WWW: October 26, 2011

Justin’s gone again, but this time he has a good excuse. She weighs 8½ lbs and her name is Amarani Sedah Blazier. Here she is, the sweet little thing.

Baby and Mother are doing well. Congratulations, Justin!

So, just a few WWW items today which cover some of my favorite subjects: science, art, and music. If you’ve got something interesting to share, contact Justin, or just post it in the comments below.

1) Good news for wannabe alchemists: My grad school alma mater, Indiana University, has transcribed the alchemical documents of Isaac Newton and put them on the web in a project called The Chymistry of Isaac Newton. Now you can view the transcriptions or images of the actual pages of his notebooks — you can zoom in on them and actually read the recipes for yourself! I tried it last night after procuring the ingredients (it is difficult to find large amount of pure lead, BTW) and today I feel 10 years younger and now I can afford a new Kindle.

Chemists at IU have been creating some of Newton’s alchemical products, including the “Star regulus of antimony” (see what it looks like). Their studies of the documents demonstrate that “Newton employed the same painstaking combination of reason and experiment in alchemy that he did in his other scientific pursuits.” So cool!

2) Paper Cuts by Olly Moss: Mr. Moss creates silhouettes of famous fictional characters. How many do you recognize? Here’s more of Mr. Moss’s art.

3) Radio Rivendell: Want to listen to some fantasy themed music while you’re on your next quest? Radio Rivendell is the answer! I enjoyed listening to Radio Rivendell this week. It was so inspirational that I only barely managed to restrain myself from tossing my wedding ring into the Mountain of Doom.

For tomorrow’s Thoughtful Thursday, we’ll be planning baby Amarani’s bookshelves, so please come help!