Friday, March 30, 2012

Whats Wrong with String Theory?

Across time, we fix, change, tweak, re-evaluate and re-write long-held beliefs in scientific theory as our intelligence and understanding increase and problems arise in the initial theory...so why haven't we done the same for string theory?
http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2012/03/whats-wrong-with-string-theory.html

Wisconsin Approves Recall

And here we go...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/us/wisconsin-approves-recall-election-for-governor-walker.html?_r=1&src=tp&smid=fb-share

Ink Bottle Monolith


I like stuff like this. Found object paintings...I think they just evoke a simplicity and naivety, while also showing the creativity that can be found at every turn. In that line of thinking, they display the freedom of a child drawing on the wall, and the sophistication of conceptual art, finding new methods of displaying ideas...

It's a marriage of juxtaposition, and a fun object. I hope, eventually, to be doing some large scale placement pieces like this to "donate" to the city, hopefully bringing that juxtaposition, that creativity, that curiosity to the minds of the people around Milwaukee...

Photo Book Show @ The Portrait Society


Check out the Photo Book Show at the Portrait Society, showing a over sixty eight self-published photography books and projects from artists around the nation...Opening Gallery Night, April 20th and 6pm, make sure to make it out to the Marshall building to see this and other great shows from all the galleries here...
http://portraitsocietygallery.com/

Ancient Texts

These three pieces are all based on ancient texts...

The first contains chinese characters that translate to "treasure", an ironic title given to a broken piece of tile...


This ink bottle piece is based of of ancient monoliths and the designs of the Nazca people. It also seems to have  a bit of a crop circle aesthetic in there....


And this piece is on the back of a tile made with pencil based on geometric hieroglyphs...

Chevron in Black



The chevron signifies protection and is often given to those who have, in some way, served the greater good of a people. It is a simplified drawing of the roof of a house, and has been a symbol dear to humans throughout our history...

This piece juxtaposes this symbol of service, protection and good with scratched lines, varied surface, and an unsure hand, almost as if that which scrawled it is unworthy, obsessive, maybe even psychotic....It's a very demented take on a symbol which is supposed to evoke comfort...

If the US was Furry

Scientists, with help of a massive new supercomputer, are finally able to create an image of what the US would look like if it was furry!
http://www.neatorama.com/2012/03/28/wind-map-of-the-united-states/?utm_source=rcswidget&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=slideshow

If only...Actually this is wind map of the US...pretty awesome image. Kind of reminds me of this type of design I do every so often...

Thursday, March 29, 2012

What Do We Do If We Find Aliens?

"Are we alone" is an easy question to ask and now,  the answer is nearly 100% of the time an emphatic "NO". It's become a pretty widespread belief that there is other life...SOMEWHERE.

The less asked question, and one with a far more speculative answer, is "What would we do if we did find life?" Would we take on the "Independence Day" role of exterminating a race and stealing resources? Would we become the abductors of myth, snatching beings from their beds or holes or nests? Would we throw everything in a tube, only to be kept in a cage for experimentation in a far-away unknown lab for eternity? Check out this article on three different possible scenarios....
http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/2286-humans-discovered-aliens.html

Understanding the Brain: New Scan Reveals Nerve Fiber Organization


New imaging has revealed a stunningly simple network connecting the neurons of the brain, surprisingly similar across multiple species. But scientists still struggle to understand how it actually knows what to connect to what or how the structure is related to function, a key question if we ever hope to understand why brain development goes wrong in certain cases...
http://www.livescience.com/19361-images-reveal-brain-simplicity.html


Quaker Oats (Barely) Changes Logo

old
new

So...not much of a change, but the word lost that concave swoop, the quaker lost his golden halo and gained a blood-red backdrop, and a chevron shape was added under the title with "Est. 1877" for perceived quality and tradition...

What do ya think?

More Shoppin'

Just another Shopped mural...


Window Shoppin'

Some warehouse outside the third ward...

