Risen From the Dead

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Austin

Today, Dia De Los Muertos, the dead shall rise. So too shall Allogamy ... (with a nod to Camille Saint-Saens, and featuring the glorious cello warrior Tina Guo).

Andy
There isn't a whole lot of 2010 left. It's time to take these last 60 days by the horns.

Halloween (observed)

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Andy
One word: Vuvuzela.

Austin

The Finale (from the previous Zombie Apocalypse series) has spilled into this post. Tomorrow will bring us some vuvuzela action. The long-awaited (by me, at least) zombie scherzo rounds of the series but with a decidedly Halloween flair. Special thanks to Camille Saint-Saens, to whom we are indebted for this delightful danse.

Zombie Apocalypse - Run Like Hell

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Andy
Cardio is definitely important. With zombies, it's life or death.

Austin

The Postlude for string orchestra (as a sort of passacaglia). Running will only last so long. Can the infection be overcome? Are we lost forever?

Zombie Apocalypse - Incognito

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Andy
For the living, a good zombie disguise might come in handy. Maybe the infected are too dumb to know the difference?

Austin

The Intermezzo for string orchestra. Stealth and creepiness amid a bed of aleatoric pizzicati.

Zombie Apocalypse - He Seems Nice Enough

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Andy
Luckily, Mormon zombies seem to be pleasant folk.

Austin

A misnamed Gigue for string orchestra gives us the zombified Americana appropriate to the Mormon zombie.

Zombie Apocalypse - The Resistance

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Andy
It's kill or be eaten, and not just for the already heavily armed. Resist the scourge.

Austin

The March for string orchestra. Stand and fight ...

Zombie Apocalypse - Medical Staff

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Andy
Let's be honest, one of the first places the initial crop of zombies will be brought is the hospital. Medical staff will constitute the second wave of infected.

Austin

6 movements for string orchestra guide us through the Zombie Apocalypse, beginning with this ominous Prelude.

Longitudinal Waves

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Andy

Sweet, sweet sound waves.

Austin

The Vuvuzela.... not the most versatile of instruments, but compelling in its own way. A sort of pure sound wave.

The World According to Einstein - 4

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Austin

The final part in the tribute to Albert Einstein, featuring soprano Angie Solomon and violinist Yelena Yegoryan:

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank in file has already earned my contempt; he has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice."

And my personal favorite (and Einstein's most poignant) quote: "A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem."

Andy

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. ”

The World According to Einstein - 3

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Austin

Today two interleaved Einstein quotes, again performed by the wonderful violinist/soprano duet Yelena Yegoryan and Angie Solomon:

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

"Anyone who can drive safely and kiss a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

Andy

The World According to Einstein - 2

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Austin

Returning to the mind of Albert Einstein, today with: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... it takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction." Once again featuring soprano Angie Solomon and violinist Yelena Yegoryan.

Andy

A World Out of Sight

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Austin

T

Andy

Yog-hurt has been enjoyed since antiquity. All thanks to the science of fermentation wherein microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, break down sugars typically into lactic acid or alcohol. In the case of yogurt, bacteria converts lactose from milk into lactic acid, which acts on the high protein content of milk to make yogurt.

The World According to Einstein - 1

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Austin

There are few people who have contributed to mankind on the level of Albert Einstein. Plain and simple. It is useless to try and enumerate his accomplishments, both here or through music. Instead I have chosen to set a few of my favorite Einstein quotes:

"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler;"

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school;"

"A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."

Violin performed by Yelena Yegoryan, and vocals performed by soprano Angie Solomon.

Andy
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Area 51

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Andy

We’re hiding aliens in Nevada and we filmed the moon landing in a Hollywood studio. Obviously.

Austin
I

Copernican Revolution

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Austin
The etymology for "revolution" is bound up in the history of Copernicus, a figure who unites both meanings for the word (a political / social upheaval, and also the literal 'to revolve'). In my estimation, Copernicus' "De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium" is one of the most liberating documents ever loosed upon mankind; a sense of reality is far more warming to the soul than a false sense of centricity.

Andy
And what a nice star to revolve around.

H

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Austin
H, Hydrogen. The simplest of all atoms and one of the most fundamental building blocks of the universe. One of the most amazing feats of a scientist is his ability to see and hear through all the noise, all the racket, and gain that little morsel of fact. That one small bit of truth, on which everything must be based.

Andy
We are all made of water and water is made so incredible in large part due to hydrogen. Hydrogen's small size allows for a special type of bond, the aptly named hydrogen bond. Due to the bond angle in water and the high electronegativity of oxygen, water is polar. These two facts allow an amazing intermolecular attraction to exist in water in which the hydrogens from one molecule loosely bind (as in something like 10% of a covalent bond) to the oxygen of other water molecules. Each individual hydrogen bond may be relatively weak, but when compounded they create a substantial bond energy barrier. This unique bonding in water also contributes to the crystal shape solid water takes. We know that solid water is less dense than liquid. Think for a minute what would happen if ice was instead more dense than liquid water. Ice would sink. Icebergs would sink to the bottom of the ocean. The ocean would freeze over. The global climate would cool considerably and we would have a permanent ice age. So thank you hydrogen, thank you.