Humanity (?)

...for in every human is the humanity that we all are a part of, and in every face is the mass murderer as well as the saint. The capacity for absolute destruction is in every person, the irrational held back only by the fruits of civilization, be they a flimsy mantle of religion, or a solid constraint of considered ethicality and mutuality. Even so, when we hold our lovers, we also hold a representative of a species that can and does commit any horror imaginable, and which is possessed of the literal power of apocalypse.

Footnote to Pastel Defender Heliotrope.

Yes, and no...

A few links

Firstly, a webcomic I've just found and have absolutely fallen in love with, Pastel Defender Heliotrope, which is Sci-fi with a fantastic story and backstory. Read it. Now!

Next, Misfile, a story about a mixup in heaven and its consequences on earth. Also a good read.

Finally, a site that, while isn't perfect (as few things are), but nevertheless quite good, transsexual.org. Particularly powerful is the maintainer's own story; read it, even if you're certain of your gender. Seriously. Expand your compassion.

Mozart's Fifth String Quartet

I've sent the Lilypond files for the first movement of Mozart's fifth string quartet to the Mutopia Project, Mutopia-2006/03/27-711. They're also available at my website. Enjoy!

Lilypond 2.8 is out!

Hurrah for the latest stable release of Lilypond, 2.8! It's available as source, of course, and there are binaries for Windows (apparently everything since 2000), FreeBSD, Mac OSX >= 10.3 and Linux (x86).

Lilypond is a GPL'd (that is, free [as in freedom] software) music typesetting program, and is the one that I have moved almost exlusively to.

Octavia Butler is Dead

From seattlepi on February 27, 2006:

Butler, 58, died after falling and striking her head Friday on a walkway outside her home in Lake Forest Park. The reclusive writer, who moved to Seattle in 1999 from her native Southern California, was a giant in stature (she was 6 feet tall by age 15) and in accomplishment.

International Music Score Library Project

I found this site, the International Music Score Library Project, and I just about fell out of my chair! Very cool.

Tromboon!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tromboon

Catchy little tune...

From the haze of the internet:

A friend of a friend:
I/O, I/O, It's off to disk I go, A bit or byte to read or write, I/O, I/O, I/O...

Auld Lang Syne

May all the Zombies stay at rest,
And not come eat our brains!
May all the Ghouls and Goblins not
Be 'wakened in our time!

Self-aggrandizement

Ok, so I've updated my personal webpage at http://www.emeraldimp.com/home/, and also I've put my "The Holly and the Ivy" transcription there, in Lilypond format and PDF.

Relatively Busy Weekend

Busy, but productive. Saturday morning I went with PSP to do our forestry service project, which involves cutting down trees infected with either mistletoe or pine beetles (so the infection doesn't spread) or to create firebreaks (so that, in case a fire breaks out, it stays contained) and piling the results into piles so that they can be burned (the county can't sell the wood, because then they'd have to open up the area for logging, or something. Doesn't quite make sense to me, but anyway that's what they do). Afterward, I hung out with Steve and Kyle and ate pizza for about a half hour before I had to get ready to head to the Sheraton Four Points (in south Denver) for the DPO fundraiser Sweethearts Ball. The ball went OK, but the turnout was kinda low (I blame ticket prices being $35/ea). Somehow I got put in charge of the sound, and was blamed when it wasn't ready on time, despite having NO help. And then, the mixer power went out in the middle of a song (fortunately the mics weren't being used at the time) and I had to go over and try to fix it. I think someone knocked the cord out of the wall and plugged it into the wrong outlet (the outlets in that room were TERRIBLE. Half didn't even work!). Anyway, got that fixed and the rest of the concert was fine. Paid $25 to eat, and it sure wasn't worth it, at least not for me. I wanted some wine, but it was $5.50/glass, so I passed.

We also had induction for DLP last night, but since I was at the dance, I couldn't attend (I didn't even get finished much before they were done with the after-dinner, and then there was the hour drive back). We have 3 new pledges, and hopefully they will all finish their pledge periods and initiate.

Today, had lunch with Kyle after doing some financial stuff and depositing some checks for the fraternity, and then came back, let Randall borrow the homework assignment for Elementary Particles (he missed the handout), and finished reading Richard III for Shakespeare (not the Gutenberg text; I have a Dover copy, but just in case you're interested). Also, read the latest issue of Discover Magazine, applied to join the Society of Physics Students, and did my chemistry lab writeup. Still to go: dinner and DLP Meeting.