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Lily asked for biscotti. So Lily gets biscotti. Mid-bake, before slicing and second bake. I'm told the sample was good. I'll do QC tomorrow morning.

Hello Sonoma! It's The Alpha Rhythm Kings Getting the Hep Cats and Cool Daddios swinging at the newly shaded Sonoma Plaza / Grinstead Amphitheatre for Music in Place

Apple galettes for a cold rainy new england day

Ha ha look at these crappy old wooden boxes. Who'd ever want them? They don't even have a finish.

Michigan tart cherry gallette with a layer of crushed amaretti cookies beneath the cherries.

I'm going to secretly buy 8 track tapes. I see a pattern.

Bill Frisell and Harmony Five in Berkeley. Good but not great set with cello man stepping on Bill too much for my taste. As one Berkeley hippie said in the elevator, "I just wanted him to rock out at least once!"

We saw this guy last night in Grass Valley. I've been listen to him since high school, so it was nice to finally see him live.

LEENALCHI - SUGUNGGA LEENALCHI on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/album/u0icfdl0p72e3 Someone always explains my thoughts better than I can. So, ill just say, I can no longer say I hate K-Pop. I like one K-pop album and it's this one. I'll let some dude at Qobuz take it from here: SUGUNGGA sounds like a genre argument settled by force. Leenalchi's four pansori vocalists--Ahn Yi Ho, Choi Su In, Park Soo Bum, and Ra Seo Jin-deliver the album's 18th century turtle-and-rabbit narrative in the tradition's characteristic guttural, almost strained vocal style, full of sudden pitch shifts and rhythmic hiccups that are clearly deliberate technique... ...Leenalchi's willingness to let centuries-old vocaltechnique carry just as much rhythmic weight as the bass and drums rather than floating decoratively above them is an approach that could easily flatten into a gimmick over a full album, but SUGUNGGA keeps the groove genuinely propulsive rather than merely novel, letting the tradition and the funk each pull their own weight. Ex.

Well if you have woofers, you need a meower too. Stands to reason.

Nice center channel

Some interwebz funz....

Myrkur - Spine. Also got this on vinyl. This has grown on me a LOT! Love the melodic mix with some heavier music. Example (Live version):

Time Further Out Music on TIDALThe Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Further OutListen to Time Further Out on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceCountdown: Time in Outer Space Music on TIDALThe Dave Brubeck Quartet - Countdown: Time In Outer SpaceListen to Countdown: Time In Outer Space on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceTime Changes Music on TIDALDave Brubeck - Time ChangesListen to Time Changes on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceTime In Music on TIDALDave Brubeck - Time InListen to Time In on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceTheir Last Time Out Music on TIDALThe Dave Brubeck Quartet - Their Last Time OutListen to Their Last Time Out on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceTime Outtakes Music on TIDALDave Brubeck - Time OuttakesListen to Time Outtakes on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of service

I will NEVER get over Pink Floyd's Animals 8-Track. Of all the long songs on that album, they had to break the very short Pigs On The Wing to go between tracks..... 😠 🤣

Palo Alto snagged a Hauser & Wirth and it opened today with its inaugural exhibition ‘Calder | O’Keeffe.’ So long lines, sun, mobiles, “flowers” and wine.

Joe Pass' Songs for Ellen Ex.

Electric Warrior by T. Rex (1971) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0603497926008 Example (The easy one to pick) I had not realized until recently how big T.Rex was at the time. So I put this one on, yup, very good. Really a vehicle for Marc Bolan, and I am okay with that.

I think about this shot of his all the time.

Some more Garry

Haka Metal, the metal I never knew I needed

^ There are some fun live shows on Youtube. Here Rosinha de Valença's Um Violão em Primeiro Plano. Full

Anyway, this show really turned out to be special. Here’s a little making of video if you’re interested.

Sorry. Not sorry.

