Hobbies/Interests
I do photography semi-professionally whenever I can (but you probably won't see any photos on my web site) and enjoy watching or photographing live dance (Alvin Ailey, Momix, Bill T. Jones, etc.). I support activities to help fix the crisis of education in our country and around the world -- particularly helping those who can't afford it; I'm an old fan of Schoolhouse Rock and sometimes miss the days before computers, when we all spent more time feeling the real world and creating things with our hands. Although I never quite finished learning how to read/write Chinese, or dance salsa very well, my most valuable "hobby" today is perhaps finding the time to quietly think or write, and sharing experiences with family and friends.
Drawings
These are a couple drawings I did, back when I had more free time.
Poems/Quotes
From my High School year book:
"Enough of Science and of Art,
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth and bring with you heart
That watches and receives..."-W.W.
From my undergrad college yearbook:
"...What makes MIT great is not the classes, but the people;
I probably punted more classes than I attended,
but in doing so, I learned more.
"Zen Buddhist" quote (actually attributed to L.P. Jacks):
"A Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both."
Music
With so much formulaic pop music these days, we sometimes forget the great musicians of our time, whose songs were more than just good melodies and harmonies, but were also poems with meaning that often brought people together, reflecting on our culture, or casting some light into the shadows.
A few of the greats:
Harry Chapin:
activist, philanthropist
Remembering the value of music
-- Chapin wrote this song shortly before his death, and
inspired by the deaths of John Lennon and Allard Lowenstein.
Story of a Life
Good tired
Taxi
Tribute
Joni Mitchell:
One of the greatest songwriters ever -- a pure lyrical voice, who still calls herself a painter,
Early years
The River
Later years
A Case of You
cover by Prince
cover by Diana Krall
Tom Waits:
poet, story teller
Early years
Later years
Leonard Cohen:
storyteller, poet, songwriter
Suzanne -- one of Cohen's early muses (Suzanne Verdal) that launched his song career.
the original Hallelujah
Love song, Leonard style
David Bowie:
talented songwriter, versatile entertainer
Life on Mars -- Bowie wrote this song in reponse to a failed songwriting effort for Sinatra's My Way. His pianist Rick Wakeman played a moving tribute to Bowie upon his death.
Bowie's song was recently selected as the soundtrack for an upcoming missions to Mars. It should be noted, however, that before SpaceX and Falcon Heavy, there was Heavy Metal.
As a student, when I first learned guitar and piano, one of the first things I did was learn to play Pink Floyd and Bowie songs. Here is a rare combination of these two legends.
Alma Deutscher:
musical prodigy
Why should music be beautiful?
Inspiration
Perpective on Life from Robin Williams
When I was a grad student, Robin visited our lab at MIT when he was in town making the movie Good Will Hunting. He touched many people's lives.
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