If ever there was a seminar where lunch should have been provided, this was it

I've just listened to a talk over in the Biology department about the theories of William Dembski, the idea of "specified complexity" and the "no free lunch" theory. Dembski is the leading light of intelligent design. Following Dembski's arguments reminded me of something Joe Wright said about Antonin Scalia: you know that the conclusion is wrong but it's really hard to see what was wrong with the writing that got you there.

I left the talk with no idea what "specified complexity" is; only that it seemed to have many proposed definitions. When one of the definitions is discredited, intelligent design "theorists" can fall back on one of the other definitions. For me, this means simply that the concept is not falsifiable and thus obviously not science. It's obviously that neither intelligent design theorists nor biologists under information theory (I'm an electrical engineer and I'm not that great with it myself.)

The case of no free lunch is more difficult. The No Free Lunch theorem is a legitimate result (Wolpert and Macready, IEEE Trans. of Evolutionary Computation 1 (1), April 1997) The paper discusses optimization algorithms. Given a space X consisting of a finite number of points, assume that is a randomly distributed cost value Y for each point. The No Free Lunch Theorem says (very very informally) that all optimization algorithms are equally good on such a space. What this implies is that if a particular algorithm is better than just picking points at random for some subclass of problems, there must be another subset of problems where it is worse than picking points at random.

Dembski interprets this theorem to mean that no "evolutionary search" algorithm can be better than random selection. And since the probability of a random mutation being beneficial to an organism is practically zero, no evolutionary search algorithm can work because the probabilities of success is too well. Ergo, evolution is impossible; ergo, an intelligent designer is the only explanation.

This argument misinterprets Wolpert and Macready's result. That result only says that an evolutionary search won't work for some problems. It doesn't say that it can't work well for the problem of finding mutations that improve organism (aka evolution) unless you assume that the optimal mutations are randomly scattered, without any correlation, over the set of all possible gene sequences. There's not a lot of understanding at this point as to how much correlation or how little correlation there is between beneficial gene sequences.

So Dembski's model is based on as assumption about the lack of correlation of beneficial gene sequences. This is how a scientist works with a model:

1. Make some observations.
2. Build a model (mathematical or otherwise logically consistent) in an attempt to explain these observations.
3. Use the model to make predictions as to what other phenomena should occur in nature.
4. Make more observations.
5. If the phenomena predicted by the model are observed, your model is good. If not, you need to refine or replace your model.

Dembski doesn't work like that. He built a model and charitably it's based on observations of natural processes. He makes predictions based on this model and based on those predictions, not only should natural selection be impossible, but also observed phenomena like virus and bacteria gaining resistence to drugs.

Now from this you can infer that your model is wrong or that nature is wrong. Obviously there's something wrong with his model since it implies the impossibility of observed phenomena. The correct thing to do, assuming the No Free Lunch model was presented in good faith, is to refine the model to explain how these phenomena could have occurred.

But the problem is that the No Free Lunch model gives an answer that a lot of people want to hear because it doesn't interfere with their religious beliefs. At this point intelligent design is not science because the philosophy of the intelligent design movement is to maintain that the conclusion is correct regardless of the observations. This is exactly what they accuse the "Darwinists" of doing, insisting their theory is correct while ignoring evidence to the contrary. This projection seems typical among much of the right wing in the US.

Is there a controversy in scientific terms here? No. These theories start out following the form of science but stubbornly hold on to the conclusion they want in the face of evidence to the contrary. Scientists are sometimes guilty of that, but the progress of science pushes these faulty conclusions aside.

Maybe they're trying to be the next Broken Social Scene

There was a sign calling for musicians at the bus stop the other day that gave me a moment of amusement because I like obscure Simpsons references. It said:

Eclectic sounding band needs you...if you play

DRUMS
TRUMPET
SAXOMAPHONE
KEYBOARDS

The other day I was back at the bus stop and someone added to the sign "If you need all this, what do you have in the band?" I'm hoping the band already has a dozen members and is just looking for more.

PB Teen Late Summer 2006: His heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will buy that desk

repetitive, with the same pictures, books, and CDs coming up again and again. For example, in every recent issue, they've shown a "locker bin" DVD storage system with bins for "D-F," "G-I," etc. However, if you actually look in the bins, they have a Ranma 1/2 video in the "G-I" bin, The Breakfast Club in the "J-L" bin, and so on. That's not particular funny the first time, and it doesn't get any funnier afterwards.

But PB Teen set a new bar for hilarity on Page 97 of this issue. The product for sale is a white "Shadowbox" desk, which is shown on display between a pair of magazine racks displaying magazines like Cosmo Girl, Teen Vogue, and Marie Claire. A tote bag lies on the floor next to the bag, personalized with the name Molly.

The Shadowbox hutch comes with an attached corkboard, where Molly has set up a schedule for the week's events. Her note for Wednesday is, "Ulysses Book Club with Erich. 5 PM Sharp!!" If you look closely on top of the hutch, teen-magazine loving Molly also has a copy of Finnegan's Wake.

