tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99704272024-03-12T18:09:05.405-07:00Adventures of an inquiring mindΠεριπέτειες από την εδώ πλευρά του ατλαντικούAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comBlogger902125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-37089972006291912302018-09-09T02:29:00.000-07:002018-09-09T02:29:08.718-07:00Tesla Model 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to drive a Model 3. It was my first close-up experience with an all-electric car, and I would like to share my impressions. While I have been following Tesla from a high level update point of view, I have never looked into details.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that, albeit I consider myself technologically adept (borderline geek), I am not into cars. At all. So, I came into this as a normal person that wants to use a car. I can also evaluate it technologically.<br />
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1. Gadget. Having 20+ years of experience with computers came handy. When the iPhone did not pair with the car via bluetooth, a restart of the car's system fixed it. When the voice commands to start playing a song did nothing, an overnight software update fixed it. And there seem to be different charging port standards (the one at home; a community one; a Nissan Leaf one at the mall; Tesla superchargers) that do require certain familiarity with adaptors and handling different standards.<br />
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2. Interface. With the exception of blinker lights and wipers (managed by levers on either side of the steering wheel), and opening the doors, pretty much everything else is operated by the large touch screen at the center. Lights, windows, A/C, etc. This requires some getting used to, but it is fine at the end of the day.<br />
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3. Internet. Having always-on LTE connection is great for streaming music. I had not realized that Tesla is supplying their own music service. Not sure why they don't license something like Spotify for that. Control I guess, but then again it's just something adjustable via software if Spotify went wrong.<br />
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4. Charging. Experience is still so so, even in California. When going around to find a charging station, one was not working well, one was not working at all, one was incompatible, and one was occupied in a busy cinema. Considering that these were not supercharging stations and it would take hours to fully charge, you kinda have to install a charging solution at home to feel safe. I think the situation is manageable, it just requires some more planning to understand the options in your neighborhood and the travel route. It is definitely not mindless though. This is a point where I expect large improvements in the coming years as electric cars become more common. Car charging points should be everywhere, like phone charging points are in most crowded public spaces today.<br />
<br />
5. Driving. Not many comments here as I do not have perspective. The car is a joy to drive, and having instant torque while accelerating from 0-60mph in nearly 4 seconds is a great feeling. It does not feel like you are driving a cheap car, so absolutely no complaints here.<br />
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6. Self-driving. This model was light in self-driving features, so I did not have enough experience with it. The topic deserves its own post, but I am<br />
<br />
Overall, this feels like a car from the future arrived in our time. If you are into gadgets, this is as one of the top things you can buy to enjoy yourself in 2018. If in the next 10-20 years most cars followed this route, the world would be a better place. Tesla has done great design work, and I hope they can release a truly affordable sub-$30k car in the coming decade.<br />
<br />
Finally, charging from the electricity grid to day is not enough, and it is still mostly a fossil-fuel-burning process. The cars need to be charged by solar power, which is not common today. All these charging stations to be installed are no good if they don't eventually get their power from solar. So, we have still a long way for our planet to enjoy the true benefits of solar-power electric motion.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-69810150545668055272017-08-25T16:01:00.001-07:002017-08-25T16:01:49.004-07:00Totality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">If there is one thing I would like to say about experiencing
a totality, it is this: a total solar eclipse is one of the very few things in
life that no matter how overhyped they are, they provide an intense, emotionally
satisfying experience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that the reason for this is the following. The
most exciting experiences in life for me have been the ones that I find myself slightly
outside my comfort zone. For example: working on a new project at work; trying
to understand a concept about how the world works; tasting something unexpected
at a good restaurant; conversing with differently-minded people; visiting a new
culture; learning a new skill; and so on. I like being challenged. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sun is the ultimate comfort zone. There is nothing that
works more clockwork than the sun. Every day since we are born, we know the sun
will rise and set (even behind clouds), independently of where we are in time
and space (on earth). It’s a settled phenomenon that we never bother to
challenge: the sun is always there and usually looks the same. It’s the floor
we always stand on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A total solar eclipse makes that floor collapse for a few
brief minutes. It violently forces us outside this ultimate comfort zone –
making the sun disappear. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last October, my friend Andreas asked me if I was interested
in travelling to the US to watch the August 21, 2017 eclipse. Even though I initially
hesitated, I thought it was a good opportunity to reach the path of totality
with relative ease. I also decided to attempt to take photos of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the next 10 months I spent a couple of hours every week
preparing for the event. I booked flights and hotels; I read about other people’s
experiences; I studied books and weather maps; I looked at photos; I planned my
photographic setup; I bought gear; I tested over and over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On August 19, I flew do Denver, CO from London, with two
suitcases – one full of eclipse gear, and one half-full of clothes. The next
day we drove to Rock Springs, WY, about 6 hours north from Denver. At 2am on
the morning of the 21<sup>st</sup> , to avoid traffic, we began the final 3-hour
drive towards the path of totality. The moon’s shadow was only going to be 70
miles wide, and to maximize its duration (140 seconds for this case) we really had
to be within a thin 10-mile strip. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We started setting up the equipment at 6am, expecting the
eclipse to begin at 10:20 and totality to occur at 11:39.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These few hours between 6am and 11:39am were some of the
most stressful in my life. The issue: clouds. While you can watch the eclipse
on a cloudy day, to admire its full detail and beauty such as the sun’s corona,
you do need clear skies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While Wyoming had some of the best chances in the country for
clear skies during eclipse day, it had rained the night before, and the last-minute
weather predictions were not ideal for our chosen location. When the sun rose
at 6:30am the sky was hazy with about half of the sky covered in clouds. We
kept watching the cloud movements, hoping for a clear morning – but nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The stress levels went up as the day went on. As I was setting
up the gear I couldn’t stop thinking that all this 10-month preparation would
be in vain due to the clouds. By 10:30am, as the eclipse had started and I had
started taking the first few shots, a heavy layer of hazy fog was between us
and the sun. I could still see the sun’s disc, but without any detail.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By 11am the stress had become disappointment and acceptance.
While half of the sky was clear, many clouds covering the area were totality
would occur.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then, 10 minutes before totality, as if by magic, the
clouds went away. There was a large blue area in the sky, with the sun right in
the middle of it. The eclipsed sun became crystal clear, with a bright blue sky
background. As this eclipse was going to happen high in the sky (around 50 degrees
above the horizon), the sun and the moon were far away from the hazy regions of
the sky near the horizon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At that point, we realized that not only we would experience
a cloud-free eclipse: we would experience a spectacular eclipse.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Disappointment quickly became excitement. In the last few
minutes before totality, I did a final check on all 3 of my cameras (one
telephoto for the sun, one wide angle for timelapse, and one for video) and
started recording. Everything was computer controlled (thanks <a href="http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/Solar_Eclipse_Maestro_Photography_Software.html">Xavier</a>) so that I
would only have to worry about watching the totality during these 140 seconds.
I then grabbed my binoculars and waited.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 11:39:19, totality happened. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, this is the part of the story that words and pictures do
not do justice. The human eye is equivalent to a 160 MP camera that can observe
10 orders of magnitude difference in brightness. Even on a typical modern
computer monitor, you can – at best – watch a 20 MP photo of the eclipse with 256
brightness levels. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the first few seconds after totality, there was a lot of
screaming and shock from the crowds. Then there was silence, and I observed all
the unique totality features that I had read about. They were all there: The
black hole in the sky instead of the sun; the spectacular corona, sun’s
streamers, extending in space multiple times the sun’s diameter; the dark sky; Venus
and the star Regulus; the 360-degree sunset.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About 30 seconds in, I sat on the ground, always staring at
the sun, thinking that it was very like what I had imagined based on the photos
I had seen – albeit at higher clarity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the next 60 seconds, the visual experience became an
emotional one. My brain was trying to comprehend what my eyes were witnessing.
It was weird. Weird in a “I’ve never seen anything like that I my life” way.
Weird in a “How can the sun possibly look like that” way. Weird in a “I am
exposed to the solar system” way. It was intense – even if I didn’t realize it
at the time. I was way, way outside my comfort zone. It was like floating in
space, looking at the eye of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At about 90 seconds in, I was overtaken by the emotions and started
crying. I just sat there, on the ground, still, not even looking at the sun, as
totality ended and the sunlight returned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
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<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking back, I now realize why eclipse chasing is so popular.
You get to travel to new places, it requires months-long preparation, it brings
people together, it offers a lot of drama until the last minute, and it has a
beautiful climax. For me, I would place that emotional experience of that
eclipse second only to the birth of my daughters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There exists is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon_(Nashville)">full-scale replica of the Parthenon</a> in
Nashville, TN. However, the experience when you visit it is nothing like the experience
of visiting the original one that is built atop the Acropolis in Athens. It’s
not as emotional. This is partly due to knowing that the Nashville Parthenon is
a replica; but I think a stronger reason is because it’s built on a flat field.
It just sits there. There is no climbing the Acropolis; there is no effort
involved. In contrast, when you reach the Athens Parthenon you have this
feeling that you “earned” it: you did the effort of climbing the Acropolis, and
the Parthenon is your reward. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This combination of effort and reward is what makes total
solar eclipses such a satisfying experience. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-78108844848505032362014-06-07T14:03:00.001-07:002014-06-07T14:03:19.146-07:00Travelling on a Backpack<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last month I went on a 10-day trip to Asia (Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong). I wanted to test whether it was possible to have only a carry-on backpack with me instead of a suitcase, in order to minimize hassle and airport delays.<br />
<br />
I've been using for a few years now a <a href="http://www.samsonite.co.uk/wanderpacks-laptop-backpack-with-wheels-coffee-milk-grey/product-en.htm?or=7443422124">backpack that also has wheels</a>, so that I can either have it on my back or wheel it around. It has worked beautifully.<br />
<br />
For this trip, here are the items I carried inside that backpack:<br />
<br />
Electric Toothbrush (no need for toothpaste – abrasion is enough to clean the teeth)<br />
Electric Shaver (so that is passes through airport security)<br />
Bath sponge (can't shower without one)<br />
Plastic bag (for dirty laundry)<br />
Pen<br />
Sunglasses<br />
Printed book (you know, for reading)<br />
Mini-backpack (ultralight, holds the camera and basic gear throughout the day)<br />
<br />
iPhone 5 + USB charger + cable<br />
iPhone 4 + cable (backup phone as I regularly use sim cards from 3 countries)<br />
iPad + USB charger + cable<br />
MacBook Air 13” + charger<br />
2x Headphones (earpods for walking + sound isolating, to help with aircraft noise)<br />
Fitbit + charging cable<br />
iPhone 5 case battery + its USB charger + cable (holds an extra iPhone charge and gets me through the day)<br />
External USB battery + its charger + cable (holds 5 iPhone charges or 1 iPad charge, great for long flights, airports, and usage throughout the day)<br />
dSLR Camera (Canon 500D) + remote shooting cable<br />
3 camera batteries + charger<br />
2 lenses (10-22mm & 18-55mm) + polarizer<br />
<a href="http://joby.com/gorillapod">Gorillapod</a> (amazing mini tripod that grabs anywhere but can be folded for travel)<br />
4-socket power strip + adapter (so that I only need a single available wall socket and a single adapter to charge all my gear)<br />
<br />
5x boxers<br />
5x socks<br />
5x t-shirts<br />
1x short pants<br />
1x long pants<br />
<br />
Plus whatever I am wearing at the time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4TKtSSP8l0o/U5N9J4nhhaI/AAAAAAAAIqA/c-8e_ySpPwQ/s1600/IMG_0364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4TKtSSP8l0o/U5N9J4nhhaI/AAAAAAAAIqA/c-8e_ySpPwQ/s1600/IMG_0364.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
With this stuff inside the backpack, it weighs 12kg and I have about 4 liters of space left for some gifts to bring back home.<br />
<br />
Finally, I will rely on local amenities on my destination. For example, I will buy sunscreen from local shops, and use the hotel facilities to do laundry every 4 days, or iron the clothes.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-35546004206463425062014-05-17T04:15:00.000-07:002014-05-17T04:15:31.626-07:00The Case for Scientific Skepticism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The reason scientific skepticism developed is that the world is complicated. It’s subtle.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Everybody’s first idea isn’t necessary right. Also, people are capable of self-deception. Scientists make mistakes, theologians make mistakes, everybody makes mistakes. It’s part of being human.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So the way to avoid mistakes, or at least reduce the chance you’ll make one, is to be skeptical. You test the ideas. You check them out by rigorous standards of evidence. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I don't think there is such a thing as a received truth. But when you let the different opinions debate, when any skeptic can perform his or her own experiment to check some contention out, the truth tends to emerge. That’s the experience of the whole history of science. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It isn't a perfect approach, but it’s the only one that seems to work.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<i>Except from Carl Sagan's Contact</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-10507278652826687302014-02-23T04:13:00.007-08:002014-02-23T04:14:50.580-08:00A Brief History of Painting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US">In this post I
try to decipher the seemingly inexplicable art of painting, by identifying the
original ideas used by the artists. For the purposes of this discussion, <o:p></o:p></span>by “painting” in this text I refer to western painting between 1200 and 1900 AD.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As an
electrical engineer I know next to nothing about art history. I was
never educated in art beyond high school classes, my own reading on the
subject, and discussions with more knowledgeable friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For over 10
years I was visiting art museums, ever since I left Greece in 2003 for the US.
