Jack London - To Build A Fire

One of the finest short stories I have ever read.  Actually came up in a chat with a work colleague, a field manager for a contractor we work with.  I would never have guessed we had this in common, an appreciation for stories like this.  You just never know.

This simple, harsh story is so well told, so concise and precise, to me it is a joy to read.  It is not pleasant, of course, London could be very grim.  But he is brilliantly descriptive here, in my opinion.

London also seems to "get" animals, and write about them as well as anyone I've ever read, which makes this story, and many others of his, even more enjoyable.

From JackLondons.net:
"To Build A Fire"
By Jack London
First published in The Century Magazine, v.76, August, 1908
http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html

Or if you want it read to you, here it is on YouTube:
"Jack London - To build a fire (audiobook)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8WnlrUKsBU

There are moments of philosophy and reflection in the story.  Maybe a way of thinking that we need to adopt in more aspects of our lives.  Absorb not just the facts but the significance.  For example (italics are mine):

But all this—the mysterious, far-reaching hair-line trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all—made no impression on the man. It was not because he was long used to it. He was a newcomer in the land, a chechaquo, and this was his first winter. The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances. Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd degrees of frost. Such fact impressed him as being cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not lead him to meditate upon his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon man's frailty in general, able only to live within certain narrow limits of heat and cold; and from there on it did not lead him to the conjectural field of immortality and man's place in the universe. Fifty degrees below zero stood for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against by the use of mittens, ear-flaps, warm moccasins, and thick socks. Fifty degrees below zero was to him just precisely fifty degrees below zero. That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head.

Brilliant stuff.

Prince "Piano & A Microphone" (and about 37 amplifiers) Tour

Raise your hand if you thought that someday--SOMEDAY--you were going to party like it was 1999.  Be honest!

Now, keep your hand in the air if you NEVER imagined Prince would have fallen off the radar for decades (at least in terms of general popularity) and yet ... when he does go on tour decades later tickets are scorching hot, and you consider yourself lucky to pay hundreds of dollars per ticket (not scalped, I had multiple browser windows open to order as soon as tickets became available!).

Okay, my hand was in the air the whole time.  What about yours?

By the way, prior to the concert I played some Prince songs for my daughters.  They just looked at me like I was crazy.  Typical 80's stuff, they said.  As if they know what even means.  :)   I told them that they needed to check out Purple Rain, the movie, to understand Prince--except maybe they're not old enough yet!  Here's a documentary that helps explain it (same link as what I posted yesterday).
Prince In The 1980's - Full Movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps

So the concert was last night.  Originally scheduled for a week ago, April 7, it was delayed because Prince was sick.  So it was rescheduled for a week later.  How was it?  Honestly, it was a bit of a letdown.  First a couple links with reviews.

From Funkatopia:
"Review: Prince, Piano & A Microphone – Atlanta"
http://funkatopia.com/funk-concert-reviews/review-prince-piano-a-microphone-atlanta/

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, or the AJC as they seem to prefer now:
http://buzz.blog.ajc.com/2016/04/15/the-photos-people-managed-to-take-at-the-prince-concert-in-atlanta/
http://music.blog.ajc.com/2016/04/14/concert-review-prince-enchants-at-intimate-fox-theatre-show/

My take?  First of all, the 7p show that I went to was only 1 hour, 15 minutes (yes, I timed it).  1:20, as mentioned in both reviews above, is being generous.


I thought that the sound was horrible, as bad as any concert I've ever been to.  My post title tells the story.  It didn't come across at intimate at all the way the piano was over-amplified.  The bass portion of the keyboard was horrifically distorted, and drowned out Prince's voice, which was in great form by the way.

I particularly liked "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "I Feel 4 U."  Not a surprise given my post yesterday, I suppose.  "I Would Die 4 U" was a lot of fun, too.

The show ended unexpectedly early, and the Fox Theatre didn't seem to realize he was done at first.  Lights stayed dim for a while fans chanted for another encore.  "Purple Rain" was a common chant.  But after a while the lights came up abruptly and fans were asked to exit.  Very awkward, amateurish really.

Lesson learned: Don't go to the early show.  You won't get the full experience.


