Monthly Archives: January 2007

Poem of the Week: We must risk delight

Posted on January 26, 2007 by cicada

My favorite poem of 2005. A Brief for the Defense Jack Gilbert, Refusing Heaven Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils. But we enjoy our lives because … Continue reading →

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Galactopod (I pay an art debt)

Posted on January 24, 2007 by cicada

Galactopod 2007 Watercolor on Winsor & Newton Paper My friend Seth and I have been mailing art back and forth for years. I don’t remember how it got started, but in the past year or two, I’m pretty sure he’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Cephalopodmania, My Artwork | 2 Comments

A-musing (and surprisingly accurate) quiz

Posted on January 24, 2007 by cicada

If only being a bookish tease was a job qualification. You scored as Clio. You are Clio, the muse of history. You love academic pursuits, but still know to have fun. You’re a bit of a tease and a prankster. … Continue reading →

Posted in Frivolity | 1 Comment

A leaf on the family tree

Posted on January 24, 2007 by cicada

Study for Transmission no. 3 Binh Danh, 2006 leaf preserved in resin Haines Gallery A timely post from Sciencesque identifies two artists, the late Axel Erlandson and Binh Danh, whose medium is living plant material. Binh Danh’s leaf prints are … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Photography | Comments Off

The Gret Quizz of Medievale Trivia

Posted on January 23, 2007 by cicada

I haven’t posted nearly enough procrastinatory quizzes lately – so here’s one from Geoffrey Chaucer, especially for my dear friend mdvlist. Everyone else, I warn you, it’s hard. I haven’t done this badly on a quiz since calculus I!

Posted in Frivolity, Littademia | 2 Comments

Deep Blue Seaweed

Posted on January 23, 2007 by cicada

Anna Atkins Dictyota dichotoma cyanotype from Photographs of British Algae, 1843-1853 Like many women in science of previous centuries, Anna Atkins (1799-1871) had the immense advantage of an educated father. John George Children was a prominent scientist and member of … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Photography | 1 Comment

Anxious Influence

Posted on January 22, 2007 by cicada

Hungry Hyaena has a thoughtful post on plagiarism, intellectual property, and the artist’s perspective on information saturation: Artists are turning to the symbolic and the approximate in an effort to render experience comprehensible. Certainly this is an important, even vital … Continue reading →

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Tell me again how great I am

Posted on January 21, 2007 by cicada

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just buy some favorable peer reviews for your latest paper? In the world of vanity self-publishing, Slate reports, you can not only buy praise, you can suggest improvements to your review. Here’s what … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Comments Off

Legos rule

Posted on January 20, 2007 by cicada

If I had to make a choice between Macs and Legos as commercial objects of devotion, I think my head would explode. I adore my Mac, I love my iPod, but as a child, Legos were my life. Even now, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cephalopodmania, Frivolity, Science | Comments Off

The Ironic Workout: five muscles at once!

Posted on January 19, 2007 by cicada

This is a screenshot from a wonderful anatomy learning tool, Artnatomy, by artist and educator Victoria Contreras Flores. It’s meant to teach facial anatomy in a Fine Arts context, but would work equally well in an introductory A&P course. Teaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Education, Science | 1 Comment