




Date: Mon, 27 Feb 89 11:51:41 CST
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu
Subject: Reply to Roos and a new book...

Stuff after ">" is from Bob Roos:

>AI folks--there was an article many years ago in an AI journal
>(perhaps the journal "Artificial Intelligence") entitled
>"Origami world",  which examined the problem of reasoning about

I don't know if this is a report on the same research, but I do recall
hearing about an AI project in vision that was concerned with
identifying origami figures.  I don't recall if they were just 2-D or
not, but I think it makes nicer material than blocks (IMHO :-).

>the Origami Center (this was back in 1970, before the Friends of
>the Origami Center of America existed).  The Randlett books are

This brings up an interesting point.  What is the difference between
the Origami Center, and the Friends, and why was the latter
organization created?

>What are everyone's three or four favorite folds (and why)?

Ooooh.  Fun question.  Hard to get it down to three or four though, so
I'll cheat.  I have two kinds of favorite folds: those I like because
of their result, and those I like because of the folding process
itself.

In the first category is Kawasaki's rose (I guess I've mentioned it
enough on this list :-).  It's a lovely fold, and it took me about
three months to figure out, which really gave me a rush when I finally
did succeed.

Crawford's grand piano is very nicely detailed, and it looks like it
should be impossible to do from a single square piece of paper.

French's armadillo is also nicely detailed, and the armadillo is
something of a totem for me.  Unfortunately, it requires a largish
rectangle and a *lot* of tedious folding.

I also like Kasahara's SR-71 Blackbird.  It's a great likeness of the
plane, and I've gotten some great responses to the fold, especially
from military types.

For the second category, I really like the traditional crane for its
simplicity and elegance.  It's also very close to the first fold I
learned (the real first one was the flapping crane which just has a
fatter neck and tail), so I think of it as my first fold.  Its long
tradition and universality also remind me of all other origami folders
everywhere/when; folding it gives me a similar feeling to walking in
some historical place and thinking of all who have walked there before
me.

My favorite folds to do, though, are probably those by Montroll,
because of their mind-warping ins and outs.  The five-sided
preliminary base (and it's various completions), the brontosaurus, the
rympharincus (sp?), the beetle (all his bugs are somewhat totemic for
me -- I have them crawling all over my computers).  They all make me
wonder just where he came up with the idea to fold paper that way.

Some of Rober Harbin's stuff has the same quality, e.g. his ostrich (I
should probably come up with a better example, but he mixes original
stuff with other people's stuff in his books, so it's hard for me to
keep them apart).

Speaking of books (was I?), I found a new one up in Dallas last
weekend: _The Complete Book of Origami_, by Robert J. Lang (c) 1988
(well, relatively new).  37 models with what look to be very detailed
instructions,a nd a forward by Peter Engel.  I haven't had a chance to
play with it yet, but the models start with some fairly simple ones,
and progress to amazingly complex -- including a biplane (yes, from
one square).  In addition, the clincher is a section containing about
half a dozen action models including a flapping bird, a viking
longboat with moving oars, a celloist, a pianist, and a cuckoo clock.

Happy folding,
brad





Date: Fri, 10 Mar 89 01:05:00 CST
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu
Subject: ping and Convention '89

[We've added a few new members recently, so I thought I would ping the
list and see what bounces back.]

The annual Friends of the Origami Center of America Convention is coming
up.  This year, it will be April 28-30 in New York, with the classes and
sessions being held on Saturday and Sunday (and I'm going to be here in
Austin at CHI that weekend, blast!).  Cost is $40 for one day or $60 for
both days and includes the program (lots of original folds there) and a
survival kit including paper, a box for your models and lots of information.

For more information, write to
The Friends of the Origami Center of America
15 West 77th Street
New York, NY  10024-5192
or call 212-769-5635 Monday-Fri 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Weds. till 8:30 p.m.).

If anyone from this list is going to the Convention, spread the word about
the list, and by all means, tell us what happened when you get back.

Happy folding,
brad





Date: Tue, 11 Apr 89 10:08:34 EDT
From: poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Stephan L. Poole)
Subject: New Member

Hello everyone.

My name is Stephan Poole and I am an ....... origami addict.
Believe me it's true.  At an early age I found the book
Origami Made Easy by Kunihiko Kasahara and I haven't stopped
since.

I'm an electrical/computer science engineering student at the
University of Pennsylvania.  I sure you can understand how
origami plays a big part in helping me relax during my *Free Time*
(and some not so free time :-).

I've tried all sorts of folds from different books.  Some of my
favorites are from Montroll.  Recently I came into the posession
of a new book that has some intesting folds: Creative Life With
Creative Origami by Toshie Takahama.  This is translated since
the whole book is written in Japanese.  I can follow the diagrams
well, but I do wonder what the blurbs underneath the diagrams are
saying.  I've also started toying with origamic architecture (does
this count since most of it is cutting ? :-) ?).

I have to wrap this up now, but I do have a few questions for
the fellow folders out there.  Has anyone found folds for cicular
paper? Also has anyone found folds for dollor bills (I have the
one for the bowtie)?

Happy folds to you ....

Stephan                Clean lines of paper, the elegance of life.





From: fed!mqws2!m1swd00@uunet.UU.NET
Subject: Introduction
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 89 11:20:47 -0400

Hi.

	I don't know much about origami yet, but I'm curious and would like
to learn more.

	Most of the objects I've made so far ended up in what I call
`fractal origami', which looks like a crumpled ball of paper. They make
great cat toys.

