Posts
30/01/2005
Waaahhh!
Unfair! I get this nice mention on PalmAddict which appropriately drives oodles of traffic over to my miserly site, and that bloody counter from bloody bravenet decides to take a bloody break for hours on end!!
29/01/2005
Tomiland
I am happy to announce that my nephew Tomi is his own man now, proudly introducing the world to his website Tomiland which already contains some interesting old tracks from his collection of vintage shellack discs and hopefully soon his podcast. At any rate, I recommend subscribing to his newsfeed ...
The Art of Travel on TV
I just watched The Art of Travel in a BBC Channel 4 program by Seneca Productions, which looks a bit like a de Botton family enterprise. Thank you, Joel for recording & sending me the DVD!
The one hour TV documentary is a witty, carefully observing executive summary of the book, but with a twist. Of course, the book is much deeper and even more interesting - but given that you certainly spend a couple of hours more on reading than watching the program, that's not really surprising. Maybe there's a bit of an objective explanation for the often perceived better quality of books vs. their film version?
But that's a tangent again. The TV version of The Art captures the key tenet of the book very well, namely that happiness is not a condition we can find in distant places, but inside of ourselves. This is demonstrated nicely by way of examples such as the elderly lady who decided to spend the rest of her days on board of QE2, the couple that spends their vacations hunting down WWII bunkers, the German swinger hotel (yes, really!), or by relieving Japanese tourists of their cameras and asking them to draw a church spire instead (incidentally, they performed splendidly!). Throughout all this, you hear the author's calm narrative, combined with an astute camera eye catching many small details, which often times are embarrassing or self-ironic, but always full of civility. Highly recommended.
The one hour TV documentary is a witty, carefully observing executive summary of the book, but with a twist. Of course, the book is much deeper and even more interesting - but given that you certainly spend a couple of hours more on reading than watching the program, that's not really surprising. Maybe there's a bit of an objective explanation for the often perceived better quality of books vs. their film version?
But that's a tangent again. The TV version of The Art captures the key tenet of the book very well, namely that happiness is not a condition we can find in distant places, but inside of ourselves. This is demonstrated nicely by way of examples such as the elderly lady who decided to spend the rest of her days on board of QE2, the couple that spends their vacations hunting down WWII bunkers, the German swinger hotel (yes, really!), or by relieving Japanese tourists of their cameras and asking them to draw a church spire instead (incidentally, they performed splendidly!). Throughout all this, you hear the author's calm narrative, combined with an astute camera eye catching many small details, which often times are embarrassing or self-ironic, but always full of civility. Highly recommended.
28/01/2005
Top secret radio?
First of all, I need to point out that I really like Swiss public radio station DRS 2 (Realaudio player required). I listen to it a lot and I am even a long time member of its Listeners' Club.
However, the little incident I have to report is so pathetic it's almost funny. It happened nearly a month ago already, but relating it to a friend yesterday, I noticed that it's definitely blogworthy.
In the program Musik à la carte I heard something I liked and wanted to find out what exactly it was. Naturally, I checked DRS2's website, but to no avail. An email inquiry resulted in a very friendly and quick response that playlists are not available online, but could be sent to me via physical mail or telefax. So eventually, I ended up getting the playlist in the form of a(n almost illegible) fax message.
But that's not the end of the story! It got me curious as to why on earth those playlists were not available online, as every other radio station in the known world has them. I am not even talking about the wasteful inefficiency of requiring expensive human interaction for this no brainer kind of request. Further prodding produced an incredible answer from Nicolas Flaschi: "Die Musiklisten sind aus Konkurrenzgründen nicht im Internet publiziert." Playlists are not published online for competitive reasons - how incredibly stupid is that!? It seems that our state radio considers its playlists as confidential information! The degree of their disonnection is simply flabbergasting.
However, the little incident I have to report is so pathetic it's almost funny. It happened nearly a month ago already, but relating it to a friend yesterday, I noticed that it's definitely blogworthy.
In the program Musik à la carte I heard something I liked and wanted to find out what exactly it was. Naturally, I checked DRS2's website, but to no avail. An email inquiry resulted in a very friendly and quick response that playlists are not available online, but could be sent to me via physical mail or telefax. So eventually, I ended up getting the playlist in the form of a(n almost illegible) fax message.
