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Elephant or Giraffes just a small part of Matthieu Robert-Ortis

Anamorphose - man in chair wire sculpture

I am fascinated by this kind of art. Having neither the skill nor the creativity to create what Matthieu Robert-Ortis does, I am envious to say the least.

Matthieu’s wire sculptures transform the subject as your perspective changes. Sometimes the subject is completely buried in the tangle of wires and is only revealed from a single perspective. Other sculptures transform from one subject to something completely different. The style is Anamorphose (figuration and abstraction) and metamorphose (figuration and abstraction and figuration.)

While displayed, the he uses shadows to reveal the two subjects simultaneously.

Getlinline crab and man

Most have seen the The Revolution of Giraffes sculpture, but these is more and all of it is really cool.

You can get a glimpse of Matthieu in his studio here.

His Youtube channel has a few more videos as well.

If you want to know a bit more about him, here is an article on Matthieu Robert-Ortis.

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Hummingbirds sleeps, and snores

hummingbird sleeping video

Hummingbirds are seen around our house a during the Spring and occasionally we catch them in the summer. Our neighbor, who keeps feeders and plants specifically to attract birds has hummingbirds around her house much longer. But I’ve never seen them in winter.

In a piece from National Geographic’s on hummingbirds, I read about how they are around in the winter, at least is some areas. At night they go into a hibernation like state where their body temperature drops to 47 degrees from 107.

Their heart rate drops by about 90%, from over 1,250 down to about 100. The National Geo article has a lot more about the different types of hummingbirds, check out out.

One of the videos they had was this one of a hummingbird sleeping. They actually snore! It’s pretty cute.

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Rocky Mountains: 30 years later the memories are vivid

Rocky Mountain National Park. Phan Le Kim

When I was much younger I lived and worked in Denver CO and in Boulder CO. My job was repairing bicycles at American Cyclery where I had Wednesdays and Sundays off. My best memories were driving out to the mountains Tuesday and Saturday right after work and spending the night, getting up early to either ride, hike or fish.

My bike was a Schwinn Mirada, one of the first versions of a mountain bike. It was barely more than a road bike with fatter tires and better brakes. I still have the bike.

I remember the nights, when, on a moonless evenings, the sky was a sheet of stars. If you’ve never been in the higher altitudes away from city lights, it’s hard to imagine what it is like. As you look up, it is beautiful and endless light. When you look back to earth the area around you is pitch black; no real ambient light. Five, maybe ten feet is as far as you can make out shapes but certainly no definition. I didn’t want to use a flashlight or start a fire and take away from the starlight.

In one of the high lakes I caught a rainbow trout that was somewhere around 12-15 inches. I thought it was going to make a great dinner but when I got it to shore I saw that it had 4 hooks in it’s mouth. While it was sad to see, the fish lived through at least four other fishermen and I wasn’t going to be the one to stop its streak of luck. I let him go and ate whatever I brought with me (don’t remember what it was).

We didn’t have cell phones or digital anything back then, so no pictures, just memories. I’m kind of glad about that. I wonder if I’d spent time trying to take the pictures if I’d have created the memories that have lasted over 30 years.

This came up as I was on Google and saw Rocky Mountain National Park. Today people take lots of pictures and you can see them online, and by location. I think this is awesome and enjoy going through them. They spark memories. I hope the photographers have memories as vivid as their photos.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rocky+Mountain+National+Park/@40.3558518,-105.703638,2760m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xfa27ee43a78e8217!8m2!3d40.3427932!4d-105.6836389

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The hole we create

kids

When they first enter our lives they do not add to it so much as they immediately as start to transform it.

Building upon what they so quickly transform, they begin to add to our lives in ways we could not imagine.

Their sorrow becomes our’s.

Their happiness ignites our’s.

As they continue to grow away from our side, we can only watch as they take with them what is also the greatest part of us.

Our heart is full.

But, there is no transformation.

There is no transition.

There is a hole.

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Nature. Beauty. Gratitude. by Louie Schwartzberg

nature beauty gratitude

Beauty and seductions are nature’s tools for survival because we protect what we fall in love with.
–Louie Schwartzberg

To get the best out of this, open to full screen.

For his TED Talk, go here.

This TED Talk is, like many, very thoughtful. It takes the idea of appreciating now, today and presents it in a touching and beautify way.  “Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.” by Louie Schwartzberg is visually seductive and narrated with heart.

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Robot gardener in your backyard

Farmbot food bed example

Home gardening is a hobby for many, a way of life for others and a primary food source for some. If you’re not a green thumb, or have more money than time, this robot gardener is pretty cool. This is an open source project, meaning you can get the plans for free and build it yourself (or buy the kit for $3,900). The robot is programmed through an app and does everything from planting seeds and watering to weeding the garden (yes, it uses a camera and software to recognize weeds and pluck them out). With durable parts, it can survive year round outdoors.

To learn more about this project, take a look at https://farmbot.io/

Of course, if you like to get dirty, plant and pluck, this takes away from your hobby time in the garden.  I know a few folks who prefer the old fashion gardening methods. But this is a great direction for places like urban rooftop gardens, or folks with a desire to just experiment, or like me who like the food but have little skills or patience for gardening.

 

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In Praise of Slowness from Carl Honore

in praise of slowness

Carl Honore shares his perspective on slowing down. From Work, to relationship, as well as helping our own kids to slow down.  He reminds us to stop being busy for the sake of being busy.

He also makes the point that companies get better productivity and schools that reduce the work level for students have better performance. Overall, slowing down helps in almost all facets of life.

 

 

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Greenland Shark lives up to 500 years!

In August 2016 scientist looked at 28 Greenland sharks that were accidentally cot in nets as by-catch by fishermen in the North Atlantic. Through tissue Greenland sharksdating they determined that some of the sharks were over 292 years old when they were caught. Their estimates ranged as high as 400 years for those caught, leading to a determination that they would live to 500 years if not accidentally caught.

While the estimates are wide, at over 300 years, and possibly 500 years lifespan, the Greenland shark is the longest living vertebrate.  Scientist cannot greenland sharkbe certain but believe the low temperatures of the North Atlantic slow the rate of aging for the shark.  Whatever the reason, it is remarkable.

 

more on the sharks here