And I thought "Gödel, Escher, Bach" was labyrinthine. Great essay, one of your finest. And given the poetry you covered reminded me of what may be my favorite poem of all time:
Ok. I will overcome my annoyance at being click-baited with the earth-shattering possibility of a proof -- any proof -- of Goldbach's conjecture. Dude! There are some things that are just not to be messed with.
I will overcome it because, once I got here, I was badgered into reading "I Saw a Tangerine Sun Suspended in Haze Over the Cemetery Tonight". It was worth the trip.
And, something of an optimist. Let me cite a couple movies that, against all odds, got their books RIGHT:
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being
- Catch 22
... and a movie that has nothing to do with a book, that also got it right. Just because:
P.S. I do think that the story of the Jackson-Johnson proof was pretty awesome as well, don't you? I know it's not Goldbach's Conjecture, but it's still a cool story, n'est-ce pas? And in conclusion, thanks for the movie recs. I've never seen any of them, so that's something I can now look forward to.
Oh yes. I am not sure that mere "awesome" is quite the right term. Two quite brilliant insights: constructing the right triangle *outside* the original and then dealing with an infinite sequence. Yeah. I would say that is impressive.
I cannot believe you have not seen Catch 22. Alan Arkin? Bob Newhart? Buck Henry? ALAN ARKIN???
But I did see Alan Arkin in 'LIttle Murders,' which also features Eliot Gould and Donald Sutherland, and I highly recommend it. I saw it, twice, in Paris in 1971 (with French subtitles. The French title was "Petits meurtes sans importance"). It was written by Jules Feiffer.
Among many fine performances, Arkin's was a standout.
I'll always love Newhart for his show Newhart, in which he plays a freelance technical writer who owns an inn in Vermont. In one episode he was working on book called "How to build a doghouse that your pup will really love you for." In my book, Bob Newhart is the patron saint of all freelance technical writers.
In 2006 I was an usher at the premiere of the MV Playhouse production of Feiffer's 'Knock, knock' that starred his daughter Haley. At the reception after the show Jules, who was then 77, was seated like a Santa Claus with a short line of people waiting to say hello to him. I told him how much I had enjoyed Little Murders, & that I knew a lot of it by heart. He said, slowly. "Oh, you saw that, did you? Well, you're in very select company."
Haley & her sister Kate are both babes, btw. I think, but am not sure, that Kate is a subscriber to this very substack. So if you are a subscriber, Kate, and if you are reading this comment, here's a 'mwah!' just for you.
Little Murders was a very very wonderful movie. I, however, mostly remember Feiffer for the lanky woman dressed in black who danced across the editorial pages.
... and you continue to reinforce my opinion that the Forrest Gump is strong with you. You met him, huh?
I only met him that one time and our conversation lasted less than one minute. I have never met Haley. Kate Feiffer, however, is a friend of me & Betty. She spends most winters in NYC, but 2/3 of the year here, where she works at Martha's Vineyard Times & directs the Islanders Write book festival, which, I really need to get involved with that this year! Mountain of Devils! For the love of all things holy, will you just please finish that fucking thing, John, finally?
Kate also once told Betty, apropos of what I have no idea, "Your husband loves you very much, you know." That is, bleeve me, a very useful arrow to have in one's quiver.
Blake, I do apologize for the clickbaiting on sacred ground. It won't happen again. (Probbly.)
I'm glad you liked 'Tangerine sun' -- I do too, as you've seen. I loved Nancy's photograph, and I was tickled by her partner Paul's sly comment, which I was proud of myself for decoding. I don't remember if I put this in my essay, but Nancy and Paul are members of a Martha's Vineyard musical institution called The Flying Elbows, who play bluegrass, old-timey & 'Americana' music, and have done for 30+ years. Nancy's the fiddler in the group. These days she frequently posts snapshots on Facebook, and they're usually pretty awesome, but few as awesome as her Tangerine Sun.
I've got 3 new essays in various stages of composition to be posted between now & Memorial Day. I hope you'll find at least of them to your liking.
Oh come now, Keith! From a poindexter like yourself I demand nothing less than an explication of how I have totally misrepresented the work of Goldbach, Gödel, Jackson & Johnson, Turing, and Pythagorus (for starters). Let's get this party started!
And I thought "Gödel, Escher, Bach" was labyrinthine. Great essay, one of your finest. And given the poetry you covered reminded me of what may be my favorite poem of all time:
This Be The Verse
By Philip Larkin
-
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
-
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
-
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
Thank you, Mark. We do love that Larkin poem, as it too is 'bitter, bitter.' As always, thanks in advance for any help spreading the word.
Life is an experimental journey undertaken involuntarily. -- Fernando Pessoa
I've never done drugs in my life, because not interested, but reading you, John, is such a kaleidoscopic trip.
