Crystal balls and other things

Crystal balls and other things I don’t have.

There are many types of balls to bounce, throw, and roll. Even better than your mother’s meatballs or my aunt’s rum balls are those magical crystal ones that provide predictions. I still don’t have one.

If you don’t keep your eye on the ball, you won’t know who dropped the ball.

Hold that thought while I work on a breakthrough post.

Well this and most everything in life is a work in progress. The following public art is being installed at the Morton Arboretum.

 

I found the following description while browsing to increase my knowledge of the universe.

The Center for the Advancement of Topological Semimetals, or CATS, has a mission that is focused on the discovery and understanding of topological materials, especially magnetic topological semimetals, which possess entirely unique bulk and surface electronic properties not known in other materials. The CATS mission is a complex materials challenge.

I think the founder that CATS group must be a cat lover.

 

While on subject of robots. Oh wait, sorry my thoughts bounced randomly to robots. You'll either enjoy this clip or be scared by the sight of sophisticated robots.

 

 

I haven’t ever poured my coffee on my cereal but it was a close call this morning.

While reading over the lyrics to Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads, I noticed a comment section about the song. The best comment was “Covid-19 brought me here”.

And you may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?"
And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

 

Well if you ask, What's this post about?" there's a comment section to use below.

Not Applicable

N/A

I'm just not sure what this post can be applied to so perhaps it is just not applicable.

I hate filling out forms. Being able to select N/A speeds up the chore. However, nobody wants to feel completely not applicable. There's needs to be something that applies to everyone.

go outside your box - just do it

a ray gun?

I spotted those pieces of public art shown above in the small town of Three Oaks MI. Much better art than our bigger town shows.

I discovered a new Sheryl Crow song on youtube. She can still write great lyrics. It's a song about the idiosyncrasies that make you NUTS Applicable N/A.

Well, I like the way that you try to explain
You don't know who it is or what is his name
But he was in that movie
The one about The Show
Then you get mad 'cause
I'm supposed to know,   oh

 
I enjoy public art and have posted many of the pieces I've seen. Here's a post about piece that reminds me of having the "mondays".

oh my that's a big bear

No, not a bear rug but a big bear on a rug. The bear took up most of the room.

bear on rug

After a confusing descent involving staircases and elevators, we traveled deep into the lobby of a Grand Rapids MI hotel and were shocked by this sleeping giant. Upon close examination I suspect this bear was resting after a extensive pedicure.

We recently made a road trip to Grand Rapids to see Art Prize. Grand Rapids has presented 10 of these public art events. This was the third Art Prize I've had the fun of checking out.
I guess you could call it BIG art.

(interested? here's a link to the Art Prize web site) 

More hotel wildlife

He'll need a special size bed

city jungle attention grabber

Nice weather but she looks frozen

tough day at the park

this spot was buggy

rising recycling

One of the top prizes was awarded to "The String Project". I don't have any pictures of it. The project's many photos fill a website. To better explain I copied this from their about page:

"THE STRING PROJECT” began in January 2018 and features photographs from around the world. Their focus has been on creating a project that connects the viewer to the image in a more tangible way, bringing the photograph to life. In “THE STRING PROJECT” all of the people hold the same string, "a visible representation symbolizing an invisible connection."

Their website https://www.thestringproject.org/

artsy

I might have an art problem.

art satire?

seeing art

Best art since sliced bread

But at least I didn't typo art with a leading 'f'. (I might have that type of problem too - but it's just dietary) You see I've always had a tough time enjoying art. I grew up misinformed about art. I thought art was only that serious stuff enjoyed by stuffy people. I enjoyed art without knowing it was art.

Fortunately I discovered public art, street art and other varieties as a young adult. There is actually a vast amount of freedom within art. Now I've never attended an art school but I don't see how anyone could fail if they just showed up for class. A student could argue that their "failed" art was just misunderstood. I fail to understand how it could be graded. Now outside of school it automatically gets graded by it's appeal.

looking for tree art

Certainly writing is an art.

I don't consider my blog an art form. It's just a form of hobby with a positive feedback loop (please comment). However, I wouldn't stop you from calling my writing art if you wish.

tree art

The idea for this post came from an email recently deposited in my inbox. Mitzi at Artsy took the time to email me about an old post of mine.

Honestly, I was suspicious about the email and came close to discarding it as another spam email.

She told me she was researching Olafur Eliasson and found a post of mine. Who's Olafur Eliasson, I wondered as I check out her story.

Gee, my art cred is better than I thought.

The referenced post of mine, "a new name for an old thing" featured a picture of Olafur Eliasson's art I took while visiting the Tate Modern in London (I had some great biz trips years ago). My post included a link to the Tate's page about his art display. But I didn't even bother to mention the artist. I don't remember names very well and certainly remember few artists names. I included the photo I took there because it supported the theme of the post which was imagination.

big eraser art

If you browse over to the Artsy site, you'll discover a plethora of art, art shows, and art news. They support and promote art and artists. And more importantly at least one person at Artsy discovered my blog.

Art can be fun. I don't have an art problem anymore but I still need to watch what I eat.

talk of monday on a thurday night

It's Thursday night here.  Maybe it's Friday where you are?  Either way I'm thinking of Monday.
Why do we put down Monday?

My guess is because Monday brings an end to the fun of the weekend. This sculpture has that “somebody is having the mondays” look to it.

It’s an umbrella only a duck could love. 

Our trip to the Artprize in Grand Rapids MI has left me with many posting worthy pictures. Check this link for more on our art fair visit.  Follow this link for info on the artist.

more art to share

Grand Rapids has nice places to reflect and good reflections. Today I have more pictures from the Art Prize that I wrote about about a week ago.

cute guy sharp feet

If you have not picked up on my attraction to odd stuff then maybe you have not read enough of my blog. The Art Prize offered plenty of odd entries. Some of them were a pun. Like this "wall eye". If you don't fish never mind.

big walleye

I didn't like every entry. This one was just an old SUV with flat tires and a huge board running through the front seat area. It was so dumb it attracted people just trying to figure it out.  I think the artist ran out of time or creativity.

