Origami Platonic Solids

The Platonic Solids

Also known as the "regular convex polyhedra", these five are the only forms that are convex (ie: not hollow and no "dents" in them) and with every face having the same shape ("regular"). Hoorays!

In order of complexity, these are:

Tetrahedron	4	equilateral triangles
Hexahedron / Cube	6	squares
Octahedron	8	equilateral triangles
Dodecahedron	12	regular pentagons
Icosahedron	20	equilateral triangles

Those who play games like Dungeons & Dragons are probably already familiar with these.

Johannes Kepler liked to study these!

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), best known for his three laws of planetary motion, was one of the most outstanding mathematicians of his day. In addition to his astronomical accomplishments, he systematized and extended all that was known about polyhedra in his time. While previous artist/geometers discovered particular polyhedra, he took a more mathematical approach: he defined classes of polyhedra, discovered the members of the class, and proved that his set was complete.

- from http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/kepler.html

Kepler also believed these polyhedra were associated with the elements:

Tetrahedron	Fire	It has the "shape" of fire; and there's also the fire tetrahedron teaching tool, which is neat!
Hexahedron / Cube	Earth	It's very stable.
Octahedron	Air	If you hold this model lightly by the two farthest corners, and then blow, it will spin like a top!
Dodecahedron	the Cosmos	It has twelve faces, and there are the twelve constellations (in astrology, zodiac).
Icosahedron	Water	It has a similar property of that octahedron, like it moves easily or wants to move, the way fluids do.

Origami

So I finally got around to making origami models of each! These are modular skeletons:

Tetrahedron	6 units	Francis Ow's 120-degree module
Hexahedron / Cube	12	Bennett Arnstein's Variation of Lewis Simon's Decoration Box modules
Octahedron	6	Lewis Simon's Gyroscope module
Dodecahedron	30	Lewis Simon's / Bob Neale's 108-degree module
Icosahedron	60	Francis Ow's 120-degree module

...more later?
--Charlie

Mixed Update

Bus Girl

There's a girl on the bus, Shannon. She's adorable; small Chinese girl, 24 years old, always curious or happy--she's got this way of speaking, as though everything is happy and positive. For the most part, she doesn't express negative emotions very well (unless she frowns, and then she looks so hateful), which makes it a little difficult to talk to her, but as long as I'm listening carefully, it shouldn't be a problem.

She says I'm charming. Tehee!


Me

I got a bra fitted the other day. It was in a tasteful "adult" shop; I liked the experience! I'm actually bigger and smaller than I thought! I'm a 34-C or D; and in some cases, 36-B or C. That was impressive. I never thought I'd be a D-cup; even a C-cup seemed generous.


Bible / Christianity

I'm reading through Matthew again--at least, I'm starting at Matthew, and I'm, hopefully, going to get through the entire New Testament consecutively this time. Last time, I finished the Sermon on the Mount, and went, "Hey, yeah!" and left it at that. I guess I'm partly scared I'll find something stupid/disagreeable. But I have to keep in mind it's People writing, not directly God. And context is confusing--it sucks that history gets more made-up as we go along.

Like... A long time ago, THIS was the way it was. A few generations later, it's forgotten, so the next generation researches it and records it in their own context. These are then used as research for more research. To understand context, you have to... I dunno, how does one understand context, if not taught it by someone else? I mean, to an extent, one can GO there, but even when there, things are different NOW than THEN. ... Augh.

So, what I'm scared I'll find is intolerance and hate or fear -mongering. I heard once that religions were made as rulebooks, because following rules actually changed one's consciousness, which is cool!

"Do not unto others unless you would have them do unto you." That's a nice place to start, action-wise. It's not as selfish as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", but it conveys a similar message. It's more about respecting others than gratifying self. I like this version.


Photos

Our apple tree had blossoms! I got home from the bikeathon, and the branches were like green and white arms! View album here.

Also available for your viewing pleasure are old photos from the Piano Smash fundraiser. You may view them here.


Teaching

Augh. Been subbing for Calc lately; I know most of the kids by name already (which would be more impressive if there were more than ten).

Last day is tomorrow. Not sure I look forward to it, if it's with my regular class. But I really love those Calc kids!

Also! How cool is this? Leibniz cookies! Woots!

