More from the Low Countries

Posted on 24/04/2013 by dougaj4

Two songs to go with the painting from last week:

A beautiful unaccompanied rendition of Lowlands from Anne Briggs:

Anne Briggs sang Lowlands in 1964 on her Topic Records EP The Hazards of Love. This recording was reissued on her Fellside and Topic compilation CDs, Classic Anne Briggs and A Collection. A.L. Lloyd wrote in the album’s sleeve notes:

The song is a bit of a mystery.  It has often been found in tradition in Britain and USA but always as a sailor shanty, usually sung while working at the pumps. Two distinct sets of words accompany the tune: one text tells the present story of the dead lover who returns; the other text concerns the work and pay of cotton-lumbers in the port of Mobile, Alabama.  Deceived by the latter version, some specialists declare it to be a Negro song.  More likely, it’s a fragment of an Anglo-Scots ballad, full form forgotten, that lived on among British seamen who passed it on to longshoremen in the Gulf ports. The “Lowlands” refrain may be an echo from the old ballad of The Golden Vanity. Captain Whall, best of the pioneer shanty collectors, says that in Liverpool in the old days a crew of merchant seaman was often spoken of as “the Johns” so the term “my John” in the ballad is no more personal than “my lad”.  Anne Briggs sings Lowlands not as a shanty but as a ballad, in what is probably something like its original form.

More at Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music

And from an early Steeleye Span LP, Lowlands of Holland:

Posted in Bach | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

GeodesiX

Posted on 19/04/2013 by dougaj4

Another link from Alfred Vachris:

GeodesiX is is an addin for Microsoft Excel which allows you to display maps, perform forward and reverse geocoding, compute distances (Great Circle, driving, bicycling and walking) and verify your results in Google Maps, all within Excel.

It is a truly remarkable piece of software, and what’s more, it is free.

A few screen-shots below; see the link for more details and download.

Geodesix1 Geodesix2 Geodesix3

Geodesix4

Posted in Computing - general, Excel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Folklore of the Low Countries …

Posted on 17/04/2013 by dougaj4

… is a painting by Peter Brueghel the Elder, featuring depictions of more than 100 Dutch proverbs, a few of which are shown below.  It is today’s (17 April 13) Wikipedia Featured Picture, and the full hi-res image can be downloaded from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_The_Dutch_Proverbs_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

netherlandish-proverbs1 netherlandish-proverbs2 netherlandish-proverbs3 netherlandish-proverbs4

netherlandish-proverbs5

Posted in Bach | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Section properties for groups of defined shapes

Posted on 12/04/2013 by dougaj4

Following a discussion at Eng-Tips, I have modified the section properties spreadsheet (presented here) so that section properties can be found for groups of defined shapes, including provision for translation and rotation of each shape, and application of different E values.

The new spreadsheet may be downloaded from Section Properties07.zip, including full open source code.

The procedure is:

  • Select a shape from the drop-down list on the “DefShapes” sheet and enter the required dimensions.
  • In the Group Properties table (further down on the same sheet) enter details of X and Y offsets, rotations, and Elastic Modulus values for one or more copies of this shape.
  • Click the “Create new group” button.  The Group Properties table will update.
  • Different shapes may be added by following the same procedure as above, then click the “Add shapes to group” button.

Holes inside a shape may be defined using Elastic Modulus values of 1 and -1 for the shape and holes respectively.

The grouped shapes may be plotted on the “Coords_Group” sheet, which also recalculates section properties, based on end point coordinates.  Note that properties on the “Coords_Group” sheet will be slightly different from those shown in the Group Properties table for any shape including curves because the calculation on that sheet models curves as a series of short straight lines.  For any polygonal shape the results should be exactly the same (within machine precision).

Examples of input and results are shown in the screen-shots below.

Create 6 equilateral triangles, offset so that the tip is at the origin, and rotated through 60 degree increments

Create 6 equilateral triangles, offset so that the tip is at the origin, and rotated through 60 degree increments

Resulting hexagon

Resulting hexagon

Create new group with 0.5 dia. circle

Create new group with 0.5 dia. circle

Add 25 mm diameter holes at 0.45 m from the centre with 30 degree increment

Add 25 mm diameter holes at 0.45 m from the centre with 30 degree increment

Resulting group and section properties

Resulting group and section properties

Add 4 equal angles to an I section; offset and rotated to I section internal corners

Add 4 equal angles to an I section; offset and rotated to I section internal corners

Resulting group and section properties

Resulting group and section properties

Posted in Coordinate Geometry, Excel, Maths, Newton, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

George Gently, Matty Groves, and Ebony Buckle

Posted on 07/04/2013 by dougaj4

The George Gently episode “Gently With Class” (just shown in Australia) features an excellent rendition of the traditional song “Matty Groves” sung by Ebony Buckle:

The song dates from at least the 17th Century ,and is  included in the ballads collected by 19th Century American scholar Francis James Child.  It fits the story well, not just because the words of the song tell of an English “nobleman” who sees it as his right to dispense his own version of justice, and “ask for no man’s leave”, but also because the song was a staple part of the repertoire of Fairport Convention, at the height of their success in the era of the Gently story:

Matty Groves lyrics:

A holiday, a holiday, the first one of the year  Lord Arlen’s wife came into church the gospel for to hear.

And when the meeting it was done she cast her eyes about  And there she saw little Mattie Groves, walking in the park.

Come home with me little Mattie Groves, come home with me tonight  Come home with me little Mattie Groves and sleep with me tonight.

Oh I can’t come home, I won’t come home and sleep with you tonight  By the rings on your fingers I can tell you are Lord Arlen’s wife.

‘Tis true I am Lord Arlen’s wife, Lord Arlen’s not at home  He is out to the far corn fields, bringing the yearlings home.

And the servant who was standing by and hearing what was said,  He saw Lord Arlen, he would know, before the sun would set.

And in his hurry to carry the news, he filled his breast and ran  And when he came to the broad mill stream he took off his shoes and swam

Little Mattie Groves, he lay down and took a little sleep  When he awoke Lord Arlen, was standing at his feet

Saying how do you like my feather bed and how do you like my sheets  And how do you like my lady, who lies in your arms asleep.

Oh well I like your feather bed and well I like your sheets  But better I like your lady maid who lies in my arms asleep.

Well Get Up! Get Up! Lord Arlen cried, Get Up as quick as you can  It’ll never be said in fair England I slew a naked man!

Oh I won’t get up, I won’t get up, I can’t get up for my life  For you have two long beaten swords and I have but a pocket knife.

Well it’s true I have two beaten swords, they cost me deep in the purse  But you will have the better of them and I will have the worst.

And you will strike the very first blow and strike it like a man  I will strike the very next blow and I’ll kill you if I can.

So Mattie struck the very first blow and he hurt Lord Arlen sore  Lord Arlen struck the very next blow and Mattie struck no more.

And then Lord Arlen he took his wife, he sat her on his knee  Saying who do you like the best of us, Mattie Groves or me.

And then spoke up his own dear wife never heard to speak so free  I’d rather kiss one dead Mattie’s lips than you and your finery.

Lord Arlen he jumped up and loudly he did bawl  He stuck his wife right through the heart and pinned her against the wall.

A grave, a grave, Lord Arlen cried, to put these lovers in  But bury my lady at the top for she was of noble kin.

Posted in Bach | Tagged , , | 6 Comments