(no subject)

[randomdreams]

Las Vegas is weird.
It's a very windy weird, this weekend. It wasn't quite hot, but wowie was it gusty.
We went on an Ingress scavenger hunt, associated with the GoRuck tradition, albeit with only a little bit of pushups and scrabbling around under/over things. Mostly we hiked, looking for things. We didn't have the best communication with our team, but we managed to make it work out. Scavenger hunt items were things like cleaning up trash, finding a veteran and talking to the vet about war experiences. Ours told us a dirty joke instead.
I found this for basefinder, near the Las Vegas Central Library.


I had grilled unicorn cheese sandwich for lunch before the hunt. Somehow I expected it would just be white, yellow, and orange. Oh, no, they went all-out, because it's Las Vegas.


They have a ton of weird cool public art.

(This appeared to actually be drivable.)



We walked over to an art district about 2km from downtown. There were roughly two art galleries there. It appears to have been larger and more interesting at some point in the recent past. But the one gallery that was open was fun to look around in.

Comments

[sistawendy]

I can't help but wonder how much cross-pollination there is between the Vegas art scene and Burning Man. That vehicle in particular looked awfully playaesque.

[randomdreams]

Extensive. In the gallery, a fairly large number of the photos were burningman, and several of the larger art pieces on the street were notationally drivable.

[gfish]

I was going to say, I think I recognize that art car.

Vegas is only behind SF and Reno for repurposed playa art. I see calls all the time.

[basefinder]

Wow, another friend on LJ just got back from a Vegas trip also.

The thin-shell structure in your photo (thanks!) is at the sign museum. It used to be the entryway for a hotel!

The artwork reminds me of the newly-installed rocket (a fanciful, shiny metal art piece) in front of the Lowry Beer Garden (just a stones throw from the B-52 in front of W.O.T.R. museum).

[randomdreams]

It was the prettiest of the structures in LV. I'll upload a much more pedestrian one as soon as I can find it.
I guess we'll just have to come over again to see the rocket.

[eub]

What is that shape, the superposition of two hyperbolic paraboloids?

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=max(x%5E2+-+y%5E2,+y%5E2+-+x%5E2)
hmm that doesn't quite leave any interior.

How about like this?
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=max(x%5E2+-+3+*+y%5E2,+y%5E2+-+3+*+x%5E2)

[basefinder]

I think Yes, to your second example. That structure looks like a groined vault; an intersection of two saddle shapes giving some interior space and nice dramatic flares. I'd like to see it in person!

[randomdreams]

Also see mouhefanggai and Steinmetz Solids.

[basefinder]

You are forbidden from using those words in Scrabble.

;-)

[randomdreams]

My specialty is the opposite extreme: aa, pyx, fid, and a bunch of other tiny words.

[eub]

I cut a 3-mouhefanggai on the bandsaw when I was a kid. It's fun to roll.

[amaebi]

Las Vegas is really weird.

I think your scavenger-list veteran was a gracious human to tell you a dirty joke. I bet some people got decked.

[threemeninaboat]

Well, we went into the VFW and asked of someone could tell us a story, and he was happy to.

[amaebi]

Good approach! Whew.

[ivy]

I love the unicorn grilled cheese; that's fantastic. [giggling] Did the sprinkles add to the flavor?