Floating 370 miles above our planet, the Hubble space telescope has been busy putting terrestrial photographers to shame with its 120 gigabytes of photos it snaps each week. By shooting from above the Earth’s blurry atmosphere, its photos are clearer and more vivid than those of any telescopes on the ground. Until recently, glitches found on the Hubble had seemed to foretell its eventual demise, but now NASA has announced a $900-million repair mission to patch it up in the coming years and keep us staring in amazement.
Astronomers recently voted on the top 10 photos to come from Hubble. They’re truly awe-inspiring and help remind us of the achievements of collaborative science. The pictures came from our U.S. tax dollars but they belong to all of us, part of the public domain for all humans. Carl Sagan would’ve been proud.
I added a caption to photos #6 and #7 to give you a frame of reference. Enjoy!
(click on images to learn about the Hubble)
The Sombrero Galaxy - 28 million light years from Earth - was voted best picture taken by the Hubble telescope. The dimensions of the galaxy, officially called M104, are as spectacular as its appearance. It has 800 billion suns and is 50,000 light years across.
The Ant Nebula, a cloud of dust and gas whose technical name is Mz3, resembles an ant when observed using ground-based telescopes. The nebula lies within our galaxy between 3,000 and 6,000 light years from Earth.
In third place is Nebula NGC 2392, called Eskimo because it looks like a face surrounded by a furry hood. The hood is, in fact, a ring of comet-shaped objects flying away from a dying star. Eskimo is 5,000 light years from Earth.
At four is the Cat’s Eye Nebula, which looks like the eye of disembodied sorcerer Sauron from Lord of the Rings.
The Hourglass Nebula, 8,000 light years away, has a pinched-in-the-middle look because the winds that shape it are weaker at the center.
In sixth place is the Cone Nebula. The part pictured here is 2.5 light years in length (the equivalent of 23 million return trips to the Moon).
The Perfect Storm, a small region in the Swan Nebula, 5,500 light years away, described as ‘a bubbly ocean of hydrogen and small amounts of oxygen, sulfur and other elements’.
Starry Night, so named because it reminded astronomers of the Van Gogh painting. It is a halo of light around a star in the Milky Way.
The glowering eyes from 114 million light years away are the swirling cores of two merging galaxies called NGC 2207 and IC 2163 in the distant Canis Major constellation.
The Trifid Nebula. A ’stellar nursery’, 9,000 light years from here, it is where new stars are being born.
I may as well mention one of my favorite documentary films on amateur astronomy, the relatively-new Seeing in the Dark, by Timothy Ferris. Long ago, he made the film “The Creation of the Universe“, which is an acid trip and a half, to put it mildly, with trippy visuals and an 80’s synth score by Brian Eno.
I continue Koalapop’s interview series with the spunky, irreverent art of Lora Zombie. Lora’s prolific nature is a personally inspiring to a slacker such as myself; she’s forever doodling away and mailing me new pictures. She’s developed quite a cult following on deviantART, but I believe she’s fairly unknown here in the states. All the better opportunity to introduce you to her amazing creativity.
(click on images to go to Lora’s website)
Allen J: Lora, your art has some minor political and social overtones, while also staying savvy towards street graffiti and urban sensibilities. What about these themes most interests you?
Lora Zombie: Interests… Hm… Well, you know, it never was some, like, interesting thing for me. It’s more like outrage. All the things that happen in the world today: Hostilities, terrorism, etc… From my childish point of view it seems like a game of the government, you know? It’s the method which they use to manipulate public opinion, promoting their interests. But the government of each country has different interests so all these games become more and more messy and just more destructive… So my art pieces with political and social overtones are my rebel reaction. Like “what the hell?!”, you know?
AJ: How would you describe the street and modern art scenes in the UK, and how do you see yourself fitting into that?
LZ: The street and modern art is the drunk truth, full of madness without shame and fear. Freedom of mind is really something great about it. Artists like Banksy, Sickboy, Blu, Mark Jenkins… They are my faves! They create such insane, amazing, brain-scratching art pieces! Always impressive to see their new works. I think there’s a most important thing about being an artist for me: it gives me a sense of independence.
AJ: What’s most challenging about pursuing a life in art?
