Updated sunflower progress graph - check it
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4146642/motionchart.html
Friday, 19 August 2011
Week 12
Afternoon folks,
Some incredible developments this week. Looks like we have our first flower....! Like Fuscia from the flames, George and Karen's previously-deceased sunflower has risen from the (potash)es and brightened up the social room with a pretty pink and yellow number.
Believed to be the first of its kind on the planet, a number of members of department have already made approaches to secure the specimen for research purposes (obviously pending confirmation of the flower's true germinal origin).
However, in the meantime it is just these sort of regenerative, reincarnationist properties that are sparking interest this week. Survival is the name of the game and brute upward growth is just one of many ways to stay ahead....
Given that the sunflower challenge has so far focussed mainly on height, this week takes a more holistic look at what could make the 'sunniest sunflower.' We talking about the Bruce Lee of sunflowers here - one that fuses a whole range of qualities, growth and defence strategies, real-world resilience, aesthetic value, and the sunflower's capacity for wider social benefit. The department is a complex ecosystem after all.
Tall plants, for example, are less likely to be fully-appreciated by admirers on a coffee break if their sunflower heads are squashed against the ceiling. Rob&Iain and Eilidh&Louis have shot to a very impressive 2500mm+, but what use is this if the sunflower itself is out of view? Shorter plants (such as the more modest stems of Rob, Justyna, Shaun and Willie, Donald, Gemma&Adam) are now jostling for position in the lower canopy to spread the sunshine effectively when the flowers eventually bloom.
Not only are the smaller, more compact plants well-placed to spread the love, but they are more likely to survive the real-world test. Take those supportive garden canes away and stick them outside in a force 9 gale, and it would be interesting to see which ones are still standing.....
Florence & Roger have produced a fine and sturdy trunk for this purpose, and Justyna's plant seems to be standing proud at 1320mm with minimal help from a small cane.
And what looked to be a retrograde move by Zara's sunflower is now proving to be a clever growth strategy, the stem forming a clear 'u-bend' enabling it to soak up the rays unobstructed by other plants....
Although George and Karen seem to have reared the first flower, there is still keen interest in how flowering will affect the plants' overall growth. Unflowered buds have now developed on the plants of Sunny, Lesely, Nick, Willie and Rob. How this will affect their prospects is unclear. Some plants look so gangly that any extra weight at the top could see them rueing the day that they didn't adopt the Zara u-bend strategy.
Anyhow, it's clear that the sunflower field is beginning to diversify and perhaps increasingly reflect some of their carers' own qualities..... Here are the measurements this week (coloured entries reflect 'unflowered bud' status).
Some incredible developments this week. Looks like we have our first flower....! Like Fuscia from the flames, George and Karen's previously-deceased sunflower has risen from the (potash)es and brightened up the social room with a pretty pink and yellow number.
Believed to be the first of its kind on the planet, a number of members of department have already made approaches to secure the specimen for research purposes (obviously pending confirmation of the flower's true germinal origin).
However, in the meantime it is just these sort of regenerative, reincarnationist properties that are sparking interest this week. Survival is the name of the game and brute upward growth is just one of many ways to stay ahead....
Given that the sunflower challenge has so far focussed mainly on height, this week takes a more holistic look at what could make the 'sunniest sunflower.' We talking about the Bruce Lee of sunflowers here - one that fuses a whole range of qualities, growth and defence strategies, real-world resilience, aesthetic value, and the sunflower's capacity for wider social benefit. The department is a complex ecosystem after all.
Tall plants, for example, are less likely to be fully-appreciated by admirers on a coffee break if their sunflower heads are squashed against the ceiling. Rob&Iain and Eilidh&Louis have shot to a very impressive 2500mm+, but what use is this if the sunflower itself is out of view? Shorter plants (such as the more modest stems of Rob, Justyna, Shaun and Willie, Donald, Gemma&Adam) are now jostling for position in the lower canopy to spread the sunshine effectively when the flowers eventually bloom.
Not only are the smaller, more compact plants well-placed to spread the love, but they are more likely to survive the real-world test. Take those supportive garden canes away and stick them outside in a force 9 gale, and it would be interesting to see which ones are still standing.....
Florence & Roger have produced a fine and sturdy trunk for this purpose, and Justyna's plant seems to be standing proud at 1320mm with minimal help from a small cane.
And what looked to be a retrograde move by Zara's sunflower is now proving to be a clever growth strategy, the stem forming a clear 'u-bend' enabling it to soak up the rays unobstructed by other plants....
Although George and Karen seem to have reared the first flower, there is still keen interest in how flowering will affect the plants' overall growth. Unflowered buds have now developed on the plants of Sunny, Lesely, Nick, Willie and Rob. How this will affect their prospects is unclear. Some plants look so gangly that any extra weight at the top could see them rueing the day that they didn't adopt the Zara u-bend strategy.
