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Saturday, August 10, 2002

The Odds of That. In paranoid times like these, people see connections where there aren't any. Why the complex science of coincidence is a conspiracy theorist's worst nightmare. By Lisa Belkin. [New York Times: Science] Sometimes coincidences are just coincidences; we're tuned -- and trained -- to spot patterns. But sometimes we see patterns where there are none: For this is not about conspiracy but about coincidence -- unexpected connections that are both riveting and rattling. Much religious faith is based on the idea that almost nothing is coincidence; science is an exercise in eliminating the taint of coincidence; police work is often a feint and parry between those trying to prove coincidence and those trying to prove complicity. Without coincidence, there would be few movies worth watching (''Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine''), and literary plots would come grinding to a disappointing halt. (What if Oedipus had not happened to marry his mother? If Javert had not happened to arrive in the town where Valjean was mayor?) The true meaning of the word is ''a surprising concurrence of events, perceived as meaningfully related, with no apparent causal connection.'' In other words, pure happenstance. Yet by merely noticing a coincidence, we elevate it to something that transcends its definition as pure chance. We are discomforted by the idea of a random universe. Like Mel Gibson's character Graham Hess in M. Night Shyamalan's new movie ''Signs,'' we want to feel that our lives are governed by a grand plan. 10:38:38 PM  Permalink  comment []

Classical music on the web An Online Revolution That Isn't Happening. What is (and isn't) available on the Web for classical music listeners. By Allan Kozinn. [New York Times: Arts] Strange that they didn't mention Classical Arcives (link on the left side of this page), which has lots of MIDI and MP3 files both. MIDI files are a different beast than what they talked about and would have added an interesting angle to the piece. 10:28:20 PM  Permalink  comment []

posted by xowie August 10 7:43 AM | 6 comments. Dear Mr. Ashcroft: People who download copyrighted music files deserve jail time, and you should start prosecuting them. Signed: Joe Biden, John Conyers, Dianne Feinstein... [MetaFilter] Well, John Ashcroft last year thought it was best that the FBI spend its time on hookers in New Orleans. These brainiacs think it's time it turned to busting music downloaders. Forget the terrorists, forget the crooked CEOs, let's go after the kids sharing music. 12:48:06 PM  Permalink  comment []

posted by shecky57 August 10 10:11 AM | 6 comments. So long, Big Kinky. "Uncle Tom" Friedman, the father of legendary Texas writer, singer, and cat lover, Mr. Richard "Big Dick" "Kinky" Friedman, has stepped on a rainbow and been called home to Jesus. A touching obituary to a fine man. [MetaFilter] It is a fine obituary. Condolences to the Kinkstah. 12:45:55 PM  Permalink  comment []

© Copyright 2004 Steve Michel.