http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/ biology + art en Copyright 2010 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:16:35 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.32-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss scienceblogs/Bioephemerahttp://feedburner.google.com <p><img alt="12_-8_v2.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/12_-8_v2.jpg" width="317" height="475" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p><a href="http://natehillisnuts.com/">Nate Hill</a> has a strong stomach and, er, <em>unique</em> artistic vision: he likes to cobble sculptures together out of dead animal parts. While his "New Animals" are the sort of clever, genteel, well-sealed artifacts you might find in a trendy loft belonging to a medical illustration enthusiast, his <a href="http://natehillisnuts.com/adam-project/">"ADAM Project"</a> is rawer: it's a life-size human figure made of meat. Lots of fishheads. With chicken head genitalia. </p> <p>No, not genteel at all. Looks like some of the gallery visitors felt a bit faint. No wonder he calls his website <a href="http://natehillisnuts.com/">"Nate Hill is Nuts".</a></p> <p>Thanks to Tom for this one.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/04/nate_hill_makes_the_artistic_m.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/dMe9VtuYkxo" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/04/nate_hill_makes_the_artistic_m.php Artists & Art Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:16:35 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/04/nate_hill_makes_the_artistic_m.php <p><img alt="head4.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/30/head4.jpg" width="427" height="640" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p>With some portraits, you can feel the eyes following you around the room. With Sophie Cave's art installation make that fifty pairs of eyes - in fifty expressions ranging from disgust to shock to delight. All suspended above you in the atrium of a Victorian museum.</p> <p><img alt="head5.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/30/head5.jpg" width="450" height="334" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p>photo credits: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmndr/3212722767/">Ashley R. Good</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chatiryworld/707310227/">chatirygirl.</a> Visit <a href="http://www.kuriositas.com/2010/03/how-to-get-ahead-in-art-world.html">kuriositas for more pictures</a> of the installation at <a href="http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/building/gallery.cfm?venueid=4&fID=2&gID=29">Kelvingrove Art Museum.</a> </p> <p><a href="http://shewalkssoftly.com/2010/03/25/sophie-cave-floating-heads/">Via She Walks Softly</a> and many others.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/mind_the_disembodied_heads.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/vIA2ntipzA0" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/mind_the_disembodied_heads.php Artists & Art Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:35:09 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/mind_the_disembodied_heads.php <p>Women have white matter, men have duct tape. Or so implies Louann Brizendine's latest book, the Male Brain, dissected in <a href="http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2209">this post and comments at Language Log</a>:</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767927532?ie=UTF8&tag=bioephemeraco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0767927532"><br /> <img alt="MaleBrainCover.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/30/MaleBrainCover.jpg" width="500" height="500" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></a></p> <p>You may <a href="http://bioephemera.com/2007/04/04/what-should-the-female-brain-look-like">remember the controversy</a> surrounding her previous book, the Female Brain, which (in the UK edition) depicted women's cerebrums as overstuffed, exploding purses. So for men, this is actually a step up. (Maybe men and women can cooperate and they can duct tape our brain shut? Wait. . . that doesn't sound good.)</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/men_think_with_their_duct_tape.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/Up9m6ANAux8" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/men_think_with_their_duct_tape.php Books & Essays Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:46:52 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/men_think_with_their_duct_tape.php <p><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2249127/">Slate asks</a>, </p> <p>"You rarely see women holding management positions in terrorist groups. Is there a glass ceiling for female Islamist terrorists?"</p> <p>Um. . . </p> <p>A. Did you just seriously ask that question? <br /> B. Are we supposed to be surprised that Islamist terrorists don't respect women? <br /> C. Are we supposed to be outraged by this blantant gender discrimination? </p> <p>Ummm. . . . I'm totally okay with it if my gender precludes me from becoming a terrorist mastermind. I'll just be on this other [rational, nonviolent] career path over here. Cheerio.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/useless_question_of_the_day_ca.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/JMQX9qg3p1Y" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/useless_question_of_the_day_ca.php Gender Issues Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:13:59 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/useless_question_of_the_day_ca.php <p><img alt="mikrokosmos-by-bigert-bergstrom-4-600x405.