There isn’t much to say except to watch this coffee table in order to understand why it would attract one of the highest amounts of money in the Kickstarter projects for 2016. Designer Bruce Shapiro’s table also made my list of “cool stuff” for the year.
Luke Dormehl writes, in ancient Greek mythology, the character of Sisyphus, king of Ephyra, is punished for his deceitfulness by being condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain for all eternity.
Jump forward a couple of millennia and creator Bruce Shapiro has used that story as his inspiration for one of the coolest Kickstarter projects we’ve ever seen: a table with an ever-changing automated tabletop pattern created from sand.
“Sisyphus is a kinetic sculpture in which a two-motor robot moves a magnet to pull a steel ball through a field of sand,” Shapiro told Digital Trends. “It can also be thought of as an instrument upon which paths are played. Like musical instruments, it is the combination of both the instrument and composition played upon it which produces the art.”
There are three sizes of table available, with prices starting at $795, and boasting a range of stunning wood veneer finishes. It’s created by Shapiro himself and a collective of fellow creators, called Nordeast Makers.
Read more on: Digital trends. See two other time lapse videos of the table on vimeo.
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I started something last Christmas when I showed a star of Christmasfrom my garden in Bellbowrie, Queensland, and surprisingly – I discovered yet another star recently. Like the previous bromeliad flower, I called this bloom a “star” because of its aesthetic features and perfect arrival, just before Christmas. This pineapple species reminded me of christmas lights. And, as bromeliads often do, it sat there flowerless for years and one day, it put out a fascinating flower.
This bromeliad has been growing for over three years, and I had no idea what its flower would look like. This star of Christmas is for you too, whether you are a Christian and celebrating this time of the year or not, it is a thank you from me to you for supporting and being part of the Tribalmystic blog family.
This Christmas is a special time for my sons and I. It is the first time since we moved to Brisbane that we enjoy the season with my 74-year-old mother, visiting from Papua New Guinea. While we celebrate the meaning of Christmas as christians, it is also a time we enjoy the love we share as a family. I am grateful to have had six months with my mother after a long time of separation. My mother moved away and eventually re-married when I was about nine and I grew up with my grandmother. We spent time in between the years that have flown by, but briefly and always with other members of our family. Despite this time apart, we still do a lot of things that we can together, such as, her composing her songs and singing them to me over the phone or sending me a bag she made with new designs.
My mother and I share similar interests, so in Bellbowrie, we have spent a lot of time in the garden planting, making art, telling stories and making music. We talk. There have been many, many stories. Sometimes she plays her flute or we sing and other times we enjoy the birds and the plants.
With filter.
And, it is from the garden that the star of Christmas bromeliad came from. My mother has not seen bromeliads before she arrived in Brisbane so she now understands that they look like the pineapple plant and her daughter is obsessed with the plant.
I wish all my readers, friends and family members, a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2017. I hope that you find what you love and enjoy your life as much as you can. Life is full of surprises, sometimes not all good ones. But, the good ones are hard to forget and they are the ones to hold onto.
Personally, while it had been a tough career year for me, I have had a few wins in other parts of my life and people I have met or worked with. As a parent I was moved by the number of friends and family members that came to celebrate and gave so much for two milestones in our family – Chris’ 18th and Nathan’s 21st birthdays. Nathan moved out from home and graduated with a Science Degree, and that is a big win for me. Being a family and having love is the most important thing for me. As I often say on this blog, nothing beats love and I wish you all the same for this festive period and beyond.
The Hibiscus is one of my favourite tropical flowers. I enjoy looking at their delicate silky petals which open graciously at day time and close tightly at night. The flowers remind me of women and especially my mother, with a strong confident character, that others often easily bruise without being aware. And when she (my mother) has closed herself, she is closed.
In the Pacific Islands, we love wearing the hibiscus for its beauty and many assorted colours. It’s bark is used as cloth (similar to mulberry bark Tapa is made from), and the flowers of the hibiscus can be eaten. The flower is slightly acidic and is made into tangy sweet jelly. Rosella jam is made from a type of hibiscus. Here is a recipe I found on Food.com.
I have two types of red hibiscus in my garden, one I have shown here before. Butterflies also love sleeping under the leaves. The same red hibiscus is positioned in the front of our house and after a recent dry spell that was softened by torrential rains – the one crazy weather after another bought and abundance of flowers. I ran down about 6pm two days ago and all the petals were closed. I forgot the flowers did that.
