David Foster Wallace Wiki - User contributions [en]

Pages 489-508

2012-12-11T05:17:12Z

UncleHorace: /* Page 504 */

{{PbP Header}}

=☽ Pre-dawn, May 1st, YDAU - Steeply & Marathe discuss possible contents of the Entertainment=

==Page 489==

'''plexus''' 
an intricate network

'''tête''' 
French: head

==Page 490==

'''I/O''' 
Input/Output

'''''C'est ça''''' 
French: that's that

==Page 491==

'''ALGOL''' 
an ancient [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALGOL computer programming language]

=Winter, B.S. 1963; Sepulveda, CA - Flashback to Himself's Childhood=

==Page 491==

==Endnote 208==

'''''Institut für Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik, Kernforschungszentrum''''' 
German: Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Engineering, Nuclear Research Center (a real organization)

'''Karlsruhe''' 
a city in Germany about 90 miles south of Frankfurt (Main)

'''U.R.G.''' 
probably United Republic of Germany

[[Subsidized Time|Y.T.M.P.]]

'''Springer-Verlag''' 
one of the largest publishers in Germany

'''Wien''' 
the German name for Vienna, capital of Austria

==Page 491 (cont'd)==

'''Bazin''' 
André Bazin (1918-1958) was a French film theorist and director.

==Page 492==

'''Eureka''' 
Ancient Greek for "I've found it," made famous by Archimedes

'''metastisate''' 
He means "metastasize."

'''gibber''' 
to chatter unintelligibly

==Page 493==

'''Synchronicity''' 
the state of happening simultaneously

'''Concord''' 
agreement

==Page 494==

'''declivity''' 
downward slope or hill

==Page 495==

'''hypotenuse'''

the longest arm of a right triangle

'''right dihedral triangle''' 
A right triangle is one whose largest angle is 90º. Dihedral means "having two sides."

==Page 497==

'''ebullient''' 
zestfully enthusiastic

'''caster''' 
wheel

==Page 499==

'''rodential''' 
like a rodent

'''stalactite''' 
the kind of V-shaped rock formation in caves that grows from the ceiling down; cf. ''stalagmite'', which grows from the floor of the cave upward

==Page 502==

'''Powell's ''Peeping Tom''''' 
Michael Latham Powell (1905-1990) was a British filmmaker, and [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054167/ Peeping Tom] was one of his films.

'''hex''' 
i.e., hexagonal, having six sides

'''L'Hôpital''' 
Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital (1661-1704), was a French mathematician.

'''Bernoulli''' 
Jacob Bernoulli (1654-1705) was a Swiss mathematician.

'''Brachistochrone''' 
a reference to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachistochrone brachistochrone curve]

==Page 503==

'''minor-D''' 
Musical works written in the key of D Minor tend to carry an ominous tone. See[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o A Fugue in D Minor].

Wallace displays his familiarity with the subject of music by inverting its more commonly known name of D Minor to "minor-D." This is a habit of many professional musicians, because the fact that the composition is in a minor mode is more important than the pitch of its tonic (root) note.

=Ken Erdedy & Kate Gompert go to NA=

==Page 503==

'''anechoic vestry''' 
Anechoic means "characterized by a low level of reverberation;" a vestry is where the priests' vestments (clothing for mass) are kept between ceremonies.

'''lassitude''' 
weariness of body

'''catalepsy''' 
suspension of sensation, with bodily rigidity

'''circadian arrhythmia''' 
sleep disturbance

==Page 504==

'''anhedonia''' 
inability to feel pleasure

'''peristyle''' 
a colonnade surrounding an open space, or the space so encircled

'''astrolabes''' 
a type of navigational device used before the invention of the sextant

'''prickets''' 
sharp metal points on which to stick candles

'''Knights of Columbus''' 
a Catholic fraternal order

'''sap''' 
a bludgeon or club

'''Penn Station''' 
the chief national train station in New York, at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue; a terminal for both Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

==Page 505==

'''styptic''' 
contracting tissue

'''dis''' 
act of disrespect

==Page 506==

'''anorak''' 
a hooded pullover jacket

'''bonhommic''' 
a neologism meaning "good-hearted"

==Page 507==

'''Keds''' 
a brand of sneaker

=Steeply & Marathe discuss temptation to watch the Entertainment=

==Page 507==

'''''C'est la guerre''''' 
French: That's war

'''Perseus''' 
the Greek hero who beheaded Medusa (cf. ''The Medusa v. The Odalisque'') , using the head to kill others; compared here to the A.F.R. ("the legs ... were amputated") which steals the Entertainment and uses it to kill others

'''jongleur''' 
a wandering minstrel

'''pantalone''' 
a stock mime character, often the butt of jokes

'''Hercules''' 
the Greek hero who lost his mind, murdered his family, and was forced to suffer twelve labors as punishment, including calming a three-headed dog, clearing dung from the Augean stables, and stealing apples of infinite joy; compared here to Gately ("head was square"), who lost his mind as an addict and was forced into a twelve-step program, where he had to calm Pat M.'s dogs and clear shit from the Shattuck shelter (he previously stole the master to the Entertainment). Hercules also borrowed Athena's chariot on occasion; Gately borrows Pat M.'s car.