	So... I'd appreciate suggestions of books on origami which
emphasize either the practical aspects ("Just the folds, 'mam") or
on the geometry of the folds.

	I found out about the origami list in a usenet listing of
available mail groups.



 Sean Doyle
 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System    20 and Constitution, NW
 Washington, DC 20551 			 (202) 452-2352
 uucp: uunet!fed!m1swd00 , internet: sdoyle@fed.frb.gov





Date: Sat, 15 Apr 89 12:50:31 EDT
From: poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Stephan L. Poole)
Subject: address

This is a quicky.

I sent in my "origami biography" but it seems I left out my Snail-mail
address.

Stephan Poole
4034 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

So long happy folders.

Stephan

University of Pennsylvania                    poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu





Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 13:57:26 CDT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu
Subject: money folds, books, etc.  Reply to Stephen and Sean

Steve,

On round paper:  I've never seen anything specifically for round
paper.  In _The Complete Origami_, Eric Kenneway references Fred Rohm
in pointing out that once you put a fold in round paper, you have a
straight line, and the round edge is "inconvenient or irrelevant."
I'd like to know if anyone else finds any.

On folds for dollar bills: These are loads of fun to play with while
waiting in line for lunch or a movie or whatever.  Kenneway in _The
Complete Origami_ has a couple of decent money folds.  There are a
couple of folds in the 1985 and 1987 Convention Programs available
from the Friends of the Origami Center of America.  The best source
I've seen so far, though, is _Folding Money, Volume 2_ also available
from the Friends (write to 15 West 77th Street, NY, NY 10024 for
membership and catalog information, and include a SASE to help them
keep their costs down).  This book has money folds for every letter in
the alphabet (multiple variations on the same theme), as well as lots
of other money folds (chicken, peacock, elephant, clothing, etc.).

On origamic architecture:  I must admit that I avoid anything that
requires cutting like the plague.  This is not entirely purism on my
part, but also reflects the fact that I can't cut a straight line to
save my life.  I'm more interested in traditional origami personally,
but feel free to use this list to discuss related stuff like origamic
architecture.  While we're at it, has anyone thought about/tried to
make their own paper?


Sean,

"Fractal origami" is a nice euphemism.  Sort of like the infamous
"Blumenthal Mangle-Fold."  A really good cat toy, by the way, is the
traditional water bomb with a pinch of catnip inside.  My kitty goes
nuts.  It was also a good bribe to get her to stop stealing my money
folds (go figger, those were the ones she chose from all the ones on
my coffee table).

On good beginning books: I can suggest two good beginning books.  _The
Joy of Origami_ by Toshie Takahama is fairly simple, but has some nice
folds in it, and has a nice graphic representation of the relationship
between the various bases.  The second is _Japan's Creative Origami_
by Toyaki Kawkai.  This was my first origami book, and is a little
pocket book that has both traditional and creative origami.  Most of
the folds are fairly simple, but some of them are rather challenging,
and many of them are either very attractive, very useful (boxes and
such), or very traditional (traditional crane, eagle, etc).

For books that emphasize the geometry of folds, and some of the more
mathematical aspects, I recommend the books by Kunihiko Kasahara,
_Origami for the Connoisseur_, and _The Origami Omnibus_.  The first
is mostly more advanced folds, but the second is a true Omnibus, with
lots of folds, and a fair amount of discussion.  [Anne LaVin, what was
the name of the book you showed me with the discussion on creating
original origami in the back?]

To Everyone:

We now have about 20 people on the list, welcome to all the folks who
have joined in the last three or four months.

A couple of questions/requests: I have a couple of friends who are
going to Japan soon, and have agreed to bring back paper and books for
me.  Can anyone recommend some brand names, or titles, or magic words
that they should use when looking?  All I know is that the paper they
sell as low-quality trash in Japan is supposedly much better than what
you can usually get here.

Second, is anyone going to the Friends of the Origami Center
convention in New York at the end of April?  If so, could I get you to
look for instructions for a chess set for me?   Thanks very much.

Take care,
brad





Date: Thu, 20 Apr 89 14:58:36 EDT
From: poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Stephan L. Poole)
Subject: star fold from Denmark

   This is not your traditional origami fold as it starts with
four thin strips of paper, but it produces a beautiful star
that makes an excellent ornament.

   I first saw the fold about 12 years ago when the mother of
a friend folded the star for my christmas tree.  She moved away
and I never found out how to make the star.  My parents also
liked the star and decided not to let their son perform "origami
surgery" on the star :-).

   Well, it's been a long wait but I have finally tracked down
the fold.  A friend who was staying in France gave me a call
and said she went with her roomate to Denmark for christmas.
She told me she had a surprise for me -- something about paper
folds :-).  She just came back and when she handed me the
instructions and a model of the star I knew that my magazines
and paper wouldn't be safe for a week.

   It seems that it is a traditional fold for the christmas
season in Denmark.  This may seem a bit long, but I was
*slightly* excited at finally finding the instructions.  It
is a 16 pointed star.  Eight flat triangular points that lie
in the same plane, and four raised points protruding from
either side of this plane.  If you are interested let me know.

-Stephan                              Stephan Poole
                                      4034 Walnut Street
poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu            Philadelphia, PA 19104





Date: Tue, 25 Apr 89 17:33:52 CDT
From: mjn@sbcs.sunysb.edu
Subject: Hello

Hi, I just joined the mailing list. My name is Marc Neuberger.

