#rhizo15 – Request for Help
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 07/16/2015 - 19:59This year, I participated in #rhizo15, a cMOOC. I also participated in a couple MOOCs on Poetry and a conference on Poetry in Church. So, I have a question, particularly for my #rhizo15 friends, because I suspect they are the most likely to come up with a suggestion.
I am looking for a graduate degree program for someone who never finished their undergraduate degree that combines all of the above. Something like:
A Modern/Postmodern/metamodern/structuralist/poststructuralist (metastructuralist?) program bringing in ideas from Deleuze, Guattari, Lacan, Foucault, Derrida, Barthes, etc., focusing on poetry, theology, and mysticism. From Roland Barthes to Karl Barth.
A Connectivist Master’s of Poststructural Sacred Fine Arts?
Any thoughts, ideas, recommendations?
Reading and Resting
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 07/15/2015 - 20:45The kitten sits on the window skill looking at the dark green leaves swaying in the evening breeze. Downstairs, my wife and daughter watch a television show. I look at various ideas waiting for me online. Hugh MacDiarmid, Lucille Clifton, R. S. Thomas.
I glance at random news stories, about a lethal zoonotic squirrel virus and the effect of climate change on death rates. I glance at Facebook, and messages for the augmented reality game I play.
I think about the books I’ve been reading and the discussions I’ve been having.
Structure. Transcendence. MFAs and M.Divs.
By now, the kitten is a sleep and it is dark outside. No great words have come this evening. Perhaps it is time to read and rest.
MyGreenVolt
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 07/14/2015 - 22:30For my birthday, I got a bluetooth OBDII adapter. OBDII is the second revision of the on board diagnostic systems used in most cars today. It is probably best known in terms of the scanner that is used to figure out why the check engine light is on. However, it can also be used for all kinds of diagnostics.
The specific Bluetooth OBD11 adapter I got was made by BAFX. It is a fairly inexpensive adapter. I paired it with my Samsung Galaxy G4 phone and ran two apps.
The first app was Torque Lite. Torque seems to be the most popular app for Android devices talking with cars over OBDII Bluetooth adapters. My gearhead friends may find the information Torque provides interesting, but mostly, I used it as a test to make sure the adapter was working.
The app I was more interested in is MyGreenVolt. It is designed for volts, focusing on electricity consumption, battery temperature, Miles per kWh and stuff like that.
On my initial test, it seems not to run well in the background, which is how I had hoped to run it. The idea being that I would gather the data, and then analyze it later when I’m not driving. Fortunately, I have two cell phones, so I started running it on the phone I use less frequently.
So far, I’m getting about 4.4 miles/kWh. I’m not sure how that compares with others, and I’m not sure what I can do to get better mileage. I’ve only briefly looked at the data from the App and I expect that will be the next area I spend some time analyzing.
If any of you know other good resources on using OBDII with a Chevy Volt, let me know.
The Funeral
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 07/13/2015 - 14:06The young girl
wistfully sniffed
the red carnation
before
placing the flower
gently
on the waiting casket
as her sister
wept quietly
in the corner.
#FRFF Preview, Part 1
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 07/12/2015 - 20:04For the past couple weeks, I’ve been listening to a Spotify Playlist of the 2015 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artists. Here are some of my notes about the performers.
I’ve also set up a Facebook Interests Page and a Twitter list of social media accounts of the emerging artists, as I find their accounts.
I also want to highlight a blog post, with links to some of the emerging artists webpages.
With that, let me highlight some of the performers I’ve been listening to.
Meg Braun (Nashville, TN)
Meg’s bio includes: “Meg came to New York to pursue a career in community organizing” She is friends with a bunch Falcon Ridge Friends, politics friends, and old NYC friends. She has the plaintive voice of a community organizer influenced by Joni Mitchell, and sings songs that tell compelling stories.
Gypsy Moon keeps grabbing my attention as it pops up on the Spotify Playlist
Josh Brooks (Vergennes, VT)
Webpage
His bio says, “Plain and simple, Josh Brooks knows how to write a song… Brooks has evolved into a craftsman and poet-philosopher in the spirit of his idols Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash and John Prine.”
It is the sort of music I really like and he writes, and sings it well. “Queen for a Day” catches my attention as it comes around on the playlist.
Katie Dahl (Baileys Harbor, WI)
There are quite a few songs of hers that jump out at me. Good storytelling songs: Pier 33, The World As I Found It, Ghosts of Sheboygan Town.
Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies (Erdenheim, PA)
Webpage
Facebook Page
Twitter
Reverb Nation Page
Probably the song of hers that jumps out most at me is “Building This House”. Perhaps some of this is because it makes me think ofMiranda’s BIG Art; Tiny House project.
Mya Byrne (New York, NY)
I like her music, but have yet to find a favorite song by her.
Chasing June (Rockaway, NJ)
Any band that record Wayfaring Stranger starts off on a good foot with me. Their song, The Magician catches my attention when it pops up on my playlist.
Annika (Blauvelt, NY)
Webpage
Facebook Page
Twitter
For my local friends, it is worth noting that she is Playing at The Space in Hamden on July 25th. She has a sweet voice, and often wins song writing competitions, but I haven’t yet been grabbed by any of her songs, yet.
Mark Allen Berube (Brooklyn, NY)
Humorous songs about Vampire Women of Jersey City, Bride of Frankenstein Hair, and The Higgs Bosong.
These are my notes so far. There are several other emerging artists that I’m really looking forward to that I hope to write about in coming posts.