--Charlie!

Bikeathon!

Bikeathon

My best friend goes to a Lutheran church, and they have many programs out at Luther Village. It's a campground out by Kenora; it's beautiful country. Last year, he invited me to the annual bikeathon and I rode 80km to raise money for Luther Village.

Click to visit public photo album.

Last year was amazing. I had trained so much; even though it's mostly flat over here, I found a few hills and bridges for training and was on the road at least twice a week. When I realized it was only 25km, I switched to the 80km ride.

This ride starts at the entrance to Luther Village from Highway 71, goes to Bunny Lake for a pit stop (roughly 20km), then continues to Sioux Narrows (roughly another 20km) for lunch; then back to Bunny Lake for another rest, and finishes back at the entrance to Luther Village.


80km Bike Route

All distances and times are approximate. I'm not even sure if the map is entirely accurate; I guessed where Luther Village and Bunny Lake are.

Where	When	Dist	What
Entrance to Luther Village from Highway 71	08:00	n/a	Start point
Bunny Lake	09:00 - 09:30	20km [map]	Rest stop; wait for everyone to arrive; have snacks and power drinks
Sioux Narrows	11:00 - 12:00	20km [map]	Lunch; wait for the 100km riders to arrive; rest
Bunny Lake	13:00	20km	Rest stop; wait for everyone to arrive; have snacks and power drinks
Entrance to Luther Village	14:00	20km	End point; walk back to Luther Village

For the whole route, see this map.


Luther Village

Luther Village is a fantastic place. Most obviously, it is beautiful country; lakes, hills, trees, wildlife, plants, rocks, waters... Absolutely gorgeous.

But there's more!

When I'm there, I don't feel at all judged. Everything is just--"You are here now, and we love you", as though that's all that matters.

I wish I could write more, but it'd get too personal and these aren't my stories to tell. I'll just mention that my best friend also brought his girlfriend, who is going through a lot of issues (if you pray, please pray also for her, her growth, and that her loved ones will be with her and lend her strength), and we all agree this was so good for her.

And it was good for me, too. I needed that exercise, and the time to clear my head.

Will add more later...
--Charlie!


Some Photos

More...

Reminiscing

I found my old poetry box from grade twelve English.

I carved it from an old Nintendo system. Heee. My brothers weren't exactly thrilled about that.

But now, two years later, it's amazing.

Mostly, it's amazing what I could write and...create back in those days...

Charissa Reminisces About Highschool

When I was in highschool, I was totally arrogant. I thought I was da shizz. I was invincible; omnipotent; amazing stuff. I wasn't afraid of anything. Whatever I wanted to do was justified by my wanting to do it.

Not so anymore. I don't know what caused that; was it James, was it the Army, was it the lack of school; my desk job reading scripts... I can't talk anymore. I stutter, I stumble, I have no vocabulary. I doubt myself, I'm noncommittal, I'm lethargic.

And I have no social life.


Reflections on the Poetry Box

I made a poetry box in grade nine, too. It looks like a "hat box", people keep telling me, and it's covered in red fabric. On the top is a large piece of white paper with the small-written word "PRETENTIOUS". Hah!

I like the Nintendo box, though.

I was going for a sort of "It is past, but it is to come" or "The past will meet up with you again soon" or "You'll remember me in (fifteen) years."

Contents

Editorial - "FREE Rolex, Viagra and Designer Handbags!!!"
about spam and ham and e-mail stuff.

Short Story - "Alex's Art"

• horrible, horrible piece of crap I squeezed out just before the due-date.

Monologue - "Banquo's Descent"

• portrayed as a typical blog, complete with profile picture, "biography" and calendar of updates.

Narrative Poem - "Stipper and Jo"

• stuffed into the sleeve for a 8 + 1/2 inch floppy disk.

Cinquain - "I hate spam"

• in the pink "e-mail" envelope

Note Poem - "I just wanted to say..."

• in the pink "e-mail" envelope.
  
• our teacher really liked this "I just wanted to say..." concept; as though a poem could be a note left somewhere--or a note left somewhere could be a poem. I have no love for this "poem".

Sonnet - "Sonnet no. 1"

• this really was my first sonnet. I'm so happy it turned out almost exactly as I wanted. My only annoyance is with "Thus, twenty born in time soon die in dearth" which is supposed to mean, "Even though 20 infants are born at the same time, they die in a bad / unfulfilling life.
  
