TeX.SX background to be used in a document

Question

Is the background here at TeX.SX copyrighted? If not, does any one know about a MWE which replicates the background on the webpage? I have always been amazed at it and would like to use it as a background of a document. I did some search on the webpage and I was able to extract the .png file below:

I would like to use it as a background for letterpaper size documents. One of the diagrams seems familiar; the one with the triangle. If am not mistaken it is similar to the one from TeXample.net.

Answer 1

The chemical reaction : Oxidation/reduction arrows, overhead and below, with oxidation numbers also

Elvish text : What package allows Elvish in TeX?

The middle part : I think these are the images used

http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/pancake-network/

http://texample.net/tikz/examples/rotated-triangle/

as one of them is mentioned already. Read more from the graphics design story here

Site Design Ideas (updated with mockup)

The rest looks like straightforward to replicate via math-mode, or I made it invisible during a simple contrast modification...

Answer 2

_Source

The (original) image was created using ePiX (available from CTAN). The source sphere.xp can be compiled using

elaps <options> sphere.xp

to produce

sphere.xp:

/* -*-ePiX-*- */
#include "epix.h"
using namespace ePiX;

const double k(2*M_PI/(360*sqrt(3))); // assume "degrees" mode

double exp_cos(double t) { return exp(k*t)*Cos(t); }
double exp_sin(double t) { return exp(k*t)*Sin(t); }
double minus_exp_cos(double t) { return -exp_cos(t); }
double minus_exp_sin(double t) { return -exp_sin(t); }

int main()
{
  picture(P(-1,-1), P(1,1), "2.5 x 2.5in");

  begin();
  degrees(); // set angle units
  camera.at(P(1, 2.5, 3));

  sphere(); // draw unit sphere's horizon

  pen(Blue(1.6)); // hidden portions of loxodromes
  backplot_N(exp_cos, exp_sin, -540, 540, 180);
  backplot_N(minus_exp_cos, minus_exp_sin, -540, 540, 180);

  pen(Red(1.6));
  backplot_N(exp_sin, minus_exp_cos, -540, 540, 180);
  backplot_N(minus_exp_sin, exp_cos, -540, 540, 180);

  pen(Black(0.3)); // coordinate grid

  for (int i=0; i<=12; ++i) {
    latitude(90-15*i, 0, 360);
    longitude(30*i, 0, 360);
  }

  bold(Blue()); // visible portions of loxodromes
  frontplot_N(exp_cos, exp_sin, -540, 540, 360);
  frontplot_N(minus_exp_cos, minus_exp_sin, -540, 540, 360);

  pen(Red());
  frontplot_N(exp_sin, minus_exp_cos, -540, 540, 360);
  frontplot_N(minus_exp_sin, exp_cos, -540, 540, 360);

  end();
}

Possible outputs:

• LaTeX's picture environment; elaps sphere.xp

• PSTricks; elaps --pst sphere.xp

• TikZ; elaps --tikz sphere.xp