Origami Seahorse

Another of my personal origami dollar creations is the seahorse. This is a bit trickier than the dollar bill penguin. I created this from my memory of what a seahorse looks like, and as a result not all the details are correct. For instance, the tail I made curl backwards and they actually curl forward. So the pictures I've taken are of the reverse tail configuration, but the directions I put down show the more correct forward curl.

Anyway, all that being said, I'm posting directions on how to make the seahorse. Let me know how it goes!







Step 1: Fold the dollar bill in half lengthways, and unfold.
Step 2: Fold the corners to the center-line, similar to how you would start folding an airplane.

Step 3: Fold the corners again towards the center-line, again like in an airplane.
Step 4: Fold the oppose corners to the center-line.


The next few steps are preparation for a rabbit fold. Both of the triangular flaps will get a rabbit ear fold.

Step 5: Fold the edge of the triangular flap that lies on the center line to the hypotenuse of the triangle. The unfold.
Step 6: The the edge perpendicular to the center-line to the hypotenuse and then unfold.
Step 7: Create the rabbit ear by folding along the creases created in the last two steps. The right angle portion of the flap gets folded in half and pulled so that it points away from the end of the bill.

Step 8: Repeat the rabbit fold on the opposite flap.
Step 9: Fold the bill in half lengthwise, so that the folds just created lay inside the model.



Step 10: Fold the edge with the rabbit ear folds to the centerline of the model. This will expose the rabbit ears. Repeat behind.
Step 11: Rotate the model so that the rabbit ears are towards the top.



Step 12: The next step is to crimp fold the top of the model. This will form the head. The crimp fold can be created by grabbing the tip of the model and rotating it forward while holding the body with the other hand. It's really just a couple of reverse folds.

Step 13: Fold the ears forward. The ears were created by the rabbit ear fold earlier. Fold them so that they stick straight upwards. They can be curled slightly for appearance.

Step 14: Inside reverse fold the tip of the nose downward.

Step 15: Inside reverse fold the tip back upwards. Make the fold so that it lies just below the line of the jaw. This will create a flared appearance at the nose. You can just the tip a bit to make it stick out less.



Step 16: Crimp fold the body. This can be done with an inside reverse fold to bring the tail upwards and then a second reverse fold to move the tail back downward.

Step 17: This step will form the fins and thin the tail. Start by thinning the tail. The fin gets formed with a rabbit ear fold. As you thin the tail, pinch the corner that will form the fin. After this step the model will not lie flat.



The next few steps form the tail curl. Diagrammed below are the steps to form the tail the "correct" direction.

Step 18: Inside reverse fold the tail forward.

Step 19: Outside reverse fold the end of the tail upward.

Step 20: Fold the tip of the tail inward to complete the model.

Cruise to Bermuda

I just got back from cruising to Bermuda. The cruise left from South Boston, so I had to take a cab a whole mile and a half to get there. I suppose I could have walked, but it is vacation and I did have luggage.

I think the theme for this blog post should be the knowledge that a cruise ship is a small world. I should have learned this lesson from my first cruise where people were congratulating me on my belly-flop championship for the entire cruise. Although, this time I would extend the small world to include the ports.

Bermuda is home to 66,000 people, according to my knowledgeable taxi driver. Considering that's roughly twice the population of South Boston, or a tenth the population of Boston, that's a decent, but not large number. The cruise ship I was on, in comparison had roughly 3,000 passengers... Doing that the math that means 1 in 20 people I met were from my cruise ship! Alright, it doesn't actually imply that, but if everyone were put into a giant bag and shaken up...

The first amusing incident I'd relate along those lines requires a bit of back story. On the first day at sea, there was a pub crawl on the ship. The crawl went to five of the bars on-board with a drink at each one. There was also various shenanigans involved, which for the most part I won't go into. The one part I will go into is that there was a rule that stated whenever someone on the pub crawl yelled, "Pub Crawl!" everyone was supposed to respond, "Pub Crawl!" Being a bit of an instigator and having a loud carrying voice, I felt obligated to give out the call a few times (and was actually asked to do so by the boisterousness impaired). What does that have to do with 1 in 20? On the last day in Bermuda, I was sitting down enjoying a bottle of water when I heard a boy yell "pub crawl!" I turned around and saw one of the guy's who had been on the pub crawl with me and his young son. The son had apparently recognized me and the call!

One of my favorite pastimes on the ship was singing karaoke. They had karaoke set up each night, and I would have a couple of drinks while singing. There was a core group who showed up most every night. But there were also people who showed up a couple of times, or at least I didn't see every night. And yet, I had people waving to me quite frequently, "Hey Karaoke guy!" Twice was while I was in Bermuda sight-seeing! I guess I do tend to stick out of a crowd, but still...

A few other random pictures... I thought this one was hilarious. At poolside on the cruise ship there were two bronze statues. This one of a girl diving/jumping into a mini-pool, notice the sign!This picture was taken in the oldest church (St. Peter's) in Bermuda, which was built in 1612. Quite a nice place, and surprisingly quiet considering the noise right outside from the street and foot traffic. This is their organ, which ended up being a little blurry...
This is a picture of the National Drink of Bermuda, the Rum Swizzle as served at the Pickled Onion (the onion being the national vegetable, of which I didn't partake, instead I had the fish and chips, which was excellent, although most excellent on the fish side than the chips side). I also had some Rum Swizzle at the Swizzle Inn, which has the motto "Swizzle Inn and Stagger Out" which isn't a just a motto.
Oh Bermuda also has a beach or two, this one being the most famous Horseshoe Bay:

Today in History (April 12th)

April 12th doesn't stand out to many people as an important day in history. At least, I never really thought about it, until this year.

Today is the 150th anniversary of the first shots of the US Civil War. My mom always called it "The War Between the States" or "The War of Northern Aggression" because "there was nothing civil about it." There is a lot of truth to that. More people in the US died during the Civil War than during any other war. In fact, the Civil War nearly accounts for half of all US deaths during war. The reason it was so costly, was we were fighting ourselves. Every death, friend or foe, was the death of an American.

There is a lot of discussion in the media today about how contentious times are today. While it's true the public is more polarized than at any time in recent history, it's not true that it's the most contentious. (Look up Sumner and Brooks if you don't believe me.) The line between sides is not as obvious or clearly geographic as it once was. There are red states and blue states, but if you really look at how votes break down, it is more a question of urban vs. rural. If you look at California, which is considered a blue state, you'll find that the cities have a super-majority of Democrats, but the entire rest of the state is Republican. In fact, in many states if you look at a voting map, you'll see a similar trend, blue in the cities and red everywhere else.

I'm getting a bit off track here. I mainly wanted to make the point that 150 years ago, this nation began to tear itself apart. From the ashes of that war, a stronger nation emerged. The strength of the United States is in our motto "E Pluribus Unum." So, I'd urge everyone to remember the lessons of history, and be civil to each other.

Of course, I would be remiss as an Aerospace Engineer, from failing to point out that 50 years ago today, the first man in orbit. While Yuri's flight was not the trigger for the space race (much as the shots at Fort Sumter were not the start of the Civil War), it is still an important date in history. It also marked the beginning of an amazing time in World history where science grew by leaps and bounds.

So, April 12th might not be a red letter day in history, but maybe it should.