But that's not the end of the story! It got me curious as to why on earth those playlists were not available online, as every other radio station in the known world has them. I am not even talking about the wasteful inefficiency of requiring expensive human interaction for this no brainer kind of request. Further prodding produced an incredible answer from Nicolas Flaschi: "Die Musiklisten sind aus Konkurrenzgründen nicht im Internet publiziert." Playlists are not published online for competitive reasons - how incredibly stupid is that!? It seems that our state radio considers its playlists as confidential information! The degree of their disonnection is simply flabbergasting.
Die Paten der Swiss
Hier gibt es einen spannenden Artikel in der Weltwoche über das zweifelhafte Prozedere zu lesen, das 2001 entgegen ökonomischer Vernunft in einem für die Schweiz einzigartigen politischen Kraftakt zur Gründung der Swiss geführt hat.
27/01/2005
Enthusiasm!
I can barely contain it! This great product has enabled me to do what I didn't expect to achieve any more - I revitalised my ancient Tungsten T by fully synchronising it with the full suite of Apple applications as well as Worldmate and AvantGo! Great!!
Only slightly negative is the fact that I realise now that old Tungsten is old indeed. All these new AvantGo channels and the new version of Agendus eat so much of scarce system resources that the experience isn't as snappy any more as it used to be. I think the current model is the T5 ...
From all this, it's a pretty safe bet that I haven't quite entered the moleskin crowd just yet, although I do lug a leather bound note book around. I am a geek, and proud of it!
Only slightly negative is the fact that I realise now that old Tungsten is old indeed. All these new AvantGo channels and the new version of Agendus eat so much of scarce system resources that the experience isn't as snappy any more as it used to be. I think the current model is the T5 ...
From all this, it's a pretty safe bet that I haven't quite entered the moleskin crowd just yet, although I do lug a leather bound note book around. I am a geek, and proud of it!
26/01/2005
Gemeindekalender
Als kleine Dienstleistung an die Gemeinde veröffentliche ich hier einen Kalender mit für die Gemeinde Schönenbuch relevanten Daten wie Oeffnungszeiten der Verwaltung, Post, des Hallenbads Allschwil, Papiersammlungen, Häckseldienst, Gemeindeversammlung &c. Obwohl ich versuche, den Kalender auf dem neusten Stand zu halten, übernehme ich selbstverständlich keine Verantwortung für irgendwelche Fehler ... musste mal gesagt werden.
Benutzer von Apples iCal können den Kalender hier sogar abonnieren!
Benutzer von Apples iCal können den Kalender hier sogar abonnieren!
24/01/2005
Internet art
Very odd stuff from a collection of net art projects to be explored here. Prepare to be alienated - thanks to NZZ for the pointer!
23/01/2005
Echo
Ein unzeitgemässer, sensibler Nachklang des Europas des 19. Jahrhunderts findet sich in dieser schönen Schilderung aus Galizien, einer im polnisch-ukrainischen Grenzgebiet liegenden Region. Unbedingt lesenswert.
22/01/2005
007
To keep in line with my previous Edinburgh related post, there's this great portrait of Thomas S. (you know what that stands for) Connery in the current edition of Esquire! Its author is another interesting Edinburgh man: Ian Rankin, whose Inspector Rebus character I like a lot! Knowing Rankin's sombre style, it's probably not surprising that the portrait sounds a bit like an epitaph.
Actually, I discovered that Rankin has just published a new book which I'll have to get when I go to London in three weeks time! As a matter of fact, that shopping list is building quite threateningly, particularly since Regent Street is waiting ...
Actually, I discovered that Rankin has just published a new book which I'll have to get when I go to London in three weeks time! As a matter of fact, that shopping list is building quite threateningly, particularly since Regent Street is waiting ...
21/01/2005
A canny man
No, this is not about my standard pub recommendation in Edinburgh, which is The Canny Man's in Edinburgh's Morningside, of course. Although reading that review, I very much feel like going back now and verifying, because when I lived there, it certainly wasn't a restaurant, yet and while definitely not being a miners' pub, it didn't feel quite as posh. But maybe that's got to do with living in the neighbourhood.
But I am on a tangent! I wanted to point you to this article about Jay McCullough, who was definitely a canny Edinburgh man, according to this article. Not only did he foresee flat screen TV, bullet trains and emancipation in his book published in 1892 - he actually finished it with these serene words: "The dream of my former existence come true. I am indeed a lucky man to see it. The women working while the men play golf. Splendid."
