HiWire

I came across that line this afternoon, too. Can't find it for the life of me – searched my history and came up with zilch.

This is a sweet set! They've still got the funk. This is one hell of a good recording, too. On the other hand, that Dixie Chicks rendition of Landslide was painful to experience 😧 (No wonder they took 14 years to release another album)

I didn't even know some of the songs were Fleetwood Mac. For example, Say You Love Me – I didn't know the name of the singer (I kind of thought she was a man, baby – sorry, Christine McVie! – it was the 70s) or the name of the song (it's not called "Falling, Falling, Falling"?), and it came on infrequently so radio stations didn't always identify the song right away. Obviously, everyone else knew, because everyone had listened to those albums. A great example of mainstream success where everyone can agree on a brilliant album. Also, unlike modern pop music, Fleetwood Mac's music had a soul.

It turns out those globes hanging from Mick Fleetwood's belt were toilet chain balls. What a weird dude! 🧔

Fleetwood Mac (1975) Rumours deservedly gets the most attention, but I really love this album. This is one of those rare incidences where an album measures up even after decades of anticipation (I remember looking at this album cover on the old Columbia House booklets... cassette version, of course!). This CD also came with the singles versions of Say You Love Me, Rhiannon, Over My Head, and Blue Letter, which turned out to be a nice addition as I was most familiar with the radio versions, of course. I'm not sure why my Rumours CD doesn't have the singles. "The White Album" is a bit softer, sweeter, and more introspective while Rumours has a harder edge. I was relieved the remasters hadn't messed up the sound in a way I could hear. I'm going to dive into their earlier albums as well. Specifically, Then Play On, Future Games, Bare Trees, and Tusk again, to start. Also, I love Herbert Worthington's photo covers for Fleetwood Mac and Rumours. A great combination of photography, fashion, typography, and magic. Again, one of those rare times where the music is as great as the album art. The subjects must have felt silly posing for the covers, but the results are timeless.

These are some of my favorite automatics: Junghans Max Bill automatic https://www.junghans.de/en/junghans-collection/watches/maxbill/maxbill-maxbillautomatic/027-3500-04/model/detail.html Nomos Glashütte Tangomat Reference 641 https://nomos-glashuette.com/en/tangomat/tangomat-641 and the Glashütte Club Campus neomatik 39 midnight blue https://nomos-glashuette.com/en/club/club-campus-neomatik-39-midnight-blue-767

I know exactly how you feel. I've been using the same Cold Steel Twistmaster for over 30 years. It's an extraordinarily tough knife that holds its edge well and sharpens easily. Carbon V steel isn't stainless so it needs to be oiled and most Twistmasters that have seen hard use have a few stains or a patina that doesn't affect their performance. Some people have improved cutting performance dramatically by altering the edge profile: http://www.cliffstamp.com/knives/reviews/twistmaster_dp.html If I ever had to replace it (as a beater folder), I'd get a Cold Steel Voyager – it has the modern features like one-handed opening, pocket clip, stainless steel, and a very strong lock (watch Cold Steel's Voyager lock tests for fun if you have time). And swords are just big knives, right? A witcher-style sword:

Happy Birthday!

RIP, Art. I always enjoyed his writing. There's a nice interview with him at Enjoy the Music regarding Listener magazine: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0902/artdudley.htm

Pump Up the Volume – original soundtrack ... and the missing tracks are helpfully listed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump_Up_the_Volume_(soundtrack) Plastic Letters – Blondie

Who has the time? https://music.avclub.com/decorate-thine-facade-with-resplendent-self-seriousness-1798214487 AllMusic review of Fates Warning's 2000 album, Disconnected: "This is a significant effort by perhaps the most important progressive metal band of all time. Highly recommended." Whoa.

Not as serious... but long. The Top 20 Proggiest Prog Epics (see you next month): https://www.loudersound.com/features/top-twenty-proggiest-prog-epics Is it sacrilege to say that I've always enjoyed the album art of prog rock more than the music?

Thanks, aerius. That's why I've never owned a Benchmade. They do have some of the most beautiful designs, but they've always been pricy and I haven't been able to justify one so far. I prefer fixed blades in general. The Nimravus comes in 154CM and you'd think it would be consistently made as it was an issue knife for some military units... who knows. I don't have any knives in the new supersteels – the other steel I was looking at was S35VN. It seems to have a good balance of properties.

Excellent album title

Happy Birthday!

The stay-at-home lifestyle has reignited my old hobby interests and I've done some research on archery, crossbows, and, of course, swords and knives recently (thanks, Witcher novels!). Has anybody got serious experience with Benchmade knives? I've wanted one for a while, but they're kind of pricey compared to my usual stuff (Cold Steel). I don't have a large collection, but I do tend to favor medium-sized production tactical knives and martial-arts oriented combat knives. I lusted after the AFCK folder (in M2 steel – long out of production) back in the day: I've also wanted the full-size Nimravus with plain edge for as long as I've known about it: And, of course, the Infidel: On the martial arts side, I've always been attracted to stilettos/daggers (for their looks) and curved knives: Fairnbairn-Sykes fighting knife: Gerber Mark II (Vietnam) – I think the new-style serrations are an abomination: Spyderco Warrior – ridiculously overdone, which is why it is cool: CRKT First Strike (Steve Corkum) – handled one of these on a trip years ago – seemed a bit thick and heavy for its size, but I still want one: Even better is the CRKT Sakimori – they were mostly known for low-end folders a while ago, but they put out a few interesting pieces from time to time (this one is also discontinued). I had reservations about their choice of steel (O1) for the price as it is prone to stain or rust without care and it is relatively soft compared to modern super-steel alloys:

I'm surprised at how exposed some of the crowds are – it might be unlikely, but I'd want to be behind something solid near the corners at least.

Found a new bucket list drive... heaven for me:

Science! New research on cold-brew coffee and other applications: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/the-chemistry-of-cold-brew-coffee-is-so-hot-right-now/

Bachelor No. 2 or, the last remains of the dodo – Aimee Mann

It was worth the wait!

Remain in Light – Talking Heads (for the first time!)

I reached the same conclusion researching an upgrade for my dad's stereo system. The Mac Mini (or something like it) + DAC/preamp/headphone amp (possibly all separate) seems like the best compromise to future-proof the system. Traditional hi-fi manufacturers' solutions (e.g., Naim Uniti) all seem to be expensive, clunky, and quickly obsoleted by the rapid advance of digital audio technologies. Running a full computer and operating system (+ storage management) seems like overkill for an audio system, but the crippled alternatives in the hi-fi boxes are worse for functionality and expansion options. You also have a lot more choices in software – running a full-fledged computer allows you to switch between a hi-fi/high-res audio library or casual streaming like Spotify, Tidal, or Qobuz. I gave up on trying to figure out high-res formats and took the easy route – ripping my CDs to ALAC as a way of increasing convenience and backing up the discs. No monthly fees, no hassle.

Gimme Gimme – Meiko

Believe It or Not (Theme from The Greatest American Hero by Joey Scarbury) – at home and screening my calls I had a huge crush on Connie Sellecca back in the day