This is f-ing wonderful.
Thank you so much, Lucian. As always, thanks in advance for any attention you can bring to these things.
A long ramble with no particular destination, but maybe I'm weird - I liked it...
Chuck Berry:
Riding along in my automobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin' wild
Cruisin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
(et ansi de suite. . .)
Ok. I will overcome my annoyance at being click-baited with the earth-shattering possibility of a proof -- any proof -- of Goldbach's conjecture. Dude! There are some things that are just not to be messed with.
I will overcome it because, once I got here, I was badgered into reading "I Saw a Tangerine Sun Suspended in Haze Over the Cemetery Tonight". It was worth the trip.
And, something of an optimist. Let me cite a couple movies that, against all odds, got their books RIGHT:
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being
- Catch 22
... and a movie that has nothing to do with a book, that also got it right. Just because:
- Céline et Julie vont en Bateau
How's that for click bait?
P.S. I do think that the story of the Jackson-Johnson proof was pretty awesome as well, don't you? I know it's not Goldbach's Conjecture, but it's still a cool story, n'est-ce pas? And in conclusion, thanks for the movie recs. I've never seen any of them, so that's something I can now look forward to.
Oh yes. I am not sure that mere "awesome" is quite the right term. Two quite brilliant insights: constructing the right triangle *outside* the original and then dealing with an infinite sequence. Yeah. I would say that is impressive.
I cannot believe you have not seen Catch 22. Alan Arkin? Bob Newhart? Buck Henry? ALAN ARKIN???
But I did see Alan Arkin in 'LIttle Murders,' which also features Eliot Gould and Donald Sutherland, and I highly recommend it. I saw it, twice, in Paris in 1971 (with French subtitles. The French title was "Petits meurtes sans importance"). It was written by Jules Feiffer.
Among many fine performances, Arkin's was a standout.
I'll always love Newhart for his show Newhart, in which he plays a freelance technical writer who owns an inn in Vermont. In one episode he was working on book called "How to build a doghouse that your pup will really love you for." In my book, Bob Newhart is the patron saint of all freelance technical writers.
In 2006 I was an usher at the premiere of the MV Playhouse production of Feiffer's 'Knock, knock' that starred his daughter Haley. At the reception after the show Jules, who was then 77, was seated like a Santa Claus with a short line of people waiting to say hello to him. I told him how much I had enjoyed Little Murders, & that I knew a lot of it by heart. He said, slowly. "Oh, you saw that, did you? Well, you're in very select company."
Haley & her sister Kate are both babes, btw. I think, but am not sure, that Kate is a subscriber to this very substack. So if you are a subscriber, Kate, and if you are reading this comment, here's a 'mwah!' just for you.
Little Murders was a very very wonderful movie. I, however, mostly remember Feiffer for the lanky woman dressed in black who danced across the editorial pages.
... and you continue to reinforce my opinion that the Forrest Gump is strong with you. You met him, huh?
... and, by the way: "EVERYBODY TO GET FROM STREET!!!"
Emergency! Emergency!
I only met him that one time and our conversation lasted less than one minute. I have never met Haley. Kate Feiffer, however, is a friend of me & Betty. She spends most winters in NYC, but 2/3 of the year here, where she works at Martha's Vineyard Times & directs the Islanders Write book festival, which, I really need to get involved with that this year! Mountain of Devils! For the love of all things holy, will you just please finish that fucking thing, John, finally?
Kate also once told Betty, apropos of what I have no idea, "Your husband loves you very much, you know." That is, bleeve me, a very useful arrow to have in one's quiver.
Blake, I do apologize for the clickbaiting on sacred ground. It won't happen again. (Probbly.)
I'm glad you liked 'Tangerine sun' -- I do too, as you've seen. I loved Nancy's photograph, and I was tickled by her partner Paul's sly comment, which I was proud of myself for decoding. I don't remember if I put this in my essay, but Nancy and Paul are members of a Martha's Vineyard musical institution called The Flying Elbows, who play bluegrass, old-timey & 'Americana' music, and have done for 30+ years. Nancy's the fiddler in the group. These days she frequently posts snapshots on Facebook, and they're usually pretty awesome, but few as awesome as her Tangerine Sun.
I've got 3 new essays in various stages of composition to be posted between now & Memorial Day. I hope you'll find at least of them to your liking.
Still shaking off the shaggy dog hair.
Oh come now, Keith! From a poindexter like yourself I demand nothing less than an explication of how I have totally misrepresented the work of Goldbach, Gödel, Jackson & Johnson, Turing, and Pythagorus (for starters). Let's get this party started!
I found the blog post that I lifted that screencap from:
https://thatsmaths.com/2023/06/01/the-waffle-cone-and-a-new-proof-of-pythagoras-theorem/