Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

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Chinese “Last Supper” sold for $23.3 million

October 7, 2013

Last Supper by Zeng Fanzhi image Chinese Avantgarde

In Zeng’s painting, Jesus looks like Obama to me and they are all wearing uniforms which remind me of  “boy scout” uniforms. Judas is distinguished by his yellow tie. They seem to be eating water melons.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

A painting by Zeng Fanzhi sold for US$23.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction on Saturday night in Hong Kong, setting a new record price for a work by an Asian contemporary artist.

Titled “The Last Supper” and inspired by the Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century mural of the same name, the large painting­–almost 13 feet wide–was sold after a bidding war that lasted over 10 minutes between two buyers on the phone. A crowd of 600 people in a packed room at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre applauded several times as the prices slowly escalated up to the final result.

The winning bidder, who paid more than the presale estimate of 80 (Million) Hong Kong dollars (US$10.3 million) was not identified by the firm.

File:Última Cena - Da Vinci 5.jpg

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper (Wikipedia)

1495-1498. Photographic reproduction: Copyright 2006-2007 HAL9000 S.r.l.

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Posted in Art, Behaviour, China | 3 Comments »

Fluid jets and fishbones

August 9, 2013

Just a few examples from a striking gallery of pictures by  John W. M. Bush (MIT Mathematics)

Colliding jets and the patterns that ensue.

Fishbone john bush

Fishbone john bush

fluids john bush

colliding jets john bush

We examine the form of the free surface flows resulting from the collision of equal jets at an oblique angle. Glycerol-water solutions with viscosities of 15-50 cS were pumped at flow rates of 10-40 cc/s through circular outlets with diameter 2 mm. … At low flow rates, the resulting stream takes the form of a steady fluid chain, a succession of mutually orthogonal fluid links, each comprised of a thin oval sheet bound by relatively thick fluid rims. The influence of viscosity serves to decrease the size of successive links, and the chain ultimately coalesces into a cylindrical stream. As the flow rate is increased, waves are excited on the sheet, and the fluid rims become unstable.  The rim appears blurred to the naked eye; however, strobe illumination reveals a remarkably regular and striking flow instability. Droplets form from the sheet rims but remain attached to the fluid sheet by tendrils of fluid that thin and eventually break. The resulting flow takes the form of fluid fishbones, with the fluid sheet being the fish head and the tendrils its bones. Increasing the flow rate serves to broaden the fishbones.  In the wake of the fluid fish, a regular array of drops obtains, the number and spacing of which is determined by the pinch-off of the fishbones. 

h/t Science is Beauty

 

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T Rex on the Seine

July 17, 2013

Colossal: Artist Philippe Pasqua recently completed installation of an impressive Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton that now stands watch over the Seine river in Paris. The structure is made from 350 chrome molded bones and measures a full 21′ x 12′ (3m by 6m). Photograph courtesy Anthony Gelot.

trex on the seine - artist pasqua photo gelot

trex on the seine – artist pasqua photo gelot

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Algebraic Art

June 1, 2013

Found this while browsing:

Zitrus: x2 + z2 = y3 . (1-y)3

zitrus

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Supermoon today and a chance to observe the moon illusion

May 5, 2012

A “supermoon” is the coincidence of a full moon (or a new moon) with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, or perigee, leading to the technical name for a supermoon of the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. However, the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing.

A supermoon will occur today, Saturday 5th May.

A “supermoon” typically happens once a year and at perigee it is 14 per cent larger than an average full moon, but not much larger than the full moons that precede and follow the supermoon. The closeness of the supermooon does cause higher tides but only about 2 or 3 cms higher than average levels.

Moon Illusion

The moon illusion refers to the moon seeming larger when it is near the horizon than when it is high in the sky. Some people judge it to be as much as twice as large, but the average estimate is 50% to 75% larger. But this is only an optical illusion.

Physical and cognitive explanations do not yet explain the illusion or why some people cannot observe it. The debate goes on.

The so-called “moon illusion” or “moon effect” has perplexed people since earliest historical times, at least as early as the 7th century BCE. It is described in early Greek and Chinese writings. Aristotle mentions it in 350 BCE.

No tidal waves or other catastrophic effects are expected.

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Posted in Art, Astronomy, Science | 2 Comments »

A cartography of the anthropocene

October 20, 2011

Stunning images by Felix Pharand–Deschenes at Globaia : A Cartography of the Anthropocene 

Global Transportation System

Cities are yellow ; roads are green ; ships are blue ; airlines are white: image globaia

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Posted in Art, Science, Technology | 3 Comments »

Misuse of peer review by UK Research Councils leads to mediocrity

September 14, 2011

The 7 UK Research Councils are publicly-funded agencies responsible for the funding of most research in the UK. They have often been criticised for being much too “establishment” driven such that any line of research considered heretical is strangled of any funding. Donald W. Braben is honorary professor in the department of earth sciences, University College London and known for his support for academic freedom and “blue-skies” research. In an article in The Times Higher Education Supplement,  he comes down hard against the research councils and their use of “peer review”. He argues that they inherently discourage  any “pioneering” research and drive towards mediocrity.

Until about 1970, academic researchers were usually given modest funds to use as they pleased. This apparent profligacy led to a prodigious harvest of unpredicted discoveries and huge stimulants to economic growth. ……. 

