From Wikipedia:

Ikaria, also spelled Icaria, locally Nikaria or Nicaria , is a Greek island 10 nautical miles (19 km) south-west of Samos. It derived its name from Ikarus, the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology, who fell into the sea nearby.

It is one of the middle islands of the notherner Aegean, 660 km² (255 mi²) in area with 102 miles (160 km) in coastline and a population of about 7,000 inhabitants. The topography is a contrast between verdant slopes and barren steep rocks. The island is mountainous for the most part. It is traversed by Aetheras range, whose highest summit is 1,040 metres. Most of its villages are nestled in the plains near the coast, with only some of them on the mountains. Ikaria has a tradition in the production of strong red wine. Many parts of the island are covered by large bushes, especially ravines, making the landscape lush with green. There are no rare species of fauna on the island. Besides pets, only small goat herds make their presence known, disturbing the serenity of the island with their bells. Ikaria’s climate is considered mild.

Ikaria has been inhabited since at least 7000 B.C. when it was inhabited by the Neolithic pre-hellenic people that Greeks called Pelasgians. Around 750 B.C. Greeks from Miletus colonized Ikaria establishing a settlement in the area of present day Campos, which they called Oenoe for its wine. In the sixth century B.C. Ikaria was absorbed by Samos and became part of Polycrates’ sea empire. At this time the temple of Artemis at Nas, on the northeast corner of the island was built. Nas was a sacred spot to the pre-Greek inhabitants of the Aegean, and an important port of the island in antiquity, the last stop before testing the dangerous seas around Ikaria. It was an appropriate place for sailors to make sacrifices to Artemis, who among other functions, was a patron of seafarers. The temple stood in good repair until the middle of the 19th century when it was pillaged by the villagers of Christos, Raches for marble for their local church. In 1939 it was excavated by the Greek archeologist Leon Politis. During the German and Italian occupation of Ikaria in the Second World War many of the artifacts unearthed by Politis disappeared. Local custom has it that there are still marble statues embedded in the sand off the coast.

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

A very modern, yet charming interpretation of Icarus.

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Wow! What a proud - almost violent - young Icarus!

More about Alfred Gilbert @ Artrenewal.org

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

A more intimate portray of our two heroes testing their wings before trying to escape the King of Minos.

I find this image a bit odd. Icarus looks very feminine on this painting, almost like a female angel taking of his bra / wings. His face looks very soft and his hand gesture are so absolutely gay …

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

This one looks more like flying lessons from one old angel to a younger one. All very Kitsch. There is no context to the original tale or anything Greek.

More? Charles-Pail Landon Wikipedia entry 

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Daedalus and Icarus are getting ready to escape the evil king Minos with their newly built wings. Imprisoned in a high tower of the royal palace they get ready to fly away. They are excited, they are nervous. Will they be discovered before they are ready? Will it work? Can they escape? Or will they plunge to death?

A final deep breath and they jump down …

This is one of the most iconic images of the series: the cranky and bend father preparing the young and beautiful son for the escape. Note the wind in the ropes - and especially the black rope behind Icarus as a bad omen of what’s to come.

I also like that Leighton has made some effort to present the Greek theme with the statue in the background as well as including a high place for a better takeoff.

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Click image for a bigger landscape.

Here Maestro Bruegel shows his great sense of drama as well as humor. Icarus and his death are a sidestory. A guy falling into the sea - so what? Bruegel condemns the young man to a tiny side story. Even the peasants in the image hardly take natice of what is happening.

Here is a excerpt from the wikipedia entry about this painting that explains the attitude behind this:

There is also a Flemish proverb (of the sort imaged in other works by Bruegel):"No plough stands still because a man dies". The painting may, as Auden’s poem suggests, depict humankind’s indifference to suffering by highlighting the ordinary events which continue to occur, despite the unobserved death of the mythic figure Icarus, who is seen drowning in the bottom right area of the sea. In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of Daedalus, famous for his death by falling into the sea when he flew too close to the sun, melting the wax holding his artificial wings together. The sun, already half-set on the horizon, is a long way away; the flight did not reach anywhere near it.

