Pretty numbers and music
I doubt any of my eight readers would be interested in this but Livescience has an article on the geometrical patterns that can be seen in music. It's kind of cool, although I'm not sure it's any sort of earth shattering breakthrough. Math and music have been known to be correlated for quite a long time. All of my favorite musicians, whether they know it or not, do extremely interesting things with time signatures and chord progressions that I consider to be extremely technically creative yet simple at the same time. Does that make sense? I dunno. Anyways,
read the article if you want to know if Britney Spears and Lennon are a match made in heaven...mathematically speaking of course.
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But Not Forgotten
Lately (and not so lately) there seems to be a lot of death affecting friends of mine. It's all really depressing, so I just thought I'd post this Dorothy Parker poem. I'm not even sure if it is about death, but it fits somehow.
But Not Forgotten
I think no matter where you stray,
That I shall go with you a way.
Though you may wander sweeter lands,
You will not forget my hands,
Nor yet the way I held my head
Nor the tremulous things I said.
You will still see me, small and white
And smiling, in the secret night,
And feel my arms about you when
The day comes fluttering back again.
I think, no matter where you be,
You'll hold me in your memory
And keep my image there without me,
By telling later loves about me.
Dorothy Parker
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Stuff that white people like
I'm not sure I agree with all of it but some of it is pretty funny nonetheless. Presenting
stuff that white people like.
This one might be my favorite:
#37 Renovations
All white people are born with a singular mission in life in order to pass from regular whitehood into ultra-whitehood. Much like how Muslims have to visit Mecca, all white people must eventually renovate a house before they can be complete.
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Ma Lady
Check out the new blogger on da block:
Lady Mathematician. It's not really new, there are many archives, but the blog has come back from the dead recently and you should all encourage the Lady to keep on going.
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Angelika sucks but see Persepolis
I really dislike the Angelika Film Center even though I am there all of the time. It's one of those art house movie theatres that has a really good concept; there is a cafe upstairs serving all kinds of treats that are both healthy and crappy, there is a good selection of films, and there is a large waiting area with couches so you can show up a bit early and read some film reviews. But at the same time, the place always reeks of nauseating cleaning fluid, the bathrooms are disgusting, the seating is cramped, the seats are low, you can't see shit when someone taller than 5'5" sits in front of you, you can actually feel the vibration from the subway rumbling past every eight minutes, and did I mention the place stinks? The only reason I go there is because Aroma cafe is across the street, one of my favorite cafes in the city, so I linger with a cappuccino while I pick out the movie I want to see.
Today I did this and decided on Persepolis, which I was blown away by. This is coming from a person that has little to no tolerance for animation. I was bored to death sitting through that annoying Ratatouille movie, for example. But Persepolis, with much simpler animation and no color was able to wonderfully depict a story that uniquely combines the struggle against Islamic Fundamentalism and a coming-of-age story of a woman trying to find her place in a world she feels she doesn't belong in. See this movie now.
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Okay I lied
One more Obama post, but this one is in honor of Valentine's Day, everyone's favorite Hallmark holiday!
Barack Obama's entire campaign platform in
one little crunchy sweet treat!
More political valentines
here.
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Stop it
I promise to stop the Obama hatin' soon but before that I just have to say that if I hear one more time that Obama has crossover appeal I'm going to scream. Obama supporters just love to say this and I really have no idea why. Because Republicans want someone completely fresh faced to look pretty and raise taxes? Where are these Republicans? I certainly haven't met them.
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Sexual Politics on Wall Street???
An even more troubling sign is the rise of Barack Obama. Here's a guy we all know is going to raise taxes on hedge-fund managers without offering them a dime in kickbacks. But when hedge-fund guys hear him talk they forget, maybe for the first time in their entire lives, their own narrow interests. Ask them why and they can't explain it. They just go all gooey on you.
In my experience this is how people behave when they're thinking about sex. Seriously, Obama has got me wondering if a lot of the guys in my industry have suddenly gone a little gay on me. It's not like any of them would ever actually do it with a dude; I wouldn't go that far...yet. Read the
whole thing.
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Paranoid Android
The city of New York has this unique ability to take the most pleasant of moods and turn it around faster than you can say 'crossing Delancey'. This happened the other night after a long work day. I was exhausted but felt remarkably productive having handed in a big project, having a belly full of sushi, and having nothing to do that evening except stop by Trader Joe's to pick up some necessities (i.e. chocolate bon bons, pumpkin scones, and sparkling cranberry juice. Those are too necessities!)
I decided to stop by a club on 14th street to arrange an event that I organize that was coming up pretty soon. I normally stop by to talk to a manager beforehand to make sure all of the drink specials and cover charges are set. I walked a good twenty minutes to the club only to find the lights off and the doors locked. As I turned to walk back towards the train, I saw a very tall, burly man with a wide stature turning the lock of the door to the club and letting himself in. Relieved that I didn't completely waste my time treking over there, I ran after him calling out 'Excuse me sir! Excuse me!', before he had a chance to slam the door right behind him. He quickly turned around, took a step forward, looked down at me with cold menacing eyes and yelled 'Back off! Step back!' I did but not before he yelled at me again 'Step back! I don't need anyone following me into doorways!'
I didn't quite know how to react. I never before had an encounter where a man about two times my size actually felt threatened at the sight of me. For those that don't know what I look like, I'll just say I'm about as nonthreatening as a 5 foot 3, 125 pound Ashkenazi Jewish girl can possibly look. I tried to calm him down telling him I just had some questions about bringing a group of people to his club but he continued to treat me like I had some sort of pocket knife I was about to pull out.
I finally left, advising him that maybe he should be worried about other things far more than short girls that like to salsa dance.
And I was off.
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