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/mikrokosmos-by-bigert-bergstrom-4-600x405.jpg" width="510" height="344" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></p> <p>Artists<a href="http://www.bigertbergstrom.com"> Bigert & Bergstrom</a> create suspended globular clusters, reminiscent of molecular structures, with vinyl photographs on the outside and lighting within. The overall effect is a "luminous three-dimensional sculpture", light and airy as a memory, but distinctly industrial. </p> <p><img alt="mikrokosmos-by-bigert-bergstrom-3-600x398.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/mikrokosmos-by-bigert-bergstrom-3-600x398.jpg" width="510" height="338" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></p> <p><img alt="mikrokosmos-by-bigert-bergstrom-1-600x344.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/mikrokosmos-by-bigert-bergstrom-1-600x344.jpg" width="510" height="292" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></p> <p>These sculptures used photos of a power plant, linking the molecular appearance to greenhouse gases and pollution. See <a href="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/2010/03/19/mikrokosmos/">more photos at today and tomorrow.</a></p> <p>In contrast,<a href="http://www.andyh.net/mainsite/images%20index.html"> Andy Harper's</a> "An Orrery for Other Worlds" is a heavy, opaque sphere laden with detailed, lush botanical fantasies executed in oil paint. Oil is a weighty medium, and the sphere feels ponderous, almost pregnant, particularly in this setting:</p> <p><img alt="orreryharper.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/orreryharper.jpg" width="510" height="339" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></p> <p>In contrast to Bigert & Bergstrom's work, which is unabashedly modern, Harper's work is like an anachronistic artifact, something presaging the future but executed centuries ago. One mother <a href="http://anamama-ilr.blogspot.com/2010/02/andy-harper-interpreted-by-ana.html">described how</a>, on her visit to the local gallery to see the work, children were encouraged to sit under it and draw inspiration from it:</p> <p><img alt="DSC00168.JPG" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/DSC00168.JPG" width="350" height="466" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p>I feel like this scene - children sketching while a sphere of alien plant life hovers above them - is familiar to me from a science fiction novel; or maybe it just feels like it ought to be familiar?</p> <p>Bigert & Bergstrom's work is currently being <a href="http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/view/pressrelease/milliken-gallery-at-the-armory-show-378213">exhibited by Milliken gallery</a> at the Armory show. Harper's "Orrery" is at <a href="http://www.aspex.org.uk/exhibitions.htm">Aspex Gallery</a> in the UK. </p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/art_in_the_round_inspiration_f.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/BFE2WUmRJfU" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/art_in_the_round_inspiration_f.php Artists & Art Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:36:02 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/art_in_the_round_inspiration_f.php <p><img alt="2010_0329_octopus.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/29/2010_0329_octopus.jpg" width="250" height="375" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p>Good idea: the National Zoo is letting us <a href="http://dcist.com/2010/03/name_the_national_zoos_new_octopus.php">name its Giant Pacific octopus. </a><br /> Bad idea: the names. All four are <em>terrible</em>:</p> <blockquote><strong>Olympus</strong>: This octopus arrived at the Zoo just before the 2010 Winter Olympics, and for many zoogoers the octopus gets a gold medal for being a compelling animal.<br> <strong>Ceph</strong>: Octopuses belong to the fascinating group of animals called cephalopods (class Cephalopoda), which means "head-foot." The arms or feet (podos in Greek) of these animals are on the front of their head ("cephalo" comes from the Greek kephale, for head).<br> <strong>Octavius</strong>: "Octavius the Octopus" is more than just a pretty, alliterative name. The prefix "oct" means eight--that's how many arms an octopus has, and "Octavius" was the Latin name traditionally given to the eighth child.<br> <strong>Vancouver</strong>: Home may be where the heart is--three hearts in the case of the octopus--and this octopus came the Zoo from an organization in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the end of January.</blockquote> <p>"The octopus gets a gold medal for being a compelling animal"?? Well, then the National Zoo gets a gold medal for cheese. </p> <p>Who came up with this shortlist? I'd never have burdened the poor thing with "Cthulhu," but I'd like <em>some</em> creative names to choose from! Their <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Invertebrates/Exhibit/octoname.cfm">ballot</a> won't even let you write anything better in. (My guess is they're afraid of the "Octopussy" contingent winning).</p> <p>In response to the bitter malcontents like yours truly, Alan Peters, the National Zoo's curator of invertebrates , observes, "Naming an octopus is always a tough decision, but each of these names is unique and has a specific meaning." Is this guy Sarah Palin's baby name advisor?