    E-Mail: mjn@sbcs.sunysb.edu

    USNail:
            Dept. of Computer Science
            SUNY at Stony Brook
            Stony Brook, N.Y.   11794

I started doing origami when I was around 8 or 9, but never advanced very
far. I was inspired to begin folding again a few years ago. I've found that
I have a lot more patience in my old age. I am especially fond of
John Montroll's stuff for its intricate detail.

I didn't see anyone mention it in the archives so: There was an article
in Discover last spring by Peter Engel. It was mentioned that he had a book
forthcoming. I finally called up Random House this February, and they
said the release date was April 20th. On April 20th, they said the release
 date was June 1st. Anyway, it sounds like it'll be out Real Soon Now. It's
called "Folding the Universe".

                                        Marc





Date: Fri, 28 Apr 89 09:56:29 EDT
From: brad%oread@cs.umass.edu (blumenthal @ home with the armadillos)
Subject: test with a difference....

They just restructured the file system my account lives in, so I figured
I'd better test the changes I made to the origami mailer.  Since I hate
messages that say "Test:  please ignore" I figured I would share one of my
latest origami projects.

I have been running a weekly, oh, electronic newsletter I guess you would
call it, here in the CS department.  Every week I post a new computer-
related trivia question.  We have an annual end-of-the-semester computer
bowl and party here, and for half time entertainment, I figured I would
award some prizes for those with the most trivial minds.  Basically, I
am folding up a bunch of Montroll bugs and glueing/lacquering them to
4x4x4 blocks of wood.  Sort of cheap-o trophies, as it were.  Any
suggestions (origamic or otherwise) for sprucing these babies up?

This was just a test.

Take care,
brad





Date: Fri, 5 May 89 15:23:58 PDT
From: babcock@Sun.COM (Gigi Babcock x66385)
Subject: items to fold from a dollar bill

When I was younger I had a book that showed how to make a chinese
junk (boat) and other items from a dollar bill. of course I can
no longer locate the book or remember the title (it was a long time
ago). Any pointers?

Thanks.

-- gigi

------------
Gigi Babcock ..!sun!babcock
Sun Microsystems, 2550 Garcia, Mailstop 14-49, Mt. View, CA 94025

No human relation gives one possession in another - every two
souls are absolutely different. In friendship or in love, the two
side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach
alone.                                      -- Kahlil Gibran





Date: Wed, 10 May 89 12:58:20 EDT
From: mallow@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Eric Mallow)
Subject: Origami paper

   Hello. I'm a graduate student in computer science at the University of
Pennsylvania, and I'm new to this newsgroup. I've been folding origami for
years, and it has been quite interesting to read the comments published
here. Since the type of paper used is always of central importance, I'd
like to mention that my favorite paper for folding is Eaton's Corrasable
onion skin typing paper. This paper is exceptionally thin, yet due to the
plasticizers which are added to the paper to make it erasable, it is
extremely strong and holds a crease very, very tightly. This paper displays
absolutely no tendency to fray or weaken, even after multiple foldings and
flexions. It's thinness and its ability to hold a crease make it superb for
small complex models since the tendency for a model folded from this paper
to expand is minimal. The other side of this is that the paper is best
suited for accomplished folders, since it is difficult to remove or correct a
crease. I have only seen it available in white, but its folding characteristics
outweight this limitation, for me, anyway.

                                                    Eric Mallow

Department of Computer and Information Science
University of Pennsylvania





Date: Wed, 10 May 89 16:20:16 EDT
From: poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Stephan L. Poole)
Subject: origami paper

Why do folders pick the particular type of paper that they use?  How
does the type of paper affect the characteristics of the finished fold?
These are questions which I constantly try to answer.  Originally I used
your basic *K-mart* type paper because it was all I could find.  The
lines were not always crisp but there were more than enough colors and at
least one or two pieces of foil paper.  Later I found that I liked the
traditional Japanese paper, which is thicker and more fibrous (sp?),
because it gave the fold more character.

Now when I sit down to fold a piece of origami, part of the process is
deciding the type of paper.  The different papers give different looks
to the finished fold and it is not always easy to decide which will
accentuate the particular fold I am doing.  For masks and animals I use
the traditional paper for the body and boldness it gives to the fold.
When I fold the Rhino by Montroll I don't want a weak legged, thin
animal.  I want the strength and solidness of the rhino itself.  For birds
I often use the thin paper.  It is colorful and has a thinness of its
fold that captures the elegance of the birds themselves.  For small,
complex folds the first time around I agree with Eric Mallow.  Types of
typing paper are excellent for these.  The folds are clean and clear and
are ideal if you are using light as an element in its presentation.

But, how do you fellow folders feel about this?  What type of paper do
you use for different folds and why?  I am always open to suggestion
and would like to hear your responses.  Just recently I was talking
to a friend about this and he showed me one of his new papers.  It is
a delightful translucent paper with a stained-glass design.  I have just
started using it for folds that I hang in my window.

Happy folding,
Stephan

poole@eniac.seas.upenn.edu         In origami lies the complexity of
University of Pennsylvania         simplicity.





Date: Mon, 19 Jun 89 22:30:48 CDT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (blumenthal @ home with the armadillos)
Subject: Engel's new book and paper in Cambridge

Howdy fellow folders,

I was up in Boston last week, and I went by the Children's Museum
bookstore (I was actually at the Computer Museum next door, but I
couldn't resis hunting up some origami material).  It's down on wharf,
off of Milk Street, just across from the Boston tea party ship.  If
you're in the area, they have a nice selection of origami paper and a
few pretty good books.

