Dec. 13-21, 2023: The Fourth Jug Band Colline Metallifere Winter Fest

Announcements

This is the flyer for the Fourth Winter Fest organized by the pibinko.org network, in collaboration with those who are willing to collaborate (names of individuals and organizations will be disclosed as the festival unfolds). While the first three editions were set in the Farma Valley, a lesser known location in Southern Tuscany (some 100 km South of Florence), in this round we will propose a travelling event, with a dozen or so stops in three Tuscan provinces. At this stage the finer details are intentionally omitted. Partly for non-business confidentiality agreements, partly in order to turn this into some kind of treasure hunt , partly because some of the stops will be defined in “co-design” mode.

It is to be noted that, in addition to the three past Winter fests, the organizers have proposed an average of one event per month since 2007. So, even though the flyer looks somewhat obscure (also to our Italian-reading audience), for once please trust us and ride the wave.

For more information on places and times of what will happen:

Metà-verse

Must see

This is the gateway to the pibinko.org “metà-verse”. It started in February 2022 with this introductory video, while below that you can read some of the stories which are developing in this space.

For more information: micalosapevo@pibinko.org or +393317539228

Fog from Valdera under Montecatini Val di Cecina (Pisa) – Dec. 7, 2023

Videos

We have been roaming around Val di Cecina and Valdera (the southernmost part of the province of Pisa) for over five years, and we never observed fog in such a scenic form. Our photo report will follow. For other forms of observation and mapping by the pibinko.org network:

For more information and booking: micalosapevo@pibinko.org or +393317539228.

Short-hair Hobo (Chicken Free – 2023-24, lyrics and chords)

Rhymes


The first stanza of this song was written by Wolfgang Scheibe. Jack O’Malley then wrote the rest. In the current version the lyrics have been slightly adapted by Dario Canal to create a proper chorus..

I was born down south on a chicken farm – near Nashville, Tennesee,Sono nato giù al sud in un allevamento di polli vicino a Nashville, nel Tennessee
there weren’t nobody there – but a sky full of airLì non c’era nessuno, a parte me, un cielo pieno d’aria
and 50000 thousand chicken and me.E 50000 polli con me
and then one day – I said a-hey hey hey – I think I drop a little lsd,Poi un giorno mi sono detto, ehilà, mi sa che proverò un po’ di LSD
it blew my mind – I got real kind – and I set my chicken freeMi fece uscire di testa, mi sentii davvero buono, e liberai i polli




While I was trippin’ with my eyes drippin’ – all those chicken got in a lineMentre ero in viaggio, con gli occhi che gocciolavano, tutti i polli si misero in fila
they started to walk, some even to talkCominciarono a camminare, alcuni a parlare
I was feelin’ really fineStavo davvero bene
they headed north – for what it’s worth – straight into KentuckySi diressero a nord, per quel che vale, dritti verso il Kentucky
they left in a queue – but hit a barbecue – now I got a lot of chicken wings for meSe ne andarono in fila, ma centrarono una grigliata, e ora ho un sacco di alette di pollo


so how do you cope when they always say nope – In this here societyMa come fai quando ti dicono sepre di no, in questa società
through the doors of perception, or with means of deceptionAttraverso le porte della percezione, o con mezzi di illusione
they’re trying to make a fat chicken of meStanno cercando di trasformarmi in un pollo grasso




while I was floating occasion’lly bloating – on my magic carpet rideMentre galleggiavo, ruttando ogni tanto, nel mio viaggio sul tappeto volante
I met a man – driving a big vanIncontrai un uomo che guidava un grosso furgone
and he told me: “why do you hide?”E mi disse “perché ti nascondi?”
he made me think – he made me speak – he made me write this songMi fece pensare, mi fece parlare, mi fece scrivere questa canzone
I joined a jug band with my guitar in hand – and now you can sing along…Entrai in una jug band, con la chitarra in mano, e ora potete cantare con me




Mi La Mi
I’m a hobo with short hair – no more chicken anywhereSono un barbone con i capelli corti, basta polli
Mi La Mi La Re La
call your daddy, call your friends – make it cool before this story endsChiama il babbo, chiama la mamma, fai una bella cosa prima che la storia finisca
Do
and if you really want be a chick or a hen…… [SOSPENSIONE…]E se vuoi proprio essere un pollo
Mi La …….
Please take no offense from us, and don’t try to make a fussNon sentirti offeso da noi, e non farne un problema
call your daddy, call your friends – make it cool before this story endsChiama il babbo, chiama la mamma, fai una bella cosa prima che la storia finisca
while we’re trying to improveMentre cerchiamo di migliorare
by giving you this grooveDandoti questo ritmo

A Quiz for Astronomers and Stargazers (BMMPOD #346)

Compositions

NASA, in collaboration with Michigan State University, has been maintaining for years a site where every day an astronomical picture is published. The site was called “APOD” (i.e. “Astronomy Picture of the Day”).

With the BuioMetria Partecipativa (BMP) project we do not intend to challenge the outreach capabilities of this project, but in our own small world we sometimes like to share a “picture of the day”, given our penchant for photography: some may recall that in 2010 we launched a photography contest which had over 600 participants from 52 countries, for example (see Between Dusk and Dawn), and that we have collaborations with various professional nightscape photographers. So, here is our “BMPPOD”:

The image clearly has a low quality and has been acquired in a region with very significant skyglow, so this cannot be in Southern Tuscany (where one of the darkest skies in Italy is found, see TV report). Furthermore, the image might have been taken with a fish-eye-like optic (such as those used in all-sky CCD camersa), and the draped on a plane. We realize this is an extreme challenge, but we also know that there are very qualified experts out there.

If you are able to guess to which celestial region the image is referred, we will be glad to interview you in the context of our activities for interdisciplinary protection and promotion of the night sky. Please send answers and/or comments to: bmp@pibinko.org or whatsapp +393317539228.