I already knew that Burning Man is a big annual event and that it is unique. I didn’t really know what it is – that is the why – but what little I knew sparked enough curiosity to attend a Burning Man traveling exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
First held in 1986 on San Francisco’s Baker Beach, today’s Burning Man is a unique cultural event exploring artist and self expression, community, and self reliance. Today, tens of thousands gather to form a temporary city in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert built around 10 principles.
Image from Cincinnati Art Museum
Much of the art is large scale – some is interactive. Forms include painting, photography, metal work, mixed media, multimedia, clothing, jewelry, and more. Enjoy my gallery from the exhibition. Any favorites?
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For those who want to see/learn more, a 3+-minute video is below.
42 – forty-two, shi ni (Japanese), berrogeita bi (Basque), toogfyrre (Danish), corenta e dous (Galician), četrdesmit divi (Latvian), sorok dva (Ukrainian), XLII (Roman numerals)
In Mathematics
42 – an odd integer, perfect number, Catalan number, pronic number, abundant number, sphenic number, pseudoperfect number,alternating sign matrix number, and am open meandric number
42 – divisible by 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, 42
42 – the sum of the first 6 positive even numbers (2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12)
In Science
42 – the atomic number of the element molybdenum (Mo), whose neutrally charged atom has 42 protons and 42 electrons
42 amu – the atomic mass of a naturally occurring stable isotope of calcium
42 degrees – the angle (rounded) a rainbow appears
42 – the normal number of chromosomes in each cell of wheat, rats, Rhesus Monkeys, wolverines, oats, fossas, and giant pandas
42 minutes – the theorized time it would take to fall through a vacuum tube from one side of Earth to the other through the center
42 – Determined by the Babylonians, the number of times Mars orbits the Sun in 79 years
M42 – a Messier object nebula in the constellation Orion
NGC 42 – New General Catalogue object, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus.
Kepler-42 – a red dwarf in the constellation Cygnus
42 Isis – a large main-belt asteroid
In Technology
42 – 00101010 (in binary code)
42 – an important number used by computer programmers
42 – the second 16-bit word in every TIFF file
42 – the root directory inode number in the reiser4 file system
42 days – the default password expiration policy for Microsoft Windows domains
ASCII code 42 – for the asterisk symbol, being a wildcard for everything.
ASCII “FORTYtwo” – identifies directory blocks.
In Religion
Interfaith graphic by Justice St. Rain (Bahá’í Community) of Interfaith Resources
Christianity
42 generations (names) in the Gospel of Matthew’s version of the Genealogy of Jesus
42 months the Beast will hold dominion over the Earth (Revelation 13:5);
42 men of Beth-azmaveth were counted in the census of men of Israel upon return from exile
God sent bears to maul 42 of the teenage boys who mocked Elisha for his baldness (2 Kings 2:23)
The Gutenberg Bible is also known as the “42-line Bible” it contained 42 lines per page.
The Forty-Two Articles (1552), mainly by Thomas Cranmer, were intended to summarize Anglican doctrine
Others
“Forty-Two Lettered Name” given to God by Rab in 3rd-century Judaism
The Sutra of 42 Sections – a Buddhist scripture
42 – the number associated with God creating the Universe in Kabbalistic tradition
In Popular culture
T42 – the answer to the ultimate question of life in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
People who died at age 42: Robert F Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Prince Albert, Queen Mary I, Gilda Radner, Gary Coleman, Ted Bundy
42 – a number Lewis Carroll frequently used in his writings
42 illustrations Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Rule Forty-two in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – “All persons more than a mile high to leave the court”
Rule 42 of the Code in the preface to The Hunting of the Snark:
“No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm”
“forty-two boxes, all carefully packed – The Hunting of the Snark”
42 x 42 x 42 – the combined ages of the White Queen and Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass
In Music
Level 42 – an English pop/rock music band
42 – a song by Coldplay (2008) & Mumford and Sons (2018)
42nd Street – a Tony Award winning Broadway musical
In Television and Film
The Kumars at No. 42 – an awarding winner television series on British telly
“42” – an episode of Doctor Who, set in real time lasting approximately 42 minutes.
42 – the number of threads in Watson’s avatar (the IBM computer competed on Jeopardy!)
42 – a film on the life of American baseball player Jackie Robinson.
In Video games
42 Entertainment – a company creating reality games
Tokyo 42, Squadron 42 – video games
In Sports
From allfreevectors.com
42 – the now retired number of Jackie Robinson that MLB permanently retired
The last professional baseball player to wear 42 – Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees)
NBA – Nate Thurmond (Cavs, Warriors), James Worthy (Lakers), Connie Hawkins (Suns)
NFL – Sid Luckman (Bears), Charlie Conerly (Giants), Ronnie Lott (49ers)
NHL – none
42 – the number of laws in cricket
Rule 42 – the historic name of a Gaelic Athletic Association rule prohibiting the playing of “foreign sports”
Super Bowl LXII – Giants defeat the Patriots (17-14) in Glendale, Arizona
In Culture
42 – an unlucky number In Japanese culture because shi ni (four two)—sound like the word “dying”
42 questions – In Egyptian mythology, the questions asked of persons making their journey through Death
42 in Chinese reads sì èr, which is very close to shì a that means ‘yes’ – so some Chinese text 42 for ‘yes’.
