A Curious Statistical Anomaly

Some days it hardly seems worth getting up Today for instance, it’s wet, rainy, foggy, and cold.  I haven’t checked the outside temp so maybe it’s just me that’s cold.  So anyway, I’m sitting here at my desk shivering even in all my layers and trying to catch up on some work when I get this link to a YouTube video.

What can I say? Sometimes the video says it all.  If the Muppets doing Bohemian Rapsody don’t cheer you up on a dreary Wednesday before a major holiday with a drop-dead deadline looming on the horizon well, check your pulse.  So for everyone else having a downer of a Wednesday.  Enjoy!

It just doesn’t get any better than the Muppets — not a bad rendition either.

It has rained all day today.  It seems like it’s rained more than not lately.  Matches my mood though since I’ve been headachy and out of sorts — maybe flu maybe not.  Hyperion though definitely has the flu but is back to work (out of sick time).  Luckily the Thanksgiving holiday is coming up so he’ll get a long weekend — hopefully that will help.  Telecommuting would help but contractors are not allowed to telecommute (not that the govies are allowed to either).

Anyway, I ran into this article the other day on “Ten things mobiles have made, or will make obsolete” on recombu.com. The ten things listed are: phone booths, wristwatches, bedside alarm clocks, mp3 players, landline home phones, compact digital cameras, netbooks, handheld game consoles, paper, and brains. The author gives a reason for each choice.

I found the list and the reason interesting. However, computers were supposed to get rid of the need for paper. Remember the paperless office? Well, we still have paper — lots and lots of paper. Can’t see that it’s reduced in amount just because a copy of each document is electronic.

It’s the phones screen size that doesn’t work. I’m older and even though you can increase the font size somewhat on the smartphones it’s not a pleasant experience for long term use. Though for emergencies and for keeping in touch or just giving you something to do while stuck somewhere the phone is taking the place of many gadgets.

One that was not on the list was books. Many phones now have software so you can read books on your phone. Of course I’ve got my Kindle but I know many people who read on their mobiles.

I don’t carry a watch anymore. My cell has the time in a small window on the front. I don’t listen to music on it because my mobile phone is older. I may upgrade to a blackberry or android-type soon but I’m happy with what I’ve got for now because I have an iPod, a Kindle, a digital camera that fits in my purse along with my netbook.

The problem with a mobile taking on the jobs of all those items is that when you lose one — the phone — you’ve lost them all. If I lose my phone, well I’ve lost the phone but I still have the music, camera, computer, and books. So, while having one item instead of five is seductive — the thought of losing everything because one item died is just too scary for me right now.

A while back I stumbled across the fact that Jen Yates was on a book tour for her book, Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong. Then I noticed that one of the stops on the tour was in Bethesda, Maryland. I marked my calendar.

I’ve enjoyed the Cake Wrecks blog since I stumbled across it a year or so ago. I check back every so often for another hit of Jen’s humor and a look at how some things can just go so wrong. So, hearing of this event, I knew I wanted to go. The blog said there was a slide show and cake would be served. How could anyone pass this up.

Google Maps said that the trip should take us about an hour and 10 minutes. So, we left in time to get there about a half hour early. Good thing we did because the trip took over two hours (traffic was just really heavy) and we got there just in time for the Q&A and the cake. However, there was a large crowd.

Not only was there a fairly large crowd of people but it completely filled the seating area and was standing room and filling up all the aisles and walkways between shelving units. If you look closely you’ll note that Hyperion and I weren’t the only WSFAns there.
Of course there was cake:

It was a great cake and obviously Leslie has a wonderful sense of humor. It was chocolate cake and I believe a mocha frosting. It really tasted great. Everyone there got a piece of the cake. (For you people who play Portal, the cake was not a lie.)

Of course there’s a Wreckplica contest. People bring a cupcake that is based on a cake wreck. The three winners were The Lenin Cake (Grand Prize), the bloodshot eyes cake, and the foot (which included the nails).

