Networks & Esthetics

[James Brody]

Mom investigated her own crime scene: a web listing on her computer for a site that let to dozens of boobs. She blamed one of her sons but was unsure which one. Given that they are all related by only 50%, anyone was likely to betray anyone else!
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External coherence is often minimal for isolates but especially at 3 AM when disconnected things connect in surprising ways. There was a poster series, "The Doors of Philadelphia," perhaps one of a tribe that may have included the Doors of Peoria. Each featured doors of contrasted styles, brick-framed or not, and usually painted as if for an ad.

There is money to be made and science to be done!

Execute a series, "The Boobs of Philadelphia" but use color, shape, contrast, and textures so that the columns and rows still obey an 80-20 principle. If you wish, you could execute photomosaics of favorite politicians such as Bill or George. There is precedent: Robert Silvers had a popular series, photomosaics, of large images made up of much smaller ones. A big picture of a tiger seen from 10 feet becomes a stamp collection of tiger pictures at 4 feet. And there is market: expensive looking boobs hint of class rather than trash and are more apt to be seen as "art" suitable for foyers and walnut dens.

There are variations for varied markets: instead of a city, feature the boobs of Smith or Vassar, West Point or Navy. Or, for NFL players, the bums of San Francisco. (A good friend visited San Francisco with her four small children. They got in line in a popular coffee house before noticing that the black Stetson, vest, boots, and chaps in front of them were not escorted by trousers or undershorts! The fellow, however, dropped his hands to his rear and hid his crack.)

Make naked costly and, even in coffee houses, you usually sell more of it and usually avoid jail.

Helena Cronin once had something to say about all of this...

References:
Barabási, A-L (2002) Linked: The New Science of Networks. NY: Perseus.
Cronin H (1991) The Ant and the Peacock: Altruism and Sexual Selection from Darwin to Today. NY: Cambridge

James Brody, copyright 2006, all rights reserved