Life is each human’s own tragedy!

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

I love the colors in this painting. Also the concept of the flying head - like the idea of freedom is mostly in our heads and will always break free.

More? Redon entry @ Wikipedia 

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

This is the newest interpretation of this over 2000 year old story. In Chagall’s paintings there always seems to be the same village present.

It somehow looks rather like the competition by the village idiots, who can imitate Icarus the best.

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Another depiction of Icarus terrible end. His mighty wings broken. Curious and delicate sea-nymphs lament the young heroes death.

This is one of the most iconic images of the series

For me this is the most dramatic painting in this series. It has a sleight Kitsch factor with the added sea nymphs, but they also contribute to the loss of vitality and sexuality of another brave soul lost to the gene pool.

I love Draper’s intricate painting of the wings - the biggest wings in all paintings in this collection.

Overall there is always the problem of confusing Icarus with an fallen angel. The idea of winged messengers from the gods is not an Christian invention, but we all associate the myth of fallen angels with such scenes. I have seen this painting (ab)used once in a Christian blog … ah, the pagan irony …

More? Herbert Draper’s entry @ Art Renewal and the tiny Wikipedia entry

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

The attempt has failed. Icarus has crashed and died. All his fathers inventiveness and all his warnings couldn’t protect and save the youth from his own cockiness. The tragedy is double - Daedalus will escape and survive. But this death will forever plague his soul.

We see young Icarus twisted and mangled by the impact. All his grace, power and youth is gone. All that remains is broken bones and flesh.

More? Paul-Ambroise Slodtz Art Renewal entry

Part of the Art Motive Series: "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus"

Don’t do it for me - do it for our mutual genetic survival!

I dunno which part is the most fun: catching, tapping or releasing them?!

Giving your kids a pet will make them happy and teach them lesson for life. Anyone ever asked those dogs, cats, hamsters, mice or whatever if they want to be abused by ignorant kids so they learn how to treat humans? It is highly unfair to train humans on animals how to behave with other humans.

Click image for larger fairies.

A lovely scene from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Oberon and Titania are the King and Queen of the Fairies.

The synopsis (here on Wikipedia) is the perfect inspiration for painters and movie makers alike. It has love, tragedy, pagan nastiness, comedy and some indecent sexual undertones.

Highly recommended.

In 1953 one enlightened being landed in a lonely backward in Milwaukee. He was easily captured, washed and put the bed in the following three hours. His insights were never made public.

With oil prices soaring suddenly even new interpretations of old technologies get some attention. Sky Sails has been reinventing the wheel for modern transport ships. Their idea is basically a hybrid (watch the video - it’s in German, but easy to grasp): normal engine for less windy days - plus a computer controlled super sail for windy or even stormy hours. This should save 10% to 35% for a ships operation for a year.

The sail is made my with a super durable material to withstand the extreme pull. I really hope this becomes a widespread technology. In our global economy we need shipping now more than ever - if we can save some fuel as well that would be brilliant. Especially shipping from and to China is a hell of a journey.  

Yesterday I spent almost the whole day to sort out my computer box. I used to work as a system administrator for some time, so there are plenty of digital ‘leftovers’: adapters, cables, chargers, batteries, converters, transformers, even more cables and hubs of all sorts.

It is precious high tech trash. Some of these cables and especially adapters once cost a huge amount of money. I found one old Mac PowerBook to SCSI cable that once cost over €100. Now it’s simply high tech trash.

But it’s mostly poisonous trash. Some countries have laws against disposing it all as usual. Most cables and plugs contain precious metals - so it should be recycled.

But most of all: these cables and plugs should be designed to be more universal.

The USB plug and cable system for example was meant to be universal - just as the name says. But already USB is no longer just one plug but four different sizes. Well done computer industry!

And why can we have ONE charger for all those small gadgets like cell phones, cameras and mp3 players?

