Taivo Lints Blog

(click on pic to see full size)

A digital painting I made recently. It is supposed to show how nice are Estonian (or Nordic, in general) sunsets and how good a place it is for a scientist to sit in fresh air and think about the research without being disturbed by anybody, but still having a wireless internet connection (almost all of Estonia is covered).

If you wonder why the heck I would make such a picture, it was actually for an Estonian computer drawing contest "Draw me a scientist". As I'm not very good at drawing people (yes, I know, I should practice), I decided to minimize the "scientist" part on the picture. Probably not a very good idea from the competition viewpoint -- I didn't get any prize :) But I enjoyed the painting process anyway. Maybe I'll remove the scientist and laptop from the pic, when I have some time for it.

Tools: ArtRage 2.2 Free, Wacom Graphire4 A6, and my almighty self-assembled PC.

The book discusses the notion of time (reversible vs. irreversible), gives a mathematical overview of transformation groups and statistical mechanics (Gibbs style), time series, information and communication (Shannon style), explores feedback and stability of systems containing feedback, and then goes on by trying to apply all that to understanding how organisms and brains work.

It apparently is a classic book, and most likely was state-of-the-art, innovative and influential when it first came out in 1948. However, I, in 2007, did not much enjoy reading it as most of the content is nowadays either well known or disproven. What I did get out of it was a quick glimpse into the state of science more than half a century ago.

More information at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/026273009X

A book originally from 1975, reprinted in 1992 with an additional chapter.

The work proposes a formal framework for studying adaptivity, and shows how the genetic processes can be generalized to be useful in many different disciplines (the 1975 book is the one that reportedly brought genetic algorithms into wider use). The approach indeed seems to be not presenting genetic evolution as just an example of an adaptive process, but as a (or The) source of inspiration and ideas for understanding all kinds of adaptive systems.

A very short summary of the formal framework:

An adaptive system could be specified by a set of objects (A, Omega, I, tau), where:

• A is the set of attainable structures (the domain of action of the adaptive plan).
• Omega is the set of operators for modifying structures.
• I is the set of possible inputs to the system from the environment.
• tau is the adaptive plan which, on the basis of the input and structure at time t, determines what operator is to be applied at time t.

A problem in adaptation would be said to be well posed once the following constructs have been specified:

• A set of plans, given either explicitly or implicitly, which are candidates for comparison.
• A set of possible environments (or states of the environment) that the system may encounter.
• A criterion for comparing the efficiency of different plans (under the uncertainty represented by the set of possible environments).

Reading the book was quite useful for me, as I am trying to understand the concept of adaptivity. But if your goal is to understand genetic algorithms, I'm sure you can find more up to date and easier to follow sources for that.

More information about the book at MIT Press: http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=7593

and at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0262581116

Yoshi Oida, a Japanese actor who has also worked a lot in the West, gives his view and suggestions about how to become a good actor. The approach is greatly influenced by Eastern culture, and is based more on developing the feelings of presence and flow than intellectually analyzing and deconstructing the actions. Many ideas in the book are useful and interesting not only for actors, but also to the wider audience.

More information at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0413696103/

A review in New York Theatre Wire: http://nytheatre-wire.com/MC99111T.htm

Some notes (for myself): Working in a dedicated place, ritually / meditatively cleaned room, prepared body, special clothing. Awareness of how body postures and movements affect inner / emotional state. Awareness of all room directions in all dimensions, and different orientations of the body. Awareness of how a different ordering of movements changes the feeling. Imagining being constantly in front of the audience, but still behaving naturally. Concentrating on the little finger. Understanding the acting through body, not mind. The flow of movements directed by what feels natural, not what should be done next. Imagining the distances longer, things heavier, but not explicitly demonstrating it like mimes. Contrast / balance of powerful vs. peaceful activity (inner vs. outer, upper body vs. lower body). Repetition leading to change. Creating emotions through appropriate posture / movement, not through imagination. Free and sensitive body leads to flexible thinking and richer emotional life. Acted boringness must not be boring to watch (in theatre). Breathing exercises with imagination (feet, etc.), sound (directional, aaa, ooo, mmm, eee, iii). The sound of words and text (in addition to meaning). Constant perfection is tiring to the audience, alternate with easier / usual / non-emphasized parts.

A pocket-size collection of four texts: 101 Zen Stories, The Gateless Gate, The 10 Bulls ("Ox-Herding Pictures"), and Centering (or whatever it's original name is). All these texts are actually also available on the web, but reading them from this small book feels a lot better :) By the way, it helps to enjoy the book more, or understand it better, if you have any experience with meditation.

I liked it.

More information about the book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1570620636