GOD in the numbers

There is nothing so special about the mountains on the French-Italian border, I thought as I passed them en route from Geneva to Chamonix in the alps.

Sure, they are stunning scenically and the highest point in Europe, but no more so than 50km along the continent.

But I knew what made this section important was what was happening in a subterranean labyrinth of scientific endeavour, called CERN.

The Large Hadron Collider was having the finishing touches put on it, proclaimed proudly as the most complicated single feat of engineering ever completed by humanity.

An enormous circle over which protons and other sub-atomic particles are accelerated to close to the speed of light, in opposing directions around the circle, to be smashed pitilessly (excuse the anthropomorphism) into each other in hope of yielding

In subsequent painstaking autopsy of the collisions, Physicists hope to find the elusive Higgs Boson particle.

This is the last of the twelve types of fundamental particles that make up all matter in the cosmos under the Standard Model. However, this last link has – since postulation by British Physicist Peter Higgs in1946 – eluded capture.

The so-called “god particle” as it is often termed by controversy-courting atheists in the media – would complete the Standard Model of subatomic life, constituting twelve fundamental particles and six basic forces. The idea that the discovery of this particle would mean scientists would have an epiphany in their understanding of their

Analogous to if biblical scholars knew eleven of the disciples from the last supper but the twelth eluded identification, the discovery of this particle is the main motivation behind the enormous particle accelerator at CERN.

Sure, last year there was some controversy when the inaugural experiment was marred with technical difficulties, but we are dealing at the frontier of humanities understanding of the cosmos, so lets cut the guys some slack. Trial and error is what makes it science rather than technology right?

In a highly anticipated seminar this week, the two rival teams competing in the search for the Higgs Boson revealed they have strikingly similar results in a sense of a particle that is a very likely contender to be the “god particle”. As I am decidedly undecided on religious issues, an ambivalent agnostic I compromised by refusing to capitalise the deity in this moniker. I presume there are some Muslims in the teams any way, so reluctant to use it and do so only in order to connect with the ubiquitous recognition of this name.

The scientist in charge of the ATLAS project says there is no way he thought he would be so confident that we would discover the enigmatic particle if you had asked him a year ago.

So although reluctant to enumerate his poutry prior to hatching, there is an unmistakeable confidence and optimistic excitement in the air at the world's premier nuclear research facility right now.

Watch this space....

Either we could find the “last piece” of the Standard Model of subatomic physics, or we could end up with a sea-change, a contradiction of accepted theory and a paradigm shift – either way a landmark point in modern Physics, indeed in Science in general, is on the horizon and approaching with each passing hour, with each million collisions studied.
They are over a trillion proton collisions and counting now.... God things take time!

SYMBOLS IN STONE - sculptor John Edgar interviewed on his art and the future amalgamation of galleries and museums

Auckland sculptor John Edgar celebrates a deep connection to Neolithic art forms

with his minimalist stone pieces, their timeless qualities not preventing him from

exploring contemporary themes in his exhibitions.  Prehistoric influences are

celebrated in the continuity between these ancient forms and the modern themes he

explores.

Edgar’s work is unique, so he says that describing it to someone who has never seen

his work is difficult if not impossible, lacking reference points of other artists.

35 years’ experience in sculpting – mostly stone but also metal and glass – has

meant Edgar can appreciate the way different stones can be shaped, so rocks are

chosen carefully to create a desired piece.  He uses rocks of a similar hardness if

joins are needed that a perfectly flush, grinding them down level.

Edgars exhibitions include “Digit”(fossil code and cyphers),

“Calculus”(investigation of mathematics), “Making Amends” (examining individual

and collective responsibility), “Lie of the Land”(portraying the relationship between

people and the land), and “Flags and Phases”.  Edgar speaks of an interest in

geomorphology and geology, and a desire to manifest the landscape in his pieces as

well as explore abstract concepts like mathematical operations in the Calculus

exhibition, and the digital age of information in “Digit”.

http://www.johnedgar.co.nz/

Public pieces, for example the large pieces in the Auckland Domain, are valued by

Edgar as everyone can interact with them.  Privately sold pieces in contrast have the

disadvantage of being unsure where they end up and how they are looked after.  That

is an advantage of putting pieces in the public domain in museums or galleries, John

says.  He does both public and private commission work, and the next exhibition is

scheduled for 2012.

Also, he contends that the separation between museums and galleries is an arbitrary,

artificial, and unnecessary one; and NZ should follow international trends to

amalgamate the two institutions into “art museums”.  There is art of ages past in

museums, and the separating of the two cultural institutions is not useful in his

opinion.

