it's...

Congratulations to Dr. David Lin who today defended his thesis! If any of you were fortunate enough to have him you'll know he was an amazing TA for introductory astronomy students; he just knows how to convey astronomy to non-astronomers. And congratulations are also in order for Dr. Chunglee Kim who successfully defended her thesis on Wednesday. She is an absolutely brilliant physicist (if you ever face a life or death question about the populations of compact objects she'd be a good person to consult).

Finally, I'd like to note that with David moving on from Northwestern I become tied for senior-most Dearborn Observatory Public Observing Assistant. Yep, I may be in the running for a record when all's said and done. Here's ten songs.

1. "Absolutely Cuckoo", Magnetic Fields 10/10
   As soon as I heard this I hung my head in a little bought of shame. Why? Because I attempted this song with Tim at my karaoke party two weekends ago. I totally blew it... and Tim accused me of forever ruining 69 love songs for him. Well Tim, who's ruined 69 love songs now, eh? If you haven't listened to 69 love songs, go do so at once.
   
   
2. "Dead Bodies", Air 9/10
   My favorite piece off of "The Virgin Suicides" soundtrack. Awesome drums and base.
   
   
3. "Inkhuk", Jason Forrest 8/10
   Awesome album name: "The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash". Awesome concept: mash up late 70's disco songs into a sprawling album of, well, awesomeness.
   
   
4. "Indie Rock Spock Ears", Dianogah 8/10
   The title is so right. Evocative and still absolutely nailing what this track sounds like. Perhaps my favorite "instrumental emo band"... or whatever they're suppose to be called. (is that saying much? well, there's Joan of Arc, the Appleseed Cast and Fugazi, so that's good company.) They're playing a July 22nd show at the Hideout which --if I am in Chicago -- I am definitely going to.
   
   
5. "What We Have Known", Joanna Newsom 7/10
   Listening to her song is a lot like day-dreaming someone elses dreams. Really looking forward to her next album.
   
   
6. "Barmy", The Fall 6/10
   Song is chock full of Fall goodness.
   
   
7. "I Dig You (Vinyl Single By Cult Hero)", The Cure 6/10
   Never expected to find this as a Seventeen Seconds B-side!
   
   
8. "Last Commands of Xyralothep Via M.E.S.", The Fall 4/10
   Chock full of the Fall... not so much with the goodness; causes me to yell (silently in my head) "Who Makes the Nazis!?"
   
   
9. "Here", Pavement 10/10
   Did anyone else catch the A&O Ball this year? They do a great job finding headlining acts, however they really screw up one thing. Allow me to espose my theory of the curse of the "Special Guest". Whomever gets "special" guested to the A&O Ball is doomed. Doomed! In 2002 A&O Ball special guest Elliot Smith had so obviously shot up before his performance that he literally couldn't play his guitar. He died within two years of that (non)performance. In 2006 A&O brought in Stephen Malkmus, acoustic. And the crowd did not love him. He did do a cover of Range Life, but at that point the crowd had already miffed him and he wasn't overly thrilled with his call for requested songs answered only by the Pavement catalog. I read somewhere something calling Neko Case a "special guest"... She was not a special guest!!!
   
   
10. "Triumph of a Heart", Bjork 10/10
    Best Acapella song ever!
    

average: 7.8/10
bonus: "My One and Only", Ella Fitzgerald

somehow 2006 is a third of the way through already. a couple people asked me what my favorite stuff from this year was so far, and honestly, i hadn't at that point listened to much (still catching up on 2005).

So here are some of the albums I've listened to so far (make yourself comfy, this gets kinda long). Admittedly, some of these judgements are swift, but the good ones I fully vouch for. To spice things up I've stolen the "clapping man" from Cameron's beloved SF Chronicle and I'm also listening a few people who jumped out at me who should give a listen. Just because I don't list you doesn't mean you shouldn't listen; i just listed the people who jump out at me.

