Thoughts and advice on life and
love and observations about how
we interact as people towards one
another is just what seems to come
naturally when I start writing
blogs.

It's actually one of the things
I can say I'm goods at, I watch
people, not in a pervy way. But
I notice slight interactions between
people. It can be fun at times.

I'm gonna try and vary
it up soon. The blogs I mean,
don't think you can change the
way you see the world if
you notice every little thing.

[hey maybe this whole needing to
write about people is the reason I
can never get a story going for
that damn book I want to write]

Setting the stage

I hope that my experiences can help someone else to actually migrate from java to scala. I hope to be able to point at a few things that were difficult to me, what made me understand it and what I still don't get. I also want to review whether making the switch was actually worth it, which value does scala add compared to java?

Gathering data

In order to have some foundation to draw conclusions from I brainstormed with myself:

Hard stuff

Some things seemed hard at first and I had to study them or they dawned on me later

• Reading Scala doc
• Academic examples
• Shortcut syntax for returning functions and _
• Case classes
• Seing how FP can be memory efficient

Things that don't work well

There are some things that are bothering me to some degree

• Specs
• Tool support is lagging
• I still write "java in scala". I need to push myself a bit further

Good stuff

Some things I learned to appreciate with Scala

• Compact
• Clearer than java
• Clever constructs
• Expressive (DSL etc)
• Anonymous functions
• Implicits
• Everything returns something
• Lazy fields
• Constructor properties(!!!)
• Supports evolution well

dynamicness

One thing that I was really interested in when I started looking at Scala was how it compared to dynamic languages. I had the idea that a more competent type-system than javas dito would be better at staying out of my way than Java's typessytem.

• The type system is more in the way than helpful
• Most things can be accomplished if you learn the syntax
• performance over simplicity

I could probably do this for longer and come up with more stuff. A team would have been good for this exercise :)

Generate insights

I found the Scala doc very hard to understand at first. To use the Agile Manifesto format the scala-doc seems to value correct definitions over descriptive examples. Compactness seems to be valued so it is not uncommon to find examples that use one letter variable-names, it all seems very academical which seems a bit unnecessary to me. But I guess some people prefer that so I think I can get used to the more scientific approach in describing the language than I'm used to. In retrospect there are a few things that I found extra hard and once I got them it started to become easier

Reading funtion syntax

x: => Int

x: (Int, String) => Long

At first I read these as "A function that returns an Int" and "A function that takes an Int and a String and returns a Long". Somehow it started to read easier to me when I started to read it as Something that transforms to an int and Something that turns an Int and a String into a Long. In short, instead of thinking of the => as a marker for a function I now think of <left> => <right> as turns left into right or yeilds right from left or converrts left to right.

Functions that returns functions

It is not that weird that functions can return functions:

def functionReturningAFunction(a:Int):Int => String = {

def sumToString(b:Int):String = {
"the sum is: " +(a+b)
}

sumToString
}

invoking it with

println(functionReturningAFunction(12)(13))

prints:

the sum is 25

It is weird at first with the double parameter-lists (12)(13) but understandable. What confused me A LOT in the beginning is that there is also a shorter way to do the same thing:

def functionReturningAFunction(a:Int)(b:Int):String = {
"the sum is: " +(a+b)
}

The two forms mean the exact same thing!!!

Hangman notation

Now throw in the _ into the picture:

def addFiveTo = funtionReturningAFunction(5)(_)

That can be called like this:

addFiveTo(12)

and returns

the sum is 17

It really starts to get confusing.

I have invented the term hangman notation inspired by the game hangman where you use _ to indicate a missing letters that need to be filled in. _ in scala is in this context a placeholder for something to be filled in later. This is the way to return a partly evaluated function in scala (in this case functionReturningAFunction with 5 already given).

Insight: Understanding the above three things made many more scala code examples understandable to me

Specs

Specs has been a bit of a disapointment to me. I find that it misses the mark as a BDD framework. I feel I have to be very explicit about what I want to do and quite often the syntax is redundant, unintuitive or inconsistent. I am considering dropping specs in favor of ScalaTest.