As an European I am used to being ignored by American media companies. Most of them block foreign access to their web video players. The BBC has done the same with the spanking new iPlayer as well.

I find it very annoying that in the age of international media consumption markets are still protected so fiercely. On one side media companies like to have a global hype to sell their wares (in that case DVDs and TV rights around the globe), but they don’t want an international audience to join the fun at the same time. They are only allowed to join the ‘local’ party - organized - or better say licensed - by some national broadcaster / company.

This is boring. For example ‘Heroes’ arrived two years after the hype started in the US. People read about that a long time ago, but had already forgotten about that ‘cool new thing’ once it arrived 24 months later. Not so cool anymore.

Many movies are released on the same day worldwide. Movie companies now understand what it means to have a global audience. TV broadcasters are still on that national mindset - that seems to directly program their firewalls to keep people like me out.

The more confusing and stressful life becomes, the more we hunger for that easier and blissfully ignorant exit to a far away island.

But simplicity would bore us to death. Once your brain has been on fire (and on the Internet) there is no way going back. Once you have tasted the variety of life - it’s very hard to throw it all away for literally nothing.

But the real question is: are there any places left on this planet that are isolated and far away? Is there still such a thing?

One of the real differences between men and woman is the maternal instinct. Sure not all girls like to play with dolls and want to be married and humped immediately after they menstruated the first time.

But the female body is built to breeds - as much as the male is made to procreate as well, but in a different way. Woman have to deal with their ‘function’ on a regular monthly basis, while the male sexual ‘function’ just runs more or less maintenance free.

But also the so called biological clock - as much as it is also a social pressure to be a successful breeder - drives woman much more than men.

From that perspective it’s much more work for woman to become ‘neutral’ and free individuals (instead of just being driven by the mating instinct), because they have to deal with their purely biological ‘function’ on a more regular basis.

This blog started just four months ago in September - since than it has been a regular pleasure to write on an almost daily basis. First I recycled many old favorite postings from previous three reincarnations of the orangeblog. But since November it was mostly new material.

Thanks to Edosan, who helped to reboot my brain after my one year blogging abstinence. Other long time supporters include RichMc, Judi, Leonardo, Andrew, staticbrain, mrbalihai, blogotronic, moon, Jolene, Dave, mo and zoee.

Via StumbleUpon I have made many new friends and regular readers: like Judefa, Lisabal, Mayamoi, anotsoperfectstranger, zichi, neugen, xtine, Shelly41, Jackanapes, lucecorner … (hope I haven’t forgotten anyone?). Plus some new reader and commentators like trang. I am sure there are some other regular  visitors out there who haven’t commented - so I don’t know you by name yet - also thanks to you …

Although shot just over 50 year ago - this image looks like from another century. Life has changed so rapidly in many countries it’s amazing. But we need people like Bresson to remind us of where we came from …

To produce 1 kg of beef you need to feed 8 kg of wheat to the animal. Plus you need extra water, care and transportation to get the process of fattening your lifestock rolling.

Eating meat was always a luxury - except for the last 50 years in industrialized nations. If the oil prices continues to climb higher and higher it might be a luxury again.

Yes, we are creatures ruled by time, rhythms and habits.

It start with our basic heart rate - the true rhythm of our lives.

The day & night pattern of our planet dictates our lifestyles, the need for sleep our awake times.

Our social life and whole society is built around rhythms, patterns, repeats and habits: work time, play time, quality time. We all have times and places for everything.

But there is the long time pattern of life itself: birth, life and death. We all sing and dance to that rhythm, either on a small human scale or cosmic one. Even suns and planets get born, have a life and burn out in the end. Even black holes end in another big bang.

Welcome to this Universe ruled by time, rhythms and patterns.

The true question is: do you design your own patterns of life or do you follow those patterns carved out for your by society, nature and other people’s expectations?

Time to rule your patterns, design your own patterns and enjoy time as long as it still ticks for you!