April 11th, 2009
March 4th, 2009
I still maintain that I had the idea first! : (
"The invention relates to an implement for coring bananas and filling the latter through the cored portion with ice cream and more particularly to a banana extractor and ice cream injector.
The primary object of the invention is the provision of an implement of this character, wherein the barrel or cylinder thereof is formed with a knife tip so that the said barrel or cylinder can be readily inserted within a banana to bore or core the same and thereafter a charge of ice cream introduced within the banana so that the same may be consumed, that is, the ice cream, on the eating of the banana, thus effecting a combination of banana and ice cream in a convenient and attractive form."
"The invention relates to an implement for coring bananas and filling the latter through the cored portion with ice cream and more particularly to a banana extractor and ice cream injector.
The primary object of the invention is the provision of an implement of this character, wherein the barrel or cylinder thereof is formed with a knife tip so that the said barrel or cylinder can be readily inserted within a banana to bore or core the same and thereafter a charge of ice cream introduced within the banana so that the same may be consumed, that is, the ice cream, on the eating of the banana, thus effecting a combination of banana and ice cream in a convenient and attractive form."
February 10th, 2009
This makes me happy:
42!! : D It's almost enough to make me want to cut back on my eBay shopping. Almost.
This makes me unhappy:
Bootleg CD. : ( I got my money back, which is pretty lucky. Buyer beware. It seemed too good to be true--I learned my lesson and will definitely be more careful next time. Let me say now though--someday I will own a copy of the Safety EP!
42!! : D It's almost enough to make me want to cut back on my eBay shopping. Almost.
This makes me unhappy:
Bootleg CD. : ( I got my money back, which is pretty lucky. Buyer beware. It seemed too good to be true--I learned my lesson and will definitely be more careful next time. Let me say now though--someday I will own a copy of the Safety EP!
January 27th, 2009
I can quit any time. Really. This isn't even really that many, I mean... It's... hrm...
January 1st, 2009
Kumah has made his predictions for 2009, so I guess it's my turn!
~~~ Predictions for 2009: ~~~
January - Oil prices rise again, causing a sudden spike in gas prices.
February - lawsuits abound as ignorant antenna-TV owners suddenly find their sets to be showing nothing but static.
March - scientists come up against a major stumbling block in stem cell research
April - a record-breaking blizzard surprises the northern midwest US, dumping feet of snow and causing power outages in many areas.
May - a celebrity associated with the Harry Potter movies runs up against some legal issues
June - a well-known religious leader is revealed to have been involved in a sex-related scandal.
July - a multi-state thunderstorm system causes travel delays in several airports. Tornadoes rip through small towns and three states are declared disaster areas.
August - American auto-makers tank yet again. The government debates further bail-out packages.
September - unseasonably warm weather causes issues for farmers. Corn prices, and as a result food prices in general, skyrocket.

October - a relatively well-known, yet extremely old, celebrity dies, causing people around the country to say “That guy was still alive?”
November - Coldplay releases their 5th album, and it is hailed as the ‘best ever!’ by fans. All the Coldplay-haters hang their heads in shame and finally admit just how wrong they’ve been.
December - Jim Davis writes a series of strips in which Jon Arbuckle marries his long-time girlfriend Liz, then finally retires Garfield.
November 30th, 2008
First of all, NaNoWrimo is over, and I just scraped through! Still a long way to go. I finished my story arch last night but there is plenty of fleshing out to do before it will be readable. My new, and very reasonable goal, is to have about 60 to 70,000 or so by Dec 20th before I go home for the holidays.
Still, though... I feel pretty damn good. I never could have done this much in a month without NaNoWriMo. Also, thanks to my friends who supported and/or put up with me through all of this. ^_^
November was of course also the month of the Coldplay concert!
These aren't my shots, but are from the KC concert. This is Lovers in Japan, where the paper butterflies rained down on us. I will never forget the pure elation I felt when they started the first notes of Glass of Water, and I realized I was lucky enough to be at the concert where they played my new favorite song for the first time in the States. And the second encore, where the guys came out into the audience and played two acoustic songs not 20 feet away... amazing...
