In the Headlights

Visible Man/Woman

Shawn sent me this link, commenting on the facta that it reminded her of our visit to the Body Works exhibit in Manhattan a year ago.

This is pretty cool stuff.  A web site called Visible Body allows you to look at different anatomical systems, individually, or layered, to learn about different parts or whole systems.  It looks pretty cool.  The link above includes a YouTube video about the site.

Here's the site itself.  It's free as long as you sign one of those long disclaimers.  I started the application, and then balked at:

2. When you become a Registered User, we collect certain information about you, including personally identifiable information, as well as information about your use of the Web site. The information will be treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy. By clicking on the "I agree" button or visiting this Web site, you agree to the terms and conditions of our Privacy Policy.

and other similar legalese, which had me envisioning my privacy being invaded.

Anyway, if you're more daring than I, check it out and let us know how you like it.  It looks to be a pretty neat site.  And I sign up for things all the time.  Don't know why once in a while I get wary.

[Image from Visible Body.]

Across the Universe

Stryder sent me a YouTube link to a music video called "Across the Universe", with Joe Cocker singing "Come Together".  It's directed by Julie Taymor, who is also known as costume director for the Broadway musical, "The Lion King."  Taymor has won two Tonys out of four nominations, and an Emmy, so she's definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"Across the Universe" is also a movie, directed by Taymor. It is the story of a group of friends finding their way through the minefield that was the 1960's.  Love, war, activism.  All set to a Beatles soundtrack.  Could be worse.  In addition, Stryder said the movie was excellent.  As did the person who posted the comment on the imdb site.  My sense is that the movie is not for everyone, but that it will rock those who lived through the period.  I just added it to my Netflix queue, and moved it to the top.  At the rate I'm going through movies, it would probably be a year before I got to it, otherwise.

Meanwhile, get your fix watching this great video.

Photoshop: The New Reality?

L.C. shared these photoshopped photos.  I picked my favorites out of a big batch.  You'll notice most of them are from the best photoshop site there is: Worth 1000.  As in, a picture is worth 1000 words.  They have lots of very entertaining photoshop contests.  On the site this time they are asking for donations as their bandwidth costs are outstripping their revenue from Google ads.  If you live for this sort of thing, donate.  Or at least buy their book.

Cool stuff.  Wish I could do that.  Thanks, L.C.

Bent Objects

Deb sent us the link to this great site, Bent Objects.

Terry Border is the still-life artist who created these mini-masterpieces.

Check out his site.  And in 2009, buy his book:  Bent Objects:  The Secret Live of Everyday Things.  It can't help being wonderful.

It can't help being wonderful.

 

Monument to Peaches

Shawn Lea of Everything and Nothing sent me this link from Slashfood:  What to do with 24,000 peaches.  I thought it was going to be a lot of recipes.  Hm...I have a tree full of ripe and falling key limes, wonder if I can get some ideas.

 

This is what BMF Sydney did with it, interpreting Ella Bache's new line of skin cream.  Pretty cool.  Wonder what I could sculpt with all those key limes.  Peaches, key limes...I see a lot of pies in the future.

If I Were a Carpenter

Red was a good carpenter.  It was how he made his living.  I never appreciated his skill more than when we did home projects.  We laid our wood floors together, and put a new roof on the house.  This is not to say I enjoyed it.  It was hard work, and harder still being the unskilled labor.  But now (that it's done) I'm glad we did it.

But this guy takes good to a whole new level.  L.C. sent us these  photos of an amazing project and an amazing talent.

Hmmm.  Looks like he's putting on a roof. 

And there's a ghost watching. Jeez, it looks like the ghost of Leonardo DaVinci.

Holy cow.  Look at all those nails.

3-dimensional perfection.

A beautifully rendered copy of DaVinci's self portrait.

I went to www.AbuNawaf.com.  It's all in Arabic (at least I think that's Arabic), so I can't say anything more about this work except that I think it's amazing.

Thanks, L.C. 

Cheesy Sculpture

 

Interesting sculpture carved from a wheel of parmigiano Reggiano, in the lobby of the hotel we stayed in in New York.  I doubt they'll ever grate that puppy to put on top of my pasta...

Tattoo You? Me?

I have blogged before about tattoos, and while I admire many of them, I have not succumbed to the tempation of permanently altering my body.

Yesterday, I was in a restaurant, and waiting in line in the ladies' room.  I had an opportunity to observe the outfit of a young woman waiting in front of me.  She was wearing a knee length black dress, with red and orange flames going up the front.  On her feet, she wore short black lace-up combat boots in leather, with red flames on them as well.  Her left leg, as much as was visible between the knee and the boot, was covered in tattoos. 

Now the kicker.  The overall effect was very attractive.

  So I thought about the tattoo thing.  I have spider veins on my legs.  I've had them injected several times.  Yesterday, I was trying on clothes (Talbot's sale, y'all), and admiring the spiders on my legs under the bright fluorescent lighting in the dressing room. Eep.  Time for more injections.

So last night, I was thinking...Maybe I should have my lower legs tattooed.  I'm pretty serious.  It would kill the spider vein issue for all time.  No one would know they were there. 

I work for a conservative organization, but I can wear a suit with slacks, or slacks and a jacket, so they'd never know.

Would I wear a skirt without hose?  I'm not sure.

I mentioned the idea to my friends who put the kibosh on the idea.  Because of the ballroom dance thing.  You wear skirts and flesh-colored shoes, for Pete's sake, how would tattoed legs go over.   I don't know.  I'm no dance star.  What could they do to me?  Not give me a plaque?  Not let me enter competitions?  I don't think so, my money's as green as the next person's.

I'm a boomer.  It would give me some edge, don'tcha think?

Still thinking about this...

The image is of a whole leg tattoo.  I'd probably just go with the lower leg, and add on as needed.  Maybe start with a temporary tattoo...

[Image from Douglas C. Mack website]

Finger Painting 101

I did a post on this some time ago, and saved some of these marvelous painted hands by artist Guido Daniele for a rainy day.  I guess that day is here.  I'm pre-blogging for my trip to New York.  I may have time to post while I'm there, but can't count on it.  So this post is for Sunday.  Shawn is going home today, my friends Monica and Mark are arriving, so I'll be kept pretty busy.  Reminds me, I'd better make some reservations for Benson's Steak House, which has become more or less a tradition:  dry gibson, straight up, tenderloin, rare, creamed spinach. 

Meanwhile, for your entertainment, from Guido Daniele:

 

 

Through the Eyes of the Condor

An Aerial Vision of South America, by Robert B. Haas.

Photographer Haas travelled in South America for years.  This beautiful coffee table book (not to demean it...it is meant to be a centerpiece) has over 100 aerial photographs taken in (or rather over) 14 countries.  The perspective is wonderful, the photos are gorgeous--cities, plains, forests, lush colors, beautiful patterns, with commentary by Haas throughout.

He took the photos flying over the land in small planes and helicopters.

The book was a gift from the folks at White Oak.  They chose it because one of their two new conservation species is the Andean Condor (the other is the Somali Wild Ass).

 

Got to the National Geographic to see these and more photos from Haas's magnificent "Through the Eyes of the Condor" photo exhibit.