http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2002-2006 by the authors Tue, 1 Jun 2004 15:52:21 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66822 I think the comparison is a bit of a reach. It sounds like Sivers is trying to elevate himself. I deal with science things every day. I think up problems, then try to solve them. There is some creativity involved in that process. I report my results. My "audience" responds with approval, disapproval, or indifference, much like what a songwriter is subjected to. The difference is that there is an objective reality in which scientists, engineers, and programmers operate. A program is judged on how well it accomplishes a predetermined function, and if it actually helps (or entertains) anyone. A scientific model is judged according to how well it reproduces empirical data, and whether or not anyone gives a damn. Music, on the other hand (and I want to talk about actual music, not Britneyish mass-produced image-based tripe), is not judged strictly by objective criteria. A songwriter attempts to engage the emotions of the listener. There is no flow-chart for this. It's obscure. There are no equations, no rules, no laws. Unlike programming, the emphasis is on aesthetic appeal rather than function. Unlike science, the emphasis is on expression of mental states through sound, words, and the interplay of sound and words, rather than describing an objective reality, where there are right and wrong answers to be identified. One might appreciate the "beauty" of a scientific theory, or the creatively clever construction of an efficient algorithm, but the aesthetic aspects of science and programming are secondary to function and description. Suffice to say that almost any semi-smart person can learn to be a capable programmer. By comparison, very few people have the necessary skills to be a capable songwriter. You don't need to be smart to write good songs, although some musical knowledge provides the writer with more tools. Some part of songwriting can be learned, but that extra step, writing something of beauty and power, is a very big step. ]]> 66822@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 15:52:21 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66821 I remember in High School; I was an aspiring young intellectual with just enough knowledge to be dangerous to myself and my society; got a writing assignment in English class to "explain something." I chose the creative process (and it sorta resembled the above essay). My teacher -- who was very smart and very cool -- called me over for a 'private' conference and said, "Don't ever do that. No. No. No. Don't ever, ever do that, okay." Words to live by, since there are few ways to sound sillier than trying to 'explain' such ethereal matters. BTW: I'm guessing that Sivers is about 14 years old and will be sorry he wrote this someday? ]]> 66821@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 15:47:14 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66811 nope. but not exclusively. ]]> 66811@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 15:07:32 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66809 lol ... was the third choice wrong? :) ]]> 66809@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 14:46:11 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66805 hey, i only gave you two choices! troublemaker! ]]> 66805@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 14:43:23 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66802 Mark - I thought you were just burned out on Microsoft? ;) ]]> 66802@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 14:34:29 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/01/114150.php#comment-66797 i dunno...while writing software is certainly a creative thing, this looks to me like somebody who's so in love with the process that he's willing to draw the parallels. i've written software, music and words and i'd say that there's far more mystery to the process when music and words are involved. or, i could just be burned out on writing software. take your pick. ]]> 66797@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Jun 2004 13:58:01 EDT