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For the same money, you can buy a Steinway grand piano that will play itself.

I made a fusion Pad Thai / Mapo Tofu thing yesterday with Tofu, ground turkey, and noodles. I need to work up to the recipe I recently acquired (didn't have any Doubanjiang -- Chili Bean Sauce) and maybe make it more heart healthy, but I'm getting there. It was delicious.

In this case, you don't know how wise you are.

This is a bit of an obscure one, but still significant. RIP Mickey Mann. Via the official Orbital FB page: I first head Pressure of Speech's "X-Beats" in a DJ mix, sometime in the mid 90s. At that point there was no Discogs, no P2P, and remarkably little info online. In 2002, I asked about it in the techno room on the then-new Soulseek. One of the UK denizens said "Oh, that's the sound engineer for Orbital." Some time later, I paid $25 on eBay for the 12" (a lunatic price for the time.) I was mortified to learn that the remix I liked so much was NOT on the 12". Eventually I got my hands on the Phase 1 CD an deduced that the track that moved me so much in 1995 or so was any version of X-Beats, but in fact "Elone," specifically the Pressure of Speech 12" Version. Elone got mislabeled as X-Beats on a number of compilations and bootlegs in the 90s. As much as I tend to romanticize that decade, especially compared to the oligarch-driven, AI-generated hellscape in which we now reside, I do grant that it was a right royal PITA to be into obscure electronic music in the dialup era. It is a moody, timeless classic to this very day. Times like these makes me wish my radio station was still going, so I could build a set around it. More on that later. Much later.

So Ignorance² is bliss²?

I always forget how squeamish heteros can be.

I do like Bocote wood, but I'll pass.

Audio Technica makes a $108,000 headphone amp. The selector switches are unlabeled, so there's a handy wedge-shaped guide that sits below the amp. That is certainly a design decision.

I don't want to know what it's about....

Andrew and I went for less-prep, faster-cook pizza for dinner tonight. Still working on my launching, but getting a bit more reliable.

Just a great day yesterday....went to hometown of Marblehead MA to help my mom with some work around the house, and just to spend some time. She's been having some health issues and I've also been helping with appointments and the like. It's good to get the time in with her. On a whim, I then called a dear family friend Judy who lives a couples streets away, and she was home. Got to spend a while with her as well, was great to catch up. She has had a tough time as well so I have been able to help her a bit too. It was then mid-to-late afternoon, but I hadn't had lunch. So on another whim I called my friend Melissa, she had re-connected with me when Karen passed; she lost her husband (suddenly) almost a year earlier. We've been very close since. She joined me for a late lunch/early dinner at a nice fish restaurant on the water in Salem MA. I speak a lot about "human connection" and how much it means to me. Yesterday was one of those great days, left me filled (heart and stomach) and happy!

Also enjoyed Legends 👍🏻 I haven't looked to see if it is already in this thread, but we really enjoyed Kleo on Netflix. Funny and engaging and a fascinating place and time in Berlin before and after the Wall

Yeah, think I'll end up there as well. The 28s feel amazing WHEN the pavement is smooth. As soon as the quality goes to shit, I miss the bigger tires. 32 should be the sweet spot and is as big as the Vittoria Corsa Pros go. Did some good long rides this weekend so I feel ready to do the metric centuries I've signed up for. If I can survive the climbs, I'll finish no problem. It really is amazing how easy it is to pace with a power meter.

Got the monster truck tires mounted on the Aspero today and went out for a spin. Was happy to average 19 with 40s and the bike turning itself into a single speed for the last 13 miles.

RIP Daveigh Chase, 'The Ring' and 'Lilo and Stitch' star, dead at 35(!)