A Lively Experiment will return on May 6. It's pre-empted this week so we can present the annual Spring Auction. Visit ripbs.org and browse the auction inventory. It's a great way to support WSBE Rhode Island PBS: your high bids help keep your favorite local public television political affairs program on the air!
The crew has assembled and lit the set. Copy describing last-minute donations has been drafted and is being proofed. We now have more than 1,000 items described on our website.Proxy Bidding Makes Winning Easier!
Can't tune us in? Can't wait to bid for those "Must-Have" items? No Problem. Bid now! Set up a proxy bid and you can specify the maximum you're willing to pay for an item. If others bid on the same piece, our auction hosting software will increase your bid on your behalf, by the minimum increment above the competing bid - but only to your maximum. If you're outbid we'll email you letting you know and, unless the item is about to close, you can decide if you'd like to increase your bid.
"The FCC prohibits public broadcasters from raising money for any other cause but themselves, unless the station gets special permission. That permission came today," explained David Piccerelli, Rhode Island PBS vice president and chief financial officer. "We're delighted to now be able to participate fully in this important event."
"Hundreds of our members, neighbors, and friends were affected by the flooding," Piccerelli said. "Some of our own employees were evacuated from their homes, and others pumped out flooded basements for days. The whole state was touched by this calamity to some extent. And too many people are still trying to recover three weeks later.
"We feel strongly that we should be part of this community effort. We're glad the FCC agreed."
The Rhode Island Flood Recovery Fund was established to provide financial assistance to those affected by the storm. The Fund will collect and distribute financial aid directly to those organizations that are helping with “unmet needs” of people affected by the flood. A committee of community leaders will guide the distribution of money to the appropriate agencies. People who wish to donate before Friday's telethon may do so by visiting www.liveunitedri.org. For centuries, fractal-like irregular shapes were considered beyond the boundaries of mathematical understanding. Now, mathematicians have finally begun mapping this uncharted territory. Their remarkable findings are deepening our understanding of nature and stimulating a new wave of scientific, medical, and artistic innovation stretching from the ecology of the rain forest to fashion design. The documentary highlights a host of filmmakers, fashion designers, physicians, and researchers who are using fractal geometry to innovate and inspire.
Produced and directed by Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning filmmakers Michael Schwarz and Bill Jersey, the documentary weaves cutting-edge research from the front lines of science into a compelling mathematical detective story. The film introduces a number of distinguished individuals who have used fractal geometry to transform their fields, like Loren Carpenter, who created the first completely computer-generated sequence in a movie.
In the late 1970s, Carpenter stumbled across the work of a little-known mathematician, Benoit Mandelbrot, who coined the word "fractal," from the Latin word fractus, meaning irregular or broken up. Based on Mandelbrot's mathematical descriptions of fractals in nature, Carpenter was able to create detailed computer simulations of organic forms in a way that had never before been possible. The groundbreaking computer-generated sequence Carpenter produced in 1980 for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan marked a milestone in movie history, and owed its creation to fractal geometry.
It took a maverick with a hard-won aversion to authority to stand up to the conventional wisdom that nature stood outside the bounds of mathematics. Through interviews and personal artifacts, Mandelbrot shares the story of his struggle to survive as a Jewish teenager in Nazi-occupied France, his journey to America, and his lifelong fascination with a corps of European mathematicians whose explorations of the so-called "mathematical monsters" laid the groundwork for his own discoveries.
Filmmaker Bill Jersey believes Mandelbrot's approach to fractals might ultimately become as significant as the cracking of the genetic code. "As fractals continue to revolutionize the way scientists develop theories and conduct research, the inevitable results will be innovations that dramatically change health care, environmental policy, design, and technology," Jersey says.
It's here! It's time to browse and bid on any number of great items, while helping support the fine programming on Rhode Island PBS. Seven hundred items have been donated by generous merchants, artisans, restaurateurs, contractors, gardeners, and others!
We're posting items as quickly as we can to make them available for your bids. But what's on the site now is only a fraction of the number of items we'll be offering - so keep checking back! And remember - high bids help us pay for programming for the entire family here on Rhode Island PBS.
Pre-register*, preview, and bid!
See something you like? No need to wait until the auction is on TV, April 26 - 30. Bid now!
If you'd like, you can set up a proxy bid. This way, you can set a maximum you're willing to pay for an item. If others bid on the same piece, our auction hosting software will increase your bid on your behalf, by the minimum increment above the competing bid - but only to your maximum. If you're outbid we'll send you an email letting you know. Then, unless the item is about to close, you'll have the chance to decide if you'd like to increase your bid.
*Pre-Registering takes just moments, but please don't wait until moments count! Pre-register now. Here's why: Our system must "recognize" a bidder before it accepts a bid. If you're unregistered and try to bid as an item is closing, you may not be able to bid in time to get it.
Posts
All Comments