I looked around to find a Prince song to link to here.  Very few results.  Okay, so Prince doesn't seem to allow his videos on YouTube.  But he did do a Super Bowl halftime show a few years back.  And the NFL posted it, so I'll go with that video here.  I don't usually think much of such shows, but I thought Prince did a really good job, even though it was in the rain.

Prince Performs “Purple Rain” During Downpour | Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show | NFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NN3gsSf-Ys

Song of the Day: Prince (and Sinead O'Connor) - Nothing Compares To You

In preparation for Prince's concert tonight in Atlanta I was watching a documentary him, and they mentioned how he was a very good songwriter.  Interestingly, they said that he seemed to do better writing for women!

"Prince In The 1980's - Full Movie"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps

Listen at 56:09, to see how he wrote "Manic Monday" for The Bangles.

Then listen at 57:40 for this:
"Isn't it interesting that Prince wrote so well for women.  His big hit covers are by women.  His range and his attitude suited the female voice."

Why do I find this interesting?  Because I seem to prefer female singers to male singers ... yet I love Prince.  Maybe that's the reason!

The documentary made another good point at 58:22.  "Sometimes he did not do the best versions of his songs."  They were talking about this song in particular:
"prince & candy dufler nothing compares 2 u"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHV-rd4Ey0o

You probably remember this version, which is simply fabulous:
"Sinead o' Connor - Nothing Compares to You (Best Quality)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB1TKw8_b1s

Song of the Day: Santigold - Chasing Shadows

I love the vibe of this song.  It captures a certain discomfort, dissatisfaction.  With life, with love, with anything really.  Whatever ... it touches me.  See if you don't relate to it, too.

Santigold - Chasing Shadows [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8xS1FqQzjQ

But even as I love the vibe ... I'm not quite sure what it means.  So I did a little search.  From JonAli:
http://jonalisblog.com/2016/01/19/santigold-embraces-her-conflicted-reality-on-chasing-shadows/

“‘Chasing Shadows‘ is about the conflicted reality of an artist’s life. Caught in the web we spin around ourselves, a mixture of hubris and the guise of perfection, we fear being swallowed up by our own ambition,” Santigold said in a statement. “Never in the moment, as quickly as we reach our goals, our gaze shifts to those still looming in the distance. We judge ourselves harshly for not being further on the path and revel in the anxiety of racing the rate of consumption. The lyrics weigh the value of going against the current to maintain artistic integrity, and the feelings of isolation and vacancy bred by a persona that is always ‘on’ and ready for show.”

Same quote, with more discussion about the video, from Music Times:
http://www.musictimes.com/articles/61975/20160116/santigolds-chasing-shadows-best-pop-song-2016.htm

"Chasing Shadows" is by far the most radio friendly of the three songs but it's also just a masterfully crafted pop song intermixing some simple piano and drum beats with her reggae style singing and rapping.

The video, produced by Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij and directed by Elliot Lester, is equally devastating as she sings around her home spending the holiday alone in front of the TV screen and playing tea party with herself.

Some lyrics from the song:

Here is the glow
Chasing the goal
I'm trouble, you know
You find us where we fall
We're chasing shadows

Sad, in a way, right?


It kind of reminds me of my Jackson Browne "Pretender" post, in which I quoted Browne as saying:

"Someone asked me what, you know, who The Pretender is.  And I, it's, it's um, it's always been my pleasure to avoid answering that question.  But uh ... Because it's not me exactly.  Although sometimes people applaud for me at that moment in the song as if I am.  But in truth there is some of The Pretender in me.  But it's anybody that's sort of lost site of some of their dreams and is trying to make, sort of going through the motions, trying to make a stab at a certain way of life that he sees other people succeeding at.  So, maybe it's a lot of people of a certain generation who sort of embraced a material lifestyle in place of dreams that they had, that sort of disintegrated at some point."

The Santigold song is much different than Browne's, yet to me they are capturing the same vibe.  Struggling and striving, doing what you think is the right thing, and then finding you're not closer to where you really want to be.  Agree or disagree?

