aqueous transmission

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
-- Albert Einstein

fractals.
it's very hard to describe fractals -- but this website i found is a lot better at describing this phenomenon:
http://library.thinkquest.org/3493/frames/fractal.html

what is a fractal?
"Basically, it is a rough geometric figure that has two properties: First, most magnified images of fractals are essentially indistinguishable from the unmagnified version. This property of invariance under a change of scale if called self-similiarity. Second, fractals have fractal dimensions, non-integer dimensions."

graphical representation of fractals
"Graphically, fractals are images created out of the process of a mathematical exploration of the space in which they are plotted. For this page, a computer screen will represent the space which is being explored. Each point in the area is tested in some way, usually an equation iterating for a given period of time. The equations used to test each point in the testing region are often extremely simple. Each particular point in the testing region is used as a starting point to test a given equation in a finite period of time. If the equation escapes, or becomes very large, within the period of time, it is colored white. If if doesn't escape, or stays within a given range through out the time period, it is colored black. Hence, a fractal image is a graphical representation of the points which diverge, or go out of control, and the points which converge, or stay inside the set. To make fractal images more elablorate and interesting, color is added to them. Rather than simply plotting a white point if it escapes, the point is assigned a color relative to how quickly it escaped. The images produced are very elaborate and possess non-Euclidean geometry. Fractals can also be produced by following a set of instructions such as remove the center third of a line segment."

there are different "sets" of fractal images -- these are some of the most well known fractals:

The Mandelbrot set

The Julia set

fractals and design
"One of the most useful applications of fractals and fractal geometry in in image compression. It is also one of the more controversial ideas. The basic concept behind fractal image compression is to take an image and express it as an iterated system of funtions. The image can be quickly displayed, and at any magnification with infinite levels of fractal detail. The largest problem behind this idea is deriving the system of functions which describe an image.

One of the more trivial applications of fractals is their visual effect. Not only do fractals have a stunning aesthic value, that is, they are remarkably pleasing to the eye, but they also have a way to trick the mind. Fractals have been used commercially in the film industry, in films such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Fractal images are used as an alternative to costly elaborate sets to produce fantasy landscapes."

Posted by Lauren Klabunde at 2:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

as i sit here.
in my house.
in the livingroom.
on the futon.
in front of the tv.
binder of notes on my lap.
using my laptop.
drinking some pink lemonade.
i realize that oppostions are everywhere.
everything around us is or is being affected by an oppostion.

many oppositions according to ozayr's lecture can be applied specifically to the house itself.

1::opposition of man and physical nature
"dig in" -- i live in the lower level of a duplex. which is below ground level. the earth is the opposition, and the designer of this cookie-cutter house chose to "dig in" in order to create a space where 2 seperate groups could live. the designer did this instead of building a house of more height.

2::opposition of climate and enclosure
since half of the house is below ground, this part is designed with one window for each room, but with three large windows in the livingroom/kitchen areas. also, the resolution to the obvious cold weather in the winter and hot weather in summer is electric heating and A/C (crossing the opposition/adequate response).

3::opposition of gravity and movement
the stairs leading to the bottom level of the house create a passageway for going up and out; and, down and out of this "hole" in the ground - a path working against gravity.

4::opposition of permanence and entropy
someone thought of this design, formally planned it, built accordingly, is currently being used and lived in, and will continue to be when i move out.

5::opposition of materials and tools
the construction of this house definately used "the body as a dynamo" and mechanical tools with collective effort. this "cookie-cutter" house it made up of so many common materials such as dry-wall, insulation, a wood frame, etc. and uses electromagnetic advances for heating, lighting, etc.

Posted by Lauren Klabunde at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"No phenomenon is a phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon" Niels Bohr.

A "red tide" off the coast of La Jolla, California.

"Red tide is an estuarine or marine algal bloom [a relatively rapid increase in the population of (usually) phytoplankton algae in an aquatic system] and is caused by a species of dinoflagellates, often present in sufficient numbers (thousands or millions of cells per milliliter) to turn the water red or brown. Coastal water pollution produced by humans and systematic increase in sea water temperature appear to be causal factors in red tides. On the Pacific Coast of the U.S. there have been apparent increases in the occurrence of red tides since about 1991. These increases are correlated with a marine temperature rise of about one degree Celsius, and also with increased nutrient loading into ocean waters. Additionally, red tide can assume its dormant form if the water cools to a sufficient degree. When it does this it forms cysts which drop to the ocean floor and rebloom if the right conditions occur."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide)

things -- the phytoplankton algae.
frameworks -- the thousands or millions of phytoplankton cells that come together.
clockworks -- water pollution and a decrease water temperature cause this event to happen. it can come and go whenver these situations are present.

another interesting part of this phenomenon that caught my eye is the bioluminescent phytoplankton aspect.

bioluminescent phytoplankton

"Image of bioluminescent red tide event of 2005 at a beach in Carlsbad California showing brilliantly glowing crashing waves containing billions of Lingulodinium polyedrum dinoflagellates. The phenomenon is thought to have something to do with quorum sensing." (quorum sensing is the ability of bacteria to communicate and coordinate behavior via signaling molecules.)

