Quantum Lyrics by A Van Jordan

I have just discovered the work of A. Van Jordan and his book Quantum Lyrics from which I have posted extracts in the preceding posts. I feel that this work deserves a little more review space on my pages and have cut and pasted a very good review by Kevin Winter from Amazon Books website.

"In Quantum Lyrics, A. Van Jordan takes the reader on a ride they won't soon forget. In his collection full of lyricism, imagery, and history, Mr. Jordan examines math and science and how they relate to what it means to be human. Most of the poems settle around Einstein, and how he viewed his contributions to society - how he, Einstein, viewed human relationships from when he first got married, to the night he dreamed about his famous equation. Two poems dealing with Richard Feynman lectures, and a couple of poems about comic book heroes, the Flash and the Green Lantern are absolute joys to read. This is a unique collection of prose that take you on a journey of discovery, a journey of self-discovery. The conversations between Einstein and his future wife are interesting, for it shows how even a genius like Einstein had trouble relating to his wife, and readers may find of particular interest Einstein's love letter to his future wife, Mileva Maric. This is a book for those who love both a mixture of science and poetry and highly recommended."

Reviewed by Kevin Winter

Looking forward to reading this book soon.

The Heart and Mind of Physics - Broken Symmetrics

Broken Symmetrics
by A. Van Jordan from his book Quantum Lyrics,
Inspired by Richard P. Feynman Lecture, Broken Symmetrics

Symmetry walks between two worlds. To the hands it tries to
touch us from either side; to the feet, it simply wants us not to
stumble but to saunter; and to the heart, it gives as much as it
takes. Protons have neutrons; matter has antimatter. It's all a
negotiation of will, a charade of dominance and submission, and
we play like adults play with memories of our youth. We believe
that love is equal to hate, but nothing is perfectly symmetrical.
Why, for example, does the earth orbit elliptically, as if these old
hands had drawn the path, instead of following an elegant circle.

In the city of Nikko, Japan, stands the Yomei-mon gate.
Elaborate in design, the gate has princes and lions and nymphs
and other elements carved in -- what appears to be, at least --
perfect symmetry. But, if you look closely, you'll notice that one
of the princes is carved upside down. And if you ask the people
of Nikko why, they will tell you that it's carved so the gods
won't get jealous of the perfection of man. But I put the mirror
up to that statement and say the laws of nature are nearly
symmetrical because God didn't want to make man jealous of
her hand.

And in the mirror, the clock ticks a little slower, the heart beats a
little delayed. Watch the hand touch your face and, for a
moment, one hand brushes both cheeks at once. But then you
begin to pick the body apart: one foot is longer than the other,
one breast hangs a little lower, one eye winks and the other can
only blink, and, suddenly, you're not the woman you thought you
were. But then you look at a tree growing cherries or a flower
sating a bee and you count the branches or the petals and you
realize nothing is as beautiful as you once believed. And through
our eyes we continue coveting our reflections: The blade of
grass wants to be a rapier; the clouds want to be smoke circles
blown over the lips; the eclipse wants to bring back the light.

Poem in prose by A. Van Jordan

Sources and further links:
"The Physics of Poetry (or the Poetry of Physics)" from Laura Orem

"The Physics of Poetry or the Poetry of Physics" from Laura Orem's blog

How many of us, scientists and non-scientists alike, know of poetic works by Nobel Physicist, Richard Phillips Feynman?

To one of his lectures, Laura Orem, tells us that Feynman added this poetic footnote, a poem in prose:

"Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars - mere gobs of gas atoms. Nothing is "mere."

I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them.

But do I see less or more?

The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination - stuck on this carousel my little eye can catch one-million-year-old light.

A vast pattern - of which I am a part - perhaps my stuff was belched from some forgotten star,

as one is belching there. Or see them with the greater eye of Palomar, rushing all apart from some common starting point when they were perhaps all together.

What is the pattern, or the meaning, or the "why?"

It does not do harm to the mystery to know a little about it.

