January 2019 - Out of the Box

January 31, 2019September 14, 2021 by anitrab

“A Protegee of the Mistress”

From 1926-1940, John Laurence Seymour held an instructor position for the departments of both the Dramatic Arts and English at Sacramento Junior College. As part of his responsibilities for the Department of Dramatic Art, he was tasked with directing all of the school’s theatrical productions. Under Seymour’s careful direction, dozens of productions opened to praise from the local community. Seymour kept mementos of seemingly all of the productions he directed, meaning that the John Laurence Seymour Papers collection is full of programs and photographs from various Sacramento Junior College productions. Below are some mementos from “A Protegee of the Mistress”, performed on May 3, 1929. This production was the first performance of the play in America.

The photos below are scans of hand painted scenes used for the set design. Note that in the photo with the actors, you can see how the set created for scene 3 translated to real life!

January 29, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Is Choice the Problem?

Civilization as we know it
depends on a widespread belief in the notion of free will. Benjamin
Libet and many other scientists, however, have repeatedly demonstrated otherwise.
If there is no free will then the problem is not choice. This notion would
solve a lot of problems and may create new ones.
The most beautiful
scientific theories are also the most parsimonious. Therefore, I will refer to
a dialogue between C. A. Swan and Tony Wendice in one of my favorite Hitchcock
movies. How does Wendice know Swan will agree? “For the same reason that a
donkey with a stick behind and a carrot in front always goes forwards and not
backwards.”

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January 24, 2019September 14, 2021 by anitrab

Transitioning from NARA to Special Collections

While being a CLIR CCEPS Fellow did not make me a government employee…. My project of scanning documents at NARA means that I too suffer the consequences of the Government Shutdown. While it has been a difficult, and boring, month off from scanning, today starts my new CCEPS Fellowship with Honnold/Mudd Special Collections. My new assignment is to complete the processing of the John Laurence Seymour Papers. My colleague working on the project before me completed processing nearly all of Dr. Seymour’s correspondence, which leave me with all of his documents relating to research, family, teaching, travel, productions, music, and of course his impressive collection of meticulously kept diaries. I look forward to getting to know Dr. Seymour better over the course of the semester, as well as making the collection available to future researchers.

January 24, 2019September 14, 2021 by vinht

Computers of Yesteryear, Part I: Libraries

As the Moore’s Law continues to sweep through various basements and computer shops, Windows 7 specimen with less than 16 GB in RAM are no longer the favored pets as nerds and filthy casuals alike find the newer breeds of Mac and PC the ideal companions. These dinosaurs have to migrate to libraries, where high processing power is not a prioritized trait. Here, they are made to perform tedious tasks like converting PDF files for their new owners. Unfortunately, even these jobs are proving to be too much for the pre-6th gen Intel units. One would expect these poor things to be retired happily in an 80s hacker’s den upstate somewhere but without means to acquire better replacements, these computers of yesteryear may have to slave themselves until they finally give out, painfully.

January 23, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Document Scanner

Yesterday I
enjoyed an elevated level of comfort in working with the scanning equipment. My
ability to produce clear scanned images coupled with a highly courteous,
interpersonal and cheerful disposition renders me a strong candidate for any
scanning position. For all those on the market for a scanning gig, I highly
recommend building a strong reputation in producing high quality digital copies
of data while keeping track of destination folders. For those of
you scanning enthusiasts, I endorse hours of practice with Apple’s document scanner inside the Notes app.

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January 17, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Nothing Like Being Jinxed by C. Frankish

Last week, I had the audacity to question Mr. Frankish’s third
highlight, an “abundant water supply,” to describe the “Model Colony of
Southern California.” Ever since, it has been raining cats and dogs. I
stand corrected once again.

On a side note, my tip of the week is as follows: Please hack in your
email address in your umbrella handle. I know chiseling takes effort; but in
case you lose it, you’ll thank me later.

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January 10, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Significance of Three

According to the Crystallinks.com/numerology, “the alchemy of three is
demonstrated by its power of multiplicity. For example, one gave rise to two
(1+1=2) and two gave rise to three (2+1=3) and three gave rise to all numbers
(3+1=4, 3+2=5, 3+3=6, 3+4=7, 3+5=8 3+6=9).” It is then written that 3 is the “number
of good fortune, multiplicity, and alchemy.”

Importantly, in the third paragraph of a letter to Messrs. Lee &
Sumner, Mr. Frankish requests a more prominent heading to describe the “Model Colony
of Southern California.” He highlights the following three: i) fine climate,
ii) famous avenues, and iii) abundant water supply. However, one may argue with his third highlight.

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January 9, 2019September 14, 2021 by vinht

Half-Life 3 Confirmed!

The new hourly rate is $12: 1 + 2 = 3

This week schedule was MTW 666: 3 No. 6; 6 / 2 = 3

Uploaded 24 items: 666 / (2 + 4) = 111; 1 + 1 + 1 = 3

Praise ~~Satan~~ Santa, Half-Life 3 is coming!

January 4, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Vincerò

I am back! As Germans say, “Guten Rutsch!” It means happy New Year. Literally, it means “a good slide.” Personally, I am a big fan of its literal translation. It makes me feel as if I am sledding between galaxies at warp velocity.

I hope that the 2019 space-time continuum- or Minkowski space- will be a great win for all. As for me, I started the year by listening to Puccini’s aria, Nessun Dorma. I can hear the aria now,

Set, stars! Set, stars!

At dawn, I will win!

I will win! (Vincerò).

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