Thursday, December 24, 2009

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Blizzard of 2009





It's been snowing for 24 hours straight now. This is the table on our deck accumulating a little white stuff. The yard stick is at 22 inches... is that a lot?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

Family Archive - Nevada Gross and family circa 1900



My paternal great great grandmother (front) with two of her children.

Art Archive - Dusty -Business Card Design - 1992


A business card design for a flea market business.

html practice

BOLD
italics
underlined
strikeout
subscripting H2O
superscripting 3.14 X 1012 = n

blockquote but don't quote me on this


color
PixieDust Painting Company Blog Link

text 1 1
text 2 2
text 3 3
text 4 4
text 5 5
text 6 6
text 7 7

PixieDust Blog Premiere


new blog and flyer design at PixieDust Painting

Local artists offering excellent interior house painting at affordable prices
Pre-painting drywall repair
Interior house painting
Exterior block scraping and painting
Faux finishes – textures, borders
Hand painted floral accents in kitchens and bathrooms
Original and custom murals
House Painting - small rooms $300 -$500
Murals and finishes for the same low rate.
Free estimates for large areas or multiple rooms.
We are very clean conscious and go to great lengths to leave no mess behind.
check out our work at our new blog
pixiedustpainting.blogspot.com

email today for a great painting experience
pixiedustpainting@gmail.com

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Art Archive - Dusty - The Stupid Robot number 2 - colored pencil on photocopy of pencil and ink drawing - 1994



Dusty - The Stupid Robot number 2 - colored pencil on photocopy of pencil and ink drawing - 1994

from a pencil sketch created around 1988

Art Archive - Dusty - Habitat Ring - colored pencil on photocopy of pencil and ink drawing - 1993



Dusty - Habitat Ring - colored pencil on photocopy of pencil and ink drawing - 1993

This is the inside of an orbital home. Plants grow around the inside edge with a grow-lite sun suspended in the center. rotational force provides simulated gravity.
A space station with a big terrarium for people on the inside.

I'm prolly gonna regret posting this

from the comments on my favorite thread on my favorite science blog

"Posted by: Lynna | November 10, 2009 4:40 PM

Jadehawk, I don't like traveling/hiking in the heat myself. When my brother and I travel in southern Utah we explore the lower elevations very early in the spring (late March/early April) or very late in the fall. As the spring-summer season progresses, we move up in elevation, following the snow-melt and thus staying in cooler temperatures.

Change of subject: What is coming down the pike from the mormons when it comes to gays? http://8themormonproposition.blogspot.com
On November 10, 2009 several highly placed people featured in the upcoming documentary film 8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION were contacted by well-placed people inside the Mormon Church in anticipation of an "historic statement against discrimination" to be made by the Mormon Church.
They were told, "Watch what we are about to do. You will be pleased."...
Speculation is that this may have something to do with Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. Mormons looking to do some positive PR?"

"Posted by: Lynna | November 11, 2009 12:25 PM

Follow up to my post @860: The underwhelming announcement from the LDS Church in support of gay rights was aired on ksl TV in Salt Lake City last night. You can view the video at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8624086
Here's an excerpt from the story:

At Tuesday night's Salt Lake City Council meeting, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement showing its support of the city's proposed non-discrimination regulations.
The statement by the LDS Church reflects a position stated by the high-ranking church authorities more than a year ago.
"We are not anti-gay, we are pro-marriage between a man and a woman. And there's a huge difference between those two points," Elder L. Whitney Clayton, of the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy told KSL News.