Lyrics from MetroLyrics:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/chasing-shadows-lyrics-santigold.html

Chasing Shadows Lyrics
from 99 Cents

Being dizzy, fell in love,
I'm getting through the day
I'm thinking 'bout everything I've said,
Now that you got the best of me
One thing about time it waits for nobody,
You told me, isn't that what they say
Been banged against it and you know where
Just raised ain't got nothin' to say to nobody
Little lady better get in line,
I'm talking this to myself
Better getting on down with the program,
Sell your life all over
Broke dream in the sun
If you fall like tom petty waiting on his rodeo, to all
I'm breaking my rules, do it my way,
On this just like a beast

Here is the glow
Chasing the goal
I'm trouble, you know
You find us where we fall
We're chasing shadows
Here is the glow
Chasing the goal
I'm trouble, you know
You find us where we fall
We're chasing shadows

Always knew I'd be international, no fear of flyin'
Limits is been keepin' apart, just when I'm on an island
Watching through our window, the flashing light on the bed
Neon sign goes red
You are here until, well
At least someone knows where I am

Maybe I won't get it wrong, no baby for myself
Only years ? still I'm old, I'm living on the shelf
I will follow things in the long way if my standards hold me up
Why they eatin' they idols up?
Now, why they eatin' they idols up? dammit
I give my heart away so that they remember me
I leave em alone in time they'll wanna smother what I say
Around another year I wonder did I go some place
I'ma button this one down, this one right here won't walk away

Here is the glow
Chasing the goal
I'm trouble, you know
You find us where we fall
We're chasing shadows
Here is the glow
Chasing the goal
I'm trouble, you know
You find us where we fall
We're chasing shadows

Always knew I'd be international, no fear of flyin'
Limits is been keepin' apart, just when I'm on an island
Watching through our window, the flashing light on the bed
Neon sign goes red
You are here until, well, at least someone knows where I am
You are here until, well, at least someone knows where I am

Song of the Day: Lennon and Maisy Stella - All We Ever Wanted

What a tender, beautiful song.  Isn't this what we all want?

"The Music of Nashville - All we ever wanted (Lennon & Maisy Stella)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5wTExKODSM

I won't make excuses
I have no regrets
I know what the truth is
I will not forget
All we ever wanted
All we ever needed
Was love

Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design

Okay, I do not design spacecraft.  But almost all of these laws seem generally applicable to the engineering I do!

I especially like these and have found them to be true (even though we violate them continually at work!): #3, #7, #15, #20, and #40.

First, the link:
"Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design"
http://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/akins_laws.html


Now the list, in case that link goes bad in the future:

1. Engineering is done with numbers. Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

2. To design a spacecraft right takes an infinite amount of effort. This is why it's a good idea to design them to operate when some things are wrong .

3. Design is an iterative process. The necessary number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time.

4. Your best design efforts will inevitably wind up being useless in the final design. Learn to live with the disappointment.

5. (Miller's Law) Three points determine a curve.

6. (Mar's Law) Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.

7. At the start of any design effort, the person who most wants to be team leader is least likely to be capable of it.

8. In nature, the optimum is almost always in the middle somewhere. Distrust assertions that the optimum is at an extreme point.

9. Not having all the information you need is never a satisfactory excuse for not starting the analysis.

10. When in doubt, estimate. In an emergency, guess. But be sure to go back and clean up the mess when the real numbers come along.

11. Sometimes, the fastest way to get to the end is to throw everything out and start over.

12. There is never a single right solution. There are always multiple wrong ones, though.

13. Design is based on requirements. There's no justification for designing something one bit "better" than the requirements dictate.

14. (Edison's Law) "Better" is the enemy of "good".

15. (Shea's Law) The ability to improve a design occurs primarily at the interfaces. This is also the prime location for screwing it up.

16. The previous people who did a similar analysis did not have a direct pipeline to the wisdom of the ages. There is therefore no reason to believe their analysis over yours. There is especially no reason to present their analysis as yours.

17. The fact that an analysis appears in print has no relationship to the likelihood of its being correct.

18. Past experience is excellent for providing a reality check. Too much reality can doom an otherwise worthwhile design, though.

19. The odds are greatly against you being immensely smarter than everyone else in the field. If your analysis says your terminal velocity is twice the speed of light, you may have invented warp drive, but the chances are a lot better that you've screwed up.

20. A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.

21. (Larrabee's Law) Half of everything you hear in a classroom is crap. Education is figuring out which half is which.

22. When in doubt, document. (Documentation requirements will reach a maximum shortly after the termination of a program.)