Edgar dislikes the distinction between art and craft, citing the plurality of the

modern art work.  “Creativity is the most important thing in the world.”

 Edgar is a timeless craftsman working in an ancient medium to communicate and

explore contemporary themes and issues.  He prides himself on creating pieces that

are “parts of the world”- manifested in fragments of stone - to travel into the future

and confront future audiences, challenging them to create their own interpretations

 

of them.

Stone has a certain longevity as a medium, so Edgar’s works will be around for

millennia, just like the creations of prehistoric man are a legacy of their time, his of

ours.

GNS SCIENCE KEEPS CLOSER EYE ON “BLIND FAULTS”

GNS Science is involved in monitoring, modeling, and community resilience for earthquakes; and has intensified its monitoring of seismic activity in Canterbury since the September earthquake.  Neither the September quake nor the 6.3 magnitude earthquake on February 22 was on the main south island "alpine fault", occurring instead on previously unmapped subsidiary faults.

GNS Science increases understanding of earthquakes by identifying faults and measuring tectonic-induced movement in the earth's crust. It also describes earthquake locations and investigates the behaviour of New Zealand's many on-land faults. Permanent earthquake monitoring networks include both seismographs and strong-motion sensors.  Seismographs measure the magnitude, location and characteristics of earthquakes.  Strong-motion sensors monitor buildings, bridges and infrastructure to ascertain how structures perform in earthquakes.  A strong-motion sensor measures ground acceleration, and is not as sensitive to ground movements as are normal seismic instruments. However, they remain operating during the strongest seismic shaking.

In addition, GNS Science operates a national network of GPS stations that measure slow micro-movement in the landscape due to tectonic forces. These instruments help to pinpoint where strain is building up or being released in the Earth's crust.

Modeling work predicts the likely effects of large earthquakes on the community.  This underpins their work in community resilience, "developing design requirements and engineering solutions to protect buildings and infrastructure, and improve survival rates".

John Callan, spokesperson for GNS Science, says the Canterbury monitoring network consisted of about 30 strong-motion sensors and 12 seismographs prior to the September earthquake.  An additional 20 to 30 temporary seismometers were added after the first earthquake.  "And after the magnitude 6.3 quake of 22 February, we installed a dozen more instruments around Christchurch and the Port Hills," Callan stated. Denser instrument networks provide more precise information on the location, depth, and size of aftershocks.

GNS Science also provides the background seismology data that is incorporated in the New Zealand building code. At this stage, however, "it is too early to say" whether building codes will be reviewed and upgraded in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes.


Mapping of South Island faults hindered by complex systems and geological complexity:

The alluvial river sediment overlying the tectonic plates in much of the South Island - particularly in the Canterbury region – hinders seismic mapping of the unknown faults, observes Dr Barry Brennan of University of Auckland Geophysics department.  “There is a network of ‘blind faults’ hidden under the younger alluvial (river-carried) material”.  Brennan further states that earthquakes behave as complex systems, much like the global climate does.  ‘Complex’ systems exhibit “non-linearity” - large outputs for tiny inputs - the main consequence being hindering their predictability.  For example a tiny shift of a plate boundary could have largely amplified consequences in a far-flung location.  An implication of this, Brennan admits, is that there could be not just practical but also theoretical limits to the science of earthquake prediction.   He agrees that a denser monitoring network will aid in prediction, however.

Christcurch company Roam3 is developing an early-warning system using the faster, non-destructive, P-waves from quakes to trigger mobile phone warnings 3 seconds prior to imminent activity. (As reported in Herald, March 10) Civil Defence rescue teams are currently trialing a prototype of the system, which they claim could ultimately give people several minutes warning of a rupture.  Brennan agreed there was a benefit to be had from early monitoring systems.

The Arabs Awakening to Operation Odyssey Dawn- the devolution of the democratic dream

