#metamorphic modulations

[scarlett-bitch69]

Metamorphic Modulations: Shimmering Divinity ✨ 💫 Shabine Dreams

[justbegneiss]

Hello! I'm a high schooler considering going into geology, as I've always been interested in it. What's it like studying geology? What are the hardest classes in your opinion? And ofc any other advice/info you want to add.

Thanks for reading this ask :)

Hi!

Sorry, have been out all weekend at a competition. But to answer you - I adore my degree. I'm studying earth science (which geology is a subset of) so this mightn't fully be accurate. However, i went in knowing just above the basics - 2 examples of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, the rock cycle, water cycle, general theories (tectonics). I was never SUPER into it but its just grown and grown the more I have learned.

The hardest class for me rn is Tectonics and structural geology : quite hard to visualise if youre not a 3d thinker but there are ways around that issue. I also found oceanography challenging, espeically regarding the mathematical sides. Get familar with excel - even just watching a couple yt videos : nothing too in depth (lol). Not a huge paleo fan - or climate past or present. It's so important , but unfortunately not my kind of thing to study!

My favourite classes this year is metamorphic and igneous rocks : so the geology side is definitely one of my strengths so please reach out with any questions (can't gaureantee I can answer but I shall try!)

Its just such a broad subject , if you can take a look at modules /classes within the course/major/degree that'll give a good idea of what areas to expect and point you in the right direction. But don't worry if you havent any idea - I didn't either (and im still unsure and that's ok!!) ! really hope this is helpful and not too rambly!

[thehourmarkers]

MB&F’s HM8 Mark 2 Supercar For The Wrist Get A Racy Sapphire Blue Bodywork

The enthusiasm for cars and watches is often a shared affinity for mechanical marvels. Be it the growling roar of a naturally-aspirated V8 or the meticulously precise oscillation of a balance wheel, the allure of a perfectly choreographed motion of components is a fascination for many. Among the ones inspired, is a dreamer, a watch designer, an irresistibly adorable personality and none other than the founder of MB&F - Maximilian Büsser. As a blossoming child, Max always dreamt about being a car designer. While the universe had a parallel plan for him, his realized career path never restricted his creative and magnificent exhibition of automotive affinity. This got metamorphized as a wrist adornment in the form of HM5 launched in 2012. The dream peaked when Max introduced the HM8 in 2016 which refined further to yield the HM8 Mark 2 in 2023. Now the supercar inspired design gets wheeled off as a limited edition of 33 timepieces featuring titanium chassis and a sapphire blue bodywork.

A Watch Built Like a Car

Tracing the automotive inspired design cues for the HM8 Mark 2 won’t be a hassle for true petrolheads. The aesthetic boasts significant design cues hinting towards the trademark aesthetic of the Porsche 918 Spyder. Just like an automobile, only this time fit for the wrist, we get a 30 meters water-resistant chassis which houses its powerhouse, a three-dimensional engine featuring jumping hour and trailing minutes displays, evoking the speedometer aesthetic of the 70s. The movement is based on a Girard-Perregaux caliber packing in a mileage of 42 hours from a full tank. It revs, beats harmonically, at a rate of 28,800 vph and is constructed from a total of 247 components with a 22k gold rotor being the true masterstroke in its construction.

Although this 2024 iteration of the HM8 Mark 2 features updates limited to cosmetic nuances, they sure let the timepiece express its automotive roots even better. The bodywork gets a metallic pigment paintwork, just like we see in supercars. It’s constructed from MB&F exclusive CarbonMacrolon composite material for added strength and rigidity. The metallic sapphire blue hues evoke a deep automotive allure and surely strike all the right chords, for horology aficionados and car lovers alike. Paired with a sporty and white calfskin strap, the overall package feels very racy.

The translation of automotive essence isn’t limited to aesthetic inspiration but mechanical nuances and nomenclature as well. Its crown is a one-of-a-kind system featuring a ‘double de-clutch’ system for engagement or activation. Positioned at its posterior side, the crown required a push-twist motion for extraction.

Our Thoughts

The metallic sapphire blue hue is a welcome addition to the HM8 Mark 2 series. It further accentuates its automotive essence and makes it appear even sportier. Just like the Porsche 918 Spyder on which it's aesthetically based, the timepiece feels and appears to be racing away at 200 mph even while being still on the wrist. The glossy aesthetic makes it feel even more aerodynamic, a true secret in gaining on the last few notches of speed which make all the difference between being the first to cross the checkered flag or the one among losers. After all, Ayrton Senna poetically expressed the notion as, “Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose.”

HM8 MARK 2 - TECHNICAL DETAILS

HM8 Mark 2 is available: in titanium and green CarbonMacrolon® body panels limited to 33 pieces; in titanium and white CarbonMacrolon® body panels; in titanium and blue CarbonMacrolon® body panels limited to 33 pieces.

Engine Three-dimensional horological engine, composed of a jumping hour and trailing minutes module developed in-house by MB&F, powered by a Girard-Perregaux base movement. Mechanical movement, automatic winding 22K gold automatic winding rotor Power reserve: 42 hours Balance frequency: 28,800bph/4Hz. Number of components: 247 components Number of jewels: 30 jewels

Functions/indications Bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes, displayed by dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.

Case Grade 5 titanium with green, white or blue CarbonMacrolon® Dimensions: 47 x 41.5 x 19 mm Number of components: 42 Water resistance: 30m / 90’ / 3atm

Sapphire crystals Sapphire crystals on top, front and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.

Strap & Buckle Calfskin strap - white for the British green and sapphire blue models and green for the white model with a titanium tang buckle.