In my travels I got to visit many major museums in the US and Europe. While I
was admiring the aesthetics of what I was seeing, I never bothered to explain
it in a scientific manner, i.e. attempting to establish rules and patterns that
would explain the creative choices made by the artists. I had assumed it
couldn't be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A couple of
years ago I got to read Ernst Gombrich’s “The Story of Art”. It was a
revelation for me, because suddenly all the art I had been witnessing in the
past few years suddenly made sense. It turns out that aesthetics had not been
the main worry of the painters at the time. Rather, they were problems solvers
in a similar way that scientists today are problem solvers: They were faced
with immense challenges and the artists tried for centuries to tackle them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This post
attempts to explain why painting evolved the way it did. How did we start from
the religious paintings of the 12th and 13th century and how did we progress
through the Renaissance and into the Impressionists? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I spent the
last few months researching more books and finding the right paintings that
exhibit the reasonable progression I was looking for. I did not find it. I
believe this happened mostly for two reasons. First, as with any complex
subject, the evolution of painting is nonlinear. Second, I have yet to come
across an art history book that is written for an engineering audience (i.e. in
a clear, objective manner). This is why I never found that the museum labels
attempting to provide information next to paintings ever provided any useful
insight to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4fJeSRlReoY/Uwnd9iTqI0I/AAAAAAAAIb0/GpefPjymyzY/s1600/IMG_8766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4fJeSRlReoY/Uwnd9iTqI0I/AAAAAAAAIb0/GpefPjymyzY/s1600/IMG_8766.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Had I picked
paintings from all around the world, it wouldn’t have be much help since most
people (including myself) do not have access to multiple museums. However,
there are a handful of museums around the world with collections so vast that
they have almost every aspect of the history of painting I was looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The 19
paintings I have picked to go through the story of painting can all be found in
the National Gallery in London. Note that these are not necessarily the most
famous works of art of the museum, just the ones that are most relevant to our
story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So, let’s begin
our journey in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Forget every painting you’ve ever seen in
your life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tabula rasa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If you were an alien visiting earth around
1200 AD, this is typical of what you would see painted around Europe:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1. Virgin and Child enthroned by Margarito
d’Arezzo (1262), Rm51</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vwa0iPS1IeY/Uwnd6hhaFcI/AAAAAAAAIas/WwClUKSRPsc/s1600/14visfea6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vwa0iPS1IeY/Uwnd6hhaFcI/AAAAAAAAIas/WwClUKSRPsc/s1600/14visfea6.jpeg" height="436" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1044" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: Einstein:Users:themos:Desktop:Art post photos:14visfea6.jpeg"
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At the time the church was triumphant in
people’s lives. They rule the social gatherings; they are one of the main
activities in the everyday life. A church was usually the only stone building
in the town. And renaissance hasn’t kicked in yet, so science is still in the
dark ages. God is almighty and the Bible is a holy book by which everyone
abides. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The paintings at the time reflect this
reality. They are writing, in pictures. They are two-dimensional cartoon
caricatures, transferring almost word-for-word the stories in the Bible. People
are afraid to mess with God, and they try to convert to images as faithfully as
possible whatever they read. Everything is carefully placed, telling the same
biblical stories, and everything is 2D. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Things start changing for the first time
with the appearance of Giotto:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Pentecost by Giotto </span>di Bondone <span lang="EN-US">(1310), Rm51</span></h4>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctw3VzQSzHE/UwneBAJEkGI/AAAAAAAAIdE/A4Tkd73lhs0/s1600/pentecoste.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctw3VzQSzHE/UwneBAJEkGI/AAAAAAAAIdE/A4Tkd73lhs0/s1600/pentecoste.gif" height="640" width="612" /></a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Giotto was one of the first artists that
attempted to infuse some realism into his work. While that painting looks
mostly flat, notice the ceiling: Giotto is trying to include perspective in his
work, resembling how a real ceiling would look like. Giotto tries to represent
depth on a flat surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Artists are now striving to improve the
sense of depth on paintings. While this three-dimensionality is something we
are used to it today, back then it was not obvious at all how one could achieve
that effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
3. The Wilton Diptych
(1395), Rm53</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZS001xcvQ_Q/Uwnd7R_v3hI/AAAAAAAAIaw/_-DascjjQZc/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZS001xcvQ_Q/Uwnd7R_v3hI/AAAAAAAAIaw/_-DascjjQZc/s1600/4.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1042" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: Einstein:Users:themos:Desktop:Art post photos:4.jpg"
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Around the year 1400 artists started being
able to handle depth better. In order to achieve perspective, two main effects must
be present: First, objects should get smaller the farther they are away from
the observer. Second, for an object at a given distance, lengths along the line
of sight should be shorter than the lengths perpendicular to the line of sight.
This is called foreshortening, and it is displayed in the above painting
beautifully in the sitting angels next to the Madonna. It provides a 3D feeling
of the person, breaking away from the 2D images of the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This change did not happen by accident – it
was led by a big technological advance of the era: optics. People started to
master geometry, light rays and lenses. The first eyesight correction lenses
appear in Europe around that time, and this is also evident in paintings such
as the Wilton Diptych. We are getting closer to solving the problem of depth on
a flat surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At the same time, artists realize that in
order to break away from the tradition of the church, they need to find new
themes. The painters, armed with the tools of perspective geometry, start to
paint fragments of the real world. Painting is no longer just for bringing the
Bible into life, but displaying life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">4. The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Ucello
(1438), Rm54</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X19S4Z2nIyU/Uwnd6SBWn9I/AAAAAAAAIak/sA1IX8fmJAc/s1600/1280px-San_Romano_Battle_(Paolo_Uccello,_London)_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X19S4Z2nIyU/Uwnd6SBWn9I/AAAAAAAAIak/sA1IX8fmJAc/s1600/1280px-San_Romano_Battle_(Paolo_Uccello,_London)_01.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1041" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: Einstein:Users:themos:Desktop:Art post photos:4.jpeg"
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<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image009.jpg"
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Uccello was obsessed with perspective. In
the above work (which consists of two more parts), depicting a battle between
the </span>Florentine and Sienese forces
in 1432, <span lang="EN-US">he spent days to succeed in foreshortening the
man on the ground on the bottom left. He occupies as much vertical space as
horizontal, despite that he should appear twice as long from head to toes than
along his arms. Also notice the dropped pieces of weapons on the ground, all
pointing in the same vanishing point, as well as the smaller people and horses
in the background. This one of the first paintings that depict perspective so
strongly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now take a look at this next painting:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
5. The Arnolfini
Portrait by Jan Van Eyck (1434), Rm56</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4zzZze-ZYyI/Uwni9jRAmII/AAAAAAAAIds/ociW1ul_F70/s1600/Van_Eyck_-_Arnolfini_Portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4zzZze-ZYyI/Uwni9jRAmII/AAAAAAAAIds/ociW1ul_F70/s1600/Van_Eyck_-_Arnolfini_Portrait.jpg" height="640" width="466" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You should immediately observe a vast
difference in the style, and a much more realistic depiction of people and
environments compared to the previous paintings. This was caused by another
technological advance: oil painting. Up until that point in time artists
(mainly in the Italians) were using eggs as the main ingredient of their paint
(Egg Tempera). They would mix eggs with colored pigments to create the
different colors. The method, used by almost everybody up to that point, has
two major drawbacks. First, Egg Tempera dries fast and there is no time to waste
when painting. Second, it is thick and does not allow fine details on the
canvas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Van Eyck, coming from the Netherlands,
discovered a method for using oil to paint on wood. This has dramatic effects
in the types of paintings that are possible. In the Arnolfini Portrait, the
slow drying oil allows Van Eyck plenty of time to meticulously paint every
detail of the couple, capturing as much of reality as possible, In addition,
the thin structure of oil allows him to painting minute details, particularly the
hair of the dog in front of the couple. Van Eyck has also mastered the
technique of perspective, creating a very realistic painting, a “hole in the
wall”. (If you zoom into the mirror in
the wall behind the couple, you can even see Van Eyck’s reflection painting the
couple).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">By Van Eyck’s time, the mid-15<sup>th</sup>
century, the problem of depth was pretty much resolved. However, the challenge
of depicting realistic people on a canvas remains unsolved. Looking at the
Arnolfini Portrait, the people look detailed but not realistic. They are more
like wooden statues rather than breathing and living people. Furthermore, there
is the problem of harmony: how do you place people and objects in a canvas so
that the overall impressive is aesthetically pleasing and doesn’t look awkward?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The next painting illustrates the
challenging nature of these problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN">6. Martyrdom of
Saint Sebastian by Piero del Pollaiolo,(1475), Rm57</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EkX6Ns0gH84/UwnjmjWUnGI/AAAAAAAAId0/Syk1r17UMGc/s1600/748px-Antonio_Pollaiuolo_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EkX6Ns0gH84/UwnjmjWUnGI/AAAAAAAAId0/Syk1r17UMGc/s1600/748px-Antonio_Pollaiuolo_003.jpg" height="640" width="467" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This painting handles perspective well.
But, there are significant issues with the realism of the people and their
placement. The people (Pollaiolo probably used the same person painted in
different positions) still look like wooden statues. While their bodies are
more realistic than what we’ve seen until now, they feel fake. Also, Pollaiolo,
like most of his contemporaries, is struggling to place them in the frame in a
harmonious manner. He is trying to form a pyramid, and in order to provide some
complexity he flips the orientation of the two corner-most archers (one is
facing forward, the other backward). He does the same with the two archers in
the front and middle, who reload their bows. However the final result is less
than satisfying. Furthermore, the background feels disconnected with the
foreground action.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The problem of the realistic human body and
the problem of their harmonious placement were obsessing the artists of the
time. Year after year, the artists would sit down and discuss with each other
in their workshops, trying different things, struggling to find solutions to
these issues that prevented painting from reaching perfection. Yet these
problems would remain unsolvable for another 30 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In their attempts to reach perfection, the
Italians wanted to break away of the old traditions of the church themes. They
wanted to be more like the ancient Romans and Greeks, which achieved perfection
in sculpture almost 2,000 years before.
