Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Möbius Sphere, reissued
Reissued from 2004, my first publication of poetry, Möbius Sphere. This is a short book composed of 23 poems with my own illustrations. I have also included a concrete poem that was not included in the original edition. Currently available on Amazon: Möbius Sphere
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Mentalese and Music: A Harmonic Correspondence
The other day, I had a fascinating conversation with a wonderful family where one member was a musician, another an actor and a third a linguist/artist. The conversation touched upon an broad range of topics, as one may imagine, but I had an opportunity to explain one of my theories and I was pleased to find them thoroughly intrigued.
The theory I mentioned is presented in my novel Nunatak. I admit without hesitation that I simply use the story line as a thread upon which I string a number of beads of ideas. This is typical for all of my stories, particularly my novels. Among the numerous ideas I present through the character Tuesday Paz, this family found one particularly interesting.
For most of my life I have been intrigued by the means of communication, both in humanity and other organisms. Regarding humanity, I have enjoyed clarifying for people that our spoken and written language is the second most important means through which we exchange information. The first being the genetic code which is exchanged principally through sexuality, although technology is allowing us to exchange this information through other means.
In Nunatak, I present what I propose will be the successor for the second most important means of communication between human beings, and this successor will be music.
There is a mystery as to why instrumental music is one of our most powerful means of evoking emotions. Neurologist, psychologist and cognitive theorist have not been able to pin-point a reason for this. I have long proposed that the reason for this is because instrumental music has the closest resemblance to the processes of thought which occur in the neurological network of our brains.
The rhythms of music correspond with the oscillating activities of neurological processes. The harmonics of music correspond with the simultaneous and synchronous activities of numerous specialized regions of the brain.
In this, when we are "listening" to music, we are actually sharing the process of thought with the composer and musician through one of the most direct means. Most of our means of communication are actually symbolic referencing system. In fact, even the genetic code is a type of symbolic referencing system which we do not completely understand. The information represented in the code provides the instruction for the performing of various physiological processes. Music is in fact a means of directly sharing physiological processes between human beings, and other organisms, as they occur in the most complex systems of interaction between energy and matter in the known universe, that is our brains.
In time, we will be able to refine and develop our abilities to compose music which will allow us to increase the complexity of our interactions so that they more closely resemble the complexity of activity that is occurring in every individual mind. Then through this, there will be a continuity of the processes of thought from one individual to another, not only facilitating greater understanding, but also facilitating greater complexities which will allow us to increase our understandings of the boggling complexities of the universe in which we exist.
Of course formulating this type of music would not be easy. A comparison that I could draw upon is considering the complexities and dynamics of harmonic correspondence which Bach composed for his Fugues. Then multiply this by at least a billion, and then we will be beginning to reach the complexity which will allow us to achieve this in a sophisticated basis which will not only evoke primordial emotions, but also the subtle and intricate sensations of thought which allow some of the highest abstractions and arrangemetns such as those capable by people such as Einstein, Mozart, Euler, Marie Curie or countless others. In fact, every single one of us are capable of some of the most astonishing complex activities within our own minds that our simple day to day activities confound our greatest technologies.
Some of the implications of this are truly astounding too. By bypassing the symbolic systems of most of our languages and directly communicating through a continuity of the processes of thought, we would achieve a more universal comprehension of thought. That means, not only would we able to directly communicate with every person of every culture without need of a translator, we would be able to communicate with every living organism on the planet, and quite possibly other planets as well.
There are many other implications of this, which I have explained to some extent in the novel, and illustrated through various events of the story. There are countless others which I have not mentioned as of yet in either. But I thought some people may find it interesting to consider.
The theory I mentioned is presented in my novel Nunatak. I admit without hesitation that I simply use the story line as a thread upon which I string a number of beads of ideas. This is typical for all of my stories, particularly my novels. Among the numerous ideas I present through the character Tuesday Paz, this family found one particularly interesting.
For most of my life I have been intrigued by the means of communication, both in humanity and other organisms. Regarding humanity, I have enjoyed clarifying for people that our spoken and written language is the second most important means through which we exchange information. The first being the genetic code which is exchanged principally through sexuality, although technology is allowing us to exchange this information through other means.
In Nunatak, I present what I propose will be the successor for the second most important means of communication between human beings, and this successor will be music.
There is a mystery as to why instrumental music is one of our most powerful means of evoking emotions. Neurologist, psychologist and cognitive theorist have not been able to pin-point a reason for this. I have long proposed that the reason for this is because instrumental music has the closest resemblance to the processes of thought which occur in the neurological network of our brains.
The rhythms of music correspond with the oscillating activities of neurological processes. The harmonics of music correspond with the simultaneous and synchronous activities of numerous specialized regions of the brain.