[trekmiral]

Airbridge broadband

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The insertion loss of a quarter wavelength transmission line is, as a result of the narrow line width, in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 dB around 300 GHz (see Fig.The relevance of a compact PA design regarding the feasibility of packaging into waveguide modules, on-chip integration as well as efficient power combining was introduced in Section I.In the following section, the authors first give a brief overview on the 35-nm mHEMT technology used in this work.When considering packaging and on-chip integration of PA circuits, there are many reasons to strive for very compact dimensions of the PA circuit.Demonstrate real-world scenarios at distances well above 100 m, the 300-GHz output power performance on MMIC level needs to be improved above 20 mW, which is demonstrated in this work.Color versions of one or more of the figures in this article are available online at.Index Terms-InGaAs mHEMT, solid-state power amplifier, sub-mm-wave operation.The PA MMICs are designed for a reduced chip width while maximizing the total gate width of 512 μm in the output stage, using a compact topology based on cascode and common-source devices, improving the output power per required chip width significantly.read more read less State-of-the-art output power performance is reported, achieving at least 13 dBm over the 286–310-GHz frequency band, with a peak output power of 13.7 dBm (23.4 mW) at 300 GHz. The five-stage SSPA MMICs achieve a measured small-signal gain around 20 dB over the 280–335-GHz frequency band. The Wilkinson combiners are designed using elevated coplanar waveguide and air-bridge thin-film transmission lines in order to implement low-loss 70-Ω lines in the back-end-of-line of this InGaAs mHEMT technology. Two power amplifier MMICs are reported, based on a compact unit amplifier cell, which is parallelized two times using two different Wilkinson power combiners. The technology used is a 35-nm gate-length InGaAs metamorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (mHEMT) technology. To enable the guest network on an SSID, in the Wireless Settings - Access Point section, select the Guest Network check box.Abstract: In this article, we report on compact solid-state power amplifier (SSPA) millimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs) covering the 280–330-GHz frequency range.You can make more changes ( including on other pages) or apply the changes now. The Wireless Settings page displays again.Ī pop-up window opens showing the number of changes to be applied. Your settings are saved to be applied later. To enable and configure a new 5 GHz SSID, select Enabled.įor more information on configuring the 5 GHz SSID settings, see your User Manual.To change the default 5 GHz SSID or another previously enabled 5G SSID, click Edit.In the Wireless Settings- Access Point section, do one of the following:.In the Distance field, enter the approximate distance in kilometers from the AirBridge access point to most WiFi devices.This scans for neighboring access points. You can disable client limits entirely by selecting the Clients Limits Disable check box. The maximum number applies to all clients connected to all 5 GHz SSIDs on the AirBridge. You can specify a lower or higher number WiFi clients. In the Client Limits field, enter the maximum number of WiFi clients.īy default, the limit is 32 clients.To limit the number of clients that can connect to the AirBridge, keep Clients Limits enabled.From the Operation Mode menu, select Access Point.

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If you previously managed the AirBridge through the NETGEAR Insight app or Insight Cloud portal, enter the Insight network password for the Airbridge's Insight location instead of the device password.The Device Status page displays. The user name is admin and the local device password is the one that you created the first time you logged in.

Enter the AirBridge user name and local device password.

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[yatzer]

Featuring 13 large-scale, media-based installations, “LUX: New Wave of Contemporary Art” is an immersive London exhibition that brings together 12 of the world’s most celebrated new media artists and collectives working with the latest audio-visual technologies. Organised by SUUM Project in collaboration with Fact, the exhibition unfolds at @180.studios, a Brutalist edifice in central London which has been transformed into a multipurpose venue and home to several creative brands. The installations, several of which are new commissions, blur the lines between the physical and virtual worlds and expanding the boundaries of interactive and immersive art. . . Featured: (1) Universal Everything @universaleverything, Transfiguration, 2020. 4k digital film with stereo sound depicting a giant walking figure who undergoes a metamorphic change from water to fire, to lava, before cooling to solidify into rock. Held in the collection of Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. (2) Carsten Nicolai, Unicolor, 2014. The work unfolds against a long projection wall with two mirror walls on the side, thus visually expanding into infinity. (3) Es Devlin @esdevlin, BLUESKYWHITE, 2021. A site-specific installation co-commissioned by 180 Studios and LG that takes the form of a 24-meter light tunnel that modulates from portrait to landscape exploring our emotional response to the possible extinction of blue sky. . . The exhibition runs until December 18, 2021. Details: https://www.yatzer.com/lux-new-wave-contemporary-art #yatzer #yatzer_inspiration #180LUX #LUX #SUUMProject #FactMag #180Studios #LGOLEDART #art #kunst #konst #藝術 #アート #هنر #арт #artecontemporanea #modernart #contemporaryart #contemporary_art #kunstwerk #アートワーク #contemporaryexhibition #artwatchers #abstract #artnow #modernsculpture #escultura #sculptureart #مجسمه #installationart (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWXYNe0KoBS/?utm_medium=tumblr

[burlveneer-music]

NYX - Mutualism feat. MA.MOYO - new 10-minute single from the experimental choral group with spoken-word vocal by MA.MOYO; remix EP due in December

“Mutualism” is a metamorphic meditative new track, embodying our relationship with nature, symbiosis transformation and collective consciousness. It was created over lockdown in 2020 through a remote collaboration between 14 multidisciplinary NYX artists and spoken word artist MA.MOYO aka Belinda Zhawi. Responding to interdependence as a necessity negotiated by conflict and compassion, MA.MOYO’s spoken word transformed into a meditation through nature. Each natural element, awakening different physical senses with an invitation to align and connect through a central mantra: “meet me in the middle”.

NYX is an electronic drone choir and otherworldly electric chorus, re-embodying live electronics and extended vocal techniques. With arrangements and original compositions by choir leader Sian O’Gorman, NYX are reshaping the role of the traditional female choir, testing the limits of organic and synthetic modulation to explore the full spectrum of collective female voice as an instrument.

