Artist builds temple for Science September 30, 2008

I read this interview with artist Jonathan Keats about his creation of The Atheon, a temple devoted to science. Instead of stained-glass windows there are replications of cosmic microwave background radiation patterns. Keats said his purpose was to challenge people’s dogmas about religion and science, and to envision what a place devoted to science worship might look like. The website describes it as “a secular temple devoted to scientific worship.”  Keats is also known for his Petri Dish God artwork.

I post this mainly because it is an artist exploring science using architecture. I think it is a creative and artistic format in which to tackle the exploration of science. For people who are interested in viewing the science temple, The Atheon is housed in the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California.

However, I also feel that I have to editorialize a little on this subject.

I for one do not agree with the idea that science and religion can be compared in the manner that Keats is trying to do. Science is a discipline like Economics or English that works to better understand the world around us. These types of disciplines – Science, Sociology, Civics - are continuously changing as more is learned. Religion is by definition a belief system, usually based on a code of morals and system of behaviors that people have faith in – that is belief without physical proof – and use its teachings to shape their lives. These beliefs are passed down for generations and (mostly) do not change. Science and Religion are two separate systems.

As full disclosure, I am an Atheist. And I concede that Religion and Science have been linked since the middle ages, if not earlier. Religion has been used to explain scientific questions for a long time. Yet all this does not mean that as both systems grow and mature they cannot, and in fact should, branch out into separate entities. As both Religion and Science as subjects of study have evolved, we have found that they answer entirely different questions. In fact, I think that by continuing to draw the parallel between them is in fact polarizing the two subjects, when a belief in a higher power and pursuing scientific endeavors are totally compatible.  

Obviously, this art installation is meant to make people think about their assumption on science, religion, worship, art, what is awe-inspiring, and to be inspired to feel whatever they feel. I would be interested to actually visit the installation and actually see how Keat’s concept has been executed.

Wearable light September 29, 2008

I’ve been getting fascinated recently with the idea of wearable LED fashion. I have found a lot of different websites featuring DIY LED clothing projects. Some example:
A bracelet
Baby booties
T-shirts

Some LEDs are showing up on pre-designed fashion wear, but most of the light-up clothing I’ve found has been on DIY websites, which I find interesting.

No more Kodachrome? September 26, 2008

Yes friends, it looks like Kodak is no longer printing Kodachrome, the film that makes those awesome slides your parents probably tried to show you, with no confirmation as to whether or not they will make more. I am saddened by this news, only because, like records, while Kodachrome may seem outdated, the pictures my parents took back in the 70s of Mexico and other exotic locales are still in excellent shape today. People insist that digital is a better way of storing photo data, but it was still nice to know there was an analogue back-up option.

Animals making art September 25, 2008

Just a quick profile of different animals that have been trained by humans to make art.

People can infer all they want out of this: are animals smarter than we think they are? Do animals actually have a sense of aesthetics or artistry? Are humans imposing their idea of intelligence and creativity onto animals? Should chimps really be given magic markers?

Neolithic optical art September 24, 2008

An exhibition is being shown at the Vatican until the end of October featuring art by the Cucuteni-Trypillia civilization, believed to have existed in Europe (or at least been at their most populous and artifact-productive) about 7000 years ago. Not much is known about the group, but one defining feature of the culture is that every 60 – 80 years they would purposfully burn down entire an city, filled with thousands of homes, and move to a new location.

Not only was this group arguably the first large organized civilization in all of Europe, but the art seen on their pottery and on old walls and ceilings has been fascinating to try and understand. The art uses repeating lines, circles, and spirals. All of  the designs have geometric elements, and are very similar in style to today’s optical illusion art. Many modern cultures use geometrical shapes in their artwork, but this is one of the earliest archaeological records of its use, and particularly by an organized civilization.

The physics of ballet September 23, 2008

This is a great article about a physicist’s love and study of ballet. It provides a look at the physics of the human body, and how using physics to analyze art does not deconstruct the art, and how using art to explain and exemplify physics principles doesn’t diminish the science. The article itself is also a great piece of writing, with the writer beautifully conveying the love and excitement physicist Ken Laws has for both Ballet and Physics, and how he has been able to combine both his loves.

Play games, help the future September 22, 2008

This isn’t straight-up art, but it’s an interesting experiment being done that incorporates game design, technology, political science and predictive models, and saving the world!

Discover Magazine has a great article about the whole thing. The game is called Superstruct, created by the think tank Institute for the Future. The concept is similar to SimCity; players will run different disaster scenarios and try to come to a reasonable solution on how to fix them. The scientists’ concept is to then steal those great, pre-tested ideas and possibly use them in real life. The game doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun to me, but then I didn’t think that working to build a metropolis would be fun either, and I was addicted to that game as a kid (and yes I used some of the cheats).

The link to the game seems to be up and running, but now they’re saying the game won’t launch until October 6 (the Discover article said it would launch today). It’ll be interesting to see if this game is picked up at all, and if so what results they get from it in a couple of years.

Deciphering code the old-fashioned way September 19, 2008

There’s nothing better than tricking people into helping out, especially in the name of history and science.

For the last couple of decades libraries and other literary repositories have been digitally scanning ancient texts so that they can be preserved and read by future generations. There is a problem, though: computers cannot always read the loopy writing or scribbles of some of the antiquated authors, or some of the page might be missing entirely.

At the same time, many websites have safety measures in place that prevent bots from impersonating people and getting into private information stored online. One of the most common safety measures is asking a person to decipher a jumbled piece of text.

Hey, said Luis von Ahn of Carnegie Mellon University, why don’t we put the two together? von Ahn and his team developed reCAPTCHA, a computer program that allows websites to insert undecipherable words into their security programs, and real-life humans figure out what the ancient author was trying to say, without realizing that they’re helping literary scholars all over the world. von Ahn says the program has been “deployed in more than 40,000 Web sites and has transcribed over 440 million words.” Unfortunately you have to be a member of the AAAS to read the whole article.

Just think of that the next time you want to do some online shopping - you could be deciphering a copy of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Defend against fake fashion September 18, 2008

And I’m not just talking about plaid jacket-and-pant sets (trust me, they don’t even look cool as a retro statement).

High fashion, haute couture designers like Stitch Ministry at this year’s Fashion Week introduced both flame-proof wool and chemically treated fibers woven into fabric to prove that that dress you’re wearing was made by the actual designer, and not some cheap knock off.

Just to show how out of the loop I am on fashion, I have never heard of this designer before, so I have no idea how important or easy it would be to create a fake version of one of their outfits. I guess for people who do know who Stitch Ministry is and are willing to pay big bucks for their clothes, it’s a big deal.

Preserving sound September 17, 2008

Denny McAlpine in Scotland has a passion for antique instruments, particularly playing them. But since so many of them are in disrepair or can barely stand on their own four feet, he has been working to electronically capture the true sounds of harpsichords and pianos and catalogue them so that musicians today are able to play pieces as they would have sound 100s of years ago. Here is the BBC story, which goes into wonderful detail about the different challenges McAlpine came across when trying to capture the sounds, and how he overcame them.