“We should be as good as the ancients”. And so the themes start shifting
away from the church try to gain inspiration from the ancients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is the renaissance, the rediscovery of
the ancient perfection. The first famous proponent of this shift is Botticelli.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">7. Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli
(1485), Rm58</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_8" o:spid="_x0000_i1038" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Description: Einstein:Users:themos:Desktop:Art post photos:7.jpeg"
style='width:415pt;height:166pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image015.jpg"
o:title="7.jpeg"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tjEjtIq-mBU/Uwnd8nyV6DI/AAAAAAAAIbI/W2LK_skPZ54/s1600/7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tjEjtIq-mBU/Uwnd8nyV6DI/AAAAAAAAIbI/W2LK_skPZ54/s1600/7.jpeg" height="256" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Botticelli was the first to solve the
harmony problem, by carefully placing the people in the canvas, His most famous
work that exhibits this effect is the Birth of Venus, but it is also evident in
the painting above. The position of Mars and Venus along the canvas feels
natural, filling the space without awkward spots. Their arms feel naturally placed. Botticelli
has also improved the anatomy of the bodies, bringing them closer to reality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And yet, even Botticelli cannot solve the
wooden statue problem. The people still don’t look real, even though Botticelli
tries to tackle the problem by the exquisite details in the drapery of Venus’
dress and the curly hair in both lovers. He sacrifices some accuracy in favor
of life-likeness, but despite his attention to detail, just like Van Eyck and </span><span lang="EN">Pollaiolo, he</span><span lang="EN-US">
doesn’t succeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The solution to the realism problem though
was just around the corner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The 16<sup>th</sup> century is considered
by many to be the greatest period in the history of art. Driven by scientific
advances (mastering geometry and the science of perspective, as well as the
anatomy of the human body), for the first time humans succeeded in portraying
other humans on a flat surface in a realistic manner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The man who solved the problem was Leonardo
da Vinci.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">8. Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci
(1508), Rm57</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_i1037" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:206pt;
height:324pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image017.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ueIqZZ0M5kU/Uwnj5a0HE9I/AAAAAAAAId8/SNUsqUQILIw/s1600/Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Virgin_of_the_Rocks_London_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ueIqZZ0M5kU/Uwnj5a0HE9I/AAAAAAAAId8/SNUsqUQILIw/s1600/Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Virgin_of_the_Rocks_London_01.png" height="640" width="406" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Leonardo barely completed 10 paintings in
his lifetime. He painted the Virgin of the Rocks twice though: one painting can
be found in the Louvre in Paris and the other in the National Gallery in
London.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Hundreds of people attempted to solve the
wooden statue problem for human figures. Van Eyck in his Arnolfini portrait
spent huge amount of time attempting to replicate every little detail of the
real world onto his canvas. Botticelli in his Venus and Mars work tried to make
more anatomically accurate bodies, and by adding wavy hair in his subjects and
draperies in their clothing. But none of these ideas worked. The more they
attempted to mimic reality, the more they failed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And here lies Leonardo’s genius: he
realized that in order for a human body to appear more realistic, you must
paint it <b>less</b> accurately. You have to leave something for the
imagination. If you add too many details, it feels more fake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The most critical elements in a human face
are the eyes and the mouth. Leonardo introduced his sfumato technique, whereby
he didn't draw these elements with clear lines, but with a foggy style,
introducing shadows around the edges. This is very apparent in the Mona Lisa,
but also in the Virgin of the Rocks:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSKjtalMiUg/Uwnf1-sMa6I/AAAAAAAAIdk/uojyAHC16FY/s1600/face.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSKjtalMiUg/Uwnf1-sMa6I/AAAAAAAAIdk/uojyAHC16FY/s1600/face.png" height="640" width="558" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike Botticelli and van Eyck, Leonardo
painted the eyes and mouth of the Madonna with foggy edges instead of clear
outlines. This lets our mind add a sense of realism and motion: it is just
enough detail our brains to make it real.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Virgin of the Rocks is a prime example
of solving all the major problems that plagued painters for centuries: it has a
harmonic placement of bodies; it adds a natural third dimension via mastering
the laws of perspective; and it includes realistic human bodies that look and
feel like real people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">(It is interesting that the ancient Greeks
utilized similar logic when building the Parthenon, the so-called optical
refinements. They realized that for a building to appear perfect, it has to be
slightly imperfect. That’s why the Parthenon has subtle curves, such as the
columns being thicker in their middle and the floor being concave in the center
of the building. As with Leonardo, to achieve perfection, one has to take into
consideration the physiological effects of human brain perception).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Once Leonardo’s method appeared, it gained
immediate acceptance and was copied successfully by numerous artists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">9. The Garvagh Madonna by Raphael (1510),
Rm8</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8T_-VuKwdY/Uwnd-2nw_II/AAAAAAAAIcA/Gt_cximAXwg/s1600/The_Aldobrandini_Madonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8T_-VuKwdY/Uwnd-2nw_II/AAAAAAAAIcA/Gt_cximAXwg/s1600/The_Aldobrandini_Madonna.jpg" height="640" width="554" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_12" o:spid="_x0000_i1035" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:125pt;
height:2in;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image021.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Raphael arrived in Florence when the titans
Leonardo and Michelangelo reigned supreme, and yet he developed his own style
and produced works on par with theirs. He perfected the placement of bodies,
the harmony in a painting, and he put together the most astonishing
compilations. His Madonna paintings defined her face for the ages to come (much
like Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam defined the face of God as an old bearded
man). He also dared to break away from the tradition of static, strict
religious paintings and arranged them in playful and more complicated ways,
something that was unimaginable until a few years before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">10. Ariadne and Bacchus by Titian (1520),
Rm12</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_B3gSy9_O8Y/Uwnd8RQINjI/AAAAAAAAIbE/mEZgUtx4XO8/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_B3gSy9_O8Y/Uwnd8RQINjI/AAAAAAAAIbE/mEZgUtx4XO8/s1600/11.jpg" height="578" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_13" o:spid="_x0000_i1034" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:159pt;
height:2in;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image023.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is another example of the perfected
painting techniques that appeared in the first half of the 16<sup>th</sup>
century. It depicts the scene when Ariadne, being abandoned by Theseus on the
island after helping him getting through the Minotaur’s maze (his ship is seen
in the left edge sailing away), wakes up to find Bacchus (the God Dionysus)
jumping off his chariot, having fallen in love with her. The painting is
divided in two parts, the top left triangle with the sky and the sea, and the
bottom right that shows Bacchus’ company. The painting is alive, natural,
harmonious, and pleasing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">11. Adoration of the Kings by Jan Gossaert
(1515), Rm14</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-38S0dfGpz70/UwnkNf3YzFI/AAAAAAAAIeE/nqgD3HyteiE/s1600/930px-Jan_Gossaert_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-38S0dfGpz70/UwnkNf3YzFI/AAAAAAAAIeE/nqgD3HyteiE/s1600/930px-Jan_Gossaert_001.jpg" height="640" width="580" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_14" o:spid="_x0000_i1033" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:254pt;
height:279pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image025.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is again a Northern painter, as
indicated by the cleaner lines compared to the Italian artists. However this
painting is a true “hole in the wall”, with incredible 3D perspective and
vibrant colors. Harmony is again achieved in the placement of the people,
angels and animals, creating a spectacular arrangement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">By the year 1520 people thought that
painting had peaked. It had solved all the major problems, mastering
perspective, harmony, and realism. People thought that art was finished. How
could one surpass the achievements of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and the
other masters?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now artists were faced with a new problem.
Is there anything that they could differently to create the next generation of
paintings?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Here are a few ideas that people attempted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">12. St. George and the Dragon by Tintoretto
(1555), Rm9</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YCnRpyp7XBw/UwnkdSe5jXI/AAAAAAAAIeM/0TpdPZwN3N8/s1600/449px-Jacopo_Tintoretto_010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YCnRpyp7XBw/UwnkdSe5jXI/AAAAAAAAIeM/0TpdPZwN3N8/s1600/449px-Jacopo_Tintoretto_010.jpg" height="640" width="374" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tintoretto took the much-painted story of
St. George killing the dragon, and twisted it by having the dragon fight in the
background and the fleeing princess dominant in the foreground, also adding a
spectacular apocalyptic sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">13. Virgin and Child with Saints by
Parmigianino (1540), Rm2</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4K_XRrtABRo/Uwnd-k3ccXI/AAAAAAAAIb8/9rlPsKFhXEI/s1600/Parmigianino-virgin-child-saints-l1113-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4K_XRrtABRo/Uwnd-k3ccXI/AAAAAAAAIb8/9rlPsKFhXEI/s1600/Parmigianino-virgin-child-saints-l1113-fm.jpg" height="640" width="500" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_16" o:spid="_x0000_i1031" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:135pt;
height:172pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image029.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Parmigianino decided to take further
liberty (almost heretical) with the concept of the Madonna and Jesus. He
painted a strange Madonna, with elongated neck and arms, while Christ and St.
John are playing and disrespectfully ignoring her. These decisions would have
been unthinkable in the pre-Leonardo era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">14. The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the
Younger (1533), Rm4</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UXC4tU55QoU/Uwnd9CkM4ZI/AAAAAAAAIbc/romaHegnqD8/s1600/Hans_Holbein_the_Younger_-_The_Ambassadors_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UXC4tU55QoU/Uwnd9CkM4ZI/AAAAAAAAIbc/romaHegnqD8/s1600/Hans_Holbein_the_Younger_-_The_Ambassadors_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" height="630" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_17" o:spid="_x0000_i1030" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:225pt;
height:225pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image031.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is one of my favorite paintings.
Holbein decided to create photorealistic portraits, and his original idea was
to infuse them with personality, providing information to the beholder. He also
chose non-religious themes and unconventional placement of his subjects. In the
Ambassadors he added numerous clues, including scientific instruments, a globe
of the earth and another globe of the skies, books and notes, and a cross to
signify the people’s mortal nature hidden in the top left corner. Most
impressive of all is the anamorphic skull in the bottom part that only looks
correct when the painting is viewed from a bottom right location.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">15. A Windmill by the River by Jan van
Goyen (1642), Rm16</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_18" o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:314pt;
height:252pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image033.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtZIzWOBNsk/UwneAG4T4uI/AAAAAAAAIcs/0UXcmyr27aw/s1600/goyen-windmill-river-NG2578-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtZIzWOBNsk/UwneAG4T4uI/AAAAAAAAIcs/0UXcmyr27aw/s1600/goyen-windmill-river-NG2578-fm.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Van Goyen tried something even more
radical: he completely removed human subjects from his paintings, depicting
landscapes and the complex Dutch skies. This is one of the first paintings that
does not include any people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">16. Self portrait at the age of 63 by
Rembrant (1640), Rm23</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Thn2L4QvZCk/UwneBF5Fx3I/AAAAAAAAIc4/tWiH6E-VfUo/s1600/rembrandt-self-portrait-age-63-NG221-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Thn2L4QvZCk/UwneBF5Fx3I/AAAAAAAAIc4/tWiH6E-VfUo/s1600/rembrandt-self-portrait-age-63-NG221-fm.jpg" height="640" width="518" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_19" o:spid="_x0000_i1028" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:212pt;
height:261pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image035.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Here we have Rembrandt, who, armed with
Leonardo’s fuzziness idea, took it to the next level by sacrificing even more
accuracy for life-likeness. His portraits are by no means photorealistic, and
yet they are warm and natural, creating the impression that we know these
people very well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">17. A Young Woman Seated by Johannes
Vermeer (1670), Rm26</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aheDvMOF_Pc/Uwnd91ZnR-I/AAAAAAAAIbs/I5rSNAqEw-s/s1600/Jan_VermeerXXA_Young_Woman_Seated_at_a_Virginal_1670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aheDvMOF_Pc/Uwnd91ZnR-I/AAAAAAAAIbs/I5rSNAqEw-s/s1600/Jan_VermeerXXA_Young_Woman_Seated_at_a_Virginal_1670.jpg" height="640" width="544" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_20" o:spid="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:180pt;
height:212pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image037.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Vermeer chose yet another path: instead of
painting religious topics or impressive scenes, he opted to paint everyday life
moments. In this work it’s just a young lady playing her piano. Almost all of
his paintings show the same two rooms and the same people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">18. The Experiment with the bird in the air
pump (1768), Rm34</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hfuZFk5VBT8/UwneCMVG7SI/AAAAAAAAIdM/Yq23SFIgXLk/s1600/wright-experiment-bird-air-pump-NG725-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hfuZFk5VBT8/UwneCMVG7SI/AAAAAAAAIdM/Yq23SFIgXLk/s1600/wright-experiment-bird-air-pump-NG725-fm.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_21" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:297pt;
height:222pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image039.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As I've mentioned <a href="http://themos.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/an-experiment-on-bird-in-air-pump.html">before,</a> this is my
favorite painting in the museum. Notice that the year is 1768, well into an era
that science and technology started entering normal people’s lives. </span>This is the middle of the 18th century. Newton,
the founder of modern science, had lived the century before. Galileo, too. This
is the era that marks the beginnings of science, which will lead to the
industrial revolution and then onto the modern world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The painting depicts a
scientific experiment. These air pump devices were common in the 18th century.
Scientists would use them to demonstrate that a candle's fire goes off after
the air is removed, or that it is impossible to hear a ringing bell in vacuum.
