The 77th Masters

I used to think golf was boring, but I can now appreciate the drama: the sport is a psychological, internal chess-match that often develops into an intense finish between competitors.

Each year, The Masters is the first of golf’s four major tournaments. The venue — Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia — was founded and designed by legendary golfer Bobby Jones (with Cliff Roberts (co-founder) and Alister MacKenzie (co-designer)): Jones never turned professional — he was a lawyer and only played part-time — but won thirteen major championships.

Augusta was built on former flowering plant (Indigofera) orchards, and the course is stunning; unfortunately, the historic prejudice inherent in the club’s membership policies has lowered my esteem for this tournament below that of The Open, and maybe even the U.S Open. It wasn’t until 1990 that Augusta admitted black members, and in 2012 they finally admitted two female members.

Anyway, as to the tournament itself…

Will Eldrick Tont ‘Tiger’ Woods inch closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of eighteen majors? (Nicklaus also finished second in majors an astounding nineteen times!). Tiger has fourteen major victories, and counting.

I’m old-fashioned, I suppose: I’d like to see Nicklaus’ record stand; I’m sure The Golden Bear was a driven man, difficult to get along with at times, but he remained an excellent role-model in the quagmire of mass-media, something that cannot be said of Mr. Woods. Nevertheless, if Tiger breaks the record, I’ll still applaud his ability.

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Some other (non-Tiger-related) stories:

Will Rory McIlroy round into form?

Will Phil Mickelson’s ‘Phrankenwood’ (a driver that is bigger than a 3-wood, but noticeably smaller than the drivers he normally uses).

Will somebody from Australia break the curse and finally win?

Will it take another Bubba-shot to win in a playoff?

Will an unexpected winner emerge?

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My daughters will mock me, but I’ll be glued to the television…

 

Update: Adam Scott won: the first Australian to win the Masters..

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Zira Island

While wandering through the digital world, I came across an interesting architectural project by a Denmark firm, Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG). The architectural design is based on the seven peaks of Azerbaijan and the project was imagined by Avrositi Holding, based in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the goal being to set a new standard for luxury and sustainable living by creating a carbon-neutral eco-island with low-end resource usage that is independent of external resources.

http://flash.big.dk/projects/zir/

Zira Island (aka Nargin) is the largest island in the Baku Archipelago, which separates the Bay of Baku from the Caspian Sea. The surrounding region is highly dependent on oil, but the projected development on the island will use alternate, renewable resources. Heat pumps, submerged in the Caspian Sea, will heat and cool buildings; Solar Hot Water Collectors, integrated into the buildings’ design, will provide hot water; photovoltaic cells, installed on facades and rooftops, will generate electricity; and off-shore wind farms,  positioned on existing oil platforms, will provide additional, sustainable electrical power. Desalination plants will provide potable water, and waste water will be collected, treated, and recycled for irrigation. Solid waste will be composted and recycled as fertilizer.

I’m not a proponent of luxury complexes, but at least this development is environmentally viable. I think the Zira Island project is a step in the right direction.

For more information:

Bjarke Ingles Group

Avrositi Holding

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The Landfill Harmonic

There is a dump in Cateura, Paraguay that receives over fifteen-hundred tons of waste every day. The dump site is home to twenty-five hundred inhabitants, most of whom — children included — sort the garbage for the recycling industry.

An ecological technician, Favio Chavez, wanted to teach music to the children of the community; his only problem was the cost of instruments: a violin is worth more than a house in the area. Then he came up with a brilliant idea: he reworked recycled materials from the dump into instruments. The children have formed The Recycled Orchestra, and a documentary is being prepared, which will be called Landfill Harmonic, to be aired sometime this year.

For more information, check out their Facebook page

Also, check out the trailer video below

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Derek Amato’s Acquired Savant Syndrome

Derek Amato is one of about thirty people in the world with Acquired Savant Syndrome, which spontaneously bestows profound abilities to individuals who have suffered head trauma.

