Classic coffee-pot and radio.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Braun design
I have found out belatedly that Braun, the German manufacturer, ceased importing most of its products to N. America not long after being taken over by Gillette. I found a couple of illustrations to remind myself of their marvellously clean-lined designs.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Paintings
Here are some of my recent paintings, just to brighten things up. I haven't posted many of them in this blog, preferring to post them to Flickr ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterop/ )
The Red Desert
3 Trees
Untitled (Blue)
They are all acrylic on canvas with added scrap materials, 20 x 16 in. and 20 x 24.
Below is a draft for a brochure to accompany an upcoming show in the Designer Cafe in Kentville, Nova Scotia;
I don’t try to emulate them, and there are other influences too (Rothko), but the works seen here provide a foundation for the type of work I try to do. Essentially, it is a matter of having a liking for texture and colour, and aiming to make paintings which have a distinct feel, an aesthetic quality, out of those basic elements.
(Images are copyrighted but I don't know who to acknowledge. I use them in the spirit of fair use, as visual quotes)
ps. I just found out that Tapies died on Feb. 6th just gone. I dedicate this entry to him, in memoriam.
The Red Desert
3 Trees
Untitled (Blue)
They are all acrylic on canvas with added scrap materials, 20 x 16 in. and 20 x 24.
Below is a draft for a brochure to accompany an upcoming show in the Designer Cafe in Kentville, Nova Scotia;
Texturology
I borrowed the name for this show from a painting by Jean
Dubuffet, which I saw in the Tate gallery in London
Two other artists who impressed me were Antonio Tapies, a
Spaniard
whose work was very textural. The one above incorporated oil and sand.
whose work was very textural. The one above incorporated oil and sand.
And Albert Burri, an Italian who as a prisoner of war made
artworks out of sacking and any material he could find.
I don’t try to emulate them, and there are other influences too (Rothko), but the works seen here provide a foundation for the type of work I try to do. Essentially, it is a matter of having a liking for texture and colour, and aiming to make paintings which have a distinct feel, an aesthetic quality, out of those basic elements.
(Images are copyrighted but I don't know who to acknowledge. I use them in the spirit of fair use, as visual quotes)
ps. I just found out that Tapies died on Feb. 6th just gone. I dedicate this entry to him, in memoriam.
.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Random Thoughts ii.
This is a continuation of my previous post on the subject. I have just come across some authoritative work on mind-wandering, which is essentially the same thing, in a Nature forum . It was discovered that there is a neural system that is active when a subject is not concentrating, and dormant during concentration on a task. it is conjectured that this system is responsible for retrieving random items of memory. I would conjecture that something like it is involved in fixating on a particular memory, often undesired.
Another of my conjectures is supported, viz. that the same mechanisms give rise to wakeful mind- wandering and dreaming:
The description of the neural mechanism of MW is given at the beginning of the same section.
Another of my conjectures is supported, viz. that the same mechanisms give rise to wakeful mind- wandering and dreaming:
"MW serves as a learning and consolidation mechanism by augmenting the associative abilities of the brain According to this proposition, spontaneous mental processing during wakefulness resembles in its function, in its effects and, to a certain extent, in its neural basis, the off-line processing that occurs during sleep. "
(Christoff et al., 2008; Baars, 2010)
From the section,
Gruberger M, Ben-Simon E, Levkovitz Y, Zangen A and Hendler T (2011) Towards a neuroscience of mind-wandering
The description of the neural mechanism of MW is given at the beginning of the same section.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Unconscious value system
This is a continuation of my musings on mind and brain. The last one was Random Thoughts, last December. I've been seeing a lot of articles lately - don't remember where - on the proposition that most of our thoughts and impulses are generated unconsciously. We are less in control of our lives than we think. An illustration of this may be found simply by thinking of how we form sentences. We can't think of the words we use before we use them, consciously, yet they come onto our minds fully formed and more or less coherent.
My latest musing concerns preferences. We frequently select one thing over another, certainly while shopping, but also while looking at paintings in a gallery, listening to music, picking out a book, reading news articles, dealing with people, and so on. Without much deliberation, we incline intuitively to one or another. In fact intuition is considered to be, or to arise from, an unconscious substratum. We have predispositions, which must reside in the unconscious. An interesting question is, how do they originate? Purely in experience, or through heredity? I suspect that that the template of the personality is genetic, but heavily built upon and modified -somewhat - by experience.
But then if experience is guided by the unconscious, in terms of unconscious motivation to act, can we really say that we have full possession of it. We have on the one hand, random events that affect us externally, and reactions to them that are unconsciously determined. Yet we are not automatons, at least, not as we understand the word.
