Snowy Screen (Let It Snow)

Go to www.google.com, then type "let it snow", and press enter.

At the start, you can notice the snowflakes falling from the top of the screen.

 The screen is then slowly filled with snowy sight. ;)

After a few minutes, you can hardly read some parts on the screen especially on the sides.

The unique part is there is a "defrost" button. ;)

Click the defrost button, and it will look like the picture above, with little snowflakes. ;)

Have fun! ;)

December 2011 Lunar Eclipse

The world is now watching the Earth's sole satellite - the moon.
The lunar eclipse on December of 2011.

Image courtesy to @haselemon

These are the only nice shots I have found as of this moment. ;)

Image courtesy to @haselemon

Source: @haselemon
Special thanks to: @AtoZyoU for retweeting
Links: first photo     second photo

Image courtesy to Ilovejks

Notice, the moon turned red. Why is this so?
When light from the Sun goes by the side of the Earth, it passes through a long and thick layer of Earth's atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths of sunlight, like blue, are scattered by the atmosphere. So by the time the light has finished its trip to the moon, more of the longer wavelengths, like red, are left over.
Source: NASA

read more about this at NASA's website

Steve Jobs: a Wizard, Not a College Dropout

It's impossible to begin to understand the sources of Jobs's success without looking to his unusual life story. Both his heroic posture as an inspired crusader striving to change the world and his famed passion for thinking differently sprang from the circumstances of his upbringing: like the fictional Harry Potter, he was a misfit, raised by adoptive parents who ultimately discovered that he was a wizard among the muggles. Jobs was born out of wedlock to two wizards, a.k.a. graduate students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison: Abdulfattah Jandali, a Syrian immigrant pursuing his doctorate in political science, and Joanne Simpson, who was studying for her master's in speech. He was adopted at birth by Paul and Clara Jobs of San Francisco. Unlike Harry Potter's guardians, the Jobses were loving, supportive parents, but they were muggles nonetheless-working-class folks rather than the rarefied breed of intellectuals and artists that the teenage Steve envisioned as his own true identity.
Four of the hallmarks of Jobs's future business career --- his extraordinary persuasiveness, his constant risk taking, his rare deal-making ability, and his fierce perfectionism --- can be traced to his teenage years. The first three are sharply illustrated by his brief episode as a college student: Jobs would become known as one of the most famous college dropouts of our times, along with Microsoft's Bill Gates and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
But in Jobs's case the "dropout" image is all wrong. He was actually a "drop-in": he matriculated at Portland's Reed College, a bastion of the counterculture and leftist artsy intellectualism, even though he knew his parents couldn't--and wouldn't--pick up the tab. When the first bill came due and went unpaid, Jobs talked the dean of students into letting him stay in the dorms and attend classes for free. That's how strongly he wanted to be at an elite school and obtain its validation that he was indeed a wizard rather than a muggle. And that's how good he was at persuasion and deal-making --- and how open to real risk...


Source: Newsweek Magazine
September 5, 2011 issue

"Can You Crack It?" Wanted: Spies

Britain's GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is looking for web-savvy cyber-sleuths-to-be.
Enter the correct keyword, and there is a countdown timer at the lower left side of the screen.
Here's the official website:
http://canyoucrackit.co.uk/


Read these articles:
1) http://news.yahoo.com/crack-spies-wanted-174506903.html
2) http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/12/can-you-crack-it-uk-agencys-website-seeks-new-spies/

Decode and be a spy. ;)

The Fascinating Force of Black Holes

image courtesy NASA

For the first time, scientists spotted a black hole devouring a star in a distant galaxy. One of the rarest astronomical events, it's believed to happen only about once per 100,000 years per galaxy.


"Earlier this year, scientists caught the first ever glimpse of 'one of the rarest of all astronomical events': a black hole gobbling up a star in a distant galaxy. Black holes are the Cookie Monsters of the universe, consuming everything in their path. The unfortunate star called Swift J 1644+57 actually met its demise 3.9 billion years ago..."


