Things I am interested in…

Beef - it’s what’s for dinner!

Today I found the website of the US Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. How did I achieve this remarkable feat?!

The story began when I was listening to a podcast from the BBC - Digital Planet - while riding the inter hospital shuttle bus. One of the stories was about a classical music website, where one can listen to various types of classical music and decide what one likes. Once I arrived back at work I checked this website out, and eventually came across Aaron Copland. I have been interested in his work for years, but only recognise the most famous - Fanfare for the Common Man. Desirous of learning more, I did what I usually do in circumstances where I’m looking for more information about something quickly, and happen to be sitting in front of a computer - I went to Wikipedia…

General enquiry about Copland, led to specific investigation of one of his ballets (Rodeo, 1942). The most famous piece of music from Rodeo is the “Hoe-Down”. I wondered if I had ever heard this piece before (actually, I though I must have, but just didn’t know it was called Hoe-Down), so I scanned down the Wikipedia entry about this, and there it was!

“Hoe-Down”, the ballet’s final section, was prominently used by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for television commercials in the US.

Instant connection…

There are a million strange and serendipitous web-surfing stories in the naked city… this has been one of them!

 This car rocks!

Dad and Katherine (my niece)
Originally uploaded by aturbott.

Here is a picture of my dad holding up my niece Katherine, with the big mouth!

Nasa has released a video synposis of the planned return to the moon. It looks like a sf movie trailer:

I’ve just come across an amusing website after being notified by BoingBoing…The Stephen Fry Talking Clock (a la Jeeves).

We took nearly 200 photos and videos while over at Surfer’s Paradise, and its surrondings (Jen came too for the first few days, before the conference proper started).  Here are a few of the pictures, as well as others, at my Flickr account…

Here are our new kittens - Cosmo in front & Dilmah at the back. They are brothers…

No posts for the last few days as I am currently in sunny (but soulless) Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland, Australia.  I am attending the 2007 RANZCP Congress (From Cell to Soul).  I will post more about this after the conference, but there have been some very interesting presentations so far…