But I am on a tangent! I wanted to point you to this article about Jay McCullough, who was definitely a canny Edinburgh man, according to this article. Not only did he foresee flat screen TV, bullet trains and emancipation in his book published in 1892 - he actually finished it with these serene words: "The dream of my former existence come true. I am indeed a lucky man to see it. The women working while the men play golf. Splendid."
Podcasting continued
Die Alte Tante wird immer dynamischer! Nur ein paar Monate nach Beginn des Podcasting Phänomens widmet sie ihm einen ausführlichen Artikel!
Und trotzdem gibt es offenbar immer noch keine Podcasters hierzulande - ran an die Mikros, Leute! Es kann ja nicht sein, dass die Schweden schon 2 haben und wir gar nix ...
Und trotzdem gibt es offenbar immer noch keine Podcasters hierzulande - ran an die Mikros, Leute! Es kann ja nicht sein, dass die Schweden schon 2 haben und wir gar nix ...
20/01/2005
Small town blues
While my disrespect for the Financial Times (at least in its English incarnation) is known, I have to admit that the degree of its availability at the newsagents is probably a good measure of a location's provincialism. I found a copy of today's edition at the seventh newsagent I visited, and that was in order of increasing centrality! Fortunately, I didn't have to fight the Minotaur ...
19/01/2005
Inaugural cartoon
If you care to see a steady decline in humour, then check out JibJab's third installment and logical conclusion of their campaign series. I don't know what you think, but the second term is probably just not a laughing matter any more ...
Approximative Entropie &c
In der Rubrik Forschung + Technik der NZZ gibt es heute zwei besonders interessante Beiträge zum Thema Prognosen: dieser befasst sich oberflächlich mit dem Einsatz approximativer Entropie für die Vorhersage des Kursverlaufes an den Finanzmärkten. Dem Autor näher am Herzen liegt aber wohl die Frage, wie zuverlässig im Einzelfall auch renommierte wissenschaftliche Quellen sind. Diese Frage stellt sich tatsächlich, scheinen doch bei den angeführten Beispielen wesentliche statistische Gültigkeitsinformationen zu fehlen. Zudem ist mein persönlicher Eindruck, dass die approximative Entropie (im Artikel ist zwei Mal wohl fälschlicherweise von Energie die Rede) wahrscheinlich ein informationstheoretisch interessantes Mass ist - die Eignung für den Prognoseeinsatz ist aber nicht zwingend.
Ein anderes, sehr naheliegendes Interessengebiet ist jenes der Vorhersage von Erdbeben, welche zwar grosse Fortschritte gemacht habe, aber gerade im praktisch einzig relevanten Prognosefenster Stunden bis Tage noch nicht einsatzreif sei. Schade. Solange bleibt wohl nur Versicherung als Risikomanagement-Massnahme. Zur Zeit ist das einschlägige Angebot in der Schweiz allerdings jämmerlich klein.
Spannend übrigens auch dieser Artikel über die moralische Grosswetterlage in der kritischen iranischen Geistlichkeit.
Ein anderes, sehr naheliegendes Interessengebiet ist jenes der Vorhersage von Erdbeben, welche zwar grosse Fortschritte gemacht habe, aber gerade im praktisch einzig relevanten Prognosefenster Stunden bis Tage noch nicht einsatzreif sei. Schade. Solange bleibt wohl nur Versicherung als Risikomanagement-Massnahme. Zur Zeit ist das einschlägige Angebot in der Schweiz allerdings jämmerlich klein.
Spannend übrigens auch dieser Artikel über die moralische Grosswetterlage in der kritischen iranischen Geistlichkeit.
18/01/2005
Iran
Here is the article that accuses the Bush administration of preparing military operations against Iran. Which provokes the US Department of Defense to come up with this statement - if the article is quite so nonsensical and bare of any credibility, why bother?
They protest too much, methinks. My scenario of last fall about a strike or invasion by March 2006 has not exactly been invalidated by all means. But what I am really surprised about is the bold assumption (again!) that an invasion might meet with enthusiastic support from the iranians. While there is certainly not much ardour in favour of the mullah government in the urban population of Teheran, a foreign attack on Iran will be an invaluable, although not unexpected present for the regime.
They protest too much, methinks. My scenario of last fall about a strike or invasion by March 2006 has not exactly been invalidated by all means. But what I am really surprised about is the bold assumption (again!) that an invasion might meet with enthusiastic support from the iranians. While there is certainly not much ardour in favour of the mullah government in the urban population of Teheran, a foreign attack on Iran will be an invaluable, although not unexpected present for the regime.
