2013-02 5enses by 5enses

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5enses

Celebrating art and science in Greater Prescott

Pixel pong & digital surrealism: The art of Dale O’Dell Alan Dean Foster slips medical science a chill pill Ty Fitzmorris fills your wild life with wildlife

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PLUS ... • Valentine’s & Frankensteins: The science of love • Ruby Jackson’s latest Prescott finds • Gene Twaronite’s scandalous scribery • Highlands Center for Natural History’s water wonderings • Prescott Astronomy Club’s plea for the Pleiades • Jacques Laliberté & Nancy Ibsen’s gutter grabs

Feelingoverworked? Get out side & play! Granite Mountain OutďŹ tters 320 W. Gurley St.; Prescott 928-776-4949

SNAP SNAP Exotic resale goods to adorn your life

Open seven days a week, 10-5 133 N. cortez st. historic downtown prescott 928.776.8695 buy-sell-trade

5enses 14 4 In which: 9 6 13 7 16 8 17 12 18

PLUS

Valentine’s & Frankensteins The science of love

2013-02, Volume 1 Issue 2

Copyright © 2013 5enses Inc. unless otherwise noted. Publisher & Editor: Nicholas DeMarino Read a new 5enses the ﬁrst Friday of every month. Visit 5ensesMag.Com, Facebook, & Twitter for more. Contact us at 5ensesMag@Gmail.Com or 928-613-2076.

Ruby Jackson tours new venues and familar avenues for adventure.

Ty Fitzmorris returns with news from the wild.

James Dungeon can’t make head nor tail of coinﬂipping data.

Patrick Birck chats up the seven Pleiades sisters.

Alan Dean Foster offers a healthy dose of medical malaise.

Gene Twaronite writes the Great American X-rated Nature Essay.

Jill Craig watches wintery whirlwinds and raves about ravens.

Jacques Laliberté & Nancy Ibsen drag Prescott gutters for art.

Left brain/Right brain Find out what’s going on in Greater Prescott Pixel pong & digital surrealism The art of Dale O’Dell

COVER: “Tesla’s Holiday,” digital art by Dale O’Dell. THIS PAGE: “Inattentional Blindness,” detail, digital art by Dale O’Dell.

5ENSESMAG.COM • 2013 FEBRUARY • CONTENTS • 3

Left brain: mind-full events

2013-02 COMMUNITY NATURE STUDY CLASSES • 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Prescott Highlands Center for Natural History. (1375 S. Walker Road; 928776-9550; $130 for series or $20 per class for members; $175 for series or $25 per class for non-members.)

2013-02-20 (Wed.) TOM BARRY TALK • 5 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. “Worldclass river guide Tom Barry presents a travelogue with slides of his trip from the headwaters of Green River in Wyoming down the Colorado to the arid Sonoran Desert of Northern Mexico.” (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.)

KNEE HIGH NATURALIST • 9:30-11 a.m.; Saturdays, 2013-02-09 through 2013-03-09 at the Prescott Highlands Center for Natural History. For 3- to 5-yearolds (1375 S. Walker Road; 928-776-9550; $45 for members, $55 for non-members.) 2013-02-02 (Sat.) “ALL HELL NEEDS IS WATER” BOOK DISCUSSION • 2 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. Elisabeth and Melissa Ruffner discuss the history behind Lester “Budge” Ruffner’s “All Hell Needs is Water.” (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.) 2013-02-05 (Tues.) CENTRAL ARIZONA GEOLOGY CLUB • 6:30 p.m. at the Prescott Public Library, Founder Suites A and B. (215 E. Goodwin St.; 928-777-1500.) 2013-02-06 (Wed.) PRESCOTT ASTRONOMY CLUB • 5:30 p.m. at the Prescott Public Library, Founder Suites A and B. (215 E. Goodwin St.; 928-777-1500.) 2013-02-09 (Sat.) J. I. WELLS WORKSHOP, TALK, & BOOK SIGNING • 2 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. Wells talks about “The Blue Messiah’s Scribe.” “Each of us has a unique story that we want to share with others. But sometimes it may be better if that story is fictionalized.” Optional: Bring the first paragraph or two of your would-be memoir. (219A N. Cortez St.; 928445-9000.)

“THE DARK” SCREENING • 6 p.m. at the Prescott Highlands Center for Natural History. Ian Cheney’s documentary is “the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars.” Telescope sky viewing follows the feature. Via Prescott Highlands Center for Natural History and Prescott Astronomy Club. (1375 S. Walker Road; 928-776-9550.) 2013-02-10 (Sun.) DENNIS GARVEY TALK & BOOK SIGNING • 2 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. Dennis Garvey talks about “Sex, Drugs, & Growing Old: A Boomer’s Guide to Aging.” “Garvey uses humor and insight to encourage people to examine their own images of growing older and stop utilizing their dollars and energy to deny their aging.” (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.) 2013-02-13 (Wed.) TUSKEGEE AIRMEN TALK • 7 p.m. at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “In celebration of Black History Month, attend this free program to learn firsthand from some of the original Tuskegee Airmen about the challenges and opportunities that faced America’s black aviators during WWII.” (3700 Willow Creek Road; 928-7776985.)

4 • EVENTS • 2013 FEBRUARY • 5ENSESMAG.COM

2013-02-21 (Thur.) THIRD THURSDAY STAR TALKS • 6:30 p.m. at the Prescott Public Library, Founder Suites A and B. Dr. Michele Zanolin, assistant professor of physics at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, “will discuss general relativity testing in situations with very large concentrations of mass and energy moving fairly close to the speed of light.” Via Prescott Astronomy Club. (215 E. Goodwin St.; 928-777-1500.) 2013-02-23 (Sat.) MIKE ROTHMILLER, GERALD GINNELLLY, & JEAN ORTIZ TALKS & BOOK SIGNINGS • 2 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. Mike Rothmiller talks about “My Hero & L.A. Secret Police.” (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.) • 2:30 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. Gerald Ginnelly talks about “A Cruise in the Corps, 1951 to 1954: A View from the Ranks,” and Jean Ortiz talks about “Ortiz: To Live a Man’s Life.” (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.) 2013-02-24 (Sun.) MONA LANGE MCCROSKEY TALK & BOOK SIGNING • 2 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. Mona Lange McCroskey talks about “Chasing Cattle and the Cure: Oral Histories from Yavapai County, Arizona.” (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.)

THIS PAGE: “Chemical Lectures,” circa 1810, by Thomas Rowlandson. OPPOSITE: “Puss Making Tea” from “Dame Trot and Her Cat,” circa 1880s.

