… And Some Not So Live —
"Here was finality indeed, and cleavage!" — Under the Volcano
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Harvard Cinco de Mayo
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Saturday, September 10, 2016
Annals of Psychopharmacology
The New Yorker , issue dated Feb. 9, 2015 —
"After trying magic mushrooms in Cuernavaca, in 1960,
Leary conceived the Harvard Psilocybin Project, to study
the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens. His involvement
with LSD came a few years later."
Related viewing —
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Thursday, March 3, 2016
Metaphors
A rose on a Harvard University Press book cover (2014) —
A Log24 post's "lotus" (2004) —
A business mandorla (2016) —
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Sunday, May 3, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
ART WARS continued
The previous post mentioned a new mobile, "Triangle Constellation,"
commissioned for the Harvard Art Museums.
Related material (click to enlarge) —
The above review is of an exhibition by the "Constellation" artist,
Carlos Amorales, that opened on Sept. 26, 2008 — "just in time for
Halloween and the Day of the Dead."
See also this journal on that date.
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Purely Aesthetic
G. H. Hardy in A Mathematician's Apology —
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What ‘purely aesthetic’ qualities can we distinguish in such theorems as Euclid’s or Pythagoras’s? I will not risk more than a few disjointed remarks. In both theorems (and in the theorems, of course, I include the proofs) there is a very high degree of unexpectedness, combined with inevitability and economy. The arguments take so odd and surprising a form; the weapons used seem so childishly simple when compared with the far-reaching results; but there is no escape from the conclusions. There are no complications of detail—one line of attack is enough in each case; and this is true too of the proofs of many much more difficult theorems, the full appreciation of which demands quite a high degree of technical proficiency. We do not want many ‘variations’ in the proof of a mathematical theorem: ‘enumeration of cases’, indeed, is one of the duller forms of mathematical argument. A mathematical proof should resemble a simple and clear-cut constellation, not a scattered cluster in the Milky Way. |
Related material:
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A post at noon on Sunday, April 19, 2015, with a link,
"Ageometretos medeis eisito," to an image search
for "large Desargues configuration" that includes …
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A review, dated April 20, 2015, of "After Hours at the
Harvard Art Museums" in The Harvard Crimson -
An article, also dated April 20, 2015, in Harvard Magazine
titled "Harvard Installs 'Triangle Constellation'"
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Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Tools
(Night at the Museum continues.)
"Strategies for making or acquiring tools
While the creation of new tools marked the route to developing the social sciences,
the question remained: how best to acquire or produce those tools?"
— Jamie Cohen-Cole, “Instituting the Science of Mind: Intellectual Economies
and Disciplinary Exchange at Harvard’s Center for Cognitive Studies,”
British Journal for the History of Science vol. 40, no. 4 (2007): 567-597.
Obituary of a co-founder, in 1960, of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Harvard:
"Disciplinary Exchange" —
In exchange for the free Web tools of HTML and JavaScript,
some free tools for illustrating elementary Galois geometry —
The Kaleidoscope Puzzle, The Diamond 16 Puzzle,
The 2x2x2 Cube, and The 4x4x4 Cube
"Intellectual Economies" —
In exchange for a $10 per month subscription, an excellent
"Quilt Design Tool" —
This illustrates not geometry, but rather creative capitalism.
Related material from the date of the above Harvard death: Art Wars.
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Saturday, August 10, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monkey Grammar
For a modern Adam and Eve—
W. Tecumseh Fitch and Gesche Westphal Fitch,
editors of a new four-volume collection titled
Language Evolution (Feb. 2, 2012, $1,360)—
Related material—
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"At the point of convergence
by Octavio Paz, translated by |
The "play of mirrors" link above is my own.
Click on W. Tecumseh Fitch for links to some
examples of mirror-play in graphic design—
from, say, my own work in a version of 1977, not from
the Fitches' related work published online last June—
See also Log24 posts from the publication date
of the Fitches' Language Evolution—
Happy birthday to the late Alfred Bester.