Tool support is lagging

I had some problems with Buildr and the eclipse-plugin is a bit buggy. The former seems to be worked on and I expect it to be fixed soon. The latter probably makes scala an option mainly for the innovators and early adopters while the early majority may be put off by having to close and reopen edit-windows and doing clean builds from time to time.

Scala goodness

Most of the time scala is a joy to code in. The typesystem is much less in your way than in java and the code becomes much clearer due to removal of type system noise and very clever solutions such as constructor properties. Anonymous functions really do add another dimension of possibilities that I don't want to be without once you learned to appreciate them. Over all I find the switch worthwhile even in spite of lacking tool support. Partly scala makes up for that tools by simply being more managable and less verbose.

Insight: The only thing I regret about switching to scala in my pet-project is that I am even more painfully aware how much java sucks ;)... and java happens to be what I work with :S (most of the time)

Dynamicness

I can't help but compare scala and ruby while the latter is dynamic. I found this post about how you can do most of the cool things you can do in ruby in scala: Scala, the statically typed dynamic language and it answered a lot of questions I had on the topic. In short, I think scala allows itself to be persuaded to do a lot of things. The downside is that you have to figure out how to make scala obey you. No matter how you look at it there is an extra dimension of static typing that needs to be learned and added to the code. In a dynamic language like ruby, you don't have to learn that. For example with duck-typing, all you have to do is to understand that you can use it and... start using it. No magic rituals involving special syntax, possibly chanting and some goat-blood. Just do what makes sense and Ruby assumes you know what you are doing. If not you will find out runtime (and that seems to scare some people to death).

Speaking of runtime, and this is not in relation to Scala, the statically typed dynamic language but with posts I read here and there. There is a lot of runtime language bashing going on, that dynamically typed languages are lesser languages and that high quality systems can't be written in the due to lack of safetynets in the form of static typing. To me that is just ignorant and I immediately, perhaps wrongly, assume that the
person making that statement do not routinely test-drive his code. To me building enterprise systems in any language statically or dynamically typed without automatic verification is just stupid. So, my advise to you static typers out there, you may have found something I haven't and if that is the case, make a reference, explain what you mean but general statements like static-typing = good, dynamic-typing = bad is not convincing. Be open-minded, if you did not have static typing, what would you do to make sure things worked and how would that be different?

Insight: To me scalas static typing adds performance, not safety. My automatic specifications handles safety just as well in a dynamic language as in a statically typed one. The dynamic language is easier to manage and satisfy and I don't have to haggle with the compiler, I can just do. But the dynamic language is slower and I can change some elegance for performance to a certain degree, Scala does come out ahead here in my opinion.

Decide what to do

I need to let go of my safety and explore FP more thoroughly to be able to compare dynamic languages and scala more properly. I still have a lot to learn and I still allow the possibility that I will learn how to put more trust in the compiler (after all it is not the same as java that I now find annoying and in the way without adding much value) and gain some momentum from that.

I need to do more greenfield Scala and not just convert stuff. I have an idea to use scalas parser-library to rewrite a javaCC-generated parser for a simple rule-matching syntax in pure scala.

I will kick out specs and try scala-test instead.

I'll continue to think about the best way to introduce scala in an assignment without scaring people :)

Close

I hope to write shorter posts in the future and more to the point. My phasing over posts have been very verbose in order to convey the feeling what migrating is really like. In the future I will try to write more in the form of nuggets which is a style that I personally like better both to read and write. Until then, convert your pet-project to scala, you might learn something ;o)

NEWS FLASH: Privileged Anglo-Saxon child travels to her 29th country, full of white people. Again. Ardently pats herself on the back for obtaining money for a flight ticket. Speaks only of cultural enlightenment after observing the quirky locals. Self-indulgent paragraphs on the effects of north sea isolationism to follow.

My cynic meter apparently points north towards Raufarhöfn....

All in all, it was stunning, and I can't recall another time in August when I was happier. I re-connected with a dear old friend who had never been granted the opportunity to travel, and took an insane amount of pleasure in watching his eyes open to a world that is more accessible, more abstract, and more honest. Through him I was transported back to Heathrow at age seventeen, armed only with a backpack filled with nostalgia of my former self and ready to give living a second stab.

If life is full of these beautiful phases of resuscitation, I've decided that my next one can commence.

