Albert Hofmann 1906-2008

Der «Vater des LSD», Albert Hofmann, ist im Alter von 102 Jahren gestorben...
(The “Father of LSD” has died at the age of 102)

Google's front page today seems almost like an unconscious tribute to Hofmann. The bouquet of metallic flowers is by Jeff Koons and forms part of Google's art season, but if seen as a psychedelic wreath it does seem like the most fitting for Hofmann.
In another curious coincidence, although Hofmann's death is not the lead story in any of the major Swiss papers - the headlines being taken by local politics - the odd one out is the Francophone tabloid Le Matin which leads with a report that ...une société de films pornographiques américaine a annoncé la mise en vente mardi d'un DVD montrant le musicien Jimi Hendrix en train d'avoir des relations sexuelles avec deux femmes, une vidéo amateur datant de 40 ans et acquise auprès d'un collectionneur... or that an American pornographic film company is to release an amateur film of Jimi Hendrix - who did more than a little bit to popularise Albert's discovery - performing live with two women. Sex, drugs and Rock 'n' Roll laughing in the face of Death. I quite like that.

To see a Berlin street artist's tribute, see
http://www.fensterzumhof.eu/102/berlin-friedrichshain-warschauer-strasse-drogen/
and to read Alex Grey on Hofmann:
http://beinart.org/modules/Word-Press/2007/05/10/cosm-journal-alex-grey-on-albert-hofmann/
German language obituaries:
http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/wissenschaft/entdecker_der_droge_lsd_gestorben_1.722874.html
https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/0,1518,550669,00.html

French-Swiss:
http://www.lematin.ch/fr/actu/suisse/le-pere-du-lsd-albert-hofmann-est-mort_9-146061

In English:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1912485/Albert-Hofmann,-LSD-inventor,-dies.html#continue