Friday Night You Know What Thread (Also Boise-Fresno State Open Thread)

Submitted by justingoblue on

What's everyone drinking tonight in anticipation for Northwestern tomorrow night? Or in celebration of yet another source of Buckeye schadenfreude? Either way, tonight it's cheap tequila with Simply Lemonade, and I plan on getting pretty drunk tonight before leaving to see megangoblue's friends and family in Cincinnati tomorrow. Cheers, MGoBoard.

Also, feel free to post about Boise-Fresno. I know Fresno is usually pretty good, but Boise looks pretty unstoppable for the rest of their schedule.

Waters Demos

October 7th, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^

When it comes to metaphysics, I like Hume.

The guy basically burned the entire enterprise to the ground, though without trying to.  I like his approach - acknowledging limitations and buidling metaphysics around them (i.e., saying there can be no such thing as "metaphysics" in light of such limitations.)

Vodka and sprite tonight JGB.  Sorry that you can't enjoy baseball - last night was very satisfying for us Tigers fans.

Waters Demos

October 7th, 2011 at 11:33 PM ^

I've only studied Nozick derivatively, i.e., for a paper I did on Locke.  So I don't know much about him.

Having said that, my view on libertarianism generally is that it's good for certain creative individuals (e.g., the late Steve Jobs), but bad for many (most) others, and bad on the whole for human beings because it isolates them from the claims and assertions of others. 

Atomism (absolute political freedom of the individual) is not good for human beings.  When human beings don't have to concern themselves with others, they become selfish and lazy, and then they do things like watch American Idol, and become preoccupied with nonsense.  The Nietzschean in me is troubled by this.

Those systems that force human beings and their affairs together are necessarily violent and coercive, and make it more difficult for human beings individually, and thus, by default, make them stronger.  Trees grow taller and straighter in a dense forest.  You can see this, for example, in the Arab spring IMHE.  I suppose I side with the Ancients who say that stronger, more virtuous citizens make for a stronger politics and political life.  But that's not necessarily what's good for individuals.

A permanent, unsolvable political tension is that between individual and collective, and libertarianism lies at the heart of that conflict IMHE.  I don't know enough about Nozick to know whether he is upront and honest about that conflict and his place within it, but I'd respect him more if that was the case. 

JimLahey

October 7th, 2011 at 11:34 PM ^

Nozick isn't bad, I was forced to study him as an undergrad. If you really want to hate your life then start studying Alvin Goldman. That fuckin tool, he is on my list of academics to punch in the arm if I ever see them.

Also, I'm drinking Crown Royal and I'm back in Canada for the weekend. Feels great to be home.

justingoblue

October 7th, 2011 at 11:38 PM ^

If I had a better reading base in philosophy, (and from what you've said if you had a better one in economics) we would have a ridiculously good political philosophy/ethics/ economic theory discussion over drinks one night.

Downside is, as it stands, you would kick my ass in metaphysics and epistemology, as well as (maybe) be able to outflank me in ethics, and I would bring up some odd terminology that you wouldn't identify with from economics.

Waters Demos

October 7th, 2011 at 11:56 PM ^

I actually don't have a strong base in any particular field - you very well may outflank me in all of those.

I had very narrow interests that related to my personal experiences/reflections, and those interests cut very deeply across very narrow cross sections of political thought.  Lots of depth, virtually no breadth because I only care about what I've experienced and reflected upon.  Most stuff I read has no connection with me, and when that's the case, I throw it away.  I just can't give a shit about most of it because it doesn't resonate.  For example, Kant says nothing to me personally (he's mostly, if not all, bullshit to me), so while I acknowledge his importance, I don't give a shit on a personal level.

Economics has never been along my line of interests beyond the common ground it has with political thought (Marx, Smith, etc...).  So you would have a lot to teach me there (and in most political fields as well I imagine). 

Now, if we want to talk music, BD probably beats both our asses.  I'd of course have to inquire into his thoughts on the "Apocalypse in 9/8" section of "Supper's Ready."  I can't even read or decipher time signatures.

BlueDragon

October 8th, 2011 at 1:05 PM ^

A minute in, so far it's all 4/4 "common time".

