Teat Time

January 12, 2005 7:09 PM

Platonic Ideal? Or banality? Some chums and I were having the classic argument over 3d package superiority when we discovered, overjoyed, that they all had one thing in common, the Utah Teapot. I didn't realize this oddball shape had a history, or that is was real . . . but if the virtual (actual scan!) isn't your gig, whip out yer foldin' fingers.
posted by undule (12 comments total)

I buggered my own link!

Utah Teapot

sigh.
posted by undule at 7:11 PM on January 12, 2005

Lots of good information here. I didn't know any of this stuff. But then, my favorite 3d package has always been those cardboard glasses with the blue and red filters.
posted by Hildago at 8:20 PM on January 12, 2005

I've been on the lookout for a real (i.e. atoms not bits) Utah Teapot for at least fifteen years now. I've yet to find one, sadly, even with the advent of eBay. Isn't it high time some specialty firm began manufacturing these and marketing them to 3D geeks? No other 3D object is as iconic as the Utah Teapot (though the Renderman Beachball and the Luxo L-1 lamp do come close) and I suspect they'd sell quite well.

Or am I alone in my lust for this objet de geek?

And while we're on the subject of geek lust, why oh why hasn't some enterprising cellphone company yet realized just how much money they'd make if they developed working cellphone that looks (and sounds) like this???

I mean, I'm not even that much of a sci-fi geek anymore, but I'd pay five bills for one in a heartbeat, assuming they did a good job.
posted by sfslim at 9:34 PM on January 12, 2005

Note the related image compression test image Lena. After reading, Google Lenna.
posted by NickDouglas at 9:58 PM on January 12, 2005

I'll see your Lenna, and raise you a Mandrill.
posted by sfslim at 10:34 PM on January 12, 2005

sfslim, the original model was a Melitta. There's actually one on eBay right now.

"Star Trek Communicator" Bluetooth device
posted by dhartung at 10:42 PM on January 12, 2005

dhartung: Thanks, but... well... it just isn't close enough, now is it? A great hack, as far as hacks go, but wouldn't the ideal be a 100% accurate, fully-licensed unit with all the sounds, tons of das blinkenlights, and a working circular display (complete with swirly moire screensaver)?

The bluetooth thingy is neat, but what I'm envisioning would be gadget pr0n of the first water, don't you agree?

Still, thanks for the heads up!
posted by sfslim at 11:58 PM on January 12, 2005

After reading, Google Lenna.

That's awesome -- some deep trivia there. And she's a bit of a looker, isn't she? In that 70's huslter found in the woods sort of way.

if they developed working cellphone that looks (and sounds) like this???

I'd buy that in a second. But where would the keypad go? How to work in the screen? Seems like a tough design implementation. Would be sweet I bet, if done right . . . to have it chirp when you flipped it open, the ring tone could be Scotty saying "Captain!"
posted by undule at 2:09 AM on January 13, 2005

Hehe, wikipedia is cool. I read the entry on the Utah Teapot and noticed that one of the handy features of it not mentioned is how it can project a shadow on itself (via either the handle or the spout...also useful for testing reflection algorithms).

So I updated the entry. <pat back />
posted by furtive at 2:42 AM on January 13, 2005

I especially liked the fact that Lena was invited to the 50th annual Conference of the Society for Imaging Science in Technology in 1997.

Also, this discussion cannot be complete without mentioning the Lightwave COW.
posted by Enron Hubbard at 3:48 AM on January 13, 2005

The title of this post would be more appropriate if the post was about Lena Soderberg.
posted by knave at 7:31 AM on January 13, 2005

Thanks, chum.
posted by Jupiter Jones at 10:05 AM on January 13, 2005