Monday, June 15, 2020

Evanston: three unlikelies; faint praise; intelligent life

Chicago’s weather has been unlikely for several days:  it has been perfect.  Weird.

Yesterday Carol and I had a lovely morning bike ride to Northwestern’s campus.  The bike path along the lakefront was too crowded, so we rode on the streets which weren’t.  I haven’t been to Northwestern for a long time.  More than a year.  Maybe two.  They have several impressive new buildings but, of course at present, no students.



I thank David for a link to an enjoyable duet sung by the unlikely duo of Luciano Pavarotti and James Brown.





A few nights ago we watched COOL HAND LUKE.  We had both seen it before.  I when it was first released.  I checked and am surprised that was in 1967.   I must be getting old.

The film, starring Paul Newman and George Kennedy, is about how some men brutalize others and some men become symbols of hope for others.  It appears on many all time great lists.  

Just before the end there is an unlikely and powerful monologue which Luke/Paul Newman speaks to God.  I am surprised that it appears in a 1960s Hollywood movie.  In our age of Internet mob rule it would not be possible.  The self-righteous would be righteously outraged.  There would be hashtags, demonstrations, boycotts, death threats. 

Nevertheless it is a very good movie.  I recommend it.




As I have mentioned here my iPad Pro is now my e-reader.  Amazon’s iPad Kindle app differs in some ways from reading on a Kindle itself.  Among other things it wants to be a cheerleader and encourage me to read.  I don't need encouragement.  Yesterday it congratulated me on reading for 96 weeks in a row.  I have no idea how it came up with that number.  I don’t recall when I first learned to read, but let’s say it was at age five.  That was 73 years ago and I have been reading ever since.  That is not 96 weeks, Kindle, it is 3,796 weeks.  Maybe Kindle can’t count that high.





I thank James for a link to an interesting article about the possible number of contactable alien civilizations.


Spoiler:  the number may be 36.  

I see a flaw.  The article talks about development of intelligent life on other planets when there is no evidence intelligent life has developed on this one.










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