Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Book review of the day: the essential John Nash
- What
- A short intro followed by Nash's PhD thesis and a collection of his most important papers.
- Where
- Buy it at Amazon
- Why
- So the next time you're having trouble filling in the blank in "If you think you're so smart why don't you ...", you can hand them your copy.
- But
- Amazon's readers give the book 4 1/2 stars. Maybe you missed something as you were flipping pages looking for a lay explanation of his papers.
- Right
- This quote is representative of those reviewers' comments:
Chapter 12, 'Continuity of Solutions of Parabolic and Elliptic Equations' is like 'dessert' for anyone who is intensely interested (as I am) in modular functions.
I'm sure readers of this blog have a passing fancy at best with elliptic equations.
quote of the day
"I'm not interested in doing some obscure punk rock cover record. I wanted to do something really really big." - Patti Smith, on 12.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
My Wiseman Decades
The exact details are blurry. Reports of Blue Rodeo losing their keyboard player because he wanted to make more challenging music. Rodeo was listenable enough, making the kind of music you don't mind hearing at dentist's office. Then rumors that said keyboardist, Bob Wiseman, would be playing with Jane Siberry at Zaphod's, a small club in Ottawa. (There might be some more details in a boomerang tournament report from that summer of '92, if anyone feels like spelunking for the link -- I personally remember every word of it as if I wrote it yesterday.) The show itself, held at 4 in the afternoon on a Sunday, was packed. Karen's friend surreptitiously taped the show on a no-name type-I cassette (it's only a bootleg when a European or Brazilian publisher gives it an awkward title), but the music is drowned out by chatter, and doesn't capture what went on there. I saw Siberry perform a couple of times after that, but it was Wiseman who was definitely worth watching.
Somewhere on one of the mid-level floors of the 1950s-ugly main building at Carleton University. Bob is playing jazz-influenced improvisations on a grand piano in the listening room, with about 100 people attending. After hitting various strange notes, he burrows into the grand and pulls out his Juno from his Blue Rodeo days. Poems too. Awesome. I pick up the unclassifiable "Beware of Bob" CD. Still listen to it nearly 15 years later.
Back at Zaphod's, with his full-blown rock band, featuring material from the release after Beware of Bob (again the intrepid can fill in gaps with that google thing). This time there are older relatives from Nepean visiting. Their neglect in bringing ear plugs shows. Too bad they missed the Carleton show.
Two years later, back at the Carleton music room, with former co-worker and current stagehand/bpel guy Andrew to show him that there's some great music being done that isn't angst-ridden Euro Stereolab/Swervedriver. Bob plays the Juno thing again, lots of both new and old material, more poems, including the classic one about David Geffen. Andrew is impressed.
A year later, Andrew and I head up to the quaint Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec. Bob on guitar, a woman whose name I forget on various instruments, including theremin. And a reluctant guest on tuba. The band is set up in front of the main window. Outside a curtain of snow falls gently while the band shows Wiseman is still scaling heights. Andrew is still impressed. I believe he admits that Bob is better than P. J. Harvey.
Last Ottawa show, in late 1999/early 2000. Bob and Don Ross are sharing the bill at a packed Carleton U auditorium. Afterwards both performers hang out with the audience. I talk to Bob. It turns out he grew up across the street from my cousins in Winnipeg. He doesn't remember the older one, in the way that a 12-year-old doesn't know his 18-year-old neighbors, but does remember the younger one.
So now it's 2007, and Bob comes to a documentary film festival in Vancouver. I've been out of touch, and am not sure why he's playing a film festival. Turns out he's been making short films for a few years, showing in various indie festivals over the years. Most of his songs accompany the films he's played tonight. The artist continues to grow. He's added accordion to his repertoire, and needs to perform with Geoff Berner, if he hasn't yet (did I say I'm kind of out of the loop now?) "She Only Wanted Misery" is a masterpiece, like the other Bob's "Sad Eyed Lady". Go get it now. And while it's great on CD, you need to see it live on film for the full impact.
OK, links...
Somewhere on one of the mid-level floors of the 1950s-ugly main building at Carleton University. Bob is playing jazz-influenced improvisations on a grand piano in the listening room, with about 100 people attending. After hitting various strange notes, he burrows into the grand and pulls out his Juno from his Blue Rodeo days. Poems too. Awesome. I pick up the unclassifiable "Beware of Bob" CD. Still listen to it nearly 15 years later.
Back at Zaphod's, with his full-blown rock band, featuring material from the release after Beware of Bob (again the intrepid can fill in gaps with that google thing). This time there are older relatives from Nepean visiting. Their neglect in bringing ear plugs shows. Too bad they missed the Carleton show.
Two years later, back at the Carleton music room, with former co-worker and current stagehand/bpel guy Andrew to show him that there's some great music being done that isn't angst-ridden Euro Stereolab/Swervedriver. Bob plays the Juno thing again, lots of both new and old material, more poems, including the classic one about David Geffen. Andrew is impressed.
A year later, Andrew and I head up to the quaint Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec. Bob on guitar, a woman whose name I forget on various instruments, including theremin. And a reluctant guest on tuba. The band is set up in front of the main window. Outside a curtain of snow falls gently while the band shows Wiseman is still scaling heights. Andrew is still impressed. I believe he admits that Bob is better than P. J. Harvey.