**swoon** Oh, and Will (the bald drummer) sang Death Will Never Conquer with Chris on the harmonica. So cool.
The other awesome thing about November was my trip to Toronto. It was a chance for me to visit not as a Torontonian, but as someone who simply used to live there. I really needed this trip. Canada is completely out of my system now, so to speak. I've seen where my friends work now, and I think I would handcuff myself to my chair at work to get to stay here in Chambana. That's not to say I don't hope to visit TO every couple of years or so; I'm just not longer desiring to move back there. I have too good of a gig here. And I've gotten too used to the quiet. I'd forgotten how damn noisy the city is.
On Thanksgiving Day, quite appropriately, I went up to the Skypod of the CN Tower, and looking out over the entire city, I thanked it. Not outloud of course; that would be silly. This is looking northeast over downtown:
Thanks, TO!
The skypod is really, REALLY high by the way. Totally worth the extra 5 bucks to go up there. So anyway, I thanked the city for everything... for making me less of a coward and opening my eyes to the world outside of North Dakota. I just spent a lot of time up there thinking about how much I had changed since the last time I'd been up there, in the summer of 2005 before even being accepted into the BMC program. And of course I turned due north and specifically thanked the university for all I had learned there.
So yeah, I thanked the city, then turned to the west and got this in response:
nice.
I of course also took the obligatory shot of my feet standing on the glass floor on the observation level. Then on my way out I walked up to the base of the tower and put my hand on it and looked up at it, which gave me a bit of vertigo but was pretty awesome. To stand right next to it like that and think about how tall it really is. (It's really tall...)
So that's it. I'd been looking forward to November for months and months and it did not dissapoint. Am now looking forward to relaxing a bit. : )
Still, though... I feel pretty damn good. I never could have done this much in a month without NaNoWriMo. Also, thanks to my friends who supported and/or put up with me through all of this. ^_^
November was of course also the month of the Coldplay concert!
These aren't my shots, but are from the KC concert. This is Lovers in Japan, where the paper butterflies rained down on us. I will never forget the pure elation I felt when they started the first notes of Glass of Water, and I realized I was lucky enough to be at the concert where they played my new favorite song for the first time in the States. And the second encore, where the guys came out into the audience and played two acoustic songs not 20 feet away... amazing...
**swoon** Oh, and Will (the bald drummer) sang Death Will Never Conquer with Chris on the harmonica. So cool.
The other awesome thing about November was my trip to Toronto. It was a chance for me to visit not as a Torontonian, but as someone who simply used to live there. I really needed this trip. Canada is completely out of my system now, so to speak. I've seen where my friends work now, and I think I would handcuff myself to my chair at work to get to stay here in Chambana. That's not to say I don't hope to visit TO every couple of years or so; I'm just not longer desiring to move back there. I have too good of a gig here. And I've gotten too used to the quiet. I'd forgotten how damn noisy the city is.
On Thanksgiving Day, quite appropriately, I went up to the Skypod of the CN Tower, and looking out over the entire city, I thanked it. Not outloud of course; that would be silly. This is looking northeast over downtown:
Thanks, TO!
The skypod is really, REALLY high by the way. Totally worth the extra 5 bucks to go up there. So anyway, I thanked the city for everything... for making me less of a coward and opening my eyes to the world outside of North Dakota. I just spent a lot of time up there thinking about how much I had changed since the last time I'd been up there, in the summer of 2005 before even being accepted into the BMC program. And of course I turned due north and specifically thanked the university for all I had learned there.
So yeah, I thanked the city, then turned to the west and got this in response:
nice.
I of course also took the obligatory shot of my feet standing on the glass floor on the observation level. Then on my way out I walked up to the base of the tower and put my hand on it and looked up at it, which gave me a bit of vertigo but was pretty awesome. To stand right next to it like that and think about how tall it really is. (It's really tall...)