There's been a definitive Véronique vibe to the past few months though. While part of this analogy may just be a clever ploy to get more people watching Kieslowski, I do feel like some vague counterpart of myself is suddenly absent after enduring what was my most absurd summer to date. I have a few theories on where I may have left her:

The lobby of the Metropolitan Hotel: RubyFringe was definitely my biggest event project to date. After years of tearing my hair out in the thick of gigs and benefits and trailing behind bands across continents as an entirely sub-par artist manager, I finally felt like I had an epic win. I suspect the eyes of anyone who's not a Ruby programmer are rolling, but you can't argue that bringing any group of 200 people together for a pinnacle industry weekend, having it run like butter, and watching people walk away inspired to reshape the industry isn't the least bit satisfying.

My heart hasn't burst like this since I had a group of Mexican teens cry in a Guadalajara shopping mall because I told them they could meet the band. You finally feel the human impact of your painfully calculated motions.

While all of the aforementioned is positive, it leads me into a new phase in the trenches, as I jump on new projects with a fervour reminiscent of my not so distant youth. In the time-space of a year, I've lost the newly-found girl who had grown accustomed to the work to live as opposed to the live to work mantra. It's momentarily horrifying to discover that you actually are the latter archetype - stress for breakfast, so to speak.


A bench on Harbord Street: At least give me points for the banality of this. I decided to go on a long walk during the last dregs of summer, which came to an unceremonious end when I decided to plop down on a bench and cry my beady brown eyes out. This caused much discomfort to the fratboys lurking behind me, who were kind enough to give me that ambivalent but appreciative nod that they do - not unlike chimps...



We all have masks: mine is one of stoic singularity, and one that my closest people can see through with the precision of an MRI. The reality of the situation is that, like most, I'm both idealistic and terrified by the notion of love and human bondage. But it's how we react to these baser instincts which makes us both unique and tragic - and mine happens, or happened to be, an utterly bats in the belfry control reflex.

I have put a friend through hell for many moons as they've struggled to handle me with kid gloves. While that kind of selfless care will never be forgotten, the second I parked myself on that bench I relinquished them of the duty. While it's unfortunate that I'll have to hold them at arms length in the future....well, as I approach the 3 1/2 year mark of single-hood, it might be my most ripened move in matters of the heart to date.

Now watch me louse this up with a bottle of Pinot Noir and a lanky singer in mere weeks. Bets are on.


September 2nd, 2008 - Being cheap and a three hour drive away, I decided my birthday gift to my beautiful mother would be to kick my carcinogenic habit, now entering its tenth year. We all know the motivators behind quitting smoking - the 40-something women hacking a lung at a TTC bus stop, the embarrassing pools of sweat and lack of stamina on the elliptical machines at GoodLife, and the yellow finger of shame are all images only Burroughes would find poetic. However...

...this was ten fucking years of my life. A month later I still walk around with a phantom limb, thinking of the devil may care image I once evoked through a pack of Belmont's. Hauling on 25 otherwise inanimate objects per day equals two hours out of every twenty-four : and without them, I am still struggling to apply meaning to my newly liberated routine.

The result is a startling weight of 125lbs (from 118), fits of erratic passion, a new admiration for anything herbal that I can suck on (aside from Kensington's weapon of choice, as no one wants to see a control-freak in the grips of ganja), and exactly six dishes that made friends with the wall of my kitchen. But I'm happier...if you translate this as "at least none of the grease monkeys at my gym chortle when I run now."

Icelandic Gallery of Modern Art, Reykjavik: This is a comparably simple tale - stepping into a shrine to a nation regarded as an artistic incubator, I checked some of my long-standing creative apathy at the door. Now that some of my more self-conscious reservations have been laid to rest, I excitedly sully forth with a Canon EOS, an artillery of discount art supplies, a rediscovered fender jazz, and a set of freshly-minted notebooks. The future is decidedly more fun - and fuchsia!

So I say farewell to the summer of 2008.

Unlike Weronika's passing, I don't think I miss my counterpart. My autumn outlook is colourful and due for wonderful post-transfiguration moments, as opposed to the morose parallels I would normally be inclined to make. While this is a horribly twee way to end any chapter, I'm now becoming more comfortable with the idea that parts of us must die so the good will out.