Joseph Wright chooses here a much more powerful experiment: a bird is placed in
the chamber, and as the air is removed the bird starts suffocating, flapping
around. The operator is looking at us, as if he needs our opinion: "Should
I go ahead and remove all the air and see the air dying, or should I put the
air back?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is an era where
the physicists are still called natural philosophers, because physics is just
starting to form as a science. It is the first time that science starts
affecting people's lives, pulling them out of the middle ages.<br />
<br />
How to communicate science though? Most people are still illiterate, and they
can barely read. Communication media are extremely limited. Thus, Joseph Wright
chooses to prepare a painting about science.<br />
<br />
This painting is one of the earliest depictions of modern science in art.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These last few
examples demonstrate that for the next 300 years after the “peak” of the early
1500s, artists were afraid to break from the tradition of the masters. This
period lasted way too long, and it posed a new problem: was there another new
way to paint, or should the artists be satisfied with minor tweaks upon the
perfection that was achieved earlier?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The movement that
finally broke the tradition was impressionism.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
19. Sunflowers by
Vincent van Gogh (1888), Rm45</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xiKM-1nF6DM/Uwnd_S321_I/AAAAAAAAIcU/TiPhUb9amXs/s1600/Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xiKM-1nF6DM/Uwnd_S321_I/AAAAAAAAIcU/TiPhUb9amXs/s1600/Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_127.jpg" height="640" width="506" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_9" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:171pt;
height:215pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/themos/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image041.jpg"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Impressionists painted not an actual,
realistic image of the real world, but rather its impression, i.e. how it feels
to the beholder. The shapes depicted resemble real world objects more loosely
than ever before. The artists paint the idea of an object, rather than the
object itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Today we are used to the existence of the
impressionist paintings. However back in the 19<sup>th</sup> century
impressionists were considered crazy and were disrespected because they dared
to break away from the traditional rules of painting set in the
renaissance. Van Gogh, famously enough,
never managed to sell a single painting in his lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Today, however, impressionism is regarded
as one of the finest moments in human art history, exactly because it is the
culmination of multiple unconventional ideas about painting. No one before the
impressionists dared to paint something that deviated from reality, as the
purpose of painting was to replicate the realism of the world around us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This, of course, begs the question: why did
impressionism arise all the sudden in the 19<sup>th</sup> century? Why that
particular period in time? What triggered its explosion?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The answer is, once again, a technological
one:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Photography.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Photography was invented and developed in
the first half of the 19<sup>th</sup> century. Suddenly, painting was in a huge
crisis: photographs captured the real world in perfect detail and with great
ease. There seemed no reason to paint anymore. If the purpose of painting was
to capture the real world, photography could do that much better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Only after photography replaced painting as
the recording medium of the visual world did the artists finally break free
from the traditional rules and purposes of painting. There was no pressure
anymore to try to paint a realistic vision of the world. And thus,
impressionism naturally sprung as a new direction of painting, driven by the
idea that an artist no longer had to be realistic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Our journey concludes with this fine
example on how technology affects art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Epilogue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Painting continued well into the 20<sup>th</sup>
century, entering the modern era. However I cannot make sense of modern art. It
is much more random, driven by impulses rather than from reason. I have not
found a coherent explanation yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The history of painting is a tremendously
complex endeavor. All I have done in this story is to illustrate a pattern that
permeates some major works of art. It is nowhere near being a complete
explanation of the history of all painting around the world, something that is
probably impossible. Painting (or any expression of human intellect, for that
matter) is as complex as the human nature itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> All images retrieved from Wikipedia,</span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-44019119428762949722014-01-20T15:14:00.000-08:002014-01-20T15:14:24.824-08:00BBC's Sherlock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
BBC's Sherlock, a modern re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes, is probably the best British series out right now. It just completed its third season, and there are only 3 movie-long episodes per season.<br />
<br />
The series in itself is excellently produced, and appeals to people that have never had any interaction with the original Sherlock Holmes canon from Conan Doyle's stories. However, there is a hidden layer underneath the series - a level of information visible to the original Sherlock readers.<br />
<br />
The genius of the series is that it echoes the original stories, without trying to copy them, but always being respectful of them. This is apparent in the first episode of the series, "A Study in Pink", which echoes the very first Sherlock story "A Study in Scarlet".<br />
<br />
In the original Conan Doyle story (set around 1880), Watson hands his watch over to Sherlock, who deduces the following information just by looking at the watch:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SHERLOCK: There are hardly any data. The watch has been recently cleaned, which robs me of my most suggestive facts. Subject to your correction, I should judge that the watch belonged to your elder brother, who inherited it from your father.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
JOHN: That you gather, no doubt, from the H. W. upon the back? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SHERLOCK: Quite so. The W. suggests your own name. The date of the watch is nearly fifty years back, and the initials are as old as the watch: so it was made for the last generation. Jewellery usually descends to the eldest son, and he is most likely to have the same name as the father. Your father has, if I remember right, been dead many years. It has, therefore, been in the hands of your eldest brother.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
JOHN: Right, so far. Anything else?</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SHERLOCK: He was a man of untidy habits,--very untidy and careless. He was left with good prospects, but he threw away his chances, lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity, and finally, taking to drink, he died. That is all I can gather.</blockquote>
<br />
Here is how Sherlock explains his deduction to the surprised Watson. This is some of Conan Doyle's finest work:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places, but it is cut and marked all over from the habit of keeping other hard objects, such as coins or keys, in the same pocket. Surely it is no great feat to assume that a man who treats a fifty-guinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is very customary for pawnbrokers in England, when they take a watch, to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case. It is more handy than a label, as there is no risk of the number being lost or transposed. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case. Inference,--that your brother was often at low water. Secondary inference,--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity, or he could not have redeemed the pledge. Finally, I ask you to look at the inner plate, which contains the key-hole. Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole,--marks where the key has slipped. What sober man’s key could have scored those grooves? But you will never see a drunkard’s watch without them. He winds it at night, and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand.</blockquote>
<br />
Now, in the modern Sherlock setting, Watson hands him over his cell phone instead of a watch. Here are Sherlock's deductions, echoing the original story:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I know you’ve got a brother who’s worried about you but you won’t go to him for help because you don’t approve of him – possibly because he’s an alcoholic; more likely because he recently walked out on his wife.</blockquote>
<br />
When the time comes to explain how he figured this out, Sherlock explains later in the episode:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SHERLOCK: Your phone. It’s expensive, e-mail enabled, MP3 player, but you’re looking for a flatshare – you wouldn’t waste money on this. It’s a gift, then. Scratches. Not one, many over time. It’s been in the same pocket as keys and coins. The man sitting next to me wouldn’t treat his one luxury item like this, so it’s had a previous owner. Next bit’s easy. You know it already. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
JOHN: The engraving. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Harry Watson<br />
From Clara<br />
xxx </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SHERLOCK: Harry Watson: clearly a family member who’s given you his old phone. Not your father, this is a young man’s gadget. Could be a cousin, but you’re a war hero who can’t find a place to live. Unlikely you’ve got an extended family, certainly not one you’re close to, so brother it is. Now, Clara. Who’s Clara? Three kisses says it’s a romantic attachment. The expense of the phone says wife, not girlfriend. She must have given it to him recently – this model’s only six months old. Marriage in trouble then – six months on he’s just given it away. If she’d left him, he would have kept it. People do – sentiment. But no, he wanted rid of it. He left her. He gave the phone to you: that says he wants you to stay in touch. You’re looking for cheap accommodation, but you’re not going to your brother for help: that says you’ve got problems with him. Maybe you liked his wife; maybe you don’t like his drinking. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
JOHN: How can you possibly know about the drinking? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SHERLOCK: Power connection: tiny little scuff marks around the edge of it. Every night he goes to plug it in to charge but his hands are shaking. You never see those marks on a sober man’s phone; never see a drunk’s without them.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
The watch/phone analogy here is one of the most glaring examples. However, every episode is filled with dozens of little details that have been pulled from the canon.The genius of the series is that they choose the more interesting and relevant stuff from the original stories and adapt them to the modern world. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-66359120898027224332013-12-31T09:05:00.001-08:002013-12-31T09:06:09.389-08:00We all change<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We all change.<br />
When you think about it, we are all different people, all through our lives.<br />
And that's OK, that's good, so long as you remember all the people you used to be.</blockquote>
<br />
These are the final words of the latest Doctor in Doctor Who, the TV show about the humanoid alien that every so often regenerates instead of dying, changing body, face, and character, but retaining the memories of all his previous incarnations.<br />
<br />
The words fit perfectly in the context of the story of the show, spoken right before the Doctor's latest regeneration.<br />
<br />
But they resonated deep within me, because I can view the various phases of my life in a similar fashion.<br />
<br />
We often talk with the Wife about our experience in the US, where we lived in California for 5 years. We have the photos, the videos, the memories. And yet it often feels like these were the lives of different people. We know it was us - but it was a different us.<br />
<br />
Just like the Doctor, we seem to have been different people back then. Different habits, different jobs, different friends. Most notably, different characters.<br />
<br />
When I move cities, countries, jobs, I change. I am becoming a slightly different person, but keeping all the memories of the past experiences. I was too young to realize that earlier. But now, almost 10 years since I left Greece for the first time, I have a much better perspective.<br />
<br />
And that's OK. Change is good. I don't mind being a different person every so often. But now, more than ever, I realize the importance of remembering all the people I used to be.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-60380630296521250352013-11-07T14:30:00.002-08:002013-11-07T14:37:08.010-08:00Η Ελληνική κουλτούρα της Τιμής<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Στο πιο σημαντικό βιβλίο που ίσως έχω διαβάσει, το <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGuns%2C_Germs%2C_and_Steel&ei=DBR8UpOACI2ThQfWv4HQDA&usg=AFQjCNH6A3W5A8TiIludzMIszzM3Pv0BWQ&sig2=k7S-_p_ZWwePHTP4nI0AaQ&bvm=bv.56146854,d.Yms">Guns Germs and Steel</a>, ο Jared Diamond αναφέρει πως η εξέλιξη μιας χώρας είναι άρρηκτα συνδεδεμένη με το γεωγραφικό της περιβάλλον, ώστε η τωρινή της κατάσταση να μπορεί να ερμηνευθεί με βάση τη γεωγραφία της.<br />
<br />
Την Ελλάδα συγκεκριμένα δεν την αναφέρει. Εδώ και αρκετά χρόνια έψαχνα αυτό το συνδετικό κρίκο μεταξύ της γεωγραφίας της Ελλάδας και της σημερινής της θέσης και κουλτούρας.<br />
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Έτυχε να διαβάσω αυτό το απόσμασμα από το νέο βιβλίο του Αρίστου Δοξιάδη, <a href="http://www.athensvoice.gr/the-paper/article/457/%CE%BC%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%AE-%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CF%84%CE%AC%CE%BE%CE%B7">Μισή Μεσαία Τάξη</a>, όπου αναφέρει για τα στελέχη επιχειρήσεων σε αντίθεση με τους ελεύθερους επαγγελματίες:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Σημαντικό, όμως, είναι αυτό που λείπει από την ελληνική διαδικασία σχηματισμού της μεσαίας τάξης. Λείπουν οι εταιρείες, που απασχολούν στελέχη σε ιεραρχίες που όλο και βαθαίνουν, απαιτούν νέες δεξιότητες, γίνονται πιο παραγωγικές και δίνουν καλύτερες αμοιβές. Σε όλο τον αναπτυγμένο καπιταλισμό αυτά τα στελέχη ήταν η κατεξοχήν μεσαία τάξη, και όχι μόνον αριθμητικά. Ο τρόπος εργασίας και σταδιοδρομίας τους αποτελούσε το πρότυπο της τάξης. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Αντίθετα, στην Ελλάδα το πρότυπο της τάξης ήταν ο δικηγόρος: ανεξάρτητος, σ’ ένα δικό του μικρό γραφείο, κυνηγά μόνος τον πελάτη, τη βγάζει το πρωί στα καφενεία των δικαστηρίων. Δεν δίνει λογαριασμό σε κανέναν, εκτός από το λογαριασμό του στην τράπεζα, που κυμαίνεται χρόνο με το χρόνο ανάλογα με τις δουλειές."</blockquote>
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Γιατί όμως στην Ελλάδα επικράτησε η δεύτερη μερίδα της μεσαίας τάξης (του αυτόνομου), και όχι της εταρείας (της συνεργασίας)?<br />
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Η απάντηση σε αυτό το ερώτημα, αλλά ταυτόχρονα και η εξήγηση πολλών ιδιοτροπιών της ελληνικής κουλτούρας, δίνεται από τον Malcolm Gladwell στο <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CEYQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FOutliers_(book)&ei=XRN8UqfGBcWh7AbS0YBY&usg=AFQjCNFsdm-qVE7WeLpzUZxxccCV0dB3EQ&sig2=GJGSLAP1GQBkDbIh665qEg&bvm=bv.56146854,d.Yms">Outliers</a>. Το ονομάζει "Κουλτούρα της Τιμής" (Culture of honor):<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Cultures of honor tend to take root in highlands and other marginally fertile areas. If you live on some rocky mountainside, the explanation goes, you can't farm. You probably raise goats or sheep, and the kind of culture that grows up around being a herdsman is very different from the culture that grows up around growing crops. The survival of a farmer depends on the cooperation of others in the community. But a herdsman is off by himself. Farmers also don't have to worry that their livelihood will be stolen in the night, because crops can’t easily be stolen unless, of course, a thief wants to go to the trouble of harvesting an entire field on his own. But a herdsman does have to worry. He’s under constant threat of ruin through the loss of his animals. So he has to be aggressive: he has to make it clear, through his words and deeds, that he is not weak. He has to be willing to fight in response to even the slightest challenge to his reputation—and that’s what a “culture of honor” means. “It’s a world where a man’s reputation is at the center of his livelihood and self-worth.”</blockquote>
Δεν ξέρω αν υπήρχαν ιδανικότερες συνθήκες για να αναπτυχθεί μια τέτοια κουλτούρα κάπου αλλού εκτός από την τουρκοκρατημένη Ελλάδα των περασμένων αιώνων.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-76334484846959926252013-08-22T10:01:00.000-07:002013-08-22T17:31:44.478-07:00Organizing and preserving 10 years of digital photography<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the next month, it will be 10 year since I got my first digital camera, an Olympus C750UZ. Since then I went through a Canon S2 in 2007 and a dSLR Canon 500D/T1i in 2009. In 2008 I also introduced iPhone to my digital photography: first the 3G, then the 4, and now the 5.<br />
