Died on this day in 1971 — the 20th Century’s greatest musician. Here is Pop’s #1 fan and keeper of the flame on the recent Mosaic release. Also, here is a recent interview with Ricky.
Brian Jones
Kafka — born on this day
Muscle Shoals
Top-notch documentary about an amazing man and his sense of place (even the usually irritating talking heads such as Bono are for once palatable).
Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America’s most creative and defiant music. Under the spiritual influence of the “Singing River,” as Native Americans called it, the music of Muscle Shoals has helped create some of the most important and resonant songs of all time. At its heart is Rick Hall, who founded FAME Studios. He is responsible for creating the “Muscle Shoals sound” and the Swampers, the house band at FAME that eventually left to start their own successful studio, known as Muscle Shoals Sound. Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals’ magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today.
Bounded Rationality Updated
Special issue of Mind & Society. (H/T to Francesco Di Iorio)
From April 8th to 10th 2013, the Herbert Simon Society held its first General Conference in New York. About fifty researchers from different countries and working in different areas attended the event. The conference focused on three topics which were identified as particularly relevant in the development of Simonian thought: duality of mind, creativity and alternative theories to rational expectations. A first Herbert Simon Honorary Lecture by Gerd Gigerenzer opened the conference. Gerg Gigerenzer was later elected as Chairman of the Herbert Simon Society. Joseph Stiglitz closed the conference with the second Herbert Simon Honorary Lecture.
The Herbert A. Simon Society brings together economists, social and cognitive scientists engaged in critical issues such as bounded rationality, problem solving, simulation of human thought and creativity. In particular, it gathers some of the most important economists who try to reformulate economic theory by starting from some of the non-neoclassical micro-foundations that have been developed in recent years. The Simon Society shares many interests with other Associations working on Behavioural Economics, Economic and Cognitive Social Psychology and Artificial Intelligence.
This special issue collects some of the most interesting papers presented at the conference. Katherine Simon Frank, Herbert Simon’s daughter, made some welcoming remarks and talked about her father. In describing his way of being a parent, Kathie highlights some important aspects of Herbert Simon’s intellectual nature, such as his openness, his willingness to understand the world and debate with no preconceptions. This is also one of the goals of the Herbert Simon Society.
Stigmergic Flows
Here’s is a series of excellent stigmergic renderings.
A Confederacy of Dunces – quotes and extracts – 64
Unfortunately, my feet could not keep pace with my soul (p. 197).
Some musk which my system generates must be especially appealing to the authorities of the government . . . Like a bitch in heat, I seem to attract a coterie of policemen and sanitation officials (p. 198).
Perhaps the Quarter will provide me with some material: a crusade for taste and decency, for theology and geometry, perhaps (p. 200).
Suspendedly,
Lance, Your Besieged Working Boy
Bobby Womack (1944 − 2014)
Q+A with Antonio Damasio
This from MIT Technology Review (H/T to Mark Frazier).
He believes that neurobiological research has a distinctly philosophical purpose.
There was something that appealed to me because of my interest in literature and music.
We wouldn’t have music, art, religion, science, technology, economics, politics, justice, or moral philosophy without the impelling force of feelings.
I would not want to go to only one level, because I don’t think the really interesting things occur at just one level.
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
I’ve always liked Ferry’s quirky rendition of Dylan’s classic and the low-budget glam video (well it was 1973).