Time for an update on the MA-90... or what ever I'm going to call this thing. This is prototype nr.2 and it seemed only fitting to put on the "Orpheus" IQ stand: So what's new, well the headband is now fully DIY with just the arc being borrowed off a Senn HD58x but they are all the same and very close to the HE90 arc in design. Then a custom adapter block in the HE90 style adapts it to the forks... which didn't come out quite right. A bit too long and too thick to bend correctly so I'll have to redesign them but no big issue there. The actual housing is mostly complete at this point but the biggest hurdle were the metal backs, or so I thought: In the end, pretty simple and I can mass produce them by hand in quick order. I've made about 20 of them at this point and they fit snugly in there, no glue needed at all. Inside there is a new baffle, new spacers and new stators but they will need further work. Mostly I have to move the contacts to better fit inside the housing and those are ready to be made. This set is fitted with the cheap Chinese Solitaire earpads and sound pretty good with them. They are 15$ shipped compared to the HE90 pads which are impossible to get at this point.

R5 Mk II arrived yesterday, and by "arrived" I mean I drove to the post office and picked the damn thing up. The camera body is comparatively small and lightweight vs an equivalent DSLR. The 5D IV with its battery grip feels like a hulking behemoth in comparison. Even the 5D classic a chonker next to the R5. Funny how much bulk a pentaprism adds. The R5's UI is ...Canon. I had to figure out how to enable shutter activation when "no lens is attached" to use my manual focus glass. From the get go, the R5 pestered me relentlessly to set it up with my iPhone. That necessitated making a "MyCanon" account ...which I did on my laptop, with a real web browser and password manager. Then I had to sign into Canon on my iPhone and pair the two devices. The entire process made want to buy a view camera from 1920. I own zero R lenses and probably won't for quite some time. I am totally buying an R mount anamorphic. I started with the Canon EF to R adapter and it did what it said on the tin. The lens I had closest was the 135L, which says more about me than it. For reasons unclear to me, Canon ships their bodies set to fast burst mode. My 30D came that way 20 years ago. Some fussing later, and I had single shot and daylight white balance set (AWB is the devil.) Of course, the first actual keeper shot I took was with my beloved Super-Takumar 35mm F/3.5, a lens design that goes back to the 1950s. My copy is from the 70s and while it's far from perfect lens, I love how it renders things. This marks only the second time I've used the 35mm Takumar with a full frame sensor. Its ass is too fat for EOS bodies and on the 5D IV, it requires mirror lockup and live view to use. I find that workflow to be a miserable PITA, so I only ever used the 35 with my EF-S bodies (of which I have 3 ...for reasons.) While I loved the shots I got with the Tak on a cropped sensor, I knew I was losing out on much of the flavor of the lens by not having it on full frame. It's like own a Mac tube preamp and not using the phono input. The Fotasy M42 to R adapter is very well made. I had to enable the "shoot with no lens attached" setting or the shutter won't work with non-electronic lenses. Of course, the second lens I tested was the 35mm Takumar's 50mm, radioactive, F/1.4 sibling: There are a lot of variants of the F/1.4 Takumar, and mine is among the least desirable. The original 8 element version proved to be too expensive to produce and is a bit of a white whale amongst collectors. Besides being radioactive and yellowing, my version has a terrible coating and makes giant orange hexagon flares. Of all the lenses I own, it might be the one with the most "character." The 50's posterior isn't as bulbous as the 35's, so it's far less invasive inside the camera body and as a result I've shot with it on full frame for years. Before lunch today I had a go with the Nikon F to Canon R adapter (also made by Fotasy.) I have never been good friends with the Nikon lens mount. It's backwards. Also, I have owned precious little Nikon glass over the years. The only ones I shoot with are the mighty 300mm F/4, an excellent 50 F/1.8 I got from a certain 🐵 in 2010(!) and the decidedly mixed 18-200mm VR. Of those, the 300 was the obvious choice. I replicated a shot I took nearly 20 years ago of the house across the pond. Manual focusing a long lens with an EVF takes some getting used to. The R5 has a zoom peek function, but I as of yet haven't figured out how to use it. That's it for now. I'll out some modern electronic AF lenses tomorrow. What a silly idea.