====== BEST OF, SO FAR ======
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Crazy! That song is like the "Hey Yeah" of this year (at least until OutKast's Idlewild arrives). The rest of what's here is great too. It's an unexpected and at times magical collaboration which gets more than the sum of its parts, and Cee-Lo Green and Danger Mouse are two pretty sick parts to start with.
   who should listen: everyone, especially carol

Love is All - Nine Times the Same Song
I love this album. This is my reading-pitchfork-every-so-often-pays-off find of this year (much as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was last year). The songs are just fun, both lyrically and musically. Wish I could have caught them when they were in Chicago. I saw a bootlegged video of part of their New York show and it looked... fun (and Swedish).
   who should listen: lyssa, fans of the Sugarcubes

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Remember all that promise you heard when you listened to the Young Liars EP? Remember How when TV on the Radio's first album came out you couldn't help but feel just a little dissappointed? Maybe that was just Will and me, but guess what... this is awesome. I've only heard six songs and already i'm going to say that this will be in the top 10 of 2006. I say that knowing that the following releases may yet come in 2006: Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Beck, Bloc Party, Feist, Fugees, DJ Shadow, LCD Soundsystem, Madvillain, Massive Attack, Modest Mouse, OutKast, the Pixies, Portishead, the Roots, the Shins, Smashing Pumpkins, Paul Simon, the Who, Yo La Tengo, the Wrens, Wolf Parade and Wilco. Um, the rest of 2006 is gonna be awesome!
   who should listen: will, steve, anyone who liked Young Liars

Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
This album is excellent. I found it rather understated at first, so it didn't jump out at me. Give it a good listen. This will be in heavy rotation during whichever summer trips I end up taking.
   who should listen: mdep, kate, tim, cameron

====== ALL THINGS CONSIDERED ======
Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
There are some beautiful songs in here, and it sounds a little more welcoming than past works by these Carissa's Weird folk. Still, something I need to listen to a few more times before I proclaim a band named "A Band of Horses" be considered amongst the best (and it may well be). Oh, and there's a song called "weed party"...
   who should listen: tim, will, cam, kate

Boris - Pink
My ipod displays japanese characters! That was the first revelation upon listening to Boris. Things got better from there. They have the energy of Melt-Banana, but actually make music that can be listened to. Sadly, though this whole style of blaring electric guitar with speaker busting base wears on me. And while they certainly have shown they can make great music not in that vein, they don't get away from it quite enough for my taste. I enjoy this more when a track pops up randomly in Shuffle mode than when listening straight through. Still, some great stuff here.
   who should listen: annie, animal (of muppets fame)

Broken Social Scene - EP To Be You and Me
I've been listening to this since the end of 2005 so it's kinda cheating to put it here, but I really enjoy it, even if it's just what didn't fit on last year's the self-titled album. It's a little like a bit was taken from all past BSS records and tossed into this one. Charting the two extremes: "Canada vs. America" is the track I really wanted to like, but just don't. It's over-produced and hard to follow, which again was the achilles heal of the last album. However, if ever one track compelled you to buy album b-sides it is "Major Label Debut (Fast)". They totally kidsmoked that track for the full album: slowing it down, over-producing the hell out of it. But live and on this EP this is just an awesome song.
   who should listen: kate, will, tim

Cat Power - The Greatest
Cat Power is good. A lot of people hadn't figured that out by now, so hopefully this puts her on the map, but it just isn't good enough for me to love or bad enough for me to pan, so it's just kinda there on my ipod.
   who should listen: ellen

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
A very nice Destroyer album. I love "Painter in Your Pocket" and a few other tracks; love how this album shows an expanding sound. But it just hasn't come together for me yet. Perhaps it will as I listen to it more, but perhaps not. If you haven't listened to Destroyer, this might be a good place to start. Then move onto Streethawk: A Seduction and Your Blues.
   who should listen: kat, tim, ross, new pornographers fans who want to explore

the Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
If I hear "vibrate buzz buzz ring repeat" one more time I will shoot myself. But there are signs here that the next album could be really good. It's just that I think that about every Fiery Furnaces album. Well, eventually the greatest hits album will be sweet. But please, no more endless repitition!
   who should listen: new york music snobs, aging hipsters

the Knife - Silent Shout
If you haven't heard the song "Heartbeats" you should go grab it off iTunes RIGHT NOW! Amazing single. But that was 2004. There's no track like it to be found on Silent Shout and that's not necessarily a bad thing. "Forrest Families" is great, and "One Hit" is lots of fun: just that it feels like this album is a few standout tracks short of awesome.
   who should listen: me, eric mika.

Wilderness - Vessel States
Couldn't even listen through the whole thing.
who should listen: people without ears.

