Ganesha [Free Verse]

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Ganesha:
Obstacles removed
&
Good luck brought

All yields to the
elephantine forehead
&
elephantine learning

Seemingly immovable
when seated,
but I've seen you swing;
hoisted by a crane
& 
dangled out over the water

But the pendulum arc was 
short 
&
stiff
&
precarious:
as if it might flip the crane --

every remover of obstacles 
must leave a detritus of
past obstacles in its wake

Hamlet Limerick

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Hamlet Stands Over Polonius;
Eugène Delacroix (1855)
There once was a wavering Prince of Denmark
whose uncle replaced his dad as monarch.
The ghost of his dad
said, "Kill 'em, my lad!"
Too bad he took that stab in the dark.

DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from Golconda Fort

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Taken in August of 2022 at Golconda Fort

BOOK REVIEW: Funny on Purpose by Joe Randazzo

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Funny on Purpose: The Definitive Guide to an Unpredictable Career in Comedy: Standup + Improv + Sketch + TV + Writing + Directing + YouTubeFunny on Purpose: The Definitive Guide to an Unpredictable Career in Comedy: Standup + Improv + Sketch + TV + Writing + Directing + YouTube by Joe Randazzo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Get Speechify to make any book an audiobook

Former editor of the hilarious faux-newspaper, The Onion, (Joe Randazzo) provides a broad overview of the humor creation industry, and the many jobs, therein. Whether you’re interested in scriptwriting, performing stand-up, or starting a YouTube channel that provides color commentary of crippling skateboarding accidents, this book has tips and insight into how said job works, how to do the job, and how to avoid the pitfalls. And, as expected, the book offers humor throughout. That said, the first priority is educational, so one shouldn’t expect a laugh-a-minute humor extravaganza.

The book is divided into five parts. The first four parts delved into the various humor content creation jobs (writing, performing, making pictures, and making internet content,) and the last part is about the common business aspects like understanding intellectual property rights, knowing the difference between an agent and a manager, and learning how to get people to give you money for a product you don’t yet have.

One nice feature the book offers is brief interviews with various experts such as Judd Apatow, Weird Al, Joan Rivers, many people you’ve never heard of but I’m sure are good at what they do, and a few that you will have heard of if you have obsessive niche tastes in humor. The interviews are short, but it does help to have insight from someone whose life has largely focused on a particular dimension of humor creation. Randazzo has a diverse background, including writing, performing, and television and internet work, but there are fine insights to be gained from a specialist.

I got a lot out of this book and would recommend it for those interested in the humor content creation industrial complex.

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DAILY PHOTO: Oktogon, Budapest

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Taken in the Summer of 2011 in Budapest
Taken in the Winter of 2014 in Budapest

Helen of Troy [Limerick]

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Abduction of Helen; (mid-18th cent. Venice)
There was pretty lady named Helen
whose beauty had all the boys yellin'.
No arrows from Cupid;
her glance made 'em stupid.
But did her face split a thousand melons?

BOOK REVIEW: Rilke: The Last Inward Man by Lesley Chamberlain

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Rilke: The Last Inward ManRilke: The Last Inward Man by Lesley Chamberlain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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This book surveys the influences on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry, and makes the argument that Rilke was the last vestige of a mystically spiritual [Romantic or Romantic-esque] poetic line. Poetry was becoming more political and more influenced by nihilistic philosophies that eschewed inward investigations of meaning and self-realization, constructs that were seen as artificial and empty. Rilke bucked the trend, and while he did become an important poet, Chamberlain believes he paid a price.

The book discusses the influence of sexuality, spirituality, and artistic obsessions on Rilke’s poetry in great detail. It also talks about his life as an influence, both his family life (or lack, thereof) and the key years he spent in Paris. The last couple chapters tie the story together by clarifying what Rilke achieved and how it contrasted with prevailing trends.

If you’re interested in understanding more about the philosophical and spiritual forces impacting Rilke’s work, this is an interesting read. It’s not a biography, strictly speaking, but does unavoidably discuss Rilke’s life in some detail (though always through a literary / philosophical lens.)


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BOOK REVIEW: Introducing Fractals: A Graphic Guide by Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon & Will Rood

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Introducing Fractals: A Graphic GuideIntroducing Fractals: A Graphic Guide by Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Fractal Geometry is a school of mathematics that contends with the kinds of shapes seen in nature, shapes which often appear irregular (at least on some scale,) but which are also frequently self-similar (i.e. the twig looks like the branch looks like the whole tree.) One problem that led to the discipline’s development was determining the distance of a coastline. The distance between measurements vastly alters the final measurement one gets. From the discipline’s origins in observation of the natural world and the problems found in nature, fractal geometry was put to use for problems in ecology, finance, technology, and art and music. The book touches upon this sprawl of the subject, as well as relating fractal geometry to Euclidian Geometry, Calculus, and theories of Chaos and Complexity.

This book offers a simple and cursory overview of the subject. A reader expecting to learn how to employ Fractal Geometry will come away disappointed, but one who just wants to know the kind of problems its useful for and get a basic and intuitive explanation of why it’s useful can gain a great deal from the book. As the subtitle suggests, the book is illustrated and the graphics are far more useful in this volume than in most of the “Graphic Guide” series. That probably comes as no surprise as the subject is inherently more visual than average.

If you’re starting from ground zero, I’d highly recommend this book. Those with a mathematical background may yearn for more depth.


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