Micah 6:8
Genesis 15:4-6
Yes, your life matters.
Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?
Today is Fibonacci Day! Perhaps you've heard of the Fibonacci sequence - start with 1 and 1, then the next term is always the sum of the previous two, thus 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on.
Did you see it? 1 1 2 3? 11/23. Just imagine how great a celebration it must have been in 1958! 11/23/58!
Anyway. The ratio of terms in this sequence converges on the Golden Section (or Golden Ratio), the which is (according to ancient Greek thought) the most pleasing proportion for a rectangle. It's about 1.6, so look at a 16x10 rectangle for a rough idea. I think they're right - it is a very pleasing proportion.
When I was at university I took a music composition class. One of the assignments was to compose a 12-tone composition. This is the once-modern notion that all 12 pitches in the chromatic scale ought to have equal emphasis, rather than the antiquated notion that the notes that sound good together ought to get some kind of preference. (The very picture of equity and anti-discrimination, in a sense.)
At any rate, being a Mathematics major, I thought that rather than creating a random tone row as the basis for the composition, I'd make one based on the Fibonacci sequence - expecting it to sound better than most random things would. I think I was correct. The tone row started on middle C, rose one half step to C#, then one half step to D, then two half steps to E and so on. Each time I encountered a previously-used pitch, I'd simply move on to the next one in the sequence until they were all there.
The rest of the compositional work was to use the translations, inversions, reversals, and all those other transformations of the tone row to create a piece that didn't sound horrible.
I actually succeeded in that quest. I created a trio, originally for trumpet, cello, and flute (because those three instruments were available in the class to perform it), but later changed to viola, cello, and violin (the instruments are listed in the order of their entrances).
If you'd like to hear it - and who doesn't love a good bit of atonal music now and again? - here's a link to a synthesized performance.
Today is also Doctor Who Day. This venerable programme premiered on the BBC on 23 November 1963. I remember when it was a great show. Sadly it seems the current Doctor ought to be called Doctor Karen rather than Doctor Who. Shouty, preachy, heavily accented, dismissive of all prior Doctors, frankly there's not much to recommend it these days, other than the fact that she's reached the end of her run and we'll be getting a new Doctor next season. Fingers are crossed, but with more trepidation than optimism.
Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.
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