Derek dove into a shallow pool and ended up in the hospital with a severe concussion. As a consequence of the accident, he suffered a thirty-five percent loss in hearing, memory difficulties, and issues with over-stimulation of his mind. But he gained some qualities as well…

When Derek was released from the hospital he visited a friend who is a guitarist. Derek had dabbled in guitar playing, but was never proficient: he watched his friend play, but Derek’s hands began to twitch and he had a curious impulse to play the keyboard, which was also in the room. He sat at the keyboard and — even though he’d never had a piano lesson, couldn’t read music, and had never played the keyboard — he began to play a classical-type composition that he saw as flickering black and white squares in his mind. He played for hours into the night; apprehensive, but feeling as though a spiritual channel had arisen.

He has since been diagnosed with Acquired Musical Savant Syndrome (the only documented case known) and a form of Syneteshia, a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.

After absorbing the remarkable phenomenon of this story, it occurs to me that the human mind is a far more complex organ than we imagine.

Check out the video below for more on this intriguing story, including Derek playing some of his music:

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Muse: the brainwave sensing headband

Have you ever wanted to control objects with only your thoughts?

A company called InteraXon claims they have invented a device that will eventually “let you do more with your mind than you ever thought possible.”

Their product — Muse — is a brainwave-sensing headband; in their words, a comfortable, sleek four-sensor headband (to me, it looks like something from a bad science fiction movie, but I’m not exactly a fashion plate, so you should make your own determination).

InteraXon claims that their device will facilitate self-improvement in your brain activity. Muse measures your brainwaves and sends them to your smart phone or tablet and you can instantly gauge your brain’s effectiveness; for example, you can see if you are creating gentle, meditative, low-frequency alpha waves, or the intense, jagged peaks of ultra-creative beta waves. In this way, they claim, you will be able to improve your brain’s operation.

InteraXon is planning to enable brainwaves to control devices in the real world; devices that will respond to your thoughts. The Muse headband connects wirelessly, using Bluetooth, and will translate your brainwaves into directions to control your electronic devices, apps, and games.

InteraXon has an account on Indiegogo, hoping to raise the funds necessary to deliver brain-controlled computing to the masses.

Early-birds can get their hands on a Muse headband for a pledge of $135. For more information, check out the video on their website.

I suppose I’m just a bit paranoid, imagining the worst, but I’m slightly concerned about my brainwaves — my thoughts — being captured digitally and possibly re-used and manipulated: it gives me a bad case of the willies.

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Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck, iconoclastic jazz composer and pianist, passed from this world earlier today.

He was inspired by the rise of West Coast jazz, but he became famous for his unconventional meters; in particular, for his 1959 album Time Out, a personal favorite of mine. The entire album is fantastic, but there are two pieces that stand out:

Blue Rondo à la Turk is the opening number on the album. The piece’s theme includes an unusual 9/8 rhythm (the theme contains three measures of 2+2+2+3 followed by one measure of 3+3+3).  Apparently, Brubeck first heard the rhythm performed by Turkish street musicians. When he asked about the rhythm, they replied that the rhythm, to them, was like the blues to him; hence the piece’s name. This piece is commonly — and erroneously — thought to be based on Mozart’s Rondo ala Turca.

The other stand-out piece on the album is Take Five, which was written by Paul Desmond, whose flowing, ethereal alto saxophone helped propel this album, and The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Brubeck, Desmond, Eugene Wright (b), and Joe Morello (d)),  into mainstream culture.

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I mourn Dave Brubeck’s passing, but will continue to revel within the genius of his musical vision.

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The Logic of Law

A woman from Pemberton B.C. may lose her home to the lawyer she hired to help save it.

Dale Fotsch was sued by her ex-husband, who was trying to acquire a percentage of her property. The case dragged on for nine years (three weeks of which were in court), but Ms. Fotsch eventually won her case, and the B.C. Court of Appeal ordered her ex-husband to pay her court costs, which amounted to ~ $90,000. Unfortunately, her ex-husband declared bankruptcy and her lawyer is taking legal action to foreclose her home so he can collect his fee.

I hope things turn out positively for Dale Fotsch, but this should be a precaution for the rest of us: the story doesn’t exactly fill me with faith in our legal system.