Federal laws do not allow discrimination in housing -- now the Salt Lake City Council and the LDS Church (which are really one and the same for the most part) have decided to claim that they are leaders when it comes to supporting gays because they reluctantly agree with federal law. PR Masters. "

And Lynna added this bit in response to me poking -
"I would change one thing if I could. I wrote that the Salt Lake City Council and the LDS Church bigwigs were almost one and the same. I don't think that's accurate. The Salt Lake City Council is more diverse now that it has been in the past. This makes it more likely that the Council would have passed the anti-discrimination ordinances without the LDS Church support. The church leaders probably got on the bandwagon after seeing that the ordinances would pass with or without them."

iono nothin' bout it, but what it says there.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

this just keeps getting better

From a wikipedia article concerning Epigenetic research

Evolution
Although epigenetics in multicellular organisms is generally thought to be a mechanism involved in differentiation, with epigenetic patterns "reset" when organisms reproduce, there have been some observations of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (e.g., the phenomenon of paramutation observed in maize). Although most of these multigenerational epigenetic traits are gradually lost over several generations, the possibility remains that multigenerational epigenetics could be another aspect to evolution and adaptation. These effects may require enhancements to the standard conceptual framework of the modern evolutionary synthesis.[32][33]
Epigenetic features may play a role in short-term adaptation of species by allowing for reversible phenotype variability. The modification of epigenetic features associated with a region of DNA allows organisms, on a multigenerational time scale, to switch between phenotypes that express and repress that particular gene.[34] When the DNA sequence of the region is not mutated, this change is reversible. It has also been speculated that organisms may take advantage of differential mutation rates associated with epigenetic features to control the mutation rates of particular genes.[34]


Transgenerational epigenetic observations
Marcus Pembrey and colleagues also observed that the paternal (but not maternal) grandsons of Swedish boys who were exposed during preadolescence to famine in the 19th century were less likely to die of cardiovascular disease; if food was plentiful then diabetes mortality in the grandchildren increased, suggesting that this was a transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.[40] The opposite effect was observed for females -- the paternal (but not maternal) granddaughters of women who experienced famine while in the womb (and their eggs were being formed) lived shorter lives on average.[41]

DNA methylation profiles in monozygotic and dizygotic twins
Zachary A Kaminsky1,2, Thomas Tang1, Sun-Chong Wang1,3, Carolyn Ptak1,2, Gabriel H T Oh1,2, Albert H C Wong1,2, Laura A Feldcamp1,2, Carl Virtanen4, Jonas Halfvarson5,6, Curt Tysk5,6, Allan F McRae7, Peter M Visscher7, Grant W Montgomery7, Irving I Gottesman8, Nicholas G Martin7 & Art Petronis1,2
Top of page
Twin studies have provided the basis for genetic and epidemiological studies in human complex traits1, 2. As epigenetic factors can contribute to phenotypic outcomes, we conducted a DNA methylation analysis in white blood cells (WBC), buccal epithelial cells and gut biopsies of 114 monozygotic (MZ) twins as well as WBC and buccal epithelial cells of 80 dizygotic (DZ) twins using 12K CpG island microarrays3, 4. Here we provide the first annotation of epigenetic metastability of 6,000 unique genomic regions in MZ twins. An intraclass correlation (ICC)-based comparison of matched MZ and DZ twins showed significantly higher epigenetic difference in buccal cells of DZ co-twins (P = 1.2 10-294). Although such higher epigenetic discordance in DZ twins can result from DNA sequence differences, our in silico SNP analyses and animal studies favor the hypothesis that it is due to epigenomic differences in the zygotes, suggesting that molecular mechanisms of heritability may not be limited to DNA sequence differences.

Denizens of Little Falls




from a recent hiking excursion in the wilds of Twinbrook, Maryland

Joss Whedon's next big musical in the works.


you heard it here last.

Posted first at http://whedonesque.com/comments/22240 by Joss. I copied a few of the many brilliant comments here too.

excerpt follows:
----------------------------------------
November 02 2009
An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul

Dear Sirs/Ma'ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where 'hood' was capitalized 'cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the 'grapevine' that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn't miscount. That's four -- FOUR! -- zeroes after that one. That's to show you I mean business. And I mean show business....

----------------------------------------

Go read the rest now...
the rest is from the comments.
----------------------------------------


Musical Terminator Shadow Puppets from Caprica.

