lnq ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿฟ‍๐Ÿฆฑ: blurb
๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿฟ‍๐Ÿฆฑ
Showing posts with label blurb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blurb. Show all posts

/ Pee-Wee Herman and us

/ Egglepple@30


#Egglepple@30
March 5, 2021 - March 4, 2022+*

Portions delayed because of COVID-19/coronovirus pandemic.
--------
+docs/papers๐Ÿ“„
{mostly a paper dump from research gathered in 2007}

+events/calendar๐Ÿ“†
- LNQ
- PROOF Tour
--Venus Colloquia
--๐Ÿ‡Grape Shirt, ๐Ÿ‰Watermelon+Lemon๐Ÿ‹ Shoes (leg)
--Mr. Marvelous (leg)
--crush nasty (leg)
--lnq is too much (leg)

/ Vaughan Jones (1952 - 2020)

A quick shoutout to all with the sad news about the passing of mathematician Vaughan Jones (September 6, 2020).

You can read his biography elsewhere in full, but let me say that he won the Fields Medal for some work he did on knot theory, specifically "for his discovery of an unexpected link between the mathematical study of knots and statistical mechanics".

That work is seminal, and it - to summarize - helps us count knots (technically treat topologies as polynomials). That itself is important in studies in low-dimensional topology, which can be instrumental in string theory and stuff that I do, like protein folding. When you hear others (myself included) reference the famous quote from Isaac Newton about sitting "on the shoulders of giants", Jones was somebody mathematicians and physicists alike are talking about.

/ ed is live and ready to go!

My MOOC, ed, is about as done as I would like for now (shout-out to Maddie for modeling for me☺️). Certain things will need to be fully automated (ie. seamless OneNote,YouTube integration instead of just code embedding), but that won't happen until the next phase of the program. I'll continue to improve it over time, but improvements will be based on feedback. So, use it, complain, and we'll grow it together.

Happy schooling๐ŸŽ! → ed.uuelco.me

/ Lnq on EteRNA

Let's "invent medicine" together using the gaming platform, EteRNA.

Lnq@EteRNA: https://eternagame.org/web/player/260947/

/ Lnq on Mozak

Let's participate together in tracing neurons for medical science research with Mozak (brainbuilder).

lnq@Mozak: https://www.mozak.science/user/7244

/ UUelcome group on Foldit

Be sure to join the UUelcome protein folding group on Foldit @https://fold.it/portal/node/2007866.

/ Lnq on Foldit

my #gametag on Foldit is: @https://fold.it/portal/user/718726

/ subscribe to Link Starbureiy's Twitch channel

I stream. It's true!

Follow along with the UUelcome recital (and some other stuff) on twitch.tv/linkstarbureiy (my channel, gametag: #linkstarbureiy).

/ 'ed' is open/live and looking for tutors

The ed app is up-and-running. It seems desolate at the moment... because it is. The pages need intermediation (tutors and students) so we can kickstart this thing. If you're interested in tutoring, read the syllabi carefully. Remember that each sheet (chemistry, math, physics) is a live document in its own right; meaning that it is editable and self-contains a page history.

Ready. Set. Learn.

/ still working on the camera (update 1)

Let's have some fun with the Google Daydream sdk.

/ Goodbye to a hero, Stan Lee (dedication)

It's not everyday that you get to live-witness the career of someone who truly enriched the world, but that's exactly what I got to see with Stan Lee and his work.

I can only hope that Mr. Lee lived a fulfilling life. What he did for American culture and the entertainment industry in general is well-noted. His comic book creations and the hero of his imagination, I believe, forever changed the way humans think about themselves and our possibilities. I personally want to thank him for sharing what he could and did do in terms of characters, their stories, what it means to be misunderstood, how to persevere, and countless other attributes that escape me at this moment.

I usually don't pick favorites, but I have, on more than one occasion, found myself asking who would've won in certain hypothetical battles (Hulk vs. Superman is a good one that comes to mind, btw, X-Men would totally mop the floor with The Avengers๐Ÿ˜‰). The truth is, I really don't have to; just being able to be have that conversation should be an honor in itself. Letting yourself get lost in such ludicrous discussions just because is a great thing. We have the folks at Marvel Comics/Entertainment to thank for that, and Mr. Stan Lee, in particular.

One thing I'm really happy about is that he got to see his ideas brought to life on the big screen. It's one thing to flesh something out on paper with ink and lead. It's another thing to have talented animators, cinematographers, and a cast of professional actors portray your characters pretty much as you imagined -- decades prior. In my opinion, that's the equivalent of winning the Nobel Prize in your later years (something that I never agreed with. If you deserve it, the Committee should just give it. Why wait, you know?). I'm also really happy that he was honored with cameo slots in pretty much all of those movies. It goes without saying that Mr. Lee and his iconic creations have been - and likely will remain - a respected exponent in what it means to pursue your dreams and live up to your potential.

Thank you, sir,

/ Paul Allen ... still computing (dedication)

Personal computing legend and software icon, Paul Allen, left us, but his work lives on.