On vous parle de l’exposition "Jacques Prévert, Paris la belle" non seulement parce que c'est l'occasion de redécouvrir son œuvre dans son intégralité, mais aussi parce qu'elle fait état du lien étroit entre Prévert et Paris, depuis sa petite enfance dans le quartier du jardin du Luxembourg jusqu’à son statut d’icône de Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Oui, la vie de Prévert est intimement liée au quartier où se trouve nos hôtels !

Né le 4 février 1900 à Neuilly-sur-Seine, Jacques est le second fils de Suzanne et André Prévert. Son frère aîné, Jean, décède à 17 ans, de la fièvre typhoïde. Son second frère, Pierre, né en 1906, sera son complice artistique tout au long de sa vie. Sa mère, d’un naturel joyeux, lui apprend à lire dans des livres de contes. Son père, plus sombre, fait de la critique littéraire, dramatique et cinématographique et l’emmène au cinéma et au théâtre. C’est ainsi qu’il découvre les premiers comiques de l’écran, et surtout les feuilletons de Louis Feuillade. C’était, comme l’écrira plus tard Prévert, « la plus fastueuse des misères ».

>>> "Paris la belle" - Rétrospective Jacques Prévert

I've written 95 blog posts (this will be the 96th) since last Rosh Hashanah, going back to last October and this post, wherein I was noting how strange it was to move from the workaday world to sitting with a family as a loved one died. It was light postings through December, as I was really getting my feet under me as a congregationally rabbi in Salem. I was learning to balance the roles, while still talking about knitting upon occasion. 

There are the posts that describe specific events from the year. There's the post talking about how I invoked the Oregon State Senate, which was amazingly cool. Also when I passed the 100,000 mile mark on the car, and thinking about where the car had taken me. There was the time I saw a pair of raccoons in the yard. There's the post I wrote as I was leaving Salem. 

Then there are the feline related posts. We adopted Chloe and were excited. A week later she was dead, and I wrote my prayer for a dead pet. Ten days later, we faced a much harder loss. Diana, who had been with me for 14 years, died. 

There are posts about the connections between knitting and spirituality. And posts about my experiences teaching Sunday school and bar and bat mitzvah students. And posts simply about Jewish Spirituality and theology. 

There were a whole slew of posts about Shabbat. Some commenting on how ready for it I was, some on how I planned to spend Shabbat. 

There are a huge number of posts about knitting, and I can track my progress through various projects over the course of the year. I note a few times that I seem to have a lot of projects going at once. My celebration of finishing a shawl that took about 6 months. 

I note a number of posts talking about how much I'm enjoying what I'm doing, but I'm exhausted because I'm doing too much. 

 And also a post about how cool it is that I get to perform weddings. And several posts about doing funerals, how satisfying it is, and how hard it can be.

There are blog posts about me. About me feeling like I'm getting older and that my brain is less efficient. 

There were some humorous posts (or at least attempts). One about Hannukah. One about Purim and Talmud and Knitting. A post about why I haven't been posting. A very mildly humorous post about fictional items for auctions. A post about Rosh Hashanah sort of rounded out the year. 

There were post about flowers and the coming of spring. A post about cleaning up the front yard. And a post when I realized I'm not going to have the garden I'd hoped to have this year. Then I took some pictures of flowers on the way to work. 

Also some posts that are among the most frequently searched by keywords. One about the fact that life isn't fair, usually in our favor. Another on the subject of being strangers in the land of Egypt. 

It's been a long, full year. I've been at CubeSpace and at the congregation in Salem. I've performed 8 weddings, and 6 funerals. I done 9 bar or bat mitzvahs. It's been a long year, and a good year. I've grown and become more the person I want to be. I've shared much of that with you all who read my blog, and it's been a privilege and a pleasure. You've made insightful comments and sympathetic comments. 

May the new year be a good year for all of us. Shana Tovah umetuka. A good and sweet year to us all.

Half Nelson is hands-down one of best movies I've seen of recent memory. Ryan Gosling plays as a Dan Dunne, a middle-school teacher in the inner city. By day, he's a charasmatic history teacher, but by night he's a vulnerable individual who nurses a cocain-addiction. Newcomer Shareka Epps, fills the role of one of Dan's students Drey who discovers his teacher drug addiction, wonderfully.

