Donald Grump the Grouch

 Since my last post was dumping on Trump, I'll share this gem I saw on Reddit.

I used to watch Sesame Street as a kid, and Oscar the Grouch was always my favorite character. In 2005 the show apparently created a Grouch based on Donald Trump, who was hosting "The Apprentice" at the time.

I think the depiction is pretty spot on - from the pettiness, egotism, and delight in having his name plastered on all kinds of garbage, it seems just like the real-life Donald!

"I'm Donald Grump 

and I have more trash than ALL of you, 

so nyeh-nyeh-nyenye-nyeh!"

There was speculation that maybe PBS was on the chopping block for fund from the federal budget because of this blow to Trump's ego, by a bunch of fellow puppets. However, I think their funding is really being cut (along with other federal grants for the arts) simply because this administration is a vile gang of culture-less vulgarians.

Trump Tower of Babel

One of the countless ways that President Trump has been embarrassing the majority of people in this country is through his constant, inane Twitter posts.

To Trump & his followers, his private Twitter account feels like a way to directly connect and speak to the people. It could very well be a great tool for mass communication, if it weren't coming from an ego-maniacal man-baby. Unfortunately for all of us, it usually comes off as a continual stream of mental diarrhea... unhinged ramblings, deflections from his various daily scandals, childish insults, and just heaps of absolute bullshit that stink up the Internet.

One of the main symbols of the Trump empire is the skyscraper in NYC that was his base of operations during the campaign- Trump Tower. This building reminded me of the biblical Tower of Babel, where man's hubris led to its division. After trying to create a structure that reached to the heavens, God divided man by causing them to speak in different languages. Hence, the term "babble" for nonsense words that can't be understood.

So, inspired yet again by our President to create a graphic, I made this "Trump Tower of Babel". The great tower of pride & ego reaches to the sky, ending in Trump's bulbous head spouting out an endless supply of ridiculous tweets. His self-centered proclamations cause deep division among the people, just like in the Bible story. We have yet to see how much destruction his hubris & babbling ultimately causes.

Click the image for a larger version, where you can see some of the most absurd tweets in all their shameful detail.

"Illumination" by Paul Micarelli

I updated this image in my album of 3D Art.

The figure in the image is engulfed in the fractal expanse of illuminated mind, expanding from the void.

The colors are now bolder, and it's a higher resolution. Feel free to download it for a wallpaper or desktop. If sharing it, please credit me or link this webpage. Thanks!

3D Art

by Paul Micarelli

(Click to Enlarge)

"Illumination" 

by Paul Micarelli

  "When you look deeply 

into the center of your mind...

you'll see the dynamic void,

from which the fire of creation 

continually ignites."

* Buy Prints & Products with this design, at The Monkey Buddha Bazaar:
http://www.cafepress.com/monkeybuddha/14480027

Passing Through the Death Experience

"Dying" by Alex Grey

Seen on DailyZen:

Passing Through the Death Experience

"An ancient Zen text recommends that when people are dying, they should contemplate their mental and physical elements as being void of ultimate reality, having no independent being and no identity of their own.

Further, they should contemplate the true mind as being formless, neither coming nor going, the essence of mind not coming into existence at birth and not going out of existence at death, being forever tranquil.

By this means, people can leave the world; they will not be drawn to beatific visions or frightened by horrific visions, such as they may experience at death, according to their mental states. The mind will be forgotten and merged with the cosmos."

- Muso Kokushi (1275-1351)

Seed of Life- Teal Glow

I have a gallery of 3D rendered art that I created, with hi-res images that I'll continually add to.

 3D Art

by Paul Micarelli

Here is another addition to the gallery, a sacred geometry symbol. It's a glowing arrangement of circles known as "The Seed of Life", reflected to form an overlapping design:

 "Seed of Life- Teal Glow"

by Paul Micarelli

Feel free to download any images for use as wallpapers or backgrounds. If you share it, please give credit or a link.

I used to make a lot of 3D art using Vue software, which was intuitive for me to learn. My previous computer became obsolete, so I wasn't able to run the program anymore. Last year for my birthday, my wonderful fiancée helped me pay for a purchase of a newer Mac Mini. I downloaded the free Vue Pioneer program, and I have been starting to create more 3D art.

I don't run any ads on this site, but I'd appreciate it if you check out my Cafepress shop. There are prints and products with this design available:

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar:

 Buy "Seed of Life- Teal Glow"

"Da Vinci's Challenge" Game - IWC Schaffhausen Edition

"Da Vinci's Challenge" is a strategy game that I created as a senior graphic design student in 2001. It was published in 2005 and earned the highest awards in the toy industry and overwhelmingly positive reviews from customers on Amazon. The game board is the pattern of interlocking circles, known as "The Flower of Life". I developed the game with the concepts of the field of study known as sacred geometry in mind.

A new edition of "Da Vinci's Challenge" was recently produced by Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. It was used as a promotional item for their line of "Da Vinci" luxury watches.

One of the reps from the company came across the official Facebook page for "Da Vinci's Challenge", and reached out to me about licensing the game from me.

Facebook:

Da Vinci's Challenge

The game has been out of print since the publisher was bought out several years ago. I have not had much luck finding a new publisher to produce a retail version of the game, so I was excited to have this opportunity for the creation of a new edition. IWC made a very high-quality item, and I was extremely pleased with the results.

