On “Forbidden Archaeology”

I have started reading “The Hidden History of the Human Race” – the condensed edition of “Forbidden Archaeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race”, by Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson. After getting to page 38 I decided enough was enough; I had to know what the critics had to say. I had become tired of the authors’ assertion that the scientific establishment has “suppressed, ignored, or forgotten” the remarkable facts that prove that the human race has lived for millions of years on Earth. The “evidence” was unearthed mostly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and has subsequently been “suppressed” because it did not fit with the current mainstream theory of evolution.

I kept feeling that their analysis and conclusions were flawed, or at least lacked objectivity. Why would that be? Perhaps the fact that the authors are Hindu Creationists might have something to do with it…

Their book is very well written pseudo-scientific hogwash. To the layman it appears to take a scientific approach into investigating archaeological finds that appear to indicate that humans lived more than the 300,000 – 400,000 years that is currently believed. However, Wade Tarzia’s critique of the book explains in detail its lack of scientific rigour. I like that Wade Tarzia cites Occam’s Razor when criticising the authors for jumping to sensationalist conclusions, when other simpler explanations are available.

I encourage you to read “Forbidden Archaeology” – but as long as you read Wade Tarzia’s critique as well.

How to download a BBC audio stream to an iPod podcast

The BBC website only makes a podcast available for seven days. After that, you may be able to listen to the program using their iPlayer. I had missed the first podcast of the 2009 Reith Lectures and wanted to have it in my iPod alongside the second lecture that I had downloaded. And so began the search for the solution. The steps that I had to perform in order to accomplish this task were:

Download the BBC real audio stream

I found the iPlayer Converter web site, which provided me the RealAudio stream for the BBC iPlayer stream. If you read the web site, it explains that the BBC changed from distributing Real Player audio streams to distributing encrypted MP3 via its own iPlayer streaming audio application. The BBC still has working links to the RealAudio stream, and the web site provides these links.

I had to determine the URL to the BBC RealAudio stream. The iPlayer Converter website can generate it from the BBC iPlayer Program ID, but I didn’t know what that was. So I worked out the URL by looking at existing URLs on the iPlayer Converter web site and noticing that it used the same pattern as the URL of the iPlayer link. So that was easy enough.

So now I have the RealAudio URL. Now I need to download the audiostream. To do this I used the evaluation version of HiDownload from StreamingStar. I would have preferred to use a free version, and downloaded SMPlayer. However, I couldn’t figure out how to do it. As it’s a GUI over the mplayer command-line program, I think that I had to use the mplayer program on the command-line. But that seemed like too much work.

Convert the RealAudio file to MP4

I downloaded SUPER, another GUI to the mplayer command-line program, and converted the file to MP4.

Note: I first converted it to MP3, which is the format of the podcasts that the BBC publishes. However, when trying to do the next step (making it appear as a podcast in iTunes), the program I used couldn’t work with MP3 files.

Import into iTunes as a Podcast

I could simply add the MP4 file to iTunes, and it would appear as a music file. However, I wanted it to appear as a podcast, and if possible, to appear next to the other 2009 Reith Lecture podcasts.

To do this, I downloaded AtomicParsley, which is a command-line program that modifies the iTunes meta data in MP4 files. I executed the following command:

<pathToAtomicParsley>\AtomicParsley.exe “Reith_Markets and Morals 09 Jun 09.MP4″ –podcastFlag=true –podcastURL “http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/reith/rss.xml”

I then added the file to iTunes and it appeared where it should. (Well, I actually added it before re-running the programt with the podcastURL flag, then deleted it, then added it afterwards with the podcastURL setting. So I’m presuming that it would have worked first time had I modified the podcastURL flag first.)

QED

So that was it! It seems simple enough, but it took a long time to wade through forums, trying out programs and settling on this method. Now I have to uninstall the stuff that I didn’t end up using…

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Classical Music in the Góngora Institute Chapel

From Diario Córdoba,

Portada > Cultura

06/03/2007

Música clásica en la capilla del instituto Góngora

06/03/2007

Foto:JUAN MANUEL VACAS

Córdoba. La capilla del instituto Góngora acogió anoche un concierto en el que participaron Manuel J. Pulido y Francisco J. Montalvo que interpretaron al violín las ´Danzas alemanas de Mozart´, así como la ´Sinfonía española´, de E. Lalo, en la que intervino el piano de Luis Santos y el zapateado de Sarasate. La Orquesta de Plectro de Córdoba actuó en la segunda parte.

www.diariocordoba.com

Paco performs in Cordoba

Paco performed as a soloist with the Córdoba Orchestra at the Gran Teatro in Córdoba as part of the celebration of Andalusisa Day. It was reported in the local newspaper Diario Córdoba with the headline Versatilidad idiomática. As I’m sure that Diario Córdoba will not keep the link forever, I have pasted the article below.