Hargrove to the Packers

Can't disagree with that...Go Packers
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7751195/green-bay-packers-get-defensive-lineman-anthony-hargrove

Packers and Anthony Hargrove a unique fit

Spike Lee Apologizes for Tweeting Inaccurate Address

Following the Trayvon Martin case, no one was surprised that Spike Lee had something to say. Whether it's a comment which inspires Reggie Miller to beat the Knicks or incessantly reminding us that racism is a thing (like we'd forget), Lee has a problem keeping his mouth shut pretty much all of the time...and he really dug himself a hole here.

Basically, he retweeted an address that was allegedly the house of George Zimmerman, the shooter. Unfortunately (or fortunately in Zimmerman's case) it wasn't his house and now a 70 year old couple has been forced to move into a hotel temporarily for fear of their safety..

First of all, tweeting anyone's address is totally inappropriate. I know that emotions are freaking crazy about this story and a lot of people have an opinion, but we have courts for a reason. Zimmerman hasn't been proven guilty, and I will always trust courts over public opinion. From what I've read, Zimmerman seems to have been extremely overzealous with his "watching" of the neighborhood and made a gigantic error in judgement. He killed someone, He needs to pay for it but not from a social-networking mob. A guilty verdict from the media does not make it OK to take revenge into our hands. Secondly, why would you EVER simply retweet an address without checking it out? Well the answer is that Spike Lee felt retribution was necessary in some form and felt that someone would take care of it if given the address. He wanted someone to do something and didn't stop to think about the possibility the address was wrong, or the irony in fighting a case where someone took the law into their own hands, by taking the law into his own hands...

A. It's wrong for him to assume guilt and take responsibility to let people know where they should go if they feel they need to exact revenge.

B. It's flat out moronic to send out an address of which you have no actual knowledge of who lives there.

He's finally apologized, but this is one of those things where a "i'm sorry" doesn't exactly measure up to the offense....

Spike Lee latest celeb to practice reckless tweeting

Spike Lee apologizes to Florida couple for retweeting their address

Underneath Easter Island

Everyone knows about the iconic and mysterious heads that litter the landscape of Easter Island off the coast of South America, but not many people know much else...For one, the statues are not just heads, but full statues that extend deep beneath the surface...
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/106129


Another little secret is the island's caves, originally carved by lava flows, and suspect-idly inhabited by islanders to hide from raids and slave drivers...
6 km of tunnels discovered in Easter Island

Also, check out the Easter Island Statue Project
http://www.eisp.org/

Does Knowing Nutrition Make You Healthy?

With all the new rules coming out requiring food companies to be transparent with the ingredients and nutrition, you'd think we'd have a pretty clear path away from obesity. I mean, if you see that your 80-Oreo snack is actually the equivalent of a three-course meal that a horse would have trouble finishing, you'd probably cut back...right?

Not so says a new study. In fact, it states that Americans, overall, have a better general understanding of the nutrition of their foods, yet choose to eat unhealthily anyways.
A new paradox on our plate?

So I guess it is true. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't take away his Coca-Cola I.V.

The "Exploding Dinosaur" Theory


Dinosaur...Dinomite...the next logical conclusion is that dinosaurs all spontaneously exploded, causing the mass extinction of 65 million years ago. Ok, that's not really what the article is about, or how you spell "dynamite", but I'm sure you could convince someone of it....

Anyway the real "Exploding Dinosaur" theory deals with the fact that many adult dinosaurs were fossilized intact while their embryos lay skattered across the ground around them. The theory was that gases built up during decomposition, causing the dinos to explode....ew. Well that's not the case anymore. Swedish scientists say they've debunked that theory and come up with a much more plausible, but not nearly as exciting, theory. Check it out

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Good Stuff From The FIrst Half of the Week

It's been a busy week arting and it's only Wednesday! Check out the work from the last four days!









What's Up With Obamacare?