So that's it. I'd been looking forward to November for months and months and it did not dissapoint. Am now looking forward to relaxing a bit. : )
November 21st, 2008
Cross-posting from Visualizing Evolution again. Because I'm lazy. : )
Well, as of Saturday, I am an American tourist in Canada for the entire week! I'm not sure how my internet connection will be while I'm there, so this blog may sit neglected until December, but I do plan to visit the Royal Ontario Museum at least once, to see what kinds of new displays they have that visualize evolution (surprise, surprise).
I'm also looking forward to finally seeing what's inside of that weird crystal they built over the course of the two years I actually lived there:
I guess I have a love-hate relationship with it from the outside. I reserve judgment until I see the interior. The dinosaur exhibition should be awesome, though.
In addition to touristy stuff like museums and the CN tower and all that, I also plan to use this time away from my regular life and responsibilities to type my NaNoWriMo book. As of today, I'm exactly on schedule. I mean, to-the-word (33,333 as of Friday). I want to clear 50,000 by Thursday night so I can board my plane the next morning feeling good about having a relaxing weekend. My stats graph may not reflect that depending on internet availability though:
Well, as of Saturday, I am an American tourist in Canada for the entire week! I'm not sure how my internet connection will be while I'm there, so this blog may sit neglected until December, but I do plan to visit the Royal Ontario Museum at least once, to see what kinds of new displays they have that visualize evolution (surprise, surprise).
I'm also looking forward to finally seeing what's inside of that weird crystal they built over the course of the two years I actually lived there:
I guess I have a love-hate relationship with it from the outside. I reserve judgment until I see the interior. The dinosaur exhibition should be awesome, though.In addition to touristy stuff like museums and the CN tower and all that, I also plan to use this time away from my regular life and responsibilities to type my NaNoWriMo book. As of today, I'm exactly on schedule. I mean, to-the-word (33,333 as of Friday). I want to clear 50,000 by Thursday night so I can board my plane the next morning feeling good about having a relaxing weekend. My stats graph may not reflect that depending on internet availability though:
November 4th, 2008
November 3rd, 2008
So far so good on my first ever NaNoWriMo!
I have a few solid goals that I'm going to work on over the next 27 days. One of which can be summarized by this article by Philip Pullman on the censorship of the His Dark Materials trilogy (one of my favorite books--considering it as a single book!) and how the attempted censorship of his writing by those who disliked his viewpoints has only increased sales.
I'd consider it a success if ... well the first success would obviously be to get published in the first place, but equally validating would be if the book-burners amongst us hated my book so much that they fought to keep others from picking it up. It would make me feel warm and fuzzy. So, I'm going to do my best to not shy away from my opinions and the issues I want to address.
My second goal is a more technical one. My biggest pet peeve when reading fiction is when the prose isn't derived from the point of view of the character from whose point of view the scene/story is meant to be told. What I mean is, if John is the main character, and John walks into a room where there's a bomb but John doesn't know there's a bomb, and the author writes, "John, not knowing about the bomb, walked into the room." Maybe it's just me, but I cringe every time something like that happens, and I've actually put books down and refused to finish when there are multiple offenses.
My approach is to be completely immersed in the POV character. Everything he or she thinks and notices, and nothing more, is written into the story. This has added an additional challenge, because instead of writing my scenes as if I am watching a movie, I really have to become the character. Another layer of challenge comes from the fact that many of my scenes are from the POV of non-human animals. And this isn't like The Lion King--I'm talking true-to-life animals. The book opens from the point of view of a crow, for instance. (A very black crow, haha...) I'm hoping at some point to work in a scene from the point of view of the secondary character's dog that has dialogue between the main & secondary character... and somehow indicate the point of the discussion that catches the dog's attention--namely when someone uses the word "hunting."
Should be fun!
edit: I used to begin these entries with whatever was under my Jones Soda bottle cap that day. I just got one that says "Keep expectations reasonable." Maybe it's a sign.October 26th, 2008
Ear-flap hat! Posted for Richard b'fahsee! (see below)
I think the rest of you should post pictures of yourselves in hats, too! Let's have a hat party!
HATS! : D
October 17th, 2008
I know I've been writing a lot about music lately, but it's come to my attention that all my favorite bands have bald drummers! And I want to know why!
