Sunday, October 31, 2010

Break Time Activity

Need a break from the maze?

To pun, or not to pun, that is the question.

Well, I suppose one must always choose the lesser of two weevils.

If you happen to recognize the the second of these statements, I can say with some certainty that you are a Patrick O'Brian fan. His Aubrey-Maturin adventures are the basis for the Russell Crowe movie, “Master and Commander”. These naval yarns are very different from Alexander Kent's Bolitho novels. Instead of the three or four sea battles typical of a Kent book, a Patrick O'Brian book may not have a single battle in it at all. Or it might have one described as an aside over a dinner of Spotted Dog Pudding. Then again, there are some in which the great guns hammer away throughout.

What make these books fascinating is the relationship of an odd couple living in a wet and storm tossed apartment at sea. This pair consists of the Lucky Captain Jack Aubrey and his particular friend, the sometimes, I should say usually, morose Doctor Stephen Maturin. They make a great team, once they have both had their morning cups of coffee, which can be difficult in the rum and tea drinking English Navy.

I gather that almost all of the events described in the books come from actual real life events. O'Brian used original logbooks and other documents of the period to build the framework within which his characters live. And they do live. After finishing the twenty volume series, one feels as if one would be perfectly at ease at the Captain's table. At least, once one's glass had been filled once or thrice.

I have always thought it would be a blast to read through some of these log books. It would be like a virtual voyage. Well now we can. Maybe not those of the Age of Sail, but never fear, the Age of the Dreadnought is good too.

The same group that brought us Galaxy Zoo, now has a Data Project called, old Weather. This is a transcription project using the log books of British Ships to gather weather observations. This data will be used to improve the Weather Models scientists are using to predict the weather. More power to them, because I want to know if it is going to rain on my next day off or not.

I looked at several thousand (at least it seemed like it) galaxies in Galaxy Zoo, and I am really looking forward to delving into these log books.

Check it out, here. Just remember to come back to the really productive work of maze solving.

There is another page coming tomorrow!
Jonathan


Saturday, October 30, 2010

A Joke

Some people have been commenting that I'm way too serious. To prove that I do in fact have a sense of humor here is a joke:


A friend of mine (my wife knows that when I use this phrase there is a corny joke coming), recently went to the funeral of one of his bosses. The boss was drown at a company picnic. My friend and his coworkers chipped in for a wreath shaped like a life preserver. It is what he would have wanted.

There, that will show you that I'm not all work and no play.

Jonathan


Friday, October 29, 2010

The Point Finally


Okay here it is, there is nothing sweeter than running a pen out of ink. Nothing. There are probably some people out there that are snickering and saying to themselves, “Oh I can think of a couple of things that are sweeter than that.” But as an older and perhaps more experienced person I will mildly disagree.

“How about the Cheese Cake Factory Pies?” you are probably asking. Been there, done that. They are good, but I will insist that writing the last word out of a pen you have carried around for months far surpasses any dessert offered anywhere.

I mean look at this:



This is the only Ball Point Point that I am positively sure that I personally used up. I used it for the last part of my first maze and the first part of my second maze. I also wrote many entries in my journal with it.

It might not seem like all that big of a deal, and for all I know everybody reading this has a junk drawer in the kitchen filled with spent pens. I'm just saying that for me it has been a very difficult to achieve this feat. First of all, a pen is quite easy to lose. It might fall out your pocket or roll off and behind your desk. Someone could see it laying around on your desk and accidentally walk off with it.

Or, and this is the most difficult circumstance, someone asks if he can borrow your pen. They can see it sticking out of your pocket and might even point at it. You will have to say no. Sometimes the person will ask again, maybe reaching out his hand for it. You know that if you let him write something with it, any little thing at all, then this guy will share some of the credit of using up that pen.

Oh, I suppose that is the Christian thing to do. Let the sorry pen moocher use the thing. Heck, you might as well let him keep it. And since he asked for your pen, you might as well give the bum your pencil too.

I found this link that demonstrates that I'm not the only person that might feel this way.



Here is a quick video that shows how you might discourage people from asking to borrow your pen. Of course I'm don't want to promote this sort of thing.





Since I'm a little more charitable than these two folks, I've only managed to run out this one pen. It is the difficulty of the feat that makes it such a thrill.



Jonathan

Thursday, October 28, 2010

A Maze – Page 3

Don't panic and get all worried that you missed a page. Take a deep breath and relax. I posted page 3 before page 2 so that I could explain a bit more about this maze. If you have actually attempted the first page, you could in up at a circle with a '2' in it, or a circle with a '3' in it. I have no way of knowing which. From now on, if someone posts a comment requesting that I post a specific page I will make that one the next one I post. If nobody makes a request, then I will post whichever one I think is best for you. This applies only if the requested page is a legal jump. For example, if someone requests page 51, right now, then I will not listen to those pleas. There is a page 51, but nobody has a legal way to get there yet.