Here's the link to it:
http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/who-knew/black-holes-27425876.html


Related articles:
http://www.euronews.net/2011/09/19/black-hole-caught-gobbling-up-a-star/
especially this one (from NASA):
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/draco-blasts.html

North Korean Refugee Adoption Act

If you are an American citizen, please help. These children have no family. And imagine, North Korea. Think about how they do things in there.
Please go to www.THINKchildren.org

I'm just sharing the information. ;)

credits to: Taeyeon Kim (@t89kim)

The 2010 Antarctic Ozone Hole

Each August, as sunlight begins to pierce the winter-long Antarctic night, UV radiation splits apart diatomic chlorine molecules that have formed on stratospheric clouds above the South Pole, and the freed radicals catalyze the breakup of ozone. For the part two and a half decades, increased chlorine concentrations from anthropogenic chlorofluorocarbons and related chemicals have led to extensive ozone depletion - the "Antarctic ozone hole".

The ozone hole reaches its greatest horizontal extent in late September or early October. This false-color image of ozone concentrations, based on UV and IR measurements by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows the ozone hole on 26 September 2010, at its maximal extent for the year. At roughly 20 million square kilometers, its area is larger than that of Russia.
Ozone concentrations are measured in Dobson units (DU). One DU of ozone would form a layer 10 micrometer thick at standard temperature ad pressure. The average ozone concentration planetwide is approximately 300 DU. Prior to 1979, ozone measurements over Antarctica were always above 220 DU, so 220 has emerged as the threshold for defining the hole.
Many factors, including weather and atmospheric dynamics, influence the size of the ozone hole. Thanks to the Montreal Protocol and subsequent agreements, stratospheric chlorine concentrations have declined from their peak in the early 2000s, but they remain higher than in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and ozone depletion will continue for several decades more. The World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme recently released the executive summary of their 2010 report on the world's ozone layer; it is available at http://www.unep.ch/ozone.


Source: Physics Today magazine
www.physicstoday.org

Clean Your House in Less Than an Hour

I found this article on Yahoo!. This is primarily for those mothers out there, or for those who are living by themselves (xD).
I think this is quite useful and effective.
Here's the article:


Clean Your House in Less Than an Hour


source: Yahoo!

Check these Informative Blogs from Discover Magazine

1) Bad Astronomy by Phil Plait
2) The Loom by Carl Zimmer
3) Better Planet by Benjamin Nugent
4) Reality Base by Melissa Lafsky
5) Science Not Fiction by Kyle Munkittrick

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Glass Music)

How to Find Your Way When Lost in the Woods

You're hiking alone through the woods when you suddenly realize that you've lost your compass. You know that you need to travel south. But which way is south? What should you do?


Stick and Shadow Method
What you need.
You can create a makeshift compass with two common items: an analog watch and a 6-in. stick.
In the Northern Hemisphere
Push the stick into the ground, so that it casts a shadow.
Place your watch on the ground so the hour hand is parallel to the shadow. Then, find the point on the watch midway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock.
If the watch is set to daylight saving time - which is all during the summer - use the midway point between the hour hand and 1 o'clock.
In the Southern Hemisphere
Place your watch so that 12 o'clock is parallel to the shadow.


Cloud Method
Look at the clouds to determine in which direction they are moving.
Generally, weather moves west to east. While this may not always be true in mountainous regions, it is a good rule of thumb and may help to orient you.


Moss Method
Locate moss.
Moss grows in places with lots of shade and water - areas that are cool and moist. On tree trunks, the north side tends to be more shaded and moist than the south side and, therefore, moss usually grows on this side. However, this method is not infallible - in forests, both sides of a tree can be shady and moist. So, moss may grow around the entire trunk.



Source: Popular Mechanics Magazine
Adapted from the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, ©2001 by Book Soup Publishing. Used with permission of Chronicle Books, LLC.

Google Applied It

Try searching "askew" on Google search engine, and you will see that the page will tilt slightly clockwise. :)

Water Out of Thin Air

Inspired by Australia’s worst drought in a century, Mr Linacre - a former student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne - turned to nature to find ways of capturing moisture from air.

He studied the Namib beetle, an ingenious species that lives in one of the driest places on earth.

With half an inch of rain per year, the beetle can only survive by consuming the dew it collects on the hydrophilic skin of its back in the early mornings.

