“Architecture is frozen music.” An amazing quote. That an Italian came up with it in the Renaissance is equally impressive.

Sound really is a fascinating subject. But if humans can only hear certain pitches, does that mean it is possible for human flesh and bone to rupture and break if exposed to certain frequencies? Could a dolphin’s laugh kill a man?

…Probably not.

Learning about Claude Shannon was amazing. When his idea, “yes or no” was broken down for us in the video, it made a lot of sense. It did a good job with explaining how he came to that, how it works, and why everything we use digitally uses this as well.

If you combine both Turing’s theory (Response to question equals intelligence) with Serl’s (Awareness of response to question equal intelligence) you can create a way to identify true sapience. Though what’s the difference between sapience and intelligence? As far as I can tell, a small bit. Sapience seems to be more of a feature of “thinking before you leap,” while intelligence is akin to instinctive reactions.

On a side note, Ann Frank’s Diary is undergoing a copyright controversy! One side, the owners of the property, want to extend copyright on the novel. The other side wants to let it enter public domain. While the owners make no money off it, as all royalties are donated to several relief funds, extending the copyright could set a bad precedent in European legal affairs.

Thought of the Day:

Music is everywhere. From the songs on the radio, to the chirps of birds, to the hum of gears and pistons in a car. Even if it is just noise to someone, to another it may be the sound of life.

Hah! Serves Time Warner right for trying to copyright a cherished, public tune! Ha! Ha I say! Now they have to pay it all back!

*Ahem!* Pardon me. I’m just so filled with joy it started leaking. Where were we? oh yes, “Happy Birthday.” When I first heard about it being copyrighted, I was certain it had to be a hoax, or at least misinformation. While I was right in the long run, the fact that until recently it was the truth made me ache. Nothing is original under the sun, and sooner or later you’ll wind up remaking or redoing something that someone else once wrote about. Copyright issues aside for now, it feels ridiculous to have an iconic tune such as “Happy Birthday,” one which I myself have sung countless times over the years, was technically borderline illegal for me to do. Hopefully this will invoke a wave of change. Not sure how, but in some way.

This is why I think that the Bridgeport Music vs. Dimension Films case is so stupid. If you can’t tell or prove what the tune or melody was without using fancy instruments and technologies, then why should it be treated as anything other than original? They (the artists) spent time and effort cutting out a small, insignificant section of someone else’s tune, and remixing the Bass out of it so it sounded nothing like the original! That’s effort, almost as much as what may have been put into making the orginal in the first place! Sure, some people will say, “if you can spend the time copying/stealing, then spend the time creating your own stuff!” To which I reply, “OK, you go ahead then! Make something completely original that no one else has ever conceived of!” Sheesh… As a writer, I know how hard it is to come up with original plots, characters, and stories. So much has been done in so many ways, it is difficult to find a way to make your ideas seem unique and not a pale reflection. Of course, I understand the need and purpose of copyright, and will defend it because I too would like to be paid for my work, but there are definite ways that the current system needs to be toned down.

Of course, that would mean a major change in mindset for people. A lot of copyright issues seem to spring up because someone wants money that someone else made off of them. I understand that completely. But at a certain point, is it all about money? Jumping onto anyone over a small infraction just to get money seems both heartless and vile. Our society praises monetary wealth highly, and anyone who attacks that is seen and treated as worse than a murderer. Take Madoff and his ponzy scheme. He stole millions from people. And while pacifists bemoan the death penalty, they’d willingly tear the flesh from Madoff’s bones for his theft. What does that tell us about ourselves? Nothing good, that’s for certain.

As for Corporations, if they are treated as human-like entities under the law, could it be possible for someone to marry them? I doubt it is possible, but if they have every right except the right to vote, surely this would be the next logical step in someone’s mad get-rich-quick scheme.

Thought of the Day: Gold endures. Use it to make the worthwhile things in life last as well. Spend it on freedom, and knowledge, and people. Because what good is it when you are cold and dead?

The musical genre I chose to investigate was “Blues.” While so many other music genres have names based on some connection to sound or beat (Pop, rock ‘n’ roll) or originate from non-English words (Reggae), Blues is named after the tone and mood of the music often associated it with, and is color coded as such.

The origins of Blues lies in the south of the USA between 1870 and 1900. Linked to the freed African American slaves, it evolved from a country/folk style into its own type. According to Pierro Scaruffi, university lecturer and musical web-journalist, “The quintessence of the blues was pain, but the art of the blues often consisted in bridging the chasm between tragedy and (broadly speaking) comedy..” This beautifully sums up the emotions felt when listening to Blues, and also gives an insight into where the pain was coming from at the time of Blues’ conception.

The Blues endorsement website, Blues on the Meadow, argues that the origin of the naming for “Blues” comes from “a reference to the “the blue devils” – a term for depression, sadness or  just simply ‘down in dumps’. Earliest reference is 1798 one act farce by George Colman called Blue Devils.”

The first recorded Blues music comes from 1920, when African American singer Mamie Smith sand and recorded his rendition of the song “Crazy Blues” by Perry Bradford.

The notes of Blues are based on a twelve-bar, 4/4 long melody. In order to further differentiate  it from others, Blues included “two “flattened” notes, the “blue” notes.” (Pierro) This gives Blues a flat, mournful sounds if done right.

A very old style with a lot of its own unique twists, Blues is enjoyable for relaxation music, or to set a somber mood.

Thought of the day:

Music is Universal, just like Kindness and Peace.

Sources:

http://www.scaruffi.com/history/blues.html

http://www.bluesonthemeadow.com/BluesMusic.aspx

http://www.earlyblues.com/chronology_of_blues_on_record.htm