Okay, at about 2:36-2:38, it shifts into 9/8--the eighth note (2 eighths to a quarter, 4 quarter notes per measure in 4/4) is constant, three strong beats per measure with three subdivided eighth notes inside each strong beat, hence the 9/8 time signature.  The meter shifts periodically up to the 3:00 mark.

Then a new effect becomes more predominant in the song:  the duple background pulse is played with the triplet melody in the synthesizer.  This rhythmic tension is an old trick but it's effective here--see also "Kashmir" which is actually in 4/4 the whole way despite the quasi 3/4 feel of the main melody.

At about 3:30 the meter is back to 4/4.  There are periodic meter shifts (say an inserted bar of 5/4 or 6/4) in the middle of a predominantly 4/4 line.  Try to feel the subdivisions of the main pulse when listening to this song--sometimes it's subdivided in 2 and sometimes it's subdivided in 3.  

In the fifth minute the meter shifts to 9/4.  In the sixth minute it's in 5/4, and in the slowdown to the next singer entrance it shifts to a 4/4-quasi-2/4 feel (it helps to feel 2 big beats per measure, or 4).  I don't know what to make of the lyrics.  My knowledge of the occult is limited.

Thanks for sharing, it's a great song.

BlueDragon

October 9th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^

There are three basic types of time signatures:  Duple, Triple, and Irregular.  A time signature (or "meter") is simply a way of counting the number of strong beats per measure.  Duple meters are divisible by 2, triple meters by 3.  Classic duple meters are 2/4 and 4/4--2 and 4 quarter notes per measure respectively.  Two common triple meters are 3/8 and 3/4--3 eighth and 3 quarter notes per measure.  A meter like 6/4 can be counted in 3 or 2; deciding which subdivision to follow in performance in listening is a big part of what makes listening to music so pleasurable for trained ears and/or repeated listenings of a piece of music.

Irregular meters are where things get tricky.  Some have a number of beats per measure not divisible by 2 or 3, like 5/4 or 7/4.  Others have different subdivisions of the strong beats within the measure.  Classic example:  7/8 time.  Count it "one and two and three ee uh" or "one and two ee uh three and" or "one ee uh two and three and" depending on which beat (3, 2, or 1) has 3 subdivided eighth notes instead of 2.

In heavy-duty comtemporary music, even crazier effects can be achieved, such as having different performers within the ensemble moving in different time signatures.  I think that about covers the basics of meter in Western music.

Waters Demos

October 11th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^

Thanks for this.

Part of my problem is that I just can't hear it, so the notation doesn't mean much.

I can decipher a 4/4.  I also can decipher when something is different is used (like Floyd's "Money," which sounds to me like there's a beat missing).  Beyond the very basics though, I just can't hear it.

BlueDragon

October 7th, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^

This conversation has become very intimidating.  Philosophical discussion is a hobby of mine but you all know much more theory than I do.  I guess I just enjoy arguing.

I suppose I could dust off my History of the New Testament notes and figure out eschatology again (which I did for Humanities credit at Michigan).  Or game psychology, I suppose.

JimLahey

October 8th, 2011 at 1:11 AM ^

I smoked a joint with my 65 year old neighbor for the sole purpose of returning to this discussion and spitting mad philosophy knowledge. But I ended up staying there for over an hour discussing how mcdonalds would make a killing by making egg/sausage mcmuffins and hash browns available 24 hours.

white_pony_rocks

October 8th, 2011 at 12:13 AM ^

has anyone seen Troll Hunter?  it is awesome, i just wanted to share that with you all

edit: also iron sky is coming out april 4th.  for those of you that are living under a rock, in iron sky the nazis leave earth in 1945 and have slowly been mining the moon, developing the technology to enable them to come back and wipe out us sub-humans.  they fly back from the dark side of the moon here they have been hiding for all these decades and.......i dont know what happens but it looks awesome

jabberwock

October 7th, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^

(I'm on infant duty)

 but the Bliss just tied it up 28-28 with 4:00 min to go!

EDIT:

and the GB Chill pull it out 36 - 34.

Minnesota could learn a thing or two from those girls.

singler makes …

October 8th, 2011 at 1:22 AM ^

Finally (and drunkenly) made an account. I promise i won't:

1) make a useless thread that has already been posted about how I saw #1 in a practice video

2) out Lloyd Brady

3) not respect THE_KNOWLEDGE

Cheers