Composer and Producer: Sian O’Gorman Words: MA.MOYO Contributing Vocalists: Adélaïde Pratoussy, Cecilia Forssberg, Kelechi Anucha, MA.MOYO, Ruth Corey, Rebekah Alero, Shireen Qureshi, Sian O’Gorman Saxophone: David Boyce Creative Directors: Josh Thomas, Philippa Neels, Sian O’Gorman Motion Designer and Animator: Nick Cobby 3D Sound Design: Peter Rice Embodiment Director: Imogen Knight Remixes: Anna Wall, Deena Abdelwahed, LCY Mastering: James Rand Executive Producers: Josh Thomas, Philippa Neels Production: NYX Collective Records Ltd. Mutualism was created with the generous support of Arts Council England and Help Musicians UK, PRS Foundation’s Women Make Music.

[naturepointstheway]

Another Semester, another four classes.

So now I’m in the penultimate year of my Geology and Marine Science science degree, and this semester, starting next week, I’ll be taking four classes, with a nice salty splash of Marine Science to go with the geology. I may or may not jump ship with one of the foursome, but I’ll see.

But first...a review of last semester. 

ARCHAEOZOOLOGY 

Oh boy...this one started out so good, and then bungey jumped--without that safety rope thing--to oblivion, especially once it was obvious that the tutor had it in for me just because I had a disability. Like giving me an extra low mark because she didn’t like me and was uncomfortable with differences. Well, I definitely withdrew out of that one real quick, and was quietly ignored.

FIELD STUDIES AND NZ GEOLOGY

This one was hard as fuck, and I was wholly convinced I was going to fail the entire thing, but somehow, it held on with great tenacity. Probably helps that my university added five marks to all the papers once the final exams were over, to account for the extra stress of everything during the lockdown when COVID was at its worst in NZ. But I passed and I’m happy to have this class behind me. 

MINERALS AND ROCKS

This paper is infamous among geology majors for being THE toughest class ever--move over, First Year Health Science. Not to mention I HAD to break my fucking ankle like two weeks before the final exam which meant I could barely study, missed two lectures and a lab, and my brain was all LOL NOPE when I tried to catch up once home after the first surgery. And of course I had a second surgery on my ankle four days before the online exam. 

Thankfully, I had special consideration accepted, which helped improved my grade markedly even though I got a pretty good final result all things considered. And to be honest, I kinda enjoyed the first couple or so weeks and the final module on metamorphic rocks. 

Fun Fact--in case you didn’t know, the Grand Canyon was part of AN ANCIENT SEAFLOOR. Think about that for a sec. Think about what our favourite Diaz boys are looking at. An ANCIENT SEAFLOOR. That was once UNDERWATER. FUCKING AWESOME.

Looking forward onto the next semester now. 

GEOCHEMISTRY 

I’m looking at this one with a mix of anticipation and apprehension, especially if it involves chemical equations. But then, practice makes perfect, and having a broken ankle STILL in a cast means I won’t exactly be doing much else anyway...and it’s the middle of winter, and it’s cold as fuck outside. 

MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS

Sighs...Man, this is going to be fucking awesome. Especially since we get to go on a five day or so field trip down to Stewart Island/Rakiura as well for some field experience. YES.

GEOPHYSICS

I have heard mainly great things about this, and it will definitely be a challenge, but I’m definitely welcoming the challenge. This is also relevant to what I’d like to do in terms of planetary science, so is a great fit for me I think.

GLOBAL MARINE SYSTEMS

This is yet another first year level class to add to my degree, and it repeats a lot of what I already learned, but regardless, I feel like I’m really going to love this one, especially with all the assignments and lab reports--I’m a researcher type at heart. Bring on the marine science. 

[lizaray10]

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[paperanddice]

This announcement is a little delayed from what I would have liked, but I came down with a cold right after drawing the winner for my giveaway and contacting the winner, so here it is now instead.

The winner of my 500 follower giveaway was @enbydragonnerd​, and they requested for me to create a basilisk from Tamora Pierce’s Tortallan Universe, first introduced in the Immortals quartet.

Basilisk Medium fey, true neutral Armor Class 18 Hit Points 195 (26d10 + 78) Speed 30 ft. Str 14, Dex 18, Con 17, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 18 Saving Throws Intelligence +8, Wisdom +6 Skills History +12, Insight +6, Nature +12, Religion +12 Senses passive Perception 12 Languages Common, Draconic, any three others Challenge 10 (5900 XP) Dash. As long as the basilisk’s hands are free it can Dash as a bonus action. Immortal Weapons. The basilisk’s weapon attacks are magical and silver. Limited Magic Immunity. The basilisk can’t be affected by spells of 3rd level or lower unless it wishes to be. It has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects. Uncanny Grace. The AC of the basilisk includes its Charisma bonus. Innate Spellcasting. The basilisk’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). The basilisk can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: comprehend languages, speak with animals 3/day each: blindness/deafness, dispel magic, stone shape, thunderwave (as a 3rd level spell) 1/day each: stoneskin, tongues, wall of stone Actions Multiattack. The basilisk makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4+4) slashing damage. Stone Screech (Recharge 5-6). The basilisk unleashes a loud cry that can petrify creatures and objects around it. Each creature the basilisk chooses within 30 feet of it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is petrified and turned to stone. A petrified creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. If a creature fails three of these saving throws while petrified, it is petrified until freed by the greater restoration spell or similar magic.       This ability also affects any number of non-magical objects of Medium size or smaller within the area that the basilisk chooses that are not being worn or carried. These objects do not make saving throws against this effect.