The big find was Peter Engel's new book: _Folding the Universe --
Origami from Angelfish to Zen_.  I haven't read through the whole
thing yet, but it looks wonderful. There are about 25 folds presented,
including three money folds.  The big difference about this book, is
that he spends the first 80 pages or so discussing the theory of
origami and its relation to Escher, Mandelbrot, Yoshizawa, geometry,
mathematics, music, fractals, architecture, art, and yes, even zen.
What I've read is a very well thought-out discussion which does
nothing to detract from the beauty and creativity of origami.  He has
managed to examine the bird without killing its song.  In addition,
the origami literature is very well researched with a large
bibliography (one of the references is to Montroll's _Origami
Sculptures_ (1988).  Is this Montroll's long-awaited book?  Is it
really out?  Has anyone seen it yet?)  Of course, after paying full
price at the Museum, I found it for less at Wordsworth in Harvard
Square, so it's out and around.

As for the folds, he shows some very simple ones in his discussion of
the regularity of origami bases (he shows how the kite base, the fish
base, the bird base, and the frog base embody 2, 4, 8, and 16
repetitions of the same pattern respectively.  Fold them and unfold them
and look at the patterns of triangles).  Once he gets into his
original models, things can get very complex.  On many of the models
he recommends using an 18" square piece of paper for your first
attempt, and this looks like pretty good advice.  Does anyone know
where to find 18" erasable bond?

While I was in Cambridge, I stopped by the Harvard Square Art Centre
(sic.) (17 Holyoke Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-491-3883).  They
have a wonderful collection of rice and mulberry paper, as well as
foil.  It's a great experience just pawing through their drawers
(whoops, that didn't exactly come out right).  The paper comes in
sizes that are about 24" x 48", so with a paper cutter, you can make
any size you need.  Anyway, they were very nice, and said if you send
in a scrap of paper that you want, they can try to match it and send
some back to you.

Now, if I can just find the time to sit down and do a little
folding...

Take care,
brad





Date: Tue, 11 Jul 89 00:42:10 CDT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (blumenthal @ home with the armadillos)
Subject: Montroll's latest...

John Montroll's new book, _Origami Sculptures_, is out!  I got my copy
last week from the Friends of the Origami Center of America supply
center (whence it's been on back order since last September).  It has
24 folds, a couple of which I've seen before (goose, weevil).  In
addition, he introduces two new bases: Montroll's dog base (31 steps)
and Montroll's insect base (69 steps). From the dog base, he develops
a three of four dogs, a couple of camels, a horse, and a buffalo.
Price is $12.50.  I've tried a fold or two already, and it's typical
Montroll -- odd things with bases, weird folds along the way, paper
popping out from nowhere -- all that good stuff.

More good news for you Montroll fans: his next book which is called
something like Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric <something> is also
available from the FOCA supply center (the address is in my next
message).  I've sent off for it and will report when I get it.

Take care,
brad





Date: Tue, 11 Jul 89 00:42:55 CDT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (blumenthal @ home with the armadillos)
Subject: Silliness, money folds, and O.I.L.

Well, let's start this one off with a little silliness from the Top
Gun school of origami:

>Date: Mon, 3 Jul 89 13:39:45 EDT
>From: shoopak@topaz.rutgers.edu (Maverick)

>Well, after playing around with a dollar bill for a while I decided to
>whip up a bowtie ala Peter Engel.  Since you may not have a dollar
>bill, you can make one: 7x3 oris. (origami units :-)

>A square will yield three such strips of 9x3 oris, but you can trim
>off the top six oris.  C.V. : the 6-ori remnants can be further
>subdivided into two 3x1-ori pieces which will yield two 6-ori pieces
>will can be further subjected to the same ad infinitum ad nauseum.
>Thus one remnant replicates into two basic pieces so that 1->2->4->8
>etc,... but they also become exponentially smaller... (6/27)^n.  ick.

>I cite this because I personally hate to throw away paper remnants, I
>just make smaller folds. "Now if I take this gluon and open-sink-fold
>it into this passing muon, I could get a sub-hadronic-praying-welsh
>dragon. :-)"

>					rick.

Okay, folks, speaking of money folds, Stephan Poole and Gigi Babcock
were asking about money folds a couple of months ago.  In addition to
the various random sources (Friends of the Origami Center of America
annual Convention programs in particular), the current catalog form
the FOCA lists three books of particular interest: Caruba _Magic of
Folding Money_ 12 folds, $8.50; Cerceda _Folding Money Book_ 9 folds
$6.00; and Frenkil _Folding Money, Vol 2._ which is the one I
mentioned before, and which has a fold for each letter of the alphabet
along with several other folds -- elephant, peacock, ring, etc. $8.00.
(Gigi, I know Frenkil does not have the Chinese junk.  I don't know
about the other two).  The address for orders and/or catalogs is:

Friends of the Origami Center of America
c/o Phyliss Meth
40-05 166th Street
Flushing, NY  11358

Send a SASE to help keep their costs down.

And speaking of looking for folds, has anyone seen a hippo fold?

Back to the Mav':

>Date: Mon, 10 Jul 89 09:50:19 EDT
>From: shoopak@topaz.rutgers.edu (Maverick)
>Subject: O.I.L.

>	My math on the previous post was slightly messed up.

[Not to mention your partical physics :-) -- BBB]

>	Is anybody familiar with Origami Instructional Language by
>Smith?  I believe there is a book by Alice Grey (?) on it.  It allows
>a mathematical representation of folds, and thus analysis.  I was
>hoping to utilize it to trade folds and analyse on the net.

>						rick.