And gasp! notables I've left out:
edited: it's pointless to list all the albums i've missed

Hopefully I can put a dent into that list later and go through it as fast as I add to it (Let me know if anything is or isn't particularly worth listening to). There's only so much time for listening to new music, you know. It's not like I'm to music what Tim is to film, ok!

it seems the joke was ultimately on me... a few days after my april 1st post condemning the CTA for their disregard of us upright jacks with their slanderous "Don't Be Jack" campaign I received a box from the CTA. Someone had decided to buy for me a very classy yellow hat. Here I am sporting it:


Couldn't for the life of me figure out who would do such a thing... after acusing a few suspects it turns out the name was on the receipt the whole time. The psuedo-anonymous gifter: my sister, Sarah. It was a belated (by 2 months) birthday gift of sorts. Thanks Sarah!* I might have to give you an early birthday present.
* the thanks is sincere, what follows is not

Also, told my roommates tonight that I will be moving into Chicago next year. Not gonna live in Etown any more regardless of whether that happens to be in September when my lease runs out, or in January/February when I would return from LA should I get the chance to go there for six months. Any ideas on where I should look at? I still have a certain affection for Catalpa.

today at a little past 11 there was a funny smell. then there was a funny noise. then about 10 minutes later i popped my head outside to realize that there was a fire alarm going off... must be another early friday at tech. turns out there was supposedly a chemical spill in the nanotechnology building so they had to evacuate/clean up. Also turned out the perfect chance for some awesome solar observing with the new H-alpha telescope installed at Dearborn. Really really something. I'll let you know when "public solar observing" happens.

So pro-basketball (specifically the Chicago Bulls) are to me what celebrity gossip seems to be to a lot of other people. It's rare that anything of real consequence happens, but it's damn entertaining. It's probably not worth blogging about, but now there's some real stupidity involving pro-sports of real consequence. Apparently Mayor Ray Nagin has decided to sue everyone involved with the New Orleans Hornets' season away in Oklahoma City. Why? Because the team played too well.

This is epicly stupid. New Orleans has a hell of a lot more to worry about than their sports franchises. Nevermind that the Hornets are getting a lot more fans to come to games in New Orleans. Nevermind that the NBA has repeatedly said the Hornets would be moved back to New Orleans when the city gets back in shape. Nevermind that their improvement falls squarely on the shoulders of the best rookie since an MJ was drafted: Chris Paul who plays point gaurd for them. Nope, the Hornets have the most hated owner in all of professional sports in George Shinn, so things are bound to turn out badly.

OK, so if the Hornets were moving to Oklahoma City, then there would be a legitimate lawsuit (it cost the city many many millions to get the franchise to move there from Charlotte, where the hatred of George Shinn practically ran everyone involved with the Hornets out of town.) But really, the legal system doesn't need this crap. I sincerely hope the city of New Orleans gets a Mayor who will help rebuild the city instead of bother with lawsuits like this.

In closing, Bulls are playing the Miami Heat in the playoffs. I'll be wearing my black shoes and black socks for as long as their in it. Go Bulls!

perhaps this a little too obvious... (see DeLong's Law)

One doesn't need a degree in Physics, or even High School, to realize the "nuclear option" being talked about in the News these days is insane -- unimaginably insanely bad. I mean, insanity of this level wouldn't even sell on an episode of Yes, Prime Minister.

However, it's still worth reading the opinion of some of the greatest scientific minds currently studying Nuclear Physics. They've drafted a letter to the President urging him not to consider Nuclear First Stike a legitimate tactical option. It's written in clear concise sentences with a little bit of historical context and policy analysis thrown in for good measure. It's six paragraphs long and takes less than five minutes to read: it is afterall written to the President. The most advanced vocabulary you're likely to run up against might be the word "taboo" (which isn't French, but rather originated in Polynesia and was spread by Captain James Cook in the latter half of the 18th century).

The situation in Iran isn't anything less than maddeningly difficult. Let's just not make things worse by using NUCLEAR WEAPONS, shall we?

so a lot of people have been asking me what music i've found so far in 2006. well, i'm usually a little slow to catch on, so while i'm just now starting to get through processing 2005 I have come across something that is remarkable and surely the most entertaining album that could be released this year.


