🚀 go-pugleaf

As many of you know, visual modeling of the atom
went out of style around the time Heisenberg's
uncertainty became vogue -- no picture of atomic
innards could be verified in principle, so best
to go with pure math, model-less equations and
their probability curve approach.

Well, there's still an argument for visual models,
from a 'spatial data management' point of view,
i.e. you want visual structures simply to keep
the data in some compact, easy-to-use format,
even if it's not 'true' in some literal sense
(i.e. there's no such thing as photographing
an atom and 'blowing it up' to 8.5" x 11" in
any literal sense).

This is where the art and mind of Ken Snelson
comes into play.  Snelson is an internationally
recognized sculptor with a primary interest in 
structural physics.  His 'floating compression'
towers, needles, and more amorphic designs, are
known around the world.  What fewer people know
is that Ken was for a long time the only non-
corporate individual with a state-of-the-art
Silicon Graphics workstation with Wavefront 
software. So years before most of the rest of 
us had a chance to learn the skills, Snelson 
was applying his already sophisticated sense 
of form and color to computer graphics -- with 
an eye towards rendering his Visual Atom in 
living color.

From a History of Science point of view, Ken's
forays are of great interest, as they suggest an
alternative reality wherein science never 
abandoned its visual fixations, so entrenched
for thousands of years, before our own 
aconceptual era (centered around 'flying blind 
on instruments') got started.  It's an alien 
reality, full of unfamiliar visuals.  This is 
an Atom like none we've ever seen, yet hauntingly 
familiar.

To tour Ken's Portrait of an Atom, go to
http://www.inetarena.com/~pdx4d/synergetica/dsctrains.html
and board the Great Circler (the only train on
line at the moment).  You'll find the relevant
station stop on the train's Schedule page.

Kirby

----------------------------------------------------
Kirby Urner  "ALL realities are 'virtual'" -- KU
Email: pdx4d@teleport.com
Web:   http://www.teleport.com/~pdx4d/