My latest musing concerns preferences. We frequently select one thing over another, certainly while shopping, but also while looking at paintings in a gallery, listening to music, picking out a book, reading news articles, dealing with people, and so on. Without much deliberation, we incline intuitively to one or another. In fact intuition is considered to be, or to arise from, an unconscious substratum. We have predispositions, which must reside in the unconscious. An interesting question is, how do they originate? Purely in experience, or through heredity? I suspect that that the template of the personality is genetic, but heavily built upon and modified -somewhat - by experience.
But then if experience is guided by the unconscious, in terms of unconscious motivation to act, can we really say that we have full possession of it. We have on the one hand, random events that affect us externally, and reactions to them that are unconsciously determined. Yet we are not automatons, at least, not as we understand the word.
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Colonialism is not Dead
A couple of films, The Descendants and The Rum Diary put an idea in my head. Both of these films have a part where an unscrupulous developer wants to put hotels on previously unspoiled bits of coastline. These days it's practically taken for granted that any decent stretch of beach has a row of hotels and apartments behind it. Those who like to go on holiday in warm places mostly welcome such developments, as these provide accommodation for them.
However it occurred to me that this encroachment of concrete on to sea fronts is a form of colonisation. It is a takeover of land by external bodies, from within the mainland and from outside the country. Any indigenous people who lived and drew their livelihood from coastal waters have been displaced, either away from the area or co-opted into the tourist trade as employees. If they manage to hang on it is often as a tourist attraction, a bit of local colour.
In effect it is colonisation by the bourgeoisie, commercial operators and middle-class tourists. It began some time ago with the advent of relatively cheap transport, and continues wherever there is any unprotected and spare coastline. After the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, reconstruction offered opportunities for countries to enhance their existing tourist resorts and also to expand them. Some local communities that lost their homes, fishing boats and livelihoods did not have them restored.
There's an article by Naomi Klein on this subject. J G Ballard wrote a graphic description of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline as being built-up along almost its entire length, in Cocaine Nights I think (I can't find the quote). There's an article from the Guardian here, about the threat to one of Spain's last pristine beaches. I don't know how long the link will remain. The picture gives the idea though.
This is all just a part of the overall colonisation of the world by the human race. I'm not judging it, but I think some aspects are less desirable than others.
However it occurred to me that this encroachment of concrete on to sea fronts is a form of colonisation. It is a takeover of land by external bodies, from within the mainland and from outside the country. Any indigenous people who lived and drew their livelihood from coastal waters have been displaced, either away from the area or co-opted into the tourist trade as employees. If they manage to hang on it is often as a tourist attraction, a bit of local colour.
In effect it is colonisation by the bourgeoisie, commercial operators and middle-class tourists. It began some time ago with the advent of relatively cheap transport, and continues wherever there is any unprotected and spare coastline. After the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, reconstruction offered opportunities for countries to enhance their existing tourist resorts and also to expand them. Some local communities that lost their homes, fishing boats and livelihoods did not have them restored.
There's an article by Naomi Klein on this subject. J G Ballard wrote a graphic description of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline as being built-up along almost its entire length, in Cocaine Nights I think (I can't find the quote). There's an article from the Guardian here, about the threat to one of Spain's last pristine beaches. I don't know how long the link will remain. The picture gives the idea though.
This is all just a part of the overall colonisation of the world by the human race. I'm not judging it, but I think some aspects are less desirable than others.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Misdiagnosis?
There was a spot on CBC Radio recently that I found interesting. It was about an article in the New York Times Magazine - I think they interviewed the author - looking at Shaken Baby Syndrome in terms of cases of people accused of causing it, and an investigation into the scientific basis for it.
I only give a brief outline of the conclusions reached by various investigators. The signs of SBS include subdural hemorrhage and retinal bleeding. It was found that shaking alone, in the absence of other signs of trauma such as broken ribs, bruising, neck damage, is not sufficient to produce these symptoms. However, presentation of these symptoms even in the absence of other factors, is taken as evidence of excessive shaking by medical practitioners, child welfare agencies and the legal profession.
In the cases mentioned in the article the parents were accused and charged on this basis, whereas use of the stricter criteria implied by the research would have cast doubt on the guilt of the accused.