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Saturday, December 8, 2012
Defining the Contest…
… Chomsky vs. Santa
From a New Yorker weblog yesterday—
"Happy Birthday, Noam Chomsky." by Gary Marcus—
"… two titans facing off, with Chomsky, as ever,
defining the contest"
"Chomsky sees himself, correctly, as continuing
a conversation that goes back to Plato, especially
the Meno dialogue, in which a slave boy is
revealed by Socrates to know truths about
geometry that he hadn’t realized he knew."
See Meno Diamond in this journal. For instance, from
the Feast of Saint Nicholas (Dec. 6th) this year—
The Meno Embedding
For related truths about geometry, see the diamond theorem.
For a related contest of language theory vs. geometry,
see pattern theory (Sept. 11, 16, and 17, 2012).
See esp. the Sept. 11 post, on a Royal Society paper from July 2012
claiming that
"With the results presented here, we have taken the first steps
in decoding the uniquely human fascination with visual patterns,
what Gombrich* termed our ‘sense of order.’ "
The sorts of patterns discussed in the 2012 paper —
"First steps"? The mathematics underlying such patterns
was presented 35 years earlier, in Diamond Theory.
* See Gombrich-Douat in this journal.
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Pattern Conception
( Continued from yesterday's post FLT )
Context Part I —
"In 1957, George Miller initiated a research programme at Harvard University to investigate rule-learning, in situations where participants are exposed to stimuli generated by rules, but are not told about those rules. The research program was designed to understand how, given exposure to some finite subset of stimuli, a participant could 'induce' a set of rules that would allow them to recognize novel members of the broader set. The stimuli in question could be meaningless strings of letters, spoken syllables or other sounds, or structured images. Conceived broadly, the project was a seminal first attempt to understand how observers, exposed to a set of stimuli, could come up with a set of principles, patterns, rules or hypotheses that generalized over their observations. Such abstract principles, patterns, rules or hypotheses then allow the observer to recognize not just the previously seen stimuli, but a wide range of other stimuli consistent with them. Miller termed this approach 'pattern conception ' (as opposed to 'pattern perception'), because the abstract patterns in question were too abstract to be 'truly perceptual.'….
…. the 'grammatical rules' in such a system are drawn from the discipline of formal language theory (FLT)…."
— W. Tecumseh Fitch, Angela D. Friederici, and Peter Hagoort, "Pattern Perception and Computational Complexity: Introduction to the Special Issue," Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B (2012) 367, 1925-1932
Context Part II —
Context Part III —
A four-color theorem describes the mathematics of
general structures, not just symbol-strings, formed from
four kinds of things— for instance, from the four elements
of the finite Galois field GF(4), or the four bases of DNA.
Context Part IV —
A quotation from William P. Thurston, a mathematician
who died on Aug. 21, 2012—
"It may sound almost circular to say that
what mathematicians are accomplishing
is to advance human understanding of mathematics.
I will not try to resolve this
by discussing what mathematics is,
because it would take us far afield.
Mathematicians generally feel that they know
what mathematics is, but find it difficult
to give a good direct definition.
It is interesting to try. For me,
'the theory of formal patterns'
has come the closest, but to discuss this
would be a whole essay in itself."
Related material from a literate source—
"So we moved, and they, in a formal pattern"
Formal Patterns—
Not formal language theory but rather
finite projective geometry provides a graphic grammar
of abstract design—
See also, elsewhere in this journal,
Crimson Easter Egg and Formal Pattern.
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
FLT
The "FLT" of the above title is not Fermat's Last Theorem,
but Formal Language Theory (see image below).
In memory of George A. Miller, Harvard cognitive psychologist, who
reportedly died at 92 on July 22, 2012, the first page of a tribute
published shortly before his death—
The complete introduction is available online. It ends by saying—
"In conclusion, the research discussed in this issue
breathes new life into a set of issues that were raised,
but never resolved, by Miller 60 years ago…."
Related material: Symmetry and Hierarchy (a post of 9/11), and
Notes on Groups and Geometry, 1978-1986 .