Apparently Yo La Tengo would stop by Jersey City radio station WFMU to help them with their fundraising drive by playing whatever anyone called in and requested. This is a collection of the seemingly listenable tracks. "Standout" tracks include:

• Meet the Mets
  (hilarious, instant classic)
• Route 66
  (little girl sings totally off tempo, it's almost modern jazz)
• Roadrunner (tv theme)
  
• Medocino
  (which somehow ends up being "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", god knows how)
  
• Oh Bondage, Up Yours!
  (is this even a *real* song?!)
  
• Closing medley: shotgun / my sharona / mr. apollo / sonic reducer / god only knows / if and when / the summer sun / schizophrenia / another girl, another planet / bedazzled
  (All in under 6 minutes!)
  

OK, so this entire post should have big frickin' quotation parks around it. But this is really the single most entertaining listen I've had so far this year. Even the cover art is great (and couldn't possibly better describe what's inside):

And I found a blog with a few mp3s of other recordings which are just as amusing.

But please, can someone mention Radiothon to Ira Kaplan or Georgia Hubley? And "Pat King Kills the Klassic" would have been such an awesome radio show... I heard a rumor that "Evil Parade" is gonna be re-recorded. I'm gonna be all over that second printing.

Back when I was a freshman I went to the then Dean (pre-Barbara O'Krazy) of the then School of Speech (now Communications) and asked to be allowed to pursue a double-major in Film and Physics. I was pretty much laughed out the door: the objection was how I could possibly be dedicated enough to the film program. The physics department didn't have a problem with this idea. The unspoken concern was what could you possibly do with a joint Film and Physics degree?

Now hopefully they'll get a glimpse: Block Cinema is running a very intriguing Friday night series "The Cinema of Physics and Perception". The idea is to examine a series of rather experimental films which bridge the aesthetic with the scientific. It's what I was hoping for when I bought my ticket to see What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? without knowing it was a new-age propoganda piece. (Don't see it!) Both science and film scholars are lined up to comment on a really interesting set of abstract ideas:

• 4/14 - Pure Sonic Information
  
• 4/21 - Mathematical Structures
  
• 4/28 - Color
  
• 5/5 - Space Flattened
  
• 5/12 - Spatial Acrobatics
  
• 5/18 - Signifiers/Language
  
• 5/26 - Understanding Symbols and Acquiring Knowledge
  
• 6/2 - Depth & Apparent Z-Axis Motion

Complete descriptions given here.

I'm very excited about all this. I'd been brainstorming a similar idea but using more mainstream, narrative films used as a gateway to scientific discussion. This is much cooler.

news courtesy of Space Weather
The oh so aptly named comet "73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3" is dying. In May we're going to get a front row seat of it all as the comet breaks apart. The Hubble space telescope will be watching. And at Arecibo, the world's largest telescope and radar system is going to "ping" the fragmented comet to map out the little fragments. These "mini-comets" might get as bright as 3rd or 4th magnitude. Meaning we'll be able to see them from Chicago with the Dearborn refractor (and possibly very faintly with the unaided eye). So far 20 fragments have been seen approaching Earth... but not to worry, unlike the special I saw on the Discovery Channel last night these will not hit Earth and cause mass extinction.

Before (an aging comet)

After (death brings mini-comets)
note: the scales of the two images aren't the same.
Now say "Seventy-three P Schwassmann Wachmann three" five times fast... Here's more information about the comet.

It's friday, and time to bump the April fools posts (weren't those funny) into oblivion...

1. "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" - LCD Soundsystem. this made up for Human After All. Was Daft Punk really trying to get out of their major label contract? Sure sounded like it. Owh owh! 9/10

Cameron is coming to Chicago for her spring break which starts tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to try and clean out my garage, clean out a liquor store and finally put the karaoke machine I was gifted this past december to some good use. This is all very exciting. Why? Because hopefully I can find some avacados and get Cameron to make gaucamole!

