Tag: books

Exploring Art and History: A Journey through Russia’s Cultural Legacy | September 30 2024, 00:30

Cultural page. It was a surprise to see Bryullov’s work, and not just any work, but the famous portrait of Countess Samoilova (with a black boy and a ward), which it seems everyone knows right from school benches, along with the equally famous “Horsewoman”, also depicting her. Bryullov, generally, isn’t that well-known outside of Russia, and there aren’t many of his works in museums. This Samoilova, by the way, even appears in Bryullov’s “The Last Day of Pompeii” three or four times.

Across from Samoilova, the boyars are drinking. This painting, for some reason, is entirely unsigned. It’s a large, wall-sized canvas by Makovsky, “The Boyar Wedding Feast”. It invites prolonged viewing — every detail is captivating.

In the same hall, a third surprise awaited me — a portrait of a young black man. This was Lloyd Patterson. As it turned out, this gentleman ventured to the USSR in 1932 in search of racial equality, work, and simply a better life. In the Soviet Union, Patterson was invited to work as an artist on the film “Black and White”, the idea of which was to expose racism in America. The project was eventually canceled, but Lloyd stayed in the Soviet Union, mastered Russian, and married a Soviet artist and designer, Vera Aralova. It could be said that the issue of racism helped him settle his life.

Here in the USSR, his son, James Lloydovich, was born, and this young man is the same one who played in the famous film by Grigori Alexandrov “Circus” as the son of Marion Dixon – the American artist portrayed by Lyubov Orlova.

He grew up, became a poet, a prose writer, published in the USSR. Right after the USSR came to an end, James emigrated to the USA, and has been living here, in Washington, for over 30 years now. He is already 91 years old. He recently released a book titled “Chronicle of the Left Hand: An American Black Family’s Story from Slavery to Russia’s Hollywood”.

After the museum, we went to Mozart’s Requiem at the National Cathedral. The warm-up for Mozart was the Berlin Mass by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Too slow for me. But the Mozart Requiem I’ve heard about a hundred times, and this was my second time hearing it live (the first time was in a church in Moscow). Still, I can’t say I was very satisfied, coming to a live performance in one of the largest cathedrals in the world: I skimped when choosing seats and ended up in the back. I should have bought tickets closer to the front. By the place we were sitting, the sound was turning into a muddled “mush.”

idea: PDF Management App for Mac | September 23 2024, 23:31

I wonder if it’s just me unable to find it, or if it doesn’t exist — an app for Mac where you can specify a folder with PDFs, let it work overnight to create a vector index, and then search through them using natural language queries. For creating embeddings and for the RAG reasoning phase, models could be downloaded onto the computer, and in this case, it would work as fast as the computer allows. If you enter an OpenAI key, then OpenAI would be utilized.

It would also be convenient if such a tool could take a URL as input – for example, through a click on a browser extension button, and then allow searches across all documents, including that URL.

It would be great if one could create indexes with a single click. Say you receive a 200-page PDF on biology, you throw it into the “biology” index, or one on mathematics, you throw it into the “mathematics” index.

I know how to build this from scratch. But all solutions require a somewhat advanced understanding. There’s something like automatic1111 for Stable Diffusion; I wish there was something similar for working with an archive.

KitKat: From Elite Club to Global Candy Phenomenon | September 17 2024, 23:04

I’m reading At Home. There, Bryson talks about Kit-Cat, an elite political-literary club of 18th century London (c.1690s-c.1720). It turns out that the KitKat bar was indeed named after this club, although the spelling is slightly different.

Moreover, the olds should remember the TV commercial “Take a break – have a TWIX!”. Interestingly, Mars co-opted the competitor’s slogan :- ) Around the world, this slogan is used by Nestle for Kit-Kat: “Have a break. Have a Kit-Kat” (Take a break. Eat a Kit-Kat). When Kit-Kat was introduced in Russia, the slogan had to be changed to “Есть перерыв. Есть Kit-Kat”. By the way, Mars and Nestlé even sued over this matter.

And what does this elite club have to do with it all, and what is this club anyways? The club’s name originates from the tavern owner where its members initially gathered — Chris Katling, known among friends as Kit Cat.

It’s also interesting that KitKat in the USA is produced by Hershey’s, essentially a competitor of Nestlé.

Innovations in Landscape Design: The Ha-Ha at Castle Howard | September 17 2024, 22:04

I’m reading something interesting

“His Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard was the first of its kind. To this, he added the most ingenious and transformative innovation: the ha-ha.