Farsight
With hindsight, I just discovered that I haven't updated my esteemed readers on recent acquisitions in the televisionary department, namely this and this. While Philips has done a great job in developing that flat screen TV which has outstanding picture quality, its website performance is terrible, to say the least. But now you know at least why I have fallen behind blogging a little - I am studying manuals!
I have a dream
In delayed reverence to yesterday's Martin Luther King day, listen to his deeply moving rhetorical masterpiece again here.
17/01/2005
Bloggasana
The yoga teacher won't appreciate that one very much, I don't think. Or how have I used to say: That cannot be healthy!
15/01/2005
Enter: The notebook
Here is a very considerate column in the WSJ (subscription) about the return of the notebook (paper edition - you know, to leaf through, doodle in, tear out ... that kind of thing) as an unforeseen consequence of the rise of the iPod to the second spot of silicon based personal gadgetry. Am I wrong, or are our toys becoming more humane again? The mobile phone is to communicate with others, and the iPod is to listen to music.
Talking of which: I am just returning from - sorry to admit - my first ever visit to the Basle jazz club the bird's eye. It looks like an amazingly friendly place, despite of its setting in the heavy walls of the former state prison. While it's been the first time I was there, it certainly wasn't the last.
Talking of which: I am just returning from - sorry to admit - my first ever visit to the Basle jazz club the bird's eye. It looks like an amazingly friendly place, despite of its setting in the heavy walls of the former state prison. While it's been the first time I was there, it certainly wasn't the last.
14/01/2005
Alexander
Just back from watching Alexander The Great with W & T. I've read a lot of very critical reviews about the movie, but since Alexander is a fascinating character, I had to see for myself. And I can tell you that the degree of ridicule and damnation the film receives is by no means justified. It is far better than Troy for starters.
So, what went wrong? I think Stone used an outdated film language which would have been all the rage in the late seventies. Think of Alexander as Platoon set in the fourth century bce. And add a truly horrible soundtrack and a bit of over-indulgence in the melodramatic department. But other than that, it's a satisfactory movie which portrays the character rather appropriately, I would expect. Rather challenging to think of Alexander as the first proponent of avant la lettre liberal globalisation! The battle scenes are also quite well done with some nice (and literal!) bird's eye views of the strategic dynamics, especially at Gaugamela. And there's a great cast as well. Rather surprising is the amount of Scottish accent that you get to hear - I wonder whether that is Stone's equivalent to ancient Greek. Certainly completely unasked for is Olympias' attempt at a balkanic sounding accent.
Overall, if you're interested in the character, go see it. If you're interested in a great movie however, don't. This movie is another confirmation that Hollywood is unable to deal with the really great materials of mankind. T mentioned on the way back that he would have preferred it done in the style of the sixties Ben Hur or the Ten Commandments, with Technicolor and all. If it's true, which I honestly don't know, it would be quite tough evidence of incapacity of contemporary movie making. What do you think?
Meanwhile, all the best to my father, who has broken his leg tonight and is in hospital for expected surgery tomorrow!
So, what went wrong? I think Stone used an outdated film language which would have been all the rage in the late seventies. Think of Alexander as Platoon set in the fourth century bce. And add a truly horrible soundtrack and a bit of over-indulgence in the melodramatic department. But other than that, it's a satisfactory movie which portrays the character rather appropriately, I would expect. Rather challenging to think of Alexander as the first proponent of avant la lettre liberal globalisation! The battle scenes are also quite well done with some nice (and literal!) bird's eye views of the strategic dynamics, especially at Gaugamela. And there's a great cast as well. Rather surprising is the amount of Scottish accent that you get to hear - I wonder whether that is Stone's equivalent to ancient Greek. Certainly completely unasked for is Olympias' attempt at a balkanic sounding accent.
Overall, if you're interested in the character, go see it. If you're interested in a great movie however, don't. This movie is another confirmation that Hollywood is unable to deal with the really great materials of mankind. T mentioned on the way back that he would have preferred it done in the style of the sixties Ben Hur or the Ten Commandments, with Technicolor and all. If it's true, which I honestly don't know, it would be quite tough evidence of incapacity of contemporary movie making. What do you think?
Meanwhile, all the best to my father, who has broken his leg tonight and is in hospital for expected surgery tomorrow!
13/01/2005
Cheekiness
Thank you to WFMU for this nice depiction of the emperor's new clothes! I often listen to their program on this live stream.
