Neil deGrasse Tyson at Vanderbilt Nov. 13th
November 7, 2012
I don’t announce many non-music events on this blog, but this is one big exception: Neil deGrasse Tyson will be speaking at Vanderbilt University’s Langford Auditorium next Tuesday, Nov. 13th. This guy is a total badass. He is one of the few true “real science” celebrities, and he’s also one of my personal heroes. He’s been on TV countless times- hosting shows on PBS, Discovery Channel, Science Channel and more, as well as guest appearances on The Daily Show and Colbert Report many times. I have no idea what he will talk about, but mark my word it will be entertaining and informative. The guy always manages to succeed in convincing the masses that nerd stuff is cool, and is thus an invaluable ambassador of science to the public. I strongly suggest getting your ticket now via any Ticketmaster outlet. They’re only $5 for non-Vandy students, and $10 for general public. (And free if you’re a Vandy student, staff, or faculty member!)
UPDATE: I didn’t realize this event was already sold out! So, still awesome and I hope you got tickets in time!
Here’s the official Vanderbilt link for more info.
See you there!
A Few Good Shows: 11/2/12
November 2, 2012
After a weekend of crazy Halloween parties and other shenanigans, it’s good to get back to a weekend of good old regular shows. No gimmicks, no costumes, no bullshit. Here’s what looks good to me:
FRIDAY:
Frontier Ruckus, Honey Locust, and Foreign Fields @ The High Watt. 9pm $10
Man or Astro Man? w/ Ri¢hie, and The Ultras S/C @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $15
Stardeath and White Dwarves w/ New Fumes, Linear Downfall, and Space Face @ The End. 9pm $10
SATURDAY:
He’s My Brother She’s My Sister w/ Denny & The Jets @ The High Watt. 7:30pm (early show) $10
The Fresh & Onlys w/ Quilt and No Regrets Coyote @ Exit/In. 8pm $10
That’s all for now- have a great weekend!
Sandy: memes and mesmerizing wind patterns
October 30, 2012
First of all allow me to direct you to my girlfriend’s blog, and her post about Hurricane Sandy. In short, her parents live a few blocks from the bay on Long Island, and her childhood home flooded with about 2 feet of water last night. So if you’re the praying type, keep her family in your prayers. If you’re the thinking type, keep them in your thoughts.
I discovered this jaw-dropping, mesmerizing US wind map this morning via Discovery News. This fascinating animation is created by streaming realtime wind speed and direction data from the National Digital Forecast Database and feeding it into software that then generates the animation, graphing out the wind as lines across a map of the U.S. The image at the top of this post is a screenshot of the remnants of Sandy. When you visit it, be sure to click on the map and zoom in on the center of circulation. Get really close- it’s truly mesmerizing. Things like this have always fueled my fascination with weather.
And what would any major event, good or bad, be without some sort of meme coming from it? Please direct your browser toward the hilarity of NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s sign interpreter Lydia Calas. I was watching the weather channel last night when this address was airing live, and her face, coupled with Bloomberg’s pathetic attempt at Spanish, provided us some much-needed comic relief in the midst of all the bad news. Literally within minutes of that airing, there was a joke “Miguel Bloombito” twitter account created. I recommend following…
A Few Good Shows: 10/26/12
October 26, 2012
Glitter nipples!
As most Halloween weekends are in Nashville, this weekend is utterly insane with Halloween-themed parties/shows/you name it. You’ve probably already made up your mind about what you’re doing this weekend, but if you haven’t, here are a few suggestions.
FRIDAY:
The Sea and Cake @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $15
Seasick Steve w/ Promised Land @ Third Man Records. Doors 6pm, show 8pm, $10
SATURDAY:
Tomahawk w/ PUJOL @ Exit/In. 9pm SOLD OUT
Halloween through the Decades with My So-Called Band, The Guilty Pleasures, and The Aught-Nots at Mercy Lounge, Cannery, and The Hight Watt. 9pm, $20 ($15 adv)
Wooden Wand, MV & EE, and Promised Land @ the Stone Fox. 8pm $7
Tristen, Companion, and The Pomegranates @ The Basement. 9pm $7
Freelance Whales w/ Geographer @ The End. 8pm $15
That’s all I’ve got for you. Have a badass Halloween weekend!
Zombies Unite! Undead Underground party tomorrow night!