It's "Alice Gray."

BTW, gang, we're now over thirty members, and growing every time the
USENET list of mailing lists goes out.

Happy folding,
brad





Date: Fri, 11 Aug 89 11:52:57 CDT
Subject: Introducing...
From: Stephen D Carter <stevedc%syma.sussex.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK>

As you can tell I got the E-Mail reply to the request, so
you can now boast your first intercontinental member!  For now
though I'll decline the offer of ftp on the old mailings - maybe
you could give me some idea of the size?

About myself...

I first took up Origami in the 1960's - variously as a result of
Robert Harbin's books, meeting some Japanese students/schoolchildren
at an International Youth Science Fortnight in London (which we later
discovered to have been a CIA front!), and through friends at
University.

I joined the British Origami Society in 1969, and am member 17 (a fact
of which I am very proud.  In the early 70's I did a great deal of
folding - no inventing - and was very very influenced by Eric Kenneway
who I used to see quite often as his mum lived round the corner from me
in Brighton and he would come down every few weeks to see her.  I was
also very 'put off' by Eric (in the nicest sense) as he could fold
a bit of paper and get the angles *EXACTLY* right for the effect he
wanted,  whereas I would
labour for ages.  I still have one of his original Edward Heath
profiles.

I do much less active folding now than I used, although I still do from
time to time - more now that my daughter is of an age to want to, and be
able to do it.

Personally, I am Administration Systems Manager (which means in charge)
for the University of Sussex - not terribly exciting except it give
me access to brilliant E-Mail and Usenet facilities on one of the
other machines on the University campus.

I look forward to the first mailings.  Meanwhile I shall copy
over your Mail, print it and pass on to the

   BRITISH ORIGAMI SOCIETY.

Regards

Steve

Stephen D Carter, Systems Manager, The Administration,
The University of Sussex, Sussex House, Falmer, BRIGHTON, BN1 9RH.  UK
Tel: +44 273 678203 (Direct line). Tel: +44 273 606755 (Switchboard).
JANET : stevedc@uk.ac.sussex.syma
ARPA  : stevedc%sussex.syma@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
USENET: stevedc@syma.sussex.ac.uk
UUCP  : ...!mcvax!ukc!syma!stevedc
BITNET: ukacrl!sussex.syma!stevedc or stevedc%sussex.syma@ukacrl





Date: Tue, 29 Aug 89 17:22:03 EDT
From: fibercom!dwm@uunet.UU.NET (David W. Minnich)
Subject: Source of texts, source of bulk paper, folding flowers (long)

Hi!

Just a note to introduce myself to the group and make sure I've really been
added to the list.

I've been folding for about 15 years, trying everything from simple figures,
to complex figures, to modular structures.  I am interested in just about
every aspect of origami, but below are a few particulars.  Since I haven't
yet gotten my copy of the archives, I don't know if any of these topics have
been discussed or not.  If so, let me know.

1) What is a good source for origami texts.  The books available from most
bookstores are passable starter texts, but I'm looking for something more
in-depth.  Possibly some Japanese books?  One thing that really frustrates me
is to look through a book and see a photograph of an especially nice fold, only
to find out that nowhere in the book is the fold described.  Now, I can figure
some of them out myself, but the more complex ones get a little tough :^).

2) Paper.  From time to time I make large batches of origami flowers (primarily
for arrangements which get used in weddings, receptions, etc.).  By large
batches I mean between 500-1000 flowers.  It would be really handy if I could
buy a given color of paper in bulk (i.e. 100 sheets of this, 300 sheets of
that).  Does anyone know of a source which sells paper this way?  I've found
a few places which sell metallic paper this way, but not the regular colors.

3) Speaking of flowers, in Isao Honda's book, "The Art of Origami", he shows
a folding method for a lily and an iris.  The lily uses square paper, and the
iris uses an equilateral triangle. If you use this same technique with other
shapes of paper, the results can be very pleasing, yielding a very simple,
yet elegant, blossom.  The number of petals is determined by the number of
"corners" the original piece of paper had.  The ratio of petal length to
blossom size can be adjusted by "indenting the sides" of the piece of paper
you use.  (I know that phrase is meaningless, but continue reading and I'll
attempt to explain :^) Imagine a hexagonal piece of paper.  Each of the
vertices of the paper will eventually become the tip of one of the petals.
The completed fold has a full body with stubby, little petals.  Now imagine
a piece of paper the shape of a Star of David.  This piece also will have
six petals, but the petals will be proportionally longer than before, and the
body will be more trim.

                     A				
                    /\
                   /  \
            ______/    \______C
            \          B     /
             \              /
              \      .     /
              /      D     \
             /              \
            /_____      _____\
                  \    /
                   \  /
                    \/

The longer the distance ABC, the longer the petals will be with respect to the
body of the flower.  (This distance is increased by moving point B closer to
the center of the figure, D.  This changes the shape of the figure from a Star
of David to some other kind of 6-pointed star.)  The same concept applies to
any regular polygon.

You can get endless variations with this technique, and end up folding an entire
flower garden!

When I'm mass-producing these, I make a cardboard template of the shape I want,
then it is a simple matter of tracing and cutting to get my paper.  The finished
blossoms can be attached to florists wire and arranged with dried greenery for
a really stunning origami display.