Posted by Lauren Klabunde at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

the spirit of place.
guardian spirit.
gives life.
character.
essence.
distinctive atmosphere.
feeling.
sense of place.
what a place "wants to be".

Barbados and Caracao.

the summer after my junior year in high school, i traveled to barbados and caracao with a program called earthwatch. with this program, i worked at least 8 hours a day as a member of a team of professional researchers and volunteers where we conducted hands-on scientific investigations. specifically, i helped with a study about the behavioral and courting patterns of the damselfish of barbados found all around the carribean islands. i spent 2 weeks in barbados, and then went "island hopping" to the island of caracao. while i was in caracao, i stayed on a small catamaran anchored in a small bay on the northeast side of the island. the catamaran was my home for 2 weeks -- eating, sleeping, snorkeling every day, cleaning the boat, exploring. there was one spot on the boat that i spent a lot of my time reading, listening, and looking at the caribbean sea -- the cargo net.

i thought it was the best spot on the boat because i was basically surrounded by the water from every direction. i felt closer to the place.

this spot grew more beautiful as the days went by. i saw two of the most beautiful natural phenomena i have ever seen. while i was laying there one night, facing down towards the water, i saw the side of the boat sparkle. one fo the other volunteers told me that it wasnt the moon light that made the water "sparkle", it was bioluminescent phytoplankton. when the phytoplankton touch anything in the water, they create a sudden eerie blue light, probably as a warning to predators. i thought it was so beautiful, like the whole boat was "sparkling" ontop of the water. another night, while lying in the net, after the daily rainstorm passed, i saw a rainbow created by the light of the moon. i have never seen or heard of this before in my life, but the clear sky and the ultra-bright moon made it possible.

these experiences are the genius loci of the cargo net. these phenomena give life to the netted space. they give it essence, character, feeling, spirit, and a peaceful, complex, unique atmosphere.

Posted by Lauren Klabunde at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

a book hat.

i was reading for one of my other classes about:
erganomics
sitting.
posture.
and comfortable vs "heathly" sitting.

the whole time i was reading about correct posture/sitting, i was thinking about how i was sitting at that moment while reading the article -- slouched, leaned back, feet crossed -- all the ways you are "not supposed to sit."

this made me think of ways you would be able to read while sitting in a "healthy" way:
a book hat.
or a chair with a book-holding contraption.

even though this solution seems silly,
it would provide an ergonomic way of sitting AND reading!

Posted by Lauren Klabunde at 1:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

energy. the idea of energy. when i think of energy, many things pop into my head -- movement, interaction, color.
"energy can never be created or destroyed, it simply changes from one form to another"

these two electronic paintings are by a lecturer doctor at The Faculty of Computer Science, "A.I.Cuza" University of Iasi, Romania -- Sabin-Corneliu Buraga.

"(starting) streams of energy"

"(ending) streams of energy"

instead of defining energy in terms of words, i like to think of energy like this.

these electronic paintings, i feel, can easily represent the energy that flows throughout the midtown market.

both pictures have the same 'base'/subject matter :: the 'base' of the midtown market never changes throughout the typical day - the same building, booths, vendors, etc.
"(starting) streams of energy" :: represents the begining of this typical day - calm. there is still little movement in certain areas, potential movement in others, and they are all somehow interacting between eachother.
"(ending) streams of energy" :: represents the busy time frame of this typical day - full of activity, hectic, vibrant. the areas of potential energy are more animated and lively, there is a feeling of increased interaction and connection between different areas - vendor to customer, customer to customer, vendor to vendor.

the energy exchange from people to people is very evident in the market, you are able to easily see where energy is exchanged - the buying and selling of goods, the physical and verbal interactions - even from the people like myself who walk around the market just to look, to observe, and not buy a single item.

"energy can never be created or destroyed, it simply changes from one form to another"

Posted by Lauren Klabunde at 8:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)