Woolly Adelgid

The woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) is a tiny insect from East Asia that feeds on the sap of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriére). It is a serious pest, and woolly adelgid infestations have been reported from 25 counties in New York. The insect can be identified by its egg sacs which resemble tufts of cotton (shown above). The woolly adelgid will eventually kill the host tree. Go here for a map showing how the woolly adelgid is slowly spreading throughout New York. Gulp. [NOTE: Image from Sleepy Hollow cemetery in Tarrytown, NY (see Sleepy Hollow Cemetery). Beautiful grove of hemlocks here, but the woolly adelgid has clearly arrived]. 

Box

This amazing clip, produced by Bot and Dolly, captures a live performance of projection mapping on moving surfaces. A little bit of large-scale robotics, projection mapping, software engineering, and choreographed human interaction, "Box"explores the synthesis of real and digital space. Very, very cool. Definitely full screen with volume. Enjoy. And have a nice weekend. 

Here We Go

Well, it was a little more complicated than I thought because the MetroNorth New Haven line is down, but - I rode my bike (see Seek 2) eight miles to the Garden, got a Harlem line train into Manhattan, took the 6 line subway uptown to 77th Street - and turned in my visa application and passport at the Myanmar Consulate. Visa should be ready in a week. 

Crow With No Mouth

“Hearing a crow with no mouth
Cry in the deep
Darkness of the night,
I feel a longing for
My father before he was born.”

Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481)|
Crow With No Mouth 

[NOTE: Image is from my hotel room in San Luis Acatlan, Guerrero. Early morning. Actually was thinking about my dad]. 

The Dream

Throughout my entire career as a graduate student, I had a copy of Henri Rousseau's The Dream (1910) thumbtacked to the wall of my office. Rousseau, who never traveled outside of France, painted a lush jungle based on things that he had seen at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. He said, "When I am in these hothouses and see the strange plants from exotic lands, it seems to me that I am entering a dream." I always dreamed of working in tropical forests, and this painting was a beautiful surrogate while I took classes and prepared my research prospectus.

My dream came true. [NOTE: Image is from the Museum of Modern Art. I stood in front of the original for quite a long time last Sunday. And took lots of pictures of art].

Just Sweeping

"There is a body-mind dualism if I am sweeping the floor and thinking about Hegel. But if I am sweeping the floor and thinking about sweeping the floor, I am all one. And that is not trivial, nor is the sensation of it trivial. Sweeping the floor becomes, then, the most important thing in the world. Which it is."

-Gary Snyder
 The Real Work (1980)
 Interviews and Talks (1964-1979)

[NOTE: Image shows monk sweeping temple courtyard in Luang Prabang, Laos. Image from rbleib's Flikr photostream (thx)].

Miguel Talks Mescal

My dear friend, Dr. Miguel Alexiades, discusses the results from the impact monitoring with one of the mescaleros from Acateyahualco (see Mescal Re-Visited). So much I like about this photo, e.g. the reams of data shown on the charts, the histogram showing (look closely) that the density of adult Agave plants has stayed more or less constant after 5 years of commercial exploitation, the expression on the face of the señora in the foreground. [NOTE: I have worked with Miguel for several years in Mexico, have collaborated with him as a part of the Steering Committee of People and Plants International for almost a decade, and have known him since he was a graduate student at NYBG. He wrote this while working on his dissertation. A real joy to be in the field with him (thx for the towel, Miguel)]. 

Tool User II

Just found this image of running transects during the Hukaung Valley Rattan Survey (see Hukaung Valley Rattan Survey). U Myint Maung, the Warden of the Hukaung Tiger Reserve, is steadying the yellow transect rope; I am getting ready to record the data for the next plot. Can't help noticing how much stuff I am carrying: I have a Spiegel relascope to measure rattan heights and slopes, a 30 m loggers tape to measure the distance from a sample plant so that I can measure its height, a GPS device in the side pocket of my pack (don't want to get lost), and the blue tube of a Camelback hydration bag over my shoulder (in case I get thirsty). And then, of course, my green "Rattan Survey Hukaung" cap, which, surprisingly, I still have and is hanging up on the coat rack in my office as I write this. [NOTE: I am so ready to go back to Myanmar, and it appears that I have been approved to start community forestry work in Sagaing Division next month. Fingers crossed. I can only assume that U Tun Shaung took this picture (thx, Tun Shaung)].   

Huito

Huito (Genipa americana L.) fruits offered casually for sale in the Iquitos market (see Belén Market, Iquitos). The fruits are pretty tasty, but a more interesting use of this plant is as a body paint. When the juice from the fruit oxidizes, it stains the skin brown. This is what indigenous Amazonian groups use to paint their faces before hunting, going into battle, or visiting a girlfriend. The dye from huito is essentially permanent, which explains so many tourists getting on the plane in Iquitos to go home with black lines on their faces.  

Dancing With Light

In this wonderful short by Marc-Antoine Locatelli, a dancer interacts with several geometric forms of light in a precise, and somewhat humorous, choreography. How did he do this? The piece is titled "Nuance". Definitely full-screen with a bit of volume. Lovely.

[NOTE: Sent the final InDesign files of Systematics, Ecology, and Management of Rattans in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam (see Lower Mekong Market Chain) to the printer in Hanoi this morning. Big sigh of relief].