The Affordable Health Care Act has been in the spotlight the last few days with the supreme court set to make a ruling on its constitutionality, but frankly, it's been hard to keep track of what's happening. Check out the following article which lays out the recent questioning...
http://swampland.time.com/2012/03/28/inside-the-supreme-court-why-obamacare-supporters-are-getting-so-nervous/

White Lines & Thinking About Clyfford Still

Here's a little new piece I made the other night. I nice little composition based around two large colliding lines.


I was thinking about Clyfford Still when I made this and though I don't think the mark making, texture, or medium is inspired by him whatsoever, I find a comparable drama between the rough shapes against the dark expanse...

I don't think it resembles a Still, and I'm not even sure it's any good...but the starkness of the image is striking...and that's something that always drew me in to some of my favorite works by Still


The Slowest Spaceship In The World (& Out of It)


Check out this new propulsion technology which is getting the slowest spacecraft ever, Dawn, out to the asteroid belt and sending back stunning images of the asteroid Vesta, the second largest object in the asteroid belt.
How to Fly the Slowest Spacecraft in the Cosmos Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2110271,00.html#ixzz1qRmKVYre

Rauschenberg "Moderns" Up The White House

Early Bloomer by Robert Rauschenberg is only the fourth modern art work to grace the walls of the White House, a welcome change (at least in my mind) from the traditional boring old portraits and landscapes of centuries past.

I guess I never knew how behind the times the White House was...bout time we get it up to date...
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/A-pun-fit-for-the-President/26111

Rauschenberg Foundation Set to Become Largest Grant Organization in US


Over the next 15 years, the Rauschenberg Foundation hopes to become one of the largest grant-making bodies in the country, planning to eventually outspend the Warhol Foundation, support national and international artists, a local residency program, and support project spaces and philanthropic ventures...Take a look
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Rauschenberg’s-foundation-could-outspend-Warhol’s/26110

A Major Motion Picture


This is kind of a goofy piece which is all about irony. It's about a number of films that were influential to me, and most of them to others as well, represented by their release dates.

The title itself is a lie. This piece is not a major motion picture, it's a painting. It's a static image. The dates themselves are not directly motion pictures, but merely the date they were released in the US. The date could really be connected to anything, and only through the title are they, possibly, realized as release dates for films. Furthermore, almost none of these films were really MAJOR. Sure, they are famous now, but when released, many of these went under the radar, were "indie" movies, or some, even labeled full-on box-office flops....

I guess the main idea behind the piece, and the "date" pieces from recently, is an alternative history of the world through my eyes. The things that stuck out to me...the things that changed how the world looked for me....so, they are entirely personal, and really universally encompassing. It's a snapshot of what has influenced me, thus a window to viewing a different concept of the world...

Understanding Evolution

Check out this series covering evolution, explaining some road bumps that hang many people up, and how to make sure you can climb out of an anti-evolution trap...

from the intro...
One of the challenges for discussing evolution within evangelical Christian circles is that there is widespread confusion about how evolution actually works. In this (intermittent) series, I discuss aspects of evolution that are commonly misunderstood in the Christian community. In this post, we explore how evolution is a theory in the scientific sense, how it is supported by converging lines of evidence, and how it can make accurate predictions about the natural world, using whale evolution as an example.
WORD.
http://biologos.org/blog/understanding-evolution-theory-prediction-and-evidence-1

HypeMKE's "Top 100"


Check out Hype MKE's "Top 100 things to do in Milwaukee!"
http://hypemke.com/top-100-things-do-milwaukee

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more exclamation points !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wavy, Wavy Sea...Ocean Currents Paint A Real-Life Van Gogh

A canvas is NOT the only place you can see the swirling brushstrokes that came to represent Vincent Van Gogh...

From the labs of NASA, we see a stunning view of our oceans in a way that Van Gogh may have envisioned them, you know, if he hadn't misplaced that 19th century spaceship he had lying around and could actually see the oceans from space...What you see below is a representation of surface ocean currents from 04-06...click the link to read more and see and interactive, hi-res shot of the image.



http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669361/better-than-a-van-gogh-nasa-visualizes-all-the-worlds-ocean-currents?utm_source=rcswidget&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=slideshow

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Some Cryptic Shoppin'

I think Graffiti should be more confusing....