In US History
42nd state – Washington (1889)
42nd President – Bill Clinton (elected 1992)
42nd Congress – Served 1871-1873 during the third and fourth year of Ulysses Grant presidency
Miscellaneous
42 – the historic country calling code for the former country of Czechoslovakia.
42 – number of US gallons in a barrel of oil
Tower 42 – a skyscraper in London that used called the NatWest Tower
42nd Street – New York City location for the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, the main branch of the New York Public Library, Times Square, the UN Headquarters, some Broadway theaters, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Forty-Two Gang – A Chicago teen street gang since Prohibition
42 Center of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, based in Vienna, Austria
42 – the name of the private computer science school located in Paris, France and Fremont, California
42 – the number of elevators in Rockefeller Center (New York City)
42 – the number of years of our 42nd wedding anniversary, which we celebrated during the recent blog break on a cruise ship with a sea day (2 April 2019).
In Science
41, the atomic number of the element niobium (Nb), whose neutrally charged atom has 41 protons and 41 electrons
41 Daphne is a large asteroid
In Music Symphony No. 41, the longest and last symphony of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
#41, a song by Dave Matthews Band.
Sum 41, a Canadian rock band
American Skin (41 Shots), a song by Bruce Springsteen
Opus 41, musical compositions by Tchaikovsky (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), Elgar (In the Dawn and Speak, Music!), Sibelius (Kyllikki), and Rachmaninoff (Three Russian Songs)
41 Stories, a book of 41 short stories by O. Henry
41: A Portrait of My Father, a book written by George W. Bush for his father George H. W. Bush
In Movies 41, an independent documentary about Nicholas O’Neill, the youngest victim of the Station nightclub fire
41, a 2012 Documentary about on the life of George H. W. Bush, the 41st US President
41, Charlton Heston’s designation as a Roman warship slave in Ben-Hur
41st floor, Morpheus is aggressively questioned about the murder of Amadou Diallo in The Matrix
41, the NYPD precinct number on the police car shown during the earthquake in Ghostbusters
Highway 41, where Cary Grant is attached by a crop-dusting airplane in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
In Sports
41, the race number worn by Sir Roger Bannister when he broke the 4-minute mile barrier (1954)
41, retired jerseys – MLB: Eddie Mathews (Braves), Tom Seaver (Mets); NFL: Brian Piccolo (Bears); NBA: Wes Unseld (Wizards); NHL: none
NASCAR #41: 27 wins (most by Curtis Turner, followed by Richard Petty, Kurt Busch, Jim Paschal, and A.J. Foyt)
Super Bowl XLI: Indianapolis Colts 29 Chicago Bears 17 (4 Feb. 2007 Miami, Florida)
In Mathematics
41, a natural number, a prime number, a supersingular prime number, a Newman-Shanks-Williams prime number, a Sophie Germain prime number, and Eisenstein prime number, a Proth prime number, a centered square number, and the largest lucky number of Euler
41st parallel North – crosses Span, Italy, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, North Korea, Japan, United States, Portugal
41st parallel South – crosses Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina
41st Meridian East – crosses Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Antarctica
41st Meridian West – crosses Greenland, Brazil, Antarctica
In Culture
41, forty-one, Cuarenta y uno, Čtyřicet jedna, Eenenveertig, Nelikümmend üks, Keturiasdešimt vieną, Afartan mid ka mid ah, XLI, and more
In Mexico “cuarenta y uno” (41) is slang referring to a homosexual
41st book in the bible is the Gospel According to Matthew
41st wedding anniversary, traditional gifts throughout the world include topaz, iron, birch, and nasturtium
In numerology, 41 is conscientious, sensual, quick wit, adventurous, curiosity, and pragmatism
In Organizations
41 Entertainment LLC (“41E”), a privately held American animation company developing, producing, and distributing popular children’s television series
City 41, part of the leading news media group of Pakistan, City News Network
41 Hotel or No. 41, a Red Carnation Hotel luxury hotel in London, England
Foundation 41, a medical research organisation based in Sydney, Australia
In Miscellaneous
The international direct dialing (IDD) code for Switzerland
C-41 process is the film developing process for 35mm color negative film
41 stories, the number of floors in the ONE St. Petersburg building in St. Petersburg, Florida
“41 for Freedom”, the collective term for the 41 ballistic missile submarines of the George Washington class and its successors
STS-41, the eleventh mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery
41, all this in honor of our 41st wedding anniversary. For those wondering, we first met in September 1974. Here’s Dave Matthews singing his song, #41. Happy Anniversary to my long-time love.
Respect, it would seem, is in incredibly short supply in America these days. Inappropriate actions, offensive and rude language and a general lack of manners are, unfortunately, becoming the norm. And increasingly, there seems to be little patience or respect for the diverse ideas or experiences of others.
