Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Developments

I got a phone message today from the VP up at Whatcom CC, the one who said I came in fifth out of four for the full-time position there - or first runner-up. He said to call him back tomorrow; I wonder what he wants.

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This is for Yojimbo:



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Shhhhh! I found a housewarming present for Jon of Monmouth! I know how much he likes these.



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I thought that upon this occasion of returning to the ranks of the fully-employed, I ought to get a new tat. I have longed been intrigued by Phi, also known as the Golden Ratio. A common representation is this:



This Golden Rectangle, supposedly the most aesthetically pleasing rectangle, has sides with the Golden Ratio of 1: 1.618.... This is the same proportion created when you divide a line segment into two unequal parts such that the ratio of the big piece to the little piece is the same as the ratio of the whole segment to the big piece. This ratio is also reflected in the Fibonacci sequence, which is the series of numbers which are the sums of the previous two numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21... The proportion between adjacent two numbers in the sequence converges on Phi.

Golden Rectangles and the Golden Ratio abound in nature and in art. For example, you can create a spiral from the Golden Triangle, called, naturally, the Golden Spiral:



This is the same spiral formed by the nautilus shell.

Innyway, I like the idea of having a tat focused on the concept. But what? A rectangle? A spiral? The Greek letter phi? Whaddaya think?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Geometrically-perfect tattoo designs are tricky due to the softness of human flesh and contours of the muscles and bones beneath. A branding iron would be a MUCH better option for achieving visual perfection than a tattoo gun. No really, that's totally how the Spartans would have done it.

One vote for the spiral! :)


Soapy

"Yojimbo_5" said...

You may think that "Bill Nye"cartoon is funny. But I can tell you, having witnessed the exact thing, that its more tragic-comic.

Man! You know people actually DO say "Do you know who you are?"

Anonymous said...

I really like the last graphic you posted and think it would make a smashing tat!
Have you thought about Sierpinski triangles? Think about the chaos game.

Diane

John said...

Now I have to look up Sierpinski triangles. Thanks a lot Diane!

Also: I don't find that rectangle asthetically appealing at ALL! I'm actually kinda repulsed by it. It creeps me out... I prefer a longer long edge.

Anonymous said...

I was refering to the rectangle with the spiral of the nautilus shell drawn in it. That one creeps you out? Methinks it's kind of soothing.

Diane