Rope is just a bunch of weak fibers until they are twisted together and put to work. Individually they would fail, but together they can hold the 240 ton USS Aries to the dock. These ropes aren’t just tools, they are art shaped by function, telling the story of resilience, strength, and time at sea.

A weathered door aboard the USS Aries tells a story in symbols. The bold red Z reminds sailors this door requires special attention during Condition Zulu, a readiness state where every door is closed, locked, and dogged tight. Strength, readiness, and resilience, etched in steel and time.

Don’t walk through this door without checking your pockets! A few loose coins or keys could leave a mark in a very unfortunate place. This is the aft door on the bridge of the USS Aries. Right outside is the surface-search radar dome. I wonder, how many seamen were burned by this thing?

I could spend weeks photographing the complex hydraulics and electrical systems of the USS Aries. Ever notice how something built for pure function can turn into accidental art? The patterns, the symmetry, the rhythm of the lines. What do you see first: the machine, or the design?

I wonder how many people walked past or drove through this back-alley puddle this morning. I wonder how many people didn’t stop to appreciate the world around us. I wonder how many did, and then promptly fell through what is clearly a portal to the mirror world.

I’m not sure what Peggy is up to, but she is definitely plotting something.

Oh my god oh my god oh my god (big breath in) omg omg omg We are at the @scalzi.com book tour and he just read the preface of his next book! #rabbitlife4eva