Portada > Cultura
02/03/2007 | MUSICA
Versatilidad idiomática

02/03/2007 JUAN MIGUEL MORENO CALDERON

ORQUESTA DE CORDOBA

Francisco Montalvo (violín)

Manuel Hernández Silva (director)

Lugar: Gran Teatro

Fecha: miércoles, 28 de febrero

Al igual que en años pasados, la celebración del Día de Andalucía se ha visto realzada con un concierto de la Orquesta de Córdoba. En realidad, se trata de un concierto de la temporada de abono, más que de un concierto extraordinario programado expresamente para dicho fin. Lo que quizás explique que la confección del programa no hiciera excesiva alusión a ese día de gran significación para los andaluces, aun figurando en el mismo un joven violinista cordobés como solista invitado y que se pusiera en atril una obra inspirada en el más universal de los poetas cordobeses, del compositor valenciano Andrés Valero-Castells. Una obra ésta, Polifemo y Galatea , que debe su existencia a un encargo de la Fundación Autor y la Asociación Española de Orquestas Sinfónicas, a petición de la formación cordobesa. Se trata pues de una obra reciente y vinculada a nuestra orquesta, que nos da cuenta del formidable talento musical y la inspiración creadora de un compositor a tener en cuenta.

Protagonista

En cuanto al jovencísimo Francisco José Montalvo, el gran protagonista de la noche, por esa seductora combinación de corta edad y extraordinarias dotes para el violín, pero también porque los resultados de su interpretación cumplieron ampliamente con las expectativas, todo nos refuerza en el convencimiento de que un talento tan especial requerirá de decidido apoyo y de una cuidadosa atención en su formación violinística y musical, con vistas a materializar esa magnífica carrera que se abre ante sus ojos y que quienes le escuchamos bien podemos augurar sin ningún género de dudas. Que con sólo trece años de edad pueda abordar exitosamente una obra tan complicada como la Sinfonía española de Lalo, ya es algo muy reseñable; pero que lo haga con el aplomo y temple que mostró en el Gran Teatro, es algo reservado sólo a quienes están llamados a convertirse en virtuosos. Y ése es el caso de Montalvo.

Pero no sería justo terminar este comentario, centrado en un creador y un intérprete que por sus cualidades llamaron la atención, si no se pusieran de manifiesto las prestaciones que la Orquesta de Córdoba desplegó a lo largo de un programa que incluía también sendas obras sinfónicas de Wagner y Ginastera. Porque tales prestaciones evidenciaron tres cosas: la solidez del conjunto en tales difíciles páginas, la flexibilidad para compenetrarse con el solista en una obra tan celebrada como atípica, y la fantasía sonora para mostrar los variados matices líricos de la obra de Valero-Castells. Indudablemente se querría más plantilla para traer a Wagner con ese volumen que imaginamos, pero no para embelesarse con la dicción y el sentimiento transmitido por nuestra orquesta, bajo la batuta dúctil de Hernández Silva. Y lo mismo podría decirse del Ginastera nacionalista audaz de los años cuarenta, el cual permitió mostrar además esa versatilidad idiomática que caracteriza a la Orquesta de Córdoba.

www.diariocordoba.com

Weekend in France

On the weekend of Feb 17 and 18, we went to stay with friends in Montgobert, a small village near Villers-Cotterets, which is nearly an hour from Paris by train. Andrea’s good friend Hazel lives there and we were long overdue a visit there. We took the Eurostar traing from Waterloo to Paris, and then the local train to Villers-Cotterets. Montgobert is a very small village with just 200 or so inhabitants. Click on the image below to see the photos.

 

2007 Villers-Cotterets

Barbara and Alun have friends who live in a lovely mansion in Villers-Cotterets. The mansion was once occupied by a famous writere – Alexandre Dumas – the author of “The Man in the Iron Mask” and “The Three Musketeers”, among other books. We spent a few hours with them; above is a photo of the house. The wife (I’ve forgotten her name) is an artist who makes beautiful pottery. So we bought a large plate to hang on the wall in our kitchen.

So that was a nice weekend in France, away from London and our familiar home ground called Greenwich.