Naturally I'll start with Coldplay.
That's Will Champion on the left. He's holding a guitar in this picture, but he's the band's drummer. And he is bald.
Next up, my 2nd favorite band, the ever-inspiring Death Cab for Cutie:
Their drummer Jason McGerr, 3rd from left, seen here peeking coyly over the shoulder of guitarist Chris Walla, is bald. Or at least has very little hair.
Next up, The Verve, who are once again back together after... 2 break ups, I think.
Guess which of these four men is drummer Peter Salisbury! That's right! Third from left... and hiding behind the guitarist in much the same way Jason was...
Hm... finally my new favorite, Radiohead! Eek... a FIVE-member band? This threw me off for a moment, but...
... I don't think I need to tell you which one is drummer/percussionist Phil Selway.
So why are all the drummers in my favorite bands bald? To stay cool during concerts? Does being more aerodynamic give you better rhythm? I'm certainly not complaining about it. When I see a pattern I just want to know the reason.
...
Well, huh! U2 all have hair! At least I assume the Edge has hair under his famous knit cap. Either way, he's not the drummer.
Naturally I'll start with Coldplay.
That's Will Champion on the left. He's holding a guitar in this picture, but he's the band's drummer. And he is bald.
Next up, my 2nd favorite band, the ever-inspiring Death Cab for Cutie:
Their drummer Jason McGerr, 3rd from left, seen here peeking coyly over the shoulder of guitarist Chris Walla, is bald. Or at least has very little hair.
Next up, The Verve, who are once again back together after... 2 break ups, I think.
Guess which of these four men is drummer Peter Salisbury! That's right! Third from left... and hiding behind the guitarist in much the same way Jason was...
Hm... finally my new favorite, Radiohead! Eek... a FIVE-member band? This threw me off for a moment, but...
... I don't think I need to tell you which one is drummer/percussionist Phil Selway.
So why are all the drummers in my favorite bands bald? To stay cool during concerts? Does being more aerodynamic give you better rhythm? I'm certainly not complaining about it. When I see a pattern I just want to know the reason.
...
Well, huh! U2 all have hair! At least I assume the Edge has hair under his famous knit cap. Either way, he's not the drummer.
October 12th, 2008
The concert is tonight! I'm ashamed to admit it's the first concert I'll ever have gone to. Ever! : O So, I'm completely hyped. And very much looking forward to seeing if they perform the intro to "I Will Possess Your Heart" in its entirety. I hope so!
Here's the new video for a rather depressing song called "Cath..." off the latest album. Very moving... I think a lot of us have known someone in a similar situation.
Here's the new video for a rather depressing song called "Cath..." off the latest album. Very moving... I think a lot of us have known someone in a similar situation.
October 10th, 2008
My new hobby: Making goofy playlists in iTunes.
Playlist 1:
1 Black Hole Sun
2 Blue Eyes
3 Golden Boy
4 Green Eyes
5 A Lack of Color
6 Orange Crush
7 True Colors
8 Violet Hill
9 White Flag
10 Yellow
(8 different artists... who can name them?)
Playlist 2:
1 One
2 1.36
3 2+2=5
4 5/4
5 19-2000
6 #34
7 #41
8 42
9 405
10 1979
(7 different artists... again, I challenge you to name them!)
I also have a song called "Tonight, Tonight" and another called "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" but no songs called "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" or just "Tonight."
It makes me really happy at the end of the work day to go to close iTunes and get that warning box that someone's listening to my library and if I shut it down they'll get disconnected. I get a warm fuzzy "someone likes my music : >" feeling, and I wonder what they're listening to, and if they think I'm crazy for making weird playlists.
Playlist 1:
1 Black Hole Sun
2 Blue Eyes
3 Golden Boy
4 Green Eyes
5 A Lack of Color
6 Orange Crush
7 True Colors
8 Violet Hill
9 White Flag
10 Yellow
(8 different artists... who can name them?)
Playlist 2:
1 One
2 1.36
3 2+2=5
4 5/4
5 19-2000
6 #34
7 #41
8 42
9 405
10 1979
(7 different artists... again, I challenge you to name them!)
