Convergence

I think it's about time to promote one of my favorite sites again, Blatte's Fractals. And why? Because it makes me happy, art and science in perfect harmony. This it's not a discussion about a definition of art, I could do that too if you want me to, but not now. It's a simple declaration of love for the poetry in science.

Collecting Contents

When it rains it pours, they say, and I couldn't agree more. It seems like I'm in the midst of a stream of odd events again. Or maybe I'm just more alert, I don't now. Let's see, where should I start? Yesterday evening? Well, that I can maybe talk about later.

But we can begin with my daughter's PC which she bought from Dell last May. It worked fine, until about a month ago. She suddenly couldn't access the computer anymore, all she got was the desktop, but no icons or tool-bar or anything. Her brother tried to start in safe-mode, but it didn't work. Then she had another friend over this weekend, but he came to the same conclusion, only now with the dreaded blue screen telling that the hard disk couldn't be found. Yesterday I helped her to get in contact with the support at Dell, and they arranged to call her up this morning. The plan was to guide her through a recovery of the system.

She called me at ten, and told me about what had happened. The Dell guy had instructed her, she'd followed, but same result. Blue screen, no hard disk. Next step was to open up the machine and see if maybe the hard disk for some strange reason was loose. It could happen. Surprise! There was no hard disk. And I mean, actually, it wasn't there. Think about that for a while. Any explanations? Two possibilities, as I see it. Either someone's stolen it (but why didn't they take her digital camera or other valuables?), or - she's a sleepwalker!

I have two daughters, and the other is living with me, and this morning we went to the doctor. She's got some terrible eczema, especially on her hands and arms, but also some around her eyes. The doctor did his exam and also asked her some vital questions. All but one were expected, and as he looked at her clothing he said: "Is this the way you usually dress?"

"Uh-huh" was all she said.

"You see," the doctor continued "if you're allergic you might also react to the dying pigment in your clothes, and black clothes have the most." So by doctor's orders I might not have to see my youngest dress up like Marilyn Manson anymore. Wonderful!

More strange things? A friend of mine who I haven't seen for a very long time suddenly walked right into me only hours after I thought of her. We have this kind of spooky connection, and even if we don't see each other for months, we know how we feel about each other. Good friends are like that, no need for pretending.

All I need now, and I have a feeling I might just get it, is a really good angling to my paper about "ICT & Learning". If I get out of this fog with a big smile, I think I've collected enough odd things to fill up a whole book...

Jon Hoem visits our class

An Ordinary Tuesday Afternoon

Sea, Stars & Salvation

"A long time ago there was this little sailor girl. She was desirous, she had her own ship and she ruled the seas. No storm was too fierce, no wave too high. As she got older she began sailing in company, and for decades they traveled great distances and guested many ports. The sea was sometimes rough, but nothing she couldn't handle. She was a redheaded viking, she was a Phoenician queen, she was a pirate of the seven seas .

One day the ship went under.

She was caught by a current; did almost drown. Hardly knowing what was up or down she managed to swim to the surface, and she grasped desperately for air. Now the night had fallen.

In the dim moonlight she could see floating debris all around her, but she was alone. Her company was nowhere to be seen. She gathered the remains of the ship, and made herself a simple raft. The night seemed to have no ending, and she drifted at sea for an eternity. All she could do was to watch the dark sky, and map the stars. Her mind was a mirror of the universe; endless, unexplored and incomprehensible. Lost.

Yes, she was lost. She watched the stars and recognized Ursa Minor, only to realize that she didn't know what to do with it. Her navigating skills were nothing more than a vague memory, impossible to retrieve. What had happened? Hadn't she been sailing for all her life? Exhausted she fell asleep, and she lay shivering in the cold night. As the sun rose next morning, and the first ray of light hit her eyes, she woke up again.

She stood up on the raft and turned around, slowly. In all directions there was nothing but water, water, water. That first day the weather was fine and the sea stayed calm. She had managed to salvage supplies from the boat, so for the moment she had both water to drink and food to eat.

This is a story, so how she could survive on the raft for so long is a mystery we don't have to explain, but true is that she was there. Some days were so glorious she almost forgot she was lost, and others so tempestuous she wished for the sharks to rip her flesh and end her sufferings. Days, weeks and months went by. Even years. And all the time she wondered how she had ended up drifting at sea. Sometimes she was close enough to see the shore, and birds came visiting her on the raft. And occasionally other boats passed by her, and she waved to the people on board. She shouted to them as well. Why didn't they pick her up, you may ask? This is a story, remember? Things don't work the same way here.

But anyway, she sat there on her raft and asked herself all these questions. Was it possible it was all a dream? Maybe the others didn't see what she knew? Maybe her raft was a mirage, looking like a full-rigged ship from a distance? And how could they know she had let someone else steer her ship for so long she'd forgotten how to sail? And the ocean was bottomless and dark."

Not to be taken too seriously, it's a story, alright?