Cirippu vāḻkkaiyai ciṟappākkukiṟatu
UNKNOWN FUNCTION
To remind you, I started out with an old beat-up box and a box of 2" wooden orbs.
I then spent days assembling anything and everything that might be of use in enhancing the orbs.
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Springs
Dowels
Old Wooden Spools
Small Pieces of an Old Player Piano I Dismantled in 1977
Antique Stage Curtain Slides
And lots and lots of just plain junk.
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As I worked I oscillated between imagining them as steampunk objects, ancient game pieces, futuristic grenades, etc, etc. Eventually, I settled on accepting that transforming each orb into a unique object was justification enough and nomenclature was pointless.
I did accept that symmetry was my friend and insisted that each piece adhered to it. Other than that, there were no rules. I added to, built up, took away from, and any combination until each piece reached a conclusion that satisfied me.
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It was at this stage when the real fun began.
When I had more orbs than were required to fill the box, I then spent weeks selecting the one I liked the least and then reworking it - either to fruition or to the discard pile. The reason that was so enjoyable was because once rejected I was free to take chances I might not otherwise take. If I deemed the piece unsatisfactory, then ruining it was not such a big loss. I played the game of What If over and over again.
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And now the box is complete.
The only thing I had to buy were those two massive brass hasps.
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I decided to title it Unknown Function because of the pre-existing plate - karma as it were.
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Each orb has a 1/2" hole in the bottom to accept a matching peg in the bottom of the box. Because each orb has a specific place it must dwell I numbered the pegs and wrote the corresponding number on the bottom of the orb's base.
For the orbs without a base, I wrote the number inside the hole.
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I also left the paper graph that was on the lid when I rediscovered the box.
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To keep the orbs secure on their peg during transport, I built a rack that limits the movement of the orbs.
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Some of the pieces are taller than others so I drilled holes for headroom. Some were shorter so I added different-length pegs that just touched the tops of the orbs when they were in place. This rack lifts off and can be placed on two pegs in the lid.
Notice that I organized them from shortest to tallest - left to right.
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And here is a plethora of pictures of the orbs in the box.
Notice that not all the pieces actually contain an orb - I even used some of the leftover eggs.
Here are a few close-ups of some of my favorites.
And here it is in full display mode.
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But don't think for a minute that it was easy. I made a lot of mistakes and I had to solve a lot of problems.
The orb above about broke my hand as it flew across the room,
but all in all, I had a lot of fun.
TWO WEEKS LATER
The orbs were not very visible in the box. I like that it looks like a crate in the backroom of a museum but in display mode, they are not easily inspected. Therefore, I made a display stand for a single orb that is designed to be positioned next to the box. I could imagine changing the selected display orb daily.
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FUN WITH LANGUAGE
Fuerzas Armas de Philippinas and Moro Islamic Liberation Front for those intrested.
All things Ralph...
*MNBT
I find the logic of hating one and loving the other hilarious.
They should make thought-canceling headphones.
EMBARGO backwards if O GRAB ME.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
I caught my daughter reading in bed after she was supposed to be asleep so the next night I placed a flashlight on our bedside table.
Joking aside, one of the advantages of dating an Italian consul's daughter was that she had diplomatic immunity and carried a leather passport to prove it. Border guards would snap to attention and salute us when we crossed over in my beat-up old VW convertible. Once police were harassing me for not locking my car and Anna Maria pulled out that leather passport and they snapped to attention, saluted, and exited immediately.
I am an astute visual observer and would have spotted the humor in that immediately.
And then there's this...
Look through any window, Elisabetta Gatti
"Heck, it's just a picture of a woman in a window"
Oh, my friend, it is so much more than that.
One of the saddest things I have ever seen was a dozen or so bald eagles just standing under a pier where fishermen cleaned their fish. The eagles just waited all day to be thrown the innards. Please don't feed wildlife.
I would not care what the prick's title was I would have pushed him into the water - or died trying.
I can almost assure you that the idea for that billboard originated in an advertising agency.
This man wrote:
"I got a free upgrade to first class on my last flights.
Free food, and not the dumb boxed meal.
A small salad, and bread, I chose the vegetarian pasta as it sounded good. Again, real dishes and silverware."
