Kinetic Sculptures of Arthur Ganson

Arthur Ganson is a truly amazing person. I don't know whether to call him an artist or an engineer, but his work is evidence to his true creativity.



This is his main site:
http://www.arthurganson.com/

This is one of my favorites of his ingenious machines:

The Artistic Samplings of Ken Wong

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun."

~Pablo Picasso

I can't say much in particular, except that I'm a huge fan. I find the art quite unique and thought-provoking. I rather enjoy the birds and fish. Below are some of my favorite works by Ken Wong, but please check out the site, as this is but a small sampling.


















His main website is:
http://www.kenart.net/
Subsites/Projects:
http://passages.kenart.net/
http://originals.gametap.com/grimm/home.html
http://ken-wong.deviantart.com/prints/

Seriously amazing stuff!

The E8 Group of Lie Algebra

"To most outsiders, modern mathematics is unknown territory. Its borders are protected by dense thickets of technical terms; its landscapes are a mass of indecipherable equations and incomprehensible concepts. Few realize that the world of modern mathematics is rich with vivid images and provocative ideas."

~Ivars Peterson

In mathematics, there is a subject known as Complex Simple Lie Algebra. There are four infinite families and five exceptions. It is a 248-dimensional object (of the Platonic sort), and has a rank 8 root lattice. I can only show 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional projections, as it is somewhat difficult to experience the higher-dimensional cases. The E8 group is the largest of the exceptions. This is difficult stuff and I have barely looked into this subject myself, but it is all very beautiful looking. It has symmetry such that it can be rotated in any direction of a 248-dimensional space and still appear as the same shape.

This has been recently associated with a "Theory of Everything" in physics discovered by the surfer and physicist Garrett Lisi. The validity of this theory has been eliminated, and it has been shown to be incorrect. But that doesn't take away from the mathematical and geometrical beauty of this construct.

Here it is projected on the 2-dimensional plane:





















And here projected on the 3-dimensional plane and rotated:



The other exceptional Complex Simple Lie Groups are G2 (rank 2, dimension 14), F4 (rank 4, dimension 52), E6 (rank 6, dimension 78), and E7 (rank 7, dimension 133). Those with smaller ranks can be shown as subgroups of those of higher ranks.

G2 (3-D projection):



To see other 2-D projections, check out Wikipedia.
3-D projection videos were obtained from: http://deferentialgeometry.org/

Aquatic Bioluminescence

Bioluminescent Creatures of the Sea (A Small Selection)

Bioluminescence is the emission of light by a living organism. This includes animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. It has (by current estimates) likely arisen independently 30 times in the evolution of life on Earth. It is not synonymous with fluorescence or phosphorescence. It appears in many different colors.

Edith Widder's Glowing Life in an Underwater World

Image obtained from: http://www.pbs.org/
Video obtained from: http://www.ted.com/

I endorse the latter of these sites in particular for any sort of educational endeavors. Wikipedia is also a worthwhile site to check out for more information on just about anything mentioned.

The Current Extent of Our View of Space and Time

"It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."

~Carl Sagan

The Known Universe

What can possibly be known? Is there a limit to the ability of any conscious being to touch upon reality? Is there a fundamental limit to knowledge itself? I think these questions are of importance. I have my own opinions on them, but I think it can safely be said that there is not a complete answer to any of these questions.