This immortal being is superficially similar to lizards with a beaded hide that may come in colors from a pearly dark gray to a midnight black. They stand on two legs and stand seven to seven and a half feet tall. Their long tails are usually held in hand rather than allowed to drag across the ground. A silver glint comes from their claws and teeth, glittering brightly in the light. When pressed they will drop their tails and run on all four limbs, giving them a boost of speed to escape danger. Magic of Sound and Stone. Basilisks have many inherent magics, most tied to their powerful voices and to stone. Their most powerful magic is a loud scream that will petrify creatures and objects near them, but they have many others that can shape or conjure stone. They can also modulate their scream to tear at creatures bodies and repulse them when they have temporarily exhausted their ability to petrify. The most powerful defensive magics a basilisk has will even turn its own flesh into stone, protecting it from attacks. Immortal Beings. Basilisks are true immortals, living even longer than dragons if not killed. They do not age or grow sick with disease and their oldest among them have lived thousands of years and accumulated unfathomable amounts of knowledge in their time. This immortality does not protect them from injury however, and basilisks can die through external forces. They also still must eat, though they primarily eat stone and rock in any form and with their magic are capable of creating this food out of any other substance. While basilisks can eat creatures or objects they have turned to stone, they rarely enjoy it. The base stone created from their magic is bland and unappetizing, with many preferring more exotic stones. Igneous rocks are enjoyed for their purity of flavor, while some basilisks enjoy sedimentary or metamorphic stones for the different mixtures available. Travelers and Scholars. Most basilisks spend their immortal lifespan seeking new information. Many of the greatest scholars alive are basilisks, and those seeking their guidance and advice will search far and wide to find where they have travelled to. Few basilisks settle down for long, usually only remaining if there is still research to be done on a topic they are interested in. Once they’ve satisfied their curiosity on a given subject, which may take decades depending on how thorough the source they are examining is, they will inevitably move on to somewhere new. As an additional effect of their long lifespans and thirst for knowledge is their proficiency with languages. While all basilisk have innate magics that let them understand or speak languages they don’t understand, many seek to learn new languages so they do not rely on their magic in such a way. They pick up these languages over years of experiencing them, and many will know elvish, dwarvish or even orcish. Some will delve deeper into knowledge of other realms and may pick up sylvan, undercommon, and even celestial or infernal to better study the knowledge of the upper and lower planes.

Xanathar’s Guide If you have access to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, some of the new spells included there fit nicely with the Basilisk’s flavor and other abilities. Consider changing the basilisk’s innate spellcasting to the following: At Will: comprehend languages, speak with animals, thunderclap (11th level) 3/day each: blindness/deafness, dispel magic, erupting earth, stone shape 1/day each: investiture of stone, tongues, wall of stone

Thank you again to all of you for following me here, and thank you to the winner for your patience and for your support in helping me figure out the abilities for this. I haven’t actually read Tamora Pierce yet, though she’s on my “to read” list, and so I needed a little help figuring out how to put the stats together for this in a reasonable time frame.

[wovus]

Neuroscience Fiction: The Neuromods of Prey (2017)

What are Neuromods and how do they work?

In the survival horror game Prey, you play as the scientist Morgan Yu while exploring the space station Talos I. Morgan is the director of research of TranStar industries, his family megacorporation and in Talos I they research an alien metamorphing biology called Typhon. Yu is also a volunteer an experiment on the long-term use and removal of the main product created by TranStar: the Neural Modifier, or Neuromod.

The events in the game are set in motion after some Typhon organisms escape confinement and cause an outbreak that result in the death of most of the crew.

What are neuroscientists even doing in an alien infested space station? Well, the answer is a little disturbing:

"Typhon exotic organic tissues are the main component of the Neuromod serum.

Neuromods change the structure of the patient's brain, manipulating it to grant effects ranging from learning a foreign language, learning how to play an instrument, or even increasing the user's lifespan. Needles inject a serum into the neurons in the brain that turns them sensitive to light and abruptly increases their capacity to create new synapses. Then, the neuromod uses lasers and light to map the patient's brain, and then extrapolates the changes required to grant the effects desired.

Extracting the neuromod results in the loss of all of the memory obtained in the period of time since the neuromod was installed”.

In sum, the Neuromods are the result of the combining forces of Optogenetics and alien material, which injected in the patient’s brain to create new neuron networks on the subject brain.

Optogenetics!

“Optogenetics (from Greek, optikós, meaning 'seen, visible') is a biological technique that involves the use of light to control cells in living tissues, typically neurons, which have been genetically modified to express light-sensitive ion channels. It is a neuromodulation method that uses a combination of techniques from optics and genetics to control and monitor the activities of individual neurons in living tissues—even within freely moving animals—and to precisely measure these manipulation effects in real-time. The key reagents used in optogenetics are light-sensitive proteins. Neuronal control is achieved using optogenetic actuators like channelrhodopsin, halorhodopsin, and archaerhodopsin…”

Considered a breakthrough of the decade, the use of optogenetics to control neurons and the brain shows great promise due the precision, low level of intrusion and low cost. The steps it takes to set a study using optogenetics are well known, precise and relatively cheap. The use of genetic editing techniques like CRISPR allow the target neurons to express the light sensitive membrane proteins like channelrhodopsin and/or halorhodopsin and a surgical step is needed to allow the cells to react to the light.

Channelrhodopsin is a positive ion channel sensitive to blue light; meanwhile halorhodopsin is a negative ion channel sensitive to green/yellow light. These proteins allow you to modulate the membrane potential of the target neuron - activating channelrhodopsin excites the membrane (making action potentials easier to happen) and halorhodopsin inhibits it (making action potentials harder). Targeting the neurons with light allows you to control them, activating or deactivating the cell, triggering synapses or denying the passage of an electrical pulse. This allows researchers using optogenetics to generate the brain stimuli they want with precision, simulating seizures, anxiety episodes, triggering reflexes and so on.