• it is attached to a Lego flying-vehicle, which is a toy of something that doesn't exist yet. I wanted to be sort-of representative of "something from your youth will meet you in the future" and have a sort of "You were once happy--purely and innocently happy. That was called Joy" to fit with that last couplet. Mm.
  

The "Your.Blog.Net" is a monologue. Monologue can be read here; snippets of it can be viewed here (Flash).

Stipper and Jo can be read here, with an explanation at the bottom.

Inside that pink envelope are two poems:

I hate spam, a Cinquain

>>OPEN

Get a FREE car!

Your Diploma Awaits!!

Miss Tiffany Wants to Meet You!!!

>>Delete

and

I just wanted to say...

I have longer hair now
and I'm
some two inches taller.
Mom says I'm getting fat.

I still like Chopin and Ellington
but I've started on Radiohead and
Orbital.
I found your Pink Floyd collection.

see you this summer.

Attached to a Lego^TM ship is a sonnet. It can also be read and appreciated artfully (pfft!) here.

Sonnet no. 1

Wild, screaming and bloody was I at birth,
Where nineteen other mothers might share screams.
Thus, twenty born in time soon die in dearth:
Our lives, all substance, wealth--no thoughts, no dreams.

We're beaten gently by nurses, sometimes
If our independent lungs refuse air.
We cry, bewildered, not knowing our crimes,
Suck in air to cry--we breathe unaware.

We grow, we learn to love, live, and commit;
Somehow, our brains can overcome all frays:
Nights unsleeping; throes of death's counterfeit,
'Til all giv'n effort untangles ablaze.

How'ver wraught with pain and with griefs to cloy,
It is life and I live and it is joy.

In other news

I tried to donate blood again today. Augh, disaster! The nurses poked around my left arm a bit, trying to feel for usable veins/arteries. That took ages. They finally found one, but it was deep down and they were a bit worried. I'm not sure if it was foolish, but I told them to go ahead anyway.

OUCH. She hit a nerve, and it sent a bolt right up to my thumb--like when you "hit your funny bone", except there's a 2mm metal tube sticking into your arm. Ooooch! Out of all the times I've tried to donate, that was the ONLY PAINFUL experience! She withdrew.

After some ice and a brief cool-down, I suggested they try my other arm. My blood-test-doctor is very good and can always get blood out of this one, very visible vein off to the side. Unfortunately, the nurses couldn't feel the vein. Since the alternative was to blindly poke into the centre, I mentioned that, at least you could see this vein!

Well, seeing wasn't enough. They tried, but it just wouldn't bleed fast enough.

I ended the day with a very, very, FRUCKIN' SORE left arm (still hurts when I move too much), and a few millilitres less blood. Fruck!


Sleepy time!
--Charissa

CAMERA at last!

The camera finally arrived, which means I can take pictures again! Further, I can upload pics of the Origami polyhedra I constructed! Here we go!



Left to right:
30-mod (sonobe) stellated icosahedron;
12-mod (sonobe) stellated octahedron;
12-mod (sonobe) cube.


Left to right:
12-mod decoration box; assembled into a 14-box ring;
6-mod (gyroscope) truncated gyroscope (?).


Finally: 6-mod flower-box. It changes from a box to a flower! Amazing!


...Will update more later, maybe.
--Charissa

Dressup!

I was at work, wondering what I'd like to dress up as for Halloween. Even though I'm too old for trick-or-treat-ing, I still like to dress up for fun.

Last year, I went to University as a drunken wench--bottle and everything--which was neat, because we got our assignments back that day, and I got 100%.

I couldn't decide on a costume.

So I pondered...	...and pondered.

Aha!

I decided I'd dress up as my dad!

Actually, that's not entirely accurate. I decided I'd dress up as one of those old-days Chinese martial artists -type guys; but when I grew out my goatee, I looked disturbingly like my father.

How appropriate for Halloween!

--Charissa!

Spider

So, there's this spider in a tree in the back yard. It's either dead, or this is its exuvia. I'm a little scared of getting close enough to find out, though. But it was pretty cold last night; so I'm guessing it's dead.

--Charissa