David W. Minnich (dwm@fibercom)     INTERNET: dwm@fibercom.com
FiberCom, Inc.                      UUCP: ...!uunet!fibercom!dwm
P.O. Box 11966                      FAX: (703) 342-5961
Roanoke, VA  24022-1966             PHONE: (703) 342-6700, (800) 423-1183





Date: Fri, 8 Sep 89 13:45:11 CDT
Subject:  [REPLY]:  Joining Origami Mail-List
From: cs.utah.edu!caeco!i-core!beezer@wasatch.UUCP (Beezer)

Hello,

	I would like to introduce myself.  Actually, I am not
into this art-form as one might of hoped.  It was back when I
was a child that I had the knack of copying origami from my
sister without unfolding her model first.  It was a great past
time, and one of the most beautiful things we put on display.

	For some reason or other, I lost that knack for mimic-
ing... and past by this group on the 'public mail-list' file.
Give me a bit'o time, and I'll soon have the knack again.

Cordially,

   A. DALRYMPLE		beezer@i-core.uucp
			beezer@gateway.uucp





Date: Thu Sep 28 10:00:23 1989
From: mskelton@wrdis01.af.mil (Mark Skelton)
Subject: new member

greetings,
i'm mark skelton. i'm not to involved in origami but my wife is japanese and
she has taught a continuing education class on it. we have come accross
several good books on it at the japanese pavillion at epcot center at disney
world. they had one book which analyzed origami in mathematical formulas and
equations, theorems and such and showed how they came up with new creations.
anyway, i am passing this info on to her. she is currently in japan purchasing
a number of books for her translation job, and probably some origami paper also.
thanks!
                                       +------mark skelton------+
                                       | mskelton@wrdis01.arpa  |
                                       |mskelton@wrdis01.af.mil |
                                       +------------------------+





Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 11:40 EDT
From: Mutant Dude <WHR@ECL.PSU.Edu>
Subject: Introduction.

Hello fellow Origamists (?)

My name is Wade Reeser and I just joined the Mailing list.  I work at the
Applied Research Lab at Penn State, and work occasionally on my thesis in
Electro-Optics.

Some years ago I picked up some pocket guide to origami and started folding
birds and fish out of crappy notebook paper.  My interest waned as my creations
never seemed to hold a fold, or the eyes of a mask never took the proper shape.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that there is an easier way!  Soft and
pliable rice paper!  A few months ago I started up again when I received the
book "Folding the Universe: Origami from Angelfish to Zen" by Peter Engel.
Now if I could only figure what Origami has to do with my thesis...

I particulary like folding masks and things-with-wings.  Any references that
could be suggested would be welcome.

Wade Reeser,                  WHR@ECL.PSU.EDU





Subject: Where do I start?
Date: 28 September 1989, 12:05:26 EDT
From: CL249613@ULKYVM.bitnet

I am interested in getting started in origami.  Does anyone have any
suggestions on where or to whom I should go?

To answer a question of a previous post.  Bulk lots of colored paper can
often be found at a local copying store (like Kinko's).  If you cannot
buy the paper directly from them, I'm sure they will tell you the name
of their supplier.

Thanks

David Gossett
cl249613@ulkyvm.bitnet





Date: Tue, 10 Oct 89 10:32:22 edt
From: ks9%prism@gatech.edu (SMITH,KEVIN S)
Subject: introduction

Hi to origamists (?)!  I am a Research Scientist in Computer Science here
at Georgia Tech.  I have not even seen any origami for a long, long time,
and sight of this mailing list brought back memories...  So, I have no
real origami biography except a delight in crafts and what comes out of
something as unprepossessing as paper when treated properly.  I am particularly
interested in reading about techniques and patterns.

There, I've introduced myself.

Kevin Smith
kss@gatech.edu





Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 23:01:14 EDT
Subject: fold request
From: CL249613@ULKYVM.bitnet

Greetings.

Recently reading the archives of the origami discussion list I came upon
an article which discussed a grand piano fold.  I will beg borrow and
steal to get this fold.  Will someone please *please* photocopy it and
snail it to me.  I will gladly reimburse you for copy and postage costs.

I am fairly new to the scene or origami and I am still looking for a
nice rose, something with a raised fold, (I don't like the flat look
very much).  But it should be more flat that raised, like a bloom and
not a bud.  Can anyone say, 'Yes, I know just the fold he is looking
for?'  Well if you are, please mail it to me with the same garauntees as
above.

If you do have the fold I am looking for, please drop me a bit of e-mail
so I will know to expect it.

My Snail address follows

David Gossett
6132 Overhill Drive
Louisville, KY 40229-1160
United States of America
North America
Terra
Milky Way

Thanks....

David Gossett                        To err is human
cl249613@ulkyvm.bitnet                To forgive is divine
     Perfection is reality.            To moo is bovine
     Therefore God exists.              To bleat is ovine
            ----Descartes                To oink is porcine





Date:     Thu, 19 Oct 89 11:43 CDT
From: <SHARRIS%FNALC.BITNET@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject:  New Guy

Good day,

I am new to Origami list.

My name is Steve Harris and have been intrested in oragami
since I was 7 when a friend's father made me a bird and I sat
for two days trying to copy what he did.

My talent is limited to a bird and a fish (which I am
sure everyone knows) but am very excited about finding
a list where I might learn some new things !

I am located in Batavia, IL (it's snowing right now).

I hope this makes it through the gate. Anyway, that's me.

SHARRIS@FNAL





Date: Mon, 23 Oct 89 12:25:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ted McCabe <web+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: origami mailing list

Well, the mailing list message was delivered to the campus bboard system
so you might get other responses from people here at CMU.

