Johan Sebastian Bach's Musical Offering contains 10 canons. In each of these canons a musical line is played twice (or 4 times, in Canon 10). The second version is always transformed with respect to the first by shifting in time, but it may also be shifted in pitch, turned upside-down, stretched or played backwards. Each of these transformations occurs in the mathematics of elementary functions; they are examples of how new functions can be made out of old, and of how a function can be tailored to fit a new situation. We will look at some simple transformations and see how they are exemplified in the first five of the Musical Offering canons.

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 06:45 PM | TrackBack 0

Bowling fails the first requirement of a documentary: some foundation in the truth. In his earlier works, Moore shifted dates and sequences for the sake of drama, but at least the events depicted did occur. Most of the time. Bowling breaks that last link with factual reality. It makes its points by deceiving and by misleading the viewer. Statements are made which are false. Moore invites the reader to draw inferences which he must have known were wrong. Dates are transposed and video carefully edited to create whatever effect is desired. Indeed, even speeches shown on screen are heavily edited, so that sentences are assembled in the speaker's voice, but which he never uttered.

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 12:48 PM | TrackBack 0

"Don't you listen to Powell on Voice of America radio?" he said. "Of course the Americans don't want to bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want America to bomb Saddam."

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 11:23 AM | TrackBack 0

Papadimitriou is publishing a book this summer with MIT Press. The book is a novel titled Turing. As Papadimitriou describes it, in one chapter he has a single line from about a dozen rock-n-roll songs. The editors at MIT press decided to seek permission for each of the 12 single lines. They sent out 12 letters. They received 10 forms (which had to be completed before the request could be considered) and two replies.

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 11:17 AM | TrackBack 0

Both officers carried 9mm semiautomatic pistols, Mace and batons. Perhaps because I had just left the Jefferson Memorial, where I'd read a few lines about "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and "all men are created equal," I felt bold enough to pose a question of my own: "Why are you asking me that?"

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 11:07 AM | TrackBack 0

It is impossible for anyone who has not lived in Iraq to comprehend the continuous psychological oppression of the Iraqi people by the regime. Saddam Hussein has such a complex intelligence apparatus that people are afraid of expressing any opinion, anywhere, to anyone that may be deemed negative of the government. Families are afraid of each other; friends do not dare to test the genuineness of their friendship.

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 10:48 AM | TrackBack 0

The battle continued throughout the afternoon, with as many as 10 marines killed and dozens wounded. The Marine artillery unit, trying to provide cover fire for the tanks, spent frustrating hours unable to shoot into the city for fear of hitting fellow marines. Iraqi mortar fire sounded in the distance, and Colonel Starnes winced and cursed as American cannon batteries, caught off guard, scrambled to get into position. Twenty-three minutes later, the first battery reported itself "fully in the fight," or ready to fire.

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 07:37 AM | TrackBack 0

The NYT notices that Bush rejected any notion that Saddam could cry uncle and go into exile. "He had his chance to go into exile," said Bush.

Posted by GeeTee at March 24, 2003 06:41 AM | TrackBack 0