Riding the Waves
chaoticutopia | February 23, 2007Since the problems mentioned in my last post seem to have compounded* I've decided to wait until next week to post the conclusion to the "Power of Water." In the meantime, I'll share some casual distractions. (Just in case you need a break as much as I do.) The theme of these distractions might be "water" or perhaps just plain "weirdness." The theme may be "waves" or maybe it's "battles". I won't promise anything. That's chaos for you... you never know exactly how it will turn out.
Note: (*) We had one leak fixed, only to discover another. Luckily, we had this one fixed before it caused any…
chaoticutopia | February 14, 2007
Last Valentine's Day, I posted a few fictional pieces describing different aspects of romantic relationships-a tender sonnet for the hopelessly romantic and a wicked horror story for the bitter and jaded.
This year, I seem to be running behind. So, rather than highlight the extremes of love, I thought I'd go for the ambiguous. The following poem is a recent work of mine, and I haven't had time to polish it up as I would like, so it is a little rougher than usual. It captures the idea I was looking for... that a relationship of any sort requires some give and take, some yielding, in order to…
chaoticutopia | February 14, 2007I missed my regular blogging time yesterday, as I was scratching my head, trying to solve Kevin Beck's latest logic problem. In the end, I figured it out, but it was a tough one. I've always been a fan of these types of puzzles, and this one was particularly delightful, and not just for the challenge it posed. You see, some of the characters, sporting outlandish styles and odd habits, seemed a little familiar. I was shocked to discover that.... er.... well, I can't tell you, without spoiling the solution. I'll let you figure it out for yourself. Good luck!
chaoticutopia | January 31, 2007I've been in a creative mood this week, and I decided to take it out on my notebook pc:
Many people like to personalize their laptops with a unique bumper sticker or something similar. I couldn't find the right sticker, so I ended up doing my own thing. I took a bit of inspiration from the week of spirals I posted this last November, especially the pop art mosaic spiral. First, I painted a black background, then used some decoupage medium (gooey stuff that dries hard and clear) to seal in the tiles. The "tiles" are bits of scrapbook and origami paper, mixed with a few photos and a few of my…
chaoticutopia | January 13, 2007Everybody else is doing it.... who am I to argue with peer pressure?
Now, you can be cool too, make your own library catalogue card, here.
chaoticutopia | January 10, 2007Here's a collection of odd things I've run across in the last week or so. A fireball from space here, maps of the future there, general chaos everywhere, and someone riding the waves... just go with the flow.
First, last week, the skies over our head were glowing in the darkest hour, just before dawn. A chunk of Russian spacecraft, an SL-4 rocket body plummeted to earth, flaring into a giant fireball before crashing into the middle of Wyoming. Fun stuff. My husband happened to be outside at the time, taking a break from his assembly of the daily news clips. Although our view to the north is…
chaoticutopia | January 9, 2007I spent long enough thinking about my last entry, that I forgot to announce my news. I've been admitted to the University of Colorado at Boulder, in the Environmental Studies program. I still need to make a few contacts to establish a double major, and study philosophy as well. (Perhaps I can eventually focus on the flow of being!) It's a great oppourtunity, and I'm pretty excited. Of course, this means that I'll be spending the next week scrambling to be registered and set up for the start of spring semester which is about a week away. That's chaos for ya... I'll still be riding the waves…
chaoticutopia | January 6, 2007It's hard to believe I've been blogging for a year now. In some ways, I still feel like a newb, struggling to put up my three or so posts a week. Yet, when I look back at all the work I've done in the last year, I'm amazed at all that I did. Choosing the "best of Chaotic Utopia" was no easier than choosing a favorite among my fractals. The subjects and formats I've covered have been incredibly diverse, yet, as I've seen while writing the outline for my latest book, they all seem to be driving at the same idea.
That is, we live in a world rich in complex patterns... where most everything we…
chaoticutopia | January 2, 2007I'll admit, I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions. It isn't that I don't like setting goals... but vowing to make a major lifestyle change with a time limit does seem to be asking for trouble. After all, there will always be a touch of chaos. With that in mind, I actually made a resolution last year, and more astonishingly, kept it. In fact, you're looking at it... this blog.