So, here is the next page.

Page 3

Here is page 3 in the wild.



Pretty cool! Can you guess where this is?


As of now my plans are to post a page on Mondays and another on Thursdays. That will give me time to work on more current projects. Of course, I will continue to post other things as they come along.

Jonathan




Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Musical Interlude

In honor of the World Series, and for the benefit of one reader in particular, I give you a touching bit of music.







My pick: Giants in Five.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Closing In On The Point - Part Two

Continuing on towards the point. A few posts ago I hope I left you with that very powerful, vivid even, image of the very very long line. Being the kind of guy I am, it was impossible for me to leave it at that. Using one of the new Pilot Ball Points I bought I will test it to see if using it I can truly draw a line around the world.



Here I am in my room and beginning the line. Thinking ahead, I marked the pen I am using with a piece of tape so I know that I'm always using the correct pen. How silly would it be to get to Denver and discover that for the last 150 miles or so you had been using the wrong pen? Talk about embarrassing!



As you can see, I just carefully tape the new piece of paper end to end with the previous one.  I am using plain old copy paper.



Because of the taping process, it is taking me longer than I thought to reach the front door.


Hey, if this Line Gig takes off maybe I can get corporate sponsorship for it. Maybe something like 'The Subway Line'. Yeah, that's the ticket! See ya later Jared!



We made it to the front door. It is clear that corners are going to be a problem. Well once I'm out of town I suppose it will be easier to keep it straight.


I better leave the door shut when I leave. If my wife's cat gets out, I'll be a Dead Man Walking.



What? Out of paper already? I need a break anyway. Let's look back and see how far we've gone.



Impressive isn't it? I'll pack a few things, pick up some more paper and get back to this later.

Jonathan


Monday, October 25, 2010

A Maze - The Start

A Maze
by Jon Whitworth

Legal Disclaimers

The author cannot be held responsible for any illness, physical or mental, suffered by the user of this publication. This includes, but is not limited to hair loss, weight gain or loss, eye strain, mild or extreme irritation, insanity, depression or despair.

The author also cannot be held responsible for personal problems that may occur during the use of this publication. This includes, but is not limited to, job loss, marital difficulties, obsession, homelessness, institutionalization or death.

Any resemblance to the internal organs of any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Profound spiritual insights are a common and, by and large, beneficial side effect of the proper external use of this product.



Tedious I know, but that may save my rear end at some later date.

Now, without further adieu, ... my first maze.


Page 1


Start at the circle with the 1 in it and work your way to one of the other circles. The number/letter combination in the circle you reach is the page and circle that your path continues from.

 I could post all of the pages now, but if I did I know that nobody would even start the maze. Maybe by posting it bit by bit readers will not become discouraged.

Good Luck!

Jonathan

P.S. I thought it would be cool to post a picture of each page of the maze as it lives in real life. Here is the first page:


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Goulet Pens' October 2010 Ink Drop Finale

Here we go, the last of the series. This one uses the final two colors of the October Ink Drop, Private Reserve Orange Crush and Noodler's Beaver. I found that the Orange Crush had a similar smudging problem as the Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire. Again this was due to the longer drying time. This doesn't show up on the mazes I post on here very much, because I do a quick edit on them. I'd rather show you a solvable maze than show you the smudges. The Orange Crush was like drawing with a pen filled with two colors because of the extreme shading, even with my fine nib. I like the effect, others might be put off by it. The Beaver is a very good brown on the red side. So, here it is:

October Ink Drop Test Maze 3




The bottom line on the inks:

All of the inks are perfectly acceptable in my Fine nib pens. Even the smudging was more my fault than the ink's fault. For my picks it comes down to what will expand the range of colors and brands I have. Since all of my current inks are Private Reserve offerings, I am eager to buy something else. Color wise the Noodler's Beaver and the Diamine Pumpkin are the biggest departures from my existing palette. I'm leaning towards the Pumpkin, but it is a close call.

Well, I am happy to have finished October before November's Ink Drop arrives!

Next up, the start of my first real maze. This series of posts will last ... Never mind, I don't want to scare you off, so I'll keep that information to myself for now.

Jonathan


Saturday, October 23, 2010

Closing In On The Point



I bought this 2 pack of pens at Wallgreen's the other day. They cost me 2.99 plus tax. It is annoying that they weren't on sale, but the fine point pens never seem to be. These are the kind of ball point pens I have been using lately, but I have no emotional attachment to this pack of pens. If it burst into flames in my hand I would remain unmoved. I'd probably scream, throw the pens to the floor and stamp up and down on them to put the flames out, remaining unmoved throughout, emotionally that is.



