Found this (and the others in the set) whilst trolling teh intarn3ts. I must say, it's quite impressive... And I must resist the urge to pull out my own Legos!
"The true criterion of the practical, therefore, is not whether the latter can keep intact the wrong or foolish; rather is it whether the scheme has vitality enough to leave the stagnant waters of the old, and build, as well as sustain, new life." -- Emma Goldman
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Good Math, Bad Math and the Twilight Zone
Just a few more interesting articles. First, a funny article in "The American Conservative" (not my usual fare!) about the Bush administration and possible a explanation for their bizarre conceptions of reality, entitled "Twilight Zone". (Article link stolen directly from Human Iterations).
Next, if I haven't mentioned Good Math, Bad Math to you yet... it's amazing. Just about the geekiest blog on the planet, the focus is on math and computer science, with a light sprinkling of blasting IDiots for their failed use of math. The specific article I wanted to share with you was Strange Loops: Ken Thompson and the Self-referencing C Compiler, which discusses how Ken Thompson introduced a back door inserter directly into the C compiler itself, in such a way that the source for the compiler doesn't need to contain the back door after the first compilation of the compiler. Brilliant and terrifying at the same time; how much do you trust your compiler?
Next, if I haven't mentioned Good Math, Bad Math to you yet... it's amazing. Just about the geekiest blog on the planet, the focus is on math and computer science, with a light sprinkling of blasting IDiots for their failed use of math. The specific article I wanted to share with you was Strange Loops: Ken Thompson and the Self-referencing C Compiler, which discusses how Ken Thompson introduced a back door inserter directly into the C compiler itself, in such a way that the source for the compiler doesn't need to contain the back door after the first compilation of the compiler. Brilliant and terrifying at the same time; how much do you trust your compiler?
Monday, April 09, 2007
Grainger's Molly on the Shore
I learned something new today: Grainger's Molly on the Shore, from his "British Folk-Music Settings", is based on two Irish Cork Reels: "Temple Hill" and "Molly on the Shore". I found this in my copy of "Country Gardens and other works for piano by Percy Grainger", but the book goes one further: it says that the tunes are numbers 901 and 902 in Petrie's Complete Irish Music, which I happen to own as well. And, sure enough, the two reels listed are two of the sections of the piece, although there is some other material in there that I presume was Grainger's.
Thanks to scribd, you can look at them below!
Thanks to scribd, you can look at them below!
Joshua Bell Article
The Washington Post's Pearls Before Breakfast is an article that answers the question: "What if you take one of the world's greatest musicians, playing some of history's greatest pieces on one of the world's greatest instruments, and put him in the Washington, D.C. metro, playing for tips?" (Admittedly, not a question I'd ever asked before). Although the result isn't terribly surprising, the article is amazing. So, go read it.
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