Anyhow, it's clear that the sunflower field is beginning to diversify and perhaps increasingly reflect some of their carers' own qualities..... Here are the measurements this week (coloured entries reflect 'unflowered bud' status).
| Adam/Gemma | 1300
|
| Amy/Lyndsey | 2010
|
| Caroline | 1420
|
| Donald | 1440 |
| Eilidh/Louis | 2500 |
| Eliza/Vic | 1975 |
| Emma/Leoni | 0 |
| Florence/Roger | 2290
|
| George/Karen | 80
|
| Iain/Rob/Liam | 2570
|
| Justyna | 1320 |
| Lesley | 1500 |
| Matt | 1770
|
| Natalie | 735
|
| Nick | 1990
|
| Rob | 1510 |
| Roman | 1290 |
| Shaun | 730 |
| Sunny | 1920
|
| Willie | 1620 |
| Zara | (84)1600 |
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Week 11
Perhaps the post last week was an omen..... there are signs of flowers starting form! But only on the plants of Sunny, Willie and Rob.
These plants are getting MASSIVE, we might need a ladder to measure them soon, but someway to go to beat the world record height of 26ft 4in now that is massive. The pace is still being set by Iain, Rob and Liam closely followed by Eilidh and Louis. Not so good news for Zara's plant which has possibly suffered from lack of support and is slowly trying to form a square....
Hopefully there might be some flower action next week - you'll read it here first.
This link should hopefully work and waste a few minutes of your day - http://db.tt/9thTR3s
Here is the progress as of 12 August:
0 Emma/Leoni
0 George/Karen
60 Shaun
61 Natalie
84 Zara (potentially 154)
118 Roman
120 Adam/Gemma
127 Justyna
134 Lesley
134 Caroline
139 Donald
143 Willie
143 Rob
170 Nick
174 Vic/Eliza
181 Sunny
194 Lyndsay/Amy
201 Roger/Florence
220 Eilidh/Louis
228 Rob/Liam/Iain
Matt ?
These plants are getting MASSIVE, we might need a ladder to measure them soon, but someway to go to beat the world record height of 26ft 4in now that is massive. The pace is still being set by Iain, Rob and Liam closely followed by Eilidh and Louis. Not so good news for Zara's plant which has possibly suffered from lack of support and is slowly trying to form a square....
Hopefully there might be some flower action next week - you'll read it here first.
This link should hopefully work and waste a few minutes of your day - http://db.tt/9thTR3s
Here is the progress as of 12 August:
0 Emma/Leoni
0 George/Karen
60 Shaun
61 Natalie
84 Zara (potentially 154)
118 Roman
120 Adam/Gemma
127 Justyna
134 Lesley
134 Caroline
139 Donald
143 Willie
143 Rob
170 Nick
174 Vic/Eliza
181 Sunny
194 Lyndsay/Amy
201 Roger/Florence
220 Eilidh/Louis
228 Rob/Liam/Iain
Matt ?
Friday, 5 August 2011
Week 10
First and foremost, a big thank you to Shaun for his regular blogging and meticulous data analysis throughout the month of July! August is upon us... sh*t just got real.
There’s been a bit of a ‘buzz’ surrounding the competition this week. And I’m not referring to the inane chatter that emanates from the tea room during lunch. No, ladies and gentlemen… I’m talking about THIS:
A photograph I took of the beast.
"I've never seen anything like it!" said Geoff Hancock. This, esteemed zoologists, is Calliphora vomitoria: the bluebottle. It seems to have taken a fancy to our beloved sunflowers, perhaps attracted by the smell of decay wafting from Natalie's shrivelled leaves or the graves of Leoni/Emma and George/Karen's unfortunate plants. In response to sightings of this beast, the Graham Kerr building has been swarming with entemologists all day.
This week brings even more exciting news: the sunniest sunflower crown, held by Eilidh/Louis for the past two months has at least been toppled! Rob and Iain are now sitting strong (a good 4 cm ahead) in first place. Louis "the gloryhunter" Kitchen is said to be so distraught that he left Glasgow this morning to go trekking through central Europe, in search of a stronger, continental flower.
Speaking of flowers.... they are flowers, aren't they? I mean, they do produce flowers. At some point. In theory. Hopefully before they start hitting the ceiling. Maybe next week's update will be more colourful....
Here's a run down of the scores:
| 0 | Emma/Leoni |
| 0 | George/Karen |
| 57 | Natalie |
| 59 | Shaun |
| 103 | Adam/Gemma |
| 109 | Justyna |
| 111 | Roman |
| 112 | Lesley |
| 116 | Caroline |
| 123 | Willie |
| 124 | Rob |
| 130 | Donald |
| 133 | Matt |
| 140 | Zara |
| 146 | Sunny |
| 147 | Eliza/Vic |
| 155 | Nick |
| 170 | Amy/Lyndsey |
| 190 | Eilidh/Louis |
| 194 | Iain/Rob/Liam |
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