I seem to have lost the photo of the third prize winning cupcake. Sorry.

Jen and John then signed books.

Though we missed the slide show, we did hear the Q&A and it was quite interesting. They’ve only had 7 requests to take down a cake and they get about 50-60 photos of cake wrecks a day. They actually check to make sure the wrecks aren’t intentional. Leslie said she was appalled when one of her cakes made it on Cake Wrecks but then saw the humor of it and got over it. It just happens sometimes that what you think is a great cake just doesn’t work for others.

It was a fun evening and I’m glad we took the time to go, even though we missed the slide show. Jen and John are good people and try to keep the blog light, funny and not mean. Check if out.

By the way, I also really love the Sweet Sunday posts where they post pictures of beautiful cakes — not a wreck among them. Works of art that it’s a shame to think someone is going to cut into it and serve it to people.

I was sent the link to this YouTube video yesterday and just loved the sentiment and the music. Originally published on YouTube on September 17th, 2009 it is a beautiful tribute by Melodysheep (John).

Here’s what he says about this piece:

A musical tribute to two great men of science. Carl Sagan and his cosmologist companion Stephen Hawking present: A Glorious Dawn – Cosmos remixed. Almost all samples and footage taken from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos and Stephen Hawking’s Universe series.

If you click on “more info” in the upper right-hand area with the links the words are listed so if you have a problem hearing the lyrics you can check the actual wording out.

Enjoy. I did. I miss Sagan’s simple explanations of complex topics and his apparent joy in science.

Creator: Russell T Davies
Actors: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Peter Capaldi, Paul Copley
Directors: Euros Lynn
Summary: In this new series, re-join Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones, who are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends, Tosh and Owen. This time the Torchwood team are faced with their fiercest threat to date – one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiraling into danger. They battle against the odds but do they stand a chance of saving mankind?

I’d already posted here earlier about how dark and emotional the first three episodes of this season where. Now I’ve seen the full season. Usually a season is more than six episodes but at the point this season was done they thought it might be the last. The entire season is one story so there’s continuity between the episodes.

In 1965, aliens contacted Britain and demanded 12 children. The government gave them the children and the aliens went away. They were supposed to never come back. But, now it’s present time and the aliens have returned, heralding their return by speaking with the voice of all the children of the world. This time they want 10% of the world’s children or they will destroy the human race.

What makes this season so powerful is that it’s so believable. Putting myself in the mindset of the show, we gave in before why not do it again. Isn’t 10% of the children of Earth a small price to pay to keep the rest of the species alive? If you do give them 10% shouldn’t they come from the worst schools, the dregs, the projects, the children who’ll only grow up to be trouble makers anyway? How do you decide? And, of course the children of all the politicians would be exempt; after all their children will be good citizens.

Does the good of the many out weigh the good of the few? Shouldn’t we give up those 10% so that the rest can live? What if they were your children? Would that make a difference? If it does make a difference when it is your child then can we really justify taking away the children of other parents?

This season is dark and it asks many ethical questions? You see the politicians making the plans and already putting a spin to make it look like a good thing? Reduce the worlds population. That can only be a good thing right? Get rid of the dregs — that’s got to help everyone?

This review is mostly questions because as I sat and watched the final episodes, that’s what I was left with. Questions and the belief that if there were aliens and if our government was faced with such a threat — could I trust them? Based on what I’ve seen of the world’s various governments and justice systems over the last twenty years or so — no, I can’t trust them. Not when ethics are involved. If such a scenario was to occur could the remaining citizens of planet Earth live with themselves, with what they did, no matter what choice they made.

Of course, the kicker which we and the viewers and the government officials know is what they want the children for. Even knowing that the aliens will be back again and again for their 10%, they are still willing to take the deal. Luckily Torchwood, now down to only three members is still around trying to fight. But even for them the cost of winning may just be too high — or at least too high to live with. Just how much guilt can a person take and continue to function?