I also have a song called "Tonight, Tonight" and another called "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" but no songs called "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" or just "Tonight."
It makes me really happy at the end of the work day to go to close iTunes and get that warning box that someone's listening to my library and if I shut it down they'll get disconnected. I get a warm fuzzy "someone likes my music : >" feeling, and I wonder what they're listening to, and if they think I'm crazy for making weird playlists.
September 5th, 2008
I've had a lot on my mind lately. A lot of incomplete thoughts. So to try to cure my brain, I present them here in list form:
Overused song lyrics that annoy me:
"Singin'" (reason: I already know you're singing!)
Exception: Coldplay - Clocks
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!"
Exception: U2 - Vertigo
Anything about "standing in the pouring rain."
Exceptions: NONE
U2 songs in which Bono mentions kneeling
Original Of the Species: "I kneel, 'cause I want you some more"
Vertigo "...how to kneel! Kneel! yeah yeah(etc...)"
Mysterious Ways: "If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel"
City of Blinding Lights: "blessings are not just for the ones who kneel"
Coldplay songs in which Chris Martin mentions kneeling
?
Coldplay songs in which Chris Martin mentions the sun:
Gravity: "and then I looked up at the sky and saw the sun"
Sleeping Sun: "I've got my secrets, you've only got the sleeping sun"
The World Turned Upside Down: "you and me, the land, sun, trees, the sky, the stars, the sea ... and everything under the sun"
Daylight: "to my surprise and my delight, I saw a sunrise, I saw sunlight... ooh, and the sun will shine"
Lovers in Japan: "Dreaming of the Osaka Sun... one day the sun will come out"
?
Movies in which Tom Hanks has a pee scene:
A League of Their Own (longest pee scene in cinema history)
Forrest Gump (Too many Dr. Peppers at the white house)
Apollo 13 (?) (Pee visible floating through space)
The Green Mile (ow! Prostate problems!)
Cast Away (pee stream visible in the glow of the moonlight)
?
Movies whose title gives away the ending to the movie:
Free Willy
The Return of the King
?
Movies that surprisingly have horses in them when you stop to think about it:
Titanic
Water World
Star Wars: Episode 1
Twister
Moulin Rouge
?
An interesting pattern I've noticed in the latest Coldplay Album, 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His friends'...
Tracklist:
1. Life in Technicolor (It's about Life)
2. Cemeteries of London (It's about Death)
3. Lost! (It's about optimism and Life!)
4. 42 ("Those who are Dead are not Dead ")
5. Lovers in Japan (It's about Love and Life!)
6. Yes ("There we were Dying of frustration...")
7. Viva La Vida (means "live the Life")
8. Violet Hill ("bury me in honor, when I'm Dead..."
9. Strawberry Swing (happiest song ever--it's about Life)
10. Death and All His Friends ("I don't want to follow Death and all of his friends")
Whew! I feel better now. Back to work, I guess!
Overused song lyrics that annoy me:
"Singin'" (reason: I already know you're singing!)
Exception: Coldplay - Clocks
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!"
Exception: U2 - Vertigo
Anything about "standing in the pouring rain."
Exceptions: NONE
U2 songs in which Bono mentions kneeling
Original Of the Species: "I kneel, 'cause I want you some more"
Vertigo "...how to kneel! Kneel! yeah yeah(etc...)"
Mysterious Ways: "If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel"
City of Blinding Lights: "blessings are not just for the ones who kneel"
Coldplay songs in which Chris Martin mentions kneeling
?
Coldplay songs in which Chris Martin mentions the sun:
Gravity: "and then I looked up at the sky and saw the sun"
Sleeping Sun: "I've got my secrets, you've only got the sleeping sun"
The World Turned Upside Down: "you and me, the land, sun, trees, the sky, the stars, the sea ... and everything under the sun"
Daylight: "to my surprise and my delight, I saw a sunrise, I saw sunlight... ooh, and the sun will shine"
Lovers in Japan: "Dreaming of the Osaka Sun... one day the sun will come out"
?
