Re: Monz trip to Europe

Hi Monz,

I haven't yet done anything about the trip to Holland.

However just today I thought I'd better look out the passport
in case it needed to be renewed. Turned out it is still valid
until 30th Sept 01 :-).

So only thing to do is to get the ticket, don't know how far
in advance one needs to do that. I tend to leave things late.
I expect I'll go by boat - like the fresh sea air and being on
board a boat. Esp. so since I have a kind of hay fever like
reaction to cigarette smoke, which makes fresh air useful -
that may be worth mentioning in case any of you smoke - it gives
me a bad headache and I'm not easily able to give full attention to
discussion etc. after that.

Maybe an idea also to say in advance that I'm not much inspired by the
idea of a "microtonal microsoft", being much more interested in
idea of diversity of programs that all call each other, as FTS
and SCALA call each other.

It would be nice to be able to call up JM from FTS by passing a
scale to it to show as a lattice, just as I can pass a scale
to SCALA to show there and work with in SCALA.

Then it is up to the programmers of JM to make it a nice program
that users will want to linger in and explore once they have looked
at the lattice. I imagine it will be if it is anything like the
C++ version. That was near first release stage when I tried it.

Hopefully you'll get a few FTS users sent your way, who download JM
in order to enable the "show lattice in JM" button.

I like to keep things small and diverse, and like idea of
lots of programs calling each other.

I think the web is much richer for its diversity, and one can think
of programs as somewhat analagous to web pages. ONe comes across
"universal" type web sites, and very useful they are too, but they
are part of the diversity too!

If anyone else starts up a microtonal scales exploring
fractal tune generating midi relaying FFT program like FTS - that's
great too. ;-)

Not sure quite how much I'll have to contribute - if you recall
I haven't been involved in JM discussions at all this year, though
posted quite a few things last year.

Actually, my JM membership needs to be renewed as the old yahoo
id doesn't work any more.

It's the result of experiments with Archiving program new repost
option triggering an auto-response cut off at Yahoo that I didn't
know about - protects them from the "I am on vacation" type auto response
messages that can completely make a newsgroup unusable if
relayed round and round in repeating loop. Partly my doing
as I think a second e-mail to yahoo about it would be in order
to tell them that they haven't yet got me back online
for that address. However, I'm happy enough with present
system and have already transferred nearly all my old
yahoo groups to the new id, I think JM would complete
the list, apart from maybe some yahoo groups done as experiments
that I can't delete and will just sit there until I do
something about it.

Anyway will be great to meet up with everyone, and sometimes
the things that one least expects are the ones that are most
valuable.

Robert

Hi Monz,

> I was going to respond to you privately, but I suppose
> that you sent it to the list so that others might join
> in on our get-together if they're interested, and that's
> certainly OK with me! (Also, there's info here that others
> might find profitable.)

Well, not really anything in mind at all, just following
your lead in posting to the list, but you've come up with
a good reason for it :-)

> Graham Breed has already told me that he has an aversion to
> flying, mainly because of his environmental stance regarding
> jet-fuel pollution. (And I agree with him, but I'm being
> forced, by time and financial reasons, to be a hypocrite.)
> Perhaps the two of you might want to coordinate your travel
> plans from UK to Netherlands.

Apparently it is v. easy to go from London to Amsterdam;
you just get a return coach to Amsterdam, and everything is
done for you, no connections or anything. The coach goes
on the ferry. Takes about 12 hours; a lot less than it takes me to
get to my relatives in the Scottish islands. Could be nice if
we were on the same ferry. You don't even need to book long
in advance, though one may need to book. (Unless it is
a shuttle type service where you buy your ticket on the coach,
which I have to check up on).

>
> If you do decide to fly, you won't beat the fares from Ryanair
> <www.ryanair.com>. They fly from UK to Brussels at incredibly
> low rates. I'll be using Brussels as my gateway to Italy, and
> so will have to do some ground transportation between Brussels,
> Amsterdam, and Paris. I expect to be arriving back in Brussels
> from Italy on September 17, and have to be back in Paris on the
> 21st. So that gives us roughly 3 days together in the Netherlands.
>

Yes, I saw your e-mail, and seems it might almost be cheaper by
air than by sea. However I like the sea, so will surely go that way
even if a bit slower. No particular aversion to flying, in fact
my grandfather on my mothers side was a pilot for some of his life,
and though I was too young to remember him, I do have a kind of liking
of the idea of learning to fly an airplane some time maybe, especially
a small one (or one of the old biplanes :-) Apparently there is a flying
school in Cambridge that still uses one of those), or a glider, even if I have
never done it. Nearest I've got is playing about with flight simulator on
p.c. (Was supposed to be a battle, but I'd just go up in the air and fly
around the island and practice landings, and keep away from any action,
being pacifist by inclination / temperament).

> > Maybe an idea also to say in advance that I'm not much inspired
> > by the idea of a "microtonal microsoft", being much more interested
> > in idea of diversity of programs that all call each other, as FTS
> > and SCALA call each other.
> >
> > It would be nice to be able to call up JM from FTS by passing a
> > scale to it to show as a lattice, just as I can pass a scale
> > to SCALA to show there and work with in SCALA.
> >
> > Then it is up to the programmers of JM to make it a nice program
> > that users will want to linger in and explore once they have looked
> > at the lattice. I imagine it will be if it is anything like the
> > C++ version. That was near first release stage when I tried it.
> >
> > Hopefully you'll get a few FTS users sent your way, who download JM
> > in order to enable the "show lattice in JM" button.
> >
> > I like to keep things small and diverse, and like idea of
> > lots of programs calling each other.
> >
> > I think the web is much richer for its diversity, and one can think
> > of programs as somewhat analagous to web pages. ONe comes across
> > "universal" type web sites, and very useful they are too, but they
> > are part of the diversity too!
>
>
> Yes, originally (back in the mid-1980s) I had hoped that JustMusic
> would be the be-all-and-end-all microtonal composition software
> application, but I'm tending more and more these days to think
> along the same lines as you. The programs that you, Graham, and
> Manuel have already released can already do *so* much that I wanted
> JustMusic to do, that this approach really makes a lot of sense.

Glad there's convergence of ideas going on. Basic midi relaying is pretty
easy to add if you want to add it to JM at some point.

> > Anyway will be great to meet up with everyone, and sometimes
> > the things that one least expects are the ones that are most
> > valuable.
>
>
> I'm certain that this trip, particularly the Netherlands segment
> of it, is going to be one of the highpoints of my life.
>

Great! I'm so looking forward to it.

Robert

Hi Robert, Hi Monz!

You guys really know how to be mean: here are all these other people
who can't get away for a trip to Europe, and you two are making plans
right in front of us! :)

But seriously, folks, it's ok to make these public, since traffic is
a little slow for now, but also please bear in mind the purpose of
this little corner of the net and use your good judgement. Mainly, I
just don't want to set any bad precedents for long, off-topic threads.

AND - I hope you'll both report back on the proceedings, regarding
the software meetings and on the Monz's performance/lecture. Have a
great trip!

Mom