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Friday, January 8, 2010
The Nexus
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From Google today, some excerpts from the result of the search "define:nexus"–
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This search was suggested by a book review in today's New York Times that mentions both the Harvard classic The Varieties of Religious Experience and some religious experiences affecting my own Harvard class– that of 1964. Cuernavaca, Mexico, in August 1960 was the site of what Harvard's Timothy Leary later called the deepest religious experience of his life. For some other experiences related to Harvard and Cuernavaca, see a search on those two terms in this journal. The book under review is titled "The Harvard Psychedelic Club." My own experiences with the Harvard-Cuernavaca nexus might more appropriately be titled "The Harvard Alcoholic Club." |
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Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Tuesday May 8, 2007
The Public Square
On the words “symbology” and “communitas” (the former used, notably, as the name of a fictional field at Harvard in the novel The Da Vinci Code)–
Symbology:
“Also known as ‘processual symbolic analysis,’ this concept was developed by Victor Turner in the mid-1970s to refer to the use of symbols within cultural contexts, in particular ritual. In anthropology, symbology originated as part of Victor Turner’s concept of ‘comparative symbology.’ Turner (1920-1983) was professor of Anthropology at Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and finally he was Professor of Anthropology and Religion at the University of Virginia.” —Wikipedia
Symbology and Communitas:
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From Beth Barrie’s
“Victor Turner“— “‘The positional meaning of a symbol derives from its relationship to other symbols in a totality, a Gestalt, whose elements acquire their significance from the system as a whole’ (Turner, 1967:51). Turner considered himself a comparative symbologist, which suggests he valued his contributions to the study of ritual symbols. It is in the closely related study of ritual processes that he had the most impact.
The most important contribution Turner made to the field of anthropology is his work on liminality and communitas. Believing the liminal stage to be of ‘crucial importance’ in the ritual process, Turner explored the idea of liminality more seriously than other anthropologists of his day. As noted earlier Turner elaborated on van Gennep’s concept of liminality in rites of passage. Liminality is a state of being in between phases. In a rite of passage the individual in the liminal phase is neither a member of the group she previously belonged to nor is she a member of the group she will belong to upon the completion of the rite. The most obvious example is the teenager who is neither an adult nor a child. ‘Liminal entities are neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremonial’ (Turner, 1969:95). Turner extended the liminal concept to modern societies in his study of liminoid phenomena in western society. He pointed out the similarities between the ‘leisure genres of art and entertainment in complex industrial societies and the rituals and myths of archaic, tribal and early agrarian cultures’ (1977:43). Closely associated to liminality is communitas which describes a society during a liminal period that is ‘unstructured or rudimentarily structured [with] a relatively undifferentiated comitatus, community, or even communion of equal individuals who submit together to the general authority of the ritual elders’ (Turner, 1969:96). The notion of communitas is enhanced by Turner’s concept of anti-structure. In the following passage Turner clarifies the ideas of liminal, communitas and anti-structure:
It is the potential of an anti-structured liminal person or liminal society (i.e., communitas) that makes Turner’s ideas so engaging. People or societies in a liminal phase are a ‘kind of institutional capsule or pocket which contains the germ of future social developments, of societal change’ (Turner, 1982:45). Turner’s ideas on liminality and communitas have provided scholars with language to describe the state in which societal change takes place.”
Turner, V. (1967). The forest of symbols: Aspects of Ndembu ritual. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Turner, V. (1969). The ritual process: structure and anti-structure. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co. Turner, V. (1977). Variations of the theme of liminality. In Secular ritual. Ed. S. Moore & B. Myerhoff. Assen: Van Gorcum, 36-52. Turner, V. (1982). From ritual to theater: The human seriousness of play. New York: PAJ Publications. |
Related material on Turner in Log24:
Aug. 27, 2006 and Aug. 30, 2006. For further context, see archive of Aug. 19-31, 2006.
Related material on Cuernavaca:
Google search on Cuernavaca + Log24.
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Friday May 19, 2006
Women-Only
Meeting at Princeton
Meeting at Princeton
From May 15 through May 26, there is a women-only meeting on zeta functions at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Today’s activities:
| Breakfast (Dining Hall) | |
| T-shirt Sale, Harry’s Bar – Dining Hall | |
| Depart for Princeton University (talks, lunch, campus and art museum tour, and dinner) |
No movie?