How America's Tallest Man Buys Shoes

Little did I know that when I clicked on this story, I'd be reading about someone who lives in my hometown of Rochester MN and someone I have personally met...and from my one meeting, you couldn't donate money to a nicer guy.

Check out this story about Igor Vovkivinskiy, a native of Ukraine living in Rochester MN, who is America's tallest man and his troubles trying to find a something as simple to us as a new pair of shoes...

Dennis Rodman 'broke' and 'sick'

I really think the first thing a pro-athlete should do is buy a time-lock safe, have 1/4 of your paychecks deposited, and put a "five years after retirement" lock on it....or just hire some financial advisors that don't suck...

Either way, we once again find ourselves with a story about a once-millionaire athlete claiming to be 'broke' and unable to pay child support and alimony.  This time it's HOFer Dennis Rodman and attorney's claiming he is 800k behind in payments...
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/broke-sick-dennis-rodman-way-behind-child-support-184114367.html

a couple things with this story:

a. I really am not sympathetic for anyone going broke after making $9 million dollars in one year...no matter how "diminished" his salary was after or before that.

b. I find it ridiculous that you have to support your ex's "living expenses" when they reach $17,000 per month. Ya, I realize that's how you once lived, and that it was supported by the hubby, but it's not like your old job has to continue giving you a paycheck if you quit or are fired so that you don't have to move out of your mansion...I don't feel like it's Dennis Rodman's fault that you can't support the way you want to live...at least to that extent. No wonder a prenup is the new "popping the question."

c. STOP HAVING SO MANY KIDS WITH SO MANY PEOPLE.

d. Don't get married three (or more) times.




The Universe is BIG, and So Is This Photo

not this photo...the full-res one.
Check out this "ultradeep" image taken by training a giant telescope on a certain spot in the sky for 55hrs, and if you read the article (no science jargon), you can sort of begin to imagine how spectacularly ginormous this image really is.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/03/23/an-ultradeep-image-thats-full-galaxies/

"City Hall was Overrun" by David McGraw

Check out David's article on March's Art Jamboree in City Hall...
http://www.artmilwaukee.com/5/post/2012/03/art-jamboree-march-2012.html

and just cuz I can, here's the piece i was working on that night...and the commission that came from it.



Do We have a Right to Know What Our Candidates Believe?

Interesting article by Brian Carlson, my former teacher of one of the most influential classes I took during school . He wonders, while church and state may be officially separate, do we have a right to know the specific beliefs of the candidates for the Presidential seat?
Do We have a Right to Know What Our Candidates Believe?

Personally, I think, while religion may not be connected to state, we DO have the right to know, especially when that person may be basing decisions on those beliefs. reminds me of a quote from  the movie "Contact" (I didn't think I'd EVER quote that) :
Our job was to select someone to speak for everybody. And I just couldn't in good conscience vote for a person who doesn't believe in God. Someone who honestly thinks the other ninety five percent of us suffer from some form of mass delusion.
Now i don't take that as meaning that we should elect a religious President, but it brings up an issue...can you trust someone to lead you who fundamentally believes something that you do not? Can they really represent you? If you're religious can you trust a President who is atheist, a different religion or more extreme? If you're an atheist, can you put faith in a President who holds religion dear? Can we get over specific personal beliefs, vote for the "greater good" and just look for morals or does a candidate have to match our every word in prayer (or against it for that matter?)

Solar Towers Multiply Solar Energy Output by 20


A new 3-D solar tower design is raising eyebrows in the alternative energy market, claiming it offers up to 20 times the normal solar energy output of a more conventional flat panel....take a look.
http://www.gizmag.com/3d-vertical-solar-towers/21952/

TM - 2.26.12


I'm not one who makes a lot of commentary on politics or social problems through art. I think we see enough negativity and spectacle regarding that in the news and, frankly, my personal opinions about politics and social issues aren't usually as dramatic or intense as a piece of art needs to be. I'm not one who usually gets "up in arms" over something...

