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Stephen Brown argues that Sid Vicious and Mozart shared the quality of primitivism, by which he means the winnowing away of unnecessary complications. I see his point with Sid, but in Mozart's case, I see it as the essence of the refining fire. Still, a good read and well-argued, even though, IMHO, wrong.
Me: We're gonna go see Brokeback Mountain tonight.
Elizabeth: [Gasp of horror!]
Me: What? What's with the gasp of horror?
Elizabeth: Steel yourself.
Me: Why? Am I gonna cry? I'm not afraid of crying. I cry all the time, anyway.
Elizabeth: No, I don't think you're going to cry. But you might wince. A lot.
Me: Oh.
Elizabeth: [Gasp of horror!]
Me: What? What's with the gasp of horror?
Elizabeth: Steel yourself.
Me: Why? Am I gonna cry? I'm not afraid of crying. I cry all the time, anyway.
Elizabeth: No, I don't think you're going to cry. But you might wince. A lot.
Me: Oh.
If you haven't seen the quote unquote gay cowboy movie yet, I strongly recommended that you hop on your horse and gallop into your nearest cinema. Like, pronto, Tonto. Giddie-up. Faster than a single-ended amp on Red Bull.
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Watched I Robot while practicing work avoidance yesterday. What a steaming pile of crap based on the title of a book with the same name! You know a movie's in bad shape when even it sqaunders Will Smith's considerable charm, but I Robot's biggest flaw was that it abandoned almost everything from Asimov,except the three laws (good) and a very 1940's view of what robots would be. Who needs mechanical manservants when everyday objects perform more and more of our chores?
I always thought the truly original idea contained in the tales of I Robot was Susan Calvin acting as a psychologist to…
I'm fascinated by blimps. I've also always wondered why they weren't used more for hauling cargo, especially stuff that didn't fit neatly into road-width containers. National Geographic says I'm not the only one.
This is perfect. Read while drinking at great peril to your monitor and keyboard.
Addicting website featuring Don Ellis' stunning photographs and words (sometimes) and layout (mostly) that "clarifies" the statement.
Via Grow-a-Brain
Beethoven conducts Fidelio, Louis Spohr remembers in the February 7, 1865 edition of The Guardian.
You know, because, at first, all I had was the Arcam Solo, and the Arcam Solo does everything. It's a good-looking, easy-to-use, single-box multi-purpose solution; a CD playing, AM/FM receiving, integrated amplifying dreamboat of a component. It does everything I want it to do, does it all very well, and takes up almost no space and draws very little attention to itself while doing it. I love it. If you're interested in a fun and easy, one-stop ride into the high-end, then I think you should definitely get to know the Solo. But, like Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word for it…
I did some work for Muzak once and made the mistake of calling it "music" within the hearing of my boss. He corrected me, "It is a work enhancement technology." Muzak, he explained, was designed to operate subliminally and different programs were designed to have different effects. Office music was designed to keep you focused and working briskly, whereas shopping music was designed to chill you out and make you linger, perhaps to buy more.
A new study suggests that music can affect your choice of wine. Is that manipulation? Is Muzak? Are either of them worse than paying for shelf placement…