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From Log24, July 27, 2003: “…my despair with words as instruments of communion is often near total.” — Charles Small, Harvard ’64 25th Anniversary Report, 1989 (See 11/21/02).
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Lucero |
See also |
Related material:
Women’s History Month–
Global and Local: One Small Step
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Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Tuesday December 6, 2005
Lasso
In memory of…
In memory of…
CUERNAVACA, Mexico – Spanish singer Gloria Lasso, who made her name recording romantic ballads in Latin America and Paris, died in her sleep on Sunday at her home in Cuernavaca. She was 83.
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Today’s Harvard Crimson– “Pudding Show Features From yesterday’s entry, “At the still point,
Xanadu (1980) For related material, see Balanchine’s Birthday (1/9/03) |
For more on Balanchine,
Olivia Newton-John, Sunday,
and Eliot’s “still point,”
see the previous entry.
Olivia Newton-John, Sunday,
and Eliot’s “still point,”
see the previous entry.
For more Harvard humor,
see The Crimson Passion.
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Thursday, March 11, 2004
Thursday March 11, 2004
Sequel
From an entry of July 27, 2003…
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“…my despair with words as instruments of communion is often near total.” — Charles Small, Harvard ’64 25th Anniversary Report, 1989 (See 11/21/02).
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Lucero |
See also |
Catholic Tastes, Part II:
A Catholic priest on “The Passion of the Christ”:
“By the time it’s over, the make-up artists give his skin the texture of spaghetti marinara.”
— The Rev. Richard A. Blake, S.J., professor of fine arts and co-director of the film studies program at Boston College, in America magazine, issue dated March 15, 2004.
Related material:
“I’m waiting for Mel’s sequel:
‘He’s back. Christ Almighty!
The Resurrection.
This time, it’s personal.’ “
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Sunday, July 27, 2003
Sunday July 27, 2003
Catholic Tastes
In memory of New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg, who died Saturday, July 26, 2003:
Nous Voici Dans La Ville – A Christmas song from 15th century France (midi by John Philip Dimick).
In memory of my own youth:
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Formaggio Address Paseo del Conquistador # 144 Food Type Italian Dress Casual Tel 777-313-0584 Comment Chef Lorenzo Villagra is formally trained in Italian Cuisine. Great food and views of the valley of Cuernavaca. |
In memory of love:
Volverán del amor en tus oídos
Las palabras ardientes a sonor;
Tu corazón de su profundo sueño
Tal vez despertará;
Pero mudo y absorto y de rodillas,
Como se adora a Dios ante su altar,
Como yo te he querido…desengáñate,
¡Así no te querrán!
— from “Rima LIII“
by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
(1836-1870)
Translation by Young Allison, 1924:
Burning words of love will come
Again full oft within thine ears to sound;
Perchance thy heart will even be aroused
From its sleep profound;
But mute and prostrate and absorbed,
As God is worshipped in His holy fane,
As I have loved thee…undeceive thyself:
Thou wilt not be thus loved again!
The Robert Lowell version of
the complete poem by Bécquer:
Will Not Come Back
(Volverán)
Dark swallows will doubtless come back killing
the injudicious nightflies with a clack of the beak:
but these that stopped full flight to see your beauty
and my good fortune… as if they knew our names–
they’ll not come back. The thick lemony honeysuckle,
climbing from the earthroot to your window,
will open more beautiful blossoms to the evening;
but these… like dewdrops, trembling, shining, falling,
the tears of day–they’ll not come back…
Some other love will sound his fireword for you
and wake your heart, perhaps, from its cool sleep;
but silent, absorbed, and on his knees,
as men adore God at the altar, as I love you–
don’t blind yourself, you’ll not be loved like that.
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“…my despair with words as instruments of communion is often near total.” — Charles Small, Harvard ’64 25th Anniversary Report, 1989 (See 11/21/02).
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Lucero |
See also |
See, too, my entry for the feast day of
Saint Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer,
which happens to be December 22.
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