Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

Seramon, ancient priest of Thebes, died 3000 years ago. His remains have lain in state in France since 1851. As per their tradition, Seramon’s organs were removed and amulets were placed in the cavity to accompany until the next life. Using VolumeGraphics VGStudio Max, a CT scanner and Apple Cinema Displays, scientists have been able to examine the amulets of Seramon without disturbing or desecrating the remains. Glass eyes, an amulet necklace, beeswax figurines of the sons of Horus and a dung beetle amulet were documented visually.

My favorite piece, Seramon’s mummy contained a scarab amulet. The amulet is a carved image of a sacred dung beetle that represented his heart. The underside of the scarab amulet is inscribed with Spell 30B of the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells and incantations. The spell implores his heart not to testify against him when it is weighed in the judgment ceremony:

O my heart which I had from my mother!
O my heart which I had from my mother!
O my heart from my different ages!
Do not stand up as a witness against me,
Do not be opposed to me in the tribunal,
Do not be hostile to me in the presence of the Keeper of the Balance.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA – Ever since I was a child, I have loved watching surfer films and surfing competitions on the things like The Wide World of Sports. One of my favorite restaurants is Islands. What draws me isn’t the food. Don’t get me wrong, I like it okay. It’s the surfing videos that run non-stop that I find most appealing. Hawaii’s north beach is one of my favorites for the pipeline. In the continental U.S., Mavericks is one of the best.

South of San Francisco near Half Moon Bay, Mavericks is known for challenging big wave competitions and was the death of Hawaiian surfer Mark Foo. Geologists have generated a high-resolution 3D map of the underwater terrain to discover why Mavericks delivers such magnificent waves. According to the researchers, “the abrupt topography of the bedrock reef at Mavericks causes wave energy to converge over the reef, causing the wave to rapidly slow down, shorten in length and substantially increase in height.” As waves get close to shore, their base begins to run into the seafloor, slowing the deeper parts of the wave. The shallower part of the wave keeps moving at the same pace, causing the wave to stand up and then pitch forward.

You can view an animation of Mavericks. The sweep of the undersea floor, its rapid rise, combined with the gaping mouth of the bay creates the powerful wave face so desired by competitive surfers.

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