Right brain: art-full events

2013-02 DESERT BEAD SOCIETY ART SHOW • Through 2013-02-14 at ’Tis Art Center & Gallery (105 S. Cortez St.; 928-775-0223.)

Art Gallery. Aili Schmeltz discusses her art, which explores “utopian ideals and philosophy.” (232 N. Granite St.; 928-350-2341.) 2013-02-17 (Sun.) “ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $11/$15.)

“WORKSHOP WONDERS” ART SHOW • Through 2013-02-14 at Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery. (228 N. Alarcon St.; 928-776-4009.)

2013-02-18 (Mon.) “GREY MATTER” ART SHOW • Today through 2013-03-28 at The Gallery, Prescott Center for the Arts. “The subject matter is open, the color, nonexistent.” (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286.)

“THE NOBILITY OF NATURE” ART SHOW • Through 2013-02-16 at The Gallery, Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286.) “TOMORROWLAND” ART SHOW • Through 2013-02-16 at Sam Hill Warehouse, Prescott College Art Gallery. (232 N. Granite St.; 928-350-2341.)

2013-02-21 (Thur.) “2013 PIECE AND A POEM” ART SHOW • Today through 2013-03-19 at ’Tis Art Center & Gallery. (105 S. Cortez St.; 928-775-0223.)

“DRAWINGS” ART SHOW • Through 2013-02-17 at The Raven Café. Art by Jacques Laliberté and Jeff Daverman. (142 N. Cortez St.; 928-717-0009.)

“ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $14/$19.)

“THROUGH NAVAJO EYES” ART SHOW • Through 2013-02-17 at Phippen Museum of Western Art. (4701 Arizona 89 North; 928-778-1385.) “ART & SOUL” ART SHOW • Through 2013-03-30 at Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery. (228 N. Alarcon St.; 928-776-4009.) “ARIZONA’S SON: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF BARRY GOLDWATER” ART SHOW • Through 2013-04-28 at The Smoki Museum. (147 N. Arizona Ave.; 928-445-1230.) 2013-02-05 (Tues.) “THE MAGISTRATE” LIVE BROADCAST • 7:30 p.m. at Yavapai College Performing Arts Center. Via National Theatre of London, with John Lithgow and Nancy Carroll. (1100 E. Sheldon Ave.; 928-776-2000; $16.) 2013-02-06 (Wed.) POETRY DISCUSSION GROUP • 1 p.m. at the Prescott Public Library, Elsea Conference Room. (215 E. Goodwin St.; 928-777-1500.)

2013-02-22 (Fri.) 4TH FRIDAY ART WALK • 5 p.m., art gallery open houses and receptions. • Today through 2013-03-14 at Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery. Art by Betty Carr and Bruce Haughey. (228 N. Alarcon St.; 928-776-4009) “ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $14/$19.) 2013-02-15 (Fri.) “ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $14/$19.)

“ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $14/$19.) 2013-02-23 (Sat.) “FIRST FABULOUS FOUR ALL WOMEN” SALE • 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery. Art by Donna Carver, Pamela Dunmire, Alice Gunter, and Katy Stranhardt. (228 N. Alarcon St.; 928-776-4009.) “ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $14/$19.)

2013-02-16 (Sat.) MAD WOMEN POETS READING & Q-AND-A • 2 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.)

2013-02-24 (Sun.) “FIRST FABULOUS FOUR ALL WOMEN” SALE • 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery. (228 N. Alarcon St.; 928-776-4009.)

“ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $14/$19.)

TANGO LESSON AND MILONGA DANCE • 1-5 p.m. at The Skyline Tango Nest (2345 Skyline Drive; 928-600-2450; free first time, else $5.)

2013-02-09 (Sat.) “RED: A TRIBUTE BY TOM MULLICA” • 4 p.m. at Yavapai College Performing Arts Center. Red Skelton tribute, Prescott Center for the Arts coproduction. (1100 E. Sheldon Ave.; 928-776-2000; $10/$15.)

“AN EXPLORATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES” ART SHOW • Today through 2013-03-12 at ’Tis Art Center & Gallery. Photography by George Lewis and Carolyn Dunn. (105 S. Cortez St.; 928-775-0223.)

“ALMOST, MAINE” PERFORMANCE • 2 p.m. at Prescott Center for the Arts. (208 Marina St.; 928-446-3286; $11/$15.)

2013-02-14 (Thur.) “FORM AND LIGHT” ART SHOW

“TOMORROWLAND” ARTIST RECEPTION • 6 p.m. at Sam Hill Warehouse, Prescott College

2013-02-07 (Thur.) POETS’ COOPERATIVE • 6:30 p.m. at the Prescott Public Library, Bump Conference Room. (215 E. Goodwin St.; 928-777-1500.)

2013-02-27 (Wed.) OPEN MIC POETRY • 5:30 p.m. at Peregrine Book Company. With Dan Seaman. (219A N. Cortez St.; 928-445-9000.)

Around ... ... the Corner By Ruby Jackson After months of the “Coming Soon” sign on It’s Possible Bakery, 410 W. Gurley St., I finally noticed an “Open” sign in late December. “Fresh Pastries Daily” is enough incentive to get me into any business. … I think growing up near a bread factory with the constant smell of rising and cooking bread left a permanent impression on me. Anyways, a recent stop showed an array of offerings, from French bread, ciabatta, sweet croissants, cookies, danishes, and elephant ears. Cooked up in the House of Prayer (literally) with a few star bakers, this endeavor is sponsored by the Judian Society, and all proceeds go to single mothers in crisis. I took home a ciabatta, and was given a free snickerdoodle to sample. The ciabatta was good, but I’m

telling you, I could taste the love that went into that cookie─it was a little piece of heaven. Admittedly, the storefront feels a little like a church bake sale, but don’t let that stop you from going in. The Aloha Grille is no more, but luckily former owner Sharon has put her culinary talents into a new venture at the same address─Café 520, still 520 W. Sheldon St. You’ll find a few of the old favorites on the menu, but the new place has a definite Indian slant, with naan pizzas, tikka masala, and even their own version of baba ghanoush. In a brilliant stroke of genius, they were considering adding cinnamon rolls to the menu at press time. Personally, I think everyone should have cinnamon rolls on their menu (it’s the aforementioned bread jones), and I admire 520’s capacity for reinvention. With an $8 max entréeprice, your wallet stays happy, and the

