The Thinking Blog ~ Knowledge Grows When Shared!

Knitta members AKrylik and PolyCotN founded the group as a way to deal with frustration over unfinished projects such as half-knitted sweaters. It started with a doorknob cozy for the front door of PolyCotN's boutique. She loved it and, unexpectedly, so did those who passed by the store. That is when they thought, "Let's do more."

The name of the group and the nicknames of the members were inspired by a desire to "resemble graffiti, but with knitted items." The group mixed crafting terminology with a hip-hop style, then changed the spelling "to represent traditional street art monikers." Current members' names include Purl Nekklas, P-Knitty, The Knotorious N.I.T., MascuKnitity, and Granny SQ.

The crew marks holidays by theming their work, using, for example, pink yarn for their Valentine's Day pieces and sparkly yarn for New Years. When Knitta is not working with a theme, they work on projects, tagging specific targets or specific areas.

This video pretty much sums it all up (except for the last minute and a half, which is about an art car parade?) and you can find more of their work on Knitta flickr page.


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While watching a Football match the likelihood of suffering a heart attack increases by 25%. The reason for this is because football enthusiasts concentrate as hard as those players who are playing on the field.

Research from the German Female Doctors Union has pinpointed that conducting half an hour of physical activity every day, is beneficial for conditions of Osteoporosis.

According to studies conducted on 9 thousand and 514 people in the U.S it was discovered that the consumption of red meat and acidic beverages together can increase the incidence of heart and diabetic diseases.

Leave your child to be dirty. Scientists have noted that babies who are always situated in a hygenic environment are more likely to develop cyclical cancer.

According to the Japanese Heath Institute, women who intake vitamin supplements during pregnancy can further reduce depression by 50%.

Studies conclude that egg and rice can improve the ability to learn faster. Fish, chicken, bananas and grain products can calm anxiety in people. Whereas red meat, beans and milk maintain the functioning of the brain.

By Extrememo from Through the Eyes of Bipolarity. Speak out your thoughts too, click here!

The resourceful and ingenious series requires numerous shots -- Carl first sketches out a traditional landscape scene before introducing the food. Each scene is then captured in separate layers to prevent the food from wilting. He then uses computer technology to combine them into a single final print.

To give a realistic 3-D feel to the photos, each still life is composed on an 8 foot by 4 foot table. The foreground is only about 2 feet across.

The artist from Tonbridge, Kent creates amazing panoramas, including a broccoli forest, bread mountains, a cheese village, and smoked salmon seas. "I like the way smaller aspects of nature resembled larger ones." says Warner.

The success of the project has motivated Warner to plan for the images to be released in an educational book to encourage kids to eat healthier. He says his 'Foodscapes' were partly inspired by healthy eating campaigns, but they haven't persuaded his own children to take up the 5-a-day pledge. "But at least they don't play with their food as much as I do." said Carl.

Take a close look at this dusk scene and you'll discover it's good enough to eat -- the pebbles and rocks are potatoes and soda bread, while the red sky at night and sea are entirely formed of strips of salmon.

A forest of greens -- the road is paved with cumin, peas hang from broccoli trees and cauliflower clouds adorn the sky with bread for mountains. Broccoli Forest was one Warner's first creations while experimenting with still life shots.

More Mozzarangelo than Michelangelo -- it's amazing to think that this scene first began on a bread and cheese board.

This Italian inspired rural scene includes a lasagna cart, fields of pasta, a pine nut wall, mozzarella clouds, trees of peppers and chilies and a parmesan village.

A winter landscape for carnivores - Parma ham and breadsticks are fashioned into a sled which is pulled across a snow-covered road made from a selection of cold meats.

"We are stepping back, not to see the big picture, but the detail." Warner says of his works.

"It's not just a case of change of context, but a refinement brought on by the loss of a dimension -- compression, distillation, that defines lens-based imagery."

Born in 1965, the distinctive photographer's artwork also includes urban landscapes of industrial decay, dormant gas tankers, and an earlier series of photographs "over what we create we have no control," exploring rail yards.

Carl Warner's solo exhibitions include 'Sense' at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne in 1995 and 'A Concrete Pasture' at the University Art Museum, University of Queensland, Brisbane in 1998 and Cairns Regional Gallery in 1999.

Warner's work has been included in 'Retro Version' at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space in 1999, the Queensland Art Gallery touring exhibition, 'The Art of Inclusion' in 1999-2000, and 'Minimal' at the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney in 2000.

Visit Carl Warner at his website to view more of his unusual and remarkable works, or shoot him an email with your inquiries.

Article by Deborah Petersen from Life in the Fast Lane. Submit your thoughts - click here!

Nature Intelligence (NI) at work.