Building software

“When we build software…the product is not the software; it is the knowledge contained in the software.”

“… for the most part, engineers do not know how to build the systems they are trying to build; it is their job to find out how to build such systems.”

Phillip Armour, The Laws of Software Process,
ISBN 0849314895, 2004

Pumpkin Soup

Well I never thought I’d ever write about pumpkin soup… But today we just had the most amazing pumpkin soup for lunch! Sisa wanted to make a pumpkin soup and, after scouring the cookbooks and not finding a recipe, she sent me onto the Internet in search of one. Well I googled around a bit and printed off three that I thought looked good. Sisa looked at them briefly, said “Thanks dear, I think I’ll just make it up as I go along” (or maybe it was “Gracias cariño, lo haré por mi cuenta”) and put them to one side. She then proceeded on her merry way and I left her to it, with fingers crossed and hoping that I wasn’t going to be an unfortunate victim of another “animal experiment” again (I never did write about the baking disasters!). Well, what appeared on the table for lunch could have been served from any of London’s finest restaurants. Visually stunning and a delight to the taste buds. The visual simplicity of the uniform orange soup with a scattering of basil leaves in a plain white classic fine porcelain soup plate set the mood for a lovely family Sunday lunch.

Oh why didn’t I take a photo…

Sisa cooks instinctively and doesn’t bother about weights and measures. I on the other hand treat cooking like a chemistry experiment and need the security of my measuring cups, tea spoons and kitchen scales. So I managed to get the approximate measures out of Sisa and write them down. We’ll soon see how accurate they are!

Heat 1.25L of water to boiling. While boiling, put in a bone of Iberico ham together with an onion and four crushed cloves of garlic. Leave to boil for 20 minutes, then take out the bone, onion and garlic and put in the pumpkin with the seeds removed and 1 medium-sized peeled potato, cut into small pieces. Add pepper, salt and nutmeg and boil for another 20 minutes. Put it all through the blender and add grated cheese (medium cheddar or gruyere etc). Stir and serve together with croutons, small pieces of Iberico ham and leaves of basil.

[lang_en]The Report on Paco’s Trip[/lang_en][lang_es]Reportaje del Viaje de Paco[/lang_es]

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[lang_es] Francisco José Montalvo muestra el magnifico Stradivarius “La Cathédral” junto a Mr Geoffrey Fushi Presidente The Stradivari Society y Mr Nestor Eidler. [/lang_es]
[lang_en] Francisco José Montalvo shows the magnificent Stradivarius, “The Cathedral”, with Mr Geoffrey Fushi, the President of the Stradivari Society and Mr Nestor Eidler. [/lang_en]

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[lang_es]Mr Geoffrey Fushi le obsequió y dedicó a Francisco José Montalvo, un maravilloso libro editado por The Stradivari Society de Chicago.[/lang_es]

[lang_en]Mr Geoffrey Fushi presents to Francisco José Montalvo a book written by the Stradivari Society of Chicago.[/lang_en]

[lang_es]Cobertura Institucional del Gobierno de España ofrecida por el Director del Instituto Cervantes de Chicago al Joven violinista Francisco José Montalvo en su presentación ante el Presidente The Stradivari Societhy, Mr Geoffrey Fushi.[/lang_es]

[lang_en]A declaration of support from the Spanish Government, offered by the Director of the Cervantes Institute of Chicago, to the young violinist Francisco José Montalvo in his presentation before the President of the Stadivari Society, Mr Geoffrey Fushi.[/lang_en]

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[lang_es]Durante el acto Juan Carlos Vidal, Delegado Cultural del Gobierno de España como Director del Instituto Cervantes de Chicago, dirigió unas palabras de presentación al Presidente Geoffrey Fushi con motivo de la entrega de un obsequio del Ayuntamiento de Córdoba, un Cordobán confiado a Francisco José Montalvo en calidad de embajador cultural de su ciudad; además, se le hicieron entrega al Presidente de unas cartas de invitación de la Alcaldesa de Córdoba Rosa Aguilar, para visitar la ciudad de Córdoba y tratar sobre un proyecto de colaboración para la realización de una “Exposición universal del Violín” en esta ciudad Europea de la Cultura.[/lang_es]

[lang_en]Juan Carlos Vidal, Cultural Delegate of the Spanish Government and Director of the Cervantes Institute of Chicago, presents a gift from the Córdoba City Council to the President of the Stradivari Society, Mr Geoffrey Fushi. He also delivered to the president letters of invitation from the Mayoress of Córdoba, Ms Rosa Aguilar, to visit the City of Córdoba and to participate in the World Violin Expo in the European City of Culture.[/lang_en]

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[lang_es]Francisco José Montalvo alumno de prestigiosos maestros como Yuri Petrossian, Mathis Fischer, Luis Rubén Gallardo, Sergei Teslia, Sergei Fatkouline, o José Gámez, fué presentado artísticamente en la Sociedad Stradivari por el Maestro Nestor Eidler.