Last Ottawa show, in late 1999/early 2000. Bob and Don Ross are sharing the bill at a packed Carleton U auditorium. Afterwards both performers hang out with the audience. I talk to Bob. It turns out he grew up across the street from my cousins in Winnipeg. He doesn't remember the older one, in the way that a 12-year-old doesn't know his 18-year-old neighbors, but does remember the younger one.
So now it's 2007, and Bob comes to a documentary film festival in Vancouver. I've been out of touch, and am not sure why he's playing a film festival. Turns out he's been making short films for a few years, showing in various indie festivals over the years. Most of his songs accompany the films he's played tonight. The artist continues to grow. He's added accordion to his repertoire, and needs to perform with Geoff Berner, if he hasn't yet (did I say I'm kind of out of the loop now?) "She Only Wanted Misery" is a masterpiece, like the other Bob's "Sad Eyed Lady". Go get it now. And while it's great on CD, you need to see it live on film for the full impact.
OK, links...
- Bob's myspace page
- Ordering info (iTunes or CD Baby might work better if you don't live near a good music store)
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
When 30 years isn't enough
From The Last Guy in the World to See Star Wars:
One day film students will pinpoint this film as the one that, even if it didn't build the coffin that ended the 1970s era of the auteur, certainly supplied the nails.
It was a movie made a long time ago, in a galaxy apparently lacking even one competent screenwriter.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The race
Who's going to be the first one to comment? A human or a spammer? Immediate family members don't count.
My bet's on the spammers.
My bet's on the spammers.
Some Sample Pure Questions
I get to participate in one of those surveys that correlates types of urban environments with ones health. Lucky me. Search for "Pure" and McMaster to get an idea. Here are some of the questions I had to answer. How do you think you'd do?
How many servings of creamed soup do you have, either per day, per week, per month, or per year? Probably 1/year, which allows for 2 of those expensive yin-yang soups you can get at French restaurants.
What about salted/dried meat or fish? I figured this counts smoked fish, bumping this up to
1/month. Maybe it should be 18/year.
Chilies, green or red. Hmmm, maybe 4 per year. Could be more, but I hardly ever have authentic Mexican or real spicy East Asian.
Folic Acid substitutes? Nein.
Is there a park within a 1-5 minute walk? It's out our back door.
Do we own a computer? Yes. How many? 4, including the Linux box that Limewire no longer works on, and the SE/30 in the closet that still works as well as it did in 1992.
How many days in the last 7 did I do heavy physical activity at work (lifting, digging,
construction)? Shit. Zero. In fact I answered the questions on physical activity literally with respect to what I did over the last seven days. Less biking because I was on a business trip, but then I succeeded at getting to the gym two of the three mornings in the hotel.
Meanwhile elsewhere on the survey front our household's been picked to participate in a BBN survey on our radio usage. So while Judy and I can weight the results towards CBC, our younger daughter can tilt it over to the two local early-teen rock stations. I considered offering my 15-minute blocks on a $1 donation per, as long as the stations that get mentioned are accessible here somehow (dial, satellite, internet -- are these BBN folks hip now or what)?
But that would be too much hassle.
How many servings of creamed soup do you have, either per day, per week, per month, or per year? Probably 1/year, which allows for 2 of those expensive yin-yang soups you can get at French restaurants.
What about salted/dried meat or fish? I figured this counts smoked fish, bumping this up to
1/month. Maybe it should be 18/year.
Chilies, green or red. Hmmm, maybe 4 per year. Could be more, but I hardly ever have authentic Mexican or real spicy East Asian.
Folic Acid substitutes? Nein.
Is there a park within a 1-5 minute walk? It's out our back door.
Do we own a computer? Yes. How many? 4, including the Linux box that Limewire no longer works on, and the SE/30 in the closet that still works as well as it did in 1992.
How many days in the last 7 did I do heavy physical activity at work (lifting, digging,
construction)? Shit. Zero. In fact I answered the questions on physical activity literally with respect to what I did over the last seven days. Less biking because I was on a business trip, but then I succeeded at getting to the gym two of the three mornings in the hotel.
Meanwhile elsewhere on the survey front our household's been picked to participate in a BBN survey on our radio usage. So while Judy and I can weight the results towards CBC, our younger daughter can tilt it over to the two local early-teen rock stations. I considered offering my 15-minute blocks on a $1 donation per, as long as the stations that get mentioned are accessible here somehow (dial, satellite, internet -- are these BBN folks hip now or what)?
But that would be too much hassle.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tough Music Choice this Friday
Too much happening this Friday, May 25.
Bob Wiseman @ VIFC vs. the Awkward Stage at the Railway.
I've seen Bob about 6 times, the Stage never. But Bob's
show looks more interesting, part of a film/video festival.
Bob Wiseman @ VIFC vs. the Awkward Stage at the Railway.
I've seen Bob about 6 times, the Stage never. But Bob's
show looks more interesting, part of a film/video festival.
The one the papers missed
Twenty or so passengers straggled off the short hop from a sopping wet Portland and merged in to the international arrivals area with two lines of smiling faces coming off sleek jets from Mexico. One group from Cancun, the other from San Lucas. Looks like a big extended family went down for a trip, all members of which were happy and accounted for back in Canada. A younger group, three girls, all of whom apparently remembered their sunscreen (results modestly on display) with two guys, neither of whom was sporting a bandaged head wound. The washroom was empty of both people and any evidence of intestinal distress. As the customs guards mundanely waved everyone through.
Monday, May 21, 2007
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