* Is this kind of visual analysis useful to those of us who focus on words?
* And, if so, can it be used to help combat the drivel we encounter out on the intellectual playing fields of society?
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Despite what many newspapers will assuredly tell you, Raptorex isn't the ancestor of Tyrannosaurus although it probably looked very much like what this hypothetical animal would have done. It's more like an early cousin, but one that's clearly more closely related to T.rex and its giant kin than any of the other smaller species so far discovered.
You can read all about it over at the marvelous Not Exactly Rocket Science blog. And watch carefully for the depiction of the teeny-tiny brain these creatures had (but apparently a very good sense of smell.)
A performance requires: four helicopters, each equipped with a pilot and sound technician, television transmitter and 3-channel sound transmitter, and an auditorium with four columns of televisions and loudspeakers, a sound technician with mixing desk, and a moderator (optional), as well as the members of the string quartet. The piece focuses on the simple idea of a string quartet, with the rotor blades acting as a second instrument, with microphones placed so the helicopters may blend with the instruments themselves, whilst the instruments remain louder than the blades. The piece is played as follows. A moderator, who may be the sound technician, introduces the quartet, and then explains the technical aspects of the piece. The players must then walk, or be driven if necessary, to the helicopters, always being visible to the auditorium audience by camera. The embarkation is also shown, the musicians and instruments remaining constantly in the view of the cameras, with no camera changes. Behind each player the ground can be seen, as well as the glass. Then the piece begins. The original version lasted approximately 18½ minutes, but the 1995 revision was extended to 21½ minutes. The helicopters circle at a radius of 6 km from the auditorium, changing altitude constantly to create the 'bounce' of the piece. All 12 incoming signals are controlled by the sound technician. The descent lasts five minutes, with the decreasing sound of the rotor blades acting as a background as the quartet re-enter the hall. The moderator then takes questions and leads applause.Here's a short excerpt:
Nowadays, when a musician's performance is characterized as "unplugged" it means that the normally electric instruments are not used, just "acoustic" ones. In this historic footage from 1960(!), avant garde composer John Cage is featured on the TV show "I've Got A Secret." Network television (when there were only three networks.) Prime time (when Prime Time actually was prime time.)
Figuring, I suppose, that the game of guessing his secret would be too difficult and, as host Gary Moore explained, to allow for sufficient time for the complete performance to take place, the game portion of the event was eliminated and Cage's secret was just announced. He would perform his composition Water Walk using: a water pitcher, an iron pipe, a goose call, a bottle of wine, an electric mixer, a whistle, a sprinkling can, ice cubes, 2 cymbals, a mechanical fish, a quail call, a rubber duck, a tape recorder, a vase of roses, a seltzer siphon, 5 radios, a bathtub, and a grand piano.
I suppose guessing the secret probably would have been a little on the difficult side.
There was, however, a glitch in the system. Two different unions were contesting which should plug in the radios. There was no resolution so the radios were to be unplugged for the performance. Cage explained his workaround before beginning the performance and the radios were not played although they were still used.
I haven't figured out yet why the other electrical gadgets (tape recorder and mixer) did not enter into the dispute. Maybe the sticking point had something to do with music or actors being broadcast over the airwaves.
Enjoy! Oh, yes, TV was mostly in black and white back then.
Originally from: WFMU's Beware of the Blog — A Radio Station That Bites Back
Kathleen's background includes being a bookseller, an author, a playwright, an editor, an educator, and — throughout it all — a feminist (she co-authored the classic Against Rape). Her diverse interests have reached a new stage with OneHistory.
Let's face it, American history is not what most of us have always thought it was. It is not a neat story written in a book or even a hundred books. Not only is it far from finished -- we're living it right now -- but it is far from being recovered, reclaimed, and recorded. So many voices have been silenced for so long that our historical chorus has often sounded like a brass band with only one trumpet and a beat up tuba.So, what is OneHistory trying to do about it?
OneHistory was founded ... for students, teachers, and the general public. Our aim is to have high-quality, accessible content for all levels of learners and for a variety of interests. ...As an example, I was pleasantly surprised to find an early plea for religious freedom — freedom of and freedom from — by an early (Native) American.Because of both personal experience and professional exposure, we are acutely aware of the educational difficulties faced by many children. That is why we have a number of features designed specifically for Hi-Lo readers. In addition, after witnessing the power that images from our book The Face of Our Past had on a huge variety of audiences, we began to explore the power of imagery as a teaching tool.
We at OneHistory are passionate about historic images and this site has a number of features designed to help people understand their power. Like a diary or other text document, an image is a primary document. And like a text document, a historic image must be read with care. In others words people must become visually literate. Toward that end, we have included an entire section of the site devoted to visual history.