The frequent use of a synapse and a network of neurons is what stimulates their growth, upkeep, and the development of new connections and, through optogenetics, the stimuli of the synapses using lights is possible.

The fictional technology of the Neuromod involves the serum, which hyper-stimulates neuroplasticity, allowing neural networks and synapses to form with minimal stimuli and time. Then, the optogenetics come to play using a laser to map the brain and then stimulate or stop growth of new networks of synapses, which supposedly will simulate a new knowledge or ability.

I believe that the novel idea that is the Neuromod is not far-fetched: it presents multiple challenges to develop, like a serum capable of stimulating synaptic growth and the knowledge of how neural networks function to generate knowledge and abilities. It’s science fiction nonetheless, a dream of what we may be capable of in the future.

References

Wiki Articles

http://prey.wikia.com/wiki/Neuromod

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optogenetics

Papers

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756725/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2820367/

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/41/10380.long

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I64X7vHSHOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhza367GNuc

Blogs

https://wordofthenerdonline.com/science-prey-neuromods/

http://thepsychreport.com/research-application/featured-research/manipulating-memory-through-optogenetics-qa-with-neuroscientists-xu-liu-and-steve-ramirez/

[rebeccawebbart]

Self Evaluation Form

I began with a desire to reconnect with nature. After regarding the natural elements as sculptors of the landscape, I decided to introduce myself to the influential forces that sculpt the landscape, making me equal to the wind and the waves. This led me to question what does the image of human influence look like and how does it differentiate from natures design. Manipulating natural forms through man-made processes such as sculpting and casting lead me to explore how separated our design has become from nature, thus highlighting our distanced relationship with mother earth. In the display of these sculptures, highlighted how influential the sculptures surroundings are, leading me to question how an object exists in a space. Displaying my works as excavated objects made them appear as natural historic documentations of human activity, reuniting my work with the concept of human connections with nature. The works thus became portraits of the co-existing relationship between humans and mother earth.  

However, understanding the connective co-existing relationship between humans and nature is not just a one sided, in my explorative journey I have only experimented on how man dominates and how nature submits to man’s influence. Therefore, to demonstrate a more equal and unbiased representation of the co-existing relationship between man and nature, I may possibly go into exploring how nature’s image also goes on to manipulate man’s formations. This way my work will truly demonstrate the true image of our unified relationship.

At the beginning of this project I had been questioned on why I use clay as a medium and was asked to query why it is important for my practice. After discovering clay could have been the birthplace of intelligent life, working with natural clay became very important to me, especially as I had an interest in reconnecting with nature. Despite the concepts of the work later evolving, the use of natural clay only appeared logical as being a manipulative material only added to its efficiency in providing evidence of human’s influence over nature.

Despite working with natural clay, I have experimented with many materials and ways of working by experimenting with casting using both plaster and wax. Exploring casting and sculpting also lead me to work with nonconventional materials such as silicone moulds and domestic household materials which helped me to further explore our distanced evolutionary relationship with the natural world.

My awareness to an items relationship with their environment was brought to me through the work of Gabriel Orzco’s ‘Yeilding stone’, his work demonstrated how sculpture can connect with its environment and revealed how surrounding influences sculpt the objects and imprint their image amongst its surroundings. His practice included creating work with the materials in which he stumbled across, which encouraged me to look to my surroundings to make art.  These concepts of interconnectivity found themselves routed within various pop-culture sources such as “Amuse-Bouche” ep.2 in the Hannibal TV series. This explored the use of Mycellium (fungus) to connect humans together in a way the brain is incapable of doing so. Singer Björk, explored the unified equality of nature through metamorphic imagery of evolving natural forms, birthing from oneself. All these influences helped me to explore the effects of interconnectivity and environmental influences in my pledge to generate relations between the natural and un-natural.

Throughout my work I also had delved into reading the book by David Abram, “The Spell of the Sensuous”. He spoke about the beliefs of Aristotle, claiming the superiority of man due to our gift of the rational mind to triumph over nature. This helped me to understand were our disconnected relationship began. Reflecting on my own practice I realised that using natural materials was only a reflection of how Aristotle’s theories have become ingrained into most modern societies, which meant my later work was successful in highlighting societies diversion from nature.

Through this module I have begun to understand how the display of the piece can affect the meaning of the work. I have learnt to understand a sculpture has its own individual needs in terms of display and not all sculptures require a plinth to be exhibited. Embracing its individual qualities and displaying them accordingly, to address its uniqueness as an object can add more depth to the work than sticking to traditional display methods.  

This term I decided to expand on how I recorded my work’s progress by keeping a small note book in which I documented inspiring thoughts, concepts and plans (like an art diary). This helped keep my ideas fresh for more genuine responses to avoid pre-planning my work and to allow the work itself to be a form of research. I have also seen the progress and development of my work unfolding by making use of the studio space. This has helped me reflect and form a more personal relationship with my practice. My practice also progressed through my attendance to most 2nd year lectures and also attending the majority of the Monday and Thursday evening lectures. Some lectures had a large impact on my practice introducing philosophical material I would have most likely not been exposed to otherwise.  

For the first half of this module the momentum of my practice had an increased improvement, working and reflecting on my work consistently every day. I erased my tendency to pre-plan works and instead experimented by creating works without an intended direction and used the discoveries to fuel my future works. However, I let myself down, by failing to manage my time with the essay assignment. This interrupted the momentum of my practice which cut out a lot of practical time within this term leading me to feel disappointed with the amount I have achieved. Acknowledging my failure in time management, I have set myself the task to complete most of the Dissertation project throughout the Summer to avoid becoming overwhelmed and distracted from my practical work during the final year.  

