This is cool:

Philip Bimstein of Red Rock Rondo (and my favorite, Phil 'N' The Blanks) will be participating in this weekend's s

"The Rest is Noise: Language vs. Communication" at 9:30am-10:45am at the University of Utah Marriott Library, Room 1170 (which is one floor below the west entrance). The panel also includes biologist/bird song expert Franz Goller and poet/population geneticist Jon Wilkins.

We will discuss how communication takes place through sound, but with the line between meaningful sound and noise often seeming blurred. What does sound actually communicate? Do birds really "speak" to each other? Does noise have a place in music, or in literature?

The conference, which also takes place at SLC's Main Library, features other noteworthy speakers including mathematician Barry Mazur and composer Fred Lerdahl. It runs November 5-7. See the complete schedule here. Admission is free.