6 • COLUMN • 2013 FEBRUARY • 5ENSESMAG.COM

TOP: A Classic Taxi cab recently idles in front of the Yavapai County Courthouse Square; courtesy photo. BOTTOM: Aili Schmeltz’s “Tomorrowland” is at Sam Hill Warehouse through 2013-02-16; courtesy photo. healthy, low-fat options are an added bonus. Attire: Bindis optional. Granite Mountain Brewing, 123 N. Cortez St., has become one of my favorite places to grab a beer as of late, even though they are always out of popcorn (please, just take it off the menu, guys!). Rockabilly crooner Al Foul will be making an appearance on Saturday, 2013-02-16, as part of the venue’s design to kick off Arizona Beer Week celebrations. If you’ve never seen Al play, make a point of stopping by. With material ranging from one-man band grandstanding to heart-felt soliloquies, this guy knows how to tell one heck of a story. After you have a few, you may want to consider taking a cab home, and I highly suggest you call Classic Taxi, which officially opened for business in early December. Using a green and white restored Checker Marathon Cab (the styling has remained pretty much unchanged since 1956), this classic car is an iconic head turner—not to mention one sweet ride. A full service cab company, open 24 hours, equipped with an umbrella for foul weather, complimentary bottled water and current newspaper in case you want to read on your way home. Checkers’ have a great history, going back to the 1920s, when founder Morris Markin had his house bombed during an epic battle on the streets of Chicago between Checker and then rival Yellow Taxi. Owners Walt and Rosie Lynn embrace that history, and keep to classic values as well. Slogan: Remember when your taxi service and your taxi driver were someone you could trust. It’s currently a fleet of one, but the

plan is to add on this year. Los Angeles artist Aili Schmeltz will speak on Saturday, 2013-0216, at the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse, on the last day of her “Tomorrowland” exhibit. I depend on Prescott College for my modern art fix, and this exhibit certainly doesn’t disappoint. Installations have a puzzle-like quality that begs for tactile inclusion. The structures showcase hybrid midcentury nostalgia driven by utopian idealism, “formed from a chemical bond of sunshine and noir that was repeatedly cooled and heated by urban temperament and artifice. … They function as relics of both a ‘good place’ and ‘no place.’” My kind of town. Hosted by GMO-Free Prescott, Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) expert Jeffrey Smith, author of “Seeds of Deception,” will make an appearance 7-9 p.m. Saturday, 2013-02-23 at Prescott College’s Mariposa Building. If you believe you are what you eat, you might want to check out this free lecture, especially given the recent frankenfish push by the FDA, which would allow genetically altered salmon into the food chain. That cute little three-eyed fish from “The Simpsons” doesn’t seem so cute anymore, does it? ***** A native of the Windy City, Ruby Jackson is a freelance writer and collector of Norfin Trolls. In her spare time she is an aspiring actress (drama queen) and millionairess (donations gladly accepted). Contact her at RubyBJackson@Gmail.Com.

tails?

Heads or

Science ﬂips, spins, & manipulates coins By James Dungeon

Coin

flips are supposed to be impartial. We trust them to settle bets, referee arguments and even make the occasional life-altering decision. One side heads, one side tails, the coin appears to embody fairness—a 50-50 arbiter of chance without bias. But it’s not. And you’d be wise to take note. Pattern recognition Say you flip a coin 10 times and it comes up heads 10 times in a row. What would you bet on for the next flip? Tails seems like the natural choice, but that’s your brain’s playing tricks on you. The odds for the 11th flip remain the same as the first: roughly 50-50. What if you flip heads 100 times in a row? Well, it’s the same for the 101st. Over the long haul, you’ll eventually get close to even. Seems fair, right? Well, that may depend on starting conditions. Counter-intuitive intuitiveness Natural coin flips aren’t exactly 5050 propositions. They’re probably 50.8 to 49.2 in favor of whatever side of the coin is up before the flip. If you want

to test this, you’d better have a lot of time on your hands. In the literature review of a landmark 2011 study, Persi Diaconis et al note there’s only one large data set: 10,000 flips, and it shows 50-50 results. Testing Diaconis’ more-precise results in the real world requires at least 250,000 trials to minimize the margin of error and round the results to the appropriate decimal place. It might be easier to learn (and learn to trust) the math. Heavy bias The Lincoln face side of a penny is a smidgeon heavier than the Lincoln Memorial side. That means that, should you let a flipped penny hit the ground, physics has the final say. Granted, conditions vary, and grime and ware on the penny’s surface also enter the equation, but a pristine new cent and level floor should favor tails.

Spin me round This is where things get really, really strange: Given a ﬂat surface and new penny, a spin yields tails 80 percent of the time. The results, noted in the Diaconis study, are largely because of the cent’s aforementioned weight disparity. Lincoln may be letting contemporary praise go to his head. Sleight of hand Table the labratory results—you can take the results of any coin ﬂip into your own hands. Take a cue from the magician and rig the results. Here’s one of many approaches. Mark one side of the coin with a scratch, glue, or wax ahead of time so you know what

side of the coin is up by feel alone. Flip the coin normally but cup you palm slightly and fold in your fingers as you catch it midair. If you’d lose by playing fair, release your grip such that it turns the coin an extra time before the result’s revealed. Slam the coin on a soft surface, like your hand or a bar mat, so the extra clamoring isn’t as obvious. Practice makes perfect. “And my lovely assistant …” Physics and trickery got you down? You can use a mechanical flipper to help. As Diaconis and his fellow researchers found, this mechanized assistant is the cruelest flipper. It takes minimal engineering to create a machine that yields the same results every time. Every. Single. Time. Want randomness? Don’t flip coins, and never trust robots. ***** James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@ Gmail.Com.

IMAGE: “Money Matters,” by Suﬁ Nawaz, SuﬁNawaz.Com, via SXC.Hu. 5ENSESMAG.COM • 2013 FEBRUARY • FEATURE • 7

tails?

