Fascinating. Researchers at Harvard have shown that some of the geometric mosaics used in Islamic art are based on Penrose tilings. Penrose tilings have rotational, but not translational, symmetry, and can be extended indefinitely. The fascinating part is that Penrose did his research in the 1970s, but Islamic art blossomed 500 years earlier.

There is no evidence that the Islamic mosaic artisans understood the math behind aperiodic, quasicrystalline tilings. However the Harvard researchers did find template tiles, evidence that the symmetry of the designs resulted from careful planning, not luck.

5250 words since my last update. That gives me 11,550 for the month so far, or 27,500 year to date. Onward!

I don't usually indulge in anti-consumerist rants. How could I, given that I owe my livelihood to the human need for electronic gadgets?

I do think, though, that the existence of $50 dish drainers may be a sign of the impending apocalypse.