EXTREEEEEEEME origami!

I know it sounds like a MST3K skit, but Extreme Origami is a book by Kunihiko Kasahara that my origami-loving friend (yes, we exist) at work borrowed from the library and let me look over. It explores techniques that would make origami purists retch, such as cutting, curvilinear folding, weaving, etc.

I have a similar book by Kasahara (Amazing Origami) and found the same advantages and disadvantages in Extreme Origami: although the techniques were fascinating and the resulting sculptures were beautiful, the instructions were in cases, poorly written and difficult to understand. I've been working on some of the designs by trial and error and still haven't worked it out, and I've been doing origami for almost eight years.

So, if you're looking for mathematical concepts or beyond-the-box artistic origami thinking, take a look. If you're like me and are just looking for cool models to fold, you probably would want to skip this and pick up Origami for the Connoisseur (by Kasahara and others).

And if you're looking for extreme origami in the X-Games sense, take a gander at Jeremy Schafer (of the Bay Area Rapid Folders) who, in this video (requires RealPlayer), folds a crane from a flaming piece of paper while riding a unicycle.

Just goes to show, with a little thought and creativity, any hobby can become potentially dangerous.