Fusion Tartan

[Ivy Matt]

There’s a lot of ideas there. Are these just ideas, or are there some that people are actively working on now?

For quite a while I’ve had an idea percolating in the back of my mind: a Focus Fusion (or other fusion-related) tartan. It seems to me that it might be a rather small niche at the intersection of two very different markets but, then again, it seems there’s a tartan for everything these days, so who knows?

[Rezwan]

Ivy Matt wrote: There’s a lot of ideas there. Are these just ideas, or are there some that people are actively working on now?

These are ideas, things to put out to the wide world to exercise your generativity and creativity.

For quite a while I’ve had an idea percolating in the back of my mind: a Focus Fusion (or other fusion-related) tartan. It seems to me that it might be a rather small niche at the intersection of two very different markets but, then again, it seems there’s a tartan for everything these days, so who knows?

That’s brilliant! I love it. How random. Make it happen, I’d love to see what a fusion tartan looks like.

[Ivy Matt]

Rezwan wrote: I’d love to see what a fusion tartan looks like.

You know, so would I. I haven’t seriously thought about it yet, though. Some of the more recent tartans are highly symbolic, e.g. “The red line symbolizes the blood spilt by our MacGuffin ancestors in defense of their country”, or “The seven white lines signify the stars of the Pleiades”, but my own personal philosophy of tartan design is that the aesthetics (admittedly highly subjective) are much more important than the meaning…and the meaning can often be shoehorned on post hoc.

There are some “cause” tartans that contribute a certain percentage of funds to a cause, but I’m not sure exactly how that would work, other than that a single supplier, or at least a limited number of suppliers, would be required. I’m still a bit sketchy on the economics of designing (and possibly registering) a new tartan, especially if it is to be woven in heavyweight worsted wool (i.e. kilt fabric). On the other hand, a simple web graphic of a tartan may at least qualify for copyright, and possibly also trademark protection.

Just thinking out loud, mostly. %-P

[Rezwan]

This is great! And it deserves its own thread. I think we need a whole “consumer products” Forum category. I’ll set that up.

It’s in the queue.

[Ivy Matt]

I haven’t forgotten this topic, nor have I been idle. After a few false starts I eventually ended up with a design I like. I used the Crawford tartan as a starting point for the colors (I have Crawford ancestors, among others), but I also looked at online images of woven tartan cloth for reference. Despite my philosophy of tartan design, I quickly came up with meanings for the colors. I haven’t decided exactly what the crimson stands for. My first thought was that it’s for the deuterium plasma being used in the FF-1 so far. I later thought maybe it could represent the hydrogen part of the p+B11 reaction, or even elements in other aneutronic fusion reactions, such as helium or lithium. The green represents the boron plasma (I’m guessing a boron plasma will look like a boron flame), and the white represents the energy released in a fusion reaction. I’ve decided to call it the Aneutronic Fusion tartan. I have also worked on a blue/green variation of this tartan, to represent the Focus Fusion Society, but so far I haven’t been satisfied with the results.

Attached files

[Dr_Barnowl]

As soon as I saw the title, my thoughts were about the spectral wavelengths of elements involved. I suppose with tartan, you might also be able to work the actual gaps between the spectral lines into the design 🙂

[vansig]

i thought the whole concept was patently absurd.

but, it is actually a nice looking tartan

[Ivy Matt]

Dr_Barnowl wrote: As soon as I saw the title, my thoughts were about the spectral wavelengths of elements involved. I suppose with tartan, you might also be able to work the actual gaps between the spectral lines into the design 🙂

Well, I hadn’t thought that deeply about it, but in fact I have had similar ideas about working binary codes into a tartan design. I do realize that the colors I used here (which are based on actual weavers’ colors) are only a rough approximation of hydrogen/deuterium/lithium/helium and boron plasmas/flames, but see my thoughts above about aesthetics. Also, the thing about tartan is that colors don’t need to be specified exactly, so this tartan could be blood red and forest green or bubblegum pink and lime green (which would probably be closer to the real plasma colors), and it would still be regarded as the same tartan.

vansig wrote: i thought the whole concept was patently absurd.

but, it is actually a nice looking tartan

Thank you. I’m not entirely sold on the idea of fusion-related consumer products (with the possible exception of plasma nightlights :cheese:) in general at this stage. Nor am I quite certain how to make this tartan a “consumer product”, as I have few connections with the tartan industry and wouldn’t know how to go about setting up a profit-sharing arrangement with one of the tartan mills. In fact, I’m not sure if making this tartan exclusive is what I want to do. Then again, introducing aneutronic fusion to a group of men (and a few women) whose numbers may be very small, but who collectively hold a fair amount of purchasing power (as evidenced by their ability to spend large sums of money on fine-quality, but nevertheless expensive clothing), would be a form of marketing, would it not? (Of course, tartan—or plaid here in the US—is not limited to expensive worsted wool kilts, but I have even fewer connections with cotton mills than I do woolen mills.)

[Rezwan]

Ivy Matt wrote:
Thank you. I’m not entirely sold on the idea of fusion-related consumer products (with the possible exception of plasma nightlights :cheese:) in general at this stage. Nor am I quite certain how to make this tartan a “consumer product”, as I have few connections with the tartan industry and wouldn’t know how to go about setting up a profit-sharing arrangement with one of the tartan mills. In fact, I’m not sure if making this tartan exclusive is what I want to do. Then again, introducing aneutronic fusion to a group of men (and a few women) whose numbers may be very small, but who collectively hold a fair amount of purchasing power (as evidenced by their ability to spend large sums of money on fine-quality, but nevertheless expensive clothing), would be a form of marketing, would it not? (Of course, tartan—or plaid here in the US—is not limited to expensive worsted wool kilts, but I have even fewer connections with cotton mills than I do woolen mills.)

This conversation is amusing.

You put it nicely! Now to contact Tiffany’s or some such to make limited edition expensive aneutronic jewelry for an upscale clientele and create awareness of aneutronic fusion thereby. And, of course, all income ranges.

[Rezwan]

Ivy Matt wrote:

As soon as I saw the title, my thoughts were about the spectral wavelengths of elements involved. I suppose with tartan, you might also be able to work the actual gaps between the spectral lines into the design 🙂

Well, I hadn’t thought that deeply about it, but in fact I have had similar ideas about working binary codes into a tartan design. I do realize that the colors I used here (which are based on actual weavers’ colors) are only a rough approximation of hydrogen/deuterium/lithium/helium and boron plasmas/flames, but see my thoughts above about aesthetics. Also, the thing about tartan is that colors don’t need to be specified exactly, so this tartan could be blood red and forest green or bubblegum pink and lime green (which would probably be closer to the real plasma colors), and it would still be regarded as the same tartan.

That is cool. Above and beyond. I think it was Inca’s who didn’t have written language – they used a complicated system of knots.

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