A good artist floats his/her head in the clouds looking for inspiration.

Has art ever made you hungry? This piece started a craving for a candy bar.

do you have a favorite?

You can find more photos from around the world at Unknown Mami's Sundays in my City (click the button)

art is no stranger to the street

In my last Friday Fragment post I offered up just one picture from our visit to the Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI.  It's difficult to determine which pictures to post.  Art Prize is a big big free art contest.  (more info at artprize.org)  This is the second year we have explored it.  One of the rules require all entries to be new, so you know you will be seeing art you have not seen yet.

using art piece for a selfie

Just now, when I went over to collect the Art Prize link I learned that the 2013 winner is this quilt:

the artist got $200,000 for this 100 sq ft quilt

This sculpture was in the top ten.  It had water flowing out of the bodies.

exercise and water play combined

After we parked (compared to Chicago this parking is easy and inexpensive) I noticed even the stairwell on the parking garage was involved.

If I were a giant, I could sit anywhere and fish.

shhh don't wake a fishing giant

At their city art museum (of course the art museum is one of the venues) we attended (thanks to my wife's connections) a nice reception (free drinks and appetizers).  There was this large acrylic sculpture titled "Grand" which is the name of the river flowing through Grand Rapids.

don't get wet

After I snapped (do you still "snap" pictures on smartphone or is it touched?) this picture and seeing the people walking just beyond the piece, a flash of an idea shot off in my brain.  I was surprised my wife played along and helped.  (note this was BEFORE the drinks)

hey I'd like another rum and coke

You can find more photos from around the world at Unknown Mami's Sundays in my City (click the button)

no shutdown of fragments

Friday Fragments keep posting because there’s no politics involved. You can elect yourself to post your own agenda of fragments and Mrs. 4444's collection of FF posts will be there for your link-up.

Oh I guess a budget is more complex than a FF post but many bloggers get their FF postings done along with all the duties of their busy lives. On the other hand, Congress has been unable to pass a budget and the accompanying appropriations bills for the past FOUR years. Ok that’s as far as I’m going with this political craziness because I try to keep this blog above politics.

I didn’t spend as much time in blogland this past week as I typically do. The reason was good. My wife and I, along with her mom, took a short trip to see this year’s Art Prize contest in Grand Rapids MI. I’ll drop one picture from our trip but I’m planning a future post(s) filled with public art pictures we viewed at the contest. (Here’s my post from last year’s Art Prize.)

LED art

I could use a good blogging right now. Relax with some background music and a fresh full comment section.

Somewhere over the rainbow - 
way up high in blogland. 
Skies are blue and the fragments you dare to post really do get read.

I wrote another (this could be a warning) parody of an oldie and worked blogging/social media into it.  tell me why

Tooth fairy inflation got you down? 
Trying to stay within a budget and still enjoy a good shopping experience? 

Lisleman’s suggestion - read customer reviews on Amazon. Most of the good reviews are for products you would never think of buying. For example, I was shock to find Radioactive Uranium Ore for sale on Amazon. (Useful for testing Geiger counters and performing nuclear experiments)

I just checked. It’s still in stock and 20% off. If it’s 20% off many people will buy no matter what it is. Here’s my favorite product review:

Whenever I fly I always pack a can of this wonder stuff in each piece of my luggage. As we all know, so many bags look alike. How often do you get to your hotel, only to find you have walked away with the wrong bag, and are forced to wear a stranger's underwear for the rest of the trip? We've all been there right? So when that confusing luggage starts whirling around the baggage claim carousel I just whip out my Geiger Counter and let the uranium go to work for me. I merely wait for those comforting clicks (and after longer flights look for the glowing hot spot) and I know I have found my bags. Occasionally airlines lose my bags (yes, it does happen people). But whenever I fill out that claim form, and let them know my uranium is missing - well I tell you, they literally SPRING into action. They'll track down that errant bag faster than you can say "Chernobyl."

And I cannot tell you how many new friends I have made in TSA and Customs since I've adopted this sure-fire system. Nothing brightens their day quite like finding a traveler with potentially fissionable material. Throw away those gaudy rainbow bag straps forever and step into the atomic age. It's no longer just uranium, it's my-ranium. Thanks Amazon!

Birds fly over the rainbow. Why oh why can’t I.

worthy of a Monday

Why do we put down Monday?

My guess is because Monday brings an end to the fun of the weekend. This sculpture has that “somebody is having the mondays” look to it.

It’s an umbrella only a duck could love. 

Our trip to the Artprize in Grand Rapids MI has left me with many posting worthy pictures. Check this link for more on our art fair visit.  Follow this link for info on the artist.

unusual quilt

At the start of October I posted pictures from the ArtPrize event held in Grand Rapids MI. I intentionally left out these pictures below. All the art displayed there was new and unique but I want to highlight my connection to this one. This piece was inside the big Amway Hotel and because of my engineering background I saw more than memory chips.  Actually memories flashed back in my head.

On the surface the art medium is just mass produced circuit boards mostly from computers. They look like little cities from the side.

Having worked for years in development of telecommunication equipment I’ve experienced the trial, error and time pressure of designing circuit boards. Sometimes a mistake gets the attention of the whole lab as smoke drifts up from a fried board.

High tech cutting edge quickly becomes scrap in which another person finds completely different things. The artist is Eric Celarier.

Like photos from around the internet? Go to Unknown Mami’s place on Sundays and you’ll find a collection of them.