LZ: A life in art is a lonely life. Well… by lonely life, I mean something like “I’m the one against them all”. I love people, a lot! But it’s very rare to meet someone who is really interesting to me, and who doesn’t think I’m a weirdo! Hahaha!
AJ: What’s the hardest part about creating graffiti art on the streets?
LZ: Well, I’m not really that into street art. I draw on walls when I have no paper, but from experience I may say that the hardest thing about that is the fact that I only have two fucking hands! Haha!
AJ: A lot of your stuff seems to have post-modern elements in it. What messages are you trying to communicate to your fans?
LZ: Just my opinion about some things, like in “American Hero” or “Hero“. Actually, the point is that I “eat” a lot of random music, and my stuff is something like an expression of that or other music tracks. Each day of my life is full of music, and that’s the reason why each day of my life is full of colours and pictures in my mind.
AJ: Your art sometimes gets confused with Jamie Hewlett’s, is that right? What do you like about his style, and did you adopt his or have you always liked drawing this way?
LZ: Absolut-lee right! I like a lot of things about it, and especially something of what is “inside” his style. A lot of Jamie Hewlett’s work reminds me of stuff I like. You know, like punks, old horror movies (Friday the 13th, etc.), Clockwork Orange. Sometimes it reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson’s works, which I really love. His characters are always so independent and weirdo-impressive!
Well, whatever. I never wanted to adopt this style, or be like “I wanna be same good as him”… No. When I was a little girl I used to draw Looney Tunes characters a lot… So when I grew up I started to draw Gorillaz characters. It’s a real shame for me that my rubbish sometimes gets confused with his stuff.
AJ: You work a lot of grunge elements, splatters, dirt, specs, sometimes blood, etc. into your art, things which are staples of subsets like goth and emo art, street art, and so on. How do you keep these stylistic choices fresh and interesting?
LZ: I’m just too lazy to draw accurately! Haha! Well… Whatever, this dripping effect, splatters, etc. are just things I really like to incorporate, some chaotic details, which add some life to the pieces. And this is one of the reasons why I love traditional ways of drawing much more than digital stuff.
AJ: Practically all your characters (even stuffed pigs) enjoy smoking cigarettes. Any particular reason why?
LZ: Hahaha! Because I’m a copycat of Hewlett’s style! It’s like a bad habit for me now.
AJ: You’ve described your art as partly being an expression of outrage against government manipulation and aggression, world issues and the status quo, and though art keeps you independent it’s lonely for you to feel up against the world. As an artist, what do you hope to change in society in the long run, or what effect do you think your art could hopefully end up having?
LZ: Hm… I never thought about it, in fact. My art is like a sneezing! Hahaha, that would be the best comparison. I’m not sure my pics have such an influence to change a society, but I think they have some power to make you smile.
AJ: What’s your idea of an ideal world?
LZ: I do not ever idealize anything, but I really wish there would be enough respect in the world.
To liven up the Koalapop Reader I’ve decided to include an ongoing series of interviews with some awesome artists you’ve probably not heard about, and I have the pleasure of kicking things off by profiling my friend, Tamara Guion. Not only is Tamara one the chillest (ie. utterly devoid of drama) people you’ll ever meet, but she also has a unique flair for the surreal and religious, two themes she’s been fascinated by and weaves into her art.
Keep in mind this series will be updated without regularity; only when an artist really intrigues me and so, that way, I seek to only highlight the best and encourage up and coming artists to aim high and be bold. As my dear personal friend Seneca always used to say, fortune favors the bold.
(click on images to go to Tamara’s website)
Allen J: Your art deals heavily with occult and religious imagery, and macabre symbolism. What about these themes inspires you most and how has that developed since you began as an artist?
Tamara Guion: I wouldn’t say that my art deals so much with the occult or the macabre as it would religious iconography and/or alchemic symbolism as a means to communicate meanings through seemingly unrelated images. It all started as me kind of poking fun at the church by using the idea of the old medieval icon style to paint my portraits. Then I started to look to more absurd ways to use the same idea, such as my “St. Agabus, Patron Saint of Fortune Tellers” or “Padre Pio, Patron Saint of Chili Peppers” where instead of a flaming sacred heart floating in front of him, it’s a flaming chili pepper (actually I had once read that he would grind up chili peppers and mix them into his healing ointments). Later, I would start to incorporate other religious concepts, like the Shiva delicately balancing work and play in “Tantra“, and then ultimately using the symbolic references of alchemy. Another heavy influence was the “Vanitas” style of painting that would often incorporate human bones and other interesting objects arranged in a still life.
