2022-04-09
Readings
Designing emergency procedures to preserve as many of the general values an org has for normal times while allowing more speed or flexibility needed for crisis is difficult. Abuses are more likely when restraints are lifted, some of them abusable. This KrebsOnSecurity article discusses security abuses when measures designed for urgent police action can be hijacked by hackers. https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/03/hackers-gaining-power-of-subpoena-via-fake-emergency-data-requests/
A better understanding of the materials science in animal collagen has potential applications from medicine to designing better artificial materials: https://phys.org/news/2022-04-tendons-strong-wire-ropes.html
Using fiction as an excuse to dig into the physics of large trees is a good use of fiction:
A particularly interesting Pew Poll, which I wonder how strongly was altered by either body horror or generalised feelings of feeling creeped out by observation: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/17/ai-and-human-enhancement-americans-openness-is-tempered-by-a-range-of-concerns/
Unprompted Thoughts
I’ve been occasionally talking with someone I know well about his experiences growing up in Russia, and the way Russia sees the world. A big difference he sees is that idealism and norms are at a much higher level in the US, and that makes structuralism and societal trust easier. This is what I see being battered by the far left and far right in the US - sadly successfully (find people who trust mainstream media and police - things most poeple used to trust across the entire political spectrum - and you’ve found a rarity. But even now Russia seems to be in a worse place on those metrics. This isn’t a conclusion - just another part of a larger set of puzzles I’m working on understanding
There should be a way to write music - a notation - focused on it being understood rather than it being performed. Keys with different background colours. Sets of voices organised into larger streams. A focus on effect. When two voices approach each other show how they interact visibly
Current Events
As Russia begins to pull back from the west in Ukraine, it has been suspended from the UN Human Rights Council and atrocities tied to its military efforts have provoked wider condemnation (and led to wider military support of Ukraine by western forces). Nordic countries look likely to join NATO
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s far-right political leader who has been dismantling pluralism and good governance in his country for years, was re-elected. He will likely continue to push for a far-right nonpluralist Christian monoculture for his country, and may see his country pushed further from Europe and other NATO countries
The French Presidential election is to happen in a few days, with a stark choice between Macron (moderate) and Marine Le Pen (far-right). The possibility of Le Pen’s victory is disturbing
Pakistan may oust its Prime Minister in the days to come, with Imran Khan pushing conspiracy theories and suggesting illegitimacy of a possible future government that doesn’t include him. Likewise, Sri Lanka is facing cabinet resignations over an economic crisis
I am bothered to read that paid space tourism at the ISS is now a thing. Bothered largely because of the resource use and pollution needed to reach space is not well-spent on amusing the wealthy, and growth of that as an industry amplifies existing problems
Reviewlets
All About Music (book) - I’ve been hoping to find a good book exploring the space between music-in-psychology and music-as-a-physical-phenomenon for awhile. This was written as a textbook for a class on the topic; I got a third of the way through, and I’m disappointed. There is some interesting content there, but it’s interspersed with rambling and pointless digressions, and where it touches on neuroscience it sometimes doesn’t understand what it’s touching on. I eventually stopped on an excessively stupid sentence - “For every word there is an objective definition”. Some of the book could be helped with a good editor. Maybe some later edition of this book will respect the reader’s time more.
The Compleat Werewolf (book) - This is a collection by Anthony Boucher from about a century ago - some interesting ideas, but it’s hampered by my not liking the characters very much. It reminds me a bit of Julie Schumacher’s “Dear Committee Members”, but with no humour and far less charm, making it clear that both of those are necessary for her books to work (her main character also shows some redeeming values despite deep flaws). I gave up partway through.
Ozma of Oz (book) - Finally reached and finished this one, which seems to be the main basis of the creepy 1985 movie “Return to Oz”. It’s well-written and darker than the earlier two books, although the Oz series generally doesn’t have the Disney-esque “guided tour” mentality, and reading these books makes one realise what Disney has taken from human worlds of fantasy. The characters and the dialogue are great, remaining a highlight of Baum’s writing. One of the things I keep noticing in books like this is leaning heavily on the literary form for absurdist content - a painter falling into a river in their painting while reaching across to paint things beyond.
Eric Adams (NYC Mayor) - At 100 days in, an initial evaluation of Eric Adams as mayor is reasonable. There are many things a mayor could do, such as regulatory reform, that I didn’t see but didn’t expect to see. Adams has made some very questionable staffing choices (one with heavy nepotism) and has had some stupid gaffes (arguing over definitions of veganism). He’s showy in a way that I generally dislike (I don’t want to see much of someone’s personality in office - administrators should be dull). He has established some policies I approve of though, particularly around policing and homeless, and I think where he is on the political spectrum is well-understood and so far something I appreciate. I wish he’d be smarter about it, but for his term (and then in the next elections unless someone better comes along) I think he’s doing fine and is supportable
Amusements
I saw this video on growing rice (which looks pretty fussy, mostly around water levels) and it got me thinking about gardening again; when I was younger I used to enjoy spending time with my grandma in her vegetable garden -
Apparently the person doing the crazy drumming in this created the character as an excuse to show off his drumming skills.
This review of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands does an excellent and very funny job at demonstrating how terrible the dialogue is in Borderlands games.
Recent Music
Don Ellis Tribute Orchestra - The Great Divide - enjoyable big band jazz with interesting time signatures. I particularly enjoy the coordinated and tight shifts by the entire band from one sound to another; it feels like a kind of “super instrument”. The solos are fantastic too.
King Crimson - The Court of the Crimson King - I only recently became aware of King Crimson. This piece reminds me a bit of the Beatles, but more intellectual and with a less pop feel.
Ron Jarzombek - A Headache and a Sixty-Fourth - Strange, highly experimental music (some parts remind me of the weird “Crazy Bus Theme Song” piece, but this also has a bit of a Nine Inch Nails flavour