Anyway, my name is Ted McCabe and I work for Carnegie Mellon.  I became
interested in origami at about the age of ten from one of those little
packets you can find sometimes that has step by step instructions inside
for four or five simple figures.  Then about four years ago I met
someone who mentioned that he knew how to make a unicorn and I asked if
he would give me one to work from.  That's when I started to get more
serious about origami.

Since then I have learned how to make a few other figures, but I find it
a slow process since I am adverse to getting figures from any of the
several origami books I have seen (not that they aren't any good, just
that I prefer to learn by finding a figure and then copying/improving on
it).  I suppose you can say that my specialty is two legged creatures
that stand only on their two feet.

-------
Not a real signature.		2112 Murray Ave. Apt. B
Ted McCabe			Pittsburgh, PA 15217
web+@andrew.cmu.edu		(412) 521-4952
If you don't try to understand, you shouldn't have an opinion.
-------





From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (blumenthal @ home with the armadillos)
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 89 16:49:48 CST
Subject: Some long overdue replies

Golly, I've been out of it for awhile here.  Some of this stuff goes
back to late August, and I've been meaning to reply for awhile.  But
there were conferences and demo deadlines and endless cetera.....
Anyway, some replies:

> Date: Tue, 29 Aug 89 17:22:03 EDT
> From: fibercom!dwm@uunet.UU.NET (David W. Minnich)
> Subject: Source of texts, source of bulk paper, folding flowers (long)

> 1) What is a good source for origami texts.  The books available from most
> bookstores are passable starter texts, but I'm looking for something more

Once again, I'll plug the Friends of the Origami Center of America.
They have the best selection of origami books I've seen.  Many are in
Japanese, Italian, Spanish, etc. (for those of you with foreign
language background, or those who just like  a chalenge).  Their
service is pretty good.  Membership includes a quarterly newsletter
with interesting ideas for origami and two or three new folds, a 10%
discount on supplies, and a number of other benefits.  If you are at
all interested in origami, I highly recommend joining.

The second best source for origami texts (and paper for that matter)
is museum gift shops.  I've found some of the more advanced books in
the gift shop of the Boston Children's Museum, the Dallas Museum of
Art, and the St. Paul Museum of Natural History.

The third best place is a really good art supply place.  Not just a
Charette or some other chain, but the sort of place that architecture
firms spend mega-bucks at.  These are a little harder to find (I had a
friend who worked for some architects which is how I found one in
Dallas).

> One thing that really frustrates me is to look through a book and see
> a photograph of an especially nice fold, only to find out that nowhere
> in the book is the fold described.  Now, I can figure some of them out

Yeah, we hate it when that happens.  I always think, "Nice fold, and I
bet there are scissor cuts and scotch tape on the back :-)."  One fold
that I've been working on is from the _Origami Omnibus_.  There's a
peacock fold that is marvelous, and the crease pattern is shown, but
not the folding steps.  I've been working on that one for months now.
The hints are on page 94 of the paperback version.  Anyone have any
ideas on how to finish off the tail?

> 2) Paper.  From time to time I make large batches of origami flowers
> (primarily for arrangements which get used in weddings, receptions,
> etc.).  By large batches I mean between 500-1000 flowers.  It would be

Just out of curiosity, how long does it take you to make a batch of
500 flowers?  By the time I include cutting the paper, folding, and
lacquering, the roses I make take 1.5 to 2 hours each.  Any tricks for
speeding things up?

> really handy if I could buy a given color of paper in bulk (i.e. 100
> sheets of this, 300 sheets of that).  Does anyone know of a source

Again, the Origami Center has this sort of thing.

> From: mskelton@wrdis01.af.mil (Mark Skelton)
> Date: Thu Sep 28 10:00:23 1989

> i'm mark skelton. i'm not to involved in origami but my wife is japanese and
> she has taught a continuing education class on it. we have come accross
> several good books on it at the japanese pavillion at epcot center at disney

I, for one, would certainly appreciate any references your wife might
be able to give us for good Japanese origami books.  I occasionally
have friends who go to Japan, and the Center offers a number of
foreign books, but it's a bit of a hit-and-miss proposition.

> Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 11:40 EDT
> From: Mutant Dude <WHR@ECL.PSU.Edu>
> Subject: Introduction.

> Hello fellow Origamists (?)

Well, "origamists" or "origamiests" strikes my ear as being right,
but according to Eric Kenneway in _Complete Origami_, the term is
"origamian" which started as the name of an origami newsletter and was
a reference to the Oregonian, an American newspaper.

> Now if I could only figure what Origami has to do with my thesis...

I hear that the designers of the HyperCube computer actually hired an
origamian to consult on the wiring of their backplane.

> I particulary like folding masks and things-with-wings.  Any references that

_Wings and Things: Origami that Flies_ is the book that Anne LaVin
recommended to me, and she's the MIT Aero and Astro major.

> Date: Thu, 28 Sep 89 17:38:44 EDT
> From: CL249613%ULKYVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
> Subject: Where do I start?

> I am interested in getting started in origami.  Does anyone have any
> suggestions on where or to whom I should go?

> David Gossett

My best recommendation is to find someone who knows how to fold a
crane or a fish or some other simple fold.  A lot of people learned
these simple ones when they were very young.  Get them to show you how
to fold one, or give you an example (I'm sure members of this list
would mail you plenty if you can't find anyone to show you how
locally).  Then find a book which has the same fold and use the example
to learn how the diagrams work.  After that, play with the rest of the
folds in the book, and start looking for new books.