In this, when we are "listening" to music, we are actually sharing the process of thought with the composer and musician through one of the most direct means. Most of our means of communication are actually symbolic referencing system. In fact, even the genetic code is a type of symbolic referencing system which we do not completely understand. The information represented in the code provides the instruction for the performing of various physiological processes. Music is in fact a means of directly sharing physiological processes between human beings, and other organisms, as they occur in the most complex systems of interaction between energy and matter in the known universe, that is our brains.
In time, we will be able to refine and develop our abilities to compose music which will allow us to increase the complexity of our interactions so that they more closely resemble the complexity of activity that is occurring in every individual mind. Then through this, there will be a continuity of the processes of thought from one individual to another, not only facilitating greater understanding, but also facilitating greater complexities which will allow us to increase our understandings of the boggling complexities of the universe in which we exist.
Of course formulating this type of music would not be easy. A comparison that I could draw upon is considering the complexities and dynamics of harmonic correspondence which Bach composed for his Fugues. Then multiply this by at least a billion, and then we will be beginning to reach the complexity which will allow us to achieve this in a sophisticated basis which will not only evoke primordial emotions, but also the subtle and intricate sensations of thought which allow some of the highest abstractions and arrangemetns such as those capable by people such as Einstein, Mozart, Euler, Marie Curie or countless others. In fact, every single one of us are capable of some of the most astonishing complex activities within our own minds that our simple day to day activities confound our greatest technologies.
Some of the implications of this are truly astounding too. By bypassing the symbolic systems of most of our languages and directly communicating through a continuity of the processes of thought, we would achieve a more universal comprehension of thought. That means, not only would we able to directly communicate with every person of every culture without need of a translator, we would be able to communicate with every living organism on the planet, and quite possibly other planets as well.
There are many other implications of this, which I have explained to some extent in the novel, and illustrated through various events of the story. There are countless others which I have not mentioned as of yet in either. But I thought some people may find it interesting to consider.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Envision This, Atom Slice Precise
New visual poem I made up yesterday.
This poem was inspired in part by my recent reading of Craig Dworkin's No Medium. The book is an extensive scholarly study on "nothing". Really a great book too. My only disappointment was there was no mention of Paul Taylor's famous Seven New Dances, where the dancers stood perfectly still through the entire performance.
Among a number of fascinating insights, the book offers a great approach for considering the expectations of the audience when approaching a work of art and how that encounter is most drastically confounded when the audience actually encounters nothing in the presentation. It is a dramatic leap beyond the "Open Expression" employed in countless imaginative ways by the New York School of Poets.
This poem was inspired in part by my recent reading of Craig Dworkin's No Medium. The book is an extensive scholarly study on "nothing". Really a great book too. My only disappointment was there was no mention of Paul Taylor's famous Seven New Dances, where the dancers stood perfectly still through the entire performance.
Among a number of fascinating insights, the book offers a great approach for considering the expectations of the audience when approaching a work of art and how that encounter is most drastically confounded when the audience actually encounters nothing in the presentation. It is a dramatic leap beyond the "Open Expression" employed in countless imaginative ways by the New York School of Poets.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Morning Sketch with [warning] a free association ramble
More than the patterns, the linking interstices,
the fibrous threads of connection, shimmering, transforming
to the atomic in the rhythms of Brownian movement,
there is the sensation where I can place my hands
on the stone and feel the resonance,
the distillation of the past performances,
the keen concentration of attention,
the enthusiasm of reception seething beneath the surface
and permeating through the structure
with the vast possibilities of expectations
humming through the spacious chambers
of the Lincoln Center.
Gearing myself up for my next work. I must admit that this was actually not sketched on the subway, but in the library this morning while I was waiting to use one of the computers and check my email.
Although I am not yet certain how I will structure the composition, I am becoming convinced it will be formulated upon the Lincoln Center and will most probably be an episodic, lyrical narrative. Ultimately though, we will have to wait and see. I have long since learned that the more I allow the production to deviate from my original intentions and notions, the more fully the work develops itself. As Tuesday Paz says in Nunatak, "Logic is an extremely important tool for effectiveness within society, but one must not limit oneself to it."
Many comments in even this little sketch will require extensive elaboration and clarification, especially the comment upon Brownian Motion, which will actually become an illustration of the quality of clarity and resolution in perception, in addition to the musical realities which permeates our entire being. From this, I tend to think of one of Rilke's images where he describes the activities of our lives maturing fruit in another dimension where this fruit is gathered by angels. I will have to search to find this illustration again though, perhaps it is in his New Poems.
For the time being, I am waiting for the rain to pass, so I can set up my little book stand outside and continue reading poetry to the passing crowds.
As odd as it may sound, this is actually a realistic depiction of the sensations I have often felt at the performance center. And this is when I am not attending a performance. When I am attending performances, it is different. As I described to a friend in a past email, when I attend a performance of the New York City Ballet, I feel like I am sitting directly at the face of the sun and the whole production fills me with light and heat so I feel I could burst into flames and rise like a Firebird. But then again perhaps I listen to a little too much Stravinsky and read too many Russian folk tales, not to mention suffering from some severe cases of "delusions of grandeur."