[detund]

DU™️ @ABJECTIVE – MANA ALGORYETHM DETUND LTD 82 ⚠️ OUT NOW ⚠️ https://detund.bandcamp.com/album/mana-algoryethm This music is an experimental work that conveys the unity of different frequency ranges, demonstrating the rhythm and musical component outside of solid state drives.An attempt to imagine music inside a silicon crystal.Sound modulations in real time, from noise and rhythmic beginning to metamorphic ambient.An exploration of sound and musicality through constant metamorphosis.Some of the music was obtained by random sound analysis. music, the form and sound of which changes with the speed of a sound wave. Listening to these chaotic sounds inspired by the already deceased humanity, which left behind the legacy of a cybernetic civilization living in the hierarchy of post-syntactic harmony, you will discover something new every time. The ideas of this music are difficult to penetrate. Plunging into structured chaos, one can find an explanation for universal laws and quantum mechanics. This work develops and continues the work of “Diamagnetic Levitation” (link - abjective.bandcamp.com/album/diamagnetic-levitation) by extrapolating and expanding datasets. Cover: @stigfostervold Recording and Mastering: Ion::Meta #detund #detroitunderground #abjective #ambient #sounddesign idm #glitchmusic https://www.instagram.com/p/CWo2UJjvsEQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[acemywriter]

Module 6: Metamorphic Rock Identification,

Module 6: Metamorphic Rock Identification,

For this activity you will need to watch the short video(s) for each metamorphic rock. You have been provided with key characteristics for each metamorphic rock on the page with the metamorphic rock videos. You will need to identify each metamorphic rock by comparing that information with the table below to determine the rock name. Once you have determined the rock name you will need to create an…

[helenafnovoa-blog]

Resumen. Este artículo pretende revisar los modos en los que el vestido ha funcionado, en las narrativas tradicionales, como elemento articulador de nuestra identidad como seres humanos en tanto especie. Repasando las concepciones alumbradas desde el contexto de la ciencia sistémica, trataremos de lanzar nuevas miradas a las interacciones convencionales entre cuerpo y vestido, a partir de tres proyectos que establecen un discurso en torno a esta temática desde el ámbito de lo artístico. Estas propuestas modulan nuevos acercamientos al concepto de cuerpo desde una perspectiva particular que hace confluir lo textil con lo bacteriológico. A partir de este marco interdisciplinar, intentaremos articular una reflexión en torno a lo identitario que desarticule miradas antropocéntricas, en esas confluencias entre lo sartorial y lo biológico. 

Palabras clave: Textil; vestido; identidad; biológico; bacterias

.[en] Metamorphic   Identities:   about   Symbiotic   Dresses   and   Seamstress Bacteria

Abstract. The  aim  of  this  paper  is  to  review  how  dress  has  been  operating,  through  traditional narratives,  as  a  coordinating  element  of  our  human  being  identity  as  a  species.  Going  through  some systemic science concepts, a new look over the conventional intersections between dress and body will be taken, based on the analysis of three artistic projects. These proposals modulate new approaches to the concept of the body from a particular point of view which links textile and bacteria. Embodying this identity and from this interdisciplinary framework, we will try to articulate some non anthropocentric deliberation between the sartorial and the biological fields.

Keywords: Textile; dress; identity; biological; bacteria.

[sethpeck]

An Interview with Ford Ivey

(note: I originally published this in September 2001, back when I ran a NERO fan site, no longer maintained.  I’ve kept the raw text and have provided here for perpetuity.  I publish it here today, March 21st 2021, the day after Ford Ivey passed away. I have edited it for spelling and censored the former name for the current NERO Gadabari race.)