This is something I wrote during the Arab Spring. Still topical however, with the RE-revolution in progress in Cairo today...Better than “Infinite Justice”, the name Bush gave to the Afghanistan occupation, objected to by Muslims due to the idea that only Allah can give infinite justice.  Their mistake was taking Bush’s overblown rhetoric literally – if you take “Odyssey Dawn” as an emblem of the newly named- “Arab Awakening”, the dawn waking them to the democratic dream is a bloody sky filled with fighter jets and cruise missiles.
So here we go again.  Kuwait, Kabul, Baghdad. Now Libya suffers a US-led bombardment.  The UN resolution was passed last Thursday to allow “all necessary measures” employed to prevent the maddened dictator continuing his politically motivated genocide.  That’s why they’re there, honest.  It’s not about stabilising oil prices, it’s mere coincidence that the NY Times reported a DROP in oil prices directly after the resolution was passed. That the markets adjust so rapidly to the internationally sanctioned attempt to restore stability to the region shows how much the Libyan strike is motivated by economics rather than the abstract ideals of Freedom and Justice claimed by Obama.  He rallied under the peacenik banner, and vowed withdrawal from Afghanistan, now he extends the US further into the mire of the post-millennial Middle East.  It is highly doubtful that he wants to engage the US in a “long, bloody, and fruitless” conflict, as Gaddafi promises it to be.  Costs of eliminating the Libyan air force ran to US$800m, and the US is still having trouble withdrawing from the mess they made of Iraq’s post-Saddam power vacuum.
Believe the lies of the Pentagon PR machine and you will also believe what we were told about the fighter jet fiasco with the two US soldiers parachuting into Libya and rapidly rescued by heavy artillery over-kill. In true American style, two 225kg bombs dropped either side of the pick-up point to ensure a “safe” rescue were requested by the soldier, as he was paranoid about the approaching soldiers with weapons.  No mention of whether they were killed, or even whether they were loyalists or rebels. ”Friendly fire” takes lives in every conflict, and usually the combatant s are far more distinguishable.  In an internal conflict like this, how many rebels will be killed by coalition forces mistaking them for Gaddafi loyalists?   Obviously an American life is valued so much higher than Libyans of either side, so the bombs were dropped.  Poignantly, the soldiers were rebels and approached the soldier hugging him and thanking him for bombing the loyalists.  I wonder if they are so thankful for the coalition now their fields are flattened by trigger-happy “GI Joe” paranoia?  Welcome to democracy with cluster bombs from the sky, red white and blue.

Covert surveillance and overt patriotism...

So we have the government taking an eleventh hour attempt to reverse the somewhat inconvenient truth that the Supreme Court case had implications of questioning every case before the courts and deeming the illegal the usage of covert police cameras.

We had legal experts, ex PMs, and other commentators submitting to the select committee that it is a gross misuse of powers to be retrospectively changing a law to overturn the decision of the highest court in the land.

Sure, the 'retrospective' clause had to be taken out in the watered down version that Labour would swallow, but this does not stop it being an attempt by the police, via the government, to change the laws to hide the fact that they have been knowingly using illegal covert surveillance techniques for some time.

To try to rush it through under urgency during the RWC, when most people are entranced by the hype surrounding the cup (small c, as its not the vessel Christ fucking drank from its a sporting trophy!)
 is a media savvy and cynical of the government, and typical of the tactics employed by Key and his croonies.   Paying to be on Letterman, how embarrassing. If you have to pay someone to have sex its a pretty sad state on your attractiveness.... analogy should be clear.  Bringing the election forward a transparently brazen attempt to divert any deep and lengthy political debate.

  Rugby dominated the news hours on the crucial select committee period of 28 sept - 3 oct, as they knew it would.  The chipping away at civil liberties took a back seat to Dan Carters tragedy.

It would be nice if people realised the irony, hte tragedy of a country so ensconsed in its first orgy of patriotism, when silver fern and NZ flags hang from the window of every house in the country, that they failed to see a fundamental human right being attacked from the highest level possible.

Surely the Supreme Court, established in 2003 to replace the antiquated vestige from the monarchy-loving colonial days - the Privy council. Why indeed should the highest court in the land be sat in the mother country, half a world away.  A valid decision to establish the Supreme Court then.  But when, as in the Anzac flag burner Morse acquitted of her protest against Afghanistan (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10723958)
 the new legal entity at the apex of NZ's justice system comes down on the side of the subversive, the underdog, the "radical", indeed the so called "PC brigade" and 'non-patriotic' protestors... well that is when and exactly when the conservative old guard says "hang on lets reverse that decision".  And we protest, and Labour delays, but eventually signs.  Shame on you Labour for caving in.  They may not have got the extra three votes, stalemate would have been a better situation in respect of supposed inherent freedoms of democracy.

The protesters in Wall Street this week carried banners reading "This is what democracy looks like."
So what does NZ's democracy look like?   A flag spinning in the spring breeze proudly proclaiming the best rugby team in the world, and a government that will covertly attempt to subvert the proper channels of justice in order to justify the illegal activities of its police force.

Covert surveillance, overt patriotism, and a dearth of intelligent debate around a government unilaterally reversing a well-considered decision of the highest court in the land that evidence was gatherer illegally.

Is the threat NZ faces from "terror cells" greater than the threat from a corrupt and bullying government?