Heads or

Science ﬂips, spins, and manipulates coins By James Dungeon

Coin

flips are supposed to be impartial. We trust them to settle bets, referee arguments and even make the occasional life-altering decision. One side heads, one side tails, the coin appears to embody fairness—a 50-50 arbiter of chance without bias. But it’s not. And you’d be wise to take note. Pattern recognition Say you flip a coin 10 times and it comes up heads 10 times in a row. What would you bet on for the next flip? Tails seems like the naturalchoice, but that’s your brain’s playing tricks on you. The odds for the 11th flip remain the same as the first: roughly 50-50. What if you flip heads 100 times in a row? Well, it’s the same for the 101st. Over the long haul, you’ll eventually get close to even. Seems fair, right? Well, that may depend on starting conditions. Counter-intuitive intuitiveness Natural coin flips aren’t exactly 5050 propositions. They’re probably 50.8 to 49.2 in favor of whatever side of the coin is up before the flip. If you want

Spin me round This is where things get really, really strange: Given a ﬂat surface and new penny, a spin yields tails 80 percent of the time. The results, noted in the Diaconis study, are largely because of the cent’s aforementioned weight disparity. Lincoln, may be letting contemporary praise go to his head. Sleight of hand Table the labratory results—you can take the results of any coin ﬂip into your own hands. Take a cue from the magician and rig the results. Here’s one of many approaches. Mark one side of the coin with a scratch, glue, or wax ahead of time so you know what

side of the coin is up by feel alone. Flip the coin normally but cup you palm slightly and fold in your fingers as you catch it midair. If you’d lose by playing fair, release your grip such that it turns the coin an extra time before the result’s revealed. Slam the coin on a soft surface, like your hand or a bar mat, so the extra clamoring isn’t as obvious. Practice makes perfect. “And my lovely assistant. …” Physics and trickery got you down? You can use a mechanical flipper to help. As Diaconis and his fellow researchers found, this mechanized assistant is the cruelest flipper. It takes minimal engineering to create a machine that yields the same results every time. Every. Single. Time. Want randomness? Don’t flip coins, and never trust robots. ***** James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@ Gmail.Com.

IMAGE: “Money Matters,” by Suﬁ Nawaz, SuﬁNawaz.Com, via SXC.Hu. 5ENSESMAG.COM • 2013 FEBRUARY • FEATURE • 7

Yet my father-in-law lived to be 81 and my mother-in-law to 76, and they enjoyed every meal they ever ate in their lives, without worrying about it. Today they’d be prescribed Lipitor or Crestor or Zocor or some other “-or” and have to deal with the drug’s side effects, and to be careful not to miss a dose, and have to find a way to pay the cost until the day they died. Me, I think I’d rather enjoy 50 years with bacon than an extra one or two without.

Nowadays

Perceivings You ain’t healthy until you throw up By Alan Dean Foster

Modern

medical science is a never-end-

ing wonder. There are medicines for malaria, shots for flu prevention, pills to reduce fever, and vaccines to pnip pneumonia in the bud. X-rays, MRIs, and CAT scans let us see deep inside the living human body. I’m old enough to remember when a CAT scan meant that your favorite tabby was fixing you with an unbroken feline stare. There are surgical techniques that permit the repair of nearly every part of the corpus humanus except the back. (Ask anyone with back problems.) Artificial knees and hips are readily available for installation, just like you’d replace the worn-out springs on an antique auto. Even the brain is known in detail and can be operated on with a reasonable degree of safety (except in Washington D.C., where brains are apparently immune to manipulation as

well as being in short supply). It seems there’s a pill, prosthetic, or pre-op for anything and everything. Maybe that’s part of the problem.

there such a thing as scientific overkill? Take cholesterol. My wife’s parents were good country folk from west-central Texas. Had a small farm, raised much of their own food. Their diet, like those of their friends and neighbors, would give a modern heart doctor palpitations. Real ham with eggs and toast with butter for breakfast. Everything else was fried. There were fried potatoes, fried okra, chicken-fried steak, chicken-fried chicken. About the only thing that wasn’t fried was the squirrel gravy. (You haven’t experienced authentic American cuisine until you’ve bent over a pot of simmering gravy only to see a small white skull grinning up at you.) And the baked goods … homemade cookies, pies, cakes, all made with … lard.

8 • COLUMN • 2013 FEBRUARY • 5ENSESMAG.COM

it seems as if commercial television is dominated and supported by advertisements for two products: cars and drugs. All General Motors has to do to return to its glory days is find some way to prove that seeing the USA in your Chevrolet also prevents osteoporosis or cures hemorrhoids. As for the medication ads, government regulation has made them among the most amusing segments on TV. You get two or three minutes of homey images of healthy loving couples or individuals whose lives have been enhanced by a specific drug, underneath which video a soothing voice proceeds to quietly list the 426 (yes, four-hundred-andtwenty-six) side effects taking said medication might induce. My favorite, which seems to be common to many drugs, is, “Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant should not take Getafixadrine,” or whatever. Might become pregnant? What one takes away from ads for contemporary medicines is that in certain instances, they can kill, or incapacitate, or blind, or make you sterile. Speaking of the latter, and concerning modern drugs about which there’s too much information, have

you ever tried to explain what “male erectile dysfunction” is to a 10-yearold?

I’m

not suggesting that we go back to the days of witch doctors (when I was a kid I thought a witch doctor was a doctor who tended to sick witches) or snake oil salesmen. But we could do without the constant barrage of commercials pushing medications, recommendations to take medications, medications for everything from sore and aching muscles (an endemic condition that used to be known as “work”) to poor bowel movements (eat better). Medical science is a wonderful thing, and I look forward to each new advance. But that doesn’t mean each new discovery should be pushed on an already drug-exhausted public. The resultant worry about medication leads to stress, and any doctor will tell you that stress kills more people than just about anything. Say you take that new medication. Then you need a pill to counteract the side effects of the new medication. Soon, you need a pill to deal with the side effects of the counteracting pill. Then you throw up. And suddenly you feel better. Until those commercials start hammering you again. ***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com.

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The art of Dale O’Dell

Cattle

“Treachery is Afoot,” digital art by Dale O’Dell.

abduction was a serious problem for Dale O’Dell in the early 2000s. “I tried to talk them out of it,” said the Prescott resident. “I worked my way up to the president trying to talk them out it.” O’Dell sipped coffee from a mug that read “Extraterrestrial Highway,” jutted his lower lip, then voiced his objections, which were twofold and thus: 1. Cattle abduction is only one step away from cattle mutilation. 2. The joke might get stale. “You can only beam up a cow so many ways, right?” O’Dell said, laughing as he described his standing gig with Willow Creek Press—a yearly calendar he populates with hoaxed UFO photos. “We started with UFOS, then UFOs and cattle abduction, then cattle abduction and other cryptids, and, ﬁnally, we’re back to UFOs and cattle abductions.” It’s a surreal conversation, made only more so by the fact that O’Dell looks like a cleaner-cut version of Brent Spiner’s Area 51 scientist from the movie “Independence Day.” “Sure, I’m having fun with it,” O’Dell said. “I’m a surrealist—all this goes hand in glove.” Fashioning UFO illustrations from photos helps O’Dell hone his computer chops for his primary passion. He creates digital art that challenges contemporary photographic conventions and evolves the artistic surrealism movement of the 20th century. Or, as O’Dell put it: “I want to get on the path of the surrealists were on but leave my own footprints. And, well, a lot of this work is anti-photography.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 5ENSESMAG.COM • 2013 FEBRUARY • PORTFOLIO • 9