I came up in the industry hearing loud whispers of the Microsoft story. Two very young men who were childhood friends from Seattle leave exceptional academic programs to build what at one point was the most successful company in the world (and still to this day, one of the most valuable technology companies on the market. Stock prices as of October 15, 2018 closed at $107.60๐Ÿ’น). That always spoke to me, telling me that with smart investments, good timing, and strong work ethic, America is a country (perhaps the only one) where if you really want to, just about anyone can achieve what they set out to do.

A favorite quote of his (head over to my quotes blog, if that kind of thing interests you) comes from the book, ๐Ÿ“–Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America, where he tried unsuccessfully (or successfully, depending on how you look at it) to prep a seventeen years-old Bill Gates on college life as an incoming freshman at Harvard. He says something to the effect of, "You know, Bill, you're going to meet people who are smarter than you (at Harvard).". To which Gates replied, "Smarter than me? No way, no way!". Those words stuck with me. I think it's because Bill refused to believe it, and decided that he wasn't going to let himself fail at the hands of someone else. He was all for taking control of his own destiny. (One bit of trivia: Paul Allen scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT, while Bill Gates got a 1590.)

Even though he left day-to-day operations at Microsoft for health and personal reasons in 1983, he helped lay down a company culture that defined an industry, change the world, and ultimately, helped people. I also respect what Paul Allen did with his extracurriculars. He was the owner of the Portland Trailblazers (NBA), Seattle Seahawks (NFL), and the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS). As a sports fanatic and Pacific Northwest (Montana) resident, I appreciate that bit of recreational lifestyle he nourished for the region.

Thank you, Paul.

/ I was a Toys ''R'' Us kid (dedication)

I just want to take a moment or so to acknowledge and thank Charles Lazarus, the founder of Toys ''R'' Us, the retail chain of stores that sold (mostly) toys and other things marketed to kids.

Lazarus is one (1) of those people a person can go their entire lives not knowing who they are, but be familiar with their works. Walt Disney and Kiichiro Toyoda are two (2) others that comes to mind.

Mr. Lazarus passed today, in the midst of his founding company's legal battles with creditors and liquidation. It's sad and in a way ironic, yet it's also good to know that what he grew (it was the largest toy seller in the world at one point -- ".. the biggest toy store there is.") ended with him.

Growing up (and believe me, I wasn't in a rush to do so), Toys ''R'' Us was, to me and countless other American children, the go-to hub for instant happiness. I have so many memories of going to their stores in different cities, that it's hard to choose just one. I do recall, though, that Nintendo of America had a kiosk set up in those stores and that helped propel sales of their games and consoles, which are a whole bunch of other memories from my childhood in themselves.

We also can't forget the brand's mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, which in my opinion, epitomized a secondary image (behind the backwards 'R' on the logo) for marketing. Altogether, the retail chain packaged itself and its merchandise in such a way that it became indelible in the minds and hearts of generations of young people and their parents alike. When you consider that toys have been made, gifted, and sold across the world for ages, what Lazarus achieved has to be another one of those things that - as they say - probably only could have happened in America.

I got my start designing toys (puzzles and later character designs) with my portfolio, Egglepple. I became a performance artist (my words) when I was a teenager in an effort to have a domain in which I could 'play' with those toys. It was a totally selfish act back then. My parents were sometimes kind enough to take me to the toy store and let me hang out to my heart's delight. I didn't often get a toy to take home; it was mostly window shopping (holidays and birthdays aside), but the lessons I learned were sprouted in my imagination. Bright colors, childish play, what it meant to be a kid, all stemmed from my emotional connections to Toys ''R'' Us.

Thank you, Charles Lazarus.
A big Toys ''R'' Us kid,

/ now among the stars (dedication)

Dr. Stephen Hawking is now no longer with us. I would normally qualify this as sad news, but I'm actually hoping that he's in a much better place where he doesn't have to suffer any longer, nor watch the Human species he so often chastised suffer either.

Stephen Hawking will be remembered for many things, one of which is as a brilliant theoretical physicist, which is what I'd rather focus on. His Hawking radiation formula accurately predicts the decay/evaporation of black holes (specifically, the entropic principles thereof). The Penrose-Hawking theorems are also very important mathematical tools.

He authored the book (as well as many others), A Brief History of Time, which became a bestseller for a record number of weeks, and introduced a new generation (myself included) of tinkerers to concepts of quanta, cosmology, and the like. The world owes a great deal to his humanity - disagreements about its course of direction aside, as we had no choice but to look at him as nothing more than a triumph.

You are appreciated.

/ we ran together, Roger. (dedication)

So, just recently, Roger Bannister passed away. Notice that I didn't put a label in front of his name. He made his claim to fame as a track runner, the very first person to be clocked under four (4) minutes in a standard mile. He accomplished this ("The Miracle Mile") on 6 May 1954 while a student in medical school, taking up the course (neuroscience) that would later become his profession.

