Wow! A timetravellingmachine, you say! And you know, that it was Goedel, the mathematician friend of Einstein, who derived solutions for the field equations of general relativity that allow time travels. Einstein said "since the mathematicians got involved in relativity theory, I don't understand it myself anymore!"
And then imagine, perhaps in future I will know if they managed to solve the Riemann conjecture - wow!
Goodnight from the mountains of the... not so north and not so south, Annemette - I go to the dark matrices of the garage with some pieces of spacetime-equipment. (And the bottle, that is! If I don't appear tomorrow, then I am still at yesterday ;-))
Dear Mathematicus! What I value very much from the time of Romantisicsm is how the respect for nature grew. From being merely something that was of use or not to mankind, it became a place of beauty and inspiration which I´m thankful for!! What would life be without the inspiration and joy from nature, and what would be left of nature, if there hadn´t been this period in time that makes us and environmentalists try to preserve nature. Yes, instead of going on a balloontrip, I urge you strongly to invent a timetravelingmachine because I´m also incredible curious about the future development.:-)) I wouldn´t want to live forever, but at least some hundreds years would be nice in order to experience all the scientific wonders that mankind will be able to produce. A trip far out in space would also be nice:-) Goodnight here from the North
Dear Annemette, daughter(son) of Eric and great discoverer of sea routes!
I am glad that you liked the poem. Romanticism, as a literature movement, is considered to be the "counter-enlightment" in Europe, the reaction to the idea that nature can be thoroughly understood by means of rationalism and mathematics. And so there sits the greek mathematician and learns that mathematics proves its own incompletness - imperfectness. It goes as far, as to prove that there are indeed statements which we *know* that they are true inside some theory, but yet we can't prove their truth inside that theory. And this is a blessing in disguise, since at the end it leaves more than enough space, in fact infinite big space for what we call intuition. And the poem states exactly that universal love for all creatures, which we just know that it is right/true, but it can't be proved by means of logical deduction - I mean strictly mathematical. So we take the camera, or the guitar, or whatever, and do whatever *is* true, good, beautifil just for us. Or else, what could be the meaning of any arts at all?
I know that the vikings were not only axt swinging wild men, Annemette. They had much of that discovery spirit, and were also very capable merchanters. Navigating under such bad conditions with so little means at that time is a real achievement. I tried the sextant once, and.. oh, well, thanks heavens we were not so far away from the coast. (And no, I didn't have any whiskey! :-D)
I am also glad to live in today in comparison to the past, but sometimes I wish to have a glance of what the next centuries will bring. I am really curious about the development in many areas.
And that cruise in the North, definitely, I'll do that some day. I imagine it very amazing but also very inspiring.
Take care dear Viking maid! Nick - going on to the next theorem!
Dear Nick, the lover of mathematics, whisky, adventure and poetry! What an overwhelming poem that has so many sides to it. It made me think of the way we live our lives, it surely made me think of the Original Sin, and finally I had to think twice about going to Antarctica, the place of my dreams, after reading about the sailors hardship in that region! I´m not surprised that you have fallen for this poem with its own "mathematical" rythm and brutal beauty of its own, different layers of meaning and the connection that it must make in your mind to your father. Thank you for introducing it to me. Yes, indeed the vikings went many places in the world and were opportunists, who learnt and adapted to other cultures whereever they came. They were so much more than brutal sailors and warriors, but living in those times and being on the ocean had to make a man tough. Yes, you should go on a cruise in the North. While sailing in Greenland we had to set anker every night because the ice made it too dangerous to sail in the darkness, and we had to sail into other fjordarms than planned due to the masses of ice. Fascinating also to watch the old places where the vikings settled down. I must say that I´m grateful for living in our time because there was nothing romantic about their hardship - it only seems that way now that we live our comfortable lives and need to see some contrasts that make us feel more alive. Take care, dear Mariner:-) Daughter(son) of Erik:-)
Yes, let's stay on this planet for the time being at least... ;-)
It is true, many thinks that remain unseen while being observed from very near, reveal themselves when seen from the distance. Same as in math, I guess.
The midsummer celebration, you say? I heard of that once - think it must be great. As about "Mjød", well, I made a mistake: It corresponds not to "Mett", but to "Met" in German. Looked that up in the web and indeed it is that drink that is made somehow of honey, it is the old drink of the vikings!
BTW, those extremely capable mariners were also in... Greece! The two mariner peoples seem to have learned much from each other, after a period of mistrust or even battle at the start. So we see, take time to know your "enemy" and he is not your enemy but your friend for ever more.
So, from one mariner to another, I dedicate these lines to you, that the old poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, brought so grandiously on paper:
http://www.wonko.info/albatross/default.htm
Oh, and not to forget the powerful adaption of Iron Maiden, when they were inspired by those very lines.
