Mesh

One goal for this semester is to learn a computer program that will enable me to create original mesh. I have some mesh tutorials from Black Tulip. Today I finished reading the first one. Each class can be used inworld and attaches like a hud. They are convenient to use and inexpensive. The first one was an intro, defining terms like vertexes, edges, and faces. It also introduced concepts such as how a texture is wrapped around a mesh object, and included some examples to rez, texture, and tint. Here I am on my building platform contemplating mesh.

The process reminds me of the old Latin motto, "Festina Lente," which was used by the printer, Aldus Manutius, as well as by Cosimo I de' Medici. It means make haste slowly. Today I moved forward, even if slowly, and it feels good.

My Jobs

While at Medici I am working as a go-go dancer at KatyPerryOpolis. I enjoy wearing period clothing and so far have been dancing in classic 60s go-go attire. Sometimes this includes my pet snake. Here's a photo of me at work:

I also help out at PetOpolis's pet daycare. Students can bring their pets to school. It's a nice place to take a break and interact with all kinds of animals. Here's a photo:

My Classes

Drinking and Drawing

Here's a photo of my first assignment:

And here is a photo of the class, with Van, Pearl, me and RMarie:

University 101

Part of University 101 is to make a life list beginning with what I want to accomplish while at Medici University. Something I've wanted to do for a long time is to learn a program so that I can make original mesh content in Second Life. Then I would like eventually to rebuild all the machinery at Trilby's Mill.

1. This can be accomplished by going through the tutorials that I already have
2. I will set aside time every day to work through them
3. Once I have an idea what I am doing, I will make at least one piece of machinery in mesh for the Mill. More will follow. This is my goal for this semester.
4. I will document my experiences on this blog and with pictures in my Flickr account which can be found here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/29513513@N07/

My Studio at Medici University

Medici provides studio space, and mine is Camilla 1-2. My background is in book arts and I have a paper mill that includes a printing studio and a bookbinding space. At Medici, I wanted to build a Hammermill to show another way that paper is made to supplement the information at Trilby's Mill. I believe this to be the first hammermill built in Second Life. My other project is a monument to a rectangle of text. I wanted trace the development of the book from scroll to Codex to E reader and in so doing realized that what they all had in common was a rectangle of text. We have changed the packaging and what seems like a revolutionary way yet what we read has remained the same for thousands of years.

Here is a photo of the hammermill:

This installation depicts a working hammer or stamping mill. Its purpose is to pulp plant fiber such as cotton or linen, so that it is fine enough to be made into paper. A hammermill pounds rather than cuts the fibers, which results in a longer fibered, stronger sheet. These fibers are renewable and make lovely paper that does not turn brown like paper made from tree pulp. Water powered stamping mills have been in use since the 12th C. 

See a stamping mill in action at the link below, as well as how paper is made by hand (2:15). When they say stirrers, they are talking about the hammers. The sieve is a paper mold. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lltkdyE1OG0

Here is a photo of the Monument to a Rectangle of Text: 

Ways of packaging text

Scrolls: (a long sheet, rolled) were the predominate book form.

Palm leaf manuscripts: (inscribed leaves, often bound with a string though a hole in the leaf)

Codices: (pages bound on one end) becomes more popular than the scroll.

Accordion books: (basically a folded scroll) 

E-Readers: (text produced electronically on a screen) 

And how should the rectangle of text look? It varies a bit depending on the format but most tend be a vertical rectangle. Palm leaf manuscripts use a horizontal rectangle, probably due to the nature of the material. At the following link you can see how to determine the ideal proportions of the western book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Tschichold

For more information on papermaking and book arts in general, visit Trilby's Mill at the following SLURL: 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Mayfair/217/129/24