This piece is based on the recent Trayvon Martin case, and more so than me trying to express the outrage over the legality of the thing or the controversy... I wanted to create a piece that simply depicted the tragedy of the event. No matter how you slice it, a young man lost his life in a tragic event. That's all I wanted to say...that's all I wanted to show...

The controversy is important...the coming decisions will have wide-spread implications, but I wanted this piece to speak to the young man himself and the horrible tragedy that befell him, not the reactions of millions upon millions of people..

Best to his family and everyone involved...let's get this figured out

The Bullet

AZ Tea and Skittles

T.M.

The Speaker Set

I got an awesome record player and an amazing set of records from Dad Fleming last Christmas, but unfortunately, the speakers blew out pretty quick...and they've been sitting by the back door since. Finally, I decided to do something with them and I am pretty happy with how they turned out...






The first speaker was made with the date that many of, what I consider, the most influential bands formed. Much like the prior Scribbling History... piece, the idea was about meditation, reflection, and repetition. The second speaker has two sentences from the song "Heroin" by The Velvet Underground, a personal favorite...



Why Room Temperature Coffee Tastes Bad

Is it all in our heads? Or in our mouths? Find out why scientists think our societies general dislike of room-temperature coffee stems from biology, not just being picky...
http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/2277-room-temperature-coffee-taste.html

Monday, March 26, 2012

Starbucks Goes Natural...With Bugs

Tired of drinking and/or eating foods packed full of artificial additives, colorings and flavorings? Like coffee? Well fear not, Starbuck's has decided to jump on the "all-natural" bandwagon, at least with the pink coloring for their strawberry frap-thing.

Starbucks recently announced that, instead of normal old food coloring, they will be using extract from crushed insects...
Starbugs? Strawberry Frappuccino Colored by Insects

not really sure if crushing insects is really the alternative that the "all natural" crowd was looking for...but hey, it's not fake...The real question is "do the vegans & environmentalists complain?"

Andrea Layne Bartley Photography

Andrea is a young photographer currently based in Milwaukee and working on completing her B.F.A. in photography at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Her latest work is centered on the current educational crisis that is occurring locally in MPS as well as around the nation, harming not only  the futures of millions of needy children, but also threatening the very future of our nation itself.
http://www.andreabartley.com/

Then, make sure to check out her moving photographs in person, featured at the Senior Thesis Exhibition on Spring Gallery Nights, April 20 - 21 and MIAD. 

MIT Finds Our Memories

Scientists at MIT have found where memories are located in mice, a breakthrough in understanding how our memories work or are lost....
MIT discovers the location of memories: Individual neurons

Frozen Planet's Best Stills

Check out the best photos from the upcoming documentary "Frozen Planet" featuring our favorite environmentalist, and brother of the Jurassic Park owner, David Attenborough. Can't wait for this to come out...
Frozen Planet: pictures from Sir David Attenborough's latest polar TV series
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/frozen-planet/

...can't wait even more for him to get a sneak peak into his brother's dino park...Oh? Jurassic Park was just a movie? Haven't you ever heard of fossils? it's science yo.

woops, wrong movie. I guess Richard Attenborough is Santa along with owning Jurassic Park. Talk about an awesome life. and btw, this still is #1 on the list from "frozen planet"

Taking on Tragedy

These two pieces are both based on two separate tragedies which occurred recently.

The first, Water Burial, touches on the local tragedy of Thomas Hecht who went missing at the beginning of March. I wanted to depict the hectic nature of the weeks surrounding the tragedy, and also show the looming eventuality of what would eventually come to be the conclusion...A dark piece on the immediacy of death, the eventuality for us all, and the way it breaks up our lives when it comes to pass....

slightly unfinished...
This next piece is about the Trayvon Martin shooting. It's less far along than the previous, but this piece, contrarily, is much more a depiction of the actual scene than the idea or emotion surrounding it. I want it to be a narrative of the event and to lay out what is so impactful about the case...a young, defenseless boy getting shot for walking home from a convenience store...