Here are some pictures of the flower, photographed (yesterday) wherever they had fallen, except for the ones I arranged in the group. I also photographed the flowers on our driveway, where car tyres had run over the dead flowers. I felt like making some art with the fallen flowers, so I hope you like them. This week, I will also post pictures of my new star of Christmas.
Some of you on this blog know I am deputy chair of the Papua New Guinea Literature Awards, The Crocodile Prize. This may explain the little time I have spent in writing here (for my own blog) in the past 12 months. The committee is at the end of judging for the finalists in 2016. Winners will be announced shortly. The Crocodile Prize Inc yesterday ran a free workshop to promote the craft of storytelling to Papua new Guineans. Here is the report from Chairman Emmanuel Peni.
Over thirty people attended the first Crocodile Prize story-crafting workshop in Port Moresby, yesterday. The participants were as young as 13 and as old as 65 consisting of writers, readers, enthusiasts and Crocodile Prize fans.
“They were hungry to learn. There was enthusiasm and passion and many participants raised insightful questions. It was a great energy for the future of Crocodile Prize and the competition itself”, Chairman Emmanuel Peni said.
The Writer’s Workshop was organized by the Papua New Guinea’s Crocodile Prize Association.
Mr Peni said the workshop drew passionate writers from different age groups, both sexes, cultures across PNG and industry people.
Character development, writing in scenes, understanding point of view (POV) and using the right language were important elements of story-telling discussed at the workshop. Presenters at the workshop included University of Papua New Guinea lecturers Mr Russell Soaba, Dr Anna Joskin and Mr McPolly Koima.
Crocodile Prize 2016 prize winners will be announced shortly. Please continue to watch this blog.
The Current Crocodile Prize Committee is looking for sponsors for 2017 and skilled Papua New Guineans to assist with the running of the association. Any international skills are also welcome. The association is entirely run by volunteers, so if you think you have help or expertise the association could use ; please write to crocprize@gmail.com or joycelinleahy@gmail.com
A father rethinks his professional life and his passion after his daughter is born. Moon Line is a project featuring Professional skier Mathieu Bijasson and focuses on his new outlook on life. With the arrival of his daughter and his new role as a father, Mathieu takes this passion and love for life and rethinks his approach to night freeskiing. Children always change us when we become parents.
Nathan (right) with his brother Chris and I at his 21st birthday celebration in Brisbane a week ago.
Leaving the Nest – J.Leahy Short Story
One more of mine flew out of the nest. This time, not the feathered kind. As you often read, I write about lorikeets that leave our home. My son Nathan, 21, has moved out of home officially today. He has been moving furniture, but his mattress arrived this afternoon to fill the empty bones of his new bed. He had figured, he said, it was a good enough time to finally tell his mother – he was not coming home tonight.
“I’ll stay at my house”, he said with a smile. “But I might be back tomorrow” he added. His silly and cheeky grin was on. Tonight was his first night in his new home where he shares with two flat mates. It takes less than 15 minutes to drive to him; not far from where we live, but it feels like he has moved to another country. It has taken him 18 months to find a place of his own. I thought it was a threat initially, but now, it was a reality. I looked at him and couldn’t think of much to say so I repeated the same: “text me and let me know.” Somehow this sounded weird, because, I could not possibly check if he has gotten home (his home) every night. I had a flash of memory as he picked up his sheets and headed for the bus stop. (He would not let me drop him off).
19 years ago, he carried his school bag and ran off on his little chubby legs with a back wave and a shout “bye mum” as he ran into the kindergarten. I sat crying in my car before I dried my tears and drove to work. He never looked back that day, although he was under school age and was allowed to go to school. He could not wait to start school. Nathan has always been a very independent child – spending hours alone working out puzzles or building blocks, opening the fridge and feeding himself, even when missing his cup and pouring juice or milk on the floor. Watching him walk quickly away today, I thought to myself, I should be grateful, he didn’t leave our home earlier at 18 or 20 years old. At least I had him here for a few more years.
He took his new white cotton sheets (mine I never used) for his Queen bed. Only I had a Queen bed before. But now, he has the sheets, because he has a new bed, and his old bed was a single King. I was going to wash the sheets first but when I woke up, he had left. I rang him to bring it back, because he does not have a washing. So that’s why he came back with the sheets and waited while I washed and dried them.
All the trips to the new place, since he got his unit keys on November 27th has come to an end. November was a big month for Nathan. He turned 21, completed his exams for a Science Degree and even started dating seriously. It was all new for him and for me. I am proud and happy, really, I told myself that. I miss him already. And, I know he will be fine and will show up in the next couple of days with his silly smile.
Tribalmystic Stories 