Two good intro books are _The Joy of Origami_ by Toshie Takahama, and
_Japan's Creative Origami_ which is a small pocket book by Toyoaki
Kawai.  Both have a number of simple folds to get started with, but
still have some interesting folds.  I believe both include the basic
crane.

> Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 23:01:14 EDT
> From: CL249613%ULKYVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
> Subject: fold request

> nice rose, something with a raised fold, (I don't like the flat look
> very much).  But it should be more flat that raised, like a bloom and

Find a copy of _Origami for the Connoisseur_ by Kunihiko Kasahara and
Toshie Takahama, and look on pp. 128-131.  This is a wonderful rose
and can be finished to look like a full bloom or bud -- your choice.
You can improvise a stem for it, or look in Kenneway's _The Complete
Origami_ for an all-purpose utility stem.

-----------------------------------------------------

More coming soon.

Take care,
brad





Date: Fri, 10 Nov 89 09:32:08 EST
From: actnyc!jeff@uunet.UU.NET (Jeffrey Poretsky)

	Greetings,

Brad requested a "little origami biography"  so that's what you'll get.

I am a member of FOCA and was drawn into the fold by Mark Kennedy.  I've
attended two folds at FOCA in NY and consider myself an intermediate folder.

The type of folds I like best are modular constructions, and geometric
figures, with animal folds a close third.

I'm also very heavily involved in NYC fandom. (Member of NYU-SFS, contributer
to two NY APAs)

hopefully I'll be able to contribute somewhat regularly.

	'Till whenever

	I am

 Jeff Poretsky              uunet!actnyc!jeff      jeff@actnyc.UUCP






Date: Tue, 28 Nov 89 15:02:05 EST
From: dartvax!anselm!svalcour@harvard.harvard.edu (Scott    Valcourt)
Subject: Introduction

Hello.

My name is Scott Valcourt.  I'm a Sophomore Computer Science/Mathematics
major at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.  I'm originally from
Auburn, ME.  I first got into origami back in 1985, when I attended a
religious retreat.  One of the activities included reading a book, which
I can no longer remember the title, about a small Japanese girl who was
in the path of one of the H-bombs that was dropped on Japan.  As she was
dying, she knew of the story that if you made 1000 paper cranes, any
wish you made would come true.  Unfortunately, the girl died before
her cranes were completed.  So, our activity on the retreat was to try
and make 1000 paper cranes.  We didn't make it either.

One of the problems that we had was that we didn't know exactly how to
fold the paper correctly.  We knew the basics, like how to start and get
into it, but we didn't know how to end it correctly.  One of the wishes
that this committee has for this year is to find the proper way of folding
paper cranes correctly, in a logical, step-by-step method that can be
handed out.  If anyone knows this correct method, please post it, or
e-mail it to me.  It would make these people a lot happier, and maybe
next time they do this activity, they can make the 1000 cranes for peace.

I look forward to hearing more about some of the other projects that can
be done using origami.  I still have a lot to learn.

-Scott Valcourt 	UUCP: {rutgers,harvard}!dartvax!anselm!svalcour





Subject: Steve Valcourt's Introduction
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 89 20:14:11 EST
From: Anne R. LaVin <lavin@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>

Hi, all!  No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I just keep
meaning to answer the mail, really I do, but it keeps getting buried. :)

On the subject of cranes...

It's a little hard to define just what is meant by the "correct" method
for folding a crane.  There are lots of variations on the basic crane,
and I've seen them scattered over many books.  I usually just go by the
one that I like the most...

I have some readily-xeroxable directions for one crane (the "most
standard" one, I think, I've seen it the most often) and one variation
that's particularly nice (it's called a "nesting crane").  I'd be happy
to mail them to you, what's your US Mail address?

On to other stuff:

This January I will be teaching a class here at MIT (as part of the
Independent Activities Period, not a real course...that'd be the
day...) on Origami.  I've been doing it for the last 3 years.  The
class meets four times, for two hours each time, and ranges from a
beginner's class, to more advanced stuff, and one day of folding giant
origami out of 4ft x 4ft paper.

I *highly* recommend teaching origami!  It's lots of fun, and I still
can't believe the number of people who show up each year.  The giant
stuff is a real kick, too!  I'd be happy to talk about it more, if
anybody's interested.

Anne





From: mfci!murphy@uunet.UU.NET (Tom Murphy)
Subject: Re: your mail
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 89 0:02:43 EDT

> I have some readily-xeroxable directions for one crane (the "most
> standard" one, I think, I've seen it the most often) and one variation
> that's particularly nice (it's called a "nesting crane").  I'd be happy
> to mail them to you, what's your US Mail address?

Is it possible to describe origami with ascii? How is it done in this mailing
list?

>
> On to other stuff:
>
> This January I will be teaching a class here at MIT (as part of the

> stuff is a real kick, too!  I'd be happy to talk about it more, if
> anybody's interested.

I enjoy teaching, my wife teaches second grade. Origami would be a natural
there. Share your secrets.

--
Tom Murphy                        internet: murphy@multiflow.com
Multiflow Computer, Inc.          uucp:     uunet!mfci!murphy
12 Del Rio Ct                     fax:      (415) 943-1574 (call voice first)
Lafayette, CA 94549               voice:    (415)943-6293





Date: Thu Nov 30 12:04:44 1989
From: mskelton@wrdis01.af.mil (Mark Skelton)
Subject: 1000 cranes

the story of the thousand cranes is very interesting. in fact if you visit
hiroshima, at the memorial park you will find a monument to the children who
died which has a giant metal origami crane on top. on the inside there are a
thousand origami cranes made by school children. i guess they replace them
every so often.
