Stained Glass CD

"#5 Mansion Glass Photos"
bigcartel.com

"117 photographs of finished windows by the Mansion Glass Company in all shapes and sizes. Drawings are nice, but finished windows really show the unique beauty of stained glass. ... A useful tool for you and your clients."

There's a higher-resolution image of that particular example, but to get at the rest you'd have to buy the CD - for about $25, plus (probably) shipping and handling. The Lemming didn't check to see how much that would be.

The CD's description is aimed at someone who wants to impress clients: but it seems like something that would be fun to have for someone who likes to look at stained glass. And has $25-plus dollars to spend.

The Lemming isn't going to buy that CD - but it's still nice to look at that picture.

Related posts:

• "Henri Matisse, Color, Light, and Art"
  (January 25, 2011)
• "Museum of Glass: 'Hot glass. Cool art.' "
  (March 27, 2010)
• "Stained Glass: Close Call at York Minster"
  (January 1, 2010)
• "Acme Klein Bottle makes one-meter Klein Bottle"
  (July 6, 2008)
• "Glass Houses: For Homeowners and Architects with a Clear Vision"
  (October 12, 2007)

Glass, Hypothetical Not-Quite-Helium, and Strange Physics

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"Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine."
Sir Arthur Eddington English astronomer (1882 - 1944)

The Lemming's quoted Eddington before. (March 23, 2010) Strangeness isn't always something in a faraway galaxy. Sometimes it's something you look at every day. Or, in this case, look through:

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"Quantum Fluctuations May Melt Ultracold Glass"
Dave Mosher, Wired Science, Wired (February 7, 2011)

"Just above absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible in the universe, quantum fluctuations can melt some forms of glass into goo.

"At the subatomic scale, particles like protons, neutrons and electrons behave like waves, not just infinitesimal points. As a result, particles have jittery positions and can “tunnel” through other particles, among their other abilities.

"At everyday temperatures and in ordinary silicate glass, those fluctuations are drowned out. But at ultracold temperatures, in simple glasses made of tiny particles — including hydrogen, helium and even electrons — the chaos of quantum fluctuations may liquefy glass.

" 'We had a pencil-and-paper result a few years ago, but we didn't believe it. It seemed like a ridiculous prediction,' said chemist David Reichman of Columbia University, co-author of a study published Jan. 9 in Nature Physics. 'But two quantum simulation experts said they could make large-scale computer simulations to verify it, and they did.'..."

There's more, including a short video clip of a simulated sample of supercooled glassy stuff - that's none-too-well edited, in the Lemming's opinion. But that's being picky.

The video shows what happens to a tiny sample of hypothetical stuff that's sort of like helium atoms, except they act like glass - sounds goofy, but the Lemming suspects that really was the best way to test this decidedly odd idea.

Anyway - at just above absolute zero, the (heliumoid?) atoms 'melt,' and at slightly warmer temperatures the quantum effects seem to strengthen the glass-like virtual substance.

That's just one more oddity in the list for glass. Back to the article:

"...Debates about the essential nature of glass have raged for a century. At room temperature, it acts like a solid. Its molecular structure, however, resembles that of a liquid, and at high temperatures it turns molten. The Nobel Prize-winning physicist Philip Anderson has described the nature of glass and its transitions as 'the deepest and most interesting unsolved problem in solid state theory.'

"There's agreement on a few crucial points, though. Glasses have no hint of a crystal structure, and their particles have no order or simple pattern. As temperatures drop, glasses become more brittle...."

So, glass is a solid at room temperatures, except it's like a liquid at the molecular level. And some physicists think it'll be easier to study glass if they take quantum effects into account. Others think that'll make things more complicated.

From the Lemming's point of view, this new speculation about glass is just one more example of how the universe is fascinating - just pick a direction to look, and how big a sample you want, and start studying what you find.

It sometimes seems there's no end to the wonder.

Sort-of-related posts:

• "Four Dimensions, 11 Dimensions, Cosmology and People"
  (March 23, 2010)
• "Gravity Waves, Quantum Astronomy, and Adventure"
  (August 20, 2009)
• "Teleportation: A Cooler Word than 'Quantum Entanglement,' it Seems"
  (January 23, 2009)
• "LiquidMetal: Metallic Glass, a Video Demo"
  (July 22, 2008)
• "Scientists Find Universe in Test Tube: Next Step: Theory of Everything Tests in Superfluid"
  (January 19, 2008)

Geisel Library: University of California, San Diego's Big Glass Landmark

"UC San Diego's Geisel Library Named Among 25 Most Modern Libraries in World"
UC San Diego Libraries (July 21, 2008)

"Iconic Flagship Building is One of Only Two Academic Libraries Worldwide to Make the List

"Geisel Library, the University of California, San Diego's main library building, has been named one of the 25 most modern libraries in the world. The distinctive modernist building, which resembles a hovering spaceship, was noted—along with the others on the list compiled by www.bestcollegesonline.com—for 'sleek architecture and the latest technology.'

"Geisel Library was designed in 1970 by architect William Pereira, who was renowned for his futuristic, space-age designs, including the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. The reinforced concrete and glass library building, which houses four of the university's nine libraries, rises eight levels above the ground in an inverted pyramid...."

No question about it: that's a library with a distinctive shape.

I'm not convinced that it's the most efficient design for a library: but it sure does look impressive. From the photos, it looks like folks using the library have to climb at least one level's worth of steps, just to get to the first working floor of shelving: but I suppose part of the collection could be stored in the pedestal.

Or maybe there are escalators. Or elevators.

Still: that's a highly distinctive, and memorable, design.

