The front page features a Critter I/D and info button, leading to a site where you can upload a photo and request identification.  Here's one of Mr. Coleman's pics:
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NevilleColman, Green Mantis Shrimp

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Phillip Colla at Oceanlight has a truly artistic eye.
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Phillip Colla, "Giant Kelp Forest," OceanLight

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Christopher Menjou at UnderwaterPlanet offers free wallpapers.  Here's one of kelp at Catalina Island.
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Christopher Menjou, kelp wallpaper, Underwater Planet

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For facts about marine algae and locations, try The Seaweed Site.
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NE Atlantic seaweeds, the Seaweed Site

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If you're interested in following research that's being conducted in the Earth's oceans, take a look at the Wood's Hole Oceanographic and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

-- Marge

NSFW and other offbeat humor

This Friday no editorial cartoons are being shown.  Instead we're visiting the virtual land of Creators.com, where offbeat humor abounds.  Creators has added a couple of other sites to its domain -- Alpha Comedy ("More Comedy. Better Comedy.") and Coral Mag (articles, many humorous).

From Speed Bump (a fun series and site) by Dave Coverly:
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Dave Coverly, "NSFW," Creators.com

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From BC, a comic strip created by Johnny Hart and now continued by his grandsons Mason and Mick Mastroianni and daughter Perri Hart:
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Mastroianni and Hart, Creators.com

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From Strange Brew by John Deering:
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John Deering, Creators.com

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From Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen (This doesn't begin to show the range of his delightful work):

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Jerry Van Amerongen, Creators.com

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From Free Range by Bill Whitehead:

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Bill Whitehead, Creators.com

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From Home Office by Michael Wright:
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Micheal Wright, Creators.com

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TGIF.

-- Marge

DIY troubleshooting the troublesome

The other day my repair guy installed a new cartridge in the kitchen faucet because it was dripping.  Unfortunately, when he was done, the hot and cold streams were reversed.  He was mystified; I said I'll check it on the web.  Apparently the problem is not unusual.  After typing in "moen faucet hot cold reversed" and selecting the Google search result that seemed to most apply, I landed at the terrylove.com DIY forum.  There one person said "Pull the cartridge out and reverse it 180 degrees." (In other words turn it over.)  Another said "Just remove the handle and turn the stem 180 degrees."  The moderator said that reversing the cartridge won't work.  So repair guy rotated the stem 180 and -- voila!  Now I don't have to doublethink where hot and cold are.  Sweet.

This brings me to troubleshooting using the web.  There's an article at Wikipedia giving techniques for troubleshooting.  On the web it sometimes takes a few tries to get the search terms that will zero in on the information you want.  For example, to troubleshoot Firefox, try "troubleshoot Firefox <space>" and see what Google suggests.  Check some of the suggestions to see if you're getting close to the problem you have in mind, then rephrase the search as needed.  (Note that Firefox may be a poor example because there is excellent tech support at Mozilla support.)
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AHA! jokes

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Techsoup.org has an excellent page on troubleshooting your desktop.  They also have a page on troubleshooting software.
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posted by fahd0321, MemeCenter

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While looking around I found the Circuit Detective's page on home electrical troubleshooting.  You might find it helpful/interesting.  Help Larry out with a donation if you can.

Well, back to nursing my aging home.

--Marge

Encaustic art: first you melt the wax...

Having always admired the effects artists painting in the encaustic mode can get, but not wanting to deal with melted wax, I've turned to trying acrylic paints to create a encaustic effect (called faux encaustic).

First, though, what is encaustic painting and what are some good examples of it? According to Wikipedia --

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid or paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are often used.

A noted artist using this method is Tony Scherman.  Here he talks about the method and his technique.
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The Encaustic Painting Group features this piece, which is a good example of what draws me to encaustics, by Kari J. Young.
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Kari J. Young, "Metamorphosis," Encaustic Painting Group

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To see how faux encaustic effects are achieved using acrylics, take a look at this video by Golden Paints.
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Lisa Walsh's "Acrylic Encaustic Bear" is a good example and a sweet piece.  However, I don't see the textures that are present in the not-faux encaustic.
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Lisa Walsh, "Acrylic Encaustic Bear"

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Guess it's time for me to get to work and see what I can do.