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I have always been organizing my photos using a nested file system, with folders inside folders. As long as it is done meticulously, such an hierarchical system is the best way for me to keep track of the photos (or any other type of digital media). Solutions like <a href="https://www.everpix.com/landing.html">Everpix</a> or simply a timelined photostream (like Dropbox) do not work for me, neither do keywords or tags. I need to be seeing a physical hierarchy.<br />
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My Photos folder has 170,000 files in it, and includes photos from the digital cameras and the iPhones. My root folders are organized by the period of my life: 2003-2008 US, 2008-2010 UK, 2010-2011 Greece, 2011-now UK. Inside each period I have event subfolders: Party at Mike's house, Walk in the Houses of Parliament, Parents visit, etc. All folders start with an ISO format date, e.g. 20130816 - Wife's Birthday, so that the alphabetical order automatically results in chronological order.<br />
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In addition, since I travel a lot, I have a separate root folder called Trips. In there I organize all the trips by location: USA, Europe, Exotic, etc., and then the (dated) event subfolders might be New York City, Florida, Chicago, etc.<br />
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Each event subfolder has a "Best of" folder in it. After each event, I go through all the photos and pick the best ones, typically 10% of the total number of photos. If it's a major event like my wedding or the trip to Maui, where I have 5000+ original photos per event, I might create another folder "best of best of" with the absolutely 1% best pictures.<br />
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Because of the 10 year anniversary, I decided to print 10 photo albums, one for each year, with my favorite pictures. I figured that if I don't do that now, I won't be doing it again due to the sheer amount of data collected. So, in the past couple of weeks I went through my whole photo library, all 170,000 photos, one by one, to pick the best ones. I picked about 2,000 of them. And after seeing my library with such a perspective, I reached some interesting conclusions.<br />
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<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The hierarchical folder system I curated in the past 10 years has served me extremely well: If I want to find a specific photo from a certain time, city or event, I can browse to it in a reasonable amount of time. I will stick to that system.<br /></li>
<li>Almost none of the hand-picked photos are iPhone photos. Maybe 30 or 40, max, from 1,500 iPhone photos I captured per year in the last 6 years. Smartphone photos look great on the small smartphone screens, but as soon as you blow them up (I have a 27" monitor) the magic goes away. In the short term, they are good reminders of how I spent my time, but in the long term they are irrelevant, with a few notable exceptions.<br /></li>
<li>I realized I want to print two types of photos: i) The "Artistic" ones, where I put the effort into taking a quality, artsy photograph. These are typically photos of landmarks, landscapes, objects, and more rarely people (which I may not even know well). ii) The "Candid" ones, which are not necessarily of great quality, but include memorable moments and people. These trigger feelings of past moment to me.<br /></li>
<li>My plan to geotag and facetag all of my library failed. However, it *is* possible to manually tag the selected 2,000 photos. It still took me some time, but it was manageable.<br /></li>
<li>I <b>had </b>to import my "best of" photos to Aperture for editing. The main reason is that some photos fall under more than one category (e.g. both candids and artistic), and also in original folder. It is hard to keep track and edit 3 or more files in the same way. I export everything out when I am finished though. I also LOVE seeing my photos on a map.</li>
</ul>
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Then there is the issue of future-proofing my photos. They've been around for 10 years already. How can I make sure they'll be around for another 50 years?</div>
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There is a new Greek startup called <a href="http://www.longaccess.com/">longaccess</a> that aims at preserving our digital lives. One of the founders has a <a href="http://blog.vrypan.net/2013/05/20/leaving-iphoto-for-dropbox/">nice post</a> on how he migrated his photo library from iPhoto to Dropbox. I am not sure exactly how they plan to handle the photo archive issue, but here is what I will be doing.</div>
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First, I need a feature-rich application to edit and organize my photos and also to have features like geotagging and editing the same photo existing in multiple locations. That being said, I will simultaneously keep <b>storing jpgs on the filesystem level while having an encrypted backup online.</b> </div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I do not expect the jpg compatibility to be dropped from computers anytime soon (and by soon I mean decades). It is simple enough to be implemented everywhere, and its already been around for more than 20 years. (The same holds true for MP3).<br /></li>
<li>Backing up is absolutely essential. The more time goes by, the more precious the photos become. They are irreplaceable if they get lost. I currently backup all my personal files to a NAS in the house <b>and </b>to an online backup service (in this case, <a href="http://themos.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/backup-ftp-server.html">my own FTP server</a> at the office).</li>
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What I am missing right now is an automated way to link the two processes: having my photos in the feature-rich software, and then automatically exporting them at a filesystem level which can be backed up and accessed by the iPhotos and Lightrooms of year 2040.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-42820179009643346712013-08-12T19:45:00.001-07:002013-08-16T09:21:47.038-07:00Kids, revisited<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is a not-so-visited spot along the river Thames that has majestic views of the Houses of Parliament. You get there by crossing the Westminster bridge right in front of Big Ben, and then, instead of turning left towards the London Eye where most tourists go, just make a right. There are about 100 times less people on that side.<br />
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We first visited London with the Wife in the summer of 2004 (little did we know at the time that we would return as residents to London 4 years later). We discovered that spot and took some really nice photographs with the Big Ben in the background, such as the one below.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X2HwG7H-Hh0/UgmP8Xzya9I/AAAAAAAAIHg/8e1yBC2n-kE/s1600/P1010331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X2HwG7H-Hh0/UgmP8Xzya9I/AAAAAAAAIHg/8e1yBC2n-kE/s320/P1010331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1231518783"></span><span id="goog_1231518784"></span><br />
I will return to that in a bit.<br />
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I got my first digital camera in 2003. When I got my first dSLR camera in 2009, I wanted to go back and revisit all my favorite places so that I had them in high-quality pictures.<br />
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When I got a subwoofer for the first time in 2011, I went back and re-listened to all my favorite songs. The added richness of the sound made me to want and re-experience the feeling of listening to a song right.<br />
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The same thing happened when I started to have access to HD content, sometime in 2007. As soon as some of my favorite movies were re-released in HD, I watched them again to experience them more fully.<br />
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When our twin girls were born last month, something happened that I never expected. That same urge of re-visiting experiences came back, only this time for life moments. I want to go back to my favorite places and re-live the experiences, but this time I want to do this with my kids. They enhance my experiences. It is a very strange, more real form of excitement.<br />
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And so, on the first "major" trip with the kids outside our home, we decided to revisit that spot on the Thames where we took one of our first photos in the city that our kids would be born. This time we had a much better camera and few more years and pounds on our backs.<br />
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9 years had passed.<br />
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It felt AWESOME.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5UTnP8kj7c/UgmczbmVxkI/AAAAAAAAIHw/gvRpcMJ95DM/s1600/IMG_1547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5UTnP8kj7c/UgmczbmVxkI/AAAAAAAAIHw/gvRpcMJ95DM/s320/IMG_1547.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-89497046672000380402013-08-04T18:14:00.002-07:002013-08-12T19:46:06.374-07:00A Live Birth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Three weeks ago we had our twin girls born.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eT7l6b6KwSI/Uf78T_rOaBI/AAAAAAAAIGc/6gIcGdwkwY8/s1600/IMG_1308+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eT7l6b6KwSI/Uf78T_rOaBI/AAAAAAAAIGc/6gIcGdwkwY8/s320/IMG_1308+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was inside the delivery room for the whole process of natural delivery, which lasted about 20 hours. The final 3 hours that included all the pushing and the delivery of the babies were one of the top 3 life experiences I have ever had (probably the top, but let's wait a few more years to settle on that).</div>
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I definitely recommend witnessing a live birth (even more so if it's your own kids). The process is animalistic, brutal and just exhilarating. Words cannot really describe the feeling of watching a human being coming out from the inside of another human being. </div>
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We live in a mostly artificial world with artificial experiences. Most things that surround us are man made objects of our civilization. Some activities remain natural, such as eating, going to the toilet and having sex. Giving birth is taking such as non-artificial activity as far as it gets, a stunning reminder of our roots and our non-civilized past.</div>
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It's not easy to explain the awesome feeling we have when we take care of the babies at home every day. Up until a few weeks ago, for as long as I can remember I would come home from work and watch TV, make dinner, or browse online. </div>
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Suddenly, I come home and I help my kids grow up. Feeding them, changing, them, interacting with them. Even though these day to day actions are quite mundane, the purpose of the whole thing is way more rewarding. It feels much more important to help a human being grow rather than myself just consuming stuff. Suddenly, our evenings became purposeful.</div>
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Maybe you have been unlucky enough to stay out of work or school for prolonged periods of time. You wake up and have nothing to do, so you start walking around, going online, trying to get hold of other people. It's an almost excruciating process, having to stay at home every day. And suddenly, you find a job and then your morning acquire a purpose: you go to work, interact with other people, you have a common goal, you are contributing to society. You life suddenly acquires meaning.</div>
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Having kids is an evening version of that "I got a job and now I have a purpose in society" feeling. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-1344372009280055142013-07-04T08:14:00.001-07:002013-07-04T08:19:04.583-07:00Switching to OSX<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An interesting thing happened the other day.<br />
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I forgot my MacBook Air 13" inside the aircraft on my flight back from Greece. I was using only Windows 7 in that machine.<br />
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The laptop was thankfully retrieved a week later, but meanwhile I had to travel to Canada within 2 days. As a result, I had to take with me and 11" MacBook Air, which only had OSX installed. This was the first time I continuously used OSX for a prolonged period of time.<br />
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I realized I can actually use that operating system instead of Windows. Here are the reasons:<br />
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1. There is a certain mathematical elegance about it. A strict, ordered, geometric design, almost godlike. Windows on the other hand still feels like an assortment of code put together. Even OSX application developers seem to care more about the looks of their app, being more consistent with the overall OSX look (much like the design consistency between iOS apps).<br />
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2. It is stylistically way more beautiful than Windows 8 (although on par with Windows 7).<br />
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3. The multiple desktop experience in OSX is very efficient for me, combined with all the touch gestures to manipulate between applications.<br />
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4. Incredible restore capabilities. By pressing command+R during boot, I can connect to a wifi and completely restore my machine from the cloud. No need for discs or usb drives. When I got my 13" Air back, I re-installed OSX and then transferred over my programs and settings from the 11" Air OSX account. I smoothly continued work where I left off.<br />
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5. <span style="color: red;">Innovation.</span><br />
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The last point is the most critical one. My workflow under Windows hasn't changed since I started using Windows Vista in 2007. A left side taskbar with program shortcuts, fast switching between apps, gadgets on the right side, done. I am extremely efficient with this setup and two screens. With the advent of Windows 7 and 8, that has largely stayed the same (I had to restore the taskbar in Win8 to regain the efficiency).<br />
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In that same period however, OSX has introduced several tweaks that are actually focused on improving my workflow: touch gestures, multiple desktops, full screen apps, notification center, Airdrop, etc. These are features that I actually use and improve my workflow.<br />
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Then I looked at the future. OSX Mavericks and Windows 8.1 were both announced in June. OSX will be adding many more useful features I will probably like to use, such as tabs in Finder & notification syncing. Windows 8.1 is adding several nice features in the tablet interface (which I still think it's the best tablet OS out there), but nothing really for the desktop user. It has stagnated, and I feel like Microsoft has given up trying to change anything in the workflow of the desktop user.<br />
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Combining all that with the superb support for high-res displays that OSX offers, and the poor outlook of Windows for such displays, I see that Apple is truly trying to innovate in the desktop space and make everyone life's easier.<br />
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I'll still be using Windows for a while. But my time devoted to that OS will be shifting.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-74181544604291417912013-06-02T16:12:00.005-07:002014-02-23T04:14:36.937-08:00An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G58F1JbLwnY/UavLoGtFBrI/AAAAAAAAIB0/3SwSQiOWquU/s1600/An_Experiment_on_a_Bird_in_an_Air_Pump_by_Joseph_Wright_of_Derby,_1768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G58F1JbLwnY/UavLoGtFBrI/AAAAAAAAIB0/3SwSQiOWquU/s400/An_Experiment_on_a_Bird_in_an_Air_Pump_by_Joseph_Wright_of_Derby,_1768.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></div>
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The are two reasons why I love the above painting by Joseph Wright of Derby from 1768.<br />
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First, the painting depicts a scientific experiment. These air pump devices were common in the 18th century. Scientists would use them to demonstrate that a candle's fire goes off after the air is removed, or that it is impossible to hear a ringing bell in vacuum. Joseph Wright chooses here a much more powerful experiment: a bird is placed in the chamber, and as the air is removed the bird starts suffocating, flapping around. The operator is looking at us, as if he needs our opinion: "Should I go ahead and remove all the air and see the air dying, or should I put the air back?"<br />
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The attendees' expressions are very interesting. The two girls can barely keep their eyes on the suffering bird, while the rest watch very carefully. With the exception of the two lovers on the left who completely ignore the situation.<br />
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Second, it is very interesting to know <b>why </b>the painting depicts the scientific experiment.<br />
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This is the middle of the 18th century. Newton, the founder of modern science, had lived the century before. Galileo, too. This is the era that marks the beginnings of science, which will lead to the industrial revolution and then onto the modern world.<br />
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This is the first time in history that people start becoming aware of science. It is an era where the physicists are still called natural philosophers, because physics is just starting to form as a science. It is the first time that science starts affecting people's lives, pulling them out of the middle ages.<br />
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How to communicate science though? Most people are still illiterate, they can barely read. Communication media are extremely limited. Thus, Joseph Wright chooses to prepare a painting about science.<br />