AJ: How would you describe yourself spiritually or religiously, and what do you suspect happens after death?
TG: I’m very spiritual, but certainly not religious. Mysticism as a whole has been an obsession of mine for many years. I’ve considered many theories as to what really happens to us when we die, but I personally believe that death is more of a transition than it is an end. A transition that leads us on to the next phase of our spiritual development.
AJ: You seem to use eyes often in your art. What do you see in them?
TG: The eye has been used in many cultures throughout the world and can represent many different things. But for me, sometimes it represents the eye of god, or the universal consciousness. Other times perhaps represents the mood of the viewer, or of me as the creator of the particular piece. I also like to incorporate other graphic symbols with it such as the flower petals or clouds or even leaves or fire around it. For me, the eyes are truly the window to the soul, and I think that by looking into all these eyes, you get a pretty good sense of me, too.
AJ: What would you say is the easiest way to make a symbol taboo? Do you think people appreciate symbolism in your work the way you intend it to be?
TG: The term “taboo” generally refers to something that is socially unacceptable, or pretty much something that goes against the grain of polite society. If people have issues with certain symbols or practices, that’s their business/problem and they should keep it that way. No one is holding a gun to anyone’s head to view or experience something that they don’t want to. What makes something taboo? I suppose what it comes down to is just opinions, and beliefs and such.
No, most people never get the symbolism in my work. You have to be trained in art to know what’s going on, and why certain things might be there. In a way it’s just kind of a visual game we play with one another, kind of like a puzzle like connect the dots or something. Most people just like something that looks pretty or cool or whatever. Art primarily is, was, and will always be a form of decoration to a certain extent. Yes, commercial art is a form of communication. But even that gets lost by the masses. Trust me, sometimes I wonder why I even bother. But then at other times, I realize how cool it is to see something that is well thought out, composed, and executed. That’s what makes me want to make art.
AJ: What advice do you give to freelance artists who want to get in magazines or receive more commissioned work?
TG: That’s a tough one too. Not because I haven’t been published, because I have. Here in the US and Europe. But the thing with doing editorial work is that it’s hard to get, and once you do get it, the deadlines are very tight. You might have one to two days to sketch out a concept and then another three days to create the final. But the hardest part is that most publishers pay two months later. Sometimes more. One magazine took 6 months to pay me. Terrible! You bust your butt meeting their deadlines and then they give you the runaround just to get paid. Some artists prefer it because it’s high profile and kind of cool to see your work in a major publication. I ultimately just want to pay my bills. Then there is the art direction. It’s funny, they hire you because they like your style and subject matter, but often what happens is that the project goes into a completely different direction so you’re basically working outside of your normal comfort level, and trying to create something that is more their idea than yours. My best work has been stuff I’ve done for galleries. It’s what I want to do, and people buy it. Ironically, the publishers see this and hire me to do something for them, but then want to change it and completely ruin it. Kind of a vicious circle…
As far as advise on how to get into doing editorial work for magazines. I would recommend direct mail. E-mail gets dumped. Design a nice postcard with your best image, or maybe two to four of your best. Buy a list from someplace like AdBase, which is one of the best providers, and then keep your fingers crossed. Source books were good in the past, and I still get work from them from time to time. But they’re very large and it’s a bit overwhelming when an art director gets one and there’s this huge thing on their desk with like 800 pages of illustrators. There is also targeting specific publications and just sending to them. That requires a lot of research on your own, and frankly, a lot of the work that I’ve gotten over the years have been from publishers I would have never even considered had I did the targeting thing. You really just never know. There are a lot of portfolio websites as well. theIspot.com is a good one. I recently signed up with one up in Canada called Creative Source. The possibilities are endless…
AJ: Which art period do you admire the most (& why)?