For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined!

Why do the poets of the present not speak of it?

What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were like a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?"

Source

"The Physics of Poetry (or the Poetry of Physics)" from Laura Orem:

Scots-Celtic bagpipes and drums _Up-date_mended links and Cultural Shock_Peace in the European Union, Poems Recalled

My last post (today also) led me to check out my original motivation links under Hugh MacDiarmid, the Great Scots Poet and incidentally a Sargent in the Medical Corps of the British Army in the so called Great War, WWI, in which my own wife's family, paid a heavy tribute: A grand uncle, Paul and a cousin Jean, both poilus-soldiers in WWII, lost their lives. Her Grandfather, poilu too, survived the "Chemin des Dames", Verdun and lived to the age of 87 years old with an permanently injured lung-lost and a piece of shrapnel in his thigh, undetected until late into his 80's and too old to operate!

Short recall:

For memory Hugh's poem, a prayer "Beyond Exile" may be found, in english with my translation to french in my post of entitled:



Tribute to Lazare Ponticelli & to those who survived or tried to survive WWI

It inspired my poem in french and english to Jean (and Paul) called "Well Beyond Exile / Bien au-delà de l'exile." in my post of Oh What a "Great War", That Was! of 12 March 2008. Such work may be readily found by using the blog search on the very top left of my blog with the key words "My poems".

In an expanded Hugh MacDiarmid link list to included Scots Anthems, Pipes and Drum, from Lone Pipers to Massed Pipes and Drums from around the World and combined Scots Songs, Music Videos, things I am sure would interest MacDiarmid if he were alive today. To some, the global reach of the Scottish-Celtic Music connection could be a cultural shock in itself. But to my surprise and great pleasure, I learned the The famous bagpipe tune "Highland Cathedral" was written by German musicians Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb.

Global Reach

May Europe and it's EU members states declare

across the Board.

To continue their road in peace, in life-long happiness,

oil and gas spared

Thus pointing the way as only united states still dare?
coal-on-hold or CO2 stored

As commonwealths have before them, still tireless

co-operate

From need to needless, here lies contented society,

no, not bored,

For to balance need's vicious circle of today's economy,

keeps us on our toes.

Wasteful of energy and resources, wayward

The Natural Resource Company Ltd.

But to illuminate the paths and so evermore

Solar Energy

(en)Lighten the burden of still troubled nations

Renewable-Sustainable

Is the only true energy course alternative

lecture ended

For only people, peoples and nations, physically and mindfully

body and soul

at peace with themselves can avoid distress

climatic distress.

© JA.

To think this started with a broken link and since corrected:

(The Unofficial Scots Anthem written and sung by Corries has now been corrected, scroll down the menu bar with pleasure)

And a gummed up widget on my Materials Science and Engineering blog sucessfully removed, radical!

Post scriptum: If any broken links or phishing warnings on any of my sites are found please, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Up-dating and refocus via My Blog Log

Of course my main focus is Science, Poems by Scientists, Poems on Science, Technology and Engineering. (As if to remind myself!)

Now thanks to a couple of bloggers I have opened my poetical list via two new link lists_just scroll down the menu bar:

New:
1 Famous Poets and Poems _ All themes.
2. Blogger Poets and Poems.

Older Links list:
3. Peoms by Scientists-Poems on Science.
4. Poet: Hugh Macdiarmid-Best Site yet on BigMac!
(My original source of inspiration, perhaps after Robert Burns, Scotland's National Bard)

Un-tapped Talent_New Star UK is a Scot_Scot of the year 2009

Never to late for Fame:

I have just hear Susan Boyle sing. Sue at 47 years old from Blackburn near Bathgate, West Midlothian, in Scotland is deservidely exploding on all TV screens here in France for her perfomance in the UK edition of New Star. I have placed a permanent link photo and video link on the top LHS menu bar and repeated the link below:

Susan Boyle_New Star UK_Scot of the year 2009 LINK-html

Best wishes Sue.