One of the bigger things of this movie is not just the superb acting and subtle dialogue, but the common themes told in such a profound and touching manner.

One common theme throughout the film is feeling of powerlessness as individuals. Dan conversing while he was high, "They did a study in University of Maryland and it turns out that 75% of his [Bush] supporters still believe there are WMDs, and 75% still belive they support Al-Quaida. And... I mean what the fuck do we do? I'm one man... what do I do?" This conveys a sense of helplessness in us all. What do we do in these worldy situations? To some extenet, we are ineffectual in these predicaments. However Dan finds himself helping Drey, and Drey finds herself helping Dan. This conveys the idea that a lot of times we can help others more than we can help ourselves. Through the altruistic act of remedying others, we not only help others, but help ourselves.

"The only constant is change" is sort of like a mantra Dan creates. As humans, we have to realizes that many of the changes in our lives we cannot control. Many disappointments or failures coming through is just through change, and it's the sort of change we might initially be disappointed with, but ultimately have to come to accept.

Most importantly, I feel that this movie deals with the idea of redemption. Here we see this teacher, Dan, who finds refuge in his broken life through teaching young kids. Unable to stop his drug-addiction that takes a major toll in his life as the movie progresses, Dan's unlikely friendship with Drey creates something truly meaningful in his life.  Upon realizing that Drey has been dealing drugs with her Dan refuses to see Drey follow the path into distributing drugs, knowing the severe consequences.

Final Thoughts

If you haven't seen this movie, get it on DVD--NOW! It was shown on limited release during theaters, but became extremely successful because of the masterful execution of this piece of art. Critics all over the place jumped on this film. I remember Kevin Smith, director of Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy, calling this film one of the best films he has seen in a decade. And he's not kidding.

Thanks to the season we decided to do it at the park :-)

If you're going to plan your next retrospective meeting, I'd suggest you to think to do the same: being in a different place, no walls, the sun, the green.... it helps you a lot to survive to all those answers to the "What went wrong?" question. They appear much better and you start to be inspired for the related action items... in other words you feel the pain of what went wrong but you are more optimistic and find some more action items.

Following some photos...

RÉTROSPECTIVE
dans trois musées du littoral Nord - Pas de Calais

11 octobre 2008 - 23 février 2009

Musée des beaux-arts et de la dentelle - Calais (62)

Lieu d’Art et Action contemporaine  - Dunkerque (59)

Musée du Dessin et de l’Estampe originale - Gravelines (59)

>>> Anthony Caro

Une rétrospective de 250 tableaux d'Eric Bonnefon (1935 ? 2005),  peintre et sculpteur remarquable, et écrivain de talent. Bien que, de son vivant, il ait vendu une centaine d'oeuvres, la plupart des tableaux exposés à la Garenne-Colombes n'ont jamais été montrés au public. Ancien élève de l'Ecole des Arts appliqués de Paris et de l'Ecole Edouard Manet de Gennevilliers, auteur d'un Traité sur la composition picturale, il a mené pendant 35 ans des recherches dans le domaine de l'abstraction où il a exploré toutes les techniques (pastel, acrylique, collage, papier de cigarettes, sable...) A partir de 1994, il s'est résolument tourné vers le figuratif, réalisant de magnifiques natures mortes, paysages urbains et maritimes, ainsi qu'une série de nus. Plusieurs fois primé en France, il a exposé également en République Tchèque où ses nus ont illustré un livre de poèmes de la poétesse québécoise Claudine Bertrand. Une découverte !
Ouvert du lundi au samedi de 14h à 19h, le dimanche de 14h à 18h.

Foyer des Arts et Loisirs de la Garenne-Colombes
12 avenue foch
92250 Garenne Colombes
FRANCE
Tél. +33 1 72 42 45 73 - 74
mail : syndicat.initiative@lagarennecolombes.fr
web : http://www.lagarennecolombes.fr

Artiste iconoclaste, tour à tour exploratrice, performeuse, expérimentatrice scientifique, chanteuse, peintre… Nathalie Talec développe depuis près de trente ans un “art sentimental”.