Now, this pen is the same kind, a little worst for wear. The clip broke off a couple of weeks ago. I use it at work and for rough drafts of letters and journal entries. The ink is water proof which makes it more practical than my fountain pens for some tasks. Despite its similarity to the new pens, I have a strong emotional attachment to this old pen. I would spend hours searching for it if I lost it. What is the difference?



Look. The level of the ink in the old pen is roughly half of that of the new pen. That means that I've written my way halfway around the world with it. The closer to empty this pen gets, the closer I get to another circuit of the planet. At least in my own mind. Some might quibble with this reasoning. Never the less … it seems true to me.

Jonathan



Friday, October 22, 2010

An Earlier Age Part Two

Back to the point I was starting to make in a previous post. I have a vivid recollection of a commercial with a guy demonstrating a pen. At least I'm fairly sure it was a guy. He was out in the middle of a highway, or maybe it was out on the Bonneville Salt Flats. He was holding a spanking new Bic, or maybe it was a PaperMate pen. He proudly informed the audience that with this pen we would be able to draw a line skip and drip free completely around the earth. Then he preceded to do just that on a long sheet of newsprint laid out on the highway dividing line or Salt Flat or whatever. They didn't show him drawing very far, maybe ten feet, maybe a hundred, but I think they cut away while he was still going. Whatever, it is quite vivid to me though. And he did make a lasting image in my young and impressionable mind. The image is of a really really long line.

My crack research staff over at Google and YouTube were unable to uncover this commercial for me when I asked them, so I can't show it to you. Too bad because I'm sure you would be impressed as much as I was. I mean, think of it, there inside that cheap ball point pen resides a line that could stretch clear around the earth.

With a pen like that I could, dare I say it … Rule The World …. (maniacal laughter)

Jonathan


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Goulet Pens' October 2010 Ink Drop Part Two

Here is the second test of the October Ink Drop inks. This maze makes use of three of the inks. One is Noodler's Red which was used in the first maze. The other two colors are Diamine Syrah and Diamine Pumpkin. I really like both of these colors and the ink behaved itself very well. In a fine point pen the Syrah looks close to Private Reserve Black Cherry with a bit more red in it. The Pumpkin is something I don't have anything close to. The luminosity on the white paper reminds me of one of my favorite colors, that is Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue. Of course the color itself could hardly be more different. It makes me want a big slice of pumpkin pie. Well, to be honest I normally do anyway.

October Ink Drop Test Maze Two


Now I have to run both of my pens dry before I can start the next test maze.


An Earlier Age

Pens seem to have lost some of the gravitas they had in an earlier age. By 'an earlier age' I mean way back in the 1970's. This is a time for most Bloggers that is as remote as World War II was to me back in the Seventies. And by 'gravitas', I merely mean 'importance'. It just sounded more important to say gravitas.

The measure of importance is universally acknowledged to be, the TV commercial. When was the last time you saw a TV commercial for a pen? It may surprise many of you readers out there of the younger persuasion, but in the Seventies the makers of pens spent millions (well maybe back then it was only thousands) of dollars to convince us that we had to have the latest and greatest 49 cent ball point pen. They were the biggest thing in the new age of information. They were back then what ipads and Blackberries are for us today. At least in the measure that counts, TV commercials.


For a laugh, here are a couple of commercials from that earlier age:



and,





Well, I'm sure they spent at least hundreds of bucks on those!

Anyway there is a point to all this, and that point is. Ah … I'll get back to you when I remember what I was thinking.

Jonathan


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Goulet Pens' October 2010 Ink Drop

Here is the first of a series of three mazes which I am doing to test the inks that I received in October's Ink Drop from Goulet Pen Company. Each month Brian and Rachel of Goulet Pens pick 5 different inks. To each member of the program they send a small sample vial of each of these inks. Each sample is large enough to really test and get a feel of the ink. Members can then purchase their favorite ink or inks at a discount price.

This is my first month in the program and I had to come up with a way to test the sample inks. What better way for me to test something than to use it for my intended purpose. I normally draw mazes, so I decided to draw small simple mazes to see if these inks will do the trick.


The inks for October are:

Diamine Pumpkin
Diamine Syrah
Noodler's Beaver
Noodler's Red
Private Reserve Orange Crush

And a bonus ink: Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire.


October Ink Drop Test Maze 1

As you can see, this maze uses the Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire and Noodler's Red. All the test mazes in this series will be drawn on paper from a Triomphe Pad which has 90g Clairefontaine paper. This paper is much better than the sketch book paper all of my mazes have been drawn on up to this point. I did have smudging with the Sapphire probably because I am not use to the longer drying time of this paper.