People at a Performance
By RUDY!
From Magnum photographer Larry Towell’s and Mike Stevens’ performance at the Dryden Theatre. Larry Towell’s photographs are also on display in the photography museum. Good show, harmonica, guitar, and saw!
Trying New Things
By RUDY!
It is in my nature to try new things, but it is also human nature to be habitual; so I am habitual in trying new things, as such I often do not realize that I am trying something for the first time. In this sense, my routine is random, the novelty is old hat, and so I am often oblivious to the newness. (Wrap your mind around that one.) So when I find myself unexpectedly reminded of the newness through a by-product, i.e. performing a search on the internet to try and figure out just what it is I am supposed to do with the little orange kumquats in my hand, I beam an inward smile.
In the spirit of trying new things, I would like to say that I was wrong. I was wrong about Gregg Popovich and all that anger and frustration I felt back in 1997 when he, in his capacity as General Manager of the San Antonio Spurs, fired head coach Bob Hill and named himself coach was unfounded. He was trying something new himself. He was trying to bring a high-caliber and highly competitive team game back to the NBA. You might say, but didn’t the first franchise championship in 1999 show you that you were wrong? Not necessarily, Popovich has star players on his roster, Bob Hill had a comparable record to Popovich’s before Hill was fired. Who can say for sure that Bob Hill–despite going on to fail as a head coach in many reincarnations–wouldn’t have won his own championship ring with the star-laden Spurs? No, that championship didn’t convince me, what convinces me is the level of play, its selflessness, and above all else, its consistency year after year. Just look at the tightness of that data points since Popovich took over… mmm, that’s good data.
So there, I was wrong when I cursed Popovich’s first season as head coach and his smug pretentiousness on the sideline that first season as the win percentage dropped to an all time low (Robinson was out with an injury). Now, when I watch the playoff games against Phoenix, I marvel at his genius. That’s good humble pie.
In The News: Confirmation of the Decline of American Society
By RUDY!
[Editor’s Note: The crassness of this article has be called into question, please read with caution.]
There are many things that one can highlight and suggest indicate a decline in our society; school shootings come to mind. But in the statistical sense, how can we be certain that the shootings are not outliers, freak occurrences, maybe five sigma above the standard deviations from the mean? I reckon we can not. The problem stems from the fact that the school shooter is a one time occurrence, that is to say, they shoot and then they are shot. Maybe, treated as a whole, one might be able to say something statistically significant, but I for one feel that the archetype school shooter is a poorly sampled phenomenon.
However, I feel that these two gems of American society have confirmed for me the breakdown of our wonderful society:
The man is a silent but proud police officer in New York City. He was an outstanding cadet and student. He just bought his fiance a 1.5 karat engagement ring with some of the money he acquired from three bank heists he allegedly pulled off in Manhattan and PA. (NYT Article)
The woman is a decorated officer (Lieutenant Commander) in the United States Navy, divorced mother of three, and teacher of a leadership course in the Naval Academy. She recently divulged details about her moonlighting as a prostitute in the D.C. area for the D.C. Madam. (NYT Article)
First a word about why I think these folks carry more significance than the other. In both these cases the offenses were repeated, that is, the completion of the first act did not hinder their continuation, as in the case of a school shooter. So they have the opportunity to think about what they have done and they still do it again and again. That, to me, carries more significance than the other spurious, some might say, impulsive shooter.
Now, let’s look at some numbers:
Officer Torres earned approximately $32,000 a year in his normal job. He is alleged to have carried out three heist totaling $231,000, or an average of $77,000 per illegal adventure. I should note that these robberies all occurred within a year, that is quite the supplemental income.
Lieutenant Commander Dickinson earned approximately $77,000 a year from her Navy Job, though some sources say it was as high as $100,000 a year. It isn’t clear how many customers she had, but we do know that she earned $130 per illegal adventure. She worked for about 19 months, if we put a lower limit of one customer per week, then she earned at least $10,000, a meager supplemental income given her legal income.
Do the numbers seem strange to you? There are many variables at hand here, but clearly the risk factor is a driving factor when ill gotten gains are tabulated.
To further drive the point home, Officer Torres not only bought lavish goods (i.e. the engagement ring and a new car), he also paid off his student loans. Lieutenant Commander Dickinson used the money to combat her increasingly dire financial situation. She was supporting her high cost of living, three kids in Georgia, and frequent trips to visit her kids. What is this? I cannot say there are misplaced priorities. Clearly these folks did some good with their ill gotten gains, but what it looks like to me is a breakdown of societal norms, that is, an eroding morality, the very fabric of a functioning society. Sigh Star Sigh.
Magic Pen (Crayon Physics)
By RUDY!
Man, this game is addicting and fun and cool and… oh my gosh I’ve been playing for three hours… but I finished it! (via kottke)
Update: After tossing in bed all night trying to come up with new cranes, elevators, and the like to make in this game, I’ve begun playing it again. Both to reduce the number of elements used in each level and to explore the possibilities of building in this world. Somebody stop me.
