Photo Post: Pretty Things

These are from a Japanese-style garden I visited over the spring-- a little too late for most of the sakura, so I focused more on the scenery.

On a non-crafty-related note...

Researchers working on understanding the way our brains process visual images have published a remarkable study. Participants were hooked up to an MRI and shown a video. The MRI information was sent to a computer which mapped the way the participants' blood flowed to different parts of their brains as they watched the video.

Then, (and this is the interesting part!) the computer used that data (and a library of of YouTube footage) to RECONSTRUCT what the participants had seen. The results were surprisingly accurate.

It seems like we're one step closer to being able to being able to watch videos of our dreams, or reconstruct our memories onto DVD. Interesting, isn't it?

Check out the article and watch the videos here: http://www.geekosystem.com/video-from-brain-activity/

Also from Geekosystem: an adorable puppy with a torso deformity has learned to walk, with lots of help from her loving owner. The pictures are one of the sweetest things I've ever seen: http://www.geekosystem.com/harper-puppy/

Herringbone Stitch Tutorial

Herringbone is the last of the major off-loom beadwork stitches. Sometimes known as Ndebele, it's a very old stitch, and it's a popular way to create a beaded strip or swatch of beaded 'fabric'. Like the herringbone stitches you see in knitting or other crafts, beaded herringbone consists of a series of beaded columns that tilt towards one another, creating a slight zigzag effect. It's a beautiful stitch, very versatile, and particularly effective in its tubular form.