Movies in which Tom Hanks has a pee scene:
A League of Their Own (longest pee scene in cinema history)
Forrest Gump (Too many Dr. Peppers at the white house)
Apollo 13 (?) (Pee visible floating through space)
The Green Mile (ow! Prostate problems!)
Cast Away (pee stream visible in the glow of the moonlight)
?
Movies whose title gives away the ending to the movie:
Free Willy
The Return of the King
?
Movies that surprisingly have horses in them when you stop to think about it:
Titanic
Water World
Star Wars: Episode 1
Twister
Moulin Rouge
?
An interesting pattern I've noticed in the latest Coldplay Album, 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His friends'...
Tracklist:
1. Life in Technicolor (It's about Life)
2. Cemeteries of London (It's about Death)
3. Lost! (It's about optimism and Life!)
4. 42 ("Those who are Dead are not Dead ")
5. Lovers in Japan (It's about Love and Life!)
6. Yes ("There we were Dying of frustration...")
7. Viva La Vida (means "live the Life")
8. Violet Hill ("bury me in honor, when I'm Dead..."
9. Strawberry Swing (happiest song ever--it's about Life)
10. Death and All His Friends ("I don't want to follow Death and all of his friends")
Whew! I feel better now. Back to work, I guess!
boredAugust 29th, 2008
Time for another Visualizing Evolution cross-post, since this one isn't so much on the science-side, and also because I have SO much love for this picture:
<3
<3August 16th, 2008
Okay. Since GS has now called me a both a low-life and a moron, I thought I should share with you all the horrible, horrible things I said to attack poor GS during the roughly minute-and-a-half he spent in CC on his very important search for the missing Capella:
edit: Another apology is in order. I have been informed that this snapshot from CC includes the setup to a joke but not the punchline. And so, here you go:
[theclam] "we'd need bleed mead" :D
\\\\\[GermanShepherd] <links in from somewhere on the internet Age>/////
[GermanShepherd] hey...has anyone seen capella lately...
[Paradox] heya GS
[Aurelia] I remember GermanShepherd
[vaaht] nope, she hasn't been in
[GermanShepherd] I know she hasn't been here...but has anyone seen here elsewhere
[vaaht] unless she's going under an alternate name as celestria
[vaaht] *like celestria
[Novah] I think I saw her at the grocery store the other day
[GermanShepherd] I'll bet you did
[theclam] Two moonshiners were talking about ways to transport mead out of their home state. The first had a thought about injecting it into some willing victims. Then the second asked, "How would we get the drink out once we're past the state line?"
[Novah] AARGH! I just poked myself in the eye. I'm giving up for the night... BAAGH.
[GermanShepherd] well I'll let you all get back to your little clique...guess i'm the only one concerned about her
/////[GermanShepherd] <links safely back to their home Age>\\\\\
edit: Another apology is in order. I have been informed that this snapshot from CC includes the setup to a joke but not the punchline. And so, here you go:
[theclam] "we'd need bleed mead" :D
July 27th, 2008
I finally bought myself an easel yesterday, so I took it to Mattis Park a couple hours ago and did a quick landscape:
I can barely remember the last time I used actual paint! It was nice to get away from the Wacom tablet and Photoshop for a change.
I can barely remember the last time I used actual paint! It was nice to get away from the Wacom tablet and Photoshop for a change.July 20th, 2008
Cross-posting from Visualizing Evolution. Last time; I promise ;)
Well, so much for nightly reports. Friday night was alumni night, so that was shot, and then after getting home last night I was way too tired to update. So I'm going to very briefly summarize the last two days of the convention.
On Friday I took the exam to become a CMI (Certified Medical Illustrator). The exam was in three parts: anatomy (labeling and multiple choice), business questions, and a drawing section. Once I get my results, assuming I passed, I'll submit a portfolio in order to get those three letters after my name!
I finished the exam after four hours (five were allotted) and had time to go to the silent auction.
There I picked up an illustrated book of poems called Darwin is my Hero by Craig Gosling, who is my new hero. I met the man, he signed my book, and we had a nice (albeit short) chat about medical illustrators, atheism, and the Center for Inquiry. A thought occurred to me and I asked if he knew who was portraying Darwin on the following morning and he cryptically said he shouldn't say.
