The Indian Clerk – readings

Posted by epsilon on February 21, 2013
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G.H. Hardy

G.H. Hardy

“Hardy made certain to show no reaction as he listened to his own history, the awards and honorary degrees that authorized his renown. It was a litany he had become used to, and which sparked in him neither pride nor vanity, only weariness: to hear listed all he had achieved meant nothing to him, because these achievements belonged to the past, and therefore, in some sense, no longer belonged to him. All that had ever belonged to him was what he was doing. And now he was doing very little.”

The Indian Clerk, by David Leavitt

Part One, Chapter 1

Snowflake

Posted by epsilon on February 20, 2013
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Snowflake

Snowflake

Pythnon code at github. Used python3 star.py 6 3 star to produce image, which will be both displayed and stored in star3.eps. The image shown here was subsequently modified with Pixelmator, e.g., produce white-on-black image instead of black-on-white.

zipTimer: an iPod/iPhone app for pacing piano practice, cooking, workouts, you name it.

Fractal cross

Posted by epsilon on February 19, 2013
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Fractal Cross

Fractal Cross

Pythnon code at github. Used python3 star.py 4 3 cross to produce image, which will be both displayed and stored in cross3.eps. The image shown here was subsequently altered with Pixelmator (blue overlay added)

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
– Anais Nin

zipTimer: an iPod/iPhone app for pacing piano practice, cooking, workouts, you name it.

Compositium 3

Posted by epsilon on February 18, 2013
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Compositium 3

Compositium 3

Compositium 3 consists of four superimposed copies of an image representing two plumes created by Brownian motion. The copies have been translated, flipped, and arranged to counterbalance the irregularity of the plumes with a degree of symmetry and also to fill the canvas.

The original Brownian motion image was made with a new version of Kaleidoscope, an iphone app for running simulations and procedural art animations. This version features a drop-in architecture by means of which different dynamical systems can be dropped into the app with no changes to the rendering engine.

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
– Anais Nin

zipTimer: an iPod/iPhone app for pacing piano practice, cooking, workouts, you name it.

Related: Compositium 1 | Compositium 2

Why I love New York #5

Posted by epsilon on February 18, 2013
Posted in: NYC, Words. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Stanislaw Lem

Stanislaw Lem

#5. Some months ago, I noticed the new doorman, S, reading a dog-eared book as I waited for the elevator. Curious, I asked S, who seemed be be about two-thirds of the way through, what he was reading. “Ulysses,” he replied. It was indeed a copy of James Joyce’s magnum opus. Over the next few months, we had many brief and not so brief conversations about literature. Sometimes S recommended a book to me, sometimes (less frequently) I to him. S, who came from the Midwest to do standup comedy, said that several years ago, he decided to embark on a program of purposeful reading, carefully selecting the books with which he would be spending long hours. “Rewarding,” he said. The book of the moment is The Cyberiad, by Stanislaw Lem, also one of my favorites. “Interesting for its philosophical content,” said S, as I made ready to go out into the winter’s cold.

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
– Anais Nin

zipTimer: an iPod/iPhone app for pacing piano practice, cooking, workouts, you name it.

Akihiro Nishino: Pen & Ink Drawing

Posted by epsilon on February 16, 2013
Posted in: Art, NYC. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Akihiro Nishino: Pen & Ink

Akihiro Nishino: Pen & Ink

From an exhibit of the author-illustrator’s pen and ink drawings at One Art Space in Tribeca, Feb 16, 2013 (23 Warren Street, New York City). Several signs saying “Do take photos” were posted – so I did! Nishino has a delightful, whimsical visual and storytelling sense. His three picture books are popular in Japan but have not yet found a publisher in the US.

zipTimer: an iPod/iPhone app for pacing piano practice, cooking, workouts, you name it.

Why I love New York #4

Posted by epsilon on February 16, 2013
Posted in: Art, NYC. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

20130216-190223.jpg

#4. Random happenings of all kinds. In this case, I happened across the opening of a three-day show by artist-author Akhiro Nishino. Wonderful whimsical-imaginative pen and ink drawings, all in a square format. Just one block from home – pure chance!

zipTimer: an iPod/iPhone app for pacing piano practice, cooking, workouts, you name it.