Deforestation_ A Joke to Illustrate a very Serious and Fundamental Global Problem_Human Economic System in Question

The story may bring to mind serious issues brought up on a couple of my other blogs where I have brought readers attention to the works notably by Jared Diamond and J-M Jancovici.

This short story goes like this:
A lumber-jack comes to our well forested locality La Nièvre in France looking for a job.

The recruiter asks, "Well sir what are your references, for example, where did you work before?

The Lumber-jack replies, "In the Sahara".

The recruiter exclaims: In the Sahara desert!" There are no trees in the Sahara".

The lumber-jack: "That's right sir, that's because I was there before".

Related topics:
1. cf. for example Jared Diamond's tale of How Civilisations Collapse. scroll down to posts.
2. What is significant Innovation, What to Innovate, Where to Innovate, How to Innovate_ Back to Basics
3. Jared Diamond's 5 point Framework to decipher why Societies Collapse, spot the advanced warning signs_ why and how Societies Survive past and present.
4. Video capture widget trials and start of a Forsight-Hindsight Video Series
5. Energy Autonomy, Renewable Energies in France _ Get your projects in France going. Seeking a French partner or building a Consortium?
6. Guns, gems and steel: The Fate(s) of Human Societies

Financial Institutions_No comment or minimun comment, just simple calculations and questions

The New York Times (NY Times) published an article following the
up-roar over the subsidised AIG company management bonuses of 165 Million$ which they describe as "small change."

NY Times article published under the header, "The Fine Art of Political Distraction" and republished by the french newspaper Le Monde in their weekend supplement in english, Sat. 28 March 2009.

Could the NY Times and Le Monde be the real culprits guilty of Distraction?
Bonuses for Management of what? Gigantic Budgets! Seriously or Tongue in cheek sarcasm?

The small change comment arises from comparisons with
1. Announced US budget 787 Billion $ to boolster economic recovery (of which the sustainability remains, largely, to be defined not to mention proven I believe)
2. Add to this 700 Billion $ to "shore-up" (pun on the the rising sea level warnings?) shaky financial institutions.

Let's see:
-787 Billion $ = 787 000 OOO OOO$ (in US and most commonly used Scientific Community units)
-700 Billion $ = 700 000 000 000$

165 Million $ = 165 000 000$ or 1/6th of a Billion$ in the AIG bonus package
(How many golden parachutes and golden-handshakes are we focusing on at AIG and Assocs and what is the spread from maximum eg. 16 guys at 10M$ and 1 at 0.5M$ to some other hand-out? ).

NY Times describes AIG as a shaky financial Institution dare we repeat this?

How many other Financial Institutions are involve in such hand-outs
700 000 000 000 / 165 000 000 = 700 000 / 165 = 4242.42 approximately 4000.

What is clear is that the concentration of wealth continues to be "highly concentrated" whatever the calculation method used.

How many shaky financial institions are in the so called Gravey Queue. 4000 ? More? Less? And to what extent? AIG and they are not alone is the standard (International Standards Organisation ISO for the engineers amoung us) . There are several examples. It's a pity I did not take a hear count. It does very look easy to shallow up huge budgets (such as hundreds of billions of US$)

I am no expert in these matters which is certainly why I and the rest of the world are asking such questions.

One theme that has seldom emerged is "what if the bills are paid by the often longstanding highly paid directors of these financial institutions," by definition people with a good credit rank- and credit allowed at much lower rates than the general public-the famous "Joe Blog." One observer insists that neither the general public- (payers) nor the politicians who must study,legislate-decide have not a clue (like me) as to how banks work (surely an understatement if ever there was one) This observer whose name and references I did not scribble down at the time, considers that, yes indeed, the leading Bankers should foot the bill by through re-lending to their institution their "hard earned capital". At a guess I would say this must amount to roughly "700 Billion US$ in the USA alone) Through time and if they correct their past errors, these "managers" will in a relatively short time recover much of their re-investment. I'll let the specialists do some calculations on the return on capital through compound interest rates.