Friday night was also alumni night, and I joined the University of Toronto staff, alumni, and current students at a downtown bar. It's interesting how the dynamics change when you're no longer a students. My old profs are way cooler than I remembered.
I've missed tall buildings...
Day 4: Saturday
I missed the first talk on Saturday, and instead checked out of the hotel and dragged all of my stuff down to the parking garage, ate a couple donuts (with the stress of the exam gone my apatite suddenly seemed to quadruple), and waited for the 9:45 talk, "A Conversation with Charles Darwin." And it was indeed Craig Gosling, in full-character!
He seemed a bit confused a bit by the laser pointer. 'Darwin' talked about his voyage on the Beagle and the two illustrators he had known then, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martins. Earle was an American and a humanist, concerned over the plight of those under British colonial rule. His view of the world had a huge influence on Darwin. Darwin also emphasized the importance of thinking scientifically and skeptically, especially in our field of science illustration. He said that an illustrator must always search for truth, even if they don't like what they find, and be accurate in their representations, otherwise all they are left with is what he called "graphic fiction" or "illustrative myth."
Elizabeth and John Gould were other artists Darwin considered especially important, for the bird illustrations they produced of Darwin's ornithological collections from his travels.
After that was the Futures Forum, where each year a panel discusses the future of the field of medical illustration. Hot points right now include down-pricing of stock art and selling over the internet, as well as the Orphan Works act and the whole mess with changes to copyright policy. Then we had another fantastic lunch at the Bistro. All of the food the entire week was just fantastic. I felt terribly spoiled.
Next, the Vesalius Trust winners gave their presentations. They made the wise choice of making it a plenary this year instead of a concurrent talk, so that everyone could attend. My classmate Diana Kryski presented her master's research project. Then two of my former professors had a talk on designing information for healthcare, and I went to a very informative and rather entertaining one on anatomical mistakes in anatomy atlases. Not many audiences would erupt into laughter when an incorrect illustration of the human heart appears on the projected screen. I love the AMI.
I decided to skip the BBQ and the talks on Sunday and head home before it got dark. It was only a two hour drive but it absolutely exhausted me. Or maybe it was the four days of so much activity and very little sleep.
This has gotten a bit long, but I have a lot more to say about Gosling's book and presentation, but those I'll save for another post.
Well, so much for nightly reports. Friday night was alumni night, so that was shot, and then after getting home last night I was way too tired to update. So I'm going to very briefly summarize the last two days of the convention.
On Friday I took the exam to become a CMI (Certified Medical Illustrator). The exam was in three parts: anatomy (labeling and multiple choice), business questions, and a drawing section. Once I get my results, assuming I passed, I'll submit a portfolio in order to get those three letters after my name!
I finished the exam after four hours (five were allotted) and had time to go to the silent auction.
There I picked up an illustrated book of poems called Darwin is my Hero by Craig Gosling, who is my new hero. I met the man, he signed my book, and we had a nice (albeit short) chat about medical illustrators, atheism, and the Center for Inquiry. A thought occurred to me and I asked if he knew who was portraying Darwin on the following morning and he cryptically said he shouldn't say.Friday night was also alumni night, and I joined the University of Toronto staff, alumni, and current students at a downtown bar. It's interesting how the dynamics change when you're no longer a students. My old profs are way cooler than I remembered.
I've missed tall buildings...Day 4: Saturday
I missed the first talk on Saturday, and instead checked out of the hotel and dragged all of my stuff down to the parking garage, ate a couple donuts (with the stress of the exam gone my apatite suddenly seemed to quadruple), and waited for the 9:45 talk, "A Conversation with Charles Darwin." And it was indeed Craig Gosling, in full-character!