<br /> </p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/help_give_this_cute_octopus_a.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/cLAbBohhiD8" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/help_give_this_cute_octopus_a.php Biology Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:56:50 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/help_give_this_cute_octopus_a.php <p>I don't think I've posted yet about <a href="http://andrewchase.com/">Andrew Chase's</a> <a href="http://www.andrewchase.com/index.php?p_resource=furnishings&p_prt_pk=7">graceful articulated metal sculptures</a>. His cheetah is particularly stunning.</p> <p><a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/assets_c/2010/03/chase_cheetah-43688.php" onclick="window.open('http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/assets_c/2010/03/chase_cheetah-43688.php','popup','width=985,height=470,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false"><img alt="chase_cheetah-400x190.gif" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/28/chase_cheetah-400x190.gif" width="400" height="190" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></a></p> <p>Click the image to watch it run!</p> <p>Chase's mechanical sculptures have way more personality than metal should. The soulful eyes of his <a href="http://www.ndigallery.com/elephant.html">elephants</a> and <a href="http://www.ndigallery.com/giraffe.html">giraffes</a> could reflect some futuristic world in which extinct flesh-and-blood animals have been (inadequately) replaced with patchwork gestures at nature. Or perhaps they look lonely because they're intimidated by the flesh-and-blood inspirations of which they are ingenious, but dead, replicas. </p> <p><a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/28/robot-Timmy%20recharging%20giraffes.jpg"><img alt="robot-Timmy recharging giraffes.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/assets_c/2010/03/robot-Timmy recharging giraffes-thumb-510x332-43692.jpg" width="510" height="332" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></a></p> <p><em>Robot Timmy Recharging Giraffe</em></p> <p>Frankly, I don't know what fascinating storyline Andrew Chase has in mind - all I know is I want someone to make a movie from it immediately. Like Wall-E crossed with the Lion King, but please have Tim Burton direct it so it's all dark and steampunky. Thank you.</p> <p>See all of Andrew Chase's wonderful work <a href="http://www.andrewchase.com/index.php?p_resource=furnishings&p_prt_pk=7">here</a>. His work is shown at <a href="http://www.ndigallery.com/andrewchase.html">NDI gallery.</a></p> <p>Via lots of places, most notably<a href="http://dailyartmuse.com/2010/03/25/kinetic-objects-andrew-chases-mechanical-sculptures/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DailyArtMuse+%28Daily+Art+Muse%29"> Daily Art Muse.</a></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/robocheetah_andrew_chases_mech.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/JCf5tjtETBs" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/robocheetah_andrew_chases_mech.php Retrotechnology and steampunk Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:35:32 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/robocheetah_andrew_chases_mech.php <p>This <a href="http://www.rosemarykirstein.com/2010/03/inevitable/">poem by Rosemary Kirstein</a> is truly a worthy successor to the classic by Wallace Stevens. (Thanks to Jen Ouellette for sharing.)</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/thirteen_ways_of_looking_at_fa.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/vbLfyZpO85k" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/thirteen_ways_of_looking_at_fa.php Frivolity Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:08:34 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/thirteen_ways_of_looking_at_fa.php <p><img alt="Picture 3.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/22/Picture%203.png" width="510" height="335" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></p> <p>A <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/22/georgia.mystery.monument/?hpt=C2">recent CNN article</a> points out that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones">Georgia Guidestones,</a> a carved granite monument erected in 1980 by a mysterious donor obsessed with the possibility of civilization's destruction, wouldn't be all that useful to humankind's survivors:</p> <blockquote>The center column has a slot through which the transit of the sun throughout the seasons can be observed, while a hole higher up focuses on Polaris, the north star. Another hole in the capstone focuses a beam of sunlight onto the central pillar at noon. Those features would allow the survivors of Christian's feared apocalypse to reproduce three of the basic tools of civilization: the calendar, clock and compass.<br><br>Loris Magnani, an astronomy professor at the University of Georgia, questions how useful the Guidestones would be to survivors of civilization-ending cataclysm. The devices incorporated into the stones are "relatively easy stuff" that most human societies have developed early in their histories, he said.<br><br>"Don't get me wrong. As a monument, it's fine. There's nothing wrong with doing that," Magnani told CNN. But he added, "Every decent civilization going back to a couple of millennia before Christ has figured this out. How to make gasoline? Now that would be useful."