A ha-ha is a sunken fence, a sort of palisade, designed to separate the private part of an estate from the working areas without the visual interference of a fence or hedge. It was an idea adapted from French military fortifications. Since they were invisible until the very last moment, people often discovered them with a surprised exclamation, “Ha-ha!—and, it is said, hence the name. The ha-ha was not just a practical device for keeping cows away from the lawn, but an entirely new way of perceiving the world. Plots, garden, park, estate—everything became part of a unified whole. Suddenly, an attractive part of the property did not have to end at the edge of the lawn. It could continue up to the horizon.

in Wikipedia, it is called Aha or ah-ah.

this is what I’m reading at home by Bill Bryson

Exploring FDA Food Contamination Standards and Defect Action Levels | September 13 2024, 01:14

I am reading the book At Home by Bill Bryson and concurrently Googling. In the USA, the FDA has a standard called the Food Defect Levels Handbook, which sets threshold levels for food contaminants. Find out how much mouse excrement can be in flour!

I will post the link in the comments. Also, check out the next post about Russian standards.

Everywhere the word “permissible” appears, it refers to the DEFECT ACTION LEVEL. It is incorrect to believe that if the FDA sets a defect level for a food product, the manufacturer only needs to not exceed this level. Defect levels are not representative of the average defects found in any of the products—they are, in fact, much lower on average. These levels represent the limits at which the FDA will consider a food product “contaminated” and subject to enforcement under Section 402(a)(3) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

But it’s amusing to recognize that such contaminations do indeed exist and to understand their potential scale.

== Wheat ==

Mouse droppings (MPM-V15): not permissible more than 9 mg of rodent droppings per kilogram

== Wheat Flour ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 972.32): not permissible more than 75 insect fragments per 50 grams

== Chocolate and Chocolate Liquor ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 965.38): not permissible averaging 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when analyzing 6 samples of 100 grams EACH OR any sample containing 90 or more insect fragments

Mouse hairs (AOAC 965.38): not permissible averaging 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams when analyzing 6 samples of 100 grams EACH OR any sample containing 3 or more rodent hairs

Shell (AOAC 968.10-970.23): for chocolate liquor, shell content not permissible more than 2%, calculated on the basis of non-alkalized cocoa beans

== Pasta and Noodles ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 969.41): not permissible, if on average 225 or more insect fragments per 225 grams in 6 or more samples

Mouse hairs (AOAC 969.41): not permissible, if on average 4.5 or more rodent hairs per 225 grams in 6 or more samples

== Canned or Frozen Spinach ==

Insects and mites (AOAC 974.33): not permissible more than 50 aphids, thrips, and/or mites per 100 grams OR 2 or more larvae 3 mm in length or longer and/or larvae or caterpillar fragments longer than 12 mm per 24 pounds OR an average of 8 or more miners per 100 grams OR an average of 4 or more miners 3 mm in length per 100 grams

== Strawberries: Frozen Whole or Sliced ==

Mold (AOAC 952.22): the average level of mold should not exceed 45% and in half of the samples 55% or more

== Citrus Juices ==

Mold (AOAC 970.75): permissible average mold level <10%

Insects and insect eggs (AOAC 970.72): not permissible 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml OR 1 or more larvae per 250 ml

== Coffee (raw beans) ==

Insect contamination and insects (MPM-V1): not permissible on average 10% or more beans infested or damaged by insects

Mold (MPM-V1): not permissible on average 10% or more beans by count moldy

== Corn Flour ==

Insects (AOAC 981.19): not permissible on average 1 or more whole insects (or equivalent) per 50 grams

Insect contamination (AOAC 981.19): not permissible on average 25 or more insect fragments per 25 grams

Mouse hairs (AOAC 981.19): not permissible on average 1 or more rodent hairs per 25 grams OR an average 1 or more rodent dropping fragments per 50 grams

== Cocoa Beans ==

Mold (MPM-V18): not permissible to have more than 4% of beans by count moldy

Mammalian excreta (MPM-V18): not permissible on average 10 mg or more mammalian excreta per pound

== Hops (used in brewing) ==

Insects (AOAC 967.23): not permissible on average more than 2,500 aphids per 10 grams

== Ground Allspice ==

Insects (AOAC 981.21): not permissible: average — 30 or more insect fragments per 10 grams

Mouse hairs (AOAC 981.21): not permissible average — 1 or more rodent hairs per 10 grams

Source of defect: insect fragments — contamination before/after harvest and processing. Rodent hairs — contamination after harvest and/or processing.