Just finished Season 2. A worthy Guy Richie concoction at the intersection of dodgy geezers and -- checks transcripts -- posh cunts. Quite the ride with some fabulous locations, wardrobe and interiors.

^ Thanks, will give the rest a listen! I’m not 100% sure, but I think the tiger is coming down. The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A mighty beast descends from the deep, wooded valley With a mottled coat and a massive tail Over a bal (six feet) in length, swaying its silkworm-like head Forelegs thick as quivers, hind legs stout as winter melons With ears split wide and claws sharp as iron sickles Scattering turf roots and coarse sand in a rushing spray It opens wide its scarlet maw And lets out a roar—"Wuh-ri-rung"—as if the heavens were collapsing And the earth suddenly caving in; the soft-shelled turtle, in a panic, Shrinks its neck and lies flat and still The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A beast descends from the deep pine valley Swaying its silkworm-like head, ears split wide With a mottled coat and a massive tail Over a bal in length, forelegs thick as quivers Hind legs stout as quivers, claws sharp as new sickles Scattering turf roots and coarse sand like snow in the dead of winter Opening wide its scarlet maw It stands tall before the turtle, letting out a booming roar That engulfs the mountains and streams, as if the earth were caving in Startled, the turtle shrinks its neck and lies flat and still The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A beast descends from the deep pine valley Swaying its silkworm-like head, ears split wide With a mottled coat and a massive tail The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A beast descends from the deep pine valley It comes down Shaking its silkworm-like head, ears split wide, Body mottled and striped, tail held high, Over a bal in length; forelegs like arrow-quivers, Hind legs like quivers too, claws sharp as sickles; Scattering turf roots and coarse sand like white snow in midwinter, Flinging them wide with a rattle, gaping its scarlet maw, Standing tall before the turtle, letting out a thunderous roar— A sound that engulfs the mountains and streams, as if the earth itself might cave in. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, A beast descends through the deep pine valley; Shaking its silkworm-like head, ears split wide, Body mottled and striped, tail held high, Over a bal in length; forelegs like arrow-quivers, Hind legs like quivers too, claws sharp as sickles; Scattering turf roots and coarse sand like white snow in midwinter, Flinging them wide with a rattle, gaping its scarlet maw, Standing tall before the turtle, letting out a thunderous roar— A sound that engulfs the mountains and streams, as if the earth itself might cave in; The turtle, startled, shrinks back its neck and lies flat and still. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, A beast descends through the deep pine valley; Shaking its silkworm-like head, ears split wide, Body mottled and striped, tail held high. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger... Coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down

Improvised focaccia. I started a dough for making pizza but forgot I didn't have cheese. So I let it rise longer than normal and hit it with olive oil and shallots and garlic, a bunch of spices and baked it on the pellet grill. maybe not as good as pizza but my gosh it is good.

I have concluded it's not just a me thing and they actually kick ass. Do with this what you will.

If you typed "design a band to make Stretch squee" into Claude, this would probably come out. 🫠

Putin, 73, Gets Confused in Stuttering Speech to Reporters. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis (Latin for Bread and circuses) A Girl Meets Bossanova - Olivia Ong

Claire made the dough today for a cherry gallete tomorrow

Memorial Drive, Boston. Remember, it's not a Storrowing unless it happens on Storrow Drive, otherwise it's just a sparkling bridge strike.

Dang....maybe I should hold off selling my CD's until the pricing starts to come up like it did for vinyl.....

What is a yute?

Good Together by Lake Street Dive (2024) https://open.qobuz.com/album/o676jgwvi5ulb Example: Been a staple on my IG and YT. But I just thought this morning. Have I listened to their Albums. Always captivated by Rachael Price's voice. There will be a handful of tunes that will go in rotation.