I'm actually pretty disappointed with PB Teen for setting the joke up perfectly and not finishing it off. It would be been friggin' hilarious if Molly was going to the Ulysses Book Club meeting with Leo instead of Erich; as it is, it's just merely hilarious.

I last commented on the PB Teen catalog about a year ago, when they managed to get a picture of Sleater-Kinney into one of their "manly teen's" rooms, but since then, it's become a bit

If there aren't enough zeros on this check, just add some more!

You don't officially have a blog until you've posted a picture of your cat.

It's lonely out there on the maroon

The Minus 5: (The Gun Album)

Sometimes buying albums online causes problems. Two particular problems occurred after my purchase of The Gun Album off eMusic. First, the cover is all black and looks awful if you try to print it out on regular paper so I had to spend extra for photo paper. Second, when the group is known for its use of guest musicians, you don't have the information about who's appearing on each track.

Actually, when it comes to listening to the album for the first time or two, not thinking about all the special guest stars makes it easier to enjoy the album for what it is and not for the presences of Wilco! Colin Meloy! Kelly Hogan! Peter Buck! etc. etc. Of course if I want to write a blog entry about the album, I have to come off as vague and ignorant.

This album was a solid "eh" upon first and second listen, but after not listening to it for a while and putting it on again, it really sounds a lot better. It's got a solid alt-country rating of 82 Tupelos and maintains a musical consistency throughout the lineup changes and guest appearances from song to song.

"Extra gas can. We forgot the extra gas can."

(Now that title is a reference no one will get.)

So because of the impeding storms this evening, we had the TV tuned to Judge Joe Brown, more for the weather map in the corner than for the show itself. But as it was ending, up came an ad for tourism in my hometown! Because apparently Judge Joe Brown is the most expensive advertising that Tourism London can afford.

Judging from the acting, they couldn't afford much. A family is stranded at the side of the road, and a Mountie comes and helps them out and starts telling them how much fun they could have had in London instead. They could have gone to Sunfest! (which was started by the father of my 5th grade archrival) And best of all, they would have only needed one tank of gas, the Mountie helpfully explains, holding up a gas can.

It was so bad that it completely made my day. And my day was already pretty good, seeing as I found out I'm going to San Diego next month.

The Big Snit

So here's one of those wacky National Film Board videos from the 1980s: The Big Snit. I think The Simpsons knocked off the "carrost" joke with Homer's Scrabble rack in the famous KWYJIBO scene.

I bought who in the what now?

Bloc Party: Silent Alarm

So, um, I guess I bought this album. It was there in my iTunes library and everything. I don't like it, I don't hate it. I honestly don't remember it. I'm pretty sure I listened to it once.

I think it's supposed to sound like Franz Ferdinand, and hence like Interpol or Gang of Four. Yeah, that's it, mention an influence, that'll make you seem smart. Um, I think there's a song called "Helicopter" on it.

I really don't think there's a worse thing to say about an album than that it left completely no impression on you. Though in fairness, I also have a remix of "Two More Years," a song that doesn't appear on this album, that I downloaded off Stereogum and it's pretty great. That may be due to MSTRKRFT though.

Let's pretend we don't exist

Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins

Elephant elephant elephant elephant elephant elephant six! Now that the formalities are out of the way, let's discuss The Sunlandic Twins.

While an album's alt-countriness is defined in terms of Tupelos (read the comments), its tweeness is defined in terms of Heavenlies. The Sunlandic Twins scores a good solid 68 Hv - it's pretty twee. The arrangements are quite elaborate; some songs suffer from being too fancy, almost from having too many instruments. "Wraith Pinned in the Mist and Other Games" and "Oslo in the Summertime," in particular, would probably sound better stripped down.

This album suggests a new entry in my personal glossary of musical terms to be called the Sunlandic Rule: Don't put the album's best song on the bonus disc! "Art Snob Solutions" is fun, has extremely funny lyrics, and was probably considering too erudite for the main album. The average indie pop fan probably doesn't know who Tarkovsky and Apollonaire are, but Destroyer doesn't avoid the obscure references, so why should Of Montreal?

Bizarro World

So I'm in Canada for a couple of days due to an immigration issue, and, as is typical when Emily and I go to Canada, we end up shopping in stores we could have shopped in at home, and we're in the Gap. Emily is trying on clothes and I'm listening to the music. The song seems familiar and I can't place it. After a while, I start thinking: "Holy crap! Is this the High Dials?" The High Dials are approximately the 7th most important indie band from Montreal.

So I walk a couple of stores down to the mall record store to check. I look in the rock section for the High Dials album, but it's not there. Quelle surprise. But apparently the problem was that I didn't notice they had a separate indie rock section. So I find the High Dials album and it turns out I was wrong (It was New Order's "Waiting for the Siren's Call.") And while I'm browsing, they start playing Sunset Rubdown's "Us Ones in Between." Bizarro.

World Cup fever actually exists in Canada. I wasn't surprised by the amount of official World Cup merchandise, but rather by the huge number of knock-offs. Stores like Roots, The Bay, and so forth realized that country names are not copyrighted and you can slap them on a T-shirt, no problem. I even saw something that looked like a baseball jersey with the name "Germany" on the back, which is inauthentic on so many levels. There's only one man a baseball jersey with the word Germany on it should honor, the last man in history to steal first base.