Francisco José Montalvo ha sido uno de los tres jóvenes invitados para participar en las clases magistrales que en la sede The Stradivari Society impartió Mr Joel Smirnoff, Director del Departamento de Violín de la “Julliard School” de New York.[/lang_es]

[lang_en]Francisco José Montalvo, student of prestigious maestros such as Yuri Petrossian, Mathis Fisher, Luis Rubén Gallardo, Sergei Teslia, Sergei Fatkouline, and José Gámez, was presented to the Stradivari Society, by the maestro, Nestor Eidler.

Francisco José Montalvo has been one of the three youths invited to participate in the master classes at the Stradivari Society, conducted by Mr Joel Smirnoff, Director of the Violin Department of the Juilliard School of New York.[/lang_en]

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[lang_es]Francisco José Montalvo con el Stradivarius “La Cathédral” interpreta el Zapateado de Sarasate, al fondo un retrato del mítico violinista Jasha Heifetz.[/lang_es]
[lang_en]Francisco José Montalvo with the Stradivarius “The Cathedral”, interprets the Zapateado by Sarasate. In the background, a portrait of the legendary violinist, Jasha Heifetz.[/lang_en]

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[lang_es]Presentación de la Capitalidad de Córdoba 2016 Ciudad Europea de la Cultura y entrega de las cartas de invitación de la Alcaldesa de Córdoba Rosa Aguilar al Presidente The Stradivari Society en Chicago, Mr Geoffrey Fushi por Francisco José Montalvo, en calidad de embajador cultural de Cordoba.[/lang_es]

[lang_en]Presentation of the European City of Culture, Cordoba 2016, and handing over of the letters of invitation from the Mayoress of Cordoba, Ms. Rosa Aguilar, to the President of the Stradivari Society in Chicago, Mr Geoffrey Fushi, by Francisco José Montalvo, in his capacity as Cultural Ambassador of Cordoba.[/lang_en]

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[lang_es]El Decano del Departamento de Violín de la “Juilliard School” de New York, Joel Smirnoff ofrece su clase magistral a Francisco José Montalvo en la sede The Stradivari Society de Chicago, para concluir, le dedicó una crítica, firmando con un ¡BRAVO! para Francisco José…[/lang_es]

[lang_en]The Dean of the Department of Violin of the Juilliard School of Music of New York, Joel Smirnoff, gives his master class to Francisco José Montalvo at the Stradivari Society of Chicago. At the end, he dedicated a critique, signing with, “¡BRAVO!, for Francisco José…”[/lang_en]

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[lang_es]La Directora de The Stradivati Society, Suzanne Fushi (comenzando por la izquierda), Caroline Goulding y Francisco José Montalvo ambos de trece años junto al Decano del Departamento de Violín de la “Juilliard School” de New York, Joel Smirnoff en The Stradivari Society.[/lang_es]

[lang_en](From left) The Director of the Stradivari Society, Ms Suzanne Fushi, Caroline Goulding and Francisco José Montalvo, both thirteen years of age, with the Dean of the Department of Violin of the Juilliard School of New York, Joel Smirnoff, at the Stradivari Society.[/lang_en]

Paco goes to Chicago

Paco has just gone to Chicago, where the Stradivari Society has invited him to perform a recital. He will also audition to go onto their waiting list of musicians for whom they find a sponsor to lend him a Stradivarius violin for his performances. They’re fairly rare and are worth about US$4 million. Paco will also participate in the Master Class of Joel Smirnoff, chair of the Violin Department of the Juillard School in New York.

Below are some newspaper articles about his trip:

Montalvo recibe la prestigiosa beca de la Stradivari Society de Chicago (Día de Córdoba – 13-05-2006), reporting the Mayor of Córdoba hosting a reception at the council in honour of Paco being invited to audition in Chicago.

FRANCISCO JOSÉ MONTALVO, Violinista: “Me gustaría ser un buen concertista y tocar en las mejores salas” (ABC – 15-05-2006), interviewing Paco about the forthcoming trip, and about his past and career ambitions.