The One-Question Stiff Beer Quiz

Which author said this and about whom? The second blank is hard to fill, I know.

"_____has an extraordinary ability to make a _______hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff beer."

As Slow As Possible

There are three kinds of people in this world: those who love avant-garde music, those who believe, as John Lennon himself put it, that avant-garde is French for bullshit and then there are those who can take it in small doses. You will be pleased to know that I belong in in all the three categories.

The part of me that belongs to the first category thinks John Cage's "As slow as possible" is genius. If you haven't heard of it (and can't guess what the piece is about from its title), here's a little background:

"...is a musical piece composed by John Cage and is the subject of the slowest and longest-lasting musical performance yet undertaken."

(Wiki)

Apparently, John Cage forgot to indicate just how slow it had to be played, which led to a discussion between musicians and philosophers (thankfully no lawyers were involved) who settled on a number: 639 years.

But why is the work meant to be played over 639 years?

"It was originally a 20-minute piece for piano, but a group of musicians and philosophers decided to take the title literally and work out how long the longest possible piece of music could last. They settled on 639 years because the Halberstadt organ was 639 years old in the year 2000."

(Source)

Today we have news (link to BBC, embedded video, creepy organ music) coming in about the "newest note" having been struck in St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt. The newest note!

I wish the media took a cue from this event and released the news one letter at a time, over 639 years. Think about it while you also consider the longevity of newspapers, Internet and the planet itself.

BTW, today's note is only the seventh note in the piece. When the music is over in 2640, I hope they don't turn off the lights.

Instead, they should ask for an encore.

Ever been inside an empty cathedral with the organ playing? I have, once. Shook me up. And I don't mean just physically or aurally.

That Smooth Jazz Crap

An old classic that deserves to be read again: guitarist Pat Metheny demolishing Kenny G and his music.

Is This Just Fantasy?

A very interesting (ok, a little scary too) video of a 7 y.o. boy, absolutely baked on anesthesia, after a visit to the dentist. (Via Boing Boing)

What makes this video so interesting for me (I didn't find it all that funny) is that the boy's reactions are not unlike someone's first reefer experience.

How is it that the kid's brain processes the "high" in the same way as an adult's brain? I mean, he is practically spouting metaphysics. (Not that everyone who is high spouts metaphysics.) Does the question "is this real life" mean he has already learned that "real life" equals predictable (and controllable) sensations and feelings? How and when does a seven year-old learn that? How does all of mankind learn that?

I remember the sensation of unease upon first reading "Alice in Wonderland" in school. Sure, the book was funny, but it primarily was a depiction of real life going fast out of control. Years later, when I discovered Flann O'Brien's brilliant and bleak The Third Policeman, I learned that just because one is older does not mean the fear of losing control goes away. I think it is actually amplified with age.

Here's the video on YT.

When Bad Memes Happen To Boring People

This, according to the "Fashion and Style" section of the Times, is all the rage on the Internet.

That, according to me, is why newspapers should stop writing about rages on the Internet.

Okra, Coke And A Tall Salted One

“Am I a vegetable, cold drink or lassi that he said so?” an angry Fiza said, reacting to Chand’s “badhiya cheez” comment at a crowded press conference at her flat.

I don't know what the story's about, but it must be something serious.

A person named Fiza has got to be a cold drink. Come on.

Curious, Generous But Stubborn

Entertaining, sure, but it's bloody bogus science:

"Matchmaking agencies provide blood-type compatibility tests, and some companies make decisions about assignments based on employees' blood types.

Children at some kindergartens are divided up by blood type, and the women's softball team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics used the theory to customize each player's training."