... FROM PAGE 9 Picture perfect O’Dell started his own photography studio in 1986. “Dale wasn’t suited for the corporate world,” O’Dell said, affecting a third person. “He had to figure something else out.” Commercial and stock photography were his bread and butter through the ’90s. They allowed him to be his own boss and get outdoors. This new career appeared to be a 180 from his freshout-of-college jobs— jobs including a stint creating charts and animating slides for large corporations in 1983, when he made (what’s likely) the first completely computer-generated advertising image. But cameras and then-nascent computers straddled both fields. O’Dell kept up with emerging technology and techniques and engineered some of his own. When he moved to Prescott in 1994, he’d amassed an impressive home laboratory with modified, one-of-a-kind machinery and a library including hundreds of thousands of slides. On the fine arts side, he worked with masked nudes in nature and put together a few portfolios and books. When he emerged from the dark room ages into the realm of digital photography at the turn of the millennium, he stumbled upon something altogether different. “Photoshop; it’s the ultimate scissors and glue,” O’Dell said. “It saves me time and allows me to do things that weren’t possible before.” He began pairing landscapes and other elements to yield impossible scenes, some of which he’d sketched years ago. These images harkened back to his youthful love of science fiction and fantasy. They also fulfilled his adult fantasies. “When I was out hiking through the desert, I’d turn a corner and get excited about what I’m going to see,” O’Dell said. “But I always found nature. … My art is the scenes I wished I saw.” A surrealist’s manifesto During the 2000s, O’Dell made a living by Photoshopping aliens, crop circles, and ghosts for magazines, tabloids, and conventions. Meanwhile, he worked on surreal landscapes, crystallized in two portfolios and books, “Surreal Landscape: Woodlands,” in 2008, and “Surreal Landscape: Desert,” in 2010. Gallery owners proved a difficult sell for his hybrid art, which is derived from reality, but clearly something else. “How much work do you have to do to a photograph before it’s no longer photography?” O’Dell asked them, again and again. They say it’s too much like photography to go on the wall with paintings, and too unreal to hang next to photographs. “I think—I hope—generations from now, art historians will see that the tool, the computer, is part of the process,” O’Dell said. “This isn’t just a branch of contemporary photography. There’s nowhere you can take these pictures.” In an effort to elevate digital art, he’s harkening back to surrealist painters. In 1959, the year O’Dell was born, surrealist “clown prince” Salvador Dalí made a prediction: “I foresee that the new art will be what I term ‘quantum realism.’ It will take into account what the physicists call quantum energy, what mathematics calls chance, and what the artists call the imponderable: Beauty.” That prediction drives O’Dell’s new body of work, “Quantum Realism,” slated for release later this year. The pieces he’s assembled so far have similarities to past works—there are repeated images, satire and inside jokes galore—as well as overt Dalí homage, but there are new elements, too. O’Dell is trying new color schemes, including darker palettes all but void in his early work. He’s even incorporating personal elements into images, though he’d rather you’d make up the stories yourself. Yes, it’s computer art, but don’t confuse the medium with the message. “A computer doesn’t have ideas, and there’s nothing you can point and click on that says ‘art,’” O’Dell said. “All it does is shorten the conduit from idea to reality.” O’Dell’s artwork shows locally at Van Gogh’s Ear Gallery. He occasionally teaches art and photography

workshops. Find him online at DaleOdell.PhotoShelter. Com. ***** Visit 5ensesMag.Com to see and discuss more of Dale O’Dell’s artwork.

TOP TO BOTTOM: “Inattentional Blindness”; “Decay of the Closed Mind”; “Persistence of Pancakes”; photo of Dale O’Dell at Salton Sea, Calif. (Not pictured: Salton Sea); all digital art by Dale O’Dell.

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Highlands Center for Natural History’s Outdoor Outings:

Let it snow By Jill Craig

White curtains of snow drift down from dark clouds. They obscure the sun for hours as they cover rabbit holes and chipmunk burrows with fluffy white flakes. Finally, winter comes to Prescott! Granted, the snow comes and goes throughout the winter. It seems that just as the streets are cleared and the slush sloshed away, we get another storm and start the entire process over again. I love to be outside during snow flurries. I’m not talking about the big, blustery storms, but the ones that dust your scarf and hat and make the forest sparkle like a fairy land. It’s the perfect time to be outside. Everything is quiet and, if you close your eyes, you can imagine you’re the only person in the world. You’re not, of course. A keen eye can easily detect animal tracks ruffling the white blanket of snow. Over there—a murder of ravens recently played in the freshly laid snow. Some preened, dipping their heads in the soft mounds and shaking them off with vigor. A few walked as if out for a Sunday stroll. Heads cocked to one side, maybe they inquired about the ensuing snow party. Others squawked and jumped as if dancing, jumping up a foot or two with a flap of wings and landing again in the soft snow. Along with the tracks remains a question: Were they ravens or crows? The Central Arizona Highlands is graced by three permanent species of the Corvidea family, which includes jays, crows, ravens, and nutcrackers. Stellars and Western Scrub Jays, both large blue birds with loud squawks who often raid birdfeeders, are Prescott regulars. The third species is the Common Raven. You can spot this large, black bird performing acrobatics on warm air currents in the sky all year round. While snow holds a nostalgic place in many of our hearts, it also means life for the many plants and animals that live in cold climates. In its basic form, snow is tiny particles of ice. Snowflakes occur when small droplets of water stored in clouds super cool and freeze. When they’re released at just the right time and place, they become a snow flurry. At the Highlands Center we get excited about snow. Unlike the deluge of water that often pours during monsoon