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This painting is one of the earliest depictions of modern science in art.<br />
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This painting is an effective method to communicate a scientific idea to society.<br />
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For all intents and purposes, this painting is the 18th century version of a PowerPoint presentation.<br />
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<i>You can admire the painting in London's National Gallery.</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-84022424097539498772013-05-21T06:53:00.001-07:002013-05-21T06:53:36.769-07:00Game of Thrones and the United States of America<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started watching Game of Thrones recently. While it is a medieval fantasy world, I cannot avoid thinking that many practices depicted in the series have strong elements of truth from the actual medieval times on this planet.<br />
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Most interesting to me is the vast separation of the social classes. Kings are kings, queens are queens, royalty is royalty, and the everyday people (villagers) remain everyday people. There are strict barriers between them and rarely if ever does someone cross to another social group.</div>
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I cannot possibly imagine how people of the middle ages must have felt, knowing that never in their entire lifetime would they be able to advance socially. The royal families, which dominated virtually all of the European countries, maintained their status using the very convenient rule that their status is derived by a blood relationship, and not by merit.</div>
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Travelling today in the palaces of France, England, Austria, etc., I try to get a sense of how the villagers of the time would look upon them, knowing that they can never get inside. Neither them nor their children, or their children's children. There must have been people that loved their kings, but there must have been people that hated them.</div>
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And then the discovery of the Americas happened, and its conquest makes way more sense to me under this prism now. Because the poor villager without any hope of improving his life now is presented with an opportunity to go to a new land where there are no kings, queens, or royalty. He finally has a chance to be judged on merit. And so the first people that migrated to America must have been the people that mostly hated the status of the European royalty.</div>
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This is all more evident in the constitution of the United States, which starts with the words "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States". Not to a king, but to a Congress. In fact, the term "President of the United States" was chosen as the simplest, most humble title they could find, as far away as possible from royal terms. The president is someone that simply presides a board, without implying any direct executive powers. (The fact that it became a very powerful title is a result of later developments.)</div>
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I have much higher appreciation for the founding fathers of the US now. They looked at Europe and designed a ruling system as different as possible. No kings, no royalty, with distributed power among different bodies, elected from the people. </div>
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It's quite amazing if you think about it. We tend to forget its importance because today we never really feel totally unable to progress in life. We are not meritocratic enough yet, but there is a general sense that if you struggle in life you will be rewarded. Which is why our world is so much better than the middle ages.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-27770811487409639382013-04-18T07:47:00.000-07:002013-04-18T07:49:13.283-07:00Science is not a democracy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In <a href="http://themos.blogspot.ca/2013/04/apology-to-theists.html">my last post</a> I argued that believing in an anthropomorphic God is not a choice, where the two options are of equal value. This is because there is no reliable evidence yet on the presence of an earthly supernatural being.<br />
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Robin Ince recently <a href="http://robinince.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/the-fascism-of-knowing-stuff/">wrote along similar lines</a>:<br />
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There is a gaggle that seems to consider that expertise is an unfair advantage, that all opinions are equal; an idea that people who are experts in climate change, drugs or engineering are given unfair preference just because they spend much of their life studying these things. I do not think it is fascism that heart surgeons seem to have the monopoly of placing hands in a chest cavity and fiddling with an aorta.<br />
We should not trust people just because they are experts, but if we are not prepared to put the time and effort in to understand something, [...] then we are placed in a position where we must defer and try and make the best decision we can as to who we should defer to.</blockquote>
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Science is not a democracy; it's an evidence-based meritocracy. It's closer to fascism than a democracy, with the major difference that the expert/fascist earns his status through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method">scientific method</a>, and not because of circumstances or strength (physical, political, or otherwise).<br />
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In science we do not vote or make decisions based on popular choice. There is no choice. At some points in time most people believed that the earth was in the center of the solar system, that matter cannot <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tunnelling">cross walls</a>, that the universe was eternal and static. But it didn't matter. What matters is what's right and what's wrong.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-5337212065937333922013-04-11T20:02:00.000-07:002013-04-11T20:02:45.123-07:00Apology to theists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am an atheist.<br />
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I used to think that believing in God or not was a choice. I admired people that didn't, and didn't care about people that did.</div>
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Not anymore. I have come to think that believing in God should have a definite answer, in the same way that whether the earth is flat has a definite answer. Sure, you can choose to believe that the earth is flat, but that's wrong. It's not a choice.</div>
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No one is born an atheist. We have no reason not to believe in God, and atheism is a state that needs effort to be reached.</div>
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I, and millions other people, have reached that state through education, scientific reasoning, logical deductions, and by just plainly looking at the data. It boils down to a lack of evidence for the existence of a God.</div>
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(God, in this piece, is the supernatural anthropomorphic know-it-all old man sitting in the sky and watching us all. There are other forms of God which can be fine.)</div>
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Now here's the thing: In today's world, I don't think this is a choice anymore. Any person who is educated, can reason scientifically and deduct logically, should reach that same conclusion. There is no excuse anymore in our hyper-connected western world with ultra-fast communication systems and access to all of human knowledge. </div>
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So when I see someone that believes in God, I see a person that hasn't gone through the the process of education, scientific reasoning and logical deducting. I have a problem with them. I can never admire such a person fully, because it signifies lack of coherent thinking. My perfect person has to be an atheist.</div>
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I don't have a problem with religion per se. Many aspects of religious teachings are great. But when the supernatural part comes in, and I am asked to believe something without any proof, then I cannot stand it. It's not a matter of choice, it's just wrong. I think of such people in the same way I think of people who believe in astrology, homeopathy, or faster-than-light-travel: they are unaware of the truth and thus choose to believe in something false.</div>
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It's exactly the feeling I have towards kids that believe in Santa.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-65661543490057340322013-02-25T08:46:00.001-08:002013-02-25T08:47:37.508-08:00Ted at the Oscars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
fxguide.com on <a href="http://fxguide.com/quicktakes/ted-at-the-oscars/">how a digital Ted presented the sound Oscars last night:</a><br />
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With five nominees in each category, 10 different outcomes were rendered (Tippett relied on Dell Precision workstations) in a four week schedule. The correct ones were played on the night. Interestingly, in the Sound Editing category Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty tied, which presumably meant that the segment ended earlier than intended and cut back to a live Wahlberg – without anyone at home knowing.</blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-41463407407632149102013-02-24T07:46:00.000-08:002013-02-24T07:46:00.048-08:00It was the church, stupid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I always wondered why modern astronomy didn't flourish in the sunny, warm climates of the Mediterranean during the renaissance and beyond.<div>
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The birth of modern astronomy was dominated by Northern Europeans: Copernicus was Polish, Brahe was Danish, Kepler, Herschel and Bessel were Germans. (Galileo in Italy is the only major exception). In addition, the prime meridian was established in Greenwich, England from all places. All these countries are notorious for the bad weather and the cloudy skies. How come it was them and not their sunnier southern counterparts?</div>
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One might argue it was because they were more advanced societies. That might explain the lack of innovation coming from Greece or Turkey, but not from Italy which was leading the renaissance at the time.</div>
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Another argument might be that only superpowers with trading activity over sea had motivation to push astronomy forward in order to ensure their dominance in the sea through accurate journeys. That might explain the case for England, but doesn't explain the German dominance, or why Portugal and Spain never developed great astronomers.</div>
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And then it dawned on me:<i> it was the church!</i></div>
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The dominance of the catholic church in Rome, and the overwhelming spread of Christianity over the Mediterranean prevented people from innovating in the matters of the skies, as that was supposed to be an untouchable subject determined by God. Innovation did happen in \Italy and Spain but it focused in other, more earthly subject like engineering and mathematics. But for explaining the skies, introducing the heliocentric system, observing the motions of the stars, the church dogma didn't leave much room for thought. Just look at what happened to Galileo, the only one who dared to go against the church.</div>
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And that's how the playing field became empty for the Northern Europeans.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-44867619115125186232013-02-16T15:18:00.002-08:002013-02-16T15:18:59.497-08:00Testing Operating Systems<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been a Windows user for quite some time now (since 1995, to be exact). The only other major OS I used was iOS when I got an iPhone in 2008. But lately, I am using on daily basis a Samsung Galaxy S with Android 4.2 on it, as well as OSX Mountain Lion in my new Macbook Air.<br />
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Windows 7.<br />
Still remains my favorite OS. I have adjusted my workflow over the years to be extremely efficient in this OS, by moving the taskbar to the left (for today's widescreen monitors) and adding various gadgets on the right.<br />
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Windows 8.<br />
I installed Windows 8 in my laptop and desktop since last October (still keep Windows 7 at work). I appreciate what Microsoft is trying to do by unifying the tablet/mobile and desktop OSes, but it is not usable. I like the improved task manager and copy dialogs, but I never use the new start screen. Instead, I only use the desktop, where I have added extra software to bring back the start menu and the gadgets, i.e. make it look more like Windows 7. I also hate the flat graphics, without the shades and gradients (Aero scheme). It looks uglier compared to Windows 7.<br />
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OSX.<br />
Beautiful OS, but I hate the font rendering they do. In no way does it look better than the Windows rendering in non-retina screens, especially in browser text. It appears blurry to my eyes, and there seems no way to fix it. I want to have OSX as my main OS, mainly because it is the only one that can correctly handle retina screens without having the fonts look ugly or of wrong size. I like the integration with the iOS in iPhone, and how the iCloud settings are transfered, including mail accounts. There are some software that I use that don't run in it, but I don't mind going back to Windows from time to time.<br />
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iOS.<br />
This is by far the best OS I have used. It's friendly, rarely crashes, looks gorgeous on my iPhone 5, and you just wanna lick it. I think that iPhone 5 with iOS6 is one of the most astonishing engineering achievements of our era.<br />
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Android.<br />
I read multiple posts lately about people switching to Android from iOS, saying that it is now a good enough mobile OS. That is definitely not my experience. It is not as consistent, the navigation is all over the place, and it looks much uglier compared to iOS. Aesthetics are a big deal for me, and I cannot use an OS that focuses only on functionality.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-18547843510683429082012-11-24T20:57:00.000-08:002012-11-24T20:57:07.729-08:00Austin, Texas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last week I had the opportunity to visit one of the weirdest city in the US, Austin in Texas. It's a 1.5M city in the heart of Texas, yet extremely different than the culture that surrounds it. Unlike the rest of Texas, Austin is walkable, liberal, features one of the best universities in the world (University of Texas at Austin) and is filled with hip, young people that strive to be different.</div>
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I find most midsize and small US cities quite boring. They are usually filled with chain stores, generic malls and you barely see any people in walking around, especially at night. Yet Austin is different. It is packed with unusual shops, boutiques, galleries and original restaurants.</div>
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It is also called the live music capital of the world. Indeed, I was surprised to walk around in several neighbourhoods of the city and hear various bands playing live music. On one stroll, I must have seen at live music in at least 10 different places. What an amazing feeling.</div>
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Strangely enough, Austin has become one of the best cities in the US to have a tech company. It has a very young and well educated population, and it shows everywhere you look: in the shops, in the restaurants, in the nightlife.</div>
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Just 45' off Austin you can also find Lockhurt, the BBQ capital of the US. They do BBQ in a very different way that what you might be used to:</div>
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T<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">he meat is grilled inside these huge chambers on the left, which are heated by fire logs placed underneath. The meat is removed from the "oven" and then it is chopped up into pieces and placed on paper. You wrap it up in the paper and eat it in the room next door, without any sauce or cutlery for that matter. This way of cooking and eating is closer to the original concept of BBQ, or <i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">barbacoa</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, where the meat is cooked in a pit dug in the ground.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">I spent a week at Austin, and while it isn't a particularly interesting tourist place to visit, it feels like a great place to live. I have traveled quite a bit around the US, and I can safely say that it is one of the top 5 cities to live.</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-7076703065655263702012-10-21T08:38:00.003-07:002012-10-21T08:38:42.706-07:00Ηλεκτρονική Ψήφος<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Κρίμα. Σήμερα έλαβα στο email μου ένα από τα πιο τρανταχτά παραδείγματα της Ελλάδας αυτής που δεν θέλει να αλλάξει με τίποτα. Ο αντιπρύτανης του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης έστειλε το παρακάτω κατεβατό προσπαθώντας να επιχειρήσει γιατί δεν πρέπει να χρησιμοποιηθεί η ηλεκτρονική ψήφος για την εκλογή των συμβουλίων των πανεπιστημίων, και ότι η ψήφος με φυσική παρουσία είναι η μόνη λύση. Είναι κείμενο για γέλια και για κλάματα ταυτόχρονα, με απίθανα επιχειρήματα.<br />
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Το αντιγράφω εδώ αυτούσιο με όλα τα μαργαριτάρια του.
