sax and violins (was: Re: "517: You want a moon discuss, etc, etc...)

In article <358...@freent.toronto.on.ca>
llizard wrote:

>In article <358...@news-f.std.com>, Inf...@world.std.com
>(Captain Infinity) wrote:
>> 
>> In article <6m3s2l$i9j$1...@mark.ucdavis.edu>
>> Eric DeFonso wrote:

>> >  28  d         a(em)
>> >( ----- )^2 = ( ----- ) ^3 = 87.111...
>> >   3  d         a(cm)
>> 
>> That is the strangest ASCII violin I have ever seen.
>> 
>> Does this one still complete the equation?
>>       _______
>>     .`       `.      ____
>>    /  ,~.   ,  \`  ,'    ',
>>   /   `- `-`    `='        `\              ## ##
>>  (  ,~:======================+===================::*
>>   >:  :======================+===================:::*C.I.
>>  (  `~:======================+===================::*
>>   \   .-  _     ,=.        ,/              ## ##
>>    \  `~'` `.  /.  `.____.'
>>     `._______.'
>> 

>And speaking of strange violins... that's the first time I've ever seen
>a six stringed violin. Is it some weird electric one?

Well, it's the even/odd problem that crops up with horizontal stuff.

I needed to do this horizontally, in order for it to work as a parody of the
equation form in the previous post.  But to give the instrument an even
number of strings, I would have had to make the body asymmetrical (odd number
of lines)...or else blow out the vertical height to outrageous proportions.

So I opted for an odd number of strings (three, although the equals sign does
tend to make it look either doubled --six-- or just very a thick three).  I
experimented with dashes, as follows:

       _______
     .`       `.      ____
    /  ,~.   ,  \`  ,'    ',
   /   `- `-`    `='        `\              ## ##
  (  ,~:----------------------+-------------------::*
   >:  :----------------------+-------------------:::*C.I.
  (  `~:----------------------+-------------------::*
   \   .-  _     ,=.        ,/              ## ##
    \  `~'` `.  /.  `.____.'
     `._______.'
 
and
       _______
     .`       `.      ____
    /  ,~.   ,  \`  ,'    ',
   /   `- `-`    `='        `\              ## ##
  (  ,~:- - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - ------::*
   >:  :- - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - ------:::*C.I.
  (  `~:- - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - ------::*
   \   .-  _     ,=.        ,/              ## ##
    \  `~'` `.  /.  `.____.'
     `._______.'
 
either of which may work better, depending on your subjective perception.  I
had no visual referent, but was working from memory of what a violin looked
like.  Having looked at violin images since posting it, I have found that I
made the sound holes twist in the wrong directions. <:0(  (Corrected version
appears below.)

In any event, as long as I succeeded in parodying the equation and making
something that even remotely resembled a violin, I was happy.  But I knew it
could be tweaked better, which is why I posted it to a.a-a, hoping that
someone else might "fine tune" it, so to speak.  :-)

ASCII art is not something I claim proficiency at; I'm just playing.  Some of
you guys blow me away with the stuff you create, and I realize I'm out of my
league here, but whatthehell, right?  This was crossposted from a Babylon 5
discussion group where the thread dealt with celestial mechanics of a
fictional alien moon, for crying out loud...those guys aren't going to hassle
me over a missing string.

If I ever manage to nail three-point perspective or even a simple vanishing
point, I might think about putting some real study into this art form.  Right
now I'm having a hard enough time achieving horizontal reflection;  compare
the fluidity of the upper sound hole with the jerkiness of the bottom
(reversed below.)  Commas, periods, and apostrophes are not visually
equivalent, sad to say.  And how I wish for a low-bit right-tilted accent!

Anyway, here's a version with hyphens and corrected sound holes, and I'll
never touch a violin again!  Promise!

       _______
     .`       `.      ____
    /    .-  _  \`  ,'    ',
   /     `~'` `. `='        `\              ## ##
  (  ,~:----------------------+-------------------::*
   >:  :----------------------+-------------------:::*C.I.
  (  `~:----------------------+-------------------::*
   \     ,~.   , ,=.        ,/              ## ##
    \    `- `-` /.  `.____.'               
     `._______.'


** 
Captain Infinity
 ...sure hope I didn't tab-damage that one

Did you ever think to try 4 ala:

       _______
     .`       `.      ____
    /  ,~.   ,  \`  ,'    ',
   /   `- `-`    `='        `\              ## ##
  (  ,~:======================+===================::*
  (  `~:======================+===================::*  C.I. + <D.I.>
   \   .-  _     ,=.        ,/              ## ##
    \  `~'` `.  /.  `.____.'
     `._______.'
 

Just a slight adaptation to your original...

Doc


Captain Infinity wrote:
> 
> >>       _______
> >>     .`       `.      ____
> >>    /  ,~.   ,  \`  ,'    ',
> >>   /   `- `-`    `='        `\              ## ##
> >>  (  ,~:======================+===================::*
> >>   >:  :======================+===================:::*C.I.
> >>  (  `~:======================+===================::*
> >>   \   .-  _     ,=.        ,/              ## ##
> >>    \  `~'` `.  /.  `.____.'
> >>     `._______.'
> >>
> 
> >And speaking of strange violins... that's the first time I've ever seen
> >a six stringed violin. Is it some weird electric one?
> 
> Well, it's the even/odd problem that crops up with horizontal stuff.
> 
> I needed to do this horizontally, in order for it to work as a parody of the
> equation form in the previous post.  But to give the instrument an even
> number of strings, I would have had to make the body asymmetrical (odd number
> of lines)...or else blow out the vertical height to outrageous proportions.
> 
> 
> **
> Captain Infinity
>  ...sure hope I didn't tab-damage that one

--
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  _,/  ._-    =-==. ./.='"'=.\.  |                     |
  =\ =:        -|-. |=.     .=|  |    Stephen Shaw     |
  `\_-;  0 _0   |   |=  0 0  =|  | age...@stones.com |
  (        _)   |  /`  .---.  `\ |                     |
   `\  _______  /  |   `---'   | \---<000  ;)   000>---/
     \ \     //'   `\ '-----' /'
  jgs \ \'--//       `'-----'`   
       `-`"`'