I'm just saying.
Nebula1400 | November 03, 08:55 CET

----------------------------------------

Come with me if you want to sing.
Simon | November 03, 17:18 CET

----------------------------------------

Silly, silly people... Everyone KNOWS that Joss has set the stage for a major Angel/Firefly/Aliens crossover (note the Weyland/Yutani {not 100% on that spelling} logos popping up every now and then? This whole Terminator thing is a bluff, just you wait)...

... Yeah, they laughed at Eddison, but when Angel catches Mal transporting what turns out to be Alien eggs, after a quick team up and major assault on Miranda's underground complexes resulting in a final showdown between River and the Alien/Reaver-hybrid Empress, who'll be laughing then?
Archduke Sebassis | November 04, 03:43 CET


-----------------------------------------

Alien/Reaver-hybrid Empress action-figure anyone?

Family Archive - Eric 2008



Obviously the product of good genes.

Family Archive - Pixie Eric and Dusty RennFair 2004


Pixie Eric and Dusty at the Renaissance Festival in 2004.

We like cunning hats.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween



Happy Halloween from all of us

Us being a Death Star Trooper, Catwoman, and Nightwing.
NIGHTwing.
No not Ronnie James Dio. y'know, Robin all grown up...
oh, nevermind...

Some teenage trick or treaters said I looked like SuperDio LOL...

Monday, October 26, 2009

Iconoclasm on MySpace

Iconoclasm vocalist Chris has 4 live songs up on MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/Iconoclasmdeathmetal

The band line up at that time was:

Chris - vocals
Rus - Guitar
Ben - Bass
Sasha - Drums

now we need to digitize the music video for youtube...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Monday, October 5, 2009

˙˙˙sıɥʇ pɐəɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı

ʇı ʎɹʇ oƃ uʍop əpısdn əq ʇsnɯ noʎ

http://www.sunnyneo.com/upsidedowntext.php?word=Dusty

The Magic Portal

Eric found this Lego video on youtube
made between 1985 and 89?!?!?
this guy anticipated every different lego video gag
and he did them all first





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jde4qHbCtSg


the animator explains all at his website http://www.rakrent.com/mp/index.htm

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Art Archive - Mophead Monster - 1992


Another piece from the Silent Realm project, this one is based on aliens drawn by an art school friend of my Dad in the early seventies. This alien design of course leads to a perfect likeness of Ben.

Art Archive - Lovecraft Tree 1988


Based on an H.P. Lovecraft paperback book cover.
I return to this melting mouth theme again and again.

Art Archiive - ancient art


yeah, from 1982...

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Art Archive - Liquid City Instant Evil 1993


Liquid City Instant Evil colored pencil on photocopy of pencil, pen and ink drawing 1993
Wrap-around cover art for an unpublished Liquid City issue.

Art Archive - Silent Realm 1992

Artwork for the short lived Mophead and Stan heavy metal project.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

the russkies are shootin' off rockets again






The Soyuz TMA-16 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 30, 2009
to the International Space Station, taking a space tourist, Guy Laliberté, founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Friday, September 25, 2009

martian ice



http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/gallery/press/20090924a.html

Material Excavated by a Fresh Impact and Identified as Water Ice

The bright material conspicuous in this image was excavated from below the surface and deposited nearby by a 2008 impact that dug a crater about 8 meters (26 feet) in diameter. The extent of the bright patch was large enough for the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, an instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, to obtain information confirming the material to be water ice.

This image, covering an area 50 meters (164 feet) across, was taken on Nov. 1, 2008, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on the same orbiter. The time frame for the crater-forming impact to have occurred was bracketed by before-and-after images (not shown) taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System camera aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter on Jan. 26, 2008, and by the Context Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Sept. 18, 2008.

The crater is at 55.57 degrees north latitude, 150.62 degrees east longitude. This image is a subframe of a full-frame image that is available online at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_010625_2360

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

lego creation by Dusty and Eric

Imperial B-wing and Base