tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339684340594681702024-02-19T00:09:35.140-08:00Iteratively Insomniac Irreducibility on academia, arts, design, science, cerebral entertainment, etc.The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.comBlogger302125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-69246553265013866802013-05-28T20:12:00.005-07:002013-06-10T00:54:49.829-07:00Neoteny is the greatest state of mind (Part 2: Star Trek - Into Darkness)- - -
First of all, I randomly ran into one of my friends whom I haven't talked to in many months. This was out of pure serendipity. I was looking for the medical school library, which was really hard to find as there were no signs I could locate... and I somehow wandered into a genetics lab building, peeked into one of the doors, and saw my friend M furiously scribbling. So I did the logical The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-85827097429500805772013-05-27T21:17:00.001-07:002013-05-27T21:55:43.640-07:00Neoteny is the greatest state of mind (Part 1: Exploratorium)- - -
Photos galore now. I found myself pondering about how the scientific concepts are communicated and brought to life, rather than the concepts themselves. There are lots of exhibits about light, colors, acoustics, and meteorology, perhaps because the fundamental tenets can be experienced more easily by the layperson?
Just outside the Exploratorium
Bay Bridge and some sailboats
ThisThe Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-14332116782904025242013-05-27T21:15:00.000-07:002013-05-27T21:15:22.524-07:00Neoteny is the greatest state of mind (Prelude)... especially when one can project a dark chocolate exterior of sophistication and gravitas to contain the lively maverick of fruity caramel inside. Maybe a little rum and vodka too, to aid with neoteny.
I let my inner child out to romp and my inhibition loose in the Pacific wind this weekend. Friday featured an Exploratorium meandering, Saturday (late night) the newest Star Trek movie, and The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-74958798722506765492013-05-15T23:42:00.000-07:002013-05-15T23:50:53.454-07:00Dr. Chu goes to Washington...... and ends up hungover, waking up next to a solar panel. In a clever combination of the politician's non-denial denial of the affair and his characteristic dry wit while more or less staying true to what he believes in:
“I just want everyone to know that my decision not to serve a second
term as Energy Secretary has absolutely nothing to do with the
allegations made in this week’s edition The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-75426149821837349912013-04-28T17:46:00.002-07:002013-05-03T22:18:02.529-07:00Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet- - -
I almost couldn't get tickets for this Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet concert... The tickets sell out frustratingly early. All the retirees in the area buying up season tickets months in advance!
It was amusing to see the only gal in the group (may or may not be the youngest?) holding the biggest stick (i.e. bassoon). Their program was refreshing, spring-like, and most of all whimsical.The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-23665440765470503942013-04-13T00:08:00.004-07:002013-04-14T14:07:13.319-07:00Visitations: Theotokia and The War Reporter- - -
One of my recent conversations discussed the following proposition: when attending an avant-garde opera, instead of dressing up in the usual evening formal attire, one could don the hipster gear of thick-rimmed glasses, hoodie, brightly-colored pants, converse sneakers, and mismatched socks. I'm really milking my grad student status for all it's worth.
As quoted from the concert program:
The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-24607682187381158022013-03-21T00:20:00.001-07:002013-03-21T00:46:24.003-07:00Double, double, toil and trouble;... Fire burn, and pseudopotentials bubble. That about sums up my research these days.
Fiddling with the mysterious inner workings of how to best represent atomic orbitals so they appear to behave just like in experimental observations...
It's like the simmering of a secret sauce where each ingredient must be mixed in the right amount and added at the right time. Otherwise dramatic The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-44348735583550527202013-02-23T20:19:00.000-08:002013-02-25T00:38:43.213-08:00Some observations of children's art (under 16)- - -
On my third trip to San Francisco (third trip without any specific destination or purpose, that is), I spent a good amount of time in the Children's Creativity Museum at the Yerba Buena Gardens, specifically the spiral gallery that has been featuring artworks from the International Museum of Children's Art. Perhaps I wanted to get reacquainted with my childhood? i.e. drawing with totalThe Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-85089792387112182782013-02-02T21:52:00.000-08:002013-02-02T22:13:25.596-08:00A lack of dérivatory excursions can trigger... - - -
... a recurring bout of suburbanitis, and the only known relief (no known cure) is the application of a transcendiary experience. The torching of perma-numbness. Not just simply ordering a different burger combo or smoothie flavor at thereby unnamed campus eateries.
As I sampled my inner space groups with a denser grid of k-points under the waterfall simulacrum, I wondered if I'm merely The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-40121224756372864252013-01-06T21:29:00.001-08:002013-03-21T20:44:44.883-07:00Of sublime numbers and experiences (Part 1 of 2, Journey the PS3 game)- - -
So passed an eventful year that left me no respite to blog contemplatively. Plenty exciting at the time, like jumping out of a plane and then having the parachute snagging on the tallest baobab tree ever and then getting spun around in a circle and then landing in a lake and then bobbing up and down in sensory overload.
Earlier today I somehow revisited the problem of the infinite 2D mesh The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-32489345854155410122012-12-08T01:59:00.001-08:002012-12-08T02:02:37.349-08:00Burn Notice (random thought 001)- - -
This is the first show where a character gets more hair as the series continues... Perhaps it indicates the degree of roguery? (Less hair = more rogue... for guys at least.)