Filled with action and suspense and some moments of sheer frustration and fury — this one will wring tears, anger, frustration, and hopefully some soul searching out of its viewers. This is amazing writing and acting — drama doesn’t get much better than this.

If you’ve seen this season, I’d really like to hear about your thoughts and opinions.

Wow, I sat glued to my seat for these first three episodes of Children of Earth. We’d been catching up with Torchwood via Netflix and though things started a bit rough in season one they’ve improved steadily as the cast found their footing. I was really upset when one of the characters got killed but I cheered when one of the others finally, finally, died for keeps. So, I was looking forward to the next season.

We’d been spacing them out one disk of the show and a couple of movies between then back again to another disk. I’d forgotten just how intense British drama can be. The tension built steadily from the first to the second and now the third and ends on a shocking cliffhanger. It’s times like these that I wish we had one of the multiple disk plans but, no. Ordinarily, I’m very happy with our one disk at a time unlimited plan — but now I have to wait to send out this disk and then wait for the next one to come.

If you’ve seen the ending of Season 3 don’t spoil it for me. There are very few US TV dramas that are as nakedly brutal as some of the British shows. I’m not talking so much the story lines as their delving into the really human issues. In this case children. What kind of government would turn over 12 children to an alien race as a gift? In the setup, 12 children from an orphanage were given as a gift to an alien race 456. Now it’s the present and the aliens are back. You can guess what the first thing the government tries to do–I’m sure you got it in one. Hide the evidence of what they did in 1965.

I find myself thinking that as awful as that was — after what was done by this country under our previous government that I’m not really surprised that a government would do such a thing. I think over the last few decades I’ve seen things done by various governments that have put the bar for base and horrible acts pretty low. I’ve lost faith that government actually works for the good of the people they represent. Maybe that’s why I find Torchwood, a show about a secret government sort-of agency that works without oversight to be so absorbing. Fighting aliens and stuff — not so much. But lying to the citizens and covering up their mistakes — that, unfortunately, I don’t have trouble believing in.

Wonder what the popularity of these shows says about us — people/humans/citizens of Earth? Don’t know but I wonder if we actually learn from them and keep a closer eye on our representatives? Those who speak for us without asking us what we think about things. I know I tend to be a bit more concerned about what my leaders are saying about “us” to others and most of the time it’s attitudes that I certainly don’t want to be associated with. But then that’s me. Maybe other people really don’t care or agree with what’s going on in the world of government whatever.

Mr. Darcy has married Elizabeth Bennet. Caroline Bingley is devastated and mortified by this turn of events. After the ceremony, she finds an empty room and gives way to her heartbreak and sorrow. Imagine her surprise when she realizes that her blatant display has been witnessed by a gentleman who had been in the room before she entered. They agree to never mention it again. Carolyn believes that is the end of the matter until months later when she is introduced to Mr. Darcy’s American cousin, Mr. Robert Darcy, the man who witnessed her loss of decorum and who, because of his station and relations, will be thrown into her company as he waits out the war before returning to America.

Most of the follow on books that continue the story of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, deal with the lives of Elizabeth and Darcy. Monica Fairview has chosen to focus on Caroline Bingley. In Pride and Prejudice, Carolyn was depicted as a proud, jealous, status seeking, snarky, conniving woman who had set her sights on Mr. Darcy. In the very first scene, Fairview changes our perception of Carolyn by showing us that she didn’t just want Darcy’s fortune and status–she actually loved him. We can’t help but feel for her loss and sorrow–but can we come to like her? How will she take this loss — will she accept it and move on to try again, or harden her heart and become the woman we all thought she was?

It doesn’t take much effort to guess that Robert Darcy is smitten with Caroline Bingley. He was privy to her outpouring of emotional tears and had been touched by the depths of her feelings. He wants to get to know her better and perhaps take his cousin’s place in her affections, or at least gain her good will. We don’t get into his head, so we can only guess at his motives and wishes. However, it’s obvious that the two of them come from different backgrounds even though their status might be equal. So, there’s plenty of misunderstandings and cultural differences to add to the mix.

