Varied Thoughts

VLC (music stuff)

Sun, 04 May 2008 14:02:05 GMT

Downloaded VideoLan music player (see www.videolan.org) again- had forgotten to in September when I got this new computer. Given the number of websites, including radio stations, that use filetypes (e.g. Winamp) that I can't use- there doesn't seem to be a Winamp for Macintosh OS X, Intel variant :) (hee! -- the Macintosh with the Microsoft/Intel processor can't use the Microsoft music player) - this may be able to play Winamp music files, though- and iTunes files, WMP files, etc. Not RealAudio, but that's one reason one keeps a few programs on the same computer if one has room.

(Another site I recommend to such as might be interested, though I think I have already - http://www.radiowavetuner.com .)

Google books...

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:00:37 GMT

has some neat things for someone of my odd frame of mind.
A complete scan of a 1905 score of Max Reger's sinfonietta for orchestra?

Sure, I'll download that. Thanks.

Deaths.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:32:53 GMT

Haven't wanted to say anything (here) about Aurora's death for a few reasons- maybe because I was only in "online communication" with her off and on for about two years (of good memories of a very good person), and because the way I broke online contact with her four years back was a great example of how not to.

(See

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/04/21//news/local/doc480cbe204387d061315639.txt

)

(In passing on the radio I hear of an activist under past FBI surveillance who has recently been found drowned, bound and gagged, ruled a possible suicide. ... ...

Right. Yeah. ... I believe that. Anyhow, hence plural form of subject line.)

Another miscellany

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:24:33 GMT

Arrived on Long Island safely, though the bus ride was slow even for Friday afternoon traffic. Eh, so it goes.
The site http://www.radiowavetuner.com is exactly what I was looking for - searchable collation of a dozen-plus webcasting radio stations' schedules, with links to the locations of their (sometimes often-changing) mp3, RealPlayer, Windows Media links and to their online schedules; the sort of thing I was trying to do with some earlier posts to this journal but regularly rather than sporadically.
Final conference preparations and that today, since it's tomorrow

When I get back - or rather, the day after (Wednesday) - going to go with some friends to see

http://suitcaseexhibit.org/

- the Suitcase Project, which will be in Auburn, NY until the 20th; there's a book based on this, and have been documentaries also. About the contents of luggage found in an abandoned building at Willard Psychiatric Center when it was closed in 1999, and the people who owned them, who left them there before being committed...

Winter Soldier 2

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:13:22 GMT

Democracy Now (democracynow.org) has excerpts from this past weekend's Winter Soldier 2008 hearings (the second, the first having been in 1971). (Briefly mentioned at the end of Winter Soldier Investigation, less briefly here.)

We interrupt your regularly (though infrequently) scheduled rabbit ears

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 05:29:01 GMT

for two important birthday wishes.

To frobozz, author of fiction both serious and seriously fun, and to
illucian considerate angel and fellow believer in the powers and wonders of music- who I am glad to have gotten to talk with when I was somewhat actively with the Gryphon Guild before her travels in several senses took her far from :)

iPod

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:52:49 GMT

My iPod went out of commission - not even restore-able - but a trip to an Apple Store in NY City this Monday, and a return trip by my father later in the week, determined what the problem was, got a new iPod, and this (and a new case- the magnetic snaps of the older case were probably the main problem, Whoops!!! that I should have noticed... eep.) -- will be shipped up to me soon. :)

-very cheery, much prefers to do things with several weeks' worth of music available-to-hand

Oh, and not least

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:16:09 GMT

Happy, Happy Birthday to the SnowGryph!!

Happy Birthday, liran_skyy!

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:06:09 GMT

Hope you've had a great day :) !

Just re-read a November 24 2004 post

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 16:57:57 GMT

And all I can think of is "well, at least I know what piece that came from."

(the "who-knows" one that I remember running through my mind, noted down, could not identify- until I heard it on a recording. It's one of the variations in the finale of the 7th symphony, premiered by the New York Philharmonic, of British composer Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953).)

... Norman Mailer died?

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:08:00 GMT

... argh. (Edit: and that's all I'm saying...)

LilyPond

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 04:59:42 GMT

I hoped it was just a problem on FINK's end, or something like that. I just tried again, with no changes, and LilyPond 2.10.25 (www.lilypond.org) is now installed on my computer. Still need to test it, and to learn it- the last version I had that installed and that I was sort of proficient with was 2.0.1 - but I'm looking forward to this.

(I did upgrade to 2.6.3 first, when that was the most recent version- 2.10.25 only became available when I upgraded Fink, and even then at first it wouldn't install- a bit of a story. But 2.6.3 created segmentation faults when I ran it, and convert-ly from 2.0.1 to 2.6.3 - a program that upgrades Lilypond documents written for earlier versions so they'll work with the newer ones, did very little when I ran it on files I'd created for 2.0.1, too. So goes...)

