67

The Most Astounding Fact

It's so easy to forget we are sitting on a rock floating through space around a star. Not just that, but that we are too in fact made from the remnants of stars. We are much more connected to each other and the universe then it seems. This is a great video to remind yourself of the awesomeness of everything.

The Most Astounding Fact from Max Schlickenmeyer on Vimeo.
Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was asked by a reader of TIME magazine, "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?" This is his answer.

CREDITS
Narration: TIME Magazine's "10 Questions for Neil Degrasse Tyson"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiOwqDmacJo
Music: "To Build a Home (Instrumental)" by the Cinematic Orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PJ0Oxjc1v4
http://www.myspace.com/thecinematicorchestras

Video (in order of appearance):
IMAX: Hubble 3D (Orion)
http://www.imax.com/hubble/
Yellowstone: Battle for Life (Tree & Waterfall)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jcdml
Supernova to Crab Nebula
http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/heic0515a/
BBC: Wonders of the Solar System (formation of the solar system)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qyxfb
Accretion and First Eukaryotes from the 2011 film "Tree of Life" directed by Terrence Malick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_(astrophysics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_evolutionary_history_of_life
http://www.twowaysthroughlife.com/
BBC: Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life
http://www.wellcometreeoflife.org/
"Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia" by Ayrton Orio (Model: Xharon Kendelker)
http://vimeo.com/9505354
"Afghanistan - touch down in flight" by Augustin Pictures
http://vimeo.com/31426899
http://lukasugustin.de
"mongolia!" by wiissa
http://vimeo.com/27876709
http://wiissa.com

Excerpt from "Outside In", Copyright Stephen van Vuuren/SV2 Studios
http://www.outsideinthemovie.com
IMAX: Hubble 3D (Inside Orion Nebula)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula
Shuttle Launch from 1985 IMAX film "The Dream is Alive"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_Is_Alive
"Earth -- Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over -- NASA, ISS" by Michael Konig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls9yJTphLxg
http://koenigm.com
Excerpt from "The Island" - La Palma Time Lapse Video by Christoph Malin
http://vimeo.com/27539860
http://christophmalin.com
Galaxy Map and Galaxy Formation by NCSA's Advanced Visualization Lab
http://avl.ncsa.illinois.edu/
"Mars sunset" captured by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_347.html

Edited by Max Schlickenmeyer

Neil goes on to say "For me, that is the most profound revelation of 20th century astrophysics and I look forward to what the 21st century will bring us, given the frontiers that are now unfolding."

Special thanks to Carl Sagan, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Reid Gower, and NASA for their inspiration.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All copyrighted materials contained herein belong to their respective copyright holders, I do not claim ownership over any of these materials. I realize no profit, monetary or otherwise, from the exhibition of these videos.

66

Stuck On Repeat

I've been listening to a lot of Damien Jurado lately. I have all his songs in a playlist that I always just seem to keep playing over and over again. It's filled with music that I stole off of Carmel's computer before she left, so maybe that's why I keep listening to it. Or it could be that it's just good.

Here is one song I keep finding myself listening to over and over again.

65

Wood Wonders

Here are some pictures of just a few of the more weird and amazing things I've found while working with the wood form the Wawona.

Today I found this one end of a plank with a knot running across. It seems that while the plank was in the kiln the board shrank while the knot did not. Resulting in this weird little thing. Most knots seem to either poke out on either end but this one bowed in the middle, and now it seem pretty solid. I tried pushing, and pressing it in but it wont budge at all. 

Here are some photos showing just how tight some of the wood grain is that we will be working with.

Then there are these strange sections in the planks that are rather beautiful

A lot of the grain is overlapped with stains from various sources such as salt water, salt, fish oil, or iron. It creates these beautiful patterns and color in the wood.

These are just a few of the discoveries as I work with all this wood, I'm sure there will be many more.

64

Song Day

63

Made By Hand

Follow your dreams.

Made by Hand / No 2 The Knife Maker from Made by Hand on Vimeo.
In our second film, we meet writer turned knife maker Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn. He talks about the human element of craft, and the potential for a skill to mature into an art. And in sharing his story, he alights on the real meaning of handmade—a movement whose riches are measured in people, not cash.



director-producer KEEF

director of photography JOSHUA KRASZEWSKI

editor MATT SHAPIRO

music MICHAEL TRAINOR & NATHAN ROSENBERG

music produced at THE DOG HOUSE NYC

sound recordist ROBERT ALBRECHT

re-recording mixer NICHOLAS MONTGOMERY

assistant re-recording mixer JOHN GUMAER

gaffer ADAM ORELLANA

title design MANDY BROWN





special thanks

JOEL BUKIEWICZ & CUT BROOKLYN



http://thisismadebyhand.com

http://cutbrooklyn.com

62

Take Forever

The valentines box I sent Carmel over 3 weeks ago finally got to her today. I paid for rush shipment but somehow it got lost or forgotten either at the post office or the reception desk in South Africa, either way it finally made its way to her. Now that she has it I'm going to share another thing I sent to her.

I made her a picture frame to go along with a bunch of pictures that I took the last few months she was in Seattle. I made the picture frame out of padauk to match the photo box that I made for her for christmas.

Out of the rough stock I cut out simple forms that would overlap each other on all four corners. It looks pretty simple but it took awhile to cut out all the pieces to make sure it would all fit together.

I then just glued it together and added a few brass tacks on the corners to give it some strength and some bedazzle.

Here is the picture box I made for her or christmas. (taken by Carmel in South Africa)

 Here are the two sitting together

 She also got the top I sent, which spins, but probably in the other direction as mine though because of that whole coriolis effect thing.

61

Go Look

One of John's sculptures is on display right now at Gallery4Culture. You can read more about it here.

Here are some pictures of the piece that I took during it's construction.