We went to Toronto and at lunchtime it was even more intense. A huge crowd gathered on the sidewalk outside a sports bar to get a peek of England/Trinidad. A china shop on Bloor put two big flatscreens in its window to draw a crowd; they also had a big sign that said "Come in and see the world of cups!" Also, the number of cars with window flags was huge in both London and Toronto: imagine the scene in the US after 9/11, but with flags of England, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and other countries instead of just American ones. Doubly bizarro.

Some other random observations of Toronto:
On Yonge there's a food cart called "Mrs. Dalloway's Hot Dog Stand." The frankfurters must be 100% Virginia wolf.
A couple of blocks north of the hot dog stand, all located within half a block of each other, are The Blue Man Group, The Church of Scientology, and the Toronto Hemp Company. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Tristesse Globale

Röyksopp: The Understanding

There are good reasons to buy music and there are bad reasons. Good reasons include liking the band, liking songs you've heard on the radio or elsewhere, a recommendation from someone who's taste you trust. Bad reasons include liking song titles, liking the cover art, or liking where the band is from. I bought The Understanding for a bad reason.

Röyksopp is a duo that hails from Tromso, Norway. A little ways to the west of Tromso, just off the coast, is the island of Senja, the birthplace of my great-great-grandfather and origin of my family name (he adapted a family name after moving to North America because he was sick of getting another Mr. Pedersen's mail, or so the story goes) We'll point this out on a handy dandy map. Thanks, Google Earth!

As Tromso is about 70 degrees north, it's first on my list of places I'd like to visit someday but don't think I'll ever convince my wife to come with.

Electronica is not my cup of tea though. The album itself has several high points, particularly "What Else Is There?" This is one of those albums I enjoy more if I don't listen to it too closely. It might be good for the next family reunion.

Biding time till the cassingle revival

Music blogging the first:













The Lucksmiths: Warmer Corners/Where Were We?

The Lucksmiths' 2003 album, Naturaliste, was a good album that suffered from a piece of unintentional comedy: practically every song contained a lyric about weather, specifically temperature. There was:

It's grey and wet and warm before the pending storm (The Sandringham Line)
Rest assured if you should ever feel the winter cold (Take This Lying Down)
But I refuse to waste this weather (Midweek Midmorning)
The afternoon has left the valley cold (The Perfect Crime)

And that's just a sampling from the first five songs of the album. So when I saw that their most recent album was called Warmer Corners, I wasn't particularly eager to go out and get it, having heard a lifetime's worth of weather imagery on Naturaliste.

Fortunately, the title of the album is the only major temperature image. "The Fog of Trujillo" is not actually about fog. "Sunlight in a Jar" is not about sunlight. The latter song is the strongest on the album, combining clever, dense lyrics in the verses with a simple catchy chorus. Generally the lyrics have the typical Lucksmiths cleverness without being as self-consciously clever as song titles like "If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now" and "A Hiccup in Your Happiness" would suggest. All in all, it's one of their best efforts and one of the best indie pop albums of 2005.

Where Were We? is a 2001 compilation of outtakes and other non-album things. While the other Lucksmiths compilation, Happy Secret, has the feel of a fully planned and sequenced album, Where Were We? is most definitely a non-album collection. Some songs dwell on the turn of the millennium ("The Cassingle Revival", "I Prefer the Twentieth Century"), others recall the joy and silliness of the band's early albums ("T-Shirt Weather", "Even Stevens") , but there is no unifying theme for the disc as a whole. A lot of good songs, but they don't stick in the mind particularly well.

So that's the first album. Next up is Royksopp.

Hey! I have a blog! And a plan for something to do with it!

I'd almost forgotten my latest attempt at blogging and occasionally attempting to communicate with the outside world. It's time to give it a shot again: another attempt to maintain my sanity as my graduation approaches.

So here's the plan. I've managed to acquire a fair amount of music this year, so I'm going to go through it, album by album, and write about whatever springs to mind. Maybe it'll be a review, maybe it'll be a personal comment, maybe it'll be a bizarre tangent. I don't know yet. Here's hoping it's interesting

Insult & Injury

Dear Firestone,

If you charge $1400 for repairs,
if you say you'll take a personal check and then say you won't,
if you have the car ready an hour after you say you will,
if you make us yell at you for 20 minutes so you will take our money,
you could at least not break the cassette adapter.

The CBC is back!

The CBC lockout is over, and the unintentional hilarity of the Canadian news is back. I never found Canadian news so funny or American news so serious. I missed stories like "high school students call people they don't like 'gay'" and quotes like "It's a shame when fighting gets associated with a wholesome sport like hockey."
And I've really missed hearing the latest on the Sudbury arts calendar.

This morning, while listening to an ostenably serious report about the earthquake in Pakistan, a Canadian military official said the following, which I'll have to paraphrase: "We need to get survivors food, water, shelter - working on the levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs." I guess that the Canadian Forces will be in Kashmir well after the rebuilding is complete, working with people of Pakistan until they achieve self-actualization.