>>> Nathalie Talec, Exposition rétrospective

Dans le parcours étonnant qui est le sien, Raymond Peynet semble n’avoir jamais été à cours d’imagination ni de créativité. Si le public se souvient plus particulièrement de ses «amoureux» qui ont fait le tour du monde, l’œuvre de l’artiste s’est constamment nourrie de l’expérience vécue et a puisé toute sa richesse à travers des thèmes qui lui ont été chers. Une œuvre de Peynet se reconnaît sans ambages. Il fut d’abord illustrateur. Ses premiers dessins sont publicitaires puis humoristiques et politiques. Le style de l’artiste s’affirme. Tendresse et humour pétillant se conjuguent alors, tout simplement.

De cette exposition, le public gardera en mémoire des dessins de presse réalisés à l’encre de chine ou à la plume, des gouaches originales ou bien encore des dessins aquarellés. Dans une salle attenante, il découvrira des livres illustrés, des assiettes dessinées et d’exceptionnels croquis à l’encre de chine représentant les ruelles du village ou des paysages environnants effectués entre 1946 et 1967. Comme la série de photographies présentées, ces esquisses témoignent de l’amour de l’artiste pour la cité potière.

Au détour d’une seconde salle, le spectateur ne sera pas en reste de surprenantes découvertes en prenant la mesure de l’infinie diversité des supports, souvent originaux, que l’artiste illustra durant sa carrière. De très belles eaux-fortes et aquatintes côtoient des illustrations d’affiches de cinéma, de festivals, de promotion, des «une» de journaux, des encarts pharmaceutiques, des trophées, des étiquettes de grands crus, des pochettes de disques et même… une porte d’armoire.

S’il n’est pas question ici d’énumérer tout ce qui compose ce merveilleux univers, le romantisme et la poésie des œuvres de Peynet éveilleront sans aucun doute la curiosité de ceux qui iront à sa rencontre. 

ã 2008. Auteur. Rodolphe Cosimi

Exposition «Raymond Peynet», Office du tourisme, Biot, du 14 février au 7 septembre 2008

A la fois singulière et rétrospective, l’exposition «Territoire d’une oeuvre» consacrée à Bernard Pagès est l’évènement marquant de ce début de printemps dans l’arrière-pays niçois. Les pièces d’art du sculpteur sont visibles actuellement à la Médiathèque de Contes et ce, jusqu’au 19 juillet prochain. Une opportunité à ne pas manquer pour découvrir ou redécouvrir l’œuvre toujours renouvelée d’un artiste qu’on ne présente plus.

La confrontation est immédiate, sans détour. L’artiste propose dans cette exposition de grande qualité une sélection d’œuvres avec la volonté de retracer son parcours et de revenir sur le jalonnement de sa démarche depuis la dernière peinture réalisée jusqu’aux œuvres sculptées les plus récentes. Si le dialogue s’instaure instantanément avec le public, à la vue des sculptures monumentales et d’autres pièces de plus modestes dimensions, c’est qu’il y a dans l’oeuvre de Pagès des correspondances devant lesquelles on ne peut rester spectateur.

A travers une mise en scène judicieuse, permettant la chronologie, le visiteur se laissera entraîner dans la compréhension des choix artistiques et de la créativité de l’artiste. Il appréciera également des pièces maîtresses dont certaines sont inédites puisqu’elles n’ont été que rarement, voire jamais exposées. Une façon de déambuler entre la matière et le temps.

Si l’on remarque une discrète, mais non moins essentielle Nature morte au chapeau, dernière peinture de 1965 avant que l’artiste ne se consacre entièrement à la sculpture, l’attention est avant tout captivée par la présence des pièces intitulées Colonnes, Pals, Dévers et Acrobates qui s’imposent d’elles-mêmes. A travers la quinzaine d’œuvres présentes, l’intention et le langage de l’artiste se révèlent par la diversité des matériaux usités, leurs détournements et les interactions qui s’inscrivent à la fois en contradictions ou en rapprochements.