For more information: CBC News

There is also an Indiegogo campaign set up for Dale Fotsch for anyone that wants to help her out (at http://igg.me/p/289261/x/1851988)

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HopScotch; Vancouver

“Too much of good whisky is barely enough”.  Mark Twain

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I went to the HopScotch Grand Tasting Hall event in Vancouver last night: quite an adventure. There were over 250 samples of beer, scotch, spirits (vodka, bourbon, rum, et cetera), and food. My wife came along, probably to ensure I didn’t attempt to try all the samples available…

I was only interested in malt whisky and most of the familiar distilleries were there (Ardbeg, Aberlour, Balvenie, Benriach, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Cragganmore, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Glendronach, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Glenkinchie, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Highland Park, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Macallun, Oban, Springback,  Talasker, et cetera). Even though I planned to be well below the legal limit for driving, I never drive after drinking any amount of alcohol: we used the transit system to get there and back (SkyTrain and bus).

There was an incredible mass of people at the event, all well behaved (there were a few slightly  ‘wobbly’ individuals, but this was a tasting event, not a guzzling competition).

My initial goal was to sample five single-malt scotches, but I eventually decided to try a blended Indian whiskey and three single malt scotches: Amrut Fusion (the Indian blended whisky), Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or, Highland Park 18 Year Old, and Ardbeg Uigeadail. 

My tasting notes:

Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or.  A 15 YO scotch that is first matured for a minimum of 10 years in ex-bourbon casks, and then is finished in hand-selected Sauternes wine casks. Glenmorangie is a very popular distillery in Scotland.

Colour: Gold (of course)

Nose: Honey-wine, peaches, and orange/lime/citrus tones

Palate: full and deep; fruit-wine, citrus, sweet-vanilla.

Finish: long and smooth: warm honey, fruit.

$88 in B.C. Liquor Stores.

The influence from the Sauternes casks is delivered wonderfully: a sumptuous experience. I closed my eyes and felt like a decadent gentleman lounging in his private study enjoying a dram. A very satisfying sample to set the tone for the rest of the evening.

 

Highland Park 18 YO.

Color: Pale gold

Nose: Sherry and honey, sweet fruit, coffee, some smooth peat and campfire smoke, sea air, and delicate floral notes.

Palate: starts out quite dry and vanilla-oaky, but submits to its sherry-oak influence. Delicious sweet notes of honey, a hint of salt (reminiscent of sea air), some peat, and pleasant campfire smoke.

Finish: very smooth smoky peat, ending with a slight honey- fruitiness

$150 in B.C. Liquor Stores

This scotch is outside my price range (unless I discover a roll of bills in an old pair of pants), but it was a treat to have the opportunity to sample it.

 

Amrut Fusion: an Indian whisky that is a ‘fusion’ of Scottish peated malt (25%) and unpeated Indian malt (75%). The two malts are mashed and distilled apart, and then married in American oak barrels where the whisky is left to mature for three to five years. The hot climate in India is thought to drive whisky maturation quicker than that experienced in Scotland (some believe it matures more than twice as quickly). Interestingly, due to the heat, the ‘angel’s share’ (the amount lost to evaporation) can be as high as twelve percent.

Color: Amber

Nose: Strong: exotic sweets and spices, vanilla, subtle smoke.

Palate: Figs, spices, coffee, dark chocolate, a wisp of smoke. This whisky is a bit of a kick-in-the-pants (similar in tone to Nikka‘s from the barrel, but with a definite Indian flavour).

Finish: medium, citrus/orange.

$85 in B.C. Liquor Stores

An intriguing whiskey; quite different than my expectations.

 

Ardbeg Uigeadail. An Islay peated single malt that takes its name from Loch Uigeadail (Oog-a-dal), the source of the water used in the production of the whisky.

Colour: Deep amber

Nose: Complex: Peat, citrus, seashore

Palate: Salty, spicy, fruity; unbelievably intricate!

Finish: I imagined myself in the leather and smoke of a gentleman’s den, with the agreeable heat from the fire distributing the scents of salt, citrus and ginger.

A wonderful whisky; a bit salty for my tastes, but, given the opportunity to work past the salt through months of sampling a bottle, it might become a favourite; unfortunately, it’s outside my price-range, but it was an enjoyable experience! 

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Slàinte mhath

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The Anthropocene: the New Man Epoch

economist.com

A new geological epoch, the Anthropocene (the New Man Epoch), may have begun; which, according to predictions, will include the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history.

