Get a Life! (and another)

Tom Abbott in the Warwick Communications Office alerted me to Second Life a couple of weeks ago. Now, suddenly, it is the hottest thing since YouTube (and that’s still pretty hot).

This week’s Business Week has a big article about Second Life, and a Second Life tip sheet.

The Financial Times has made sure the business elite are up to speed, and provided a very nice introduction to Second Life for anyone:

New members are invited to create an avatar, or visual persona, which can be as weird or wonderful as their imagination allows. They then guide that avatar through three-dimensional landscapes in which they can chat – via a keyboard and speech-bubbles – to other avatars, purchase virtual land and teleport themselves anywhere they want to go. The result, according to one “travel guide” to Second Life, is “a world of endless reinvention where you can change your shape, your sex, even your species as easily as you might slip into a pair of shoes back home.”

At last! People are beginning to recognise that the internet is different to other modes of reality. Things are starting, very slowly, to change!

Meanwhile, Jeff Jarvis demonstrates what minimum transparency is with his disclosures page. Every journalist should have a page like this.

Charles Bourne : 20 Nov 2006 05:41 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Today's Schubert Song (#10)

Die schöne Müllerin 8: Morgengruß

Morgengruß

Guten Morgen, schöne Müllerin!
Wo steckst du gleich das Köpfchen hin,
Als wär dir was geschehen?
Verdrießt dich denn mein Gruß so schwer?
Verstört dich denn mein Blick so sehr?
So muß ich wieder gehen.

O laß mich nur von ferne stehn,
Nach deinem lieben Fenster sehn,
Von ferne, ganz von ferne!
Du blondes Köpfchen, komm hervor!
Hervor aus eurem runden Tor,
Ihr blauen Morgensterne!

Ihr schlummertrunknen Äugelein,
Ihr taubetrübten Blümelein,
Was scheuet ihr die Sonne?
Hat es die Nacht so gut gemeint,
Daß ihr euch schließt und bückt und weint
Nach ihrer stillen Wonne?

Nun schüttelt ab der Träume Flor
Und hebt euch frisch und frei empor
In Gottes hellen Morgen!
Die Lerche wirbelt in der Luft,
Und aus dem tiefen Herzen ruft
Die Liebe Leid und Sorgen.

Morning Greetings
Good morning, beautiful millermaid!
Why do you so promptly turn your little head,
As if something has happened to you?
Do you dislike my greetings so profoundly?
Does my glance disturb you so much?
Then I must go on again.

O let me only stand from afar,
Watching your dear window,
From afar, from quite far away!
Your blonde little head, come out!
Come out from your round gate,
You blue morning stars!

You slumber-drunk little eyes,
You flowers, troubled with dew,
Why do you shy from the sun?
Has night been so good to you
That you close and bow and weep
for her quiet joy?

Now shake off the gauze of dreams
And rise, fresh and free
in God’s bright morning!
The lark warbles in the sky;
And from the heart’s depths,
Love calls away suffering and worries.

Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust, from The Lied and Art Song Texts Page http://www.lieder.net/

Charles Bourne : 13 Nov 2006 14:56 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Life's So UNFAIR!

Former Senator Rick Santorum (R. – Pa.) acknowledges defeat. But it’s clearly hard for his daughter (and dolly)...

Charles Bourne : 13 Nov 2006 09:48 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Who hates gays most?

A number of anti-gay marriage amendments to state constitutions were passed by popular vote at the same time that Republicans lost seats in US mid-term elections. These were mostly promoted by and voted through by fundamentalist Protestants. These individuals and states do not, however, question the rights of gay people to free speech, freedom of assembly and fair and equal treatment under the law.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem the very idea of gay free speech has set Orthodox Jewish groups on fire. Their continuous violent protests and threats against individuals have resulted in gay leaders having to cancel the gay pride march planned for the city. The Times reports that the proposed march created “a rare moment of unity between fundamentalist Jews, Muslims and Christians, who have joined in unanimously condemning the gathering as an abomination to the sanctity of the Holy City. Even [sic] the Vatican called for the planned march to be cancelled for fear of offending the sensibilities of religious communities in Jerusalem.” Well, the Pontiff wouldn’t want to blot the record of Roman Catholic concern for the “sensibilities” of those of other faiths!

Instead of the march, a gay pride rally will now take place in a sports stadium, and this seems to have satisfied Orthodox Jewish opponents. But not Muslim leaders, who denounced homosexuality as a crime, and demanded that those who attended the rally should be punished. In case anyone should think this is just rhetoric, Islamic state have put to death many thousands of gay men for the crime of homosexuality, some of them as young as 16.