America has become a nation of absolutists in love with their own perspectives and intolerant of differing ones. But what has always made this country great is its diversity of people and their opinions, ideas and culture. …
Respect for each other’s differing opinions and backgrounds opens the door for healthy dialogue as opposed to the often angry, back-and-forth that masquerades as conversation on social media.”
United States Air Force Lt. General John Silveria says it.
Walls can surround to keep something out. Walls can also surround to keep something in. Either way, walls divide. Walls are barriers – and barriers can come in different forms.
Rick Steves is a respected travel guru in the U.S. – especially specializing in Europe. His shows and books are very well done, and one we appreciate for our travels. We have not taken any of his tours, but everyone that I know who has rave about them.
A new American president has made quite a splash in the news. Although he states his desire to be a president for all, his actions do not support his statement. After all, actions are more powerful than words – or as I like to say, behaviors and actions demonstrate one’s true value.
Rick Steves has a perspective about building a wall and actions that act like a wall. To me, this is a worthy and powerful read. Click here to read it.
Sunrise, sunsets, rock formations, the star-filled sky, a brilliant moon, a blooming meadow is a valley surrounded by mountains, and much more … Natural beauty is all around us.
Beauty within the living world is easy to find – rainforests, coral reefs, grasslands, deserts, marshes, under the water’s surface, in a cave, around the house, in the soil, many more places – let alone in the microscopic world.
Because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, some find their ultimate beauty in flowers ranging from exotic orchids to a wide variety of houseplants. Others find the ultimate biological beauty in the wild animals of Africa, in the colorful fishes in the warm ocean waters, or in our domestic pets. Bloggers as Bulldog, Cathy, Cindy, Nia, Robin, Suzanne, and many more wonderfully capture this beauty.
Yet, at least to me, the most beautiful species is hidden among us – masked in selfishness, horror, ego, and deceit – thus I present three reasons supporting my surprise nomination of the most beautiful biological species – Homo sapiens – humans.
Do you think the markings on every peregrine falcon are exactly the same?
Variation within a species is an important aspect of evolutionary success. Look at the spectrum of variations with some external human traits as skin color, hair color, – let alone ranges of straight to curly plus the hairstyle of individual choice – Add eye color, height, body shape, lips, then toss in personalities and abilities – there’s something for everybody, thus humans display beauty in so many ways!
Most, if not all, organisms have variations. the beautiful cheetahs don’t have many variations, thus one of the reasons they are in biological trouble. One may think all the leaves on a certain type of tree are the some, but they aren’t. One may think all the spots on the underbelly of a specific bird are the same and in the exact same pattern, position, and number – but they probably aren’t. Variation within a species is important, and the range within humans is extraordinary.
The second aspect of the most beautiful species is the human brain, which allows a great range of communication, individuality, creativity, problem solving, culture, learning, and more. While we can easily criticize the choice many make from the result of having the most complex neural masses in the biological community, humans demonstrates the greatest range of creativity – and much of it relates to human ability to problem solve.
Think about the questions and decisions one encounters every day. Consider all the material items we contact every minute of every day in every year – and all these manufactured products have a story centered around problem solving.
Think about all the ways we communicate – facial expressions, mathematical, written, visual, musical, and oral – let alone in so many languages. Look at all the styles in the visual arts – after all, the visual arts are communicating, thus touching us in different ways.
The arts with all its styles and media are a story in itself. The painting world alone is huge. Toss in music, literature, pottery, sculptures, jewelry, photography, and many others – no wonder I proclaim the arts as the ultimate expression of human creativity.
In order to accomplish what we can, humans must be capable of learning – and the capacity for the human brain to learn is overwhelming – then alone the ability to apply the learning to a problem solving and/or creative situation. Human learning is a story in itself, yet as a species, I wonder if there are limits to learning besides the self-imposed and the impaired.
Although some human behavior is instinctive, human learn behaviors (good and bad), and have the ability to learn new ones (good and bad) – and each of us are a collection of behaviors that gives us our own individuality. Thus, one of the challenges of being human is the ability to deal with so many personalities.
There is no question that today’s world has it share of human-created issues that are based in culture – but culture is the last reason for humans being the most beautiful biological species. Culture is a set of shared, learned behaviors, and beliefs that are passed on from one generation to the next. (Thanks BSCS) (A culture post from the aFa archives) There are many aspects to culture: dress, dance, food, language, art, religion, behaviors, holidays – well, only to name a few.
While leading a training session in Boston years ago, I encountered a participant who embraced her heritage with her clothes. The colors, the patterns, and the design were so stunning, each day I looked forward in anticipation to seeing her attire. What beauty! Whether from someone sharing photos from their travels or daily surroundings, I see similar beauty through images on blogs as with the lady in Boston.
Given the variations within the humans species, the human brain, and human culture, there is no doubt that humans are the most beautiful species on this planet. Yes, it depends how one defines beauty – let alone their perspective. Yes, variation within a species is common throughout the biological world. Yes, other organisms communicate, problem solve, and have societies – but no other organism does it to the level of humans … and yes, we have a tendency to deny our own good because of the negatives in today’s world.
42 – the atomic number of the element molybdenum (Mo), whose neutrally charged atom has 42 protons and 42 electrons
In Culture