</blockquote> <p>Unfortunately, lack of utility hasn't protected the monument from being vandalized by religious/conspiracy nuts. Because it would be <em>so terrible</em> for post-apocalyptic humans to reinvent the clock, and stuff.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/the_georgia_guidestones_if_the.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/W41FQIxxlt0" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/the_georgia_guidestones_if_the.php Destinations Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:56:39 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/the_georgia_guidestones_if_the.php <p><img alt="bittle1.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/20/bittle1.jpg" width="510" height="507" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><br /> <a href="http://joiannebittle.com/pages/painting14.html"><em>Jackrabbit #5</em></a><br /> Joianne Bittle, 2009</p> <p><a href="http://joiannebittle.com/">Joianne Bittle</a> has an awesome job (Exhibition Assistant at the American Museum of Natural History) where she gets to paint, draw and make dioramas. Wow. But she's also an accomplished artist in oil and wax, as these paintings attest. Her series of beetle paintings, <em>A Royal Family</em>, were the result of six years of life observation.</p> <p><img alt="goliath1.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/20/goliath1.jpg" width="510" height="329" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><br /> <a href="http://joiannebittle.com/pages/painting4.html"><em>A Royal Family (Goliath Beetle)</em></a><br /> Joianne Bittle, 2003</p> <p>Joianne Bittle currently has work appearing in <a href="http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=889">Entomologia</a>, curated by M of <a href="http://curiousexpeditions.org">Curious Expeditions!</a> Check it out if you're in NYC - the show runs through April 4.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/joianne_bittle.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/kQrID9L_n2c" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/joianne_bittle.php Artists & Art Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:19:13 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/joianne_bittle.php <p>Doesn't that title sound weird - like an experimental film? It may help to know that <a href="http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____101382.aspx">House of Sweden</a> is Sweden's embassy in Washington, DC - a lovely glass building on the Potomac. If you're in the DC area, you should get on their mailing list, because they host interesting science-related panel discussions and receptions. Yesterday, they opened a new <a href="http://www.swedenabroad.com/CalendarView____12860.aspx?slaveid=104205">exhibit</a> - the Virtual Autopsy Table. It's a touch-screen tabletop that lets you slice into, rotate, and magnify an MRI-based 3D representation of the human body, all with a brush of a hand:</p> <p><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6866296&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6866296&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/6866296">The Virtual Autopsy Table</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/visualisering">NorrköpingsVisualiseringscenter</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></p> <p>Yes, the Autopsy Table was <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/virtual-autopsy-table-brings-multitouch-to-the-morgue/">covered on Engadget</a> last fall, but this is your chance to see it in person. The folks from Repository for Bottled Monsters <a href="http://bottledmonsters.blogspot.com/2010/03/virtual-autopsy-table-exhibit-at-house.html">stopped by for a brief preview</a>, which looks pretty much like the video above: cool. I wish we could buy one for every college in America (and then start on the high schools)!</p> <p>The House of Sweden will host the Virtual Autopsy through May 2 (and is also featuring a collection of cell-themed photos by Lennart Nilsson through April 28).</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/virtual_autopsy_at_house_of_sw.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/bDsyoG_V4OY" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/virtual_autopsy_at_house_of_sw.php Biology Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:36:48 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/virtual_autopsy_at_house_of_sw.php <p><a href="http://www.matthewrobinson.co.uk/projects/measuring-type/"><img alt="16_mattrobinsonstage2.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/27/16_mattrobinsonstage2.jpg" width="480" height="400" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></a></p> <p>You may have heard <a href="http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/03/26/1427217/College-to-Save-Money-by-Switching-Email-Font?from=rss">from Slashdot </a>that the University of Wisconsin is switching from Arial, a sans-serif font, to Century Gothic, a <strike>serif</strike>** font that uses 30% less ink, for default printing. The university hopes to save ink, which is both thrifty and eco-friendly. But you may not have seen <a href="http://www.matthewrobinson.co.uk/projects/measuring-type/">this art project by Matt Robinson and Tom Wrigglesworth</a>: they used ballpoint pens to scribble large-scale test versions of various fonts on a wall, and the ink level afterward was an analog readout for which font uses more ink. Ingenious!