Einsteiniana
I already mentioned that we're in a big Einstein year this year. So here are a few links on the issue: Berner Einstein Jubiläum, World Year of Physics and the related site of the Federal Polytechnic and finally, the Pirelli Relativity Challenge which awards the best multimedia work that explains special relativity theory to the layperson! I am certainly looking forward to that.
(Links by way of Basler Zeitung (subscription))
(Links by way of Basler Zeitung (subscription))
12/01/2005
Happy Birthday!
In an earlier post, I complained about not having had an Uncle Vince to be my moral & intellectual guide through adolescense. While that may be true in a strict sense, it's not quite so correct figuratively speaking. With this post, I would like to pay homage to and congratulate a very dear old Aunt who is still resident in her own home at 11 Falkenstrasse, Zürich. She is celebrating her 225th birthday today, and she's as fit & sprightly as she was in her teens.
So, what's with this uncles & aunts stuff (dear nephews & nieces of mine, please stop reading now)? Why do they often play a unique rôle in a kid's adolescence? Well, I think the special rôle is due to an aunt's (uncles always included) special mix of closeness and distance. The closeness is given by the fact that an aunt is always family, hence trustworthy and - other than friends - in for the long run. The distance bit is usually given by a certain age difference, a physical remoteness as in not living in the same household, and generally, you don't have to cramp your style with an aunt. Which you very often have to with siblings, because of an inevitable degree of rivalry. Parents? They are usually out of the game, anyway.
So, could all this be applied to a newspaper as well? To the degree that a newspaper subscription is a pretty one way affair, you bet! The NZZ has a great deal to do with who I am & how I think today. But maybe, a bit of that adulation is related to the fact that the editors occasionally have the good grace of publishing some of my dribble. I still fondly remember the day when the publication of my article critical of the grossly indecent valuation of the shares of the Swiss National Bank coïncided with a 12% drop in the share price of that venerable institution. Boy, did I ever get hate mail - and I loved it!
So, happy birthday, my dear Aunt, and may you have many more generations of faithful nieces & nephews in spirit!
So, what's with this uncles & aunts stuff (dear nephews & nieces of mine, please stop reading now)? Why do they often play a unique rôle in a kid's adolescence? Well, I think the special rôle is due to an aunt's (uncles always included) special mix of closeness and distance. The closeness is given by the fact that an aunt is always family, hence trustworthy and - other than friends - in for the long run. The distance bit is usually given by a certain age difference, a physical remoteness as in not living in the same household, and generally, you don't have to cramp your style with an aunt. Which you very often have to with siblings, because of an inevitable degree of rivalry. Parents? They are usually out of the game, anyway.
So, could all this be applied to a newspaper as well? To the degree that a newspaper subscription is a pretty one way affair, you bet! The NZZ has a great deal to do with who I am & how I think today. But maybe, a bit of that adulation is related to the fact that the editors occasionally have the good grace of publishing some of my dribble. I still fondly remember the day when the publication of my article critical of the grossly indecent valuation of the shares of the Swiss National Bank coïncided with a 12% drop in the share price of that venerable institution. Boy, did I ever get hate mail - and I loved it!
So, happy birthday, my dear Aunt, and may you have many more generations of faithful nieces & nephews in spirit!
09/01/2005
The name's Cheese - John Cheese
Did you know that John Cleese's father's name was actually Reginald Francis Cheese? I kid you not!
There's quite an intense interview with him in the January issue of Esquire (the British edition, of course). I never really found John Cleese uproariously funny, in a peculiarly funny kind of way. And now I know why (I think): In this interview, he comes out as a "technical comedian", an introvert who much rather considered a career in academic psychology or law: "I was precise with the use of words and I thought clearly in categories". So he is really working hard at being funny: "I am always quite surprised how cavalier a lot of comics are about their approach to the thing. They don't realise how difficult it is." And later, he explains that "I was always much more motivated by the fear of being bad than by the desire to be good." Amazing. I wonder how much of that is actually true ... but it's certainly a good promotional effort for his new commercial website.
Ah, and here's something Bush-related: When asked what he thinks he will always be remembered for, he goes: "Maybe some people will say 'He's the guy who assassinated George Bush' - probably that. Actually, I wouldn't assassinate Bush, I would assassinate Cheney - can you rewrite that for me, please?"