…

== Canned and Frozen Berries (blackberries, raspberries, etc.) ==

Mold (AOAC 955.47): permissible average level of mold is 60% and less

Insect larvae (AOAC 981.20): permissible average — 4 or fewer larvae per 500 grams

OR

Average value — not permissible more than 10 whole insects or their equivalents per 500 grams (not including thrips, aphids, and mites)

== Frozen Broccoli ==

Insects and mites (AOAC 945.82): permissible average — 60 or fewer aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams

== Frozen Brussels Sprouts ==

Insects (MPM-V95): permissible average — 30 or fewer aphids and/or thrips per 100 grams

== Whole Allspice ==

Mold (MPM-V32): permissible average — 5% or less of berries by weight moldy

Significance: potential health threat — may contain mold producing mycotoxins

== Ground Cinnamon ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 968.38b): permissible on average 400 or fewer insect fragments per 50 grams

Mouse hairs (AOAC 968.38b): permissible on average 11 or fewer rodent hairs per 50 grams

Seeking Advice on Business Administration Education for Masha in Italy | September 12 2024, 13:02

Help! Who knows about Business Administration education in Europe, specifically in Italy? Know someone who knows? Tag your acquaintances in the comments if there are any. My Masha wants and can study in Italy. She almost has a national annual visa (passport with the visa should arrive within a couple of weeks), and she wants to get her first onsite education in a major city like Milan or Rome. She wants a business education, though there is some flexibility here. In English. Such offers exist, but it’s hard for me to evaluate them.

She is currently making calls to universities, and has already spoken to several. The price range is $3,000 to $40,000 per year. Ideally, she’d be able to jump into this semester 2024-2025 or at most the next one, and in some places, this is even possible, but these are small private institutions that sometimes give a dodgy impression. For example, there is the virtually unknown Scoula Politecnica di Design with tuition fees of 10-15K euros, and there’s the seemingly much better Swiss School of Management with tuition fees of 8.5-10K euros per year. Larger universities, like the University of Pavia or the University of Bologna (UNIBO), offer BBA/eng for a few thousand dollars per year, but there’s almost no chance to start in mid-September. Or am I mistaken? We’re figuring it out.

Business programs roughly divide into MBA and BBA. Let’s put MBA aside, and focus on BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) — it’s a _three-year_ program in English, also referred to as a Bachelor. Perhaps it will eventually add a line to the resume, and will surely add knowledge, but as we understand, nearly 100% of students are a mix from third world countries, like Thailand and countries in Africa. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it feels like it somehow reflects the level. Many from the USA actually go to Europe for education, but apparently, nobody goes to these universities 🙂 Maybe we need to keep looking.

As an alternative — study for a year in BBA, then drop it to go to a larger university for a four-year program, and try to transfer the credits if possible. And if it doesn’t work out — so be it. Our Liz has been studying for five years norm, why shouldn’t Masha study for five years too.

If anyone is knowledgeable on this topic, please tag them in the comments. If you have dealt with a similar issue — please share what you know about BBA and about obtaining a first higher education in Italy.

Curating a Must-Follow List of Science Voices on YouTube | September 12 2024, 04:06

I recently started making a list of scientists and science journalists across various fields who are interesting to me and worth listening to on YouTube, and who generally have a good reputation. The list is at the link. Who have I forgotten? Surely a lot of others. Send them in, I’ll keep updating. Hope it’s not just useful for me.

https://beinginamerica.com/science-who-to-follow/

Exploring the Shift in Meaning of “Ambition” in Russian Culture | September 11 2024, 17:46

Currently reading “Russian with a Dictionary” by Irina Levontina.

It turns out that the modern meaning of “ambitious” when applied to a person has shifted quite significantly from its previous connotations.

The word “ambition” both in the USSR and earlier was predominantly associated with an inflated self-esteem and baseless claims. This interpretation was also reflected in dictionaries: ambition – “heightened self-love, excessive conceit.”

Interestingly, in the Russian language, nearly all words that denote a high self-regard by a person are negatively connoted: pretension, aplomb, haughtiness, arrogance, airs, self-assurance, overconfidence. The list goes on. This reflects the deep-rooted notion in Russian culture that a proud person ought to be humble. And yet, we understand that sometimes a person soberly assesses their capabilities, is ready to tackle a task, and speaks of it without any affectation, and this is good. However, it is impossible to use the word overconfidence even with a clarification that it is meant in a good sense in such a case.

A word needs to be torn apart and reassembled in a different order – confidence in oneself. Otherwise, the negative connotation remains inescapable.

When the word ambition was borrowed into the Russian language, it quickly acquired this shade. And during Soviet times, it was even harder to use the word ambition outside of a negative context.

The Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language, Kuznetsov’s Dictionary:

ambition

1. Heightened self-love, excessive conceit.

Example: To prove, to argue with ambition.

2. ambitions, -ций. disapproving

Claims, pretensions to something.

Example: To set aside one’s political ambitions.

By the way, “Russian with a Dictionary” is an interesting book.