'''Castor and Pollux''' 
stars in the constellation Gemini, named for twin sons of Zeus and Leda in Greek mythology

==Page 508==

{{Top}}
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}

Pages 489-508

2012-12-11T05:16:10Z

UncleHorace:

{{PbP Header}}

=☽ Pre-dawn, May 1st, YDAU - Steeply & Marathe discuss possible contents of the Entertainment=

==Page 489==

'''plexus''' 
an intricate network

'''tête''' 
French: head

==Page 490==

'''I/O''' 
Input/Output

'''''C'est ça''''' 
French: that's that

==Page 491==

'''ALGOL''' 
an ancient [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALGOL computer programming language]

=Winter, B.S. 1963; Sepulveda, CA - Flashback to Himself's Childhood=

==Page 491==

==Endnote 208==

'''''Institut für Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik, Kernforschungszentrum''''' 
German: Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Engineering, Nuclear Research Center (a real organization)

'''Karlsruhe''' 
a city in Germany about 90 miles south of Frankfurt (Main)

'''U.R.G.''' 
probably United Republic of Germany

[[Subsidized Time|Y.T.M.P.]]

'''Springer-Verlag''' 
one of the largest publishers in Germany

'''Wien''' 
the German name for Vienna, capital of Austria

==Page 491 (cont'd)==

'''Bazin''' 
André Bazin (1918-1958) was a French film theorist and director.

==Page 492==

'''Eureka''' 
Ancient Greek for "I've found it," made famous by Archimedes

'''metastisate''' 
He means "metastasize."

'''gibber''' 
to chatter unintelligibly

==Page 493==

'''Synchronicity''' 
the state of happening simultaneously

'''Concord''' 
agreement

==Page 494==

'''declivity''' 
downward slope or hill

==Page 495==

'''hypotenuse'''

the longest arm of a right triangle

'''right dihedral triangle''' 
A right triangle is one whose largest angle is 90º. Dihedral means "having two sides."

==Page 497==

'''ebullient''' 
zestfully enthusiastic

'''caster''' 
wheel

==Page 499==

'''rodential''' 
like a rodent

'''stalactite''' 
the kind of V-shaped rock formation in caves that grows from the ceiling down; cf. ''stalagmite'', which grows from the floor of the cave upward

==Page 502==

'''Powell's ''Peeping Tom''''' 
Michael Latham Powell (1905-1990) was a British filmmaker, and [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054167/ Peeping Tom] was one of his films.

'''hex''' 
i.e., hexagonal, having six sides

'''L'Hôpital''' 
Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital (1661-1704), was a French mathematician.

'''Bernoulli''' 
Jacob Bernoulli (1654-1705) was a Swiss mathematician.

'''Brachistochrone''' 
a reference to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachistochrone brachistochrone curve]

==Page 503==

'''minor-D''' 
Musical works written in the key of D Minor tend to carry an ominous tone. See[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o A Fugue in D Minor].

Wallace displays his familiarity with the subject of music by inverting its more commonly known name of D Minor to "minor-D." This is a habit of many professional musicians, because the fact that the composition is in a minor mode is more important than the pitch of its tonic (root) note.

=Ken Erdedy & Kate Gompert go to NA=

==Page 503==

'''anechoic vestry''' 
Anechoic means "characterized by a low level of reverberation;" a vestry is where the priests' vestments (clothing for mass) are kept between ceremonies.

'''lassitude''' 
weariness of body

'''catalepsy''' 
suspension of sensation, with bodily rigidity

'''circadian arrhythmia''' 
sleep disturbance

==Page 504==

'''anhedonia''' 
inability to feel pleasure

'''peristyle''' 
a colonnade surrounding an open space, or the space so encircled

'''astrolabes''' 
a type of navigational device used before the invention of the sextant

'''prickets''' 
sharp metal points on which to stick candles

'''Knights of Columbus''' 
a Catholic fraternal order

"sap" 
a bludgeon or club

'''Penn Station''' 
the chief national train station in New York, at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue; a terminal for both Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

==Page 505==

'''styptic''' 
contracting tissue

'''dis''' 
act of disrespect

==Page 506==

'''anorak''' 
a hooded pullover jacket

'''bonhommic''' 
a neologism meaning "good-hearted"

==Page 507==

'''Keds''' 
a brand of sneaker

=Steeply & Marathe discuss temptation to watch the Entertainment=

==Page 507==

'''''C'est la guerre''''' 
French: That's war

'''Perseus''' 
the Greek hero who beheaded Medusa (cf. ''The Medusa v. The Odalisque'') , using the head to kill others; compared here to the A.F.R. ("the legs ... were amputated") which steals the Entertainment and uses it to kill others

'''jongleur''' 
a wandering minstrel

'''pantalone''' 
a stock mime character, often the butt of jokes

'''Hercules''' 
the Greek hero who lost his mind, murdered his family, and was forced to suffer twelve labors as punishment, including calming a three-headed dog, clearing dung from the Augean stables, and stealing apples of infinite joy; compared here to Gately ("head was square"), who lost his mind as an addict and was forced into a twelve-step program, where he had to calm Pat M.'s dogs and clear shit from the Shattuck shelter (he previously stole the master to the Entertainment). Hercules also borrowed Athena's chariot on occasion; Gately borrows Pat M.'s car.

'''Castor and Pollux''' 
stars in the constellation Gemini, named for twin sons of Zeus and Leda in Greek mythology

==Page 508==

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