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Ρέθυμνο 20-10-2012<br />
<i><br />Προς</i>: <b>Το Προεδρείο της Συνόδου των Πρυτάνεων</b><br />
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Αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι,<br />
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Δυστυχώς δεν θα παρευρεθώ στην σημερινή έκτακτη συνεδρίαση της Συνόδου με τα εξαιρετικά σοβαρά θέματα που έχει. Εκ μέρους του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης, θα παρευρεθεί ο Αντιπρύτανης κ. Τζιρίτας.<br />
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Θα ήθελα εντούτοις να καταθέσω μερικές σκέψεις σχετικά με την επικείμενη εφαρμογή της "ηλεκτρονικής ψηφοφορίας, που εισήχθη με τον ν.4076/12, άρθρο 2 παρ.3 και περιγράφεται στην<br />
ΥΑ Φ.122.1/764/112039/Β2/21-9-12 (ΦΕΚ 2564Β/21-9-12), άρθρα 4 έως 6, που εκδόθηκε κατ' εξουσιοδότηση της ανωτέρω διάταξης του ν.4076/12.<br />
Δεδομένου ότι σε 3 πανεπιστήμια από όσο γνωρίζω οι προβλεπόμενες εκλογές μέσω της συνήθους διαδικασίας της κάλπης, δεν έγιναν (το ένα είναι το Παν/μιο Κρήτης) και προγραμματίζονται οι εκλογές για άλλα 13 πανεπιστήμια μέχρι 25/10/12, ίσως να είναι επίκαιρο να τεθεί στα μέλη της Συνόδου ο προβληματισμός για τα ζητήματα που ανακύπτουν με την διαδικασία εκλογής βάσει <b>ηλεκτρονικής ψηφοφορίας</b>, αν και εσείς το κρίνετε σκόπιμο.<br />
Ως εκ τούτου, παραθέτω ακολούθως τον προβληματισμό μου για την διαδικασία αυτή.<br />
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Η διαδικασία της "<i>ηλεκτρονικής ψήφου</i>" που περιγράφεται στο κεφ. Β (άρθρα 4 έως 6) της ανωτέρω ΥΑ, κατά την γνώμη μου, παρουσιάζει ελλείψεις και κενά σε σχέση με θέματα:<br />
<b>(Ι)</b> Που αφορούν στην ίδια την <b>ουσία </b>της ψηφοφορίας σε μία εκλογική διαδικασία<br />
<b>(ΙΙ) </b> Τεχνικής φύσεως, για τα οποία, λόγω του εξειδικευμένου τεχνικού/επιστημονικού χαρακτήρα τους, απαιτούνται <b>εγγυήσεις</b> προς τα "<i>Οργανα διενέργειας των εκλογών</i>" (άρθρο 2 της ανωτέρω ΥΑ)<i> </i>από την νομοθετούσα αρχή ή/και την κυβέρνηση (βλ. Υπουργείο Παιδείας) για την εφαρμοσιμότητα και το αδιάβλητο της όλης διαδικασίας.<br />
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Θα πρέπει να σημειωθεί, ότι από όσο γνωρίζω (και αν κάνω λάθος, ας υποδειχθεί τούτο), η μόνη πληροφόρηση που έχουμε είναι οι προαναφερθείσες διατάξεις της νομοθεσίας και μία ιστοσελίδα του Υ.ΠΑΙ.Θ.Π.Α. (<a href="https://zeus.minedu.gov.gr/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://zeus.minedu.gov.gr</a>) που μάλιστα ενεργοποιήθηκε μόλις στις 17/10/12.<br />
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<u>Για το (Ι)</u>:<br />
<b>1.</b> Υπάρχει <b>πλήρης αδυναμία ελέγχου της ταυτοπροσωπίας</b> του ψηφοφόρου από την εφορευτική επιτροπή ή/και τους υποψηφίους ή τους νόμιμους αντιπροσώπους τους: Κάθε ψηφοφόρος μπορεί να εκχωρήσει το δικαίωμα του ως εκλέκτορας σε άλλο άτομο το οποίο δεν νομιμοποιείται να είναι εκλέκτορας (ή να πιεστεί να το κάνει). Τούτο δεν είναι δυνατόν σε ψηφοφορία με κοινή κάλπη, έστω και αν ο ψηφοφόρος το θέλει. Πρέπει ο <b>ίδιος </b>να παρουσιαστεί στο εκλογικό τμήμα (σημειωτέον, ότι η νομοθεσία δεν προβλέπει την δυνατότητα έγγραφης εξουσιοδότησης για εκχώρηση του δικαιώματος ψήφου σε άλλο άτομο).<br />
<b><br />2. </b>Στην συνήθη ψηφοφορία με κοινή κάλπη, οι υποψήφιοι ή και οι εξουσιοδοτημένοι εκπρόσωποι των υποψηφίων <b>μπορούν να παρακολουθούν</b> την ψηφοφορία καθ' όλη την διάρκεια της ώστε να εγγυηθούν το αδιάβλητο της διαδικασίας, ή και να υποβάλουν ενστάσεις μετά. Η ηλεκτρονική ψηφοφορία δεν δίνει καμία τέτοια δυνατότητα.<br />
<b><br />3. </b>Οι διαδικασίες ανάδειξης των διοικητικών οργάνων των ΑΕΙ είναι αρμοδιότητα <b>αποκλειστικά </b>των ίδιων των ΑΕΙ. Διαφορετικά, νομίζω ότι η έννοια της "<u>πλήρους αυτοδιοίκησης</u>" που προβλέπεται από το Σύνταγμα, πλήττεται άμεσα. Εν προκειμένω, μέσω της ηλεκτρονικής ψηφοφορίας εκχωρείται κατά μέγα μέρος, η αρμοδιότητα εκλογής των εσωτερικών μελών του συμβουλίου στο Υπουργείο Παιδείας, και μάλιστα εντελώς απρόσωπα! Αναφέρω ενδεικτικά από την προαναφερθείσα ΥΑ, άρθρο 5 παρ.2: "... <i>Το σύστημα "ΖΕΥΣ" εξάγει τα τελικά αποτελέσματα και προσδιορίζει τον/τους εκλεγέντα/ες</i>".<br />
Για το σύστημα "ΖΕΥΣ" (όπως και για κάθε άλλο) υποθέτω ότι υπάρχει κάποιος διαχειριστής (ή διαχειριστές), που έχει την εποπτεία και την ευθύνη όλου του συστήματος, και ο οποίος σε κάποιο (άγνωστο) βαθμό μετέχει της διαδικασίας (ενδεχομένως να έχει έλεγχο σε ουσιώδη βήματά της), χωρίς να αποτελεί μέλος κανενός ΑΕΙ και χωρίς φυσικά να έχει εξουσιοδοτηθεί από το<i>Όργανο διενέργειας των εκλογών</i> (που εν προκειμένω είναι το Πρυτανικό Συμβούλιο).<br />
Ως εκ τούτου, νομιμοποιείται το <i>Όργανο διενέργειας των εκλογών</i>,ή τα υπ' αυτού εξουσιοδοτημένα πρόσωπα για την υποβοήθηση της διαδικασίας (ΥΑ, άρθρο 2 παρ.2) να χρησιμοποιήσει για την εκλογική διαδικασία, τεχνικό ή άλλο μέσο, το οποίο εποπτεύεται και ελέγχεται από τρίτους και μάλιστα το ίδιο το εποπτεύον υπουργείο;<br />
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<u>Για το (ΙΙ)</u>:<br />
<b>1. </b>Κάθε ΑΕΙ, καλείται δια του <i>Οργάνου διενέργειας των εκλογών</i> να υλοποιήσει την διαδικασία εκλογής των εσωτερικών μελών του συμβουλίου μέσω ηλεκτρονικής ψηφοφορίας. Κατά συνέπεια, και δεδομένου ότι είναι μια καινοφανής (για τα ελληνικά δεδομένα τουλάχιστον) εκλογική διαδικασία που απαιτεί/προϋποθέτει ειδικές τεχνικές και επιστημονικές γνώσεις, θα πρέπει<b>επισήμως και ενυπόγραφα </b>να δίνονται <b>εγγυήσεις</b> για την εφαρμοσιμότητά της και τον αδιάβλητο χαρακτήρα της.<br />
Αντ' αυτού<br />
(α) Το μόνο τέτοιο σημείο που υπάρχει αυτή τη στιγμή, είναι η διατύπωση στην παρ.1 του άρθρου 4 της ανωτέρω ΥΑ: "... <i>Η εκλογική διαδικασία πραγματοποιείται μέσω ειδικού πληροφοριακού συστήματος (σύστημα "ΖΕΥΣ") του Υ.ΠΑΙ.Θ.Π.Α., η πρόσβαση στο οποίο πραγματοποιείται από την ηλεκτρονική διεύθυνση <u><a href="http://zeus.minedu.gov.gr/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">zeus.minedu.gov.gr</a></u> Το σύστημα "ΖΕΥΣ" υποστηρίζεται από το ...ΕΔΕΤ και βασίζεται σε <b>διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένα</b> τεχνολογικά πρότυπα για την διεξαγωγή ηλεκτρονικών ψηφοφοριών, <b>που διασφαλίζουν</b> το αδιάβλητο και απόρρητο της εκλογικής διαδικασίας</i>" (η έμφαση δική μου).<br />
Στο σημείο αυτό θα έπρεπε, είτε στην ΥΑ, είτε, έστω <b>ενυπόγραφη εγκύκλιο</b> από την <b>πολιτική ηγεσία</b> του Υ.ΠΑΙ.Θ.Π.Α. να αναφέρονται ρητά τα "<i>διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένα πρότυπα</i>".<br />
(β) Τα Πρυτανικά Συμβούλια το μόνο που γνωρίζουν είναι τα αναφερόμενα στην ανωτέρω ιστοσελίδα του Υ.ΠΑΙ.Θ.Π.Α., η οποία είναι <b>ανυπόγραφη</b> (φέρει απλώς τον λογότυπο του υπουργείου), χωρίς αναφορά υπεύθυνης υπηρεσίας και ονόματα υπευθύνων.<br />
<b><br />2. </b>Από την ανωτέρω ιστοσελίδα σταχυολογώ ερωτηματικά και ζητήματα -κατά την γνώμη μου ουσιώδη - που αν δεν απαντηθούν, η όλη διαδικασία πάσχει σοβαρά (σε παράρτημα του παρόντος εμφανίζονται πιο εξειδικευμένα σχόλια και αντιρρήσεις, από συναδέλφους ειδικότερους από μένα).<br />
(α) <u>Από τα "Γενικά"</u>: " <i>Η επικοινωνία των αρχών και των ψηφοφόρων με το πληροφοριακό σύστημα «Ζευς» γίνεται μέσω ενός απλού προγράμματος περιήγησης του Παγκόσμιου Ιστού (web browser), ενώ <b>προστατεύεται όπως ακριβώς και οι οικονομικές συναλλαγές</b> μέσω Διαδικτύου</i>.". <b>Ποιος</b> ως πρόσωπο, <b>εγγυάται</b> αυτό το επίπεδο ασφάλειας και <b>γιατί</b> αυτό είναι <b>επαρκές</b>και μάλιστα για μια διαδικασία <b>εντελώς άλλου χαρακτήρα</b>, όπως είναι η εκλογική διαδικασία;<br />
- Παρά ταύτα, " <i>Το απόρρητο της ψήφου είναι <b>ευθύνη της εφορευτικής επιτροπής</b>, και είναι <b>πρακτικά </b>εξασφαλισμένο καθώς αρκεί να υπάρχει ένα και μόνο τίμιο μέλος στην επιτροπή</i>." Η εφορευτική επιτροπή έχει μεν την ευθύνη, χωρίς να της έχει παράσχει κάποιος τις εγγυήσεις!<br />
- Παραμένει ασαφές το τί ακριβώς σημαίνει "<i>Το απόρρητο είναι</i>...<i>πρακτικά εξασφαλισμένο</i>". Στο κεφάλαιο <u>Απαντήσεις για τους ψηφοφόρους</u>, αναφέρεται ότι "... <i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">το απόρρητο είναι πρακτικά εξασφαλισμένο, αφού αρκεί να μείνει ασφαλής ένας και μόνο Κωδικός από όλους</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">". Και αν αυτό δεν συμβεί; Στην συνήθη ψηφοφορία μπορεί να παρίστανται ακόμα και όλοι οι υποψήφιοι ή και οι αντιπρόσωποί τους. Εν προκειμένω δεν υπάρχει καμία τέτοια δυνατότητα.</span><br />
(β) <i> </i><u>Από τα "Γενικά"</u>: "<i>Η ακεραιότητα της ψηφοφορίας είναι <b>μαθηματικά επαληθεύσιμη</b> από <b>τον καθένα</b> μέσω της χρήσης κρυπτογραφίας, και χωρίς καμία προσβολή του απόρρητου</i>": Ποιος είναι ο "<i>καθένας</i>" που έχει την τεχνογνωσία να επαληθεύσει την ακεραιότητα της ψηφοφορίας, μέσω κρυπτογραφίας;<br />
(δ) <u>Από την "Εφορευτική Επιτροπή"</u>: "<i>Τα μέλη της επιτροπής λαμβάνουν ειδικά κρυπτογραφικά κλειδιά, τους <b>Κωδικούς Ψηφοφορίας</b>. Οι κωδικοί αυτοί είναι όλοι απαραίτητοι για τη διεξαγωγή της ψηφοφορίας καθώς και για την αποκρυπτογράφηση των αποτελεσμάτων. <b>Εάν χαθεί έστω και ένας</b>, η ψηφοφορία <b>η ψηφοφορία δεν θα μπορέσει να ολοκληρωθεί</b>, καθώς θα είναι αδύνατη η αποκρυπτογράφηση των ψηφοδελτίων. Κάθε <b>μέλος</b> της εφορευτικής επιτροπής είναι <b>υπεύθυνο</b> για τη διαφύλαξη του δικού του Κωδικού, ενώ το σύστημα <b>«Ζευς»</b> έχει και αυτό ένα <b>Κωδικό</b> για κάθε ψηφοφορία, <b>σαν</b> να ήταν <b>μέλος</b> της επιτροπής.</i>"<br />
- Είναι προφανές ότι <b>οποιοδήποτε μέλος</b> της Εφορευτικής Επιτροπής μπορεί, για καθαρά προσωπικούς λόγους, να <b>ακυρώσει εντελώς </b>την ψηφοφορία!<br />
- Το σύστημα "ΖΕΥΣ" συμμετέχει ως μέλος της Εφορευτικής Επιτροπής. Δεν εγγυάται κανένας ότι ο διαχειριστής του συστήματος δεν γνωρίζει τον κωδικό αυτόν.<br />
(ε) <u>Από την "Μίξη των ψηφοδελτίων"</u>: " Ό<i>πως και με την επιτροπή, <b>αρκεί και μόνο ένας τίμιος</b> συμμέτοχος στη μίξη για να εξασφαλιστεί το απόρρητο</i>". Τί είδους <b>εχέγγυα</b> μπορεί να δοθούν υπεύθυνα και ενυπόγραφα γι' αυτό;<br />
(στ) Από τις <u>Απαντήσεις για τους ψηφοφόρους</u>: "<i>Κάθε ψηφοφόρος μπορεί να ψηφίσει όσες φορές θέλει μέχρι να λήξει η διαδικασία της ψηφοφορίας... Κάθε νέα ψήφος στην απόδειξη της καταχώρησής της αναφέρει σαφώς την ακύρωση της προηγούμενης ψήφου</i>". Αρκεί η απόδειξη αυτή, ή υπάρχει η πιθανότητα λάθους (καταχώρηση διπλής ψήφου, ενώ υπάρχει αποδεικτικό ακύρωσης της τελευταίας), Τί είδους <b>εχέγγυα</b> μπορεί να δοθούν υπεύθυνα και <b>ενυπόγραφα</b> γι' αυτό;<br />
(στ) Από τις <u>Απαντήσεις για τους ψηφοφόρους</u>: Στο ερώτημα "<i>Μπορεί κάποιος </i>να ψηφίσει αντί για μένα;" δεν δίνεται απάντηση, πέραν του ότι "<i>... οφείλετε να ειδοποιήσετε αμέσως την εφορευτική επιτροπή για να διερευνήσει το θέμα και για να σας εξασφαλίσει το δικαίωμα ψήφου</i>".<br />
(ζ) <b><u>Κυρίως όμως στην ίδια την ιστοσελίδα του συστήματος "<i>Helios"</i> </u></b><u><a href="http://heliosvoting.org/frequently-asked-questions/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://heliosvoting.org/<wbr></wbr>frequently-asked-questions/</a><b> στο οποίο βασίζεται το σύστημα "<i>ΖΕΥΣ</i>"</b></u><b> </b>(όπως αναφέρεται στην ιστοσελίδα του <i>ΖΕΥΣ</i>) υπάρχει <b>αυτούσια</b> η ακόλουθη ερωτο-απάντηση:<b><br /></b><i><u>Should we start using Helios for public-office elections? Maybe US President 2012?</u><br /><b>No, you should not.</b> Online elections are appropriate when one <b>does not expect a large attempt at <u>defrauding or coercing</u></b><u> </u>voters. For some elections, notably US Federal and State elections, the stakes are too high, and <b>we recommend against capturing votes over the Internet</b>. This has nothing to do with Helios itself: we just <b>don’t trust that people’s home computers are secure enough</b> to withstand significant attacks.</i><u></u><u></u></div>
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<i>If you’d like to use <b><u>a truly verifiable voting system</u></b> for your public-office election, <b><u>we recommend an in-person election</u></b>. Helios could be adapted to the in-person, precinct voting setting, but <b><u>we have not done this work ye</u></b><u>t</u>, and we intend to focus on online elections first.</i><u></u><u></u></div>
