18.5.10
5.5.10
Oobleck
So today I got to spend 4 hours figuring out how to make 2 tons of corn starch goo turn the same color as a swimming pool. Life is so good. But it got me thinking about this Oobleck stuff, which oddly enough I had to make in huge quantities when I was working as a counselor in the Nature Shack at Coleman Country Day Camp like 10-12 years ago, between cleaning up goat crap and pulling kids out of the pond when they fell in. I suppose the fact that I'm doing this for a TV show now should be some kind of full circle moment or something. But I'm not cognitively developed enough to make that connection; all I can focus on is huge quantities of awesome colorful goo.
Oobleck is basically a corn starch and water mixture that, when combined in a specific ratio, creates something called a non-Newtonian fluid. This basically means that the viscosity of the fluid is not directly proportional to the amount of stress applied to it. Usually there's a direct relationship (i.e. a constant coefficient) between stress and viscosity; the cool thing about non-Newtonian fluids is that they can function much like a solid under certain conditions.
If you want to make your own, take two parts cornstarch and one part water, and mix them together in a bowl. It will be difficult, and more like kneading. You might need to add more water or corn starch depending on how humid it is, and it varies a bit from batch to batch. Add a few drops of food coloring to your liking and mix until the color is even.
If you haven't made this before you definitely should. It doesn't matter if you're an adult, you'll have fun. And the materials are cheap enough that it's worth it. I'm going to make some this week. It's awesome if you're having a bad day too. It's like a stress ball only more awesome.
I will try to take pictures in a few weeks of the 2,000+ pounds of this stuff that's going to be made. I think it's gonna be pretty cool.
This is Lori. And a pig. This picture is like 10 years old.
I worked in this pen every summer for 5 years. It smelled like shit.
Oobleck is basically a corn starch and water mixture that, when combined in a specific ratio, creates something called a non-Newtonian fluid. This basically means that the viscosity of the fluid is not directly proportional to the amount of stress applied to it. Usually there's a direct relationship (i.e. a constant coefficient) between stress and viscosity; the cool thing about non-Newtonian fluids is that they can function much like a solid under certain conditions.
This little girl scares me
If you want to make your own, take two parts cornstarch and one part water, and mix them together in a bowl. It will be difficult, and more like kneading. You might need to add more water or corn starch depending on how humid it is, and it varies a bit from batch to batch. Add a few drops of food coloring to your liking and mix until the color is even.
If you haven't made this before you definitely should. It doesn't matter if you're an adult, you'll have fun. And the materials are cheap enough that it's worth it. I'm going to make some this week. It's awesome if you're having a bad day too. It's like a stress ball only more awesome.
I will try to take pictures in a few weeks of the 2,000+ pounds of this stuff that's going to be made. I think it's gonna be pretty cool.
17.4.10
Discovery.
The Americas, 1836.
Look at North America on this map. Considering this was made 175 years ago and that the world is 6 billion years old, it's obvious that the velocity of progress seen on Earth is staggering. Even more amazing: someone sat down and compiled data and firmly believed when they were creating this map that what they were drawing was fact. And even more people at the time looked at this and functioned as if it was, too.
I do love old maps like these because looking at them is a reminder that even when you think you know something enough to commit to it and present it as fact, you always have to be open to learn and stand corrected when faced with new information.
I must say I'm into the pretty funky shape of North America on that map above.
15.4.10
11.4.10
Jabuticaba!
The Jabuticaba tree grows fruit directly from it's trunk and branches. This is some freaky, alien looking shit, but it's so awesome! Brazilians eat them like grapes and sometimes they're mashed up and made into juice or jelly.
The Jabuticaba is native to South America. Which really sucks because North America needs more creepy, weird, freaky stuff. It's 2010, we're supposed to have flying cars, talking dogs and robots that make us dinner. Since that whole thing went down the drain, can't we at least have some freaky alien grape trees? Ugh.
Because they are so awesome, bonsai people have been training and growing them for a long time. Perhaps this is a somewhat reasonable solution to introducing some alien freakiness into our lives. Bonsai maintenance is A LOT of work though. I know someone who has a bunch of bonsai trees and it's basically like a full time job that requires a ton of patience and discipline.
If I ever get to Brazil, the first thing I am doing is finding a Jabuticaba tree, transplanting it into a HUGE pot, putting it on a freighter and bringing it back to my neighborhood. Christopher Columbus was to noodles what Zach Vitale will be to Jabuticaba.