I once arrived at the Delta desk at my city's airport to find my friend working the ticket counter that morning. He upgraded me to first class which I had never flown before. I, of course, was allowed on the airplane first and was asked what I would like to drink before takeoff. I replied "Bud Light, please"
and the stewardess said in a very snooty tone "All we have up here is Amstel Light". So, I looked her right in the eye and in a very soft voice said, "Then why don't you go back there and get me a Bud Light?"
Cat owners would have a fit if there was an animal in their neighborhood that hunted cats but don't have the slightest problem with their cats hunting everything that moves.
Again I would like to thank all you wonderful people who email me material to use in my blog. You make my life much easier. However, there are no days that I have 30 minutes to watch a YouTube video.
Having owned bars I have seen behavior like the above more times than I care to remember. I would like to relate one story of a school teacher on vacation. He came into my bar and here's the way the evening progressed:
The first couple of beers: "May I have another beer please?"
Plus three beers: "Give me another beer."
After six beers: "Gimme another of the goddamned beers.
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And I watched that sort of metamorphous on a regular basis.
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I'm a connoisseur of the absurd. And what could be more absurd than making Art out of cash?
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I like to say that none of us know what we are doing but some of us fake it much better than others.
You might want to think about life after the food supply is disrupted.
The stupidest thing this country ever did was pricing higher education out of the reach of most young people.
The same logic that people use to condemn gays and trans people was used to convince them that 5G caused covid, Bill Gates put chips in the vaccine, and that somehow Trump won the election.
I did that exact same thing! But I was a teenage lifeguard and it was a diving board. I got a gash on my scalp and the amount of blood scared the hell out of a bunch of people.
In basic training they cut my hair very short and because of all my scars my scalp looked like a roadmap.
My wife and I decided to take a shower together in the outside shower at our beach house. And being young, one thing led to another and I was soon nailing it from behind. When we stepped out there were a dozen people on the porch of the house next door staring down at us. We never considered that those people could see our feet during our lovemaking - feet that left no doubt as to what we were doing.
It's okay not to know things. Practice saying "I don't know". Go ahead, say it.
I studied French so I can refuse to speak it as opposed to just being unable to.
Had that not happened then only a handful of people would have seen her wedding video, but now it has been seen by people all over the world.
Words elude me.
She has been waiting all winter for that very moment to arrive.
This is called Rolling With The Punches...
Jet Pack
They have GOT to be testing those in the military.
It's a Scottish Thing
Sculptor
In the West Sahel, farmers recover degraded land and prevent desertification by digging half-moon holes. Also called "zai pits", the ditches capture scarce rainwater and direct it toward growing plants, helping reforest the edges of the southern Sahara.
I'm not sure I understand why that shape is superior to a plain circle.
Drinking Contest
And now the tragic news...
I went to the planetarium and when they projected an image of Earth half the people booed.
Don't let anyone stop you from being you. Unless all of your friends and relatives tell you to stop. Like in a single surprise meeting at your house.
OBJECTS OF INTEREST
Anasaphilia...
I love ducks.
Why we need building inspectors.
This tree grew around a 2x6.
Fireflies produce a "cold light" without infrared or ultraviolet frequencies using special organs in their abdomen…
Fireflies are bioluminescent beetles. Fireflies produce light in special organs in their abdomens by combining a chemical called luciferin, enzymes called luciferases, oxygen and the fuel for cellular work, ATP. Entomologists think they control their flashing by regulating how much oxygen goes to their light-producing organs.
Speaking of...
Swimming through the bioluminescence
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Interestingly the word "juicy" was in each of three of the puzzles I did today and just now I used it in that comment.
And I bet his mother was proud.
Kid-Sized Museum
9 comments:
8 - 1 = 7
Orb box is killer!!!
Your orb box is absolutely fascinating on many levels. Thanks
D8: "Bybon, had a 2 inch cock!" -signed Phola-The Embarrassed.
I think your Orb Box, and the accompanying stand, may be my favourite of your works of art, love the name too.
Robin.
Dear Police Violence Person,
You are obviously much too intelligent for Folio Olio. For the sake of your constantly wadded panties, you might want to seek your memes elsewhere.
RH
Yes! The orb box! One of your most interesting projects! Thanks!
Raul
Where can I get a pair of them "Wadded panties", Ralph. Hahaha, never heard that one before. 😆
Dear Cat Lover,
I have no problem with indoor cats. I've said that over and over. But I will assure you, if you let your cat out it will kill more than bugs and lizards.
RH
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