About A-D.net

The Site

I've been designing websites since age eleven. In my more recent past, I had a website that was hosted for free called Cowslips. That lasted for about a year, and then I finally ditched them when they threatened to ban my site for "nude content" (I had some of my nudes up in my "artwork" section). For those of you who are interested, I have a screencap of my old layout over in my projects section, or you could just click here.

Anyway, after they threatened to ban me for such a silly reason, I said something to the effect of "To hell with that," and went and purchased my own web domain half a year later. I chose "Allotrope Dome" because I was fascinated by the concept of allotropy in chemistry. An allotrope is a form of an element that's structurally different from other forms of that same element, and thus physically manifests in a unique way. For example, diamond and graphite are both allotropes of carbon; they are composed of the same element, but structurally, they are arranged differently. Here are nine allotropes of carbon, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Why Allotrope Dome, then? For one thing, I'm drawn to the aesthetic appeal of molecular diagrams of allotropes. They're very pretty, no? It's fascinating to picture all the atoms in one allotrope rearranging to create another. I'd really like to make a Processing or web animation of a molecule transforming from one allotrope into another.

When I was browsing through various allotrope diagrams, some of them also invoked mental images of geodesic domes. A dome that's geodesic means that it's formed by triangular elements. They were created by Buckminster Fuller, an American inventor, architect, designer, engineer and futurist. He formulated the domes in an attempt to create a more energy-efficient, cost-effective type of dwelling space.

Conceptually and aesthetically, I'm just as fascinated by geodesic domes as I am by allotropes. Hence "Allotrope Dome" was born. Also, apparently I'm not the only one to note the visual parallels between certain allotropes and geodesic structures: a special allotrope of carbon, C₆₀, is known as the buckminsterfullerene due to its resemblance to Fuller's geodesic domes.

The Webmistress

"What can I tell you about myself which you have not already found out from those who do not lie?" — John Lennon

My name is Ariel, I'm a native of New York City, and I study art at The Cooper Union.

I'm a person who has slightly obsessive and very particular interests that may seem to contradict each other, yet ultimately converge in unexpected ways. I'd say the titles of "techie," "oddball," "nerd," "artist," "designer," and "eccentric" all fit me relatively well. I'm quirky as all hell, and some people like it and others don't.

I fall somewhere on a Venn diagram between an artist, a designer, a maker, a coder and a hobby engineer. Music is also one of my biggest loves, particularly classic rock and classical music. If you're ever up for sitting down and engaging in a five-hour-long listening session or discussion about Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Brahms or Schumann, I will be a happy panda.

I generally have far too many ideas for my own good. However, I take my work very seriously, and I aspire to go far in all my endeavors and inclinations. I've held numerous web design internships, including one at NASDAQ OMX this past summer. Lately I've also been participating in hackathons and competitions, such as Trinity College's Firefighting Robot Contest.

In addition to attending art school, I also live in Brooklyn and wear glasses, which has induced many a debate between my friends regarding whether I'm a hipster or not. I am partial to abandoned sites, androgyny, biking, books, the city, cheeses with pretentious names, chess, chocolate, dolls, doodling, graphic novels, guilty pleasures, guitars, the internet, introspection, keeping journals, late-night conversations, long walks, macabre humor, making up imaginary characters and stories, memes, music, music, music, music...oh yes, and music, pre-war buildings, small businesses, the subway, sarcasm, science, technology, Tetris and trees.

Anyway, enough of all that. I take commissions for drawings, paintings, cartoons, graphic design, and web design. I've been doing all three for years, and my clients have all given me positive reviews. To get an idea of my work, feel free to browse the projects section. If you're interested in hiring me or you want to see a copy of my resume, hit me up.

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