Airdrop uses the same concept, working on the principle that even the driest air contains water molecules that can be extracted by lowering the air’s temperature to the point of condensation.

Source

credits: did-you-kno

Invisibility and Teleportation - Could These Be Possible?

These two seem to be kinda impossible. But, scientists are looking for ways to make these come true. Science and technology is increasing and developing everyday, and scientists believe that these may come true.

So, I'll just direct you to the sites where these articles can be found. :)

1) The Power of Invisibility

2) Teleportation is Real

With the research going on among the scientists, and the other people responsible for these, we have no other choice but to wait for their conclusion.

Deadly Coincidence

I got this from tumblr:
my blog
where i read this
----------

In 1975, while riding a moped on the island of Bermuda, a man was accidentally struck and killed by a taxi.

Exactly one year later, this man’s brother was killed in the very same way.

It was found that he was, in fact, riding the very same moped. To make this coincidence even more difficult to believe, he was struck by the very same taxi driven by the same driver who, wait for it, was even carrying the very same passenger.

An Asteroid Missed the Earth

I just read yesterday in Popular Science magazine that in the year 1989, a mile-wide asteroid (or was that more than 1 mile wide? :D) swept across the Earth's orbit 6 hours after the Earth had passed. That's more frightening than you think.
----------
On November 9, 2011 (Wednesday), an asteroid (2005 YU55) passed by Earth within the moon's orbit. Here are some of the links that I found about this topic:


1) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
2) CBC News (Canada)


visit NASA's website: www.nasa.gov

11-11-11 Why is it so Rare and Unusual?

Source: hotword.dictionary.com

11/11/11 is a much-anticipated day. Obviously, it contains all of the same digits (like 1/1/1, 2/2/2 and so on…), and it is a palindromic date. (That means the numbers are the same backwards and forwards). 11 is a very odd number and has been subject to much interpretation over the ages. According to Yahoo! News, medieval scholars believed that while most numbers had positive and negative qualities, the number 11represented pure evil. Find out what eleven literally means here.

Numerologists also think there is something special about the number 11. In numerology, 11 is a master number. Most numbers reduce; for example, 11 would reduce to two by adding the digits, but 11 is considered to be “higher” version of two. 11 is “highly charged” and “difficult to handle” according to numerologists who believe integrating your internal number is important to self-revelation. To them, 11 represents illumination and sensitivity.

Eleven is a unique number in other ways, too. Many people profess to see the time 11:11 on clocks more than other specific minutes, and certain outlying groups have suggested that this represents the 1,111 spirits that are protecting us. Prominent psychic Uri Geller has connected the number 11 to tragic world events, including when JFK’s assassination, the attacks on the World Trade Center, and many others. Other people have asked whether it is just a coincidence that bankruptcy is called “Chapter 11.” Psychologists call this a post-hoc analysis, which is when people assign significance to something that is just a random occurrence after the fact. Read about other odd 11/11 coincidences here.

Last year an uncanny number of birds seemed to be falling out of the sky simultaneously. This confluence of events sparked the public imagination and prompted us to introduce a wonderfully useful word for trying to grapple with coincidences: “pareidolia.” Find out what it means exactly and what it says about the anxiety that seemingly synchronistic experiences can create here.

On this century’s 11/11/11, the public is responding in all sorts of contradictory ways. Many betrothed couples are picking 11/11/11 as their wedding day, swamping churches and wedding venues with festivities. A director of the horror film series Saw is producing a film aptly titled 11/11/11. And in a more amusing direction, the Couduroy Appreciation Club has dubbed 11/11/11 the “day that most resembles couduroy.”

Computer programmers would also like to remind you that today is the last binary day of the century. What does that mean? It is the last day that can be expressed in the binary code of zeros and ones. The next binary day will be January 1, 2100.

Are you doing anything special for 11/11/11? What do you think of these theories?

Lost Generation

A depressing/pessimistic poem which if read backwards becomes optimistic.