TG: I’ve always loved the Medieval Icons, for their graphic quality and use of gold leaf, plus the religious symbolism involved. But I have also always loved the Renaissance and Baroque style of painting. The high contrast “chiaroscuro” if you will, and the deep earth tones and use of symbolic imagery to convey a mood or emotion. The “Vanitas” have always been a favorite of mine as well. Bones just seem so much fun. I’ve also loved the artwork of Toulouse-Lautrec. Plus, the old wood cuts, and engravings, such as the work of Albright Durer and Gustoff Dore. I really could go on and on here…
AJ: A lot of the painters from those eras were inspired by the unknown, the mystical, and the holy… In today’s age however science has solved our old mysteries and is perpetually working on what remains. We’ve traded open-ended wonderment and confusion with hard knowledge and evidence. Which is the better climate for creating profound works of art?
TG: While science has definitely solved many of the medieval mysteries, there are still many things that are left that cannot be explained by modern science. These are the things that dreams are made of. I’ve never seen, or have heard of a profound work of art that was based off of a spreadsheet. If you cannot dream, then you cannot create.
AJ: Your art has lots of religious figures and spiritual symbolism, that sort of thing, but about half of it incorporates pop figures (Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Natalie Portman, etc.) and other kitsch or postmodern elements. Why this clash?
TG: I’m using ancient techniques, and ideas, and applying it in a contemporary fashion. The icon generally represents someone that is worshiped. Do we not all do this to modern figures such as movie stars, musicians, and politicians to some degree?
AJ: When you’re not painting Mary Magdalene or shrunken skulls… what else do you do for fun? =)
TG: Listen to music, dowsing for lottery numbers, the tarot. I really like sketching and writing in my journals too.
AJ: What themes or styles do you think you’ll be exploring in the next 10 years?
TG: Probably the same that I am currently working in. I am obsessed with history, mysticism, and the unknown. I am the eternal student. I constantly have this need to learn about the things in life that are not always tangible, but to some, and especially me, very real.
Update (03-20-09) - Friend Connect has been dropped for the time being due to some compatibility and performance issues but it, or a better alternative, will be back in the near future.
Hey everyone,
I finally got around to adding “Google Friend Connect” to KP, and wanna invite you all to check it out since it’s brand new, and very very few websites have it. The new features allow you to find other KP fans and add them as friends, leave messages in realtime which show up throughout the website, listen to playlists while browsing, and more interactive things of that sort. But the cool part is all Friend Connect-enabled websites are connected by the technology. You don’t need to sign up, just use your pre-existing Google account*, and that will allow you to interact with anyone and any website using this same technology. It’s pretty awesome.
Okayyyy so it’s brand new, I have like 6 friends on it, join and add me as a friend and tell me what you think =) I might ditch it if it slows the website down too much but so far it’s behaving. You join and access most features, by the way, using that bar at the very bottom of the page (kind of like facebook’s bottom bar).
& ,
Allen J
PS. The technology is through widgets that reside on Google’s website so you’re only logging in through Google as you normally would. No login or personal info is kept or even accessed by Koalapop.
*You can also use any Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account to login so I think everyone should be able to try it, since almost everyone has one of these already.
Our winter line of clothing is mostly here There are plenty of hoodies to keep you warm, plus lots of new designs that weren’t ever for sale before, and some old ones that have been changed. Most of our shirts are made using American Apparel, except for the few tie-die, organic jerseys, specialty shirts, etc. that are labeled as such. Almost everything is limited edition. Whatever is left to do will get done within the week, so check back for whatever else I mentioned in this post. I hope you all enjoy looking around, it’s been a blast putting this together (although stressful as hell, at times).
To celebrate, save 20.09% off your clothing order (get it, 2009? Ha) by using the coupon codes below. This sale lasts only till Jan. 16th! Uhm, what else? The sale doesn’t cover tax/shipping, but Obama would’ve wanted it that way.
USD$: NEW19
CAD$: CADNEW19
I want to thank Sarah, Kenny, Tamara, Dave, Jacob, Ann, Dan, and Adam for their continued design help, contributions and suggestions! Also thanks to my motley crew of E-zine writers! I love you guys, but jesus, you’re all lazy as fuck! This E-zine will get a much-needed jump-start very soon. Till then, the greatest thanks goes out to all our fans!