Anyway, enough of this rambling this morning. I typically keep such free association compositions, or perhaps more accurately described as bricolages, in my private journals, but due to my current transitional period, I have to expose myself, because I can't stop writing. It has become as important of a part of my existence as breathing, sleeping and dreaming.
the fibrous threads of connection, shimmering, transforming
to the atomic in the rhythms of Brownian movement,
there is the sensation where I can place my hands
on the stone and feel the resonance,
the distillation of the past performances,
the keen concentration of attention,
the enthusiasm of reception seething beneath the surface
and permeating through the structure
with the vast possibilities of expectations
humming through the spacious chambers
of the Lincoln Center.
Gearing myself up for my next work. I must admit that this was actually not sketched on the subway, but in the library this morning while I was waiting to use one of the computers and check my email.
Although I am not yet certain how I will structure the composition, I am becoming convinced it will be formulated upon the Lincoln Center and will most probably be an episodic, lyrical narrative. Ultimately though, we will have to wait and see. I have long since learned that the more I allow the production to deviate from my original intentions and notions, the more fully the work develops itself. As Tuesday Paz says in Nunatak, "Logic is an extremely important tool for effectiveness within society, but one must not limit oneself to it."
Many comments in even this little sketch will require extensive elaboration and clarification, especially the comment upon Brownian Motion, which will actually become an illustration of the quality of clarity and resolution in perception, in addition to the musical realities which permeates our entire being. From this, I tend to think of one of Rilke's images where he describes the activities of our lives maturing fruit in another dimension where this fruit is gathered by angels. I will have to search to find this illustration again though, perhaps it is in his New Poems.
For the time being, I am waiting for the rain to pass, so I can set up my little book stand outside and continue reading poetry to the passing crowds.
As odd as it may sound, this is actually a realistic depiction of the sensations I have often felt at the performance center. And this is when I am not attending a performance. When I am attending performances, it is different. As I described to a friend in a past email, when I attend a performance of the New York City Ballet, I feel like I am sitting directly at the face of the sun and the whole production fills me with light and heat so I feel I could burst into flames and rise like a Firebird. But then again perhaps I listen to a little too much Stravinsky and read too many Russian folk tales, not to mention suffering from some severe cases of "delusions of grandeur."
Anyway, enough of this rambling this morning. I typically keep such free association compositions, or perhaps more accurately described as bricolages, in my private journals, but due to my current transitional period, I have to expose myself, because I can't stop writing. It has become as important of a part of my existence as breathing, sleeping and dreaming.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Reading at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park
Clip of a video of me reading from Martha at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. Great event. I want to extend my thanks to the legendary Angela P for hosting the event and inviting me as a featured poet and also thanks to Steven Speliotis for providing the video footage.
I am reading from the beginning of Martha's professional career as a dancer.
I am reading from the beginning of Martha's professional career as a dancer.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Who's ready to reinvent the wheel?
For the past 17 years, my preferred mode of transportation is walking, although I definitely consider myself more Peripatetic than pedestrian. Still, I remain a proponent for bicycles. As I have said before, bicycles have to be one of the greatest inventions of human civilization. What is more ingenious than inventing a means which allow people to run while sitting down? Not to mention that bicycles may be the most efficient means of transportation on the ground.
Still, there remain some complications with bike commuting and traffic laws. Perhaps one can blame this on the fact that traffic laws were devised with little more than automobiles in mind. Still,one of the most dangerous instances is watching bicyclist racing through red lights and completely disregarding stop signs.
I am reasonably sympathetic with this. After all, it must be extremely annoying to have expended the energy to achieve a breezy cruising speed, only to have that energy lost through abrasion, heat and that odd moan that the brake pads make on the bicycle's wheel rims. Then after coming to a complete stop, the light turns green again, and the bicyclist has to laboriously crank the pedals to regain that cruising speed.
Perhaps I can offer a solution - someone needs to reinvent the wheel.
Instead of simply dissipating that energy through the brakes, why not devise a wheel that slows the bicycle by capturing the energy. Then when the bicycle has slowed, or comes to a complete rest, that energy can be slowly released again to regain that cool cruising speed?
Admittedly, I am not the most mechanically inclined person. But I was considering some options. Of course many electric cars do this with electric motors. But this would probably be too heavy for a bicycle.
The most practical solution would be the use of some type of light weight elastic material. Through the braking, they would stretch and store the energy. Then when needed, the stretched elastic could unravel and the energy released would propel the bike to effortlessly regain that carefree cruising speed.
Of course even a contraption such as this would add weight to the bicycles, but I am not talking about using this on bicycles for the Tour de France. I am thinking of simple cruisers that people would use for commuting and recreation.
In time though, I am eagerly anticipating the inevitable day when an entire avenue in Manhattan is closed for only bicycle and pedestrian traffic. And I truly believe that day is quickly approaching.
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