Loops and Curlicues

I've been reading an assortment of odd texts lately, but Douglas Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid is particularly engaging. I'm not too far into it as of yet, but it already has me questioning what constitutes meaning or intelligence, and what significance loops have in creating meaning (and intelligence, by extension).

It makes me think of the familiar advice sometimes given to inexperienced jazz musicians: "If you play a wrong note or make a mistake, do it again and the audience will think it was intentional."

I highly recommend this book for anyone who questions the meaning of existence on a daily basis (like I do).

Now, back to solving the Tootsie Pop problem... :)

An Unanswered Question

Although I haven't eaten one in a long time, I still wonder:

How many licks does it take to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? We'll have to assume all the licks contain the same moisture, last for the same duration and cover the same surface area.

Any guesses? Yours is as good as mine.

A Place for My Random Thoughts

Welcome to my second blog!

Although I mentioned on Facebook that I was not going to use the name "Brain Buffet," I realized that it might not be a problem if I specify that this is Kokoszka's Brain Buffet.

I've been linking different sites together today in addition to painting, and I'll be posting a list of the appropriate links to both blogs soon.

Here is my random thought of the day:

I realized what my painting style is yesterday: graphomaniacal. Not literally "an obsessive impulse to write," but more of an obsessive impulse to make my paintings increasingly ornate, often painting over the same section many times to the point that the potential textural effects are negated by excessive layering and glazing. As long as it looks good to me...I guess it's an obsession with which I can live.

Tune in again for more random thoughts!