Red Jacket (c. 1750-1830) was a Seneca leader and spokesman for the Six Nations. He gave this speech in 1805 in response to appeals by missionaries that his people convert to Christianity.An excerpt:
Brother, continue to listen. You say that you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to His mind; and, if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right and we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a Book. If it was intended for us, as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given to us, and not only to us, but why did He not give to our forefathers the knowledge of that Book, with the means of understanding it rightly. We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?If you get some time, go browse around OneHistory.org. I'm sure you'll find something new or interesting. If you can, recommend it to other students, teachers, or parents who might find it useful.Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why do not all agree, as you can all read the Book?
Let's keep more of our heritage from disappearing into the dustbins of history.
Part The Second:
One of my favorite stories about the Creator as an explanation of Nature is of the brilliant French scientist Pierre-Simon Laplace — math, physics, probability, celestial mechanics, planetary motions, statistics, astronomy, etc. As a frame of reference, consider that he's been described as the French Newton.
From the Wikipedia article on Laplace:
An account of a famous interaction between Laplace and Napoleon is provided by Rouse Ball:I don't know much about Lagrange except that his name comes up quite a bit in some more advanced fields of mathematics. It sounds like he was a Deist (at least) but my interest is more in Laplace's explanation.Laplace went in state to Napoleon to accept a copy of his work, and the following account of the interview is well authenticated, and so characteristic of all the parties concerned that I quote it in full. Someone had told Napoleon that the book contained no mention of the name of God; Napoleon, who was fond of putting embarrassing questions, received it with the remark, 'M. Laplace, they tell me you have written this large book on the system of the universe, and have never even mentioned its Creator.' Laplace, who, though the most supple of politicians, was as stiff as a martyr on every point of his philosophy, drew himself up and answered bluntly, 'Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là .' ("I had no need of that hypothesis.") Napoleon, greatly amused, told this reply to Lagrange, who exclaimed, 'Ah! c'est une belle hypothèse; ça explique beaucoup de choses.' ("Ah, it is a fine hypothesis; it explains many things.")
I had no need of that hypothesis.
He could do his work, even on the system of the universe — a somewhat large topic — and never need to invoke the crutch of God to help prop up his work. The mathematics, the science, the hypotheses, the theories, the observations, and probably so much more, were sufficient to synthesize a coherent theory of how the universe worked. I don't know enough to know how detailed his system was nor how well it has held up against the ravages of scientific scrutiny since then. But his reputation gives me a pretty good idea.
I noticed in my own life that I've had no need of that hypothesis either. Since acknowledging my atheism, I haven't had any reason to reconsider. In fact, I don't remember have any reason before then either. Being a Christian (ALC Lutheran) was just the way I was raised. The reasons I would have been a Hindu in India were the reasons I was a Christian in Oregon. I sang in the choirs, went to Sunday School, read The Screwtape Letters in early high school, went through the confirmation process, celebrated Christmas, watched the sun come up at Easter Morning services, and so on.
By late grade school, or very early high school at the latest, I was skipping Sunday School classes and could be found reading in the back pews of the empty church. I remember that one of the books I read in such a manner was Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian.
The history isn't the important part, though. It's the content: I have had no need of that hypothesis. I've never needed it to be good and kind — or even explain how to be good and kind. I've never needed it to understand what I can of science and mathematics, astronomy and biology, music and art, literature and dance, work places and sport fields. I'm not an expert in any of those (although I am pretty good in a couple) but as the years go by and my knowledge continues to increase, I find fewer and fewer areas where God (whether one or many) could be of help or is even relevant.
I grant that many other folks do have a need for the hypothesis. I think it is usually because they don't have anything else to help explain the world. They don't have science and sociology at their finger tips. They aren't used to critically examining anything serious or seriously. They don't know what other explanations or theories exist for their questions or dilemmas of the moment. But I don't try to "convert" them. If I can help, I will try to ask questions or provide another viewpoint or point them to a useful reference. If God or religion comes up, it's not from me.
Having "no need of the hypothesis" is not the same as denying the hypothesis. Denying the hypotheses of others usually ends up in a battle. I've been happier and more effective, I think, by using and sharing the theories and hypotheses that work for me. And there are becoming more of us that are comfortable with sharing the fact that we've had "no need of the hypothesis." And we aren't all staying silent all the time now. Forty-five years after those mornings reading on the oak pews, I'm comfortable talking about it.
The passing today of Sen. Edward Kennedy brings to end a period of my life in America. The Camelot dynasty has finally concluded. With his death and the recent death of his sister Eunice, it seems like all the links to the past have finally fallen away and we are on our own. I'm sure I won't remember finding out this morning on my 5am work break. But I remember where I was when I heard some of the other news ...
Mr. G's eighth grade science class, rightmost row, next to the back chair-desk, about 10 feet from the classroom door, late morning in Oregon: November 22, 1963. President John F. Kennedy shot and killed in Dallas, Texas.