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Θα μπορούσαν να διατυπωθούν και άλλα ζητήματα που θέτουν σε αμφισβήτηση την διαδικασία της ηλεκτρονικής ψήφου. Στο παράρτημα που ακολουθεί τίθενται μερικά πιο εξειδικευμε΄να ζητήματα.<br />
<br />
Είμαι στη διάθεσή σας.<br />
<br />
Με εκτίμηση<br />
<br />
Κων/νος Τζανάκης<br />
Αντιπρύτανης Ακαδ. Υποθέσεων και Προσωπικού<br />
Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης<br />
******************************<wbr></wbr>*******************<br />
ΠΑΡΑΡΤΗΜΑ<br />
<br />
<b><i>Πρόσθετα σχόλια σχετικά με την διαδικασία της ηλεκτρονικής ψηφοφορίας</i></b><br />
(i) Όλες οι κρυπτογραφήσεις χρησιμοποιούν ψηφιακά πιστοποιητικά της μορφής δημόσιου-ιδιωτικού κλειδιού. Ό,τι και να λέγεται, η αλήθεια είναι η εξής: Οι διαχειριστές της διαδικασίας έχουν πάντα στα χέρια τους όλα τα ιδιωτικά κλειδιά. Αυτά αρκούν για την αποκρυπτογράφηση των πάντων. Όλες οι ενέργειες που κάνει ένας υπολογιστής είναι εφαρμογή αντιστρέψιμων (1-1) απεικονίσεων. Ό,τι μπορεί να αντιστρέψει μόνος του ο υπολογιστής<br />
μπορεί να αντιστραφεί από τον καθένα που θα έχει όλα τα κλειδιά στο command-line. Η διαδικασία είναι εντελώς διάτρητη. Οι διαχειριστές έχουν το πρώτο λόγο και τον έλεγχο πάντα.<br />
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(ii) Aναφέρεται ότι αρκεί ένα "τίμιο" πρόσωπο στην εφορευτική όπως και στην δια ζώσης ψηφοφορία (στο τέλος της παραγράφου με τίτλο «<i>Η Μίξη των Ψηφοδελτίων</i>» στο<a href="https://zeus.minedu.gov.gr/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://zeus.minedu.gov.gr/</a>). Αυτό δεν ευσταθεί, διότι η εφορευτική επιτροπή δεν ελέγχεται από κανένα, αφού οι ψηφοφόροι, ή οι εκπρόσωποί τους δεν μπορεί να έχουν εικόνα της ψηφοφορίας, όπως στην συνήθη ψηφοφρία με φυσική παρουσία;<br />
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(iii) Η ασφαλής σύνδεση γίνεται με το <a href="http://zeus.minedu.gov.gr/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">zeus.minedu.gov.gr</a> μέσω κρυπτογράφησης δημόσιου-ιδιωτικού κλειδιού (εν προκειμένω τους έχει εκδόσει η <i>Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association</i> (TERENA)). Ο Server γνωρίζει και τα δύο. Δηλαδή τα γνωρίζει ο διαχειριστής, ο οποίος τα αντέγραψε στον server του, που του τα πούλησε η TERENA.<br />
Το σύστημα θα καταγράψει τα πάντα. Από ποια IP μπήκε ο ψηφοφόρος, τί ώρα και τί ψήφισε και όλα αυτά θα κρυπτογραφηθούν με το κλειδί του server. Όλα αυτά αντιστρέφονται στο commandline.<u></u><u></u></div>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">(iv) Σε κάποιο σημείο αναφέρεται η τυχαία διαδικασία μίξης (ένα είδος ανακατέματος).</span> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Αυτό μπορεί να μην <u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">είναι αντιστρέψιμο. Όμως αυτό απαιτεί ενδελεχή έλεγχο του πηγαίου κώδικα του προγράμματος. <u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Αυτό είναι <b>εγγενής αδυναμία</b>: Η <b>μη διαβλητότητα</b> της διαδικασίας με <b>φυσική</b> παρουσία<u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">μπορεί <b>να ελεγχθεί</b> από <b>κάθε αδαή ψηφοφόρο</b>, όμως το <b>να ελεγχθεί </b>ότι όντως ο <b>πηγαίος κώδικας</b><u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">κάνει αυτό που ισχυρίζονται ότι κάνει, απαιτεί <b>τεχνογνωσία που λίγοι διαθέτουν</b>. <u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Δηλαδή</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">δεν υπάρχει λόγος να εμπιστευτεί κανείς a priori τη διαδικασία αφού δεν μπορεί να την ελέγξει</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">,<u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">και αντ' αυτού καλείται να εμπιστευτεί τους προγραμματιστές. Και εδώ είναι το πρόβλημα:<u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ποιος μπορεί να εγγυηθεί/ισχυριστεί ενυπόγραφα, ότι η ύπαρξη σφάλματος (bug) στο software που κυκλοφορεί είναι <u></u><u></u></span></pre>
<pre style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">σπάνιο φαινόμενο;</span></pre>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-52975445394509640882012-10-06T16:19:00.003-07:002012-10-06T16:20:19.475-07:00The Looper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So a movie is forcing me to write a new blog post after almost three months.<br />
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(spoiler free)<br />
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Very few movies get to blend together action, science fiction and great storytelling as smoothly and effectively as Looper. It's a fresh time travel story. Here are the three things I liked:<br />
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There are 4-5 moments in the movie which are visually surprising. Not words, just very effective use of what you see.<br />
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Time travel is used as an underlying mechanism, but its complications and paradoxes are ignored in the movie. This simplified watching it, and did away with complicated story arcs.<br />
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Above all, as I was watching the final scenes, I realized there are no good guys or bad guys in this movie. Everyone is acting on its own interest. This is an absolutely amazing feeling that you very rarely see in action films, where for the sake of the story there should be good and bad sides. The characters are structured in a very complex manner.<br />
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PS: That kid is one of the most memorable child characters in recent memory.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-22581183731312718282012-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:002012-07-10T09:47:05.053-07:00myTED: Favorite TED talks so that you don't waste your time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
What do scientists do in their free time?<br />
<br />
I found out about TED in 2007, a few months after they started releasing the talks online for free (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6CVj5IQkzk&feature=player_embedded">this</a> was my first). Thankfully, only a few dozen talks were online back then. I watched them all, and then I started watching the talks posted online at the TED website. I have watched every single TED talk posted online since then.<br />
<br />
The TED culture grew tremendously ever since. We got talks from multiple TED conferences, from all over the years, as well as from TEDx events. Even myself I managed to attend a couple of TEDx events. There are over 1000 talks available to watch online right now, and someone that is just starting to be involved with TED will find it impossible to catch up.<br />
<br />
Enter <a href="http://myted.timaras.com/">myTED</a>.<br />
<br />
I have hand-picked what I find to be the best from all the TED talks in various categories, and have posted them in my website <a href="http://myted.timaras.com/" style="background-color: white;">myted.timaras.com</a><span style="background-color: white;">. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I keep adding more talks from time to time if some new talk is interesting enough.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
Out of the 1100 TED talks available online, you will find about 80 in <a href="http://myted.timaras.com/" style="background-color: white;">myted.timaras.com</a> in various sections, roughly 8 per category. I even have a section named <a href="http://myted.timaras.com/?page_id=717">The Classics</a>, which includes 7 of what I consider to be the quintessential TED talks.<br />
<br />
There is no way to objectively judge a talk, as it depends on each person’s interests. So, the talks I choose to post here are filtered through the lens of my personality. You will notice, for example, I have an inclination towards physics, geopolitics, and life choices. However, I strongly believe that every talk that appears here has something important to teach – an idea definitely worth spreading.<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-9111926064494003112012-06-03T20:52:00.000-07:002012-06-03T20:52:23.952-07:00Fear<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I couldn't help but notice how this text from 50 years ago applies to the current situation in Greece.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
However complex and solid it seems, civilization is actually quite fragile. It can be destroyed.<br />
What are its enemies?</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
First of all, fear.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fear of war, fear of invasion, fear of plague, fears that make it simply not worthwhile constructing things or planting trees of even planning next year's crops.</blockquote>
<br />
It's this lack of actions for fear of an uncertain future that hurts most of all.<br />
<br />
[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilisation_(TV_series)">via</a>]</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9970427.post-33626332098549402012012-01-22T10:12:00.000-08:002012-01-22T10:12:00.798-08:00Mel Feynman & Paul Jobs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are many things common to both Richard Feynman and Steve Jobs. Here's an interesting one, relating to their fathers.<br />
<br />
From "What do YOU care what other people think", Feynman accounts the following incident with his father, which took place when he was an undergraduate student at MIT: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Once though, when I came back from MIT, he said to me, "Now that you've become educated about these things, there's one question I've always had that I've never understood very well."<br /><br />
I asked him what it was.<br />
<br />
He said, "I understand that when an atom makes a transition from one state to another, it emits a particle of light called a photon."<br />
<br />
"That's right," I said.<br />
<br />
He says, "Is the photon in the atom ahead of time?"<br />
<br />
"No, there;s no photon beforehand."<br />
<br />
"Well,", he says, "where does it come from, then? Hoe does it come out?"<br />
<br />
I tried to explain to him - that photon numbers aren't conserved; they're just created by the motion of the electron - but I couldn't explain it very well. I said, "It's like the sound that I'm making now: it wasn't in me before."<br />
<br />
He was not satisfied with me in that respect. I was never able to explain any of the things he didn't understand.</blockquote>
<br />
From Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography, Isaacson describes the following story as they walk around his neighborhood, that involves Jobs' neighbor Larry Lang when Jobs was still in high school:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
"He [Lang] took a carbon microphone and a battery and a speaker, and he put it on this driveway. He had me talk into the mike and it amplified out of the speaker."<br />
<br />
Jobs had been taught by his father that microphones always required an electronic amplifier.<br />
<br />
"So, I raced home and told my dad that he was wrong."<br />
<br />
"No, it needs an amplifier," his father assured him.<br />
<br />
When Steve protested otherwise, his father said he was crazy.<br />
<br />
"It can't work without an amplifier. There's some trick."<br />
<br />
"I kept saying no to my dad, telling him he had to see it, and finally he actually walked down with me and saw it. And he said, 'Well I'll be a bat out of hell.'"</blockquote>
<br />
I find those incidents very interesting, because they highlight the first time for Jobs and Feynman that they realized they were smarter than their fathers.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01639793930348953571noreply@blogger.com