More photos, from Dan Hyde at Bucknell University:


(from Dr. Suess and UCSD Library, San Diego, California Trip, Wednesday June 27, 2001, By Dan Hyde, used w/o permission)

More:

• "About the Geisel Library Building"
  UC San Diego Libraries
• "Dr. Suess and UCSD Library, San Diego, California Trip"
  Dan Hyde (June 27, 2001)
• "GEISEL LIBRARY HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC) ISSUES QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS"
  UC San Diego (December 15, 1995)
• "UCSD Geisel Library"
  360° panoramic photography by Michael R Wheeley

Museum of Glass: "Hot glass. Cool art."

Museum of Glass
"Hot glass. Cool art."

"All glass, all the time. Housed in a striking building distinguished by its iconic 90-foot-high cone, the Museum of Glass features ongoing glassblowing demonstrations in the Hot Shop Amphitheater, where visitors learn about the creative challenges of working with molten glass. The 13,000 square feet of gallery space is dedicated to changing exhibitions of works executed in glass. A hands-on art studio is available for visitors...."
(From the about page.)

They're in Tacoma, Washington.

Looks like a great place. The website has live streaming video of the Museum of Glass hot shop - which obviously isn't available when the shop isn't open. Live streaming video.

The link labeled "virtual museum" on the home page isn't. I mean, the page it leads to is more a description of what the Museum of Glass is, where it is, and why it's so cool. Still, the photos are nice.

Most of what I saw on the website was attractive, well-written, and well-designed. Then, on a page about the history of the museum, I found this:

"Warning: include(/includes/store-rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/museumof/public_html/about-mog/history/index.php on line 98...."

here were five more, pretty much like this. Apparently something was wrong with lines 98, 100, and 102 of either software the web designer was using, or of a data set. (I checked the page's source code: it's an ordinary text document, with HTML tags and all - I'm surprised nobody spotted those 'warning' messages.)

Don't get me wrong: It's a beautiful website, other than that.

I think glass art is one of the more striking examples of technology and creativity interacting. Glass is a very practical substance: here in Minnesota, it allows my household to maintain fairly comfortable temperature levels inside winter and summer, while still having light and a view outside.

It's used to make light bulbs, lenses, and bottles.

And with a little tweaking, it can be used to make beautiful sculptures.

I'd like to see the Museum of Glass myself, in person: but meanwhile I'll settle for visiting the website.

Stained Glass: Close Call at York Minster

"Medieval stained glass window saved as fire breaks out at York Minster"
Mirror.co.uk (January 1, 2010)

"A medieval stained glass window described as 'irreplaceable' was saved when fire broke out at York Minster.

"More than 30 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Minster's stone yard, where the Great East window was being restored.

"The window, built around 1408 and one of the largest areas of medieval stained glass in the world, was in a store room when the fire began late Wednesday...."

The Mirror article says the stained glass panels, put together, are about the size of a tennis court. There's a photo with the article, of the window (pre-fire) with the glass in place. It's impressive.

More:

• York Minster
  • York Minster FAQs

Acme Klein Bottle makes one-meter Klein Bottle

"Giant Kleinbottle -- Kingbridge Centre"
Acme Klein Bottle

"In conjunction with Toronto's Kingbridge Centre and Killdee Scientific Glass, Acme Klein Bottle has finished the world's largest glass Klein Bottle. Scroll down for more photos!"

Acme Klein Bottle describes this model as "a nontrivial glassblowing project."

The thing stands one meter (roughly a yard) tall.

You've probably heard of Klein bottles. Here's how Acme Klein Bottle describes them: "To a mathematician, it's a one-sided bottle, homeomorphic to a disc with two crosscaps. To a glass worker, it's a major challenge in glassblowing. To the casual viewer, it's an accomplishment in art, glass, and mathematics."

They do a much better job on another page: "What is a Klein Bottle?."



There's a rather more technical description, with some quite decent diagrams, at "The Klein Bottle" (Harvey Mudd College Department of Mathematics).

Polish Glassware Commercial Blog: Pretty Good Design

"Dom itp - European Houseware Blog"

This is one of those blogs that's designed to show of a retail store's products. In this case, a chain of retail stores. For an outfit that's presenting a somewhat pricey product, this is a good design.

What I particularly noticed was how clean the design was. Quite a few artsy (excuse me, 'creative') businesses jazz up their Web presence with cool colors and eye-catching design elements. Great idea, if the place is in the Web design business. Otherwise, all that creative stuff is, IMO, a distraction for the visitor.

Dom itp's blog has the title, with the company logo, a column of text-and-photos posts, a sidebar with navigation and contact information, a footer, and that's about it.

The background: white. Text: black.

Simple. Elegant. Directs attention to the equally simple product photos.

Knew I'd forgotten something. The stores sell very nice glassware. From the "About" page:

"Dom itp - European Houseware is a chain of retail stores located in the Chicago area. Dom itp specializes in importing high-end products from Poland. At our stores you will find handmade Polish colored glassware, authentic Polish porcelain dinnerware, Boleslawiec stoneware, Polish meat grinders, Polish bakeware, Polish cookware utensils, Polish Christmas ornaments, Chicago Christmas ornaments, and the famous electric potato grater...."

Dale Chihuly - Artist

"Dale Chihyly" has a home page (today, at least) with a beautiful, almost stunning, twilight photo of a pond, a fountain, a conservatory, and a barge with incredible glowing tentacles.

Right now, I think it's beautiful. But bear this in mind: It's after One in the morning, and I'm short on sleep.

Glass Houses: For Homeowners and Architects with a Clear Vision

"A Daily Dose of Architecture / Glass House" is a blog post from 2005 that's still worth reading. For architecture buffs, at least.

I think, looking at houses with glass walls, that an old saying needs to be modified. It's fairly clear that "People who live in glass houses need high fences."