Dans les assemblages de pierres découpées et d’acier métallisé, de bois façonnés ou calcinés et de métaux courbés ou forgés, de marbres fendus et de mortiers peints, et à travers d’autres accords de matériaux empruntés à la vie courante, Pagès réussit à conjuguer ce qui paraît originellement impossible de l’être. Ayant rompu avec la sculpture traditionnelle, il se joue des équilibres et exerce sans relâche toute expérience possible participant de la richesse de son travail. Une oeuvre rigoureuse, parfois énigmatique qui ne cesse de surprendre.

ã 2008. Auteur. Rodolphe Cosimi

Bernard Pagès «Territoire d’une œuvre», Médiathèque de Contes, 20, Place Allardi 06390 Contes, du 25 avril au 19 juillet 2008

My favorite Big John memory was when Deeze, on a whole array of drugs, ran up to me and said, "NORM! NORM! Can we fill Big John with oxy-acetaline and shoot tracer flares at him?!?!" Obviously, that didn't happen (even though my response was "hell yeah!").

He was our companion in the Urban Iditerod (that ill-fated adventure), when we ran through the streets at break-neck speeds, pushing and pulling a shopping cart, all dressed like Hunter S. Thompsons, bats, and even two flamingos.

Yes, John has lived an adventurous life for a blow-up doll (I've even had sex with John), but I'm cleaning out my closet and it's time to say "goodbye" to our Big Dear John... you've served us well, oh creepy piece of plastic.

Le Centre Pompidou présente, pour la première fois, une exposition-rétrospective de l’oeuvre de l’artiste Christian Bonnefoi, figure singulière de la scène française contemporaine depuis les années 1970. Du 22 octobre 2008 au 05 janvier 2009.

Sur 700 m2, cette exposition permettra de saisir l’originalité d’une oeuvre restée résolument picturale et abstraite, alors même que la peinture était donnée comme dépassée au profit d’autres territoires artistiques, ou qu’elle s’était engagée dans un retour à la figuration. Chritian Bonnefoi relève le défi de détruire toute image pour retrouver la peinture.

La peinture de Christian Bonnefoi s’est nourrie d’une large réflexion sur d’autres pratiques et procédures plastiques, en particulier le collage, l’assemblage et le montage. L’artiste s’est fixé comme objectif de donner à « voir » l’infinie complexité des composantes matérielles et historiques de la peinture.

>>> Christian Bonnefoi, L'apparition du visible

Le mouvement expressionniste allemand est surtout connu en France à travers le cinéma. Le Golem de Paul Wegener (1920), le Cabinet du docteur Caligari aux décors étonnants (Robert Wiene, 1919), Nosferatu de Murnau (1922) et, naturellement, les films de Fritz Lang (la série des Docteur Mabuse, Metropolis, M. le Maudit…) font partie des grands classiques des cinémathèques.

En revanche, la peinture expressionniste est longtemps restée cantonnée dans un registre plus confidentiel, c’est pourquoi l’exposition consacrée à Emil Nolde du 25 septembre 2008 au 19 janvier 2009 aux Galeries nationales du Grand Palais – première rétrospective française de ce peintre majeur – revêt un intérêt tout particulier. Les 90 peintures et 70 aquarelles, gravures et dessins rassemblés donnent la mesure d’une œuvre étrange, saisissante, parfois dérangeante, rompant avec l’impressionnisme et le postimpressionnisme qui dominaient l’époque.

>>> Rétrospective Emil Nolde

I was inspired to conduct this research after reading Hertzian Tales, a book by the acclaimed industrial designer Anthony Dunne where he argues for an alternative future in the development of electronic products that is focused more on metaphysics, poetry and aesthetics than on performance or technical functionality. His argument stems from the lack of cultural speculation in the design of electronic products today.

I very much share Dunne's view and my major practical project presense, a commuication device for emotional communication, in fact shares Dunnes "alternative view". A big factor that inspired me to create presense was the huge amount of research and development done in academia over recent years of so called "phatic technologies" and the fact that I could not find any areas where this academic development had crossed over into commercial development.

I started my research with the assumption that there was a lack of communication or a divergence between the goals of innovation in academia and innovation in industry. I focused my research on three developments of phatic technology developed in both academia and indusry:

Connectibles!