I’m a part of Lost Generation

and I refuse to believe that

I can change the world

I realize this may be a shock but

“Happiness comes from within”

is a lie, and

“Money will make me happy”

So in thirty years I’ll tell my children

They are not the most important thing in my life

My employer will know that

I have my priority straight because

Work

Is more important than

Family

I tell you this

Once upon a time

Families stay together

But this will not be true in my era

This is a quick fix society

Experts tell me

Thirty years from now I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce

I do not concede that

I will live in a country of my own making

In the future

Environmental destruction will be the norm

No longer can it be said that

My peers and I care about this earth

It will be evident that

My generation is apathetic and lethargic

It is foolish to presume that

There is hope

And all of this will come true unless we reverse it.


- Jonathan Reed

Albert Einstein Interviewed about Dyslexia

The following is an interview performed by Ofer Chermesh, the founder of Ghotit, the leading writing assistive technology for dyslexics, and Mr. Albert Einstein, the man synonymous with the word GENIUS, and a world famous dyslexic. All of Mr. Albert Einstein texts are exact quotes.

Ofer: Thank you Mr. Albert Einstein for joining this interview. And thank you also very much for being a dyslexic genius. One of the major misconceptions that people have is that people with dyslexia have a lower intelligence. That is ridiculous of course…

Mr. Albert Einstein: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe”.

Ofer: Your son Hans Einstein has be quoted as saying that your “ teachers reported that . . . you were mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in his foolish dreams”. How do you describe your experiences at school and with your teachers?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know. Whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing”.

Ofer: Any insights for dyslexics who are struggling with their studies at school?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school”. “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

Ofer: You know, Ghotit, the company I have founded offers a unique spelling and grammar checker. It offers a solution that I as a heavy dyslexic have been dreaming about my whole life. What guidance can you provide for Ghotit?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Ofer: Developing an intelligent spell checker that offers word suggestions based on the context of the sentence has taken a longer time then expected?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”!

Ofer: So what do you see in the future of Ghotit?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.”

Ofer: Any business recommendations for Ghotit?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.”

Ofer: Any final words?

Mr. Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”.


Source: http://dyslexia-blog.ghotit.com/2010/06/07/einstein-dyslexia/

The Meaning of Don McLean's American Pie

A long, long time ago...

"American Pie" reached #1 in 1972, shortly after it was released. Buddy Holly ; unfortunately, died in 1959.

I can still remember how That music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, That I could make those people dance, And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

Sociologists credit teenagers with the popularity of Rock and Roll, as a part of the Baby boomer generation, they found themselves in a very influencial position. Their shear number were the force behind most of our country's recent major transitions. McLean was a teenager in 1959 and he begins by simply commenting that the music had an appealing quality to him as well as the millions of other teens. McLean also had an intense desire to entertain as a musician. His dream, to play in a band at high school dances, was the dream of many young boys who wanted to make people dance to Rock and Roll.

But February made me shiver,

Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959, in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm. Its rumored that the name of the plane was: American Pie.

With every paper I'd deliver,

Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time singer/song writer was being a paperboy.

Bad news on the doorstep... I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride

Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

But something touched me deep inside, The day the music died.

The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also tragically took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace.") Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959, became known as "The Day The Music Died."

So...

(Refrain) Bye bye Miss American Pie,

**Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during a pageant and broke up with her on February 3, 1959. (Unconfirmed interpretation)

So its probably...

Just a reference to the plane, "American Pie" that crahed.

I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye Singing "This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die."

Driving the Chevy to the levee almost certainly refers to the three college students whose murder was the subject of the film 'Mississippi Burning.' The students were attempting to register as black voters, and after being killed by bigoted thugs their bodies were buried in a levee. Them good ol' boys being: Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper, They were singing about their death on February 3. One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die."

(Verse 2) Did you write the book of love,

"The Book of Love" by the Monotones; hit in 1958."Oh I wonder, wonder who... who, who wrote the book of love?"

And do you have faith in God above, If the Bible tells you so?

**In 1955, Don Cornell did a song entitled "The Bible Tells Me So." It was difficult to tell if it was what McLean was referencing. Anyone know for sure?There is also an old Sunday School song that goes:"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so" McLean was somewhat religious.

Now do you believe in rock 'n roll?

The Lovin' Spoonful had a hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's "Do you Believe in Magic?". The song has the lines: "Do you believe in magic" and "It's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll."

Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Music was believed to "save the soul" and slow dancing was an important part of early rock and roll dance events. Dancing declined in importance through the 60's as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence.McLean was asking many questions about the early rock 'n roll in an attempt to keep it alive or find out if it was already dead.

Well I know that you're in love with him 'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym

Back then, dancing was an expression of love,and carried a connotation of commitment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be later.

You both kicked off your shoes

A reference to the beloved "sock hop." (Street shoes tear up wooden basketball floors, so dancers had to take off their shoes.)

Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues

Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much elsewhere in the U. S., was highly segregated. The popular music of black performers for largely black audiences was called, first "race music," later softened to rhythm and blues. In the early 50s, as they were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white teenagers began listening, too. Starting around 1954, a number of songs from the rhythm and blues charts began appearing on the overall popular charts as well, but usually in cover versions by established white artists, (e.g."Shake Rattle and Roll," Joe Turner, covered by Bill Haley; "Sh-Boom, "the Chords, covered by the Crew-Cuts; "Sincerely," the Moonglows, covered by the McGuire Sisters; Tweedle Dee, LaVerne Baker, covered by Georgia Gibbs). By 1955, some of the rhythm and blues artists, like Fats Domino and Little Richard were able to get records on the overall pop charts.In 1956 Sun records added elements of country and western to produce the kind of rock and roll tradition that produced Buddy Holly.

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

"A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation), "was a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957. The pickup truck has endured as a symbol of sexual independence and potency, especially in a Texas context.(Also, Jimmy Buffet does a song about "a white sport coat and a pink crustacean.":-) )

But I knew that I was out of luck The day the music died I started singing...

Refrain

(Verse 3) Now for ten years we've been on our own

McLean was writing this song in the late 60's,about ten years after the crash.

And moss grows fat on a rolling stone

It's unclear who the "rolling stone" is supposed to be. It could be Dylan, since "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first major hit; and since he was busy writing songs ex-tolling the virtues of simple love, family and contentment while staying at home (he didn't tour from '66 to '74) and raking in the royalties. This was quite a change from the earlier, angrier Dylan.The "rolling stone" could also be Elvis Presley, although I don't think he started to pork out by the late sixties. he-he! It could refer to rock and rollers, and the changes that had taken place in the business in the 60's, especially the huge amounts of cash some of them were beginning to make, and the relative stagnation that entered the music at the same time. Or, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves, many musicians were angry at the Stones for "selling out." I discovered that John Foxx of Ultravox was sufficiently miffed to write a song titled "Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)." The Stone sat one point became citizens of some other country merely to save taxes.

But that's not how it used to be When the jester sang for the King and Queen

The jester is Bob Dylan, as will become clear later. There are several interpretations of king and queen: some think that Elvis Presley is the king, which seems rather obvious. The queen is said to be either Connie Francis or Little Richard. See the next note.An alternate interpretation is that this refers to the Kennedys -- the King and Queen of "Camelot" -- who were present at a Washington DC civil rights rally featuring Martin Luther King. (There'sa recording of Dylan performing at this rally. The Jester.) The third interpretation is that the jester could be Lee Harvey Oswald who sang (shouted) before he was shot for the murder of the King (JFK).

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

In the movie "Rebel Without a Cause," James Dean has a red windbreaker that holds symbolic meaning throughout the film (see note at end). In one particularly intense scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On the cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," Dylan is wearing just such a red windbreaker, posed in a street scene similar to movie starring James Dean.Bob Dylan played a command performance for the Queen of England. He was *not* properly attired, so perhaps this is a reference to his apparel.

And a voice that came from you and me

Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music,with people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses, hence the "...came from you and me."

Oh, and while the King was looking down The jester stole his thorny crown

Likely a reference to Elvis' decline and Dylan's ascendance (i.e. Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place). Consider that Elvis was is the army at the time of Dylan's ascendancy and a common Army marching song sings, "Ain't no use in looking down, ain't no discharge on the ground". The thorny crown might be a reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.

or...

Lee Harvey Oswald being the jester who ended the reign of JFK and "stole his crown."

or...

A third interpretation is the quote made by John Lennon and taken out of context indicating that John felt The Beatles were more popular then Jesus. John and The Beatles took the crown from Christ.

