and they said *i* was mad

photogenic microfauna:



from Jerry Coyne's blog.

yes, that's right: flies with images of ants or spiders (or something of the sort) on their wings. not really clear why, but there it is.


ignobel-quality research:

Physicists probe urination 'splashback' problem

US physicists have studied the fluid dynamics of urine "splashback" - and found tips to help men and women with their accuracy and hygiene.

Using high-speed cameras, the team filmed jets of liquid striking toilet walls and studied the resulting spray.

Splashback was low when the jets were used close up with a narrow "angle of attack", said the Brigham Young University team.

...

One might think the physics of aiming urination had already been summarised by the formula: "get it all in the bowl". But micturation is still a messier business than it needs to be, according to the research.

Taking measurements live "in the field" did not appeal to the scientists, so the duo built a urination simulator. The "Water Angle Navigation Guide" is a five-gallon bucket with hoses connected to two types of synthetic urethra.

...

i can't imagine the ignobel committee will pass up such a golden opportunity.

new culture season

last night was chamber music; a mixed performance of works for strings and woodwinds. the first two pieces were the first the DSO has played this season that i've considered noteworthy.

the first was holst's "st paul's suite". the first movement is a spirited jig, but what caught my interest is that it seems to have a strand of "jupiter" (from the planets) running through it as a contrasting theme. that might fit, since "st. paul's suite" was written in 1912, two years before holst started on the planets.

the second was vaughn williams' "concerto in a minor for oboe and strings". the first movement is curious for being not in a modern key, but is modal, a much older way of arranging pitches. it's dorian mode, for those into such things. dorian mode is not too uncommon in older church music or some folk traditions (i'm used to klezmer music, which is frequently set in the related ukrainian dorian, giving it its distinctive sound).

the concerto also has a couple of long oboe cadenzas. waaay back when music was young, those were extemporaneous sections for the soloist... y'know, riffing. these days, they're usually complex music so that the soloist can show off his virtuosity. and lemme tell ya, jeffrey o'donnell -- the only guy in the orchestra to have an endowed chair -- got soul. damn is he good. i simply lack the vocabulary to describe how well he plays.

the third piece was dvorák's "serenade in e major for string orchestra", which i remember mostly for the anecdote maestro amado told about dvorák before it:

( a little long, but funny )

the full orchestra has performed twice already this season. the first performance featured stravinsky's "firebird" suite (1919 rescoring), which i rather like. the other three pieces... not so much. the second concert was rossini, mozart, and brahms; all very typical works by those three composer. in fact, i thought rossini's "overture to semiramide" was so stereotypically rossini that all it needed to be perfect was a couple of warner brothers characters chasing each other around the stage.