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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.

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

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj14q700rko Jeremy Clarkson reveals prostate cancer diagnosis on farming show

Going back a bit.

So Ignorance² is bliss²?

I always forget how squeamish heteros can be.

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

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

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

For certain topics I apply the saying "Ignorance is bliss" 🫣

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.

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.

But you're European, it could be important!

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.

But that information could be valuable! 😝

Says the man who explained "docking" to us.

I can always count on you for more information than I ever wanted to know.

Because: Science! https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3002398/ "Benjamin Franklin noted that “a few stems of asparagus eaten shall give our urine a disagreeable odor” (Franklin and Japikse 2003)," Also: "Because smelling the urine of others is an unfamiliar task, after Experiment 1, we decided to add an additional task to determine whether subjects were able to follow instructions and detect an unrelated but unusual odor added to urine"

Your urine is going to smell atrocious for a month!

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!

I enjoyed his more recent work, I had not gotten to his early work in time. RIP African Piano by Abdullah Ibrahim (1973) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0060254708925 Example: Sorry I am late to the game Abdullah, thanks for the tunes.

Always thought Dollar Brand was a way better stage name, but religious considerations etc. RIP.