The Jabuticaba is native to South America. Which really sucks because North America needs more creepy, weird, freaky stuff. It's 2010, we're supposed to have flying cars, talking dogs and robots that make us dinner. Since that whole thing went down the drain, can't we at least have some freaky alien grape trees? Ugh.
Because they are so awesome, bonsai people have been training and growing them for a long time. Perhaps this is a somewhat reasonable solution to introducing some alien freakiness into our lives. Bonsai maintenance is A LOT of work though. I know someone who has a bunch of bonsai trees and it's basically like a full time job that requires a ton of patience and discipline.
If I ever get to Brazil, the first thing I am doing is finding a Jabuticaba tree, transplanting it into a HUGE pot, putting it on a freighter and bringing it back to my neighborhood. Christopher Columbus was to noodles what Zach Vitale will be to Jabuticaba.
4.4.10
Michael Wolf's The Transparent City
I love this series by Michael Wolf. My friend Bob told me about it a while ago and while walking to a job downtown the other day it was on the mind as I was looking up at the skyline. I really like how these aesthetically pleasing images flirt with being creepy and voyeuristic and at the same time provide a window (whether we choose to open it or leave it closed) into the type of society we've built and where we're headed.
The awesome thing about these is the sheer sense of scale and enormity of our surroundings that you get from the images. Everything about them is larger than life and then you see a tiny person in one of the windows, and it reinforces the fact that we're all tiny fish in a huge glass fishbowl. It also makes one consider what they want seen by others, what one wants to keep hidden, and how private our private lives actually are.
Besides the conceptual side of these I think they're really stunning architectural photographs that are worth checking out for their technical merit alone. There's something about straight lines, order, and the precision it takes to create a building that's so appealing and satisfying when rendered visually, and I think these pictures do it really well.
For more awesome pictures, visit Michael Wolf's website.
30.3.10
I made some mustard.
So a few weeks ago I posted about Monastery Mustard and how awesome the Sisters at St. Angel are. I guess this kind of planted the seed (no pun intended) and I finally made mustard this weekend. It was pretty great.
Now I don't even really like mustard, but making it was awesome. It totally fried my food processor but it was so worth it. I highly recommend that everyone try making it at least once. Or, if you don't like mustard, think of something you normally buy, that you'd never think of making, and make it yourself. It's strangely empowering and it feels good to take back some of the dependence we have on others. Plus it probably tastes better.
I don't know what to do next, I'm thinking about marmalade, lemon curd, pickled ginger, hot sauce and brining my own olives. If you've got any ideas for random fun projects that are kind of sciency and fun which result in me being able to give things to nice people, then let me know!!!!
Now I don't even really like mustard, but making it was awesome. It totally fried my food processor but it was so worth it. I highly recommend that everyone try making it at least once. Or, if you don't like mustard, think of something you normally buy, that you'd never think of making, and make it yourself. It's strangely empowering and it feels good to take back some of the dependence we have on others. Plus it probably tastes better.
I don't know what to do next, I'm thinking about marmalade, lemon curd, pickled ginger, hot sauce and brining my own olives. If you've got any ideas for random fun projects that are kind of sciency and fun which result in me being able to give things to nice people, then let me know!!!!
Crafty sign making, Neon Orange Poster Board, & Cheap haircuts.
I saw this sign a few months ago downtown. And I walked by a few days ago and it was gone. It's weird taking pictures of things and having them not be there at another time. It's a somewhat difficult thing for me to grasp that life doesn't freeze and stay still whenever I leave a room or hop on the T. Coming back to a place and having it be different is always a strange experience and one I don't think I'll ever get used to.
Anyway, this sign is awesome for many reasons. First of all, it's about cheap haircuts, which I am ALL ABOUT. Second of all, it's on discount brand neon orange colored poster board. Anything on this medium (I call it a medium because everything created on it is a work of art) is fantastic and should be framed, like the example above. Finally, they obviously ran out of Cs and needed to cut a few O's or use parentheses to finish their sign. This is crafty and badass. When faced with a challenge, this men's hair cuttery rises to the occasion and makes it work. This is pure American ingenuity at work.
I was looking for a picture of a guy giving a thumbs up, and happened to find this picture of a guy dressed up as Uncle Sam giving two thumbs up on a beach. It's funny that I found this NOW, because a few weeks ago I really needed a picture of a guy dressed up as Uncle Sam giving two thumbs up on a beach but couldn't find one. I guess I should've searched harder on Punchstock, the internet's number one source for pictures of guys dressed up as Uncle Sam giving two thumbs up on a beach.
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