Blast from the Past

An evening with Ford Ivey

Older players recognize the name, but for those of you just joining us, Ford Ivey is often attributed with being the grandfather of NERO.  Not twelve hours after releasing the first issue of NEROtics.com back in July, Ford offered me an interview in the future.  Like I was going to say no. Seth Peck, NEROtics.com: How are ya? Ford Ivey: [laugh] I'm fine--and in much better health than the old days. I have lost 256 pounds. I'm weighing in at 244, and don't have diabetes nor high blood pressure any more, and the heart is a LOT healthier. SP: Wow--that's quite a change. Any secrets you wish to divulge? FI: Yeah.....surgery! [grins] Seriously. I had a gastric bypass. I was gonna die if I didn't lose weight. That was a year ago on July 5th. SP: Well, it's good to hear that you are in good health. FI: Well, it's good to be in good health. SP: As NERO gets larger and more and more newbies join the game, I hear more and more people asking about the origins of the game and "stories from olden days". Being a relatively new player myself, compared to the life-span of NERO, I find myself wondering also. How did NERO get its start? FI: Wow...big question. It started way back in 1986. I heard about a game in New Hampshire called "Midrealms Adventures". I heard about it about six months before I could get up to play it...and imagined what it would be like when I did play it. When I finally did, it was not a lot like what I imagined. It was a module based game--a few hours and it was over, and a marshal had to be with you all the time. I wanted a game where the players could be free to do what they wanted. SP: So what did you do? FI: I ran my own. At the time, I had just started a group for Friday night table-top gaming at a Boy Scout explorer Post in Newton, Massachussets, and we had available to us a Boy Scout Camp--Nobscot by name--and we decided to run a game of our own there. I had a group of 7 or so guys helping me. We wrote it, cast it, and ran it. We invited a group of 6 or so friends of one of the guys to PC it. SP: Did this game have a name yet? FI: Nope, no name. We called it "Weekend Warriors" for the first year or so. I ran a bunch of different variations on the game. I wrote the plots, bought the props, paid for everything, and ran them myself. SP: So how did it go? FI: The first game was pretty bad, to be honest. SP: [laughs] Care to elaborate? FI: Yeah--it was bad because we had very few costumes or props, we basically told the PCs where to go. We had some major problems with the PCs not picking up on things. It was amazing to us how much stuff gets missed when you are doing it for real rather than around a table. We had one point [where] we had gone to great lengths to make sure they knew that the "Ranger" character they met on the trail was a good guy and they could trust him. Well, he had been captured and was going to be sacrificed. We drug him out, proceeded to sacrifice him, knowing the PCs were watching, expecting them to save the guy--they didn't. They just watched. Poor guy had to steal a dagger, and save himself. They got to him as he was breathing his last--one guy got to him, and he said: "Beware the Dark Lord! Seek the Man of the Mountain!" When the other players got there, they asked him what he had said. He replied, "He said something about a man and a rock." SP: [laughing] FI: But we kept trying things, getting closer to the vision I had. Then, in November of 1988, we ran a game called "Shandlin's Ferry". It was the immediate ancestor of NERO. SP: how long did first several events last? FI: We did set up on Saturday and started mid afternoon on Saturday. Then we ran until Sunday afternoon. The Shandlin's Ferry game started at noon on Saturday and ran 24 hours. It was notable for several reasons: first, it's the game where we figured out how to do the NERO style play--players running around with no marshals. It was also notable because the founders of the game came together for the first time--Craig and Debbie Walton, Mike Ventrella, Heidi Hooper, me, Bob King--all of us were there. We decided after the success of that game to try and run what turned into NERO. Craig Walton came up with the name. Shandlin's Ferry remained on the NERO map, and what happened at that game became part of the NERO world. We even had a Shandlin's Ferry campaign in the Massachusetts chapter a few years later. That gave me a lot of satisfaction. SP: Speaking of the creators: I did some checking on the other LARP games (Amtgard, Dragoncrest, Camarilla) that are still being played today, and with the exception of the SCA, none of them have been around longer (although IFGS was starting the same time you were). Did you consider yourselves innovators in RPGs? FI: Did we consider ourselves innovators? Not at the time, I don't think, though we finally started to realize what we had done a year or so later. In retrospect, it was quite an innovation. It was a break from the old-style module based game, which was started at Treasure Trap in England--that's what Middle Realms was based on. The IFGS is a module-based game. Treasure Trap and a bunch of English games have been running longer than us or IFGS. Also, the ILF (Interactive Fiction Society) has been around quite a while. SP: What was your experience with RPGs prior to all this? FI: Wow. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons way back in the 70's with my brother. I owned everything they put out, all the way back to the three little book set. I made a huge jump into role-playing when I started a store--The Gamemaster. It's really the home of NERO. We got everything started there after NERO was set up. SP: Tell me about your store. FI: It was a great store--we had everything. It was upstairs at 444 Massachusetts Ave in Arlington, MA. We had six or so tables for gaming in the store in the front. They were well-used. We had everything that had to do with roleplaying, and most stuff that had to do with miniatures. I used to have mini-conventions there every month. A guy named Brian Reddington-Wilde helped me run them. He's a game designer of some renown nowadays in miniatures rules--runs a business called "Goblin Tooth Enterprises" SP: I've heard of them. Do you no longer run the store? FI: Nope--NERO took over the store. We moved it twice, and the store part of it got smaller every time. Finally, we just dropped the store part and got an office. That was after Mike Ventrella wrote the article about NERO that made it into Dragon Magazine. After that article, we suddenly had, like, 5,000 members. There was no WAY we were ready to handle that many people. I'm afraid that customer service suffered a lot then. We used to have huge games. In 1992, we ran what is now known as the "Brood" weekend--the first game run by Rob Ciccolini. We had over 700 players there, including something like 150 NPCs. That was at Camp Wing, a really cool place with an old stockade and everything. SP: How many chapters were there when that happened? FI: Chapters? None. We were trying to get a couple started. The first was a New Jersey chapter, which later broke away from us and became LAIRE. Then Georgia--they later broke away and became SOLAR. The first chapter that remained was PRO, in Pennsylvania. Another Georgia chapter formed about then, too. All of this was about late 1992 and early 1993. We didn't have ANYTHING ready to support other chapters, though we got REAL anal about them conforming to our standards. A big mistake, in my opinion. SP: I've read the 3rd edition rulebook and know how much different the rules are today--and I've heard a few stories about some of the different classes and races and spells. Can you try to convince me that Stone Elves aren't Vulcans? [grinning] FI: Naw, I wouldn't even try to convince you of that. [laugh] Have you read about Metamorph and Obliterate It's true: Obliterate used to be a spell like any other. SP: What was Metamorph? FI: It was a spell that took a small representation of something--say a mouse--and allowed you to turn someone into one of them. It got, as you can imagine, severely abused. We even had a Truth spell--you'd be amazed how people remember the same event in very different ways. We had