Richard Feynman is renowned for many thing . ANobel Laureate , he is , without head , one of the most influential physicists who ever lived . A enchanting and lucid lecturer , Feynman was one of the greatest science educators of our time . Right up until his end in 1988 , the piece exudeda boyish charm and a childlike oddity about the worldthat was simply impossible to ignore .
https://gizmodo.com/watch-a-series-of-seven-brilliant-lectures-by-richard-f-5894600
https://gizmodo.com/the-makers-of-the-sagan-series-bring-you-the-feynman-se-5845923
Today would have been Feynman ’s 94th birthday . To celebrate , boingboing ’s Maggie Koerth - Baker posted this awe-inspiring video of an elderly Feynmanwailing aside at the Tragelaphus eurycerus . A mass of mass forget ( or simply do n’t know ) that when Feynman was n’t doing Nobel Prize - suitable research , or inspiring the next physicists of the world , he was known to moonlight as a percussionist — and a moderately accomplished one , at that . Featured below is an excerpt fromSurely You ’re joke , Mr. Feynman!that describes , in Feynman ’s own run-in , his first skirmish with bongo drum - playing .
Happy natal day , Feynman . You are sorely missed .
One time I was in the recreation hall , late at dark , when there were n’t many people , and I picked up a wastebasket and commence to pound the back end of it . Some guy from agency downstairs came run all the way up and said , “ Hey ! You play drum ! ” It turned out he really knew how to play drums , and he teach me how to play bongo .
There was some guy in the music department who had a accumulation of African medicine , and I ’d come to his house and play drums . He ’d make transcription of me , and then at his party , he had a secret plan that he called “ Africa or Ithaca ? ” in which he ’d act some transcription of drum music , and the idea was to guess whether what you were take heed was manufacture in the continent of Africa , or topically . So I must have been fairly near at imitating African music by that time .
When I came to Caltech , I used to go down to the Sunset Strip a mickle . One time there was a group of drummers led by a braggy blighter from Nigeria called Ukonu , play this terrific drum music – just percussion section – at one of the nightclubs . The second - in - command , who was especially nice to me , pay for me to number up on the degree with them and toy a little . So I get up there with the other hombre and act along with them on the drum for a petty while .
I asked the 2nd guy if Ukonu ever kick in lessons , and he say yes . So I used to go down to Ukonu ’s home , near Century Boulevard ( where the Watts riots later occurred ) to get lessons in drumming . The lesson were n’t very efficient : he would dilly-dally around , mouth to other hoi polloi , and be break by all variety of things . But when they worked they were very exciting , and I learned a lot from him .
At dancing near Ukonu ’s spot , there would be only a few White , but it was much more relaxed than it is today . One time they had a drumming contest , and I did n’t do very well : They said my drumming was “ too noetic ” ; theirs was much more pulse .
One solar day when I was at Caltech I cause a very serious telephone call .
“ Hello ? ”
“ This is Mr. Trowbridge , Mahster of the Polytechnic School . ” The Polytechnic School was a minuscule , private schooltime which was across the street diagonally from Caltech . Mr. Trowbridge carry on in a very formal voice : “ I have a friend of yours here , who would like to address to you . ”
“ OK . ”
“ Hello , Dick ! ” It was Ukonu ! It turned out the Master of the Polytechnic School was not as formal as he was make himself out to be , and had a great sensation of humor . Ukonu was visiting the school to play for the Kyd , so he invited me to come over and be on the degree with him , and play along . So we played for the Thomas Kid together : I played bongos ( which I had in my spot ) against his big tumba metal drum .
Ukonu had a regular thing : He conk out to various schools and speak about the African drums and what they meant , and told about the music . He had a fantastic personality and a exalted grin ; he was a very , very nice human being . He was just stunning on the drums – he had record out – and was here study medicine . He went back to Nigeria at the start of the state of war there – or before the state of war – and I do n’t know what find to him .
After Ukonu get out I did n’t do very much drumming , except at parties once in a while , entertaining a little bit . One time I was at a dinner party party at the Leightons ’ theater , and Bob ’s Word Ralph and a friend asked me if I wanted to grind away . Thinking that they were expect me to do a solo , I said no . But then they bug out drumming on some little wooden tables , and I could n’t resist : I seize a table too , and the three of us played on these slight wooden tables , which made lots of interesting sounds .
MusicPhysicsquantum physicsRichard FeynmanScience
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