I’m in the process of preparing Koalapop’s winter line. It should be here on Jan 13th by the very latest, as reflected in the countdown timer. 33% (that’s almost 1/3 for you math people) of our shirts will no longer be offered, because I’m bored with them, and I’m tweaking a few others here and there to make them better. There’ll be a good 10-15 new designs so it should be chill. If you see a design you like right now, you might want to snatch it up for Christmas because I can’t guarantee it’ll stick around. I’m also promising a fucking blueberry boatload of hoodies and winter clothes.
Koalapop is in the process of asking Congress for a 30 billion dollar bailout. Wish us luck.
What else? There’s a trippy new splash page (with music by the good man himself, Bexarametric) and I’m updating a bunch of the website to make your experience even more graphic intensive and completely bog down your iphone in postmodern agony. You’ll soon need a brand new computer to view this site. Senior citizens already hate Koalapop, so let’s just keep going.
If anyone wants to request a design or product, give some feedback or just say hi, find us at our myspace page. I check it literally 350 times a day.
I have a friend or two also providing some original designs so things will get mixed up a bit. The Item Shop will get some much-needed attention, and there’ll be a lot more stuff to choose from. Finally, our e-zine, the Koalapop Reader, is still alive and well. I haven’t been able to contribute to it as much as I’d like (currently working on a more extensive writing project at my personal site) but I’m gathering a nice line-up of writers who know a thing or two about our common English language.
Alright guys, see ya around here, I hope you’ve all upgraded your 14.4Kbps modems,
-Allen J
PS. I’m going to be adding Google’s “Friend Connect” service to this website. Basically, it’ll add the kind of interactivity that sites like Myspace and Facebook have, and it’ll bring Koalapop closer to what I had originally envisioned. It should be interesting so check back soon. If it sucks, I’ll drop it.
Ahh, John Cage. A pioneer of electronic music, inventor of prepared pianos, philosopher, artist, writer, amateur mycologist and mushroom collector. I learned about “As Slow As Possible” back in 2004 during my classical music class, but Wikipedia says it better anyway…
The world’s “slowest and longest concert” resumed on July 5, 2008, when the Halberstadt church organ played the next - 6th - chord of John Cage’s As Slow As Possible. The weights holding down the organ pedals were shifted resulting to the 6th chord change, and accordingly a chance of hearing the final note being played in the year 2639 would be a possibility. In 1985, Cage opted to omit the detail of “exactly how slow the piece should be played.” Its maiden performance was 29 minutes, while a second version took 71 minutes. The song is a 639-year-long version of Cage’s ORGAN2/ASLSP As Slow As Possible, first played on Cage’s 89th natal day at 1361 St. Burchardi on September 5, 2001. At 3:33 p.m., Saxony-Anhalt politicians, tourists and media led by Hans-Jörg Bauer, head of John Cage Organ Project, attended the chord change to C4-A flat4.
The former Church of St. Burchard was used as a pig-sty in the communist years of East Germany. Two more organ pipes were added alongside the four installed and the tone became more complex at 3:33 p.m. local time. The second of the new pipes, the next musical change in John Cage’s slow masterpiece will be in this November. A machine keeps the sound coming out.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_cage#World.27s_slowest.2C_longest_concert
The current organ performance of the piece at St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany, began in 2001 and is scheduled to have a duration of 639 years, ending in 2640.
Background
A 1997 conference of musicians and philosophers discussed the implications of his instruction to play the piece “as slow as possible”, given that an organ imposes virtually no time limits. A project emerged to perform the piece so that it would take a total of 639 years to play. This length was decided based on the estimated lifespan of the organ. The origin of this number is as follows: the piece was to be performed in the St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany, beginning in the year 2000; 639 years earlier, in the year 1361, the first big organ had been constructed in that church.
The piece
Organ2/ASLSP is the slowest and longest lasting musical performance yet undertaken. The score consists of eight pages which have been stretched to fit the wanted duration of 639 years.
This duration is the difference between the date of the installation of the ancient organ of 1361 and the originally planned start of the performance in 2000. This leads to a curve from 1361 over 2000 to 2639. Unfortunately, the performance was slightly delayed, and it began on 5 September 2001.
