Something the best score is no score at all

I have been attending classical and chamber music recitals for several years, and last night was a real treat. It was Imogen Cooper playing the piano.

As stated in her performance, she is interested in connections, especially in music. She then proceeded to play several separate, but related pieces back to back. Specifically:

• Satie Gnossiènne No.1
  
• Liszt Les Jeux d'eau à la Villa d'este
  
• Ravel Jeux d'eau
  
• Satie Gymnopedie No. 1
  

She also played all pieces without the aid of a music score. I have only seen a few piano performances where the artist does not need a score, and all have been excellent. So, if they don't have a score, it's a good sign that the performance will be good.

Re-examining representation of primitive numerical types

I've discovered the work of Oskar Mencer at Imperial College. He is examining ways to vary number representation using FPGAs. Instead of simplying choosing an Integer or a Floating Point type in your language of choice, he is started to take advantage of the reconfigurable FPGA to find optimal representation of each type against specific metrics.

One important point he does make is in calculating a primitive function like sin(x). Many researchers have published methods to compute sin(x), yet there is no mention when to use which method. Furthermore, even after you choose the method, there are many options that can be adjusted. How do you choose which options to adjust?

Why I will never eat a hamburger again

As I make my way through No Logo, I am reminded of Eric Schlosser's books called "Reefer Madness" and "Fast Food Nation".

If you haven't read Fast Food Nation, you must read it now, and you will understand why I (and probably you after you read it) will never eat a hamburger again!

So many books, so little time

I have managed to accumulate over 30 books and 20 audio books I have yet to digest. Add that to the list of almost 100 books I want to read in the library, and I appear to have a large task on my hands.

Recently I have finished John McEnroe's autobiography, Faster: The Acceleration of Everything by James Gleick, Neuromancer by William Gibson, and Hackers' Tales by Dr. K.

I have just begun No Logo by Naomi Klein and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.