kampers.net

Why is it that being more connected makes us more distant?

Today was Thursday. I had my exotic computing class. Today was the first lecture on neural networks. We just finished five weeks on quantum mechanics and computation, which is really hard (mostly due to my tenuous grasp on differential equations). I’ve been sick for about two weeks, and I’m really behind on the homework. But that’s OK, because my professor is wonderful and he understands.

My professor raised some of the philosophical issues embedded in neuroscience today. I think about those things a lot. But this afternoon, when he was explaining some easy stuff to the rest of the class, I was staring at the pitted surface of the brick wall in GFS and thinking. People of all religious sentiments manage to feel comfortable about why we’re here. But nobody ever really asks the important questions, like, why is the universe even here? If there is a god, why did he create us? Why does he exist? It’s this: I am fundamentally uncomfortable with objects that have no containers. I understand the concept of infinity, because (Cantor and his beautiful diagonalization aside) there is nothing larger than it. But the universe is theoretically finite. It seems strange that a finite object is the largest thing there is.

I was scheduled to have a lesson today. I called in sick. I am pretty sick. The thought of trying to tune timpani by ear with all the pressure in my head was a little scary. Percussion in general is a little scary. I’m in the presence of masters, and I don’t think any of us knew what I was getting myself into. But, I have my keys to the studios, and that’s all I really wanted anyway. As far as I know, I’m the only minor left in the program. I would be the first (and possibly the last, at this rate) to graduate. To be honest, I enjoy the guitar much more these days.

KSCR has been kind of interesting lately, because things are finally starting to come together. Listenership is way up. We have a boatload of new equipment, most of which I installed. Last week I installed a compressor/limiter and a distribution amp. I worked on the database code a little — I’m entering a competition.

My exotic computing professor mentioned this, which seems pretty cool. Maybe I’ll spend the summer in Pasadena. Maybe I’ll take the train. #