2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

The 2018 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are Bon Jovi, The Cars (yay!), Dire Straits (yay!), The Moody Blues, and Nina Simone. Additionally, Sister Rosetta Tharpe received an award for early influence.

For the second year in a row, Depeche Mode was nominated but didn't get in. Maybe they'll make it next year?

RIP Pete Burns (1959–2016)

Pete Burns, lead singer of the band Dead Or Alive, has died of cardiac arrest.

Years from now, if somebody does something that Pete Burns doesn't like, we will say that he would be spinning right 'round in his grave.

(Tip of the cap to Scott Porter.)

Nature Physics and Joy Division

The journal Nature Physics has included an explicit shout out to Joy Division in the cover of their September issue. I approve!

Check out our September issue with a @joydivision cover pic.twitter.com/LOxhaSxG3D

— Nature Physics (@NaturePhysics) September 2, 2016

In a very short blog entry, I linked to an article and video about the astronomical inspiration for Joy Division's iconic album cover.

RIP David Bowie (1947–2016)

Today, we lost a music legend: David Bowie has died of cancer. His last album was released three days ago (last Friday, on his 69th birthday).

There are numerous excellent David Bowie songs --- so much good (and very innovative) music! RIP.

Update: There is more detail in the BBC obituary. Here is the CNN obituary.

Update: As discussed in this article in The Telegraph, the timing of the release of David Bowie's final album last Friday was as a 'parting gift' to his fans. And the video for "Blackstar", which completes the saga both of Major Tom and of David Bowie, is chilling (especially in the context that it has turned out to have).

Update (1/12/16): Also look at these final pictures of David Bowie from last Friday. Amazing!

Update (1/12/16): I should have mentioned the following for those of you who don't already know: In addition to my really liking quite a lot of David Bowie's songs, Bowie exerted a major influence on so many of my favorite artists. The music to which I listen every day, and which gives me a great deal of pleasure, owes a Hell of a lot to David Bowie.

Update (1/13/16): Also see this small collection of tributes. Also don't forget this video (which was first posted in 2013, though is appropriate now more than ever).

Update (1/16/16): Here is visualization of many prominent musical artists and others who were influenced by David Bowie. (Tip of the cap to Duran Duran's post on Facebook.)

Water Phase Diagram: Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

Clearly, I need to use XKCD's water phase diagram the next time I am teaching statistical physics.

When my students are too loud, I'll tell them to stop, collaborate, and listen.

Also notice the really great pun at the bottom. I really love that!

The Science of Joy Division

Well here's something really cool: the cover of Joy Division's album Unknown Pleasures has visualization of astronomical data has its inspiration. That is just way cool!

(Tip of the cap to Mariano Beguerisse Díaz.)

Punk Music and a Mathematics Seminar

My knowledge of early new wave and late punk music in the UK finally helped me understand a slide in a mathematics seminar!

(This actually happened last week, but I forgot to post it.)

Mad Props to the American Physical Society for the New Wave Music Reference

I have got to give the American Physics Society mad props for using a Gary Numan reference in their title for this article.

Whoever does the Facebook posts for Physics Today was even more explicit about the reference, as they mentioned Numan's song, Are 'Friends' Electric?, explicitly. (They did get the title slightly wrong, however, as the word 'friends' is in quotes in the title, and the question mark is in the title as well. Not to have a Comic Book Guy moment or anything...)