October 25, 2012
Tomorrow night there will be an epic Halloween party, and you’re invited! Yes, Erica of 615 Design has opened her awesome theatrical set design studio for the second year in row to host the Zombie Unite! Undead Underground party! This year the party’s entertainment features my band Scale Model, Girls & Money, and DJs Burgers and Sex Gravy. We also have the Latin Wagon food truck, FREE BEER (with a donation to Hike for the Homeless Team Hotsteppers), and a professional zombie makeup artist onsite! Trust me- this is the coolest space you can imagine for a Halloween party, complete with a huge creepy-ass fake tree from one of Erica’s past set designs. Did I mention it’s totally FREE to get in? Yeah, it’s free. Here’s the full rundown:
Zombies Unite! Undead Underground
at 615 Design: 1015 W. Kirkland Ave, Suite 310
Bands: Scale Model and Girls & Money
DJs: Burgers and Sex Gravy
Latin Wagon food truck, FREE BEER w/ charitable donation
Professional makeup artist onsite
Starts at 9pm, NO COVER
Zap! Curiosity shoots soil on Mars with laser
October 24, 2012
Credit: NASA/JPL
This bizarre-looking animation is not some kind zit popping (which is the first thing that came to mind when I first saw it), but in fact the hole left behind in some Martian soil after the Curiosity rover zapped with a high-powered laser in order to study its chemical composition. Curiosity has been steadily traveling across its home, Gale Crater, and doing lots of good science along the way. This latest experiment zapped the soil 30 times to heat it up to a temperature so hot that it glows. Each element glows at a specific color of light when heated to those temperatures, and an instrument called a spectroscope reads those colors emitted and can discern exactly what elements the glowing material is made of. Curiosity also recently took several scoops of soil from the surface which will be delivered to various onboard instruments this week, which will directly examine its mineral makeup. I’m looking forward the release of those results, as they could tell us whether or not Mars could’ve supported life in the past. But I couldn’t resist posting this bizarre animated GIF… just keep staring at that for a while.
(Via Bad Astronomy and NASA)
A Few Good Shows: 10/19/12
October 19, 2012
Another fine weekend is in store for Nashville show-goers! There’s something for everyone, so don’t sit around on your couch- get out and see some bands.
FRIDAY:
Fly Golden Eagle, James Wallace & The Naked Light, Meadownoise @ The Stone Fox. 9pm $5
QDP @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $1
Die Antwoord w/ Five Knives (DJ set) @ Marathon Music Works. 8pm $22-$25
SATURDAY:
Forget Cassettes O Cursa release show w/ By Lightning! and Poly @ Exit/In. 9pm $10
Banditos, Promised Land, Oh Dang Lo Mein, Clear Plastic Masks @ The Basement. 9pm $5
Alabama Shakes, Blackfoot Gypsies, Frances & The Foundation, Patrick Sweany @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $donation (This is a benefit show for a terminally ill friend of the Alabama Shakes.)
That’s all I’ve got- have a great weekend!
Forget Cassettes: O Cursa I out now
October 17, 2012
Yesterday marked the release of the first of three new EPs from Forget Cassettes. It’s very exciting to see EG Cameron getting this long-awaited new material out there. You can get via the official Forget Cassettes website. These songs are a stark departure from the guitar and heavy rhythm-driven material of the last two FC albums. Dark, moody, atmospheric and spacious, this new material still showcases Beth’s tender and sometimes even fragile voice, even though it’s sometimes buried in a wash of delay and reverb. The effects and electronic sounds work well with overall mood of the songs, and though it’s a departure from her previous material, it’s a departure that makes sense. Be sure to check out the EP release show this Saturday Oct. 20th at Exit/In, where they’ll be joined by By Lightning! and Poly.
Our nearest galactic neighbor Alpha Centauri has a planet!
October 17, 2012
Very exciting news in the world of planet hunting! Our nearest star (that’s not our own sun) Alpha Centauri has an Earth-mass planet orbiting it! The planet is 1.13 times the mass of Earth, but only takes 3.24 days to orbit the star. That short orbital period means it’s VERY close to its parent star Alpha Centauri B, and probably has a surface covered in hot molten lava- not a pleasant place. The Alpha Centauri system is famous because it’s so close to us and has been included in many sci fi movies and stories. It’s a triple-star system only 4.3 light years away, and if it does turn out to have a habitable planet, it would no doubt be the destination of our first interstellar travels, if and when we ever develop the technology for it. This planet was found using the radial velocity method, which observes the faint wobble that an orbiting planet exerts on its parent star. Apparently this wobble was so faint and hard to detect that its discovery is somewhat of a milestone in the art of planet hunting. Scientists also think that this discovery increases the chance that we will find a habitable world in the Alpha Centauri system. For more info check out Bad Astronomy or New Scientist.
Felix Baumgartner’s chest cam footage/more timelapse from the ISS
October 16, 2012
This video clip shows some of the amazing footage from Felix Baumgartner’s chest and head cameras during his successful supersonic skydive attempt Sunday. I’m sure you’ve heard most of this by now, but the preliminary numbers are 9 minutes & 3 seconds jump to landing, top speed of 833.9 mph or Mach 1.24, jump height of 128,100 feet, and freefall time of 4 minutes & 20 seconds. He broke all the records previously owned by Col. Joe Kittinger (who was a consultant on the mission and coached Felix through the whole jump) except for one: longest freefall. Presumably this is because he fell so fast. The faster you fall the shorter your freefall time will be. Felix entered a terrifying spin during the first part of the dive, but he managed to regain control and did not have to deploy the emergency stabilization chute, which would have prevented him from breaking speed of sound.
In other science-related news, photographer and videographer Christopher Malin created a surreal new type of timelapse that I’ve yet to see used on space station footage- a stack. Stacking involves blending each frame of the footage into the next, creating a blurred effect with light trails and star trails. Just watch it, it’s kind of a head trip:
steve cross loves music and science 