folks who sincerely thought they were telling the truth, and whose accounts of things just didn't match other people just as sincerely telling us about the same event. [It] makes you sympathize with the court system. Did you know I hate modules? SP: [laughing] What do you prefer? FI: Need them for the game, but I hate 'em. I've only been on maybe 3 in my entire career. I prefer the characters playing themselves, and getting into whatever because that's who they are. I don't know--I love the social aspect of the game, and the big problems that land in your lap, and having to deal with those. Modules are good because we have a chance to do special effects and marshalled calls that we can't do anywhere else, but--I don't know--it's the most artificial part of the game. SP: So do you like massive combat encounters at the edge of town? FI: Lord, no. I prefer hanging out in the Tavern, telling jokes with bad accents, being with friends, and being a hero when something visits. Combat encounters? I like them sometimes, but I'm not out there for the combat. But then, I'm not typical. I love the ceremonial stuff, the Tourneys, the Pomp and Circumstance, the armor, the look of the thing, the chance to make myself a part of a great movie moment. That's what I like, and that's what I tried to give to other players. Though I found over the years that those things are not as valuable for many of the other players as they are to me. SP: Some of the other races, while not unseen elsewhere in other forms, pique the interests of many new players. Where did Biata come from? FI: They were based on griffins. In the early days, we were still feeling our way as to what we could and could not do in a Live game. Heidi had a cool concept for them that included some mind powers that, so it turns out, just can't be included in this type of game. They became a group of Northmen/barbarians sort of Shaman-type people. Their mind powers got severely cut back. You live and learn. SP: I also heard an interesting story about the first formal component ever placed in a treasure count. FI: What first component was that? SP: I don't know what it was, but something about how no one else knew either and it got passed around for awhile until someone became formal-capable. FI: Oh, yes. We put out components for several events before people knew what they did. The early ones were tags taped to tongue depressors and then covered with plastic tape to help protect them from the weather. When they got used, the sticks were supposed to get broken. BOY, did I get sick of buying tongue depressors. SP: No matter how much things change--some things remain the same. FI: Yeah, that's true. The Formal Magic system was a fairly late addition to the game--probably in our third year or so. It was a good idea, but took years before it became even close to balanced. [grinning] SP: How come Sarr can't purchase Waylay? FI: Oh, Lord...well, that's a touchy one. Sarr were supposed to be all blood-lusty and like that--when they did damage, they wanted to see BLOOD, dammit! So, they were restricted to using weapons that were bladed, no blunts. And you [since] can't waylay someone with a blade... SP: Wow, was that ever an emotional reaction! FI: It was a silly thing. The designer of the race (Jade LeBlanc, I think) had one concept, and they guy who was in charge of approving it had another. Guess who won. Like I said--both touchy and silly. SP: Tell me about the Mystic Wood Elves. FI: Lorne Lehrer created them. Cool race, roleplaying intensive. I actually was sort of not paying attention to them as they were created--I came to an event and this guy showed up with these horns and ears. I had no idea who or what they were. I love Mystics--it took me a few years before I finally got a fair idea of their culture and stuff. SP: I guess the "bigness" of the game caught you up in that, especially with the increasing number of members and eventually chapters. How did you deal with that? FI: Slowly. It took us a while to get the game together enough to really be able to run a multi-chapter game. We really started to get it together in about 1994, by which time we had maybe 5 or six chapters. When we got our permanent site in Ware, Massachusetts in 1994, we really started to pull it together. The most useful thing was the annual symposium in September every year. Everyone got together for a weekend there, and we got a bunch of stuff done--not as much on the rules and stuff as we hoped we would, but mostly it was good to realize that we were all one game, and needed to work together. SP: When you were still in the development stages, did anything get left out that you wished could get in? FI: I guess you could say that. In retrospect, there were a lot of things that I wish we had done differently, or better. I wish there was a true economy, for instance, trading and getting the stuff to make the things you need to adventure. It gives so many more dimensions to a character--the closest NERO comes is the Formal Magic System and the components it takes to do the spells. But in general, no--we changed the bloody game ALL the time in the first few years. Heck, the first xp/bp ratio was: first level: 1 = 1; second level: 2 = 1, and so on. We made it a lot steeper, then had to make it steeper yet the next year. I think we needed to make it even steeper than that. The power scale is too steep, too--as in, the power of older players as compared to the power of a new, entering character. But now we're getting into game design, which would take forever. SP: (The current formula is (n^2 +5n)/2 xp/bp where n is your level.) Like Roddenberry and Gygax you've gone off to do other things. tell me briefly about your new project. FI: The Isles? Well, it's taking all the things I learned over the years and applying them to a new game. It's an attempt to solve the problems. I think it succeeds very well. Quiet combat, a real economy, and a bunch of skills that are very useful to the characters that are not combat related. SP: Do you have any other stories you wish to share? FI: A million or so. [grinning] I have been doing this a long time. I couldn't begin to cover the stories that it would take to do this justice. SP: I guessed. How about just one favorite? FI: How about, instead, I tell you why I do this? What "moment" do I do it for? It's those times--when I'm sitting in the Tavern, all the check-ins done, the cabin assignments finished, all of that stuff--the game is well underway, people involved in doing what their characters want to do, involved in the plot of the weekend, or on-going stuff with their group. All of them, standing around, weapons glinting dully in the candle light, talking low, in character, people gambling for gold in the back, [Gadabari] bellowing and laughing--all of it seems real. For a while, you're there. In that spot, in that reality, and it's those times I feel like what I did--what we did--really meant something. SP: Thank you for a most magical discussion! FI: Magical? [laugh] Well, you're welcome.

[punchme69]

I want to respect everyone's religious beliefs so bad but then some off yall can't even be right about what your deities are the gods of. Like a lot of you haven't even bothered to do barebones level research about the culture you're apparently worshipping the gods of and every time someone reveals they have roughly 0.2 of an undergraduate module in classics knowledge about whatever god they're worshipling my fight not to roll my eyes grows harder.

Go forth and have fun my friend, but I do not understand why, if you want to practice a religion, you would not try and research a deity beyond their name and a vague idea of what they represent.

Like I'm not saying you need to be able to write a fully sourced essay on the metamorphic bear cult devoted to artemis in order to worship her, but having literally any knowledge of a deities real rites and practices could be useful? Maybe?

Also some of yall are literally just not worshipping what you think you are. Cultural consensus about what is virtuous and good shifts massively with time, as does how symbolism is interpreted, and a lot of people are just plain wrong about what deities, practices and myths actually stood for.