High school senior, working after school at my dad's woodworking shop, stopping at the ice cream shop on the way home for dinner, listening to the radio as Dad went into the shop: April 4, 1968. Martin Luther King assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
High school graduation, early evening, checking our gowns and hats and shoes, milling about in the hallways while our parents and siblings worked their way into the auditorium, then sitting through the ceremony to get to the much more fun overnight lock-in of movies and such (The Guns of Navaronne was on the big screeen.): June 4-5, 1968. Robert Kennedy assassinated in Los Angeles, California. Somehow we found out about the initial shooting but then had no information until we got home the next day. He died about 26 hours after the shooting.
I've heard of many deaths since then but I don't remember any of the details surrounding getting the news. I suppose every generation has their own version of this. The recent death of Michael Jackson will probably be remembered by some the same way I remember the deaths of JFK, MLK, and RFK.
Thanks to The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2013 we can get an inkling of some potential communication barriers. Hopefully, forewarned is forearmed.
Below are some of my favorites from the list:
Sunday, October 23, 4004 BC
(via Kelosphy)
I can't believe I forgot this one on my initial list:
Occam's razor"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate" or "plurality should not be posited without necessity." Read more here at The Skeptic's Dictionary.
"entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem", roughly translated as "entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity."
Les Paul has died at age 94. Musician and inventor who changed the face of popular music forever.
"I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it's the right one,and it will probably whip the guy with 20 notes." -- Les Paul
Here he is at age 90:
You can also check out the video obituary at the New York Times.
Thanks for the memories!
In PreviousLifeTheLast, I was responsible for developing a wide range of marketing software with a financial bent (student loans, repayments, electronic applications with calculators, etc.) For one client, the calculation side was much more prominent than usual. But we had to do it in MacroMedia Director because it had to be pretty. And, because we could use a Designer rather than a Real ProgrammerTM.
The designer we chose was really good. He even became a pretty good programmer. But after he was gone, we had to do the final cleanup before distribution. Then, The Bug was found! I don't even remember who found it -- the client, our testers, our tech review? In any case, everything ground to a halt so we could get it fixed.
What was it? Sometimes, when clicking to leave an entry field or to go to another field, nothing would happen or the cursor would go to the wrong field. It took us hours to even come close to isolating the behavioral coditions, let alone diagnose the problem. Eventually, I put in debugging code to dump coordinates (because single-stepping wouldn't work since the problem code and the debugger both used the mouse!)
Finally, we saw it. In essence, the code was doing the following (in pseudo-code, I don't remember Director syntax anymore):
if (onMouseClick()) {
where = getMousePosition() ;
[ do additional processing ]
}
Obviously, FAIL!
One would think that an event like a mouse click would trap some pertinent information such as time, right/left/middle, position, etc., to then be used by the calling application. But, nooooooo .......
The program gets the information that a click has occurred and then has to ask for the current mouse position. So Director returns the information of the position at the time of requesting the position (or, worse yet, once Director gets done with whatever overhead and interrupts it may be processing.) So, if the button is clicked while the mouse is moving, the program gets the position of where the mouse/cursor has moved by the time the program gets around to asking for it.
Of course, if the position isn't anywhere close to where the click happened (even a few pixels may make a difference between a button hit/non-hit), it was anybody's guess what might happen.
I don't remember how we fixed the problem. But I do remember that a system should not be designed with that kind of object/event sloppiness.
I didn't go to many Pop concerts unless they were free -- like getting tickets because I worked in a record store. But, occasionally I did, and usually enjoyed them but they were often unmemorable. Some of the others, though, still stay with me.
For many of us from the Baby Boomer Generation, music was an important part of life. Fortunately, some of the music has lived on so we can even occasionally hear it on the radio -- if we know the right stations. Records (this was pre-CD) were crucial but so was the concert experience. I've decided to do a series of categorized posts recollecting many of the concerts I remember going to. They were an important part of shaping my musical aesthetic (several thousand LPs also contributed). Sometimes the extra-musical element was more important than the sounds -- when important, I'll talk about that, too.
As Frank Zappa said, "Music is the best." And live music is often the best of the music.
Many years ago, Robert Fulgham wrote "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten".
It wasn't very long but seemed to capture most of the important stuff.
In the same spirit, I've put together a list of what else I've learned. Again, it's the important stuff, not the trivia like multiplication tables or calculating the present value of a future stream of income or the structure of sonnets or the historical development of the sonata form.
I hope some of it will be useful to my kids now that they are on their own (or will be way too soon.) Each bullet is probably worth a post of its own -- maybe if I can find the time I will do that.
Your mileage may vary.
A couple of weeks ago, I officially became Really Old Minus One (59 years old). What was it like back then?
Lin Brehmer of Chicago's WXRT is one of bright spots of Chicago radio. He has been around for years; his erudition and taste stand out like a beacon above the wasteland of so much of the pap that clutters our airwaves. One of my favorite things is his listener-inspired Q/A segments -- Lin's Bin.
When driving home from a night in the warehouse, his often suprising but never dull thoughts on a topic brighten the morning even more than the struggling sunrise. He gives me hope that intelligence, literacy, and awareness have not lost the culture wars yet.
Although Lin is a few years younger than me, his remembrance of childhood tracks really well with mine:
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