Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand. Clermont-Ferrand is in the Auvergne region of France. It's looks close enough to being smack bang in the middle of France.

Pascal has stuck in my head for years. I have this vision of making a short film in France that would feature Blaise Pascal transporting a barometer over the brow of a rural hill. A few tufts of grass and a worn track of dried light brown mud and two men carrying a glass tube on either side with a third and fourth on hand to help. Pascal carried out an experiment with quicksilver in glass tubes to test his theories on vacuums and air pressure.

It's a nice portrait.  I think he looks like a kindly, happy man, wide open friendly eyes and the hint of smile at the edge of his lips.  I don't know who painted the portrait.

Promenade de l'oiseau by Victor Brauner

I saw this painting in the Musée de Grenoble a few months back. It was one of many fine paintings in that beautiful art museum. It was so spacious; purpose designed to hold large and small pieces. A modern building with wood floors, white walls, a very easy way through the building, a sculpture garden outside. Trés jolie. The photo is from here.

In 1934 Victor Brauner had his first solo exhibition in Paris at the Galerie Pierre.

Fuck you said in Irish Dáil (parliament)

As a Green Party member I don’t know what to make of this. From a Joe Soap perspective it’s highly entertaining internet fodder, it’s refreshing. But there is a darkness to it. Is it more than just a laugh, is it a staging post in the country’s exasperation with politics? Could it conceivably get more people interested in politics because for once they understand the language a politician is using. Is it a low point in politics? It hardly seems that way when you think of the far more wretched things politics has brought us. Is it a harbringer of a tsunami of public anger in 2010 ? Is Gogarty a child lost in a sea of cynical adults, is he a muppet? Or is he a hero for being the antithesis of the smooth talking, PR groomed politician talking polite waffle? The joke on twitter is that he’s going for the 12 – 16 yer old vote ? Is that a good thing? Help me out here people, what should I make of this? Feel free to hurl abuse at me, Gogarty and the Greens. I reckon that’s only fair.

Read the full text of Paul Gogarty's speech here.

Laptops, digital media gadgets, Adbusters

The Congo River, Democratic Republic of Congo

Apparently the metal tantalum makes great capacitors for compact hi-tech items like mobile phones and laptop computers. I think its also known as tin-ore, cassiterite or coltan. There was a tantalum rush in Africa in the early part of this century. The price of tantalum was very high. One kilogram cost over a hundred dollars. You could sell a handful for around twenty dollars.

This is a link to an article by Greg Queyranne, a Canadian researcher focusing on conflicts in Central Africa. Thanks to Adbusters.

If you want to know more, you can watch this video.

French at About.com with Laura K. Lawless

The French number for nine is neuf, right? But neuf also means new, as in a brand new thing. So they are what is called....mmm, can I remember, they are called homonyms, or synonyms or something like that, I think, right? Anyway, how many of these types of words exist in the French language? Is there a handy list anywhere? Un avocat means lawyer and avocado, appropriate? La somme is a sum or an amount of something but le somme that means a nap or a snooze. J'ai prend une somme? An bhfuil an cheart agam?

Van Morrison & Bob Dylan - Crazy Love

I remember watching this on television many moons ago. To see two great songwriters together singing in front of the Parthenon. It's more of a Van Morrison vehicle than a Bob Dylan one. And they are singing a Van tune. Bob is just a songsmith enjoying the craft of another. I think it sounds great.

more about "Van Morrison & Bob Dylan - Crazy Love", posted with vodpod

Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Hobnox

Neil Young has a great new album out. So does Bob Dylan. Then there is Hobnox. That's a whole other kettle of fish... I highly recommend checking out the Tone Matrix option and then just click the squares, press play and have fun!

Madeleine au bois d'amour

Émile Bernard painted Madeleine au bois d'amour in 1888.

Lyric Fantasy, Op. 54 - Larsson

Lars-Erik Larsson was born in Sweden in 1908. Classical music can be so relaxing. For me, Lyric Fantasy, Op. 54 creates romantic inner mindscapes full of subtle emotion. And towards the end of the piece it reminds me of Bolero (Ravel). Do you think so? I'll see if I can post a stream of the audio at some stage. Thanks to Lyric FM's great programming for the introduction. If you know who painted the cover art pictured here (taken from the cover of Swedish Orchestral Favourites, Vol. 2) it would be great if you could let me know.

Said Taghmaoui in "Linear"

The latest U2 album, No Line on the Horizon (Deluxe Edition on iTunes), includes a movie by Anton Corbijn set to most of the songs on the album and one additional track. Said Taghmaoui plays the lead character, a traffic cop in Paris who burns his police motorbike and then hits the road on a regular motorbike. The camera follows him travelling through France and Spain as he heads south to Cadiz. The movie is called Linear and the photo above is a still from it.

Somalia, Pirates, Tanks, Ukranians and Kenyans

Here's a video courtesy of Rocketboom which shows the end of a hostage situation in Somalian waters. Sounds like the commentary might be Dutch, but it is has subtitles. I don't quite understand the part about the Kenyans owning the tanks and the relevance of their relationship with Southern Sudan.

From Crackle: Somali Pirates Release Ukrainian Hostages

More Santigold

The Job

The job
Uploaded by trescourt

MSF in DRC

Sustainable Energy Europe

Reverend Billy has it in for Christmas

I have an appetite or I am an appetite? Now that's what I call philosophical thinking! Reverend Billy prays that we stop shopping.. more billy !

A not so fond farewell....

So, what do you do after successfully bagging riches from an investment strategy which anticipated the current financial crisis? Andrew Lahde, stellar hedge fund manager, recently published his resignation letter... It's worth a read!

Fibonacci numbers....

No, it's not a type of pasta. I had heard the terms Fibonacci, Fibonacci numbers and Fibonacci Sequence but I didn't know what they referred to. It goes 1 (some people leave the first number 1 out), then 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377 and so on. The sequence is arrived at by adding the result of the first equation with the previous number in the sequence. So it goes 0 + 1 = 1 (some people leave this out) then 1 + 1= 2, the next in the sequence is 2 + 1 = 3 and then 3 +2 = 5, 5 +3 = 8, 8 +5 = 13, 13+ 8 = 21, 21 + 13 = 34, 34 + 21 = 55, etc.

Thanks to Melvyn at the BBC and his mathematical pals for enlightening me!

Pink Man

Well.... just see for yourself.....