Performance
The actual performance commenced in the St. Burchardi church on 5 September 2001 with a pause lasting until February 5, 2003. The first chord was played from then until July 5, 2005. The most recent new chord from the organ was a three-note chord, A above middle C, C above middle C and the F# above that (A4-C5-F#5), which began on January 5, 2006 and will conclude on July 5, 2012. This sonority can be heard on a website devoted to the Halberstadt event.
The latest musical event from the organ is a new chord (C4-A flat4). On July 5, 2008, the weights holding down the organ pedals were shifted resulting in the 6th chord change. Two more organ pipes were added alongside the four installed and the tone became more complex at 15:33 local time. A machine keeps the sound coming out.
The performance is planned to continue until 5 September 2640.
The instrument
An organ is being built specifically for this performance and will be finished in 2009. It is standing in the right transept of the Burchardi-church, while the bellows are in the left. Between January and May 2005, it contained only six pipes. Because the instrument sounds constantly, there is a cube of acrylic glass around it to reduce the sound emissions.
Sound changes
The piece started with a rest of seventeen months*, beginning September 5, 2001, which was the 85th anniversary of Cage’s birth. The first audible sound appeared on February 5, 2003. Further dates for changing notes are:
I’ve been browsing the news sites and the peak oil sites and the “world is coming to an end” sites and I got a little bummed.
It seems as though the fabric of our society has suddenly worn thin and is coming apart at the seams. I was ready to pour a large shot of vodka and numb myself when I felt compelled to watch one of the Matrix movies for some reason.
I jumped to the chapter featuring the Architect talking to Neo and listened. It was then that I had a revelation.
There comes a time when your computer had become so corrupted with bugs and viruses, so bogged down with half deleted pieces of programs that never worked anyway and so fragmented from trying to force the issue with obstinate hardware that all you can do is put in your recovery disk and reapply the Operating system.
I think the world needs to have it’s hard drive wiped clean and the recovery disk reapplied.
Maybe the Universe is one step ahead of me. Maybe we are seeing the universe slowly wiping its drive clean in prep for starting this whole thing over.
Why we are here
Posted on September 27th, 2008 by Bryan Gatton
“As surely as mountains are to be climbed and oceans sailed, your dreams are meant to come true. This is why you’re here, to live the life of your dreams. Not to be tested, challenged, and tried, but to conquer, champion and rule.
Keep going, forge ahead, press on and the day must dawn when your thirsts shall be quenched and you, exalted.
Don’t ever settle for less, don’t ever think it’s too late, and never, ever, ever compromise a dream. ”
Mike Dooley in: More Notes from the Universe p. 188
: ok son sit down and smoke a pcp-filled blunt, let me expand your monkey mind……….
: In 3 spatial dimensions we aren’t moving anywhere near the speed of light but remember that spacetime is one 4-dimensional framework. for example if you’re moving straight up at 100mph you’re moving up the y axis, and if you go 100mph to your right you’re moving through the x axis, but if you moved 100mph at a 45 degree angle you’d be going 50mph through the x axis and 50mph through the y, so you’re splitting the speed through two spatial dimensions. the same applies *salvia bong hit* to 4-dimensional spacetime, you are moving at the speed of light but it’s split through the four dimensions. in other words, if you were moving straight up at the speed of light, 100% of lightspeed would be going into the y axis and the temporal dimension would completely stop (time would stop for you), and if you were standing completely at rest you’d be going 100% the speed of light through time, ie. you’d be moving through the one temporal dimension as fast as the universe allows. and anything in between is a splitting of lightspeed through multiple dimensions. so you’re always traveling at light speed but most of it is going into the speed at which your subatomic particles are moving (manifestation of time)
acorre: love to see that film school education put to use
acorre: carl sagan must be rolling over in his pod
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There are plenty of hoodies to keep you warm, plus lots of new designs that weren’t ever for sale before, and some old ones that have been changed. Most of our shirts are made using American Apparel, except for the few tie-die, organic jerseys, specialty shirts, etc. that are labeled as such. Almost everything is limited edition. Whatever is left to do will get done within the week, so check back for whatever else I mentioned in 
: ok son sit down and smoke a pcp-filled blunt, let me expand your monkey mind……….
