Sunday, May 27, 2007

(*new orleans) hermann von helmholtz was hot





here's the description of this from the guy who posted it on youtube:

"Hermann von Helmholtz, in his famous book "On the Sensations of Tone", describes an experimental double siren that he used to investigate how the ear perceives beats, difference tones, and the consonance and dissonance of musical intervals. In May 2007, Martin Carlé restored the siren to operation and demonstrated it at the Workshop "Klang und Ton -- Fortschritte in der Erfüllung von Helmholtzens Vermächtnis", which took place at Humboldt University in Berlin. As the conference drew to a close, I wrapped up my talk and then ran my fingers across the beautifully crafted wood and brass instrument. Martin offered to let me play it -- how could I resist the lure of the siren's song! Here is the resulting improvisation..."

Thursday, May 24, 2007

(*dc) late

9 days late.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

(dc) poser posing

i was sitting here talking to my sister when my webcam accidentally opened and i noticed that the light was nice in my kitchen. so i made some pictures for posterity. they were meant to be posed and cheezy ( just in case you're wondering).




























i guess these photos should all be flipped. they're reflective, so they're what i look like when i see myself in the mirror, not like when you see me. and if you flip them the other way, they'd be how a bat would see me (to the extent that bats can see).

update:
then i got more creative:




Tuesday, May 01, 2007

(dc) blue moon

A colleague at HQ sends out these little tidbits every month or so. I like them.

"The full moon in May is known as the Flower Moon, as flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. The Moon will be opposite the Sun at 6:09 a.m. EDT on May 2, and will appear full from Tuesday through Thursday.

On average, a full moon occurs every 29.5 days. This means that about every three years there is a month that has two full Moons. One definition of a "Blue Moon" is the second full Moon in a month. This year, May has two full moons, so a Blue Moon occurs on May 31 at 9:04 p.m. EDT. Other definitions of a "Blue Moon" include a very rare event, the third full Moon in a quarter year that has four full Moons (instead of the usual three), and when the Moon (not necessarily full) appears unusually blue, often due to dust or smoke in the atmosphere (such as after a volcanic eruption or major forest fire)."

This month is special. It's time for the blue moon! All those things that happen once in a blue moon will be happening soon.

Soon soon, blue moon!