Joni writes:
Greetings from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The weather today is 65F / 18C going up to 81F / 27C. Should be another beautiful day! It’s been really nice for walks in the park.
I’ve been catching up on my TWiV listening on those walks. A few weeks ago, you discussed Wendy Carlos and her iconic recording of Switched-On Bach. I thought you said it was not available but actually it is!
Wendy had a major issue with her label over changing the attribution from her former (dead) name to her actual name for a long time. But about 25 years ago she re-released the album with an additional track where you can hear her discussing the process of working out how to get the music to sound the way she wanted on the Moog.
You can order her recordings including the updated CD on her web page at https://www.wendycarlos.com/.
Also, I found a couple YouTube videos about Wendy and SOB. The first is apparently part of a 100 year anniversary release of material from Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts. After having the New York Philharmonic perform the piece, he rolls out an actual Moog synthesizer and flicks some switches to have it play Wendy’s version!
The second is a BBC interview from 1989 where you can see Wendy demonstrate how she recorded the music on the Moog!
I especially will miss Dickson Depommier. I particularly enjoyed his own selections of the all time Jazz greats. I made a playlist on Spotify for the Top Ten Pianists and listen to it often.
It’s been a wonderful education listening to your program for 5 years now. Keep up the good work.
All the best!
Joni
Bill writes:
https://ourworldindata.org/measles-vaccines-save-lives
Data RFK won’t be spreading
—
Bill
Jason writes:
Hello TWIVonauts!
It’s long-time listener and epitope 1000 attendee Jason here in NYC where it’s sunny and 20C. I don’t have a listener pick, for once, but instead a quick story on how much you’re educating the rest of us. A few weeks ago my son was in the ER with what turned out to be Norovirus. Fortunately the Zofran worked quickly and he didn’t have to stay overnight. While talking to the attending doctor I asked a bunch of specific, detailed questions, prompting her to say, with all sincerity, “May I ask – are you a medical professional? You know a lot more about this than most people.” I blushed, grinned under my mask, and replied that no, I’m a computer engineer with a biochem degree and all of my current knowledge comes from what I read, and podcasts like TWIV. She laughed and said “That makes sense. Nicely done!”
Never doubt that the information and science you share make a difference. You’re doing incredibly valuable work and I am happy to be along for the ride.
-Jason
J writes:
Thought you might like this article from The Sherbrooke Daily Record published in Sherbrooke, Quebec Canada in 1935. Available thru BAnQ at Sherbrooke daily record | BAnQ numérique on page 37. Note you will need to turn translate on as this site is in French without an offer to switch to English. (which I don’t speak – just a Retired Electrical Engineer that learned a very little amount of German, Korean, Japanese & Tagalog – the French I had in grade school is long forgotten)
Blue Pilgrim writes:
A thing which should be understood about much of the West and US is that huge numbers of people have strong opinions based on belief and propaganda, and ignoring actual evidence, and they refuse to talk about evidence. They don’t change their opinions based on evidence because evidence was never the base of their opinions to start with.
PS I also found this article — open access, so it’s the one I read.
and the article also mentions: “The research reported in this news article was supported by the National Institutes of Health (awards R01AI162645, R01AR080104, P01AI073748, R01AI22220, UM1HG009390, P01AI039671, P50CA121974, R01CA227473, 1F31NS130957-01A1, DP1DA050986, and R37AR40072) and Yale University.”
so perhaps point this out to people and wonder if the cuts to NIH will stop this sort of research?
PPS — I also remembered a word I had forgotten :ethology — the study of behavior and sociology in non-human animals, and it turns out that MIT open course-ware offers a free course in the subject, and one can also find some pdfs for free, including a few books. There is a Journal of ethology : https://link.springer.com/journal/10164 and also https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14390310
an international society https://www.applied-ethology.org/ and other resources — all for a word most people would not know I guess, and which I almost did not, (no “n” it’s ethology, not ethnology).
Find out what your lab mice and backyard raccoons and pets are really thinking and saying to each other??? I could guess they communicate as well as T-cells…
Jinx writes:
Hello, from sunny Tucson, Arizona. My name is Jinx Lioi, I’m a third year family medicine resident (graduating in a month!) here and have been involved in a lot of global health. First, since this is my first email with you all, I want to thank you for the podcasts TWiV and TWiP. I’ve learned a lot from them and try to share that knowledge, and the podcasts, as often as I can.
Recently, a colleague of mine in Sydney, Australia published a collection of his essays about global health and research globally. It has more to do with the morality and ethics within healthcare and research around the world rather than the scientific experiments. However, the microbes that affect humans are global and it’s common to discuss papers from other countries. As scientists involved in clinically relevant topics, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is open access at the link below:
https://www.editions.ird.fr/produit/728/9782709930437/the-foreign-gaze
and I have attached it as a PDF as well.
—
Jinx Lioi, MD
they/them/theirs
PGY 3, Tucson South Family Medicine
College of Medicine Tucson
University of Arizona
I acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. As a descendant of the colonizers, I will strive to end the continued violence that the Indigenous peoples endure.
Heidi writes:
Hi Vincent,
I suppose this story will come across your rader, but just in case it doesn’t, I know you mention Rocky Mountain Labs from time to time. My son used to have a desk there when he was working on a PhD at the University of Montana.
Thanks,
Heidi in Montana
P.S. I am always so appreciative of your outrage over all these destructive anti-science cuts and terrible policies. Don’t let up!
Glenna writes:
A cartoon you might enjoy!
Brian writes:
Dear TWIV,
Thank you for being there with scientific wisdom, along with your passion for the scientific enterprise. This is especially relevant as the nation’s sciences are brutally attacked.
I’d like to share a letter I’ve sent to the governors of the seven Democrat-led states with the largest GDPs. They may not have political power, but they have fiscal power, and need to use it.
“Dear Governor,
You belong to a group that can save the world—the Magnificent Seven. You lead one of seven Democratic states that together account for 38% of U.S. GDP—the third largest economy in the world.
Of all the Trump administration’s destructive attacks, its impounding of 40%, $20 billion, of NIH funding is the worst. NIH is the linchpin of U.S. scientific leadership. The Magnificent Seven can save critical scientific research, by backfilling 38% of this lost funding.
If each state in the Magnificent Seven increases taxes by 1.86% on incomes of at least $1 million, together that will account for the 38%.
The administration’s impoundment is illegal. States can claw back the funding they provide. This is important: any recovered funding will be returned to the wealthy taxpayers.
By acting in unison, states will make a difference. Their common action makes sacrifice shared. It mutes each state’s right-wing attacks. By ensuring taxes will be returned if funds are restored, the wealthy will seek to have NIH funding restored.
Every state has its own problems politicians want to increase funding for. But their constituents are concerned about national issues. They will understand a temporary tax paid by people with incomes of at least $1 million is for science across America.
There are over 400,000 people with incomes of at least $1 million in the seven states. That’s well over half of all such people in America. All of the seven can enact this tax, even California, where Democrats have the 2/3 majorities needed.
Rise to the challenge, and join in a Magnificent Seven states that demonstrate Democrats can act aggressively and imaginatively. Triage will be necessary, since 38% of funding is restored. But this is enough to maintain scientific momentum.
Thank you for your dedicated service and thoughtful heroism.
Sincerely, etc.”
Perhaps others can encourage these states to take scientific leadership.
Brian