--Marge

Cartoons: NSA spying, uhm surveillance, as seen from the ground...

Lately I feel at times, when googling something or sending an email, I'm being watched. Turns out it may be true: "New Details Show Broader NSA Surveillance Reach." According to this article:

The system [surveillance network] has the capacity to reach roughly 75% of all U.S. Internet traffic in the hunt for foreign intelligence, including a wide array of communications by foreigners and Americans. In some cases, it retains the written content of emails sent between citizens within the U.S. and also filters domestic phone calls made with Internet technology, these people [current and former officials] say.

So here are some observations for you, NSA, from leading cartoonists.  They were found at the U.S.News website.
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Steve Breen, USNews

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Walt Handelsman, "I called my sister...," USNews

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Scott Stantis, "Still on the grid," USNews

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Jack Ohman, "The Worst Job at the NSA...," USNews

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David Horsey, "Modern Life," USNews

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By the way, you might be interested in this site--JokeBlogger.

--Marge

Halloween DIY: frou-frou tutus and other whimsy

While there are happy accidents, most creations start with an idea and proceed to a plan. Here are some ideas for this year's Halloween costume.  Mostly I'm offering parts of costumes for you to mix-and-match as you choose.  My idea of a cool costume is a black unitard (or tights and leotard) with some cover-up for eye-appeal 'correction' and an outrageous hat.  Maybe add an angel wing shrug ($26.80) depending on the theme of the outfit.

At weebly.com there are frou frou tutus--ready-made, custom-made, and kits.  Prices average from 15 to 30 dollars.
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frou frou tutu, weebly.com

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Relache's lens at Squidoo, "Make Your Own Fairy Wings," has advice and instructions on making and embellishing wings and links for buying them.  You can use stuff often found at home (provided you usually have duct tape and pink stockings on hand) in these instructions from DIYnetwork.
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Relache's fairy wings, Squidoo

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Here are "30 Outrageous Hats Designed By The Guy Who Made Princess Beatrice’s Hat," offered by Matt Stopera at BuzzFeed.  I like these two:
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An outrageous hat by Philip Treacy, BuzzFeed

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Another outrageous hat by Philip Treacy, BuzzFeed

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My best find of the day, though, is Savers Thrift Stores, a network of thrift shops.  There's a store locator (Anchorage has, count 'em, 3 stores listed!) and some really good costume ideas.
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Bad Fairy costume, Savers

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Have fun creating and more fun partying.

--Marge

Mitochondrial Eve, Y-chromosomal Adam, and Charlemagne

More than 1064 people made each of us.  What's more --

The mathematical study of genealogy indicates that everyone in the world is descended from Nefertiti and Confucius, and everyone of European ancestry is descended from Muhammad and Charlemagne... (Steve Olson, "The Royal We")

In his article writer Olson refers geneologist and mathematician Mark Humphrys' work, which can be found on his website, titled "Royal Descents of famous people." The title of his site is a bit misleading--there's a lot more than the geneologies of famous people -- such as

This is not about DNA (Genealogy is not Genetics)

These findings do not necessarily have any implications for our DNA. To descend from someone does not mean you necessarily inherit any DNA from them. These findings do not conflict with the idea that most or all of your DNA is inherited from your local area. Even if you do descend from the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, that does not mean this can be detected in your DNA. In fact, there may be no evidence at all of these findings in humanity's DNA. And yet the findings can still be true.  [for more info, check his page on common ancestors]

In genetics there's Mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosomal Adam.  Of Eve Wikipedia says:

In the field of human genetics, Mitochondrial Eve, who is estimated to have lived approximately 140,000–200,000 years ago, refers to the matrilineal most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all currently living anatomically modern humans. In other words, she was the most recent woman from whom all living humans today descend, on their mother’s side, and through the mothers of those mothers, and so on, back until all lines converge on one person.

