Ode to Joy

These kids are not playing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, but rather Spring, from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I guess this has gone viral, and why not. The looks of joy as they play are contagious.

12 thoughts on “Ode to Joy

  1. MT,

    This is a lovely piece, stirring feelings of joy inside me. Marimba going baroque is a splendid thing, indeed. And the happy, spirited children are a delight. I could go on and on about the positives reflected in this video.

    That said, I also sense there may be some skullduggery afoot (?) – certainly not with the music or the video itself (nor with you posting this) – but the timing of this, given that you implied it has gone “viral.”

    Accordingly, I am so curious as to how you came upon it. The channel you linked to is . . . well, suspect (?) . . . and this Education Africa video featuring the Goede Hoop Marimba Band was originally posted online in January, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Pn4usTSi8.

    I apologize, MT. I can elaborate more on this “why now” aspect, if you are not upset with me . . . For now, aside from the music, did you notice anything about a couple of the children’s faces, or the part where it says “infectious footage?” Does Vivaldi sound similar to a Texan town recently plastered all over the news?

    Perhaps these are not questions for you, but, rather the AI/algorithms (?) . . .

    Happy Father’s Day, my friend. I sure hope I did not ruin the mood with my forthright and impolite – yet well meaning – reply (probably unsurprising coming from me). In no way would I want to take away from the beauty of the moment captured in the footage. That should stand on its own, regardless.

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      1. MT,

        That information is most helpful, as it led me to this pertinent article: https://www.classicfm.com/composers/vivaldi/south-african-marimba-school-band/?fbclid=IwAR18ohV28RGfbfkeqe2fI8-ydxjQWSXZdpz-PH-Sns5pTDcWc8QqZRuyMu0.

        I will try to point out what I perceive between the lines later today or tomorrow . . .

        I see on Facebook that the video (not via the You Tube channel you linked) has had 5.8 million views: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=1008311440048410&external_log_id=1f7a67fa-c62b-460d-8963-36a5966a75f9&q=vivaldi%20africa. I suspect the majority of those views have accrued since the “resurfacing” of the footage. So, you were not wrong when you guessed the video went viral. However, I suggest it may have been “contagious” for unconscious reasons, based on weaponized memetics and AI algorithms pushing it out across the air waves. The implications, I suggest, are actually quite nefarious and indicate mockery – even though we are seeing a moment of pure beauty.

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          1. yesterday, as I walked by the water’s edge, I found myself feeling like the convid era was somehow behind us & can see how easy to slip back into the sending of joyful music videos, as was my previous habit, to pass on joy, as we all would wish for, so your comment about a potentially nefarious ‘mind-wipe’ agenda made perfect sense, linking in my mind as part of the overall control agenda

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        1. I would be interested in hearing more about how things “go viral.” The obvious suspicion would be that anything unhelpful to the narrative is down listed, and anything “helpful” – even some counter-narratives I guess – is promoted. But I don’t have an inkling how actively curated that would be, and how much it would be algorithms (or what factors would enter into the algorithm.) One hypothesis might be that the majority of it is algorithmic, but if the algorithm promotes anything to a certain level, then human curators – narrative managers – would step in to supervise.

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          1. TimR,

            I hope to circle back to your inquiry in more detail (RE: algorithms/AI), but for now, I suggest you explore the woman who reportedly initiated the propagation of the viral video (as noted in the article I linked above) – keeping in mind she is a “blue check” on Twitter. That is key. Do you think she is in the business of curating, and managing narratives? It would seem so.

            https://www.deborahmeaden.com/2/about-me
            https://www.deborahmeaden.com/myprojects
            https://www.deborahmeaden.com/investments

            *It seems this blue check fellow was involved as well:

            https://www.sotwe.com/StefSimanowitz
            https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stefan-simanowitz-b64b2628

            Stefan Simanowitz
            Media Manager- Amnesty International (International Secretariat)
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          2. TimR,

            To more specifically respond to your inquiry about how things “go viral” . . .

            I went through my files to try to find an efficient way to explain this phenomenon, and I recalled this 26-minute presentation by Truthstream Media that I watched in July 2018: “Selfish Ledger: A Talking Cricket, a Self-Writing Quill, and the Coming Hive Mind” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekkwAyNf1w.

            In my opinion, the main takeaway – and what is most pertinent to your interest – is the concept of AI-driven “behavior sequencing” (tracking, nudging, and predicting human behavior via online data mining).

            While not laid out in detail, nor referenced directly, the short documentary represents the application of weaponized memetics/swarm intelligence (artificial stigmergy). I have spoken to these notions before, as they are critical in grasping the hive mind, and how AI-directed algorithms steer individual minds to merge (group-think via strategies like Google’s Selfish Ledger).

            I hope this is helpful. If not, and you are still interested, I can keep digging through my related material.

            In conclusion (for now), the AI still needs some (although increasingly minimal) human intervention to make decisions; but the goal, of course, is for the AI to become “strong,” such that it is self-sufficient, determining human behaviors without humans even knowing they are being completely controlled. This begins, of course, with ever increasingly sensitive “feeds,” which are merely curated suggestions; but, as the linked presentation depicts, the feeds will eventually be seamlessly connected to the minds of individuals (as they become herded). I am not explaining this very well, so best to watch the video.

            *Note: Be patient with the video, as there are disruptions – not to mention a couple ads. The AI does NOT like Truthstream Media (TM) videos; and thus, makes it challenging for the viewer to watch uninterruptedly. Melissa and Aaron (of TM) have spoken to this in the past.

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            1. Thanks Stephers. I’ll give it a watch. Not trying to give you any assignments or anything, just curious about the topic.

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