There's quite an intense interview with him in the January issue of Esquire (the British edition, of course). I never really found John Cleese uproariously funny, in a peculiarly funny kind of way. And now I know why (I think): In this interview, he comes out as a "technical comedian", an introvert who much rather considered a career in academic psychology or law: "I was precise with the use of words and I thought clearly in categories". So he is really working hard at being funny: "I am always quite surprised how cavalier a lot of comics are about their approach to the thing. They don't realise how difficult it is." And later, he explains that "I was always much more motivated by the fear of being bad than by the desire to be good." Amazing. I wonder how much of that is actually true ... but it's certainly a good promotional effort for his new commercial website.
Ah, and here's something Bush-related: When asked what he thinks he will always be remembered for, he goes: "Maybe some people will say 'He's the guy who assassinated George Bush' - probably that. Actually, I wouldn't assassinate Bush, I would assassinate Cheney - can you rewrite that for me, please?"
08/01/2005
Hyperinflation!
The Economist has a fascinating little piece (by subscription) on the world's leading currency, which is threatened by hyperinflation.
But don't go on a bank run just yet, you Americans out there (it'll be the ? soon anyway if the $ decline continues)! The Economist is talking about airmiles outstanding world wide. Apparently, unredeemed airmiles amount to over $ 700'000'000'000, and that's more than the $ M0 (a subset of M1)!
It seems that miles are sold by carriers (mainly to credit card operators) for a little under $.02 and to the consumer, they are worth between $.01 and $.1 a mile. So, "printing" this currency is a highly attractive source of cash to cash strapped carriers, which is why the amount of outstanding miles has been growing by 20% p.a. over the last decade. Every monetarist on the planet will tell you that in that kind of environment hyperinflation is inevitable, especially since the $ value of a real airmile has been dropping drastically over the past decade with the arrival of discount carriers.
Apparently I have had a very acute sense of that hyperinflationary threat without even knowing, because I never let my airmiles account balance with Swiss get out of hand. Just like the folks in the 1930s who were running to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread with their bags full of millions "worth" of their cash salary payment ...
But don't go on a bank run just yet, you Americans out there (it'll be the ? soon anyway if the $ decline continues)! The Economist is talking about airmiles outstanding world wide. Apparently, unredeemed airmiles amount to over $ 700'000'000'000, and that's more than the $ M0 (a subset of M1)!
It seems that miles are sold by carriers (mainly to credit card operators) for a little under $.02 and to the consumer, they are worth between $.01 and $.1 a mile. So, "printing" this currency is a highly attractive source of cash to cash strapped carriers, which is why the amount of outstanding miles has been growing by 20% p.a. over the last decade. Every monetarist on the planet will tell you that in that kind of environment hyperinflation is inevitable, especially since the $ value of a real airmile has been dropping drastically over the past decade with the arrival of discount carriers.
Apparently I have had a very acute sense of that hyperinflationary threat without even knowing, because I never let my airmiles account balance with Swiss get out of hand. Just like the folks in the 1930s who were running to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread with their bags full of millions "worth" of their cash salary payment ...
Les Paladins
Yesterday night, I went to see Jean-Philippe Rameau's Les Paladins at the Basle Theater. Overall, it was an ok performance, certainly worth seeing, even though I cannot share the widespread enthusiastic praise for it. My benchmark Rameau performance is still Les Indes Galantes in the 2003 production with William Christie & Les Arts Florissants at the Opernhaus Zürich. Almost two years later, I still vividly remember the closing tableau of that amazing show.
More details? Gladly! I like the often dadaistic screen setting. Dada is not quite obvious in the opening screen, but later on, they play with it quite a lot.
The "sound" produced by Konrad Junghänel with local baroque ensemble La Cetra is very sparkling and dynamic. Unfortunately it was a little bit on the thin side, but that is probably due to the fact that the house was virtually packed.
The choreography is very much in line with the aforementioned dadaistic direction, thus errs on the slapstick side. Notable nonetheless was a ballet solo with a bar table. Very imaginative!
More details? Gladly! I like the often dadaistic screen setting. Dada is not quite obvious in the opening screen, but later on, they play with it quite a lot.
The "sound" produced by Konrad Junghänel with local baroque ensemble La Cetra is very sparkling and dynamic. Unfortunately it was a little bit on the thin side, but that is probably due to the fact that the house was virtually packed.
The choreography is very much in line with the aforementioned dadaistic direction, thus errs on the slapstick side. Notable nonetheless was a ballet solo with a bar table. Very imaginative!
