imnotbored.net

The thing about robots, is that we anthropomorphize them.

Think about it. We want a machine to do things we don’t want to do, or that are dangerous or unpleasant for us to do. So we build a machine that looks like a human? If a human arm can’t reach all the way under the couch to the back to get the cat’s favourite toy, how is a robot modeled on a human, with our limbs and joints going to be any better?

I think we do this because we are at best, hesitant when it comes to new technology. More to the point, we are hesitant of the impact it has on our lifestyles and societies. This is what keeps us from embracing the really cool shit.

Picture if you will, robots the size of rain drops. Programmable, self organizing (recognizing and avoiding obstacles such as pets or humans kind of self organizing, not toga party kind of organizing) mesh networks of robots that zip around your house at night sweeping up the pet hair, cleaning the vents, washing the windows, and watering the plants. Just think of all the extra time you’d have for,oh I dunno - reading comics and playin’ poker and such things. When it comes right down to it, can we afford not to have legions of nano-bots do our dirty work? When they are done, they could arrange themselves on the wall in pretty patterns and pretend to be art work.

Stop thinking about work in terms of how we do it, and think in terms of how to get it done. And give up this silly human conceit that all good, purposeful things must look like us.

Full props to Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and Neal Stephenson ( Diamond Age). This nano-bot meme cropped in recent readings from both gentlemen, and has considerably amped up my inner geek.

Technorati Tags: nanotech, neal stephenson, Warren Ellis, robots, science fiction

So, lacking anything resembling a social life, I installed a dual boot OSX/Ubuntu on my laptop this past long weekend.

Turns out there are some things (Flash, wireless) that are not well supported on power pc, but for the most part, Ubuntu has proven to be fast,reliable, and visually familiar enough to windoze to not induce panic

Tons of open source software available, some more user friendly than others. I have to admit, the Mac has made me a bit lazy in this respect. I am becoming friendlier with the command line, and look forward to being comfortable, or maybe even proficient some day soon.

Between busy and lazy, this is a week late. Actually, I had wanted to blog my thoughts on each show as it happened. Turns out this was optimistic.
Something about working full time and staying out late at gigs just doesn’t leave a lot of time. All whining aside, here is a summary of the gigs I managed to catch, in brief yet hopefully informative detail.

Tierney Sutton: Impressive vocalist, and that’s coming from someone who is not that big a fan of vocal jazz. Imaginative arrangements, a sensitive, yet powerful band, and Tierney’s impeccable rhythmic accuracy and pitch made for a good show.

CuongVu /Sten Sendell Trio w/ John Butcher: I already went on about his one. Now that all is said and done, I stand by my decision in a previous post declaring Cuong Vu my Festival Fave.

Derek Trucks Band: The guy can play. Undoubtedly a masterful slide blues player, Derek and the band really soared on the south Indian inspired tunes. Derek has proven himself as player with a musical vocabulary well beyond the blues, and I think this is where his strength lies. There were many in the audience who were there due to his relationship with The Allman Brothers, but I look forward to Derek and his band developing a distinct voice beyond the Blues diaspora.

Dhafer Youssef: Ya can’t go wrong with a string quartet (this is part of that ‘highly subjective’ qualifier above). Where Cuong Vu was exciting and energetic, this performance was beautiful and mesmerizing. Dhafer played Oud with some processing and looping along with the string quartet and a tabla player. Once again, I play the subjectivity card - love the tablas.

Lubo Alexandrov & Kaba Horo Ensemble: I’m a bit of a music geek and spend a fair chunk of time off the beaten path. When a band comes along that is completely off my radar, I am pleasantly surprised. Such is the case with this crew. Comprised of Bulgarians based out of Montreal, these guys packed the dance floor with their infectious Eastern European/ Gypsy/ Up tempo Balkan hoe down sets. The obligatory twirling hippies, dignified old ladies, belly dancers, bankers, and even those that, to all outward appearances looked too cool to even smile, got up and shook their groove thang - sometimes in 11/8 (at least I think thats what it was…). Definitely a festival highlight.

ICP Orchestra: These folks have been together more or less as long as I’ve been alive, and it shows. Ellingtonian grace, the bombast of Charles Ives, and the hyper kinetic lunacy of Hans Bennink all at once. And who holds it all together? The quiet, unassuming man at the piano who walks on stage in a fishing hat.If I was the curator of Vonnegut’s Tralfamadorian zoo, these guys would be the house band. Best big band ever - so there!!

Matheson/Roper/Mollerup: Full Disclosure - 2 out of the 3 performers here were instructors of mine at music school. With that out of the way,let us discuss a very important aspect of performance - enjoying it. These three guys looked ridiculously happy playing their tunes. They made it look fun and effortless, and made me want to dust off my bass and re-fresh my ailing musical chops.

The only real bummer was a set I caught at David Lam park on the final Sunday of the festival. Lets just say if you can’t even cary a tune in a bucket, getting a bigger bucket is not the answer.

Technorati Tags: Concerts, Festivals, Jazz, Vancouver Jazz Festival