52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 4 - Use television properly

Too many people have been raised on television as 'wallpaper' - a constant backdrop to all domestic activity. This contributes a double-edged problem: on one hand, it reduces the likelihood of proper concentration when you actually want to watch something; and on the other, it takes away any chance of mental, and indeed actual quietude. Like any technology, television has a proven record of good and bad points, but everything depends on the user - a rock may be used to pound grain to make flour or beat another to death. So don't just turn on the TV when getting in from work - have some quiet time and consult a TV guide to see whether there actually is something you want to watch. You should feel more in control and not just the plaything of the program controllers' caprice!

Latest fractal: Winter bouquet

My entry for melonlogic's own contest , Apophysis images inspired by, or tying in with, the lyrics of a song, in this case The Cure's 'Trust'.

The interpretation: this is a song of despair, lamenting the inability to trust. I always think that a bouquet of flowers sometimes betrays a breach of trust (traditionally the guilty husband returning home from the mistress, bearing this symbol of his own guilt). However, no flowers here, the bare twigs signify winter, itself symbolising the icy impasse in the relationship. And the whole is shot with blue...

The Generation Game

The other day, minding my own business at the bus stop, awaiting the arrival of my charge, I was singled out by one of those unrelenting old dears, special products of their generation, for her quotidian ruminations. The following provides the flavour, if not a transcript, of our exchange:

"Ooh, it's hard with all this shopping", she began. "Still, it's cheap at Jack's - do you go there?"
"No, there's nothing there I tend to buy."
First pause, brief but troubled, the beginnings of old machinery long-rusted being hauled ungratefully into action once agian. "But they sell all sorts there: meat, fish, sweets..."
Ah, she thought this list a sufficient clincher, and the dangling ellipsis seemed to invite agreement with its universal applicability.
"I don't eat any of those."
Now the troubled look darkened further, the pause was fully five seconds duration, and the machinery began to grind almost audibly. "No meat?"
"No."
"No fish?"
"No."
Another lengthy pause. "What do you eat then..." - a slight pause - "health foods?"
My turn for a considered pause. "Healthy foods", I countered.
"Well I suppose I should, having diabetes..."
"I have that too", I ventured,
"Ooh, it's hard isn't it, having diabetes."
"Well, I've not really found it too bad so far, I'm only in the early stages..."
The darkened look had turned to almost complete panic by now. Thankfully, the bus arrived, and, each differently relieved, bade the other farewell.

We may as well have been speaking in different tongues, so far removed from each other were our worlds. Perhaps next time, she'll think twice. Then again...

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 3 - Give up your 'News' addiction!

Doubly appropriate as I'm reading Thoreau right now. But how can this improve the world? Well, it's worth either trying, or at least trying to imagine, not knowing 'what's going on in the world'. How does this make you feel? What's missing? From my own observations, news seems chiefly to provide source for, at best pointless gossip, at worst gloom and hatred. And this is how you spend your day, fretting over a global dose of human folly over which you have no control? Think of it: just endless instances of the same broad subject, human folly. If it means you lose popularity, either become more independent or make new friends whose conversation is less dull. You'll feel much lighter and happier in the long run!

Fractal catch-up

Well, I've been neglecting to blog my art for a while! Here's a recent selection, all Apophysis + GIMP.

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String theory



Not the latest subatomic model of the physical world, but rather cosmic strings, postulated remnants of the early universe - see here for more details.

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Spiritual



The path to the light is inviting, soft and inevitable...

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Julia's chronograph



My submission for the weekly themed challenge 'Dense fractals' - almost total coverage, but if it doesn't qualify...

Title relates to the use of the Julia variation, and the appearance of the workings of some ancient timepiece. Flam3 with density estimation (sadly, this no longer works for me, so it's back to native rendering soon).

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Seeing through...



...the worn and tatty fabrick of material existence to a glimpse of the unity underlying all is one of Art's many important functions.

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 2 - Learn to say "No" constructively

When I was younger, saying "No" was a relatively normal part of life, something that everyone did. Over the years, I've noticed its erosion to the point now that a firm refusal to comply really jolts the recipient out of their complacent torpor. But this doesn't mean that everyone does as they've agreed - quite the reverse. Now, people agree to things without any intention of following through, and this is usually left unremarked. I sometimes wonder how anything actually does get done. Saying "No" at the appropriate moment encourages honesty and empowerment in the user, removes niggling traces of guilt and may actually free up precious time!

52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 1 - Be happy!

It seems fitting to begin a new year with a definitive statement about where to start, and what could be more clear? If you cannot change yourself, how can you change the world? So seek happiness, but beware the impostors. Pleasure in itself is not happiness, yet there is a place for it in a happy life. Is there a formula for happiness? No. but there are a few general rules and considerations. Happy people are comfortable in themselves and therefore don't require endless occupation. De-cluttering, simplification, call it what you will is a useful step, but if having spare time scares you, then there is something fundamentally wrong that must first be dealt with: personal demons; fears; an untutored mind. Develop a personal philosophy, work on self-empowerment, place less importance on material things and more on the spiritual dimension (meditation on the question "Who am I?" is an excellent starting point).

A happy person is a general wellspring of goodness, so spread warmth, brush aside doom-and-gloom and begin to change the world around you!