Seen from above
05/01/2005
Dürrenmatts Gericht(e)
I'll definitely be there! This Friday at lunchtime, there is going to be a Science Lunch presentation about my preferred novelist's frequent setting of a tribunal in conjunction with a meal, or dish, which, again, is the same word in German: das Gericht. This should be equally interesting for lawyers and gourmets alike.
03/01/2005
The case against Plato
Would you believe it? I actually finished Popper's Open Society and Its Enemies, at least volume 1 thereof. Admittedly, I didn't read it fully, because I dispensed with the scientific apparatus, which amounts to almost half of the book - fortunately, it's endnotes!
As expected, it was highly educational, and only the introductory chapters were slightly tiring. My major takeaway is that the present conflict with islamic fundamentalism is not at all a religious problem - it is the much older strain of civilisation that closed societies under the islamic banner face when confronted with western open societies. I think Popper would agree with that qualification, since those societies are largely tribally organised and hardly recognise the fiat nature of law. If what little I know about islamic law is true, then there are a few key changes necessary for those societies to become open, in my view: a) The attempt at a literal interpretation of the Qur'an as a source of law would have to be abandoned. b) The classification of non-muslim countries as a zone of war where treachery by muslim is permitted, needs to be abandoned. c) The death penalty against apostasy needs to be abandoned.
But I am getting well ahead of myself - that's not at all what the book is about. Popper shows that Plato's highly influential Republic is a very cunningly devised piece of propaganda that Plato has written to antagonise revolutionary changes that were afoot in the Athenian society in his time (classically summarised in Pericles' funeral oration). His aim was to construct an ideal constitution to which every change would be detrimental and thus must be avoided by all means. To cut a very detailed argument extremely short, this requires a totalitarian state which puts the interest of the state above that of the individual, and ultimately, only the philosopher king can know what that interest is, and he may, or even ought to, lie about it to the general public.
Popper shows that when a traditionally closed society with its tribal organisation based on mythical norms comes under stress either by strong growth or external relations (trade), or both, then it cannot survive in its traditional form. Either it opens up by introducing what Popper might call rational political technologies (I haven't seen it put together quite like that), or it has to go down the totalitarian path. Most islamic societies are at this junction today.
What can we do? On top of dealing sensitively with immediate security concerns, we need to understand the islamic mindset and - in the Socratic way - try to nudge its evolution towards openness, thereby returning the favour of those arab scholars who have preserved the texts of the ancient greeks and given them to christianity in the middle ages, thus triggering renaissance and all that followed suit (you'll forgive me my naïve model of history, will you). But by no means must we succumb to the temptation of reducing the openness of our societies because of security concerns, because this would be playing into the hands of the platonic proponents of the closed society. The process that led us to our openness is reversible!
But you'll have to read for yourself. I have just ordered the second volume.
As expected, it was highly educational, and only the introductory chapters were slightly tiring. My major takeaway is that the present conflict with islamic fundamentalism is not at all a religious problem - it is the much older strain of civilisation that closed societies under the islamic banner face when confronted with western open societies. I think Popper would agree with that qualification, since those societies are largely tribally organised and hardly recognise the fiat nature of law. If what little I know about islamic law is true, then there are a few key changes necessary for those societies to become open, in my view: a) The attempt at a literal interpretation of the Qur'an as a source of law would have to be abandoned. b) The classification of non-muslim countries as a zone of war where treachery by muslim is permitted, needs to be abandoned. c) The death penalty against apostasy needs to be abandoned.
But I am getting well ahead of myself - that's not at all what the book is about. Popper shows that Plato's highly influential Republic is a very cunningly devised piece of propaganda that Plato has written to antagonise revolutionary changes that were afoot in the Athenian society in his time (classically summarised in Pericles' funeral oration). His aim was to construct an ideal constitution to which every change would be detrimental and thus must be avoided by all means. To cut a very detailed argument extremely short, this requires a totalitarian state which puts the interest of the state above that of the individual, and ultimately, only the philosopher king can know what that interest is, and he may, or even ought to, lie about it to the general public.
Popper shows that when a traditionally closed society with its tribal organisation based on mythical norms comes under stress either by strong growth or external relations (trade), or both, then it cannot survive in its traditional form. Either it opens up by introducing what Popper might call rational political technologies (I haven't seen it put together quite like that), or it has to go down the totalitarian path. Most islamic societies are at this junction today.
