Tidbits

Sistine Chapel as a 3D Virtual Reality Simulation

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A screen capture of my recreation of the Sistine Chapel in virtual reality.

A screen capture of my recreation of the Sistine Chapel in virtual reality. (Click to enlarge)

Seven years ago in 2006 I did a project as part of a course at BYU. The object of the project was to produce something substantially creative. I decided to recreate the Sistine Chapel as a computer generated virtual simulation. Since most people may not have a chance to visit the real Sistine Chapel, this would give them a chance to see this remarkable place, examine it, walk around, and view the masterpieces that adorn its walls. So I recreated the Sistine Chapel in a format called Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML), reconstructing all of the high resolution photos I could find of the artwork on the walls and ceiling. Of course, the simulation falls short of the actual experience, as most simulations do, but it gives a good approximation. [Read more…]

What of Art?

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Les Misérables

Les Misérables

The following was written in response to a comment by “nate” on a post at Millennial Star which discussed the merits of the new film Les Misérables. In summary, the commenter claimed that art is “just art,” and in the end is escapism, overrated, simple entertainment, will not change your life (no matter how great or inspiring it is), won’t have long term influence on your soul, is overblown, is an addiction, is short-lived, no matter how seemingly life-changing it is dangerous, an idol, a quick fix, a drug, not “real life” or a part of our “real world,” and a distraction. I thought such condemnation of art called for a reply.

Allow me to resuscitate art for a moment (as if it needs it).

Art is not simply entertainment. It’s not simply art. It’s not simply escapism. And it is certainly not simply a drug.

Art is found abundantly in most expressions of humanity, including the traditional forms of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and dance, but also in literature, industrial design, architecture, film, interior design, graphic design, puppetry, music, singing, drama/theatre, animation, poetry, woodworking, weaving, vocal performance, interactive media, calligraphy, printmaking, pottery, sound, and technology.

Without art, most of what we know in our world today would not exist. [Read more…]

Book of Mormon Testimony Translator

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The Book of Mormon Testimony Translator

The Book of Mormon Testimony Translator

A friend of mine, Steven Lloyd, has put together a great new tool and website.  It is the Book of Mormon Testimony Translator, otherwise known as BOMTT.com.  The site has one simple purpose, to help any member of the Church easily translate their testimony of the Book of Mormon into any other language, so that they can include it with a Book of Mormon that they are giving to someone else, or for any other reason.

In our increasingly multicultural communities and interconnected world, we often come into contact with others who do not speak our native language, and who we might feel powerless to share the gospel with.  BOMTT helps break down those barriers by allowing you to share a copy of the Book of Mormon with them, perhaps the best missionary tool available and the keystone of our religion, with a personalized message and testimony from you in their own language.  This is sure to make a positive impression on the receiver of the gift, who is more likely to be touched by your message and read the book.  Of course, if your contact wishes to learn more about the gospel, you can refer the local missionaries to them, and attend discussions with them.

One thing I learned on my mission is that people are much more likely to be interested in investigating the Church if they are introduced by members who they know, rather than receiving a cold contact by the missionaries at the door.  This new tool will help you make that introduction to the Church to anyone, no matter their nationality.

See the Book of Mormon Testimony Translator.

Who are we, really?

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I came across an interesting blog post the other day, that gave eight philosophical questions that man believes we may never solve.  One of the questions is, “is our universe real?”  I researched many different facets of this question in my 45 page paper, “A Modern Worldview from Plato’s Cave.”

In this blog post it states:   [Read more…]