I'm also intrigued by the report that they seem to be using sonar to locate the vortex in the water, since that would be a fairly amazing bit of audio analysis.

9) Mount Fuji in Modern Art Culture

As an instantly recognizable symbol of Japan, Mount Fuji has been co-opted from time to time by companies such as Atari, who used a stylized Mount Fuji design for their logo:

In Japan, colorful paintings of Mount Fuji are often displayed in public baths, supposedly so that patrons can more easily achieve a sense of timeless relaxation as they soak away their cares. As well, the peaceful image of Mount Fuji is said to be a bringer of good luck - as long as it's not an image of it erupting!





8) Mount Fuji is a Sacred Mountain and is the Symbol of Japan

Mount Fuji is considered the sacred symbol of Japan.

Absolutely! The mountain's serene, unchanging image - unchanging except for the snowcap that comes and goes with the seasons - graces everything from public bath house walls to postage stamps to currency and more!



7) Mount Fuji is NOT one of the Tallest Mountains in the World

Not even close, although at more than 12,000 feet high it's the loftiest in Japan and one of the most famous peaks in the world. But "tallest"? Not by half... even two Mount Fuji's stacked one atop the other wouldn't match the height of Mount Everest. Even the world's tallest volcano, Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador, surpasses Mount Fuji by over 7,000 feet. Mount Fuji only LOOKS extremely tall because it stands alone and is not surrounded by other high peaks like the Himalayas or Andes.



6) Mount Fuji isn't a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Why? Garbage, LOTS of garbage. Almost a third of a million people visit Mount Fuji each year and the climbing season is only 2 months long. Do the math... the infrastructure just can't handle the load. Waste, both organic and inorganic, is everywhere. Even worse, the beautiful forests surrounding the mountain have become a choice dumping ground for those seeking to avoid trash disposal fees - not to mention being a prime spot for committing suicide (roughly 30 per year).


A major, concerted cleanup is now underway. Included in the effort are new bio-toilets to replace the previous storage-tank models whose contents were simply emptied onto the mountainside at the end of each climbing season. Mount Phew-ji!


5) Historically, Mount Fuji has been Off-limits to Women

Like most high mountains in Japan, Mount Fuji was traditionally seen as an abode of the gods; a place where "unclean" women were forbidden to go. It wasn't until 1872 that the official ban on women climbing Mount Fuji was lifted, partially in response to a well-publicized ascent of the peak in 1867 by Lady Parkes, the wife of a British diplomat.


4) Mount Fuji is Privately Owned

Strange but true! But not to worry, neither a Japanese version of "The Donald" nor an absentee Middle Eastern prince lists Mount Fuji among his holdings. The uppermost portion of the peak belongs to the Fujisan Hongu Sengentaisha shrine, having been granted the title in perpetuity by the Shogun in 1609.

A Shinto priest at the shrine, Norihiko Nakamura, has categorically stated that "Mount Fuji is a mountain of the world, not an asset for individuals," thus allaying any fears that the shrine might restrict access to Mount Fuji's summit.


3) Mount Fuji is an Active Volcano

Officially designated as "dormant" (presumably to avoid panic), Mount Fuji last erupted 300 years ago. But... and that's a very big "but"... there's no reason to assume there won't be another.

In 1707, a vent opened on Mount Fuji's flank, spewing molten lava down the mountain's farmed & forested slopes while raining volcanic ash upon Tokyo (then known as Edo). The so-called "Hoei crater" from the 1707 eruption is still visible today and from some angles distorts the view of Mount Fuji's symmetrical cone.



2) What Would Happen if Mount Fuji DID Erupt?

With 10 documented eruptions since the 8th century, Mount Fuji has demonstrated a pattern of activity that worries many - notwithstanding the quietude of the past 300 years. Japanese government authorities have devised detailed plans to deal with a future eruption of Mount Fuji - an event that could cost the country upwards of $21 billion!


In a worst case scenario, nearly 8,000 people living near the peak would have to be evacuated and nearly 2,000 homes would suffer damage. That number would rise to around 11,000 if the eruption occurred in June, during Japan's rainy season. In addition, up to 12.5 million people would suffer adverse affects from fine particles of volcanic ash which would saturate the air.


1) Mount Fuji in Traditional Art - Tsunami Waves?

Colorful images of Mount Fuji in traditional woodblock prints have been admired for centuries. Among the most well-known are the "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" created by the master printer Hokusai between 1826 and 1829. The pictured image, "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa", is perhaps THE best-known Japanese print and was a significant influence on many of Europe's great artists of the late 19th century.


Article by Steve Levenstein from Inventor Spot. Steve writes about weird and wonderful Japanese innovations on a regular basis and you can catch up on current & previous examples at his blog. Submit your thoughts - click here!