Reading in another thread that @Hobbesarable is a Ethnomathematics specialist, I know nothing about that field but I’d like to. We should have some S2 posters start AMA threads about their Work, Hobbies or other areas of expertise. Post what you would be willing to discuss and hopefully we can select a couple AMA’s to start with. My area - Wine Science (I’m trying to become an expert but I’m not even close yet) Job is Wine chemist but only 6months so far so lots to learn.
I'm fascinated with ethnomusicology...made a life study of world music and history..working on a book about ethnic instruments from around the world and how music has traveled and morphed into different styles..also write poetry, prose, songs and working on a novella about an expat in Taiwan....I've been fortunate to have lived around and befriended some really great writers and musicians in my life....I'm also interested in String Theory and Taoism..taught myself to learn Mandarin when I lived in asia and got to know Chinese culture pretty intimately..I also love gardening and mushroom hunting, river hiking and snorkeling around coral reefs...My wife is an award winning artist published in two national art award books in Taiwan...we love our acreage in the foothills of the coastal range and she's surrounded our place with amazing flower gardens.
Oh God, I love good wine. I once had a collection of over 70 bottles of fine wine. But then, I also love really good scotch and great brandy. My favorite bottle of wine was Chateau La Tour St. Emillion. For a pretty good wine at a decent price, I recommend a Columbia red from the Red Willow Valley in Washington State. If you can afford something better, go for a Napa Valley, Mondavi.
I love good dry red wine...not a fan of whites...I drink Pinot Noir, Cabs, Shiraz...my favorite drink is Brandy these days....on the rocks..ice water chaser..I like West Coast wines, Chilean wines, Australian wines and some I've found on occasion from Slovenia...also like French burgundy table wine. I used to drink more Irish whiskey and single malt scotch but it's way to expensive these days...I ask for those for birthdays or Christmas...
I love Red willow in general. I believe it’s the oldest or one of the oldest vineyards in WA and the location, soil, climate is really beautifully matched to cabs, merlots and a bunch more.
I don't like the whites unless they are at least a little sweet. A chilled sweet chenin blanc on a hot summer afternoon is very hard to beat. Like Sly, it's very fruity. Never had an ice wine but I'm dying to try it.
So do any of you wine experts have a good recommendation for a wine tasting trip down in Pinot country? I have a cousin from L.A. and he and his wife are coming up soon and would like to go wine tasting for a day. I used to do that a lot in Napa and Sonoma but really know nothing about the McMinneville area. Suggestions?
I am sure you are far ahead of me as a wine connoisseur. But in this country, I never found a better wine maker than Fortino near Gilroy California. The best in the world, in my experience came from very deep stone cellar of Ruste Monetti's villa near Tortona in Lombardy.
My journey into ethnomathematics began with the book, "The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics" and a lecture given by Dr. Daniel Orey at Portland State University. It was there, with the help of my instructors and friends, I developed a passion for mathematics and even the physical sciences embedded within people's culture. Currently, Portland State has a Colloquium Series in which guest speakers from varying fields of mathematics & statistics give talks at the Urban Center Building 204.
A fun thing about Australian wines. If you drink ones from small vineyards you can often actually taste the Eucalyptus. The larger vineyards it becomes more faint as the eucalyptus is further away from the bulk of the grapes. But Eucalyptus and Smoke are two compounds that can enter the grape skin directly and make it all the way through the vinification process without being altered. With marijuana there has been conflicting results and the science isn’t set yet.but most compounds on grape skins never make it all the way through in tact.
Awesome. I have two questions: 1) how did the concept of Zero affect culture? 2) how did base systems affect culture and is there a better one in your opinion than the one currently in use by our culture?
Well it may be too late. The last time I was at Fortino's was 35 years ago. Ruste left us about 10 years ago.
1. I suggest reading Kaplan's fantastic book, "The Nothing that Is: A Natural History of Zero." The concept of zero affected many cultures and at different times. Read the book. You won't be disappointed. 2. Some cultures, such as the Mayans, developed their elaborate base systems based upon their recordings of astronomical events. I actually prefer the International System of Units (the metric system) rather than the Imperial System.
You should suck up to @BLAZINGGIANTS. He’s the local King of Rieslings....and ice wines. German wines rock!
Interesting! I am actually on the other side. While the metric system is nice for calculating, being base 10 increments and all. It is rather useless in our physical world. Metric sizes of bolts and fasteners produces too many sizes, compared to the adequate range of sizes in inches. Then we have the Knot mile being equal to a Minute of latitude or Longitude at the equator. It is also sort of cool being 2000 yards. All being very handy for calculations in the head rather than futzing with a calculator. A kilometer being nothing but a 1000 meters which is also nothing but a meter or a 1000 millimeters.
