Iraffa's Journal

2:38pm: Mandelbrot, the Fractal Bear



Very cool; made by someone named Mouse. However, a real fractal bear would have infinite surface area and require an infinite amount of fur, because there would forever be more bear heads and arms popping out. They would soon be smaller than an atom, but that's no barrier for fractals. I do believe there would be an upper limit on the volume, but I don't know exactly how to prove that. I suspect you put the whole bear in a box and prove he will never out-grow it.


via boingboing

12:24pm: Space Giraffes


Here's a long over-due concept from the witty and very talented eselgeist who apparently was inspired by the song,”Put your ass in the air”. Ah... creativity at work. :-) Clicking the picture will lead to larger versions.

11:37pm: Nerdy giraffe stuff
Mucking around with operating systems is not my most favorite activity, but if you don't want your computer pwnd by someone everyone else, you just gotta do it.

( Read more... )

4:01pm: Trans fats worse than ever
Food for thought:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070730.wltrans30/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

It seems like an uphill battle to avoid this stuff, but it's probably worth the effort.

1:24pm: Pesky Zebras


"So, you saw a lion. Big deal."

5:39pm: Looking Ahead
( computer philosophizing )

11:42am: Acrocanthosaurus
Life-sized museum model: ( dino-sized images )

8:37am: TEF Abiogenesis
The Endless Forest is a networked multi-player game where you get to be a stag deer. The Abiogensis is a fantastic show of music and imagery with the developers actively creating the experience for the players. It lasts about 45 or 50 minutes and is a near-continuous display of beauty and strangeness to the point of surrealism.

I got to attend the May 6 performance and made lots of screen captures. I've editted these down to where hopefully they give a good view of the show.

[Edit] 10May TEF Abiogenesis - Part 2: Added 1 image

8:29am: TEF Abiogenesis - Part 1
( ABIOGENESIS (Very large: 20+ images) )

8:24am: TEF Abiogenesis - Part 2
( Continuation )

8:15am: TEF Abiogenesis - Part 3
( Destination )

12:44am: The Endless Forest - Church Ruin
There is an old church ruin in The Endless Forest and it's beautifully recreated. It was made from the design of a real monastery. It's just a nice place to wander around and explore. I hate to seem serious in this game all the time, but walking through a long abandoned church and cemetery lends itself to contemplative thoughts. So, I've made a little story here with pictures to sort of show the place.


( Ancient Church )

10:53pm: More of the Endless Forest
This game has just been so unique.
( A short story )

2:32am: The Endless Forest



The Endless Forest is a wonderful place. It's a world where you live as a deer along with other deer. Your life involves doing deer-type things as well as casting magical spells. There's no talking, just sounds of Nature.

( Read more... )

9:15pm: Words Fail Me


The story is here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4670000/newsid_4676900/4676904.stm

9:25pm: Dinosaur on the roof

You've all seen those huge inflatable balloons that businesses use to get your attention. Well, this one is definitely my favorite so far. What's not to like about a big apatosaurus filled with air? And this one is very friendly looking. :-) I wonder if he'll eventually wind up on eBay?



( Big pics of a big dino )

1:02pm: XaoS


I was watching a show where Arthur C. Clark was talking about fractals, so, naturally, I had to go look for a fractal program, because shiny, glow-y pictures are irresistible. And I found XaoS, which is a free open source program and is just wonderful. It's fast and easy to use. You simply hold down the mouse button and zoom in and in and in until you're dizzy. :) But to create some of the really amazing images you'll need to go through a few of the tutorials. Now, if you're looking for a fun way to waste hours playing with your computer, this is it!

http://xaos.sourceforge.net/

11:42am: At the Station
Just driving cross country, I found an old railroad station that was really nice to explore. When looking at a place like that, I always wonder about the people who came and went from there. Who was the last one? And if there ever was a town here, there's certainly not much of one left now.

( Large images. Click at your own risk. )

12:09am: Hard Drives
I think I'm little different here. About hard drives.
( Read more... )

7:00pm: Dumb
Flash music video with Nirvana and a teddy bear. Kinda creepy in a dysfunctional sort of way, but interesting to look at.
( Read more... )

10:34pm: Totem Animal Quiz

You scored as Stag. You are the Stag. You enjoy your independence and lead a pretty balanced life. Your pride can sometimes get in the way, but it helps you out at times. </td> Stag 100% Deer 92% Dragon 83% Eagle 83% Bear 75% Crow 67% Fox 67% Salmon 67% Dog 58% Horse 58% Bull 50% Wolf 50% Snake 42% Ram 42% Which animal totem best suits you? created with QuizFarm.com

The quiz doesn't have giraffes, but this is pretty close: Stag / deer / dragon :)

2:04pm: The Dream
The Dream





I'm not normally fond of ballet, nor even all that interested in Shakespeare. But when I saw that PBS was going to broadcast a ballet of Midsummer Night's Dream, I thought I would at least check it out. And I'm glad I did. It was a really good show. I suppose, it would be reasonable to expect that if anyone could give life to a donkey costume, it should be a ballet dancer.

( Blurry impressionistic images here )

6:03pm: Educated Giraffes
This is Stars with his cloned twin.




They're sad because they just realized that they're civilized now and can no longer run naked on the Savannah.

2:23pm: Hello LJ Readers
I am here.