The Listening Book by W.A. Mathieu ✶

Recommended to anyone remotely interested in sound and music, reading this book is like discovering an unexplored and beautiful region of a world you thought you knew. Added to my list of books for thinking and learning.

New Kodak camera idea ✶

People who find this working at Kodak, please consider making a camera that has:

  1. 35mm-equivalent basic plastic lens, 6 megapixel sensor with big pixels, autofocus, center-weighted metering.

  2. No screen to see photos. Only a tiny LCD for basic settings like remaining pictures and remaining battery power.

  3. Pictures saved to replaceable built-in SD card, downloadable to computers via USB-C to USB-C connector.

  4. Long battery life (one whole day of shooting). Powered by rechargeable AA batteries.

  5. Splash proof.

  6. Sensor that adds grain to blown highlights and lost shadows.

  7. Less than $100.

  8. Bonus: Open source firmware.

Basically a competitor to the Camp Snap, but better.

Thank you!

Thursday, 7 August 2025

Lie flat is justice ✶

Via a post by Harvey Lederman on Scott Aaronson’s blog, where I left a comment. Everyone needs to play more and work less. A universal basic income is needed to make this happen.

See also, 躺平 Tang ping.

♫ The Sofa ✶

Beautiful new song by Wolf Alice, along with White Horses.

Friday, 1 August 2025

Improvisational space tune with special guest Yootsvik ✶

And amateur radio traffic, in the Elite: Dangerous holodeck program.

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Who is (music) theory for? ✶

From an excerpt of William Allaudin Mathieu’s book about music, Harmonic Experience:

The question cannot help but arise, “Don’t some people get music naturally, without all of the discipline and commitment and analysis?” The answer is yes, some people do and so do you. We all do to some degree. Every action is partly intuitive and partly rational; the proportions change from action to action and from individual to individual. No one is entirely analytical in the process of learning music, and no one is entirely intuitive (although I’ve seen some serious contenders at both extremes). There is even a part of the psyche that actively seeks to not know. It wants sensual saturation and intuitive wholeness, the pure being of childhood, the animal self.

Richard Feynman lecture: hardware, software and heuristics ✶

One of the miseries of life is that everybody names things a little bit wrong, and so it makes a little bit harder to understand things than it would have been if they had been named differently.

One of his multitude of quotes.

Saturday, 26 July 2025

Modern font stacks ✶

System font stack CSS organized by typeface classification for every modern OS.

The fastest fonts available. No downloading, no layout shifts, no flashes — just instant renders.

Nice resource with the first chapter of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll as example text.

Thursday, 24 July 2025

Wrist Mounted CD Launcher ✶

As an engineer – and, most importantly, a male – I’ve always had the strong urge to build things that shoot.

Amazing work, beautifully presented. Aaed Musa is like a real-life Geordi LaForge.

See also his CARA high precision robot driven by capstan drives.

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Warbird clocks ✶

Found master clockmaker Dewey Clark’s wonderful old-school site while researching time keeping devices.

The factory service instructions for many of these non US clocks are simply not available. However, physics knows no nationality. The lubrication and adjustment of parts for correct function follow industry accepted practices.

Indeed. Maybe one day we’ll overcome our tribal tendencies and head to the stars.

Tuesday, 22 July 2025

♫ Planet Caravan ✶

We sail
Through endless skies
Stars shine like eyes
The black night sighs

The moon
In silver dreams
Pours down in beams
Light of the night

The Earth
A purple blaze
Of sapphire haze
In orbit always

While down
Below the trees
Bathed in cool breeze
Silver starlight
Breaks dawn from night

And so
We pass on by
The crimson eye
Of great god Mars
As we travel the universe

Goodbye, Ozzy 😔 💖 🌌

Monaspace type system ✶

Monospace coding font with five variable axis typefaces.

Monday, 21 July 2025

Hell Clock review ✶

My mom has statues of Lampião and Maria Bonita at home, and my favorite flavours of crisps are salt and vinegar and prawn cocktail, so I’m putting this one near the top of my wishlist.

That is all.

Piano scales ✶

Nice and simple page listing illustrated piano scales that you can listen to. From Berklee College of Music.

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Good news from Sol ✶

In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.

I’m lucky to have met a friend who’s a self-taught solar power expert, so expect more sun-powered news from here before the end of the year.

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Clues

❦

Fingers strained from lateral movements and use of gloves.

Eyesight changing. Worse in some ways, better in others.

Sensitivity to signals, clues from the universe. Time for change.

You get good at what you practice.

What do you love? Beautiful sound.

Learn to play, to record, produce, and publish music.

Keep listening to the beauty surrounding you.

Do it now, don’t wait.

Get the equipment.

Be ready.

Go.

˚　✦　.　　.  ˚　.　　. ✦　 
  . ★⋆. ࿐࿔　.  ˚ ˚　　 *　　
　✦　 .　✶　.　✦　˚ 　✦˚　˚　　　　
    .　. 　˚　.　 ੈ  ✧̣̇ ˳ · ˖ ✦ .

Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Miyawaki method of forestry restoration ✶

Episode 6.5 of the Future Ecologies podcast is about the Miyawaki Method of micro-forestry that helps make small yet dense native tree cover in neighbourhoods around the world.

Monday, 7 July 2025

The Digital Domain - A Demonstration ✶

1983 record made to demonstrate the sonic capabilities of the Compact Disc.

Thursday, 3 July 2025

Is time a “process” or “content” ✶

Fascinating 2013 article by Ctein. Recent readings make me wonder whether it’s minds or music rather than spaceships that’ll allow long-distance travel between star systems.

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