18.15, Tuesday 25 Jan 2011

A few links today.

Surface detail, a video of a computer-generated 3D fractal surface, like an animated Romanesque broccoli.

A wonderfully targeted shop this, tiny things are cute, an emporium of little lovelies and wily whatnots. For example, tiny things you never knew you wanted.

Pinoko's collection of inspiring artwork. Generally, sort-of computer generated but existing in a physical way. Butterflies, a toy car racing track with astounding complexity, and heavy metal shovels cut in lace patterns.

Shoaling and schooling are different things: any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling, and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling. (If the fish are together but not for social reasons, for example because of a common food source, this is called an aggregation.) It's interesting to think of communities of people in these terms, as they move from a gathering, to a group which has its own identity, to a work group with some kind of common purpose.