That's Gneiss! #174 ~ Ice, Ice, Baby (bergs not vanilla)

Plus: Adventures in gelatin, and a small sign of spring

Feb 28, 2021

Hello friends!

I’ve got a lot of fun things for you today, and I promise there’s no wax involved! Just ice. And maybe some jello.

When you hear somebody say “it’s the tip of the iceberg,” does this image or one like it pop into your mind?

This iconic image by Ralph Clevenger and all of the imitations that followed have burned the idea into our minds that icebergs look like this. A small percentage of the ice sits above the water, while the rest lurks below - ready to rip the side of any misguided ship that approaches too close.

Oh wait - that’s not quite how the story went.

I can’t stop watching that.

Anyhow, it turns out the iconic image by Mr. Clevenger is A LIE. A scientifically inaccurate LIE created with Photoshop.

The image is composed of four separate pictures. The shot of the clouds was taken here in Santa Barbara. So was the underwater water. I took the picture of the top part of the iceberg in Antarctica when I was there on assignment. I took the picture of the bottom part of the iceberg in Alaska, above water. I just cut out a section of an iceberg and then flipped it and put it underwater. It was really that blue, though. We didn’t color it or anything. The digital guys put it together. Craig Aurness, who ran the stock photo agency I worked for, told me to research what a real iceberg would look like, the physics of how it would float in the water, so we could get it accurate. This is pretty early in the days of Photoshop. We created what at that time was an enormous file, eight megapixels.

I’ll admit I hadn’t spent any time thinking about whether this and all of the copycats were scientifically correct. It’s a cool image! A great metaphor! Such a pretty blue color!

A few days ago, I happened upon this post on Twitter and it changed everything.

Megan Thompson-Munson @GlacialMeg

Today I channeled my energy into this very unofficial but passionate petition for scientists to start drawing icebergs in their stable orientations. I went to the trouble of painting a stable iceberg with my watercolors, so plz hear me out. (1/4)

Ahhhh… of course.

This makes so much sense, and should you want to read about the physics of this you can do so here. In short:

An equilibrium orientation of a floating body occurs when the center of gravity (the center of mass of the whole object) and the center of buoyancy (the center of mass of just the submerged part) are vertically aligned. If perturbations from wind, waves, or melting lead to a small departure of that alignment, a torque is created that reorients the body. If the torque amplifies the misalignment, the orientation is unstable; if the torque reduces the misalignment, the orientation is stable.

Despite how dramatic the elongated icebergs look, it’s just not correct. I’m with Megan, and would love to see accurate depictions of the natural world more often. It’s not wonder people have such a hard time with reality these days. The photoshopped iceberg may seem inconsequential, but people will believe just about anything you show them if you sound convincing enough.

Remember the cute baby polar bear that was making the rounds a few years ago?

Cute, but FAKE. It’s a little stuffed animal.

Or the lemons injected with food coloring?

Pretty, but FAKE. Photoshopped.

The misinformation starts somewhere, innocently or not. A deep dive into that topic is not my intention today.

Ultimately, what I really wanted to share with you is this fun site where you can draw your own icebergs and see a closer rendition of what they might look like in nature. Draw any weird shape you want and your iceberg will rotate to its position of equilibrium. You’ll be entertained for hours, watching your creations float to the surface and level out.

https://joshdata.me/iceberger.html

Have fun drawing your own ship-killers!

In other news, I saw this today…

Spring approaches!

Tidbits

Make Natural Ink from Plants - it’s not that difficult! (via Jenny’s Library)
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Nisqually Earthquake!
Adventure in Jelly - beautiful jello creations that are so satisfying to watch jiggle… I bet they taste good too.
A Collective Coordination - some thoughts on mutual aid from Chris La Tray
Accomplished: our taxes
Making: still making those little pods! I got some new watercolors (in tiny clamshells!), and markers from Sketchbox, so I need to get to work.
Reading: not as much as I should

Art Zone

When you look at this photo, what do you see?

mexakitsch

A post shared by ✨Elrod✨ (@mexakitsch)

At first glance, you probably shuddered in horror at yet another savory aspic monstrosity straight out of the 70’s. I certainly have a love/hate relationship with these concoctions. Such artistry, yet whyyyyyy?

But wait - look a little closer. Is that… glitter?

And what about the radioactive glow?

Your eyes are only deceiving you a bit - these sculptures by the artist Elrod are NOT edible. They’re lamps! She combines resin, fake food, and LOTS of glitter to create these amazing renditions of the gelatin classics from the past.

Here’s a peek into her process. I’m still a bit confused about how she makes the food - it looks very real. I may have to listen to the episode of The Mothball Prophecies to find out if she shares any of her secrets.

Perhaps you’d like to admire the deviled egg clock instead?

Most recently she made some snack-sized picnic parfaits, 23 of which sold out today in TWO MINUTES. Wow.

mexakitsch

A post shared by ✨Elrod✨ (@mexakitsch)

Don’t stop with Elrod’s foodie creations. Be sure to check out her portfolio to see her other work, including bedazzled beer, lots of big hair, and glittery cars.