Albert Einstein (1933), On the Method of Theoretical Physics: Herbert Spencer Lecture 1933, ' It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience. back

Alon Loeffler & Zzdenka Kuncic, Networks of silver nanowires seem to learn and remember, much like our brains, ' Our research explores non-biological systems that are more like human brains. In a new study published in Science Advances, we found self-organising networks of tiny silver wires appear to learn and remember in much the same way as the thinking hardware in our heads. . . .. Our work is part of a field of research called neuromorphics, which aims to replicate the structure and functionality of biological neurons and synapses in non-biological systems. Our research focuses on a system that uses a network of “nanowires” to mimic the neurons and synapses in the brain. These nanowires are tiny wires about one thousandth the width of a human hair. They are made of a highly conductive metal, such as silver, typically coated in an insulating material like plastic. Nanowires self-assemble to form a network structure similar to a biological neural network. Like neurons, which have an insulating membrane, each metal nanowire is coated with a thin insulating layer. When we stimulate nanowires with electrical signals, ions migrate across the insulating layer and into a neighbouring nanowire (much like neurotransmitters across synapses). As a result, we observe synapse-like electrical signalling in nanowire networks.' back

David Hilbert (1925), On the Infinite, ' We encounter a completely different and quite unique conception of the notion of infinity in the important and fruitful method of ideal elements. The method of ideal elements is used even in elementary plane geometry. The points and straight lines of the plane originally are real, actually existent objects. One of the axioms that hold for them is the axiom of connection: one and only one straight line passes through two points. It follows from this axiom that two straight lines intersect at most at one point. There is no theorem that two straight lines always intersect at some point, however, for the two straight lines might well be parallel. Still we know that by introducing ideal elements, viz., infinitely long lines and points at infinity, we can make the theorem that two straight lines always intersect at one and only one point come out universally true. These ideal "infinite" elements have the advantage of making the system of connection laws as simple and perspicuous as possible. Another example of the use of ideal elements are the familiar complex-imaginary magnitudes of algebra which serve to simplify theorems about the existence and number of the roots of an equation..' back

Eurythmics, There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) (Remastered), No-one on earth could feel like this
I'm thrown and overblown with bliss
There must be an angel
Playing with my heart
I walk into an empty room
And suddenly my heart goes "boom"!
It's an orchestra of angels
And they're playing with my heart

Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel

No-one on earth could feel like this
I'm thrown and overblown with bliss
There must be an angel
Playing with my heart
And when I think that I'm alone
It seems there's more of us at home
It's a multitude of angel
s And they're playing with my heart

Must be talking to an ange
l Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel
Must be talking to an angel

I must be hallucinating
Watching angels celebrating
Could this be reactivating
All my senses dislocating?
This must be a strange deception
By celestial intervention
Leavin' me the recollection
Of your heavenly connection

I walk into an empty room
And suddenly my heart goes "boom"!
It's an orchestra of angels
And they're playing with my heart

back

Gery Karantzas, Why do people crave the approval of an abusive or narcissistic parent? And what can they do about it?, ' In the phenomenally successful TV show Succession, wealthy media magnate Logan Roy (played by Brian Cox) is frequently cruel to his adult children. He insults them, pits them against each other and can be cold or menacing. Despite the years of torment, the Roy children clearly crave their father’s approval. The show highlights a struggle some adult children face: the need for approval from an abusive parent. Some would suggest the solution is simple: cut ties with the parent, limit contact, rid your life of this difficult relationship. But this is often not realistic. Research into relationships can help us understand why some people desire the approval of a parent who is abusive, insensitive or inconsistent in their love – or who rate high on what’s known as “dark trait” tendencies (narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism).' back

Ismael Adnan, Photos: Yazidis ring in the year 6773 at temple in Iraq, ' Thousands of worshippers light candles at Lalish Temple to celebrate the start of the New Year. . . . Dohuk, Iraq – Members of the Yazidi community have rung in the year 6773 surrounded by stunning scenery in a mountain valley in the Kurdish region of Iraq. At sunset, when Yazidis believe a new day begins, thousands of worshippers on Tuesday lit candles at Lalish Temple, the holiest of all Yazidi temples. Supreme spiritual leader Baba Sheikh Ali Alyas presided over the ceremony commemorating the coming of light into the world. The Yazidi New Year falls on the first Wednesday of April according to the Eastern Julian, or Selucid, calendar, which is 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar.' back

Liam Mannix, Government review blasts political meddling in science, ' Politicians meddling with peer-reviewed science grants is a “widespread source of despair” and should be stamped out, a government review of Australia’s top science-funding agency has found. The review recommends the education minister be stripped of the power to block grants except for national security reasons, after a string of ministers personally intervened to veto grants. Australia has been a world leader in scientific research. But as funding becomes more and more elusive, morale in the community has plummeted. “The practice of overriding expert advice is anathema to world’s best practice,” the review, released by the government on Thursday, concluded. . . . “The proposed changes would create stronger guardrails to prevent future political interference in the awarding of grants,” said Science and Technology Australia CEO Misha Schubert. Four ministers, all from Coalition governments, have used their power to block Australian Research Council grants since 2001.' back

Reuters in Moscow, Bolshoi ballet about Nureyev dropped due to ban on ‘LGBT propaganda’, ' Moscow’s Bolshoi theatre has dropped a contemporary ballet about the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev from its repertoire after the expansion of a ban on “LGBT propaganda”. A law passed in November not only widened an existing prohibition on material considered to promote an LGBTQ+ lifestyle but also restricts the “demonstration” of LGBTQ+ behaviour. This makes any portrayal of homosexuality – such as Nureyev’s relationships with men after his defection from the Soviet Union in 1961, which the ballet touches on – almost impossible. The ballet, choreographed by Kirill Serebrennikov, has had a troubled history in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has long promoted conservative values as part of a nationalist agenda backed by the Russian Orthodox Church. It premiered in December 2017, several months late, after the then-culture minister reportedly called it gay propaganda, and has not been performed since 2018. Performances scheduled for 2022 were abruptly cancelled after Serebrennikov publicly blamed Russia for the conflict in Ukraine.' back

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) - Wikipedia, The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) - Wikipedia, tjhe free encyclopedia, ' The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.' back