FROM TOP, CLOCKWISE: Yapavai County clouds; Highlands Center for Natural History, courtesy photo. Crow; illustration from “Infants Cabinet of Birds and Beasts,” 1820. Crow; photo by Malfet, Flickr.Com, Creative Commons 2.0. season, snow takes time to melt. It’s like a timereleased water feeder. Ten inches of snow equals one inch of rain, on average, although that varies with wet or dry snow. That doesn’t sound like much precipitation, but, as one inch of rain, it could run right off the hillside carrying meaningful amounts of soil, exposing roots and eroding the ecosystem. (Still, even violent rainfall is just as important as snowfall in this dry climate.) Ten inches of snow take a handful of days to melt as the earth slowly absorbs its water, thus nourishing the very plants that the snow graced with the cold. Some of it will turn into runoff that feeds into the watershed, quenching the thirst of many a dry tributary that, in turn, nourish crucial and diverse riparian areas. These riparian areas make up less than 0.04 percent of the total land area in Arizona, so it’s essential to maintain and preserve them. I think about this when I watch the water feature at the Highlands Center. Every morning, the frost that gathered on the butterﬂy-shaped roof melts and feeds into the metal sculpture. I watch as it trickles off the tip of the roof, swirls down

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and around the funnel shaped cap and falls effortlessly onto the rock wall below, which is designed to slow the pace of water entering the landscape, thus reducing erosion. As I watch, I wonder how much runoff we get each morning and what life it sustains. If I captured that water, would it add up to an inch or more? Perhaps I’ll try this fun winter experiment and see. ***** Jill Craig is education director at Highlands Center for Natural History. She oversees all educational programming and facilitates the Highlands Naturalist Volunteer Program. In her spare time, you can ﬁnd Jill hiking in the Bradshaw Mountains with her two dogs and husband.

News From the Wilds By Ty Fitzmorris February in the Central Highlands is a quiet time, but it’s also when we get our first glimpse of awakening plants and animals. Some days are sunny and warm, though large storms often pass through, and are sometimes the year’s largest source of precipitation. In warmer periods, most animals are active and visible. Foraging is a good way to stay warm, and finding food between storms can be critical to survival. One of the best times of the year to see mammal tracks is after storms, as fresh snow provides a good, blank substrate. Snow is often ephemeral, so get out first thing in the morning to see the stories that tracks tell after a night of activity. Most non-human residents focus on reproduction, though some, such as the Mule Deer, are midway through gestation, and will bear young mid-summer. Birds migrate back to the area, or in many cases, past it, northward, and are looking for nesting sites or reoccupying last year’s. Many lowland mammals breed or bear young. Plants and insects, however, are largely dormant. One of the defining qualities of our region is variability. Most months, the Central Highlands lack distinct, predictable patterns when it comes to precipitation, temperature, or ecological activity, but some are fairly predictable from year to year. February is not one of these months—rainfall and temperature vary widely enough that we don’t have dependable averages. The average precipitation, for instance, is 1.85”, give or take 1.88”. Much of what’s happening in the wild is determined by water availability, so this variability causes substantial ecological variation. That said, there are a few things to look for in each of the Central Highlands ecosystems. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist, who lives in Prescott and runs the Peregrine Book Company and the Raven Café as a sideline to his natural history pursuits.

February weather Average high temperature: 54 F, +/-4.2 Average low temperature: 24 F, +/-3.6 Record high temperature: 77 F, 1986 Record low temperature: -12 F, 1899 Average precipitation: 1.85”, +/-1.88” Record high precipitation: 10.59”, 1927 Record low precipitation: 0”, 1900, 1912, 1924, 1961, 1967, 1984, and 2006 Maximum precipitation in one day: 7.92”, 1905-02-28 Maximum snowfall: 37.5”, 1932 Source: Western Regional Climate Center High mountains • Alpine birds from the north, including Red Crossbills and Pine Siskins, can be sometimes seen in the high Bradshaws, avoiding northerly cold, and readying themselves to travel north again with spring. Many of these finch-like birds follow the seed crops of conifers, including Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir and White Fir. • Gambel Oak buds begin to grow. Visit: Maverick Mountain Trail, No. 65. Ponderosa Pine forests • Peregrine Falcons begin migration looking for nest sites or continuing north. • Abert’s Squirrels clip off the growing tips of Ponderosa branches to feed on the soft inner bark. Clipped branchtips litter the forest floor. Visit: Aspen Creek Trail, No. 48. Pine-oak woodlands • Dark-eyed Juncos search the forest floor for the last grass seeds. Watch for their “riding” technique, wherein they land atop a stem of grass and “ride” it to the ground so they can take off the seeds more easily. Visit: Trails No. 326 & No. 392, north of Thumb Butte. Pinyon-juniper woodlands • Junipers flower bringing great allergies to many. • Sparrows and other seed-eating birds in mixed-species flocks. Visit: Tin Trough Trail, No. 308.

IMAGE: An Orange-crowned Warbler enjoys a handy perch in Oak Creek, Ariz. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

Grasslands • Pronghorn give birth after eightmonth pregnancies.

• Broad-winged hawks, such as the Rough-legged hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk and Swainson’s Hawk migrate north through the Central Highlands, following open grasslands where they can spot rodents. Many perch on power-line posts. Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345. Riparian areas • This is the best place to see the first signs of spring, especially in lowlands. • Mourning Cloak butterflies fly. Males often circle a courtship territory to catch females. Watch for them on sunny days, as they drink from tree wounds, some of which are sapsucker woodpecker holes. • Willows flower and hungry honeybees mob them. • Migratory songbirds, most notably the warblers, use creeks as migration corridors. This is first-glimpse season for these brightly colored species. • Botta’s Pocket Gophers begin breeding. Visit: Granite Creek Trail, downtown Prescott. Deserts • Flowering begins. • A diversity of butterflies is active, especially in creeks and drainages. • Coyote pups emerge from their dens. • Native bees emerge to pollinate the first flowers. • Javelinas breed and subside on prickly pear leaves. • Bumblebee queens emerge from the soil and begin building seasonal colonies. Visit: Lower West Spruce Trail, No. 264.

5ENSESMAG.COM • 2013 FEBRUARY • FEATURE • 13

Valentine’s & Frankensteins: The science of love Man

is a social animal. So, too, naturally, is woman—although, apparently, Spinoza was so busy burying wives and children he lacked the tact to couch his famous observation in broad, inclusive (and broadinclusive) language. We talk, we flirt, we kiss, and, sometimes, we fall in love. You can manipulate the process to a degree—perhaps even a great degree. But if teenage-movie adaptations of classic dramas are any indication of reality, sooner or later your artifice will crumble and your true nature will reveal itself. Still, you’d like a leg up in the proverbial dating game. Science has you covered. The ideas in this guide come from actual studies. Rarely are results definitive—in fact, most are ambiguous, conflicting, or inconclusive—but, with a little imagination, they can be put to practical use. Luckily this is one time you don’t have to worry about the observer effect (not to be confused with the Heisenberg uncertainty principal): Relationships rarely occur in a vacuum. These ideas could help you spark a new love, stoke waning passion, or rekindle an old flame. At the very least, they’ll help you recognize when someone is trying to influence or impress you with or without a fire metaphor. You experience the world through sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Why not put those five senses to work in your love life?