2. "Police Sweater Blood Vow" - The Fiery Furnaces. Such an intersting band at times: stories within stories, songs within songs. And sometimes their songs just annoy me. This one does more of the former, though if i hear "vibrate buzz ring ring" one more time i will flip out and kill someone (as ninjas sometimes do). 6/10

3. "El Baile Y El Salon" - Cafe Tacvba. I don't know if I'd like them as much if I was actually fluent in spanish. Great great band (Reves is proof). I've heard them criticized for having adolescent lyrics. I can pick up just enough of their lyrics to be giddy about being able to understand anything, so that's never been a problem for me. Musically though, so fun. 8/10

4. "I Must Be High" - Wilco. You really can't go wrong in a Wilco song. (Loose Fur is an entirely different matter). short, sweet. How much longer until summer? 6/10

5. "For You" - Coldplay. I am a huge Coldplay fan. It's because of pieces like this where Chris Martin is the showpony, as much as because Will Champion is just awesome. But I haven't listened to an album through since Rush of Blood... and let's face it, that's probably for the best. Hope a break does them well. 6/10

6."Yo Yeah" - Black Star. Fun little intermission from Talib Kweli and Mos Def. Not faulting it for anything -- excellent production -- but it's just an intro/outro. 4/10

7. "Trail 2/Prison: Prematurely Airconditioned Supermarket" - Philip Glass. Oh, shit. That's the only natural response when you're making a playlist and a piece from Einstein on the Beach gets injected into your playlist. Now I love Einstein on the Beach (Halloween costume 2005, courtesy of Tim's ingeniousness), but these movements can be 30-40 minutes withouth breaking a sweat. Fourtunately it's only 12 minutes; I will get to ten songs today. I love this opera though. "And I have been reminded of the fact that I've been avoiding the beach"... 1 3 3 2 4 4 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 4 4 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 4 4 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 4 4 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 4 2 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 3 2 2 4 2 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 1 2 3 1 1 2 2 2 3 2 1 2 2.../10
(that's just a minute's sampling of the chorus: "so this could be about, uhhh?")

And Damb Jon Volk and Telly for not inviting me to the CRC play this year. I was very excited about "Philip Glass buys a loaf of bread", but I missed it. I hope you realize how big a person I am being by not allowing this to interfer with your invitations to my karaoke party.

8. "Kix" - Miles Davis. So talented, but sometimes he just got further "out there" than my musical tastes have yet to go. This just snuggles up there toward the boundaries with some great solo trumpet and sax, and very solid electric bass backline. (It's even longer than the Glass piece. I shouldn't have complained.) 7/10

9. "Talk Talk Talk Talk" - Love Is All. Oh good, a chance to plug my favorite new album of 2006 so far. It's just fun songs in the vein of the Sugarcubes. Josephine Olausson isn't Bjork, but fun songs and an album that seems to be one big inside joke. This song though is a bit repetitive, even if that's their point. 7/10

10. "Warfare" - Uncle Tupelo. The band from Belleville. Made great stuff with Jay Farrar just being awesome and Jeff Tweedy just starting up. I mean great stuff. And you can't complain about their breakup: Wilco and Son Volt rising from their ashes. And I know I've told you absolutely nothing about this song. Too bad. "Our Warfare will soon be ended." -- lyric from another time. 6/10

Average: ∞/10, courtesy of Philip Glass' choral score.

Bonus 1: "The Music Lovers" - Destroyer
Bonus 2: "Cousin Mary" - John Coltrane

Salinger is clearly fortelling good things this weekend.

so i've been a little under the weather this week. at first I thought perhaps i'd caught something from talking to will on his birthday. yes, he was that sick. but today i finally dragged my lazy butt over to Searle. And you know how every time you go to Searle they either diagnose you with mono or pregnancy. Well, I haven't gotten the test results back yet, but they're pretty sure... no, I need to wait until the results get back in -- can't jinx anything. And thanks for the e-card Pat. April fools... But I definitely do not have mono! So please stop asking.

On another note, these "Don't Be Jack" signs adorning all forms of CTA transport have long been a thorn in my side. But recently, I feel the new signs are going a bit too far, bordering on a personal attack. Here's a picture of one I found on the web.



Please support me in my stance against these personal attacks by NOT buying any "Don't be Jack" merchandise from the CTA, such as this yellow baseball cap.

perhaps it's a little sad that the most exciting part of April 1st has been checking to see what google has done this year. Let me just say, if google pulls this off, GOOG will be posting huge gains in the market. Also the "I'm feeling lucky" button will never be the same. Search for something/one and you'll be treated to links of past google gags. But, hey, this won't be so funny when someone buys thefacebook for $1.3 billion. Hell, they already turned down an offer of $750 million!

Note: All right, so this was topped by the "OMG!!! Ponies!!!" I found on slashdot

And happy birthday pat! Hooray for another year of not being blind.