Chaotic Utopia was around before 2006, but rarely seen. I had a collection of essays, stories, poems, doodles, and ideas that (to me) seemed rather important (though I wasn't completely sure why) stored on…
chaoticutopia | December 20, 2006What do you do when stuck at home in a blizzard? Why, build a snow fort, of course:
And, inside, to wish you a Merry Winter Solstice, is the king of the fort, Roland:
chaoticutopia | December 19, 2006I get strange searches from google or yahoo all the time, from queries about facial hair to blowing things up. It isn't too unusual for a search engine to come up with sites unrelated to the original query, so I usually give these searches little more than a cursory glance. One search from yahoo last week, however, caught my eye:
disorder to describe ability to find meaning in random information wikipedia
For once, I thought, "kid, you've come to the right place." Not that they stayed... the link (#6 in the search list) led to my story, "Illusions in Lavender", which describes the world as…
chaoticutopia | December 17, 2006Finally! Well, sort of... my caricature, along with all the other ScienceBloggers, appears in the middle of the next issue of Seed Magazine, and also here. You'll find me lurking off to the sides, looking sort of evil. ;-)
chaoticutopia | December 7, 2006Ken over at Prospero's Books recently tagged me with this prying meme, asking me to list five things about myself that most people don't know. When I first considered the task, I realized there are many things about me that are relatively unknown... but I'm not quite willing to share them all in such a public venue. (Ah, call me a party-pooper if you wish.) There are a few things, however, that most of my readers may not know about me, that I am willing to share. They might even be shocking. Well, maybe not.
#1. I've only had 7 birthdays.
#2. I love baking bread. I enjoy cooking, in…
chaoticutopia | November 28, 2006Since I'm a little behind on, well... everything (housework, postings, academic deadlines, Christmas shopping, sleep, etc.,) I figured the least I could do was share another spiral delight. I ran across this mosaic of flickr images while browsing for my "Thanksgiving decorations":
If you click this incredible spiral collage, you'll be taken to the full, interactive version at coverpop.com. If you roll your mouse over the images there, the titles will appear along with a linked preview of the original. The image was designed by Jim Bumgardner, who is known for such oddities as creating the…
chaoticutopia | November 22, 2006What makes the perfect Thanksgiving turkey gravy? Depending on your preference, it might be the smooth texture, the rich flavor, or the glossy sheen. No matter what the end result, the magic of gravy lies in the science of starch.
So, what is a starch, exactly? A starch is a complex carbohydrate; in other words, a fancy chain of sugars. Simple sugars form neat little rings that dissolve readily in water, making a uniform solution. Starches, on the other hand, have bonds arranged differently, and form amorphous semi-crystalline layers. This arrangement allows the starch to absorb water, rather…
chaoticutopia | November 13, 2006Here's a very short poem about battle or riding the waves... that doesn't actually mention waves or chaos for once:
Casting Pebbles
Each pebble,
Under your foot,
Is meant to be there,
Holding together
The path of your life.
Kick a single pebble,
And find the path
Has changed its course.
(such inevitable change)
Yet with a careful eye,
You may spot jewels,
Along the path of life.
Find rubies and emeralds,
Unique, enduring gems,
Tossed and captured
In your invariable wake.
KLF (11/13/2006)
chaoticutopia | November 7, 2006The day is upon us, the first Tuesday in November, good old election day.
I could, as the "Ask a ScienceBlogger" question of the week requests, discuss the most important political races local to me, or explain why certain ballot initiatives are important, while others are not. But, chances are, you're getting tired of that, and need a break.
So, since you've already gone to vote...
(You have, haven't you?)
...here are a few web-based delights to celebrate election day.
Have you ever wanted to throw tomatoes at that one sleazy congressman? How about unleashing a massive flood on Global…
chaoticutopia | October 31, 2006It was ghoulish! It was macabre!
Ok, so it was just my son, "Count" Roland:
He may be the only one brave enough to walk past the zombies and decapitated heads to ring the doorbell tonight. Or, everyone else is home, trick-or-treating in cyberspace. Now you can too! Or, courtesy of the same site, you can sneak into a mad scientist's laboratory in an enjoyable point and click adventure, fun for the whole family. Enjoy, and have a happy Halloween!
chaoticutopia | October 31, 2006Ok, so, I may have made my porch a little too spooky this Halloween:
So far, I haven't had a single trick-or-treater. That means... all the candy is mine!!! All mine!!!
Oh... wait... there's a knock at the door...
(Be right back)
chaoticutopia | October 22, 2006You awaken in a gloomy, unfamiliar hotel room, unsure of anything--even your own identity. You can search the room, or the dark alleys beyond, and discover the answers, but beware. Each clue may only serve to deepen the mystery, and you'll soon discover, there are only 8 Days.
This week, talented French game design team Anode and Cathode released the first chapters of their latest creation, 8 Days. I discovered their games a while back through my favorite game review site, JayIsGames. After playing a few of their games, such as The Museum, I signed on to their mailing list, to hear about…