Sight If you want to dress for success, wear red to attract a mate. Multiple studies conﬁrm women prefer men in red and men prefer women in red. One study, published in a 2010 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, conﬁrmed the effect on women eyeballing men in multiple countries (namely America, England, Germany, and China). Red is often associated with status, note the University of Rochester researchers,

but the color preference may have a biological basis. Why? We’re not sure. In terms of men’s attraction to women, red isn’t a proxy for female genitals, as you may or may not have been thinking, according to a University of Kent study in a 2012 issue of PLOSONE. For those of you in the early stages of a relationship, there’s plenty of speed-dating based research to consider. Two tidbits: Guys, try to get know your ladies in small venues; gals, bring your lads to crowded

places for a better look. The relevant study comes from Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was published in a 2006 edition of The Quarterly Journal of Economics. Women get more choosey when there are more men to choose from, according to the study, while men’s evaluation of women isn’t inﬂuenced by group size. Other gems include that women put greater emphasis on the intelligence and race of their partner, while men respond to physical attractiveness and put zero

emphasis on women’s intelligence or ambition when it exceeds their own. Also, you might want to bribe your friends to talk up your Facebook profile picture. Seriously. A University of Missouri-Columbia study published in a 2012 issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking finds multiple effects for Facebook photo comments relative to social cues, tone, and consistency. Your scientific fortune cookie: Positive chatter wins friends and influences people ... in bed.

Sound Popular science tells you the left half of your brain handles verbal info and is tuned in to positive emotions, while the right half handles nonverbal cues and favors negative emotions. Ergo, if you’re going to ask someone on a date, ask in the right ear, which appears to be refereed by the left brain. Researchers from University G. d’Annunzio found out as much in a study published in Naturwissenschaften in 2009. One caveat: The results are speciﬁc to women asking for cigarettes from men in Italian dance clubs. Still, men asked on the right, correct side are twice as likely to oblige. Perfetto! If you’re a guy looking for a primitive edge, grow a beard and talk in a low voice. In 2010,

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researchers from Pennsylvania State University published a study in Evolution & Human Behavior that explores traits for sexual selection in humans. Facial hair and deep voices signify dominance, at least from an evolutionary standpoint. When you’re talking, don’t hesitate to go negative, because a sad tone of voice leaves more of an impression than a neutral one. Sad tones capture more attention than neutral tones, especially for women, according to National University of Singapore researchers. There’s a tradeoff, though, as noted in a 2012 issue of Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience: The listener is less likely to remember said sad speech as accurately.

Smell Perfume or cologne may boost your conﬁdence, but it also masks your natural odor. Go light on scents if you want to see how genetically compatible you and your potential mate are. Multiple studies conﬁrm that body odor preferences may be linked to mate selection. One such study— from researchers in China, France, and the United Kingdom—describes how the Major Histocompatibility Complex, a part of your genes involved in the immune system of most vertebrates, appears to make you attracted to the smell of people with dissimilar genes. The study, published in a 2008 issue of PLOS Genetics, shows this biological drive results in offspring with better immune systems. It appears

to be a strong factor for European Americans, especially women. The results of a European Society of Human Genetics study circa 2009 further bolster this claim. Whether it’s because of meekness or decorum, you mightn’t be willing to bare all, scent-wise. If you’re relying on artiﬁcial smells, lavender and pumpkin pie or doughnuts and black licorice scents might arose your man. These combinations have the strongest effect on male genital

blood ﬂow, according to 2010 research from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. The effect might just be Pavlovian conditioning, though. It’s, um, hard to tell. If you’re contemplating donning a rugged, manly smell, don’t look into where from. SPOILER musk scent comes from ALERT: Musk is a gland secretion from Asia’s musk deer. Artiﬁcial varieties exist, although the real thing is quite valuable. Musk deer poaching continues to be a major issue, particularly in Asia. Once extracted, the musk is often used as a base note in commercial fragrances.

Taste If you want a quick gauge of how the evening is going, ask how dinner tastes. If the food is bland, then your date may be anxious or depressed. That’s because these emotions decrease sensitivity to bitter and salty ﬂavors, according to a 2006 University of Bristol study in Nature. Granted, the food could actually be bland, but we’re talking about deviation from the norm. Likewise, if the food tastes extra sweet, then your date may be

stressed out. You can see this effect in a 2012 University of Minnesota study in Psychophysiology which also found reduced bitter and sour sensitivity. Take note if your date is heavy on the coffee, tea, or energy drinks, and suggest more later. Common sense, as well as science, dictates that caffeine deprivation adversely affects mood. One study, from University of Chicago researchers in a 1994 issue of Behavioural Pharmacology, conﬁrms as much.

Touch If you want to feel more connected with your partner, have a more indepth, you-two focused conversation, you’d be wise to talk in a warm room or with warm beverages in hand. A cold environment has the opposite effect on sociability, according to a 2009 Utrecht University study in Psychological Science. Metaphors about hot and cold relationships, warming up to someone, and getting the cold shoulder all appear grounded in reality.

One tried and true method, the go-to-a-scary-movie routine, has merit beyond the yawn-arm-toshoulder move. Your body confuses heart rate increases caused by fear with sexual arousal, according to University of British ColumbiaVancouver researchers’ landmark 1974 study in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Incidentally, these crossed wires support the SchachterSinger Theory. And yes, that’s what Jack references at the end of “Speed.”

FROM TOP, COUNTER CLOCKWISE, OPPOSITE PAGE: “A Cat Dressed as a Woman Tapping the Head of an Octopus,“ woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 19th century; illustration No. 8 from “The King and Queen of Hearts,” 1805; vintage French postcard, unknown; theft of pie, juvenile book cover, unknown. 15

Prescott Astronomy Club Presents:

The Pleiades—young stars, ancient stories By Patrick Birck Nothing in winter’s nighttime sky quite matches the beauty of the open star cluster known as the Pleiades. This cluster of several hundred stars is visible in the evening all winter. The Pleiades, in the constellation Taurus the Bull, is known by several names—most commonly the “Seven Sisters” and “Messier 45.” In Japan, Pleiades is “Subaru” (unite) and is the Subaru auto company’s logo. The stars of the cluster bind to each other by gravity and travel through space at about 25 miles per second. From Earth, this appears to us to be about 5.5 arc seconds per century. At this rate, it takes about 30,000 years for Pleiades to move the apparent diameter of the Moon. These stars probably formed about 100 million years ago from the same cloud of gas and dust, making them young, hot, and very luminous. They’re nearly 430 light years from Earth, so, when you view them on a cold winter night, you’re seeing them as they were 430 years ago.