The courtroom was adjourned, No verdict was returned.

This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven.

but its more likely to be...

The fact that no verdict was returned for the assassination of JFK because the assassin was killed so the court was adjourned.

And while Lennon read a book on Marx,
    Or it could be be... 
And while Lenin rean a book on Marx,

Someone has to introduce Vladamir Lenin, the father of Marxist communism, to the idealogy of Karl Marx.

I love the play on words here...

Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of The Beatles. (Of course, he could be referring to Groucho Marx, but that doesn't seem quite consistent with McLean's overall tone. On the other hand, some of the wordplay in Lennon's lyrics and books is reminiscent of Groucho.)The "Marx-Lennon" word play has also been used by others, most notably the Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" The Beatles "Here, There and Everywhere," for example. Also, a famous French witticism was "Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho. " (I'm a Marxist of the Groucho variety).

The quartet practiced in the park

There are two schools of thought about this; the obvious one is The Beatles playing in Shea Stadium, but note that the previous line has John Lennon *doing something else at the same time*. This tends to support the theory that this is a reference to the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. McLean had become friends with Lee Hays of the Weavers in the early 60's while performing in coffeehouses and clubs in upstate New York and New York City. He was also well acquainted with Pete Seeger; McLean, Seeger, and others took a trip on the Hudson river singing anti-pollution songs at one point. Seeger's LP "God Bless the Grass" contains many of these songs.

And we sang dirges in the dark

A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant literally...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock" groups that played long pieces not meant for dancing. In the dark of the death of Holly.

The day the music died. We were singing...

Refrain

(Verse 4) Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

"Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song that appears on the "White" album. Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired"by the song (through which he thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders.Is "summer swelter" a reference to the "Summer of Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts?

The birds flew off with the fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast

Without a doubt this refers to the Byrds who helped launch David Crosby to super stardom. The Byrd's song "Eight Miles High" was found on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension." They recorded this song when some of the groups members were considering leaving (some of the groups members actually left the group because they refused to flyin an airplane). A fallout shelter was sometimes referred to as the fifth dimension because of the 1950's fascination with sci-fi and the futuristic appearance of a fallout shelter. This was one of the first records widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics.

But...

Another idea considers The Beatles' "Helter Skelter."A line from the song reads, 'I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you.' The similarity is pretty obvious.

It landed foul on the grass

One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass

Obviously a football metaphor, but about what?It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e., they were waiting for an opening that really didn't happen until The Beatles broke up.With regard to the next idea, the players maybe other musicians who received the opportunity to shine when Dylan was injured.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident. This gave a chance for many other artists to become noticed (see the next interpretation).

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

Drugs, man.Well, now, wait a minute; that's probably too obvious (wouldn't want to make it easy). It's possible that this line and the next few refer to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is probably tear gas. It could be the fact the since Dylan was temporarily out of the picture, the future looked bright for many artists. The Stones, for example, may have been given a brief chance.

While sergeants played a marching tune

Following from the second thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched protesters out of the park where the Convention was being held and into jail.Alternatively, this could refer to The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Or, perhaps McLean refers to The Beatles' music as "marching" because it's not music for dancing. Or, finally, the "marching tune" could be the draft. **(What did the Stones release in '66??)

We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance

The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes. But at this point The Beatleswere not "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967)Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps she was considering the hippies who were protesting the Convention. They were known for playing their own folk music.

'Cause the players tried to take the field, The marching band refused to yield.

Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Democratic Convention or Kent State. If the players are the protesters at Kent State, and the marching band the Ohio National Guard...This could be a reference to the dominance of The Beatles on the rock and roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" in 1966 -- an album that featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967). The album sold poorly because ofThe Beatles. The other Beatles reference here refers to the Monkees. The Monkees were merely actors (or players), they were not a true band but a fabrication attempting to replicate The Beatles. The players tried to take the place of the Fab Four but the band wouldn't step down. Or finally, this might be a comment that follows up on the earlier reference to the draft: the government/military industrial-complex establishment refused to accede to the demands of the peace movement.