A few highlights... The already mentioned in music thread James Kaplan's 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and The Lost Empire of Cool (2024). A blast to read, though that may depend a little on existing knowledge of the reader. The three paths up to Kind of Blue and after, though many others are also covered. Really a portrait of a culture changing. Also heroin bad. I don't read enough fiction any longer for the following to carry any weight at all. Really, but Stephen Markley's Ohio (2018) is the best thing I've read by an author not named George Saunders or Cormac McCarthy in probably 15 years. Lots of people screamed at the time that this, not Hillbilly Elegy, was the text to read to understand Midwest disgruntled feelings and Trumps rise to power, and while that's probably unfair, it's a far better book (I hated Vance before it became popular!). Bias warning: although it takes place in a fictional town of New Canaan, Ohio, from references it can't be further than two counties from where I was born and raised. I don't think that's all of it though considering NYTimes, NPR, and other reviews. I "read" at a busy work time, so moved between the paperback and the audiobook and will say as the stories shift perspective between characters, the audiobook with its different voice actors, may help a little there. Heroin still bad. Gigi Otalvaro-Hormillosa's Erotic Resistance: The Struggle for the Soul of San Francisco (2024). I haven't finished this yet and I swear Melissa or Esmé may have confiscated my copy, but a fun read with lots of references to an earlier San Francisco and where the city differentiates from other US cities (more geo-bias). I'm cheering it on, but we'll see by the end. Can read about a related exhibit here. Some fun historical posters included in book. Heroine very good here.

Was: Wes Montgomery, Tequila (because what else would I start with?) Is: Wes Montgomery, Movin' Will be: Wes Montgomery, Bumpin' (I couldn't find those compendiums on Tidal, so just going to listen to a whole bunch of Wes Montgomery instead.)

R.I.P. Pete Byrne Naked Eyes by Naked Eyes (1983) https://open.qobuz.com/album/m4rz8tz0qib5b Example: I didn't follow them past their 83 first album, but it was enough. (RIP)

The new comment editing widget and I do not get a long, which makes sense as I didn't get along with the old one either. What I'm talking about with the EF 50mm F/1.4 and IR 5D:

Sorry for the TL;DR, but this one is big for me. Short version: seek out Vienna Teng, she is a beautiful human being that plays wonderful music. A soul-filling day & evening this past Friday. My friend Melissa and I saw Vienna Teng in my hometown of Marblehead MA. In the afternoon, she hosted a Climate Change "Workshop" (she has an advanced degree in the subject). It wasn't a doom and gloom that I almost expected, but actually a bit inspirational and hopeful. We all came out with ideas and one or more things to put into practice. The evening show was just stunning! A solo show but she used things like tape loops, vocoder-style & voice duplication choral effects, etc., to make it seem a bit larger. She has one song that I actually emailed and talked with her about to request she play, called The Last Snowfall. A short but lovely song that made me think of Karen. In the weeks before she passed, we were talking about her two sisters coming up from different parts of NY state. A snowstorm was forecasted, and I was telling them they didn't need to drive in it. Karen - who did not love Winter - smirked a bit and said she wouldn't have to worry about snow or Winter anymore. A bit of humor in some pretty fucking dark times. Vienna played the song, dedicated it to me and in memory of Karen. Tears were falling, and my friend Melissa was kind enough to provide some tissues. We both loved the show and everything about the day, and remarked that just her presence and words & music raises good feelings and hope. Got a pic and a hug after the show. Quite the gift she has! Link to the video of The Last Snowfall: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FotpPHUgl_pvTJi_cdYRL3fMWtfpAbk1/view?usp=sharing Other pics, of the workshop and show.

I have successfully gotten my M4 Mac Mini to play nice (via SMB) with at least one of my Wintendos and a pair of Linux boxes. This was a nontrivial exercise. I ended up using Claude AI. Clod is actually pretty helpful with persnickety geek tasks. The process was more or less an involved "turn it off and turn it back on again." So far I kind of like Unbuntu. I'm actually considering installing it on my UM350 micro PC. Debian has proven to be more of a challenge. It's not precisely unfriendly, but it expect more of the user. I'm going to ask Claude about the NTP error that has been plaguing me for over a week now.