On the Nature of Time — essay competition

I have submitted an essay to the FQXi competition. If you are interested in reading it, click here.

Title: On the Nature of Time – Or Why Does Nature Abhor Deadlocks?

Essay Abstract

This essay aims at introducing a novel point of view on the nature of time, inspired by a synthesis of three seemingly unrelated concepts: Bergson’s notion of duration, Dijkstra’s notion of concurrency, and Mach’s notion of inertia.

Edit (June 9th 2009): Apparently, the essays on the nature of time are no longer available at the FQXi site. I have made a very few small corrections and modifications in my essay and a new version is available here (pdf file).

The most extraordinaire Brazilian soprano

I invite you to watch this video — be patient until the grand finale. What you will see is Niza de Castro Tank when she was 50+ years old, in the 80′s, singing an aria of the opera “Il Guarany” by the Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes. I had the opportunity to meet her in some occasions and in a few master classes. She is still singing. A truthful phenomenon. She is not very well-known outside Brazil. Enjoy.

Edit: if you would like to read some of the comments (some available in English) over at the youtube site, click here.

Click-the-Links! 2

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