Well as long as we win the rugby no one will care all that much .... or will they? Are we a naive antipodean nation of rugger lovers, or a civilised and media savvy bunch that won't have the wool pulled over our eyes by a former currency trader's excuse for a government attempting to subvert justice to achieve their own ends? The flags are waving, on Brooklyn bridge protests and suburban NZ front lawns.   Different flags, different folks.

Dylan review, April 30 2011

Dylan's troubadour figure, replete in stetson hat, backed by tight band and emanating confidence, bursts onto the Vector stage and the urgent blues-rock personal revolution manifesto "Gonna change my way of thinking" surges forth in full glory.  It is from the "christian period", but its a universal call to stir up the stagnant waters of habit.  Topical too to North Africa, but you won't get any explicit political links from Dylan, thank god he is no Bono.  The politics are in the lines themselves.

That he started his China shows with this song too, shows their naivety in banning the overtly political "Blowing in the Wind" but letting this subversive gem through the great cultural fire-wall of China.  All political revolutions are bottom-up affairs, by definition - not top-down - so this paen to personal reinvention is as dangerous as they come.  Individual malcontent coalesces to create a collective rebellion, not vice versa.

The 60's folkedelia of Wheels on Fire follows in a reinterpreted rhythmic structure, less staccato than the original but more fluid for it.  The stoned majesty of Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues Rolls beautifully through, the couplets falling into place with Shakespearean grace.  Crisp yet warm guitar tones from the expert band give this the most fidelity to the original version, the descending chord patterns closing out each verse intact.   A set spanning his Bobness's entire career favours the last few albums and doesn't delve further back than the "going electric" masterpiece Bringing It All Back Home (1965).  

The narrative of loss Tangled Up in Blue is reworked well, and Blind Willie McTell is raw in the best sense of the world.  You can hear the bluesmen of old that inspired Dylan in his formative years shining through all that has happened since, smiling down from the heavens at the insanity of it all and the fucking genius of him making rock literate finally.  The lovestruck Cold Irons Bound rolls forth in bars of tangible pain.  Next the opus of Desolation Row, and Alan Ginsberg's favourite Dylan poem is ignited with full electric treatment.  Apocalypse now, vividly surreal vision of chaos and amoral vacuum of postmodern life are washed over us in quick succession.  One image is barely fading before the next rolls past, a montage of evocative power.  Highway 61 reveals some stunning guitar and organ interplay between Dylan and Charlie Sexton, the long-serving lead guitarist Dylan has used for live and studio work for the last couple of decades.

A couple of offerings from the latest offering, Modern Times, exude rustic country-blues musicality.  

These are followed with the intense paranoia of Ballad of a Thin Man, all menace and more guitar driven than the piano-driven original.  Dylan's reconstructions tonight are powerful because they retain the essence of the songs, and are not radical deviations from the phrasing as he was experimenting with - to varied effect - at times over the last couple of decades.   

A powerful encore medley kicked in with Like A Rolling Stone, the vile-filled hate-song that smashed the 3 minute pop song limit in '65, doubling it and raising the IQ of rock lyrics to the nth degree all in one snare shot sparked tirade.  "How does it feeeeel? To be all alone?"   Indeed. The sneer was tangible, visceral, and cathartic at once.  

All Along the Watchtower paints a medieval story of disillusion and entrapment in cycles of life, in timeless poetics and snarling blues electric guitar solos wrap around each line with menacing ambivalence.  The way Dylan emphasises the rhyme of HOWL with GROWL in the final couplet reinforces the connection of Dylan to his birthplace of his muse in the beat poets of the 50s.  Ginsberg, Kerouac, et al.

This is the same man that Ginsberg, poet laureate of the 60s counterculture movement, claimed was so in tune with his art that he had become one and the same as his breath.  His words were embodiments of pure intent, pure meaning, claimed Ginsberg.  Ginsberg's Howl was a masterpiece of revolutionary prose which is fundamentally linked to Zimmerman's aesthetics.  Surreal yet questioning, modern yet timeless.

Dylan's menacing, majestic, monumental prose echoed down 60's college hallways, civil rights marches in southern states, psychedelic be-ins, 70's decadence, and the last few decades of great changes in the world with the essence original voice intact. 

He is a man from Hibbing, about to turn 70, at the top of his game.  The "thin wild mercury sound" he claimed to be seeking and attained on Blonde On Blonde is there.  

I overheard the guy standing next to me in the front row saying to his partner as Dylan gave a short, humble yet proud bow to his followers - "a guy of few words".  The irony was not lost on me....A man of many words, powerful words, but no platitudes or cliches.  A bow said it all.