Emotion Communicators (Philips Design)

Social Mobiles (IDEO / Crispin Jones)

Throughout the research I made some interesting discoveries not least that dialogue between innovations innovation in academia and industry does exist, even in the development of post-optimal products. I learnt that the failure of the post-optimal product to reach the mainstream of consumer culture is more to about the consumer eco-system and the many factors that effect why people make products and why people buy products. I also learnt to question my assumption of the "mainstream" and what a product that can be classified as "mainstream" must adhere to.

Please download the thesis here and send me your comments and thoughts...

The first knives were most likely made of wood, bone and other perishable materials. These ancient tools were shaped by knapping, or percussive flaking of rock, such as obsidian and flint.

As advances in metallurgy were made, materials such as wood, stone, and bone blades were gradually succeeded by copper, bronze, iron, and eventually steel. During the Middle Ages, knives joined the fork and spoon as the prominent pieces of cutlery in the western world. As a result, much of the world's population was exposed to knives as a daily utensil and tool.

Today's knives come in many shapes and sizes but can be categorized between two types: fixed blade knives and folding, or pocket, knives. Blades may be serrated or plain, or even a combination of both. Some knives contain a tang, a portion of blade that extends into the handle.

Fixed Blade Knives

Unlike its earlier predecessors, blades of today can be manufactured from a variety of materials, each with its advantages and disadvantages. An alloy of carbon and iron, carbon steel is very sharp and is easy to sharpen, but is susceptible to rust and stains. An alloy of iron, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum, stainless steel is not able to take on quite as sharp an edge as carbon steel, but it is highly resistant to corrosion. Intended to combine the best attributes of carbon steel and stainless steel, high carbon stainless steel blades are able to maintain a sharp edge and do not discolor or stain.

Laminate blades are created by a layer of harder, more brittle steel that is sandwiched between an outer layer of softer, tougher stainless steel to reduce chances of corrosion. Pattern-welding is another technique similar to laminate construction, which welds various steel types in layers, but then the stock is manipulated to create patterns in the steel. A lighter, more wear resistant metal, titanium is more flexible than steel, although it is unable to take as sharp an edge. However, carbides in the titanium alloy allow them to be heat-treated to a sufficient hardness. Largely immune to corrosion, ceramic blades are very hard and lightweight blades, able to maintain a sharp edge for years at a time with little or no maintenance. Ceramic blades may only be sharpened on silicon carbide sandpaper and some grinding wheels.

Forging & Stock Removal

Steel blades are commonly shaped by forging or stock removal. Blades are forged by heating a single piece of steel and shaping the metal while it is hot with a hammer or press. Stock removal blades are shaped by grinding the removing metal. After shaping with both methods, the blade must be heat treated, which involves heating the steel above its critical point and then quenching the blade to harden it. Once the blade is hardened, it is tempered to remove stresses and toughen the blade. Forging tends to be used for more high-end product cutlery lines.

Folding Knives

Connected to the handle through a pivot, the folding knife's blade is able to fold into the handle. Folding knives are typically created with a locking mechanism to prevent the blade from accidentally closing on the user's hand.

Found most commonly on traditional pocket knives, a slip joint holds the open blade in place by a spring device that allows the blade to fold if a certain amount of pressure is applied. A lockback includes a pivoted latch connected to a spring, and can be disengaged only by pressing the latch down to release the blade. Other types of popular locking features include: liner lock, frame lock, button lock, and axis lock.

Life of the Knife

Throughout history, knives have served various purposes - from cutlery to weaponry. Here are a few of its uses:

Knives as Weapons

Bayonet Knife - a knife-shaped fighting weapon attached to the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon.

Combat Knife - any knife mainly intended for fighting

Trench Knife - Purpose-made or improvised knife intended for close-quarter fighting, particularly in trench warfare.

Shiv - prevalent in prisons, this knife is a crudely homemade weapon out of everyday materials

Switchblade - A knife with a folding blade that springs out of the grip when a button or lever on the grip is pressed

Knives as Tools

Electrician's Knife - An insulated knife used to cut electrical wire

Diver's Knife - A standard part of diving dress, the diver's knife has been adapted for use in diving and water sports

Hunting Knife - Used to dress large game

Pocket Knife - Also known as a multi-tool, the pocket knife contains several blades, as well as other tools

Utility Knife - Used for cutting sheet materials, including moving boxes, cardboard boxes and shipping and receiving containers.