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Comment by Nadya | Hacker News Reader

When I visited Japan I was surprised when my language partner's son had such a huge interest in moss of all things. Where I live in the U.S, moss is largely an unwanted thing akin to mold. Yet here was a man telling me the names of each kind of moss we passed and telling me certain characteristics of them.

I feigned my interest in moss as best as I could. I understand its implications in rock/moss gardens and when a colony is maintained properly it does look rather nice... but to me it is still just moss.

I have a feeling that I simply don't "get it".

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> I have a feeling that I simply don't "get it".

As opposed to the bizarre ritual of obsessing over a manicured grass lawn that serves little purpose.

Beauty and purpose are often completely at odds.

There's nothing wrong with not "getting it" - it simply means his fancies lie elsewhere. I didn't read his comment as critical of moss loving, just a recitation of an anecdote where he was the observer.

I freaking love moss since I can remember. I'd visit the hell out of all these places. I don't know why. There's something about their shade of green that is shouting "Life".

How do you feel about mushrooms, flowers, or trees?

I know HN is mostly interested in computers, but plants have some very interesting things to learn about. I like mushrooms and succulents because of the huge variety you can witness - once you start looking at particular things, you see types you've never seen before quite often.

> I know HN is mostly interested in computers, but plants have some very interesting things to learn about.

Indeed, and you can even study them in the context of algorithms: http://algorithmicbotany.org/ - discovered this while reading about L-systems, I find it really fascinating.

Hey, Cory here. I'm a (relatively new) member of that lab.

I think the coolest thing on the site is the book The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants. The PDF is available in the publications section.

TreeSketch is also interesting. There's a fairly approachable paper about it there too. Unfortunately, keeping up with regular maintenance for an iOS App is quite painful for a university lab. It was removed from App Store after its last maintainer moved on, but there has been some discussion about relisting it.

Is the source code of TreeSketch publicly available? If not, is possibly any chance of releasing it?

Sadly, I think the answers are no and no.

I don't see it as much different than obsessing over the different varieties of hardware in a computer; it's a form of nerdery, but directed at natural philosophy rather than made items.

> directed at natural philosophy

Beetles are also big in Japan as the kids say. Bigger than moss even.

Makes me think of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle where Newton and other scientists of the time are doing fantastic work alongside pulling off butterfly wings and basically nerding out on nature.

> Where I live in the U.S, moss is largely an unwanted thing akin to mold.

I think that's due to the US attitude that nature is a thing to be controlled, not nurtured. Moss grows in its natural way, on top of other things, not in its own little individual pot or plot.

I think you may have a point - but national reserves and American's love of camping in the "uncontrolled wilderness" is also a strong counterpoint.

I was also careful to specify "where I live". The U.S is rather large and I'm sure moss gardens are popular in at least one region. Something I find people often forgetting is just how massive the U.S is. Including the people who live in it!

America invented the National Park in fact. One of our nation's innovations I am particularly proud of.

The attitude that moss is like mold or that nature is to be controlled doesn't seem like "American" attitudes as far as I've ever heard. I try to speak up whenever I hear people generalizing about the country. The US is extremely diverse and there are tons of preserved areas as well as developed areas. It would be like trying to sum up an attitude of all of Europe regarding moss. It's silly.

Personally I have never really given moss that much thought, it's just something that is around like grass or dirt. Some people are into watching birds, others find that boring. Moss doesn't seem that interesting to me but I'm sure it can be fascinating if you get into it.

Well, there are both attitudes in both places referenced. In Japan, in contrast to moss, beaches are to be covered in concrete and the ocean controlled by tetrapods[1]. So there are areas where Japan believes in controlling nature.

[1]http://japanfocus.org/-stephen-hesse/2481/article.html

Right. It's like a weed. It's a sign of disrepair.

I'm not saying it's not beautiful in its own way, but it's hardly a uniquely American attitude to consider a sign of neglect undesirable.

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