He seemed a bit confused a bit by the laser pointer. 'Darwin' talked about his voyage on the Beagle and the two illustrators he had known then, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martins. Earle was an American and a humanist, concerned over the plight of those under British colonial rule. His view of the world had a huge influence on Darwin. Darwin also emphasized the importance of thinking scientifically and skeptically, especially in our field of science illustration. He said that an illustrator must always search for truth, even if they don't like what they find, and be accurate in their representations, otherwise all they are left with is what he called "graphic fiction" or "illustrative myth."
Elizabeth and John Gould were other artists Darwin considered especially important, for the bird illustrations they produced of Darwin's ornithological collections from his travels.After that was the Futures Forum, where each year a panel discusses the future of the field of medical illustration. Hot points right now include down-pricing of stock art and selling over the internet, as well as the Orphan Works act and the whole mess with changes to copyright policy. Then we had another fantastic lunch at the Bistro. All of the food the entire week was just fantastic. I felt terribly spoiled.
Next, the Vesalius Trust winners gave their presentations. They made the wise choice of making it a plenary this year instead of a concurrent talk, so that everyone could attend. My classmate Diana Kryski presented her master's research project. Then two of my former professors had a talk on designing information for healthcare, and I went to a very informative and rather entertaining one on anatomical mistakes in anatomy atlases. Not many audiences would erupt into laughter when an incorrect illustration of the human heart appears on the projected screen. I love the AMI.
I decided to skip the BBQ and the talks on Sunday and head home before it got dark. It was only a two hour drive but it absolutely exhausted me. Or maybe it was the four days of so much activity and very little sleep.
This has gotten a bit long, but I have a lot more to say about Gosling's book and presentation, but those I'll save for another post.
July 17th, 2008
Another Visualizing Evolution crosspost:
This was the view outside my window after I finished blogging last night. What a moon!
And here is the view from this morning. I love cityscapes!
Day two was long, and a lot happened. I'll have to go into more detail tomorrow about the presentations, including the HEART-THEMED MOTORCYCLE!
(Sorry it's blurry.) This was designed by Keith Kasnot (seen above) and Craig Foster and built by Paul Yaffe for the Arizona Heart Institute's Founder Dr. Edward B. Dietrich. It has some amazing details. Better photos, and lots of them, on Yaffe's website. Check out the tiny veins painted into the details, and look for the stent! 
More on that and the other presentations later...
For now, I just need to extend congratulations to Yona Gellert, who won a couple awards for her Paleo flash project "Brains, Bones & Behavior," and to Julian Kirk-Elleker who won for "Antibody Affinity Maturation." Both these projects (in addiction to their new media awards) were also awarded with the brand new category of "New Media Best in Show." Congrats guys! A few of the other 2nd years also won awards for their 2-D pieces, but I regretfully didn't take good enough notes. I will try to get a complete list of the U of T winners up here eventually to make up for that.
Another full day tomorrow. Up bright and early for a talk on molecular illustration. Charles Darwin speaks Saturday at 9:45 a.m. I am so looking forward to seeing what that will be like.
This was the view outside my window after I finished blogging last night. What a moon!
And here is the view from this morning. I love cityscapes!Day two was long, and a lot happened. I'll have to go into more detail tomorrow about the presentations, including the HEART-THEMED MOTORCYCLE!
(Sorry it's blurry.) This was designed by Keith Kasnot (seen above) and Craig Foster and built by Paul Yaffe for the Arizona Heart Institute's Founder Dr. Edward B. Dietrich. It has some amazing details. Better photos, and lots of them, on Yaffe's website. Check out the tiny veins painted into the details, and look for the stent! 
More on that and the other presentations later...For now, I just need to extend congratulations to Yona Gellert, who won a couple awards for her Paleo flash project "Brains, Bones & Behavior," and to Julian Kirk-Elleker who won for "Antibody Affinity Maturation." Both these projects (in addiction to their new media awards) were also awarded with the brand new category of "New Media Best in Show." Congrats guys! A few of the other 2nd years also won awards for their 2-D pieces, but I regretfully didn't take good enough notes. I will try to get a complete list of the U of T winners up here eventually to make up for that.
Another full day tomorrow. Up bright and early for a talk on molecular illustration. Charles Darwin speaks Saturday at 9:45 a.m. I am so looking forward to seeing what that will be like.