SNES Bluetooth Controller

Anyone else absolutely LOVE the old, now "retro" Nintendo classics? This guy has figured out how to mod an MSI Bluetooth controller into Super Nintendo controller. I need this guy to show me schematics so I can try it for myself.

How awesome would it be to sync this thing up with my phone for a little classic NES emulation between classes, etc.

Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta - I GOT IT!!!

Remember that totally awesome 16th century book of illuminated manuscripts I was talking about a while back? The most amazing thing happened. A copy showed up on eBay and I got it! How rad is that. Let me tell you... it's friggin' rad.



I can't wait for it to show up in the mail and get my nerdy paws on it.

B&W Photo - Series (artist statement)

Nocturnal, sculptural photography may be the antithesis of the more common western landscape, but the monochromatic time exposed cityscapes are, to the photographer, just as captivating. In the context of busy lives they tend to blend in. During the day boys playing in the downtown grove or a bird perched near a stream seem so commonplace that they are easily overlooked. Busy schedules and task-oriented minds easily overlook the heavy presence of each piece.

After the sun has set and the business doors close each sculpture takes on a new unique quality. Some are lit, creating a feeling of grandeur in isolation, demanding attention amidst the now barren landscape. Others seem out of place. Removed from the context of daily activity there is an awkwardness to its very presence. Those that are unlit slip away in darkness hidden by the impression of diminished worth.

Capturing each piece while the world is sound asleep creates a personal dialog between the sculpture and the photographer. There is now a one-on-one relationship and more thought can be devoted to setting up and capturing the shot. The irony of course is re-capturing a moment in time that has already been captured by the sculpture itself. Regardless there is a serene and calming nature in obtaining the image and, in the photographers opinion, a deeper appreciation for the sculpture itself. The final product is something less commonplace than traditional landscape photography that is equally pleasing to observe.

Artist - Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was originally a Cubist but then became the best known example of the surrealism school of painting, being renowned for the vivid and bizarre content of his pictures. The word 'dali-esque' has become associated with surrealism. In addition to his painting skills, which were strongly influenced by the old masters of the Italian renaissance, his creative talents extended to film, sculpture, and photography.

As a surrealist, Dali emphasized the idea of absurdity and the role of the unconscious in his art. His waxed moustache, general eccentricity and self-promotion accorded him wide public recognition and significant commercial success during his lifetime.

Among his best known works of art, are: The Persistence of Memory (1931), Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (1936) and The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1954). The Persistence of Memory (La persistencia de la memoria) is probably Dalí's most famous oil painting. The picture introduced his image of the soft melting pocket watch - reality being nothing but the Camembert cheese of space and time - and epitomised the artist's notion of of "softness" and "hardness", which was central to his thinking of the time.



This clock-imagery can be seen as a visual representation of Einstein's theory of Relativity, showing how gravity affects and distorts time.

B&W Photo - Series

For our intro to photography final we had to present 6 photos that held their own weight, yet worked together as a series. I chose to try exploring night photography. I know it's a bit more difficult, but I've always wanted to try it out... here was my perfect opportunity.

What I've posted here are from my digital camera - which I used to set up the shot for my film camera. After I had positioned the shot how I thought I wanted it, I'd just swap cameras out. Kinda cheating I know... but I didn't want to waste time and film. There are too many projects going on at once to screw this one up and have to spend additional hours. Not all the pictures made it into the final series, but I'm still fond of them. Enjoy!

Artist - Peter Paul Ruben

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was a dynamic seventeenth-century Flemish and European artist. He was THE illustrator of the Catholic faith and divine right of kings. He was also a classical scholar, art-collector and diplomat. As a painter, Rubens is renowned for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, ceiling-paintings, portraits, landscapes, and especially his history painting with its mythological and allegorical messages. His masterpieces include: Venus at the Mirror, Samson and Delilah, The Massacre Of The Innocents, and The Judgement Of Paris. Other interesting works include: Four Studies of the Head of a Negro.

Rubens often used pupils and assistants to complete a painting. An erudite and cosmopolitan artist, Rubens was born in Germany, settled in Antwerp (now Belgium), had a Spanish wife and became Court Painter to the Spanish Govenors of the Netherlands. He was knighted by both Philip IV, king of Spain, and Charles I, king of England.

Rubens' artworks are commonly divided into three groups: those painted by Rubens himself, those which he helped to paint (typically painting hands and faces), and those he merely supervised. He was assisted by a number of students and apprentices, while he often assigned certain elements of his larger paintings (e.g. animals or still-life groupings) to specialists such as Snyders or Jordaens.



Paintings of Venus admiring herself were not uncommon during the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Rubens' Venus before the Mirror - an improvement on Titian's painting Venus with a Mirror - reinterprets the theme according to the spirit of the Northern Baroque. Rubens' Venus is more human than Titian's. Her figure is fuller, more curvaceous. Her golden hair cascades down her back, and instead of gazing at her own beauty she catches the eye of the viewer.

Artist - Charles Marion Russell

Charles Marion Russell (1864-1926) was such an important and prolific Western artist, his works can be found in over 50 museums (and countless galleries, I'm sure) in the United States and even around the world.

Russell was proficient in several mediums. He painted in oils, gouache (a type of watercolor), and sculpted. You will find that you can view many copies of his popular cast-bronze sculptures in a number of venues, because bronzes are made by pouring molten metal into a mold made from the original piece of artwork. Bronze pieces are usually made in limited quantities at a foundry. The numbered copies of these bronzes are very collectible, with the first editions, usually numbered on the sculpture like a print. Most Western art museums contain at least a few works by this influential artist.

Russell's representational style included cowboys, indians, and landscapes inspired by visits to National Parks, California, Arizona, and Colorado. The color palettes are muted, but realistic, and his paintings and sculptures are dominated by a sense of movement and action. Russell depicted a mythic American West.

Charles Russell's paintings are more valuable than his sculpture, simply because their numbers are fewer. However, his sculpture is probably what he is best known for, again, because it is so prolific.