Saturday, April 11, 2009

Complexity

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I am working on a post that relates to an ongoing discussion here and elsewhere when I once again looked at the yew tree in my front yeard (tiny front yard). I have been fascinated by this tree since I moved in 9 years ago and it is like an old and steady friend. One of the aspects of yews is that they are exceedingly geometricaly complex and, in spite of that, the branches rarely touch. One can think of a zillion human situations for which this could be a metaphor, including aspect of the brain. Fascinating.

(Disclaimer: there is absolutely no effort to compete here with others who are actually photogrophers.) [<--sincere]

4 comments:

Felix said...

Fascinating.

Have you read John Fowles' (nonfiction) The tree? It's a hymn to dendrophilia and, somewhere in there, he observes that in nature we rarely see "a tree", only "trees" whose presence (I paraphrase) interpenetrates, the space occupied by each individual tree being indistinct and indeterminate.

I seem to have rambled ... sorry 'bout that...!

Felix said...

I very much look forward, by the way, to the post on which you are working.

Julie Heyward said...

"others who are actually photogrophers" -- Dr. C

Mmmm hmmmm. Yeah. You're claiming you didn't inhale? But you liked it, didn't you?

I like the photographs. The yews look very suitable for climbing.

I believe that fractal self-similarity is the same (loosely) in both brain, the lungs, the capillaries and many plant forms. Because it maximizes efficiency.


(Disclaimer: there is absolutely no effort to compete here with others who are actually doctors.) [<--sincere]

Dr. C said...

Dendrophilia [<-- impressive; 10 points]
Fowles. Left him with Danial Martin but will Google "The Tree"

Actually it is photogophers...