One way to ﬁnd Pleiades is to follow Orion’s Belt (three bright stars in a row) to the right to a bright star called Aldebaran; just past Aldebaran is the Pleiades cluster. Aldebaran is Arabic for “the follower.” It’s as if the follower forever chases Pleiades across the heavens because the cluster rises in the eastern sky before Aldebaran rises and sets in the west before Aldebaran sets. Pleiades is currently passing through an unrelated cloud of dust and gas that gives it the appearance of a faint, blue nebula around the brightest stars of the cluster. Six stars of the Pleiades are visible to the naked eye, although some people can see more. They are, in order of brightness, Alcyone, Atlas, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, Pleione, Celaeno, and Sterope (also called Asterope). Why list nine? The sisters must have parents—the Greek titan Atlas and sea nymph Pleione. Alcyone, the brightest sister, is nearly 1,000 times as luminous and 10 times as large as our sun. Through binoculars or a telescope at low power, the cluster is magniﬁcent.

Folklore about the cluster exists in nearly every culture. Even the Hebrew Scriptures make explicit reference to Pleiades (Job, chapters 9 and 38, and Amos, Chapter 5). The Christian Scriptures make indirect reference (Revelation, Chapter 1). Although we refer to seven sisters, only six are visible to the naked eye. What happened to the “lost” Pleiades? Greek legends vary. In some, one sister (Electra) veiled her face after the destruction of Troy. In others, another (Celaeno) was struck by lightning. According to others, still another (Merope) hid in shame after marrying a mortal (Sisyphus). Lowell Observatory astronomer Robert Burnham Jr.—a 1949 graduate of Prescott High School and author of Burnham’s Celestial Handbook—ﬁnds the lost Pleaid myth in the star lore of Europeans, Africans, Asians, Indonesians, Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians. Burnham points out the seventh brightest star in the cluster, Pleione, has variable brightness, which could make it the “lost sister,” especially because, at its brightest, it’s near the limit of most people’s visions. On the other hand, Pleione is the mother, not one of the sisters. So what happened to the “lost” Pleiad? No one knows—and I surely don’t. ***** Patrick Birck is a former president of the Prescott Astronomy Club. He moved to Prescott from Maryland eight years ago. When he’s not stargazing, he’s probably playing third base on a senior softball team.

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TOP: The Pleiades cluster through NASA’s Wide-ﬁeld Infrared Survery Explorer, as a mosaic of a few hundred frames; photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA. BOTTOM. Taurus constellation map; image by Torsten Bronger, 2003.

16 • FEATURE • 2013 FEBRUARY • 5ENSESMAG.COM

The Absurd Naturalist

An X-rated nature essay By Gene Twaronite

Certain

members of my family have long tried to persuade me to try writing something more lucrative, something that might have a better chance of making it to the best sellers list than a bunch of essays. If I would write just one good pornographic novel, they tell me, or even one that is not so good—just sinfully shocking—then I would at least have a steady source of income to support my writing habit. Being an essayist, however, I decided to first try my hand at a pornographic essay. Furthermore, I decided that my characters would all be non-human, since other writers had long ago exhausted most of the interesting possibilities of the human anatomy. With millions of different kinds of plants and animals from which to choose, each with a unique sexual story to tell, I knew I had the makings of a hit essay. … Not to mention future novels and movie rights. The trouble with writing such an essay is that it’s not always easy to define pornography, even within our own torrid species. What is art or of redeeming social value to one creature may not be so to another. Non-human organisms certainly don’t write about their sexual activities (at least nothing that has yet been published). Nor do they take explicit photographs. But there are other ways to depict erotic behavior that are no less subtle and direct. the flowering plants, for example, so innocent and lovely, which flagrantly and fragrantly advertise their raw sexual needs to every passing insect. The boring sameness of human flesh tones is no match for the bold gaudiness of many flowers, whose stamens and stigmas entice so shamelessly. Anthony Huxley wrote of a plant called the Persian zungeed that “has a fragrance once thought so intoxicating that Persian men were wont to lock up their women when the tree came into bloom.” Even the shapes of some flower parts are pornographic, to say the least. Espe-

Take

cially is this true in certain members of the family Araceae, whose phallic resemblance so titillated the Victorians in their gardens and hothouses. It gets even worse in the animal world. The male peacock, for instance, has no need for dirty words or pictures. His iridescent tail feathers, spread in all their glory for any passing hen, leave no doubt of his lascivious intentions. Male sage grouses are even more direct, with their brazen strutting and baring of inflatable air sacs. Animal behaviorists have not been able to determine, as yet, if any peacocks or grouses find such actions offensive. The insect world has its own brand of chemical pornography. Through the secretion of minute quantities of substances known as pheromones, certain female insects send lewd and clear messages through the air over many miles to potential male partners. I sometimes wonder, late at night, what crazy pictures may form in a male moth’s head. For sheer novelty in form and function of sexual appendages, the human body pales in comparison to those of other creatures. Just imagine what a pornographic writer might do with the copulatory arms of the squid. Or the dozen “love darts” carried by certain African naked snails. While the things that some worms do should not be mentioned in mixed company. There is even what humans might call sexual sadism in some creatures. Female scorpions and praying mantises can never get quite enough from their mates: So, they end up eating them piece by loving piece. Talk about your sex objects.

***** Gene Twaronite’s writing has appeared in numerous literary journals and magazines. He is the author of “The Family That Wasn’t” and “My Vacation in Hell,” as well as “Dragon Daily News,” a forthcoming collection of children’s stories. Follow Gene at TheTwaroniteZone.Com. © Gene Twaronite

second thought, I may never get around to writing that great pornographic nature novel. Out beyond the streetlights, in the darker recesses of woods and fields, life plays out its little bedroom games on a scale too shocking for human sensibility. Shakespeare wrote in “Hamlet” “that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature.” Modesty, indeed. Mother Nature, you’re one hot mama.

5ENSESMAG.COM • 2013 FEBRUARY • COLUMN • 17

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