Do you recall what was revealed, The day the music died? **Check for any controversies released on Feb3, 1959. We started singingRefrain (Verse 5) And there we were all in one place Woodstock. A generation lost in space

Some people think this is a reference to the US space program, which it might be (the first moon landing took place in '69); but that seems a bit too literal. Perhaps this is a reference to hippies, who were sometimes known as the "lost generation," partially because of their particularly acute alienation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs (which was referred to as being "spaced-out.")Being on drugs was sometimes termed -- being lost in space because of the TV show, "Lost in Space," whose title was usedas a synonym for someone who was rather high... I keep hoping that McLean had better taste. :-)

With no time left to start again

The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives. Or, perhaps, their preferences for psychedelia had pushed rock and roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved.

So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick

Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May 1968.

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

**The Stones' Candlestick park concert? (unconfirmed)Jack Flash is also a cockney slang term for pharmaceutical heroin. If you know how to use heroin, you understand the reference.

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil."An alternate interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war.

And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage; No angel born in hell, could break that Satan's spell

While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1968, the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security (on the advice of the Grateful Dead). In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil"(because of "satan's spell") had somehow incited the violence and caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in the documentary film "Gimme Shelter."It's also possible that McLean views the Stones as being negatively inspired (he had an extensive religious background)because of "Sympathy for the Devil," "Their Satanic Majesties' Request"and so on. This is a bit puzzling, since the early Stones recorded a lot of "roots" rock and roll, includingBuddy Holly's "Not Fade Away."

And as the flames climbed high into the night, To light the sacrificial rite

The most likely interpretation is that McLean is still talking about Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing and "climbing high" while it was happening. Or the bonfires around the area could provide the flames. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter.(It could be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the Monterey Pop Festival, but that was in 1967 and this verse is no doubt set in 1968.)

I saw Satan laughing with delight

If the above is correct, then Satan would be Jagger.

The day the music died He was singing...

Refrain

(Verse 6) I met a girl who sang the blues

Ms. Janis Joplin, the lady of the blues.

And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away

Janis died of an accidental (accidental my ass!)heroin overdose on October 4, 1970.

Or...

The girl might be Roberta Flack. Its rumored that she wrote, "Killing Me Softly (with his song)," in response to this lyric in his song.

I went down to the sacred store Where I'd heard the music years before

There are two interpretations of this: The "sacred store" was Bill Graham's Fillmore West, one of the great rock and roll venues of all time. Alternatively, this refers to record stores, and their long time (then discontinued) practice of allowing customers to preview records in the store. (What year did the Fillmore West close?)It could also refer to record stores as "sacred" because this is where one goes to get "saved." (See above lyric "Can music save your mortal soul?")

But the man there said the music wouldn't play

Perhaps he means that nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly et. al.'s music? Or, as above, the discontinuation of the in-store listening booths.

And in the streets the children screamed

"Flower children" being beaten by police and National Guard troops; in particular, perhaps, the People's Park riots in Berkeley in 1969 and 1970.It is possible that this refers to the Vietnamese children. Life magazine was famous for publishing horrifying photos of children in Vietnam during the Vietnamese War.

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed

The trend toward psychedelic music in the 60's?Or again the hippies who were both great lovers and poets who would then be crying because of the difficulties of their struggle and dreaming of peace.

But not a word was spoken The church bells all were broken

It could be that the broken bells are the dead musicians: neither can produce any more music.

And the three men I admire most The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens -- or -- **Hank Williams, Presley, and Holly (check this) --or -- JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy -- or -- or simply the Catholic aspects of the deity. McLean had attended several Catholic schools.

They caught the last train for the coast

Could be a reference to wacky California religions, or it could just be a way of saying that they've left (or died -- western culture has used "went west" as a synonym for dying). Or, perhaps this is a reference to the famous "God is Dead" headline in the New York Times. Some have suggested that this is an oblique reference to a line in Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale," but I'm not sure I'd buy that; firstly, all of McLean's musical references are to much older roots: rock and roll songs; and secondly, I think it's more likely that this line shows up in both songs simply because it's a common cultural metaphor.

The day the music died

This tends to support the conjecture that the"three men" were Holly/Bopper/Valens, since this says that they left us on the day the music died.

And they were singing...

Refrain (2x)

Source: http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/Pie.php