Still what on earth will our huge earners do with such massive capital remains to be seen. We know by now what our pollution and GHG emissions records are.

One group Forbes appears to have an idea. Some billionaires offer job?
a) The World's Billionaires
Edited by Luisa Kroll, Matthew Miller and Tatiana Serafin, 03.11.09
b) The Jobs?

Do the numbers of Jobs Offered balance Jobs Lost, Job Seekers? This must wait for some more enquiries and some very simple calculations.

A last quote (and two links) from J-M Jancovici and Grandjean:
"Human Economy is essentially about how mankind transforms limited natural resources to make useful desirable products and services."
[Link1] and [Link2].

Innovation and Creativity from a recent blog source via EntreCard

Taking one's self too seriously is not good policy for Creativity and Innovation.

I am most indebted to David Farrimond for his links and introduction to his non-vulgar humerous approach and work.

A few rapid personal picks.

IDEA GENERATION THEORY -Full Menu and Game


Game Direct Link

EMBRACE FAILURE

NB does not mean:
"Do not seek success and its rewards", but rather should be consider as a means to re-gain the elasticity, necessary to rebound. "The ups and downs of life like cars gas guzzlers or the clean car, still in the "pipeline" need rubber like elasticity."

Embrace Failure (Prose- almost poetry)

But do seek success
For and in, it's own,
rich Rewards.

Most economical
Don't you think.
No stress on me
Fat-Cat-Lid, comical
laugh's Inwards.

Re-gain that elasticity,
So necessary to rebound.
"The ups and downs of life
Need rubber like tenacity."

Gas guzzlers or clean
Car dreams , alike!
The latter lacking liquidity.
The Fat and the lean

Are still, very much,
"in-the-pipeline"

Prose or poetry? My franco-Scots playing tricks on my mind
for prose : pro - ose (ose in french means dare)
MacDiarmid must be turning in his grave!

France vs Scotland, 3rd Half-time was not rugby! Collision reported between British Nuclear Submarine, towed to Faslane Scotland and French Sub! Jobs

This information mix "Two Nuclear Submarines collide in the Atlantic and Drug Seizure on an Atlantic Island" is worse than mixing Scotch and Wine!

The 3rd Half in 2 half time team sports refers to after-match celebration in a bar. Here there the collision between the two packs could have had "dire" consequences! (aftermath)

A French nuclear submarine is reported to have been involved in a collision with a British nuclear submarine . "Revelations..."

West Indies: 600 kg of cocaine seized !

What a coincidence the collision took place in the middle of the Atlantic. Readers are, of course, free to draw their own conclusions.

my translation from french in Yahoo News lead 16 Feb. 09 (in french)

Collision nucléaire
Un sous-marin nucléaire français serait entré en collision avec un sous-marin nucléaire britannique. » Révélations

Antilles : 600 kg de cocaïne saisis

A short summary of the reported "incident":

BRITISH and French nuclear submarines that collided deep under the Atlantic could have sunk or released deadly radioactivity, it emerged (and luckily not submerged).
according to the UK, The Sun, newspaper's By TOM NEWTON DUNN,Defence Editor.

The Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard and the French Navy’s Le Triomphant are both nuclear powered and were carrying nuke missiles.

The Vanguard, one of Britain’s four V-Class subs forming our Trident nuclear deterrent, each armed with 16 ballistic missiles was last night towed into Faslane in Scotland, with dents and scrapes visible on her hull. Triomphant limped to Brest with extensive damage to her sonar dome.

Vanguard She was last night towed into Faslane in Scotland, with dents and scrapes visible on her hull. Triomphant limped to Brest with extensive damage to her sonar dome.

The technical angle:
Naval sources are claimed to have said it was a millions-to-one unlucky chance both subs were in the same patch of sea.

Warships have sonar gear which locates submarines by sound waves.

But modern anti-sonar technology is so good it is possible neither boat “saw” the other.

Too good to be true?:

Jobs

SOURCE

Source, En Français