There's the opposite trend in Chuck, where the leads (Chuck, Sarah, Morgan) have less hair as the series progresses.The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-55660141991494040262012-09-04T23:16:00.002-07:002012-09-04T23:16:56.720-07:00Chronicling personal history via music playlists- - -
Listening to my playlists reminds me of of my personal Zeitgeist as I was compiling each playlist... I also strongly associate certain songs with specific moments in space-time.The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-20304615093877689542012-08-12T03:01:00.001-07:002012-08-12T03:03:15.078-07:00Down with the wedding-industral complex!- - -
Aaaaand the pendulum has started swinging the other way. YES! Although as much as I'd like people to wear "business casual", whatever it means to them... it would prove even more of a headache than "suits and dresses".The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-35054324804096881992012-07-08T23:47:00.000-07:002012-12-09T00:18:49.817-08:00Curse the wedding-industrial complex!!!!!!- - -
My thoughts exactly. Like ZOMG, how did this whole shindig get so blown out proportion and out of its ... mind? Like a "phallocentric fairy-tale grotesquerie" (30 Rock!) What happened to a quiet, understated, and totally intimate moment with one's significant other? Screw people's opinions!! They are irritating like raw onions.
From the second link above...
One consultant at a The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-7048302375753669612012-06-24T02:36:00.002-07:002012-06-24T02:41:13.761-07:00This is what happens when I'm fucking depressed- - -
I lose the "creator" aspect of my identity and become rather withdrawn...The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-88437179641755814412012-05-30T11:09:00.000-07:002012-05-30T11:09:16.128-07:00House ended- - -
and I lost some sleep.
In some ways, TV series are like start-ups... a group of creatives and builders trying to survive the scrutiny and at the mercy of network execs (i.e. VC's, angel sponsors or whatever funding sources a start-up can get).
In other ways, they're unlike most start-ups... i.e. the crew has access to the fancy gadgets and equipment (might be similar to a start-up that The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-52508414411237229972012-05-13T12:26:00.000-07:002012-05-13T12:34:17.258-07:00Capitalism and Psychopathy- - -
Ha. Ha. Ha.
The ultimate behavioral economics dissertation topic: Capitalism and Psychopathy
Chapter 1: Motivation
Chapter 2: History and philosophy of capitalism
Chapter 3: Psychopathy in history
Chapter 4: Evolutionary origins and the neuroscience of psychopathy
&The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-39473677559479617222012-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:002012-05-13T00:39:08.911-07:00Poetic connections to quantum physics- - -
THE LOCKLESS DOOR by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)
It went many years,
But at last came a knock,
And I thought of the door
With no lock to The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-62890147670351542752012-04-26T01:18:00.001-07:002012-04-26T01:21:51.553-07:00Brain Pickings is the most intriguing and illuminating website I've visited in a while- - -
io9.com is a close second. Together this makes for my shortest blog entry with the most number of tags.
I particularly should check out these collections of books... on the left panel on the main page. I already read a few of them and heard about a few more, but hmm... haven't read real books in a while. Too many things are happening lately...The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-693668303865549092012-04-11T01:14:00.000-07:002012-04-11T01:14:39.114-07:00What the Hex?- - -
I came across this color guessing game via this blog. Most curious. I was able to get like five correct in a row for Level 10, but definitely failing at Level 48 ROFL. The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-30700206859013273382012-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:002012-03-25T00:15:57.803-07:00Sherlock (BBC TV series) is making me an insomniac- - -
I could theoretically go on and on about the character analyses... will have to leave that for another day. Right now I can't get these tunes out of my head... anyway, Fruity Loops (FL Studios) is too much fun...
The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-26027513514503973562012-02-13T01:11:00.000-08:002012-02-13T01:14:14.719-08:00Just a check-up on my state of the mind...- - -
The "Creator" part has been pretty consistent since a few years back. The adjective, however, varies depending on how I generally feel about life over the past month...
Terms explained:
Confidence
How confident you are about expressing your opinions and accomplishing things.
Openness
Your degree of openness to new experiences.
Extroversion
How outgoing you are. High means you are The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-70851133759840514502012-01-28T22:09:00.000-08:002012-02-09T14:25:03.044-08:00Genshiken (げんしけん or 現代視覺文化研究會) + Quiet: The Power of Introverts- - -
There's something endearing about watching a group of
introverts and/or socially awkward college students united by common interests and
bonding over the years...
Left: Kasukabe Saki, her boyfriend Kousaka Makoto... Center: Sasahara Kanji, Ogiue Chika... Right: Madarame Harunobu Giant head: Sue
The name of the club is a euphemistic wrapper that includes anime, mangas, video games The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-15717192632628738042012-01-20T03:19:00.000-08:002012-01-27T20:16:28.348-08:00Biz school profs' (canine) personas- - -
I've been amusing myself lately by associating my recent profs with characteristic dogs, in some cases anthropomorphic ones.
P.C.R. - (a slightly loopy) German Shepherd. Claims to be serious and pedagogical, but secretly is not that serious and has a dark sense of humor. (He called me by different wrong names TWICE).
J.M.L. - the Tramp in Lady and the Tramp. Whimsical, laid-back, yet The Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-733968434059468170.post-8839756840328976952011-12-22T03:00:00.000-08:002012-04-15T23:21:19.888-07:00Bakemonogatari - 2 of ??- - -
[[My previous blog entry about this anime]]
This series has such high re-watch value for me... because it encourages endless pondering and rumination about nuances and intentions and the like. It's interesting to entertain the connection between the seemingly random scene insertions and the plot elements, e.g. the characters' dialogues, actions, and thoughts.
The insertions areThe Existentially Curioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239223767166962178noreply@blogger.com0