Suntoucher, Groove Armada ♫

Feynman’s Ode to a Flower

“I have a friend who’s an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say “look how beautiful it is,” and I’ll agree. Then he says “I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing,” and I think that he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe…

I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it’s not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there’s also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts.”

and jamming to flower power… tuning in to the Groove Armada…

48 responses to “A Beautiful Computation”

  1. lovely subtle pastels…side light ismagnificent

  2. You’ve got that ‘near and far’ thing down cold. Nice composition Steve.

  3. near, far, wherever you are…. You are my wide-angle muse. I could say it’s "best viewed large" but now I understand your multiple monitor fetish…. Wide angle shots need multiple monitors!

    This just in from Montreal:

  4. Lovely,lovely, you make me smile.

  5. Nice shot; I love the purple in this.

  6. Thanks!

    I pondered on the apparent beauty in complexity in the prior photo

    I like the way the flowers look like alien giants next to the sea.

  7. Your foreground is very well chosen. Outstanding!
    (1-2-3)

  8. Psychodelic colors. I really like the way the cliff cuts the scene, making it a capture of three different worlds.

  9. beautiful and a little bit surreal.

  10. you’ve got the groove happenin’ in this one:)

  11. Im very jealous of your wide-angle lens!
    Nice pic

  12. Thanks y’all! I think this is one of my personal favorites too.

    Garion88: My Dad liked reading your comment. (He gave me the lens for my birthday. =)

    Eppie: wonderful! warms my heart.

  13. I’ve selected this photo as a Landscape Picture of the day at Landscape Wallpapers Blog and the photo is automatically set as wallpaper for the people today. (The post is here.)
    Congatulations for the good shot!

  14. I am not an expert but this is
    a very good composition.
    Great shot.

  15. me encanta la tonalidad de los colores. el cielo, el horizonte, las flores… una fotografia muy dulce!

  16. Stunning compose and colors. I do really like this picture!

    The World Through My Eyes

  17. Dreamlike scenery and a great shot!
    (top20 Nature Photo)

  18. This is so beautiful!!
    Truly stunning!

  19. it was nice of me to leave this pic behind for you when i was over there, wasn’t it?

  20. This is gorgeous, especially with the beautiful flowers in the foreground!

  21. What a beautiful place you have chosen as your favourite and what a gorgeous photo I love the foreground flowers.

    Thanks for adding this to the Your Favourite Place theme at
    The World Through My Eyes

  22. Beautiful in deed. Love the way the flowers macht the sky colours!

  23. Wow, that is really beautiful… the light is so nice.

  24. wow…. thanks y’all. This one just grows on me.

    The Coastside Land Trust liked it . They are helping preserve these magical lands for future generations….

  25. this is gorgeous, you can feel the sea breeze just looking at it 🙂
    Refreshing Theme at:
    The World Through My Eyes

  26. I still love this one and it’s great to see it again!

    Refreshing Theme at:
    The World Through My Eyes

  27. The sun on the purple flowers is wonderful. Great composition and good backround.
    Refreshing Theme at:
    The World Through My Eyes

  28. wonderful shot………………..Refreshing Theme at:
    The World Through My Eyes

  29. Beautiful!

    ‘ONE IN A MILLION’ Theme at:
    The World Through My Eyes

  30. The perspective is fascinating in this photo. I like the repetition of the pinks from the flowers and the pink light from the sunset.

    ‘ONE IN A MILLION’ Theme at:
    The World Through My Eyes

  31. a couple related links from fB:

    Feynman’s Ode to a Flower

    "I have a friend who’s an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say “look how beautiful it is,” and I’ll agree. Then he says “I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing,” and I think that he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe…

    I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it’s not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there’s also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts."

    and jamming to flower power… tuning in to the Groove Armada…

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