The inference I draw from this is that in the case of horrifying crimes such as child abuse, society becomes most zealous in condemning and punishing alleged perpetrators, sometimes to excess. I am reminded of other instances of blame which were discovered to be unfounded. Dr. Charles Smith, a pathologist in Toronto, gave evidence leading to a number of people being imprisoned, his evidence later being found to be false. There was a scandal in North East England where many allegations of serious abuse turned out to be without foundation. There were stories of children being involved in satanic rites that were found to be examples of False Memory Syndrome, ie. where accounts are influenced by leading questions enthusiastically posed by welfare workers.
I don't want to diminish my or others' outrage at verified cases of child abuse, but it seems to me that there is something in human nature that is too eager to find fault wherever there is any suspicion of wrong-doing, especially in this kind of crime.
ps. Another link here.
I only give a brief outline of the conclusions reached by various investigators. The signs of SBS include subdural hemorrhage and retinal bleeding. It was found that shaking alone, in the absence of other signs of trauma such as broken ribs, bruising, neck damage, is not sufficient to produce these symptoms. However, presentation of these symptoms even in the absence of other factors, is taken as evidence of excessive shaking by medical practitioners, child welfare agencies and the legal profession.
In the cases mentioned in the article the parents were accused and charged on this basis, whereas use of the stricter criteria implied by the research would have cast doubt on the guilt of the accused.
The inference I draw from this is that in the case of horrifying crimes such as child abuse, society becomes most zealous in condemning and punishing alleged perpetrators, sometimes to excess. I am reminded of other instances of blame which were discovered to be unfounded. Dr. Charles Smith, a pathologist in Toronto, gave evidence leading to a number of people being imprisoned, his evidence later being found to be false. There was a scandal in North East England where many allegations of serious abuse turned out to be without foundation. There were stories of children being involved in satanic rites that were found to be examples of False Memory Syndrome, ie. where accounts are influenced by leading questions enthusiastically posed by welfare workers.
I don't want to diminish my or others' outrage at verified cases of child abuse, but it seems to me that there is something in human nature that is too eager to find fault wherever there is any suspicion of wrong-doing, especially in this kind of crime.
ps. Another link here.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Long and the Short
Cosmologists and theoretical physicists seem to be struggling a bit to make progress in their fields. Cosmologists don't seem to be able to fit the various theories as to the origin of the universe to the equations describing the physics of the universe as far as it is known; the Standard Model, whatever that is. On offer is: creation from nothing, or continuous creation. A sudden rapid expansion followed by steady expansion. A finite universe. An infinite universe. (There may be others) Without mentioning god, there has even been a suggestion that some intelligent entity may need to be postulated to explain the origin. It seems to me though that any such being still needs to be explained.
In any case I think it's very hard to visualise infinity, and just as hard to visualise a beginning and end with nothing on either side.
Theoretical physicists are searching hard for the Higgs Boson, an elusive elementary particle that, if it exists, apparently will complete the explanation of matter at the most fundamental level, as it provides mass to otherwise massless particles. Though there seem to have been tantalising hints of it, scientists are not sure if what they are seeing is the imprint of the Higgs, or if it will do as they hope if they do find it. Once again a question of satisfying equations, if my limited understanding is correct.
It may be that there are things we shall never know, in terms of a complete explanation of the largest and smallest aspects of our universe. Considering the age of the universe and the minute proportion of it that the human race will exist, it seems to me not surprising that we cannot know how it began or will end. Any explanation is an inference from observable data, and, however sound, cannot be verified directly. In the sub-microscopic area, explanations are also derived indirectly from the results of particles colliding at high speeds.
The philosopher Colin McGuinn considers that consciousness may be beyond our capacity to understand, in terms of how it is brought about by inanimate cells. He has been labelled a Mysterian. Perhaps that title will be applied to scientists in those other fields at the edge of knowledge.
In any case I think it's very hard to visualise infinity, and just as hard to visualise a beginning and end with nothing on either side.
Theoretical physicists are searching hard for the Higgs Boson, an elusive elementary particle that, if it exists, apparently will complete the explanation of matter at the most fundamental level, as it provides mass to otherwise massless particles. Though there seem to have been tantalising hints of it, scientists are not sure if what they are seeing is the imprint of the Higgs, or if it will do as they hope if they do find it. Once again a question of satisfying equations, if my limited understanding is correct.
It may be that there are things we shall never know, in terms of a complete explanation of the largest and smallest aspects of our universe. Considering the age of the universe and the minute proportion of it that the human race will exist, it seems to me not surprising that we cannot know how it began or will end. Any explanation is an inference from observable data, and, however sound, cannot be verified directly. In the sub-microscopic area, explanations are also derived indirectly from the results of particles colliding at high speeds.
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