Charles Bourne : 10 Nov 2006 13:48 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Today's Schubert Song (#9)

Die schöne Müllerin 7: Der Neugierige

Ungeduld

Ich schnitt es gern in alle Rinden ein,
Ich grüb es gern in jeden Kieselstein,
Ich möcht es sä’n auf jedes frische Beet
Mit Kressensamen, der es schnell verrät,
Auf jeden weißen Zettel möcht ich’s schreiben:
Dein ist mein Herz und soll es ewig bleiben.

Ich möcht mir ziehen einen jungen Star,
Bis daß er spräch die Worte rein und klar,
Bis er sie spräch mit meines Mundes Klang,
Mit meines Herzens vollem, heißem Drang;
Dann säng er hell durch ihre Fensterscheiben:
Dein ist mein Herz und soll es ewig bleiben.

Den Morgenwinden möcht ich’s hauchen ein,
Ich möcht es säuseln durch den regen Hain;
Oh, leuchtet’ es aus jedem Blumenstern!
Trüg es der Duft zu ihr von nah und fern!
Ihr Wogen, könnt ihr nichts als Räder treiben?
Dein ist mein Herz und soll es ewig bleiben.

Ich meint, es müßt in meinen Augen stehn,
Auf meinen Wangen müßt man’s brennen sehn,
Zu lesen wär’s auf meinem stummen Mund,
Ein jeder Atemzug gäb’s laut ihr kund,
Und sie merkt nichts von all dem bangen Treiben:
Dein ist mein Herz und soll es ewig bleiben.

Impatience
I would carve it fondly in the bark of trees,
I would chisel it eagerly into each pebble,
I would like to sow it upon each fresh flower-bed
With water-cress seeds, which it would quickly disclose;
Upon each white piece of paper would I write:
Yours is my heart and so shall it remain forever.

I would like to raise a young starling,
Until he speaks to me in words pure and clear,
Until he speaks to me with my mouth’s sound,
With my heart’s full, warm urge;
Then he would sing brightly through her windowpanes:
Yours is my heart and so shall it remain forever!

I would like to breath it into the morning breezes,
I would like to whisper it through the active grove;
Oh, if only it would shine from each flower-star!
Would it only carry the scent to her from near and far!
You waves, could you nothing but wheels drive?
Yours is my heart, and so shall it remain forever.

I thought, it must be visible in my eyes,
On my cheeks it must be seen that it burns;
It must be readable on my mute lips,
Every breath would make it loudly known to her,
And yet she notices nothing of all my yearning feelings.
Yours is my heart, and so shall it remain forever.

Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust, from The Lied and Art Song Texts Page http://www.lieder.net/

Charles Bourne : 10 Nov 2006 12:25 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Republican Values

Grover Norquist, Head of Americans for Tax Reform, a pro-Republican lobby group, reported in today’s Financial Times...

“Bob Sherwood’s seat in Pennsylvania would have been overwhelmingly ours if his mistress hadn’t whined about being throttled.” Asked what the lesson was, Mr Norquist said: “The lesson should be, don’t throttle mistresses.”

Some Republican supporters (like defeated Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum) might have said the lesson was not to have mistresses. But then, Norquist cares about taxes, not morals!

(I was reminded yesterday of Winson Churchill’s dictum on the USA: “America can always be counted on to do the right thing … having exhausted all other alternatives.” Which certainly would leave open the verdict on the mid-term election results!)

Charles Bourne : 10 Nov 2006 12:13 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

DANCE, BABY, DANCE!

This video, Judson Laipply’s “Evolution of Dance”, is the YouTube No.1 All Time Most Viewed Video, No.1 Top Rated Video and No.3 Most Discussed Video. It’s amazing how important dance still is to the human soul!

Judson (Jud) Laipply is a motivational speaker and comedian from Cleveland, Ohio in the USA. He describes his show, “Inspirational Comedy” as combining his thoughts about life and change with humor. This information, and a list of the dances in the video, are included in the Wikipedia entry on Laipply.

Charles Bourne : 07 Nov 2006 10:31 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Today's Schubert Song (#8)

Die schöne Müllerin 6: Der Neugierige

The poet interrogates his externalised sub-conscious. But can he be honest with himself?

Hans Duhan (baritone), acc. Ferdinand Foll

Der Neugierige

Ich frage keine Blume,
Ich frage keinen Stern,
Sie können mir alle nicht sagen,
Was ich erführ so gern.