</p> <p><a href="http://www.matthewrobinson.co.uk/projects/measuring-type/"><img alt="16_pensinorder1.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/27/16_pensinorder1.jpg" width="392" height="500" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></a></p> <p>Word to the nitpicky: while there's no <em>rule</em> that a sans-serif font will always use more ink than a serif font, serif fonts can get away with thinner uprights because the serifs (the little "feet" or flares on the ends of the letters) offer the eye added information that makes the letter more readable. So generally speaking, serif fonts can have lighter ink footprints. And while a more rigorous way of testing the ink utilization of different fonts would of course be to print thousands of identical pages of text in a controlled trial on identical printers with identical ink cartridges (you'd better believe industry already has that information), I love the DIY ingenuity of this project - and the fact that the difference is so obvious. Perhaps we should all consider switching to serif fonts - for readability and ecology? (You're exempt if you're a typography maven who could film a short video about why sans-serif fonts are more pure and aesthetic - <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2009/12/and_you_thought_design_geeks_w.php">you know who you are</a>).</p> <p><a href="http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/clearing-cache-catching-bandits-changing-fonts">Via tech president</a>. See more of Matt Robinson and Tom Wrigglesworth's <a href="http://www.matthewrobinson.co.uk">artwork here</a> - including <a href="http://www.matthewrobinson.co.uk/projects/hp-invent/">fun with inkjet printers</a>.</p> <p>Note: astute reader Matt caught that Century Gothic, unlike Century (what I was thinking of), is a <em>sans-serif</em> font. So in this case, the University of Wisconsin is not doing what I'd recommend at all. Maybe they should scribble on some walls and see how readable they think a weenie thin sans-serif typeface really is? Ugh! Terrible!</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/ballpoint_pens_as_ink_meters_a.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/QwJyrQN_mAs" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/ballpoint_pens_as_ink_meters_a.php Dataviz Sat, 27 Mar 2010 10:30:29 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/ballpoint_pens_as_ink_meters_a.php <p>I am glad I waited to buy a new version of Photoshop! This is. . . whoa. The desert and sky are particularly impressive.</p> <p><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NH0aEp1oDOI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NH0aEp1oDOI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></p> <p>Is there an Uncanny Valley for software? </p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/whoa_photoshop_is_getting_cree.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/1Jjz9ihL09A" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/whoa_photoshop_is_getting_cree.php Conspicuous consumption Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:11:02 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/whoa_photoshop_is_getting_cree.php <p><img alt="194980.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/194980.jpg" width="500" height="375" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p><a href="http://www.shaunarichardson.com/">Shauna Richardson</a> crochets life-sized taxidermied animals - "crochetdermy". Because she can and because no one else thought of it first. Read more at <a href="http://www.dazeddigital.com/view/default.aspx?Category=22&ArticleID=6452&PageNum=1">Dazed Digital</a>.</p> <p><img alt="richardson2.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/richardson2.jpg" width="510" height="295" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><br /> </p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/where_does_she_get_her_taxider.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/c6ViD_P4a38" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/where_does_she_get_her_taxider.php Biology Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:47:57 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/where_does_she_get_her_taxider.php <div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="kindra-clineff-gate-with-spider-web-the-breakers-newport-ri.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/21/kindra-clineff-gate-with-spider-web-the-breakers-newport-ri.jpg" width="338" height="450" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></div><br><br> <p>This beautiful photo by Kindra Clineff catches nature one-upping human craftsmanship. I can just hear that spider piping "neener neener neener". Also, it's a perfect follow-up to <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/fibonacci_ftw.php">Christobal Vila's graceful animation about math in nature</a>, which has now officially gone spiral-viral.</p> <p><a href="http://www.art.com/products/p13810087-sa-i2755853/kindra-clineff-gate-with-spider-web-the-breakers-newport-ri.htm">Buy a print here.</a></p> <p>Via <a href="http://www.notcot.org/post/29230/">NOTCOT.</a></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/spider_spiral.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/Bioephemera/~4/v1EoNtCr64w" height="1" width="1"/> http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/spider_spiral.php Biology Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:43:55 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/2010/03/spider_spiral.php