23. The schedule you develop will seem like a complete work of fiction up until the time your customer fires you for not meeting it.

24. It's called a "Work Breakdown Structure" because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it.

25. (Bowden's Law) Following a testing failure, it's always possible to refine the analysis to show that you really had negative margins all along.

26. (Montemerlo's Law) Don't do nuthin' dumb.

27. (Varsi's Law) Schedules only move in one direction.

28. (Ranger's Law) There ain't no such thing as a free launch.

29. (von Tiesenhausen's Law of Program Management) To get an accurate estimate of final program requirements, multiply the initial time estimates by pi, and slide the decimal point on the cost estimates one place to the right.

30. (von Tiesenhausen's Law of Engineering Design) If you want to have a maximum effect on the design of a new engineering system, learn to draw. Engineers always wind up designing the vehicle to look like the initial artist's concept.

31. (Mo's Law of Evolutionary Development) You can't get to the moon by climbing successively taller trees.

32. (Atkin's Law of Demonstrations) When the hardware is working perfectly, the really important visitors don't show up.

33. (Patton's Law of Program Planning) A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.

34. (Roosevelt's Law of Task Planning) Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

35. (de Saint-Exupery's Law of Design) A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

36. Any run-of-the-mill engineer can design something which is elegant. A good engineer designs systems to be efficient. A great engineer designs them to be effective.

37. (Henshaw's Law) One key to success in a mission is establishing clear lines of blame.

38. Capabilities drive requirements, regardless of what the systems engineering textbooks say.

39. Any exploration program which "just happens" to include a new launch vehicle is, de facto, a launch vehicle program.

39. (alternate formulation) The three keys to keeping a new manned space program affordable and on schedule:
       1)  No new launch vehicles.
       2)  No new launch vehicles.
       3)  Whatever you do, don't develop any new launch vehicles.

40. (McBryan's Law) You can't make it better until you make it work.

41. Space is a completely unforgiving environment. If you screw up the engineering, somebody dies (and there's no partial credit because most of the analysis was right...)

Song of the Day: Kelela - All the Way Down

Another song that I heard on a recent flight.  You never know where you're going to find great music.  Love the vibe of this song.

Kelela - All the Way Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzXGbtC_f5w

Lyrics, from SongLyrics.com:
http://www.songlyrics.com/kelela/all-the-way-down-lyrics/

Kelela - All the Way Down Lyrics
Artist: Kelela
Album: Hallucinogen EP

When you’re riding
Down at night
But you say

[Verse 1]
The only way to sum it up
Is falling roller-coaster rush
I’m doing things that I don’t do
So comfortable when I’m with you
Kinda took me by surprise
I love it and I don’t know why
You shot it and you got it
And I don’t wanna fight it
So hold me while were taking this ride

[Pre-Chorus]
You, when it's good I'm questioning
You, then I stop to take it in

[Chorus]
Is my head in the way?
Cause my heart can't explain
Where we going now?
Build it up, we tear down
Cared before but baby
Now I don’t give a fuck

All the way down
On a one way to you
I'm on my way down
No matter what your going through

[Verse 2]
I’m staying over at yours tonight
I'm calling late let’s exercise
There’s something buried in your eyes
Draws me in and I can’t hide
I’m clocking in today I'm on one
I came in hard I hope you don’t run
I tell him all about it but even I would doubt it
They never seen the things that you do

[Pre-Chorus]
You, when it's good I'm questioning
You, then I stop to take it in

[Chorus]
Is my head in the way?
Cause my heart can't explain
Where we going now?
Build it up, we tear down
Cared before but baby
Now I don’t give a fuck

All the way down
On a one way to you
All the way down
No matter what your going through

[Bridge]
Take it in, Take it in
All I wanna do is
Stay with it, stay with it
And I know that you won’t
Play with it, play with it
Are you ready? Hold on
Take it in, Take it in
All I wanna do it
Stay with it, stay with it
And I know that you won't
Play with it, hold on

When it’s good I’m questioning
You, then I start to take it in
Is my head in the way?
Cause my heart can't explain
Where we going now?
Build it up, we tear down
Cared before but baby
Now I don’t give a fuck

All the way down [X4]

Baby what you wanna do?