The major stumbling block is that Caroline is a woman of her times. She’s been trained from a young age in how to behave and what is acceptable and what is not. Over time she has had to give up almost everything she loved in order to become the woman that society expected her to be. But underneath, Caroline still remembers bits of what she lost and it’s only now, with the loss of Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet that she wonders if it was worth it. Caroline begins to question all her assumptions about society, her way of life, her status, and reputation. She’s beginning to see herself, her family, her sister, and her friends with some new insights. When Robert Darcy comes to the rescue of her reputation it just adds to her confusion.

Over time Robert Darcy and Caroline Bingley have their own dance of approach and avoidance and pride and prejudice. Some of the best and wittiest dialogue is during the fights these two have over their perceptions of right and wrong, society, reputation, and trust. You find yourself wishing you could reach within the pages of the book and give a shake or whisper in an ear — as with Pride and Prejudice, we can only sit and continue reading and hoping that these characters will eventually work out their differences and realize their true feelings for each other.

Along the way, Caroline reclaims herself, finding that many of the preferences and talents that she’d suppressed in order to be deemed “proper” are ones that if she’d had any say she’d never have abandoned. As she examines her life and her future, she becomes a person that this reader, at least, found she actually liked.

Fairview gives us a Caroline Bingley that has history, which in turns gives her depth. She allows us to see that there is more to this character than we could ever have guessed from the pages of Pride and Prejudice. Yet, she doesn’t do anything that would take away from the original presentation of the character; she only puts it in a different light and gives us background to understand Caroline a bit better.

Indeed, this is a worthy addition to the growing body of works that continue the stories begun in Pride and Prejudice.

Publishing Info: The Other Mr. Darcy. Did you know, Mr. Darcy had an American Cousin? by Monica Fairview. ISBN: 978-1402225130. Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, October 1st, 2009.

I’ve noticed that music can lighten my mood if I’m unhappy. Depress me if I’m sad. Give me that extra energy to go just a bit more on some task or other when I’m tired. Music, even when it’s the music of wind in the leaves and birds at the feeder, makes life just more “there”.

For many years, I’ve noticed that when the music fits a movie it adds to the viewing and the story. When the sounds are right and the music is right you don’t even notice it it just stays in the background — but it can make you cry more at the sad parts, shudder at the scary parts, and thrill to the adventure — it adds to the story but in a way you don’t even notice.

Today, this article in ScienceDaily caught my eye, or rather the title did, “Scary Music Is Scarier With Your Eyes Shut“. Prof. Talma Hendler and Dr. Yulia Lerner at Tel Aviv Universities Functional Brain Center studied people listening to scary music with their eyes open and closed and found some interesting results:

15 healthy volunteers listen to spooky Hitchcock-style music, and then neutral sounds with no musical melody. They listened to these twice, once with their eyes open and a second time with their eyes shut, as she monitored their brain activity with an fMRI. While volunteers were listening to the scary music, Dr. Lerner found that brain activity peaked when the subjects’ eyes were closed. This medical finding corresponded to volunteer feedback that the subjects felt more emotionally charged by the scary music.

The amygdala, the region of the brain in which emotions are located, was significantly more active when the subjects’ eyes were closed. “It’s possible that closing one’s eyes during an emotional stimulation, like in our research, may help people through a variety of mental states. It synchs connectivity in the brain,” Dr. Hendler says.

They’re hoping that this research can be used to design future studies that could help people with dementia and systemic brain disorders.

Music brings balance to the brain and more readily integrates the affective and cognitive centers of our mind. Music may help us think better and even improve our learning abilities.

I don’t know about people with actual physical neurological problems but for many years Hollywood has been experimenting on hundreds of thousands of people by using music to play with their emotions. Just as many students use music to help them concentrate on their studies. Workers the world over use music to mask annoying background chatter so that they can work effectively. Many people have used music to regulate their movements so that everyone is in sync when group efforts are required (rowing, lifting heavy objects, etc.). Guess now science has caught up.