A paper has been written (The New World of the Anthropocene) in which the authors claim “…that recent human activity, including stunning population growth, sprawling megacities, and increased use of fossil fuels, have changed the planet to such an extent that we are entering a new geological era. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have wrought such vast and unprecedented changes to our world that we actually might be ushering in a new geological time era, and changing the course of the planet’s geological evolution for millions of years.” The authors of the paper are Jan Zalasiewicz, Mark Williams, Will Steffen, and Paul Crutzen (who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his study of atmospheric ozone).

Currently, fertilizer factories are account for the fixation of more nitrogen (the conversion of more nitrogen to a biologically useable form) than all land-based plants and microbes. The runoff from fertilized lands triggers oxygen-depleting algal-blooms in river deltas around the world.

Poor forest husbandry practices have caused devastating erosion and an alarming increase in sedimentation (and giant dam projects cause the opposite, holding back sediment that would naturally be washed out to the seas of the world). The loss of forest habitat is predicted to cause mass extinctions, which are already occurring over a hundred times quicker than at any time during the previous half-billion years; and, if trends persist, the rate of extinctions may rise by a factor of thousands.

But the largest geological effect is the change in the atmospheric composition; namely, an increase in carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gasses) as a result of the use of fossil fuels, which are causing a warming effect that could raise temperatures to levels not felt on our planet for millions of years. There is evidence that plants and animals are already migrating toward the Earth’s poles. Many species will not survive. It is predicted that sea levels will rise six meters (twenty feet), or more. Carbon dioxide will eventually acidify the oceans to the point that corals will not be able to build reefs (there is evidence that this process is already occurring, and by the middle of this century it may cause devastation to corral reefs). Reef gaps are a consequence of the previous five major mass extinctions; the most recent mass extinction was approximately sixty million years ago, possibly due to the impact of an asteroid. To the geologists of the far future (assuming homo sapiens survive), our footprint will look eerily similar to the devastatingly sudden consequences of an asteroid striking the planet. I wonder how we will be viewed by our distant descendants, but I imagine it will not be with approval.

There is still debate that the increased carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is a naturally occurring phenomena (although the gasses are increasing at an unprecidented rate of over ten times the speed of previous epochs, mainly driven by human activity); however, these arguments, to me, seem moot: does it really matter? Is it morally acceptable to continue to belch and leach poisons into the atmosphere and waterways? I think we’ve become inured to the problem; apathy reigns, and I admit that I, alike millions upon millions, am caught in the lethargy of our society. This is what scares me: the ennui of apathy.

Paul Crutzen, who coined the term Anthropocene, has said that his “…hope is that the term Anthropocene will be a warning to the world.”

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A Cardboard Bicycle

http://news.discovery.com

Izhar Gafni, an interesting Israeli inventor, decided to construct a bike out of cardboard; unfortunately, he had difficulty finding any information about the engineering properties of the material. He was able to find some information on the properties of cardboard boxes: engineers test shipping boxes by dropping them with an enclosed load, but he was unable to locate any scientific research to assist in constructing his bicycle; in fact, three separate Israeli engineers informed him that it was impossible. But he was indomitable, and he ultimately used the fundamentals of Japanese origami to increase the weight-bearing capacity of cardboard by a factor of nearly three: the frame can withstand a rider of 220 kg. (485 lbs.).

Izhar Gafni coated his frame with an organic resin to imbue it with water-proof qualities (it was tested in an aquarium), and he heat tested his cardboard materials to ensure they could withstand the rigors of extreme summer heat.He intends for the bike to be available to every child in the world; for example, those in Africa, who walk dozens of kilometers to school each day.

Gafni’s cardboard bike is 95% eco-freindly cardboard, which is dunked in an organic resin (for water-proofing), and finished with an esthetically pleasing pearly paint: all for less than $10 a bike. His only concern is that the seat could be more comfortable…

Gafni has future plans for cardboard baby strollers, wheelchairs, etcetera…

If you’re intrigued, there is a video about Izahar Gafni’s cardboard bike project; a film that explains his inspiration and documents the construction process: I considered it well worth six-minutes of my time.

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