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Electron microscopy reveals mitochondrial DNA in discrete foci,  Wikipedia

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Trying to find out what exactly is meant by Mitochondrial Eve without getting too caught up in terms like eukaryotic cells and alphabet soup such as L(x), M, N, and CZ, I found this lovely definition of mitochondria at Biology4Kids:

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of the cell. They are organelles that act like a digestive system that takes in nutrients, breaks them down, and creates energy for the cell. The process of creating cell energy is known as cellular respiration. Most of the chemical reactions involved in cellular respiration happen in the mitochondria. A mitochondrion is shaped perfectly to maximize its efforts.

Contrast the definition of Eve above with that of Adam:

In human genetics, Y-chromosomal Adam (Y-MRCA) is a hypothetical name given to the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) from whom all currently living people are descended patrilineally (tracing back only along the paternal or male lines of their family tree). However, the title is not permanently fixed on a single individual...

You can take part in National Geographic's Genographic Project, Geno 2.0, with the purchase of a kit ($199.95).  So far there are 609,030 participants in over 140 countries.  The purpose of the project is "to shine a powerful new light on our collective past."
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Johann Heinrich Füssli, "The Creation of Eve," Commons.wikimedia.org

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-- Marge

Cartoons because we need them

This week, with the grim news about Syria, we need a laugh to relieve some of the stress. These cartoons from The Week offer some insights to go along with the humor.
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Steve Benson, "Sounding Familiar," theWeek

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Scott Stantis, "Cheer Section," theWeek

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Bob Englehart, "Accidental Allies," theWeek

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Patrick Chappatte, "Spoiler Alert," theWeek

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Steve Sack, "Peace of Mind," theWeek

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Gary Varvel, "Finally A Plan of Attack," theWeek

-- Marge

DIY: Disaster survival

Call it zombie apocalypse survival if you like, the purpose is the same -- to outlast the effects of urban system failure.  An excellent article posted by embrachu, byline "Renaissance Survivalist," and titled "Surviving in an urban setting," gives an description of what can happen when services go off-line.  Here's part of it:

The city presents serious risks during a crisis. The four most serious are: (1.) Rioting and the breakdown of order, (2.) Lack of water, or the delivery of water, (3.) Lack of food, (4.) The power grid going off-line. Some cities may experience only a few of these, although most certainly there will be cities that experience them all.

Social order is psychological. It could collapse under the right conditions. When people realize there is no longer law and order, they behave according to their own whims. Only the threat of immediate death stopped the looting and violence in the L.A. Riots, when the National Guard responded to the crisis. Eventually the National Guard assumed control. Remember, this was only an isolated event, with one city. In a more serious crisis, will the National Guard or local police be able to handle the load? Overnight this country could be turned into a war zone, requiring all-out martial law and military force. The reality is, however, the military would be stretched beyond limits to handle the load.

We've seen all of this in movies that detail the end of society as we know it; this as well as the random acts of kindness and self-sacrifice.  But don't think it can only happen on the screen.
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NateHallinan, DeviantART

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Given, most survival guides are pretty dry reading.  Here in Alaska, even in Anchorage with population approaching 300,000 (no wonder there seems to be more traffic lately), disaster stands in the wings, especially due to earthquakes, wildfires and extreme winter weather. Here's Anchorage's Emergency Preparedness page.  There's another article at LifeHacker titled "MacGyver, Survivalist or Stockpiler" that's good reading.  More information can be found at Urban Disaster Survival.
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Bryan Marvin P. Sola, DeviantART

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At the risk of being an alarmist, I urge you to take a look at the information available for your area.  Know what your risks are.  And be prepared.  Remember, when the grid goes down, you have 3 days before chaos breaks loose -- assuming you live in a city.

-- Marge

Labor Day blues

Labor Day didn't come easy.  The basis for it in the U.S. was the Pullman Strike in 1894.  According to Wikipedia's article on Labor Day:

Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday; President Grover Cleveland signed it into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.

In recognition of the current labor climate in America, here's a meme based on a 1941 WPA poster by artist Harry Herzog.
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-- Marge