In Soviet Russia, sponge soaks you

February 2, 2007 12:37 PM

Dr. Jeannine Mosely finishes building a level-3 Menger sponge from business cards. You can also build your own, though Dr. Mosely warns, "[a] level 4 sponge would require almost a million cards and weigh over a ton. I do not believe it could support its own weight — so a level 3 is the biggest sponge we can hope to build." (related)
posted by Blazecock Pileon (19 comments total)

A worthy sponge, indeed.
posted by Mister_A at 12:40 PM on February 2, 2007

Great link! Thanks!
posted by watsondog at 12:48 PM on February 2, 2007

Sponge-worthy!
posted by yhbc at 12:55 PM on February 2, 2007

When I used to work in a tech-support call center, I'd keep my hands busy with post-it note origami. Did a level 2 sponge once, that was plenty time-consuming enough. I can't imagine the determination necessary to spend nine years building a level 3. Impressive!
posted by rifflesby at 1:03 PM on February 2, 2007

Hey, my roommate used to work with this woman. Cool! He'll be gratified to know that she's still doing her business card thing.
posted by alms at 1:09 PM on February 2, 2007

now all she needs is an elephant and a large bathtub
posted by pyramid termite at 1:15 PM on February 2, 2007

Okay, how many people just made a cube out of six of their business cards? I did!
posted by yhbc at 1:21 PM on February 2, 2007

The Institute for Figurin' rocks!
posted by R. Mutt at 1:23 PM on February 2, 2007

So awesome. Still and always one of my favorite conceptual structures. I look forward to the advent of a nano-machined depth 10 Menger paperweights.
posted by cortex at 1:26 PM on February 2, 2007

We need to get her together with my buddy, Brian Berg, world champion card stacker.
posted by Muddler at 1:36 PM on February 2, 2007

The IFF does rock; I'd had no idea that such a thing existed.

For those of us who don't have piles of business cards but wanted to build a conceptual model anyway, the bottom of this link has a pdf to build a hyperbolic soccerball: Crocheting the Hyperbolic Plane.

"Warning: the finished product will not be ball-shaped."

Part of the IFF's ongoing relationship with the ever-excellent Cabinet.
posted by felix grundy at 1:46 PM on February 2, 2007

Every job I've had has given me business cards and I've never known what I was supposed to do with them. Now I know.
posted by octothorpe at 2:37 PM on February 2, 2007

Fun! What a nice Friday diversion...
posted by owhydididoit at 2:48 PM on February 2, 2007

Nifty. I guess to compete I'll have to finish my fully-functional origami Lament Configuration.

It would be easier, except I have to fit so much empty space in there. So much...
posted by quin at 3:20 PM on February 2, 2007

This is EXACTLY why I still come here after 5 years.

F*ck the geeky photos of Bill Gates.
posted by Frasermoo at 8:20 PM on February 2, 2007

So. How 'bout dem scientists, eh.
posted by oxford blue at 8:31 PM on February 2, 2007

There's a project that hopes to produce a level 4 sponge.
posted by SemiSophos at 10:16 PM on February 2, 2007

Are you deaf man? It can't be done! It just can't be done! *starts sobbing*
posted by oxford blue at 2:58 PM on February 3, 2007

T+S+C=M₂-Pc
posted by tellurian at 3:10 AM on February 4, 2007