The game comes in an embossed box, wrapped in a ribbon and a metal IWC medallion. The game board is dark stitched leather, with a felt bottom. "The Flower of Life" pattern, the sacred geometry symbol that forms the playing surface, is raised in the leather so the pieces don't slide around. The oval & triangle game pieces are beautiful marbleized acrylic, and come in velvet drawstring pouches. The game rules have an embossed metallic ink logo, and I was directly involved with the design of the print materials.

I created an album of photos I took of one of the sample games I received. I'll post some of the photos here, but you can click the link to see more:

Photo Album:

"Da Vinci's Challenge" Game-

IWC Schaffhausen Edition

 

"Da Vinci's Challenge" Game design & rules © Paul M. Micarelli

3D Comparison of Sizes in The Universe

In my opinion, one of the most important uses of digital media is to visualize concepts that would otherwise be difficult (if not impossible) for our minds to comprehend.

On io9, I saw this new video by Reigarw Comparisons that compares the scales of objects & phenomena in 3D.

I have previously posted several different comparisons of scale that look at our reality from the subatomic to the cosmic level. Animations like these help us wrap our head around the practically infinite depth and complexity of The Universe.

• Cosmic Eye: Scale of the Universe

• Scale of the Universe 2 

• Powers of Ten (10)

• The Known Universe

Spiritually Solid

I saw this somewhat humorous meme on The Weird Wide Web, and I feel it describes my attitude perfectly.

"When they think

 they have some type of effect on you

but you're spiritually solid

and nothing can phase or destroy you."

Many years ago, I found my spiritual core and the center of my being. Through meditation and deep self-awareness, I've cultivated this psychic strength to protect against being affected by outside disturbances. Nothing anyone can do or say can destroy this foundation, or penetrate my inner peace.

I approach the world as an observer- always keeping my perceptions open, and just letting phenomena flow through me without perturbing my consciousness.

Exposing "The Deep State"

With the crazy ongoing public feud between President (*gag*) Trump and elements of the American intelligence community, I thought it might be worthwhile to share this detailed essay I saw on Brainpickings. It was written by Mike Lofgren, a Congressional staffer who had top security clearance, and describes the un-elected (and mostly unaccountable) aspects of government, law enforcement, and military known as "the deep state":

Anatomy of the Deep State

I had bookmarked this essay last week, but was prompted to post it today by the initial release by Wikileaks of a large collection of CIA documents, known as "Vault 7".

Washington Post:

WikiLeaks Says It Has Obtained 

Trove of CIA Hacking Tools

One of the major takeaways from this leak is that the CIA has been implementing ways to hack into or exploit most electronic consumer devices, like computer software & mobile devices. Anyone with any common sense already suspected that the government was working to spy on the population through our digital devices. This just exposes the various ways they've been going about it.

A lot of people have been commenting on the timing of this data dump, and how it helps Trump cast doubt on U.S. intelligence agencies. It has also been noted that Wikileaks isn't in the business of releasing Russian or Chinese intel. This has led to suspicion that these countries are part of the Wikileaks efforts to expose American secrets.

It's hard to make sense of everything that is going on, and who is behind the various events that seem to get crazier by the day. On the one hand, I think that black ops and secret agendas by the "deep state" can be very dangerous. On the other hand, maybe these entrenched institutions can also be a safeguard against a clear threat to the Republic like the Trump administration. I don't think the simplistic binary "good or evil" paradigm works for things that are this complex.

I'm not sure if the established order is falling apart, or if certain aspects are in the process of solidifying & strengthening, but it is fascinating to watch the accelerating unfoldment of history.

Animatronic Yoda Battle

 On my recent birthday, I posted about how Yoda is one of my favorite characters.

Then, on Reddit the other day, I came across this goofy video by a guy who bought a bunch of animatronic Yoda toys on sale. For the amusement of himself and the Internet, he filmed the Yodas engaging each other. It made me laugh out loud at the absurdity of it, so it's worth sharing!

Organ Grinder Monkey Mayhem

This is what's really going on inside the mind of a monkey playing one of those musical organ grinders:

Boards and Pieces- "Da Vinci's Challenge"

After my weekend at Toy Fair a couple weeks ago, I have begun to contact game publishers about ideas for new products. I am especially interested in getting the award-winning game I created, "Da Vinci's Challenge", back on the market.

Recently, a new edition of "Da Vinci's Challenge" was produced as a high-end promotional item for Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. I still have to post pics of this version here on my blog, but you can see photos on the offical Facebook page that I made for the game. Please 'Like' the page if you'd like to get news & info about it:

Facebook:

The Official Da Vinci's Challenge Page

Anyway, I was doing a Google search for something related to the game, and I discovered a site called Board and Pieces that archives classic abstract strategy games. It was started by James J. Bond, a librarian from Richmond, Indiana.

I was excited to see that there is an entry for my game, that describes the history behind the concept and the basic rules of play.

Board and Pieces:

Da Vinci's Challenge

It is always amazing to see a reference to something that I created, especially alongside so many other classic games.

I am working diligently to bring this timeless and fun game back to the market. My intention was always for "Da Vinci's Challenge" to be an enjoyable way for people to learn about visual pattern recognition, ancient history, and the mystical ideas of sacred geometry. I'm always encouraged by people who tell me they have seen or played it, and I hope that many more get to experience the wisdom it contains.