I've been meaning to tackle a few new Snapology ideas, but I keep getting derailed with my laser cutter.  I really like how this project turned out.  I laser cut some wood and some acrylic mirrors.  On the outside, a dodecahedron made of a beautiful curly maple.  On the inside, a kaleidoscope of "stars".  

Ugh.  It's amazing how hard it is to find the time to update a website.  I've been busy with my latest obsession, laser cutting on my Glowforge.  It's amazing all the things you can do.  The only downside is my garage smelling like a fireplace.

Anyways, I've added pictures of my latest work, a "cube".  The quotes are because I'm pretty sure the model is not a geometrically accurate cube.  In this case I'm taking advantage of the flexibility of the cardstock to achieve the design.  I also posted pictures of a piece based on the principles of dual solids.  You can see more in the Polyhedra section.

I've also added an OTHER section to the site that will be for things I'd like to share, but aren't snapology related.  I've been doing a lot of work with my laser cutter.  The first is my model that shows the relation between an icosahedron and the Golden Rectangle.  I've had a fascination with both polyhedra and the Golden Ratio.  It wasn't until recently that I read an article showing the relation between the two.  Mind blown!  

Also, not math-related, but still a fun project, a mahjongg set made of walnut and curly maple.

For those of you taking on snapology origami as a hobby, I thought you might be interested in one of the issues I've had with bigger projects.  It's something that doesn't crop up until your work sits around for awhile, which is sag.  It's amazing to see how the quality of paper can make a difference when it comes to larger projects, especially over time.  You start to see how the choice in cardstock can make a big difference. 

As an example, I have two of my Klein bottle pieces shown below.  In my prototype (red) I was trying to keep the weight down since the structure was fairly tall, so I used a thinner, lighter cardstock.  The other one (dark blue/silver) I used a much thicker, heavier cardstock.  Initially both Klein bottles came out okay, but over time the prototype has started to sag.  Between the thinner cardstock and, I'm guessing moisture absorption, the prototype didn't hold up well over time.

The moral of the story?  If it's a choice between lighter weight vs. stiffness, go with thicker, stiffer paper for large projects.  Either that or have a collection of saggy, listless models.

Wow!  I got to make an appearance on KUSI's Good Morning San Diego.  They heard about my winning art entry at the 2017 Bridges Art Exhibition and had me come in for a short interview with Jason Austell.  It was a fun experience!  Great people at KUSI.  In fact, my cameraperson was a Marshall Middle School alum, the school I teach at.  Talk about a small world. The only downside was that by the end of the interview Jason accidentally called me Richard, not David.  My friends are going to be calling me Richard for at least a month.

Here's the interview.
http://www.kusi.com/local-teacher-win-national-competition-mathematics-art/