SETI@Home

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:56:09 GMT

Since SETI@Home's new software, like so much else, required OSX version 10.4, I couldn't make use of it until I had my new computer set up- so I installed it today, and my computer's a bit faster than my old one- but still... 67% done in 26 minutes...

er... right. (Explanatory edit: it used to take much of a day, then maybe a third of a day- I think? will have to check- on a more recent and quicker machine- but... !)

(Meanwhile, trying to update LilyPond to 2.10 but there seem to be Pango dependency problems. I'm not sure whether to Ping Gnome or Fink about a Pango problem like that, but ... it's probably a temporary thing while people update the version of the software on the Fink servers/repositories and try to work out Fink kinks.)

Happy October!

(Missed the Ithaca Booksale this weekend but might catch a bit of it tomorrow...)

(Edit: the Sah splitters are all disabled and have been since I tried to connect, so what is "BOINC Manager" working on, exactly... something for fun? Possibly.)

Howeverso public, directed to me anyways. Really.

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:20:32 GMT

Music, tea and deep breaths make a lot of things better...

Happy happy Birthday

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:57:58 GMT

to kvschwartz college friend of genius and sterling qualities, who it has been very much my pleasure to be reacquainted with

because of this journal,
during the years I've had this journal-
and especially in the last couple of years or so :)... have a great one!

Icon chosen not because

Sat, 19 May 2007 16:47:23 GMT

of any tension or anxiety but because I do (with Ki's most welcome permission) use it elsewhere (where it has been receiving deserved kudos), and I wonder if the person who left a comment this morn hailed from there- if they see this post now and are willing to clarify with further comment, anyways :)

Tele

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:05:23 GMT

Though I hope it doesn't represent my letter of resignation from the (The) West Wing fan community, I watched most of this season - almost ended, I believe - of 24, catching up with a friend when I missed an episode on a Monday. Found the writing to be very good and full of several kinds of surprises.

berth dazed!!

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:03:57 GMT

March 28th besides being the date of birth of my sister and of one of my mother's sister's grandsons is also, according to en.wikipedia.org ...
the day of the Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1862. (Given an upsurge of neo-Confederate spirit I find this not insignificant to mention.)
(Also the day that Franco, not a favorite guy in my book but whatchagonnado, conquered Madrid in 1939.)
Birthdays of Thomas Hare, Willem Mengelberg, Rudolf Serkin, Marlin Perkins, Nelson Algren, Edmund Muskie, Neil Kinnock, Daniel Dennett, Samuel Ramey, Vince Vaughn,

death-day of Modest Mussorgsky, Virginia Woolf, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jim Thorpe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Marc Chagall, Maria v Trapp, Peter Ustinov and Caspar Weinberger.

(And of at least one deservedly illustrious member of the Gryphguild but since she is not on my list, this is public. Or will be, in a mom't.)

My.

Birthdays

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:15:17 GMT

Two friends I've known for awhile - one met here, one from a couple years before - have birthdays today the 23rd of this 2nd month...

May this be a happily, joyously memorable day for each, who deserve no less.

Noticed I haven't

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:54:35 GMT

updated this publicly since last year...

2007 has been interesting. I've gotten badly sick, almost entirely (99.44%, let's not get too... ok ok) recovered, improved some relationships/made new ones/lost - etc., learned about myself. That -- has been, looked at in its way, par for the course. (All in the details; the year has already given me what to think on, I believe.)

Still haven't finished a 2006 year-in-review I started.

Will :)

Possibly off to see The History Boys later? Anyway,

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:54:39 GMT

expecting to be back in Ithaca by late January 1 '07... probably not earlier. That wasn't my "ETA" but it is now...

Only just heard that Gerald Ford died.

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:27:44 GMT

Rather sorry to hear that - would be gladder of his longevity if his last years hadn't been in some real pain.

Planning to start on that year-in-review later today, have an appointment soon though. Off to.

Thank You for Smoking

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 05:44:48 GMT

Saw tonight: was sharp-witted and well-done, also enjoyed very much.

Merry Christmas, Happy (middle-of) Chanukah, and generally may the end of this year prepare one for a 2007 even better yet. Not that I have any intention of being especially quiet txixt now and then.

"Inside Man"

Sun, 24 Dec 2006 05:10:20 GMT

Just saw.
Very good, well-developed, well-acted, smart, suspenseful film!

Just got back, just checked mail, ...

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 22:41:57 GMT

Happy Birthday to ciatol!!

Generally logy day when it wasn't being a distressing and depressing one, but only just checked mail and thank you very, very much, Kes, for your gift.