Nights for Thursday 9 July 2009
Nights for Thursday 9 July 2009
7 pm News & Weather
7:15 Baroon dollar
Dr Kate Crawford, spokesperson, The Australian Institute for Community Currencies Inc.
How by implementing a complementary currency, residents and visitors are going to be encouraged to support the local businesses of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland community of Maleny.
7:30 Spectrum:
People, places and events in New Zealand.
8 pm News & Weather
8:15 Windows on the World:
International public radio documentaries.
8:45 Primarily Numbers - mathematics
Dr Dennis Mccaughan, mathematician, University of Otago.
This month Dennis wants to talk about the "golden ratio".
Devised by the classical Greek thinker, Pythagorus, it attempts to explain why some things appear "better proportioned" than others.
Dennis explains the Golden Ratio in words, with a diagram, as a formula, and finally in numerical form (PDF). Like Pi it's an irrational number; it goes on into infinity with no perceivable pattern (well, none anyone's been able to decipher yet).
Going with the Golden Ratio is the Golden Rectangle (PDF). A very fine looking quadrilateral. Notice all the rectangles that can be found inside the "mother rectangle" are the same shape; just smaller in area. Artists love this one.
Dennis says the two shapes shown here (PDF) are "where the Greeks would probably have got interested" with the connection to the magic pentagon and pentagram. You''ll have to listen to Dennis to find out what he means!
8:59 Conundrum: Clue 7
9 pm News & Weather
9:06 Our Changing World:
Radio New Zealand's science and environment programme.
9:59 Conundrum: Clue 8
10 pm News & Weather
10:17 Late Edition:
A review of the leading news from Morning Report, Nine to Noon, Afternoons and Checkpoint. Also hear the latest news from around the Pacific on Radio New Zealand International's Dateline Pacific.
11 pm News & Weather
11:06 Frank Zappa - the Radio is Broken
The Music Mix is in hiatus until Thursday 23 July, and a series on the late-great mother of invention, Frank Zappa takes its place.
In The Radio is Broken, Jim Gardner traces a personal thread through Zappa's 35 year career.
According to biographer Greg Russo, in his book 'Cosmik Debris: The Collected History and Improvisations of Frank Zappa':
"A very creative and intelligent five-part series on the musical career of Frank Zappa was created by James Gardner for Radio New Zealand Concert... With its expert editing and insightful analysis by Gardner, the program is the most definitive radio-oriented work on Zappa."