Running has lots of benefits, health and otherwise. The activity can be relieving; freeing your mind to think about nothing else but what is directly in front of you. I should know, I was a runner when I was a schoolboy. In fact, that's all I wanted to do with myself until I was about thirteen (13) years of age. Sprints were my thing; I was on my school's track team, specializing in the fifty-five (55) meter dash (indoors). I walk a lot now, but when I was really young, I did distance running. I never did come close to breaking the four-minute mark then, my best time was a little upwards (I mean, do we really need to delve into such things?๐Ÿค๐Ÿคฅ). I was a student of the sport (track and field) big time when I was a kid. Roger Bannister was one of those people that I read about, admired, and tried to emulate (the other was Carl Lewis).

What they tell you when you're an athlete is that natural talent should be exploited. What they don't tell you is that you can't actually coach work ethic. It can be trained, conditioned, isolated, and honed (and that all sounds like coaching), but not nary a person can bring out the drive that makes another reach beyond what they usually are content with. That last ingredient is something called determination. The individual is going to do what they are going to do. A lot of people want something, but wanting something is a whole other thing than actually doing whatever it takes to acquire it. Mr. Bannister taught me that. His official time of 3:59.4 minutes, was a slithering hair under the milestone (pun intended), but it was enough. He did it! He forced himself - focusing on one stride after the other - to push beyond his comfort zone to achieve something that no one else at any point in human history can claim. That's determination.

Sometimes, when these athletes pass, I feel compelled to share my sentiments because I, too, feel like an athlete. I call myself a mathlete, and that may be my way of attempting to hold on to some past long gone (or not), but I do feel that with juking, I've created a sport in the sense that it's a game that I (and anyone can) play and improve the (personal) condition. There's a camaraderie there; and to paraphrase Nelson Mandela, one that I think only sports can give.


Anyhoot, thank you, Roger.

/ Easter 12/21

One (1) year to go until the theatrical debut (+libretto) of Easter:Die, Detective! on December 21, 2018. Let's make this time count in the interim.

/ Discord server @ lnq#7586

Join the orchestra and converse on the Discord servers @ lnq#7586.

/ 20.5y

I've been in the game now for 20.5 years (since the end of February 1997). Wow!

/ In memoriam: Dick and Jerry (dedication)

These past forty-eight (48) hours have taken from us comedians Dick Gregory and the King of Comedy himself, Jerry Lewis.

If you are unfamiliar with these two (2) people, then please take it upon yourself to read about them, and more importantly, watch some of their works online.

Dick Gregory was the first Black comedian to be a steady performer at all-White (comedy) clubs in the United States back in his day. He started performing in Chicago in the 1950s, and, after being spotted and invited by Hugh Heffner, was soon earning steady pay for his stand-up routines. Those facts in themselves (pioneering entertainer plus earning relatively substantial cash from his act) were big deals back in those days (supposedly $50/night was a lot of money), primarily because the height of his popularity took place during the Civil Rights era, which was stocked with societal unrest, political assassinations, and conventional wars abroad. Gregory lent his voice and jokes of contemporary mockery where he could, which was enough to be entered into the annals of that tumultuous part of American history in a positive light.

He was before my time, but undoubtedly paved the way for a performer like me to do what I did in the genre in the 1990s, when I started touring stand-up in middle school and for a while thereafter. One difference of style was that I hardly told jokes during my routines, which were largely based off of my class clown sketches that admittedly sometimes translated poorly to adult audiences. I was more of a physical comedy guy, making silly faces and odd noises just to get a laugh where I could. Those days as a teenager felt to me that I was an original in the field; that no one else could have possibly done what I was doing. This was around the same time as the beginning of the meteoric rise of Jim Carrey (to whom I looked up), who also heavily relied on physical stunts in lieu of traditional storytelling. It was only later that I found out he had greatly admired the work of Jerry Lewis before him.

Very few people deserve their monikers, whether they are bestowed upon or self-imposed. To put it bluntly, Jerry Lewis earned the moniker 'King of Comedy' over the course of his career. His style and delivery is so hackneyed that, for an example, modern first and second dates in courtship would almost feel archaic and awkward if it weren't for those subtle yet obvious instances of raw humor, even if they are nothing more than ice breakers. We can attribute that to Mr. Lewis.

He also set new boundaries in comedic character acting with the likes of (the original) The Nutty Professor and The Ladies Man. Moreso, in a bit of what would qualify as trivia now, he taught a college course in filmmaking, where his students included Hollywood greats Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. This combination of talent, skill, and showmanship pedigree made him a true master of his craft and a guiding force for future generations.

The Dick Gregory and Jerry Lewis that I grew up with were stage legends, yes, but mainly activists by then. Gregory never gave up on speaking on behalf of people that looked like him and our struggles which handicap us. Lewis was equally as revered for his work and dedication to persons suffering from muscular dystrophy. His many telethons raised awareness and financial assistance for the cause (and its research), which is greatly appreciated.

I want to thank both of these geniuses for indirectly and directly impacting the evolution of my work and dreams.