What can we do? On top of dealing sensitively with immediate security concerns, we need to understand the islamic mindset and - in the Socratic way - try to nudge its evolution towards openness, thereby returning the favour of those arab scholars who have preserved the texts of the ancient greeks and given them to christianity in the middle ages, thus triggering renaissance and all that followed suit (you'll forgive me my naïve model of history, will you). But by no means must we succumb to the temptation of reducing the openness of our societies because of security concerns, because this would be playing into the hands of the platonic proponents of the closed society. The process that led us to our openness is reversible!
But you'll have to read for yourself. I have just ordered the second volume.
02/01/2005
Déjà lu - Neidkultur als Leitkultur?
Es heisst,
dass wir Könige auf Erden,
die Ebenbilder Gottes seien.
Ich habe mich
daraufhin im Spiegel betrachtet.
Sehr schmeichelhaft
für den lieben Gott ist das nicht.
Friedrich II., kolportiert von Cicero
Entlarvend sind die Ergüsse des Vorzeige-Journalisten des Hauses Ringier in seiner Cicero-Kolumne zum Thema Feudal-Kapitalisten. Dies insofern, als dass er zeigt, wonach er offenbar nur noch lechzt: Vielleicht merken die Bürger schon auf: Wer in Talkshows (...) gegen selbstherrliche Wirtschaftsmächtige vom Leder zieht, bekommt spontanen Applaus, zornigen Applaus! (Hervorhebung des Autors)
Weitere Ausflüsse kontinentaler Neidkultur konnten heute im deutschen Fernsehen beobachtet werden: Ein Autoprogramm über den neuen Phantom von Rolls-Royce wurde mit dem vollkommen überflüssigen Hinweis beschlossen, dass auch ein Auto, dass soviel kostet wie ein Haus, nur vier Räder hat und zum Fahren benutzt werden kann. In einer ansonsten überaus voyeuristischen Sendung über St. Moritz, wo sich zu dieser Jahreszeit üblicherweise die Schickeria versammelt, durfte ähnliche Gesellschaftskritik nicht fehlen. Allerdings haben die geschätzten Journalisten, wie in der medienschaffenden Branche nicht unüblich, Gerechtigkeit einmal mehr mit Gleichheit verwechselt.
Auf diesen Aspekt kontinentaler Leitkultur verzichte ich dankend.
dass wir Könige auf Erden,
die Ebenbilder Gottes seien.
Ich habe mich
daraufhin im Spiegel betrachtet.
Sehr schmeichelhaft
für den lieben Gott ist das nicht.
Friedrich II., kolportiert von Cicero
Entlarvend sind die Ergüsse des Vorzeige-Journalisten des Hauses Ringier in seiner Cicero-Kolumne zum Thema Feudal-Kapitalisten. Dies insofern, als dass er zeigt, wonach er offenbar nur noch lechzt: Vielleicht merken die Bürger schon auf: Wer in Talkshows (...) gegen selbstherrliche Wirtschaftsmächtige vom Leder zieht, bekommt spontanen Applaus, zornigen Applaus! (Hervorhebung des Autors)
Weitere Ausflüsse kontinentaler Neidkultur konnten heute im deutschen Fernsehen beobachtet werden: Ein Autoprogramm über den neuen Phantom von Rolls-Royce wurde mit dem vollkommen überflüssigen Hinweis beschlossen, dass auch ein Auto, dass soviel kostet wie ein Haus, nur vier Räder hat und zum Fahren benutzt werden kann. In einer ansonsten überaus voyeuristischen Sendung über St. Moritz, wo sich zu dieser Jahreszeit üblicherweise die Schickeria versammelt, durfte ähnliche Gesellschaftskritik nicht fehlen. Allerdings haben die geschätzten Journalisten, wie in der medienschaffenden Branche nicht unüblich, Gerechtigkeit einmal mehr mit Gleichheit verwechselt.
Auf diesen Aspekt kontinentaler Leitkultur verzichte ich dankend.
01/01/2005
MMV
The year MMV CE - which I trust you have started well enough and which will contain a favourable mix of events for you, I hope - will be a year of commemorating the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's relativity theories (which he developed when he was living in Switzerland btw.). In our day and age of conflicting absolute certainties, remembering that may be a good idea. Di meliora ...
Unfortunately, since MMV is also the 50th anniversary of Einstein's death, we will invariably be treated to lots of Einstein trivia. To witness, see the current issue of Cicero (German).
Oh, and Albert: He does!
Unfortunately, since MMV is also the 50th anniversary of Einstein's death, we will invariably be treated to lots of Einstein trivia. To witness, see the current issue of Cicero (German).
Oh, and Albert: He does!
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