Ich bin ja auch kein Gärtner,
Die Sterne stehn zu hoch;
Mein Bächlein will ich fragen,
Ob mich mein Herz belog.

O Bächlein meiner Liebe,
Wie bist du heut so stumm?
Will ja nur eines wissen,
Ein Wörtchen um und um.

Ja heißt das eine Wörtchen,
Das andre heißet Nein,
Die beiden Wörtchen
Schließen die ganze Welt mir ein.

O Bächlein meiner Liebe,
Was bist du wunderlich!
Will’s ja nicht weitersagen,
Sag, Bächlein, liebt sie mich?

Curiosity
I ask no flower,
I ask no star;
None of them can tell me,
What I so eagerly want to know.

I am surely not a gardener,
The stars stand too high;
My brooklet will I ask,
Whether my heart has lied to me.

O brooklet of my love,
Why are you so quiet today?
I want to know just one thing
One little word again and again.

The one little word is “Yes”;
The other is “No”,
Both these little words
Make up the entire world to me.

O brooklet of my love,
Why are you so strange?
I’ll surely not repeat it;
Tell me, o brooklet, does she love me?

Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust, from The Lied and Art Song Texts Page http://www.lieder.net/

Charles Bourne : 02 Nov 2006 13:49 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Inconveniences

THE PRICE OF TOILET HYGIENE

All the paper towels have been removed from the toilets in University House – and have been replaced by notices requesting that people to use the hot-air hand driers. Apparently the reason for the policy is environmental.

I rather wonder if the environmental cost of the electricity used in generating hot air is indeed significantly less than the waste involved in providing paper towels. It would certainly be open to question if paper towel dispensers were installed that delivered paper towels individually – or even just in numbers smaller than the chunks of twenty that the old dispeners always delivered. Nor does the case for hygiene seem clear – all that hot air blowing germs and spores around; wet door-handles from people who skip the whole drying nuisance; and of course, people who don’t bother to wash their hands at all given the nuisance of hot air drying.

REALLY GROSS

But there are other, unanticipated problems. A colleague of mine here in University House recently suffered a sudden nose-bleed. He ran to the toilet and, of course, could find no paper towels. Instead he was forced to ram his nose up the front of the hot air machine. It was markedly less efficient in staunching the flow of blood, although the blood that was streaming all over his face was caked on much quicker. However, the contortions required in order to get his nose right into the hot air machine were so extreme that he wrenched his back and has suffered severe discomfort, necessitating several periods of sick leave. There is a similar problem for people who want to freshen up, say before an interview, drying their faces in the hot air. Worst of all, vandals have been known to insert all kinds of material into the driers, which then expel it all over the next user.

Charles Bourne : 02 Nov 2006 11:16 |  Tags: Everyday Life Hygiene Toilets |  Comments (20) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Today's Schubert Song (#7)

Die schöne Müllerin 5: “Am Feierabend”

The young man’s emotional disturbance and yearning are forces of disruption and disquiet in the peaceful end of day rest following a day’s hard work. He can think only of force and power, taking nature into himself and turning it to his emotional release. The song is agitated and relentless, quite at odds with its title and the superficial mood of the setting. This is the start of the failure to take into himself and control his environment and bend the objects of his emotions to their needs.

Am Feierabend

Hätt ich tausend
Arme zu rühren!
Könnt ich brausend
Die Räder führen!
Könnt ich wehen
Durch alle Haine!
Könnt ich drehen
Alle Steine!
Daß die schöne Müllerin
Merkte meinen treuen Sinn!

Ach, wie ist mein Arm so schwach!
Was ich hebe, was ich trage,
Was ich schneide, was ich schlage,
Jeder Knappe tut mir’s nach.
Und da sitz ich in der großen Runde,
In der stillen kühlen Feierstunde,
Und der Meister spricht zu allen:
Euer Werk hat mir gefallen;
Und das liebe Mädchen sagt
Allen eine gute Nacht.

On the restful evening
If only I had a thousand
arms to move!
I could loudly
drive the wheels!
I could blow
Through all the groves!
I could turn
All the stones!
If only the beautiful Millermaid
Would notice my faithful thoughts!

Ah, why is my arm so weak?
What I lift, what I carry,
What I cut, what I beat,
Every lad does it just as well as I do.
And there I sit in the great gathering,
In the quiet, cool hour of rest,
And the master speaks to us all:
Your work has pleased me;
And the lovely maiden says
“Good night” to everyone.

Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust, from The Lied and Art Song Texts Page http://www.lieder.net/

Charles Bourne : 31 Oct 2006 13:56 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem