The Real Relation

from "Limelight"

Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme

...

Vital Signs

I am working on a Ph.D. in Complexity theory. We study systems with external perturbations and internal incoherence which can both lead to systemic change or be resisted by the system's own order. These complex ordered systems (dissipative structures) balance on the "edge of chaos" in a state of perpetual disequilbrium, or constant change (oxymoron). Complex systems are made up of many interacting parts which create an emergent order that interfaces" with its environment.

So you can see why it strikes me as funny that one of the important Rush songs in my formative years is "Vital Signs":

"Vital Signs"

Unstable condition
A symptom of life
In mental and environmental change
Atmospheric disturbance
The feverish flux
Of human interface and interchange

The impulse is pure
Sometimes our circuits get shorted
By external interference
Signals get crossed
And the balance distorted
By internal incoherence

...

The Spaces In Between

"Just between us,
I think it's time for us to recognize
The differences we sometimes fear to show.

Just between us,
I think it's time for us to realize
The spaces in between
Leave room
For you and I to grow."

--Entre Nous

I actually used this in writing a statement of my teaching philosophy.

Getting Started

I set up this blog because I realized that all I need to know I learned from the rock band Rush.

This blog is a place to continually post about that recurrent phenomenon.

If you want to blog here too, just email me and I'll add you.