Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. Until the 20th century, Mona Lisa was one among many and certainly not the "most famous painting" in the world as it is termed today. Among works in the Louvre, in 1852 its market value was 90,000 francs compared to works by Raphael valued at up to 600,000 francs. Mona Lisa was not well known until artists of the emerging Symbolist movement began to appreciate it, and associated it with their ideas about feminine mystique. Critic Walter Pater, in his 1867 essay on Leonardo, expressed this view by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave."

The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome them to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature.

A Poem about Fire

Things that burn seem to be falling
Fire the feeling that life passes by
The crack of thunder is calling
And ephemeral lights fill the sky

The smoke gets in your eye
And you inhale deep to fill your lungs
Each flame the trail; something can die.
Rain tears on a window because it has not clung.

The burn burns without burning. Flames are an idea.
Flames feed, sparks rise: what passes passes yellow
My head becomes so light. My mind feels so clear.
A swan song of string wails from a dying cello.

O how beautiful that sight I was to behold
The crackling symphony that did unfold
Everything decomposed as if from a mold
But despite the heat such a bladed cold.

No greater story of man could be told
The fire burnt like a faerie’s light
Sparks rise in neon fireflies
Spirits clearing space from color to bits

What light reveals, the darkness hides
And now the stars burn bright
The heat burns me deep inside
My passions draw me to which I subscribe

Like a moth, I cannot resist the flame
But eventually it’s gaze must wane
Whatever happens the flame claims
Memory remembers its own ahed’d lane

I am drunk on this November night
Everything but time is static
My spine shivers as I behold this fiery sight
The system which is automatic

Fires in the day forget the sun
Night lights what day wont see
Sound of the fire shoots like a gun
Sparks of magic surround me

Each log wands an energy
Magical but for its science
The fire burns wild like an orgy
The wood and flame forge an alliance

Wizarded sticks more than the detritus of trees
Layers are ages that matter only when burnt
The fire suppresses a defiant breeze
And I have forgot everything I ever learnt

My brain is growing
The pain of a swollen skull
The sin of knowing
Is the result of being dull

The heat lubricates blood; oxygen of thoughts
Libations the same, light of sirens streams
So the fire fades and the only light is lost
And the flame is left only to warms our dreams

Chicken

The game of Chicken models two drivers, both headed for a single lane bridge from opposite directions. The first to swerve away yields the bridge to the other. If neither player swerves, the result is a costly deadlock in the middle of the bridge, or a potentially fatal head-on collision. It is presumed that the best thing for each driver is to stay straight while the other swerves (since the other is the "chicken" while a crash is avoided). Additionally, a crash is presumed to be the worst outcome for both players. This yields a situation where each player, in attempting to secure his best outcome, risks the worst.

Because the loss of swerving is so trivial compared to the crash that occurs if nobody swerves, the reasonable strategy would seem to be to swerve before a crash is likely. Yet, knowing this, if one believes one's opponent to be reasonable, one may well decide not to swerve at all, in the belief that he will be reasonable and decide to swerve, leaving the other player the winner. The game is similar to the prisoner's dilemma game in that an "agreeable" mutual solution is unstable since both players are individually tempted to stray from it.

One tactic in the game is for one party to signal their intentions convincingly before the game begins. For example, if one party were to remove their steering wheel just before the match, the other party would be compelled to swerve. This shows that, in some circumstances, reducing one's own options can be a good strategy. One real-world example is a protester who handcuffs himself to an object, so that no threat can be made which would compel him to move (since he cannot move).

Winged Victory

The Winged Victory of Samothrace is a third century B.C. marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). It is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world. The statue shows a mastery of form and movement which has impressed critics and artists since its discovery. It is considered one of the Louvre's greatest treasures, and it is today displayed in the most dramatic fashion, at the head of the sweeping Daru staircase. The work is notable for its naturalistic pose and for the rendering of the figure's draped garments, depicted as if rippling in a strong sea breeze, which is considered especially compelling.