For me the very best way to re-think our relation to all those "strange", "bad", "evil" creatures out there, that never did any other harm except of being... themselves. Perhaps this could stop us from decimating them so mercyless. After all, maybe the old songs of those mariners washed by the salty water, can give us more about nature than any mathematical consideration whatsoever.
He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.
And there I stand with all my theorems and I just can't reach this perfection. Sigh!
Dear Nick, son of the black unbeliver! Traveling in a hotairballoon MUST be great although I don´t want you as the "skipper" drinking whisky:-)Unless of course you navigationskills can bring us to Mars;-) Just imagine all the photos that could be taken from above where everything looks so different. I often make myself look up in the air when being in a city because so many beautiful ornaments reveal themselves from above. I really don´t know how to pronounce "Mjød" for you, but I can tell you that it´s the old vikingdrink. Once I went to celebrate midsummer where a boat was being burnt, and people had "mjød". Usually we burn off a witchdoll on a huge fire and sing while enjoying the long, bright night and each other´s company. The fjord where I live is beautiful, but not so magnificent as the fjords in Norway that are framed by huge mountains. Well, believer in math and whisky, Pax Vobiscum means Peace be with you:-) All the best, Annemette
Wow, in a fjord you say! That must be amazing! Any photos?
Actually the Lake Lucerne is said to be "fjord-like" in some locations, but from what I have seen in photos, the fjords are simply unique!
Considering genes, well.. mine are rather well suited to forget about the cold, the snow, and anything else and to get absorbed in maths, but the good thing about that is that such trivial things like food and the like can get quite "forgotten" for the long time in the boat. (But whisky remains - I guess that's why such journeys can get quite surprising under my navigation skills - Where are we? Japan, you say? :-D)
Oh, and not to forget, my name, "Karagiaouroglou" means.. the son of the black unbeliever. Quite strange but it could explain my somewhat strong addiction to proofs.
And, Annemett, what is mjød, and how do you pronounce it? Is it perhaps that what the german know as "Mett", the "honey wine"?
A ballon would be just great! How many people can that thing carry? Wow, you gave me an idea! Ballon flying is very very common around here in summer - I think I should ask about it and see if I could organize some ballon photo shooting for anybody interested here. I have to figure out how long/high they can fly, but the idea is great!
And, last question, "Pax Vobiscum", what does it mean? "Pax" is peace, isn't it?
Best wishes and thank you so much for the idea-virus of the ballon - what a nice thing this could be!
Nick!
P.S.: Hey, out there, anybody with interest for a ballon flight?
Dear not-so-sober Nick:-)) A longboat would be great! I actually live by a fjord where the vikings used to sail or should I say roam, and there are people still making them in the old way and sailing them on the great oceans. A drink in such one would be needed as it can get cold! But as my name says, I AM son of Erik:-)))so it must be in my genes to face the cold and unknown, even without a drink of "mjød":-)) What about an airballoon?! That would match all our crazy ideas and thoughts! The Greek Philosopher, the Viking Maid, The California Kid(we sound like American wrestlers...)and maybe more could join us on this crazy adventure- at least of the mind;-) Pax Vobiscum, Annemette
Thank you very much for the detailed and lovely comment, Doyle - errhm, I mean California Kid! Indeed, I wanted the colors outside the train to resonate with the whiskey and so I made a couple of shots, since it is not easy to say how the colors outside will mix up through the bluring of motion. So this one was the best of the series.
I imagine now, the California Kid, the Viking Maid, the Greek Philosopher, and everybody else here on a long trip of photo shooting - in train, drakkar, or on horses! (But where to put the bottle when riding? ;-))
Absolutely right, and if we combine the pleasure of mathematics with that of watching what passes by out there, and drinking a nice glass, then we have all at once!
The question is if the greek philosopher can remember that theorem afterwards, but I keep good hope - hicks! - where is my functor?
Best wishes frrm th grekk phlsoph to te vking maiid! *8-S
P.S.: Another good idea would be to do the same in a drakkar instead of a train! :-)
Nicely composed . . . even before the drinking ;D. Warm amber and topaz-like colors, with the colors outside the train resonating well with the remaining liquid in the bottle surrounded by a lighter yellow frame . . . this is good work Nick. If Annemette's the Viking maid and you're the Greek philosopher then I suppose I'm a California Kid! This is one of your better ones.
Dear Nick There are many pleasures in travelling:-)Some are eternal, and some are short and pleasurable. A very nice photo with good tones as if the liquid is drawn to the outside passing world as much as you might be yourself. Best wishes from the viking maid:-))to the Greek philosopher!
bojour Nick, très belle maîtrise des couleurs et la composition... une simple bouteille peut devenir une très belle image... avec un regard exercé..... salutations...
No, my friend Tuba, it was red. Were it black, it would never be in the train - too many people there ;-)
But noo, seriously now, I just had the wish to capture some scene that is a bit melancholic, in the sense of "a tramp from town to town", and so I felt that real good whisky wouldn't match.
But as we know, all wiskys are bad - only that some of them are even... bader! ;-)
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