Abstract Art Portfolio

Triangle windmill, 2004

Doodle, 2004

Decreasing Tessellation, 2004

Tessellation, 2004

Tessellation to illustrate what a tessellation was, 2004 in Taiwan

Smoother decreasing tessellation, 2004

First tessellation, 2003

Nine-sided knot tessellation, 2003

Continuation of a triangle into a tessellation, 2003

Attempt at a color wheel without the necessary colors, 2004

Graph for dodecagonal tessellations, 2004

Tongue-wagger, 2004

Pretty Lady, 2004

Cartoon Dancer, 2006

Graph for three-sided knot puzzle piece tessellation, 2006

Graph for three-sided chessboard and tessellations, 2006

Knot tessellation, 2006

Two-type knot tessellation, 2006

Knot tessellation in matrix, 2006

Tessellation, 2006

Dichrome study, 2006

Triangle tessellation graph, 2005

Clashing colors, 2000

Mountains tessellation, 2006

Claw tessellation, 2006

Dove tessellation origin, 2006

Conception of a repeating block print tessellation, 2005

Missing pieces, 2002

Art portfolio

Study of Calvin, Made in and art class at New River Community College, Fall 2006

Coliseum, Fall 2006

Anne Sparkin, 1.15.2004

Minimalist studies, 2010

My name, in absence, 2010

Geronimo, 2003

Study of my father's photo, 2003

Study of Martha's Vineyard publication, 2002

Study of National Geographic Andes Volcano photo, 2005

Study of Van Gogh's hospital, 2004

Sunset in Vineyard Haven, Summer 2005

Modern Iconoclasty

I read in a libertarian-minded article recently (how's that for proper citational format?) that the modern iconoclast (don't worry, I looked it up too) is the person saying "don't worry, be happy". What was meant was that the norm of media fearmongering and consequential 24/7 hype over the latest developments in inconsequential world regions has incited an opposition of people bent on optimism. How great is it that all we must do to be rebellious is not worry, that to fulfil a desire to be different we must only be contently pacified? I like it.

I'm going to initiate a retaliatory war against the wannabe terrified world. I'm going to tell people not to worry so much about the fate of other countries or our own country, about our health or our driving. When I'm burning at the stake I'll look into their fear-addled eyes and start singing the peaceful regge; "don't worry, be happy now..."

Tax the rich!

Just noticed something which may be quite a revelation. 

When people say a tax should be levied, they're never the ones who are affected. "The RICH should be taxed more" or "CORPORATIONS should be taxed more" or "IMPORTS should be taxed more. People always reveal what they know about themselves by indicating the opposite in others who should be taxed. So, a person is poor if they believe the rich should be taxed. If a rich person calls for higher taxes on the rich, he's revealing his own financial weakness. If anyone wants higher taxes and has the money to pay for them, let him simply write an unprompted check to the treasury and encourage others to do so.

Iranian vs. American government

This article suggests a strategy for liberating Iran. It doesn't suggest military use, coercion, or any form of force at all, but promotes the exploitation of a flaw in the Iranian government's governing: their lack of quality education. Through opening our borders to Iranian college students, we would (1) drain the country of talented students, (2) install into the country pro-America Iranians (assuming the international students enjoyed their stay here) and (3) reveal to these students just how repressive their government is by juxtaposing it with ours (assuming our govt appears less oppressive, that is).

This would help Iran by (hopefully) instilling a love of liberty in the younger generation, which would eventually lead to the government there being less oppressive for Iranians. Americans would benefit from the increase in tuition payments from these new students and from an eventual peace with Iran. American Government, least importantly, would benefit from the eventual decrease of Iranian hostility toward America.

Once again, our government stepping out of an issue could benefit everyone now involved!

Somehow, the US government, having started with the noble cause of being left alone, unmolested by a colonizing world power, has become what it once abhorred. How much better it could be for both Iran and America if both were left to their business and both respected the other's ground. How much better it could be if that most peacemaking enterprise, free and unrestricted trade, were applied instead of sanctions.

Some thoughts

In a recent conversation with an older member of society I was informed of the sad death of map navigation in the wake of widespread GPS usage. At the time I agreed that losing the ability to read maps and navigate with them was a bad precedent, but I have now convinced myself otherwise. Learning to use a more sophisticated (yet easier to operate) technology to accomplish the same tasks we've always performed with an adequate technology is great. Even forgetting the old methods of navigation isn't necessarily bad. After all, who but the odd enthusiast enjoys navigating using sextants and compasses? These are obsolete not because they don't work, but because it takes more effort and thought to use them. They were never used by anywhere near the percentage of the US population that now uses GPS. And, instead of clogging our time with the discrete minutia of celestial or street-map utilization we can use it to actually go where we are going. GPS frees up our time by taking little of it, frees up our mind by demanding near none of it, and empowers more of us to travel wherever we wish by enabling our safe navigation of unfamiliar territory.

The old ways are not the best ways, if they were they'd be the current ways. The most effective and efficient are, without doubt, the most popular. Nostalgia, whether for the topographic maps of yesteryear or for the flint tools of the stone age is misguided and not thought out. Let knowledge die! The knowledge that it truly useful is always used and will only be forgotten when obsolete.

The Highly Annoyed Gardener Presents

Plants Deer Don't Eat

• Astilbe
• Pulmonaria
• Huechera
• Dicentra
• Aruncus
• Asarum
• Podophyllum
• Ligularia
• Thymus
• Yucca

Things Deer DO Eat:

• Lead, if thrust in their faces fast enough
• Salt-licks laced with Cyanide, Poison Hemlock, 1080, or any other good mammalian poison
• Your wildlife-loving soul