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DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
So my friends reading this book and I'm thinking I'd like to read it when he's done. It has introduced this idea of the divine proportion which I find astonishing.

I've copied and pasted the below from another board, cause I've neither read the book nor have I the inclination to re-type and make mistakes...

Quote:

The author, Dan Brown, has done an incredible job of fashioning a work of fiction based on fact. It's difficult occasionally to tell the dividing line between the two, and that sent me surfing the Internet for information. The page before the Prologue states that "All descriptions of artwork, architechture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." It also confirms that the Priory of Sion, a secret society founded in 1099 is a real organization, and that Opus Dei, is truly a Catholic sect with headquarters in New York City.

One of the first subjects Brown introduces in discussing the works of Da Vinci is the number PHI. (Clues in Da Vinci's work lead the way to resolving Sauniere's death, so Brown presents facts about the work to move the story forward)

As a musician, I never had the chance to take classes in other forms of art, so I've never been introduced to the concept of PHI in art class. The number 1.618 is PHI. It's also known as the "Divine Proportion." Brown writes "PHI is generally considered the most beautiful number in the universe."

PHI is derived from the Fibonacci sequence (more on this later). It turns out that PHI has a role as a natural building block of nature. Plants, animals, and even humans possess dimensional properties which adhere to the ratio of PHI to 1.

For example, in a honeybee community, the females outnumber the males by 1.618 to 1.

The ratio of each spiral to the next on a chambered Nautilus' shell is 1.618 to 1.

"Sunflower seeds grow in opposing spirals." The ratio of each spiral to the next is PHI to 1. This is also true of spiraled pinecone petals, leaf arrangement on plant stalks and insect segmentation.

Da Vinci studied corpses and discovered the Divine Proportion in human bone structure. The distance from the tip of your head to the floor, compared to the distance from your navel to the floor is PHI to 1.

The distance from your shoulder to your finger tips, divided by the distance from your elbow to your fingertips will give you PHI. You'll find the same ratio with hip to floor divided by knee to floor, finger joints, toes, and spinal divisions.

Brown presents all this information in a classroom setting, and it's infinitely more interesting than my dry recitation of facts. I responded the same way as the fictional class, enjoying each example he provided.

The point of this, is that we find that it's not limited to nature, but it's been used by artists and architects. The Parthenon, the pyramids in Egypt and the United Nations Building all use the Divine Proportion. Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Durer and many other artists used the proportion in their paintings, and Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok, Shubert and Debussy are just a few musicians who have also used it in their compositions.

Fascinating, isn't it? Get the book, and see how Dan Brown carries it through his story.






So I just measured and divided the distance from my shoulder to the tip of my finger by the distance from my elbow to the tip of my hand and got 1.6 aaghghhghh. ubbloco

Has anyone read this or hear of it before.....pretty interesting at least.... smile

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


KaelGotRiceGOLD Member
Basu gasu bakuhatsu - because sometimes buses explode
1,584 posts
Location: Angels Landing, USA


Posted:
actually it's -e^(iPI) = 1

e^(iPI) = -1

heh, I remember that because we had AP calculus BC shirts with

"We're # -e^(iPI) BANG" written on it, and ANY math geek would know that it comes out to be "We're number 1!" with bang being the exclamation point.

ubblol

Also, I disagree with the poster above, I think Dan Brown's writing was masterful, and he certainly made his point so clear that the radical evangelicals over here in the US are up in arms over his book being a work of "fiction".

hahah

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Fine_Rabid_DogInternet Hate Machine
10,530 posts
Location: They seek him here, they seek him there...


Posted:
Dan Brown's books all read the same. They have exactly the same structure.

It gets boring and repetivie as you read more of his books.

The existance of flamethrowers says that someone, somewhere, at sometime said "I need to set that thing on fire, but it's too far away."


KaelGotRiceGOLD Member
Basu gasu bakuhatsu - because sometimes buses explode
1,584 posts
Location: Angels Landing, USA


Posted:
Eh true.



Hard for mystery writers to have changeups all the time though.



For example, Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie novels all tend to read the same after reading dozens of them and you can guess the endings.



Don't hurt me people who like their novels! wink

To do: More Firedrums 08 video?

Wildfire/US East coast fire footage

LA/EDC glow/fire footage

Fresno fire


EeraBRONZE Member
old hand
1,107 posts
Location: In a test pit, Mackay, Australia


Posted:
Anyone remember the "wooo-we-have-a-way-of-cloning-dinosaurs-thanks-to-this-book" hysteria of the early 90s?

It's an interesting story but the "facts" have largely been discredited as the ramblings of a couple of bored Frenchmen in the 40s.

It's a good read but it lacks the independent peer review that anything that purports to be factual should have.

There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.


GuyMorleynewbie
3 posts
Location: coventry


Posted:
Davinci code is good, but ats got nothing on angels and demons. the entire book is 10% better.
back to davinci code, its a thoughtprovoking book that i thought was imensly enjoyable and would say, the films out next may.

loki.c1687SILVER Member
addict
546 posts
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom


Posted:
i really think most of his books are the same the doulbe crossing good power figure .... the pope's son and that birds boss ect just got abit old rlly.
mike.c

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jo_rhymesSILVER Member
Momma Bear
4,525 posts
Location: Telford, Shrops, United Kingdom


Posted:
*bump*
I was watching GMTV this morning and there was a catholic priest from Brummy saying that the new film is blasphemous and we should honour jesus, etc.
Now, as it's a work of FICTION, why is he bothered? and why is everyone up in arms about it.
It's a jolly good book and I'm looking forward to watching the film, to see their interpretation of it.
I dont understand why religions are so determined to "be right" and are frightened of people having their own views on things.
The catholic said "if you do watch the film, please remember the truth!"
oh dear lord. I wonder what he makes of Harry Potter?! ubblol

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Fine_Rabid_DogInternet Hate Machine
10,530 posts
Location: They seek him here, they seek him there...


Posted:
 Written by: FoxInDocs


interesting theories and/or facts? yes.
good book? ...i've read better. much better actually.



Yay!

I'm glad somebody else thinks it ain't all that hot. smile

The existance of flamethrowers says that someone, somewhere, at sometime said "I need to set that thing on fire, but it's too far away."


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