It is said that peer review is like democracy: it’s not the best but it’s the best we know. But science is not democratic. One doubtful scientist can be right while 100 convinced colleagues can be wrong. Indeed, the physicist Richard Feynman once defined science as “the belief in the ignorance of experts”. Specifically, peer review of grant applications, or peer “preview”, is inimical to radically new ideas. Today, however, the all-powerful peer-preview bureaucracy is the determinant of excellence. It is taboo even to criticise it. So the natural inclination to oppose major challenges to the status quo has become institutionalised. For radical research, one can argue that “the best we know” has become the worst. 

“Independent expert peer review” is contradictory. One submits a proposal and the councils ask experts to assess it. But these experts are likely to include proposers’ closest competitors, even if they are selected internationally, because science is global – and real pioneers have no peers, of course. How then can the councils ensure that reviews are independent? To make matters worse, these experts can pass judgement anonymously: applicants don’t know who put the boot in.

I suggest that the misuse of peer review is at the heart of the research councils’ problems. Before about 1970, they largely restricted its use to the assessment of applications for large grants or expensive equipment. Scientific leaders protected the seed corn, ensuring that young scientists could launch radical challenges if they were sufficiently inspired, dedicated and determined. Today, the experts whose ignorance they would challenge might also influence their chances of funding. ………

….. The research councils are taking UK research down pathways to mediocrity and using peer review as justification. We – the academic community – must stop them, or accept the dire consequences.

Read the whole article

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The art of neurogenesis

November 21, 2010

http://thebeautifulbrain.com/2010/11/gallery-the-art-of-neuroscience-vol-iii/

Neurogenesis– the creation of new neurons in the brain– was conventionally believed to only occur in the growing brains of infants and children.  In the 1960s, data started appearing that showed the birth of new neurons in adult, fully formed brains.  Now, 40 years later, adult neurogenesis is one of the more robust fields of study in the neurosciences.

Jason Snyder studies adult neurogenesis in Heather Cameron’s lab at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD.  Snyder’s research focuses on neurogenesis in the hippocampus, highlighting the role of these new neurons in such fundamental behaviors as memory formation and learning.

Here are some of Snyder’s images made using electrophysiological techniques for studying the brain.

Further images can be enjoyed at The Beautiful Brain:

GFAP and TK staining around the ventral portion of the 3rd ventricle: image Jason Snyder

Tissue stained for doublecortin and NeuN: image Jason Snyder

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Winning decoration for an electrical cabinet

October 12, 2010

From: http://www.byggvarlden.se/nyheter/byggprojekt/article2487490.ece

Grey is boring, thinks Fortum. Graffiti is not much better.

Therefore the Energy company organized a competition for the best decorated electrical cabinet on the street. In early October Fortum announced the winners of the “Electrical cabinet” compettion. More than 1200 contributions poured in. 180,000 people voted.

The background to the competition is that the energy company spends close to 10 million kronor every year just to get rid of graffiti.
“Now we’ll test it to see if the graffiti will diminish when thee cabinets are finer ” says Professor Molinder, adding that the contest was conducted in cooperation with the City of Stockholm.

 

Spännande tävling avgjord

Winning entry. "Stockholmskollaget" by Stefanie Hansson, Joanna Fransson, Anna Blomberg: Image Fortum

 

 

Spännande tävling avgjord

Peoples favourite:"Adress: St Eriksg 6b." by Kerstin Rikardson: image Fortum

 

 

Spännande tävling avgjord

Honourable mention."On the Inside"Samuel Nilsson: image Fortum

 

h/t http://www.nyteknik.se/popular_teknik/smatt_gott/article2487546.ece

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Peter Alwin wins Electrolux Design Lab 2010

September 23, 2010

Peter Alwin from National Institute of Design in India is the winner of the Electrolux Design Lab 2010 competition for inventing The Snail.

The Snail by Peter Alwin

The Snail by Peter Alwin

The Snail is a portable heating and cooking device based on magnetic induction processes. Such is the size and versatility of the Snail, it can be stuck directly on to a pot, a pan, a mug etc. to heat the contents.This reduces the amount of space required for conventional cooking whilst adding portability to the process. Powered by a high density sugar crystal battery, the Snail converts the energy from the sugar, heating up a coil to conduct the magnetic induction process to the utensil. Integrated sensors detect the food type being heated so as to automatically adjust the time and temperature. A simple touch sensitive display with interface helps to monitor the process.

The top eight finalists

FIRST PLACE: The Snail, Micro Induction Heating by Peter Alwin, National Institute of Design, India

Bio robot refrigerator

SECOND PLACE: Bio Robot Refrigerator, Cool, Green, Food Preservation by Yuriy Dmitriev, CSU, Russia

THIRD PLACE: Elements Modular Kitchen, All-In-One Kitchen Shelving by Matthew Gilbride, North Carolina State University, USA

Elements modular kitchen

PEOPLE’S CHOICE: Bio Robot Refrigerator, Cool, Green, Food Preservation by Yuriy Dmitriev, CSU, Russia

  • The Kitchen Hideaway, by Daniel Dobrogorsky, Monash University, Australia
  • Clean Closet, All in One Laundry Concept by Michael Edenius, Umeå Institute of Design, Sweden
  • Dismount Washer, Wash & Go Laundry by Lichen Guo, Zhejiang University of Technology, China
  • External Refrigerator, External Cooling by Nicolas Hubert, L’Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, France
  • Eco Cleaner, the Portable, Compact Dishwasher by Ahi Andy Mohsen, Elm o Sanat University, Iran

See slide show at

http://news.discovery.com/tech/future-appliances-mega-cities-electrolux.html

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