Resonance


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I opened my web browser on my work computer, and once more I have no idea what I was going to do next.

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First time I’ve seen an Instax photo. About the size of a credit card. From a company event this morning.

Apologies to Tim who has no idea he is on my timeline.

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What You Should Do

“The only resistance worth a damn is the one where you stop calculating the odds and start living your truth without reservation.”

Mike Brock /via TechDirt

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I experimented today. At the soda machine I picked Lime Coke Zero. Then I saw that also I could do Cherry Coke Zero. And I thought maybe they might be two great tastes that taste great together, like cherry lime-aid from Sonic. Short answer: No. Much too sweet and bland rather than tangy.

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Apple Notes has good keyboard shortcuts. However, searching for notes to link isn’t consistent. I can’t use a space character in my search, and search results do not show everything that matches search terms. So that’s a challenge I’m having setting up the cross-linking needed for Forever✱Notes.

Have I Mentioned John Philip Sousa?

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Recently, I learned that John Philip Sousa is the composer of The Liberty Bell. Many of us know this as the theme music for Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

He has a tie to my Mid-Western region of the USA, having composed a Foshay Tower March for the self-same Foshay Tower in Minneapolis. According to legend, his orchestra played it the one time at the grand opening celebration. The check from Mr. Foshay bounced, and he never played nor published the march for the rest of his life.

But the reason I researched Sousa reveals a part of my psyche I have tried to keep hidden. You see, I have John Philip Sousa ear worms. Seriously. And frequently. And Stars and Stripes Forever figures largely here, as there are many distinct sections that all come together at the end. I listened to the whole piece just a few days ago. I forgot about the Piccolo. I smiled.

You see, I needed to be able to name the terror. Then, perhaps, I can come to terms with the ear worm.

So I found the Wikipedia page. The one with all 137 of his known Marches. One by one, where there are linked audio files, I listened to the intros. Nope. Nope. Nope. Not that one either. I’m far less familiar with John Philip Sousa’s œuvre than I would have guessed. With the exception of just the two marches that my grey matter seems to adore, and the one pop culture gave to me, I thought perhaps two or three more had more familiar themes than the rest.

Anyway, my brain also loves to fire snippets of The Washington Post my way from time to time, as well.

So, which comes first? The John Philip Sousa or the dissociation?

There is one more ear worm. One in a similar vein. I know its name.

It’s not Sousa. But it is The Star Spangled Banner.

Ah, the joys of synchronization.

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I noticed earlier today that some of my Apple Music library changes weren’t showing on my Apple TV. After attempting to initiate a cloud sync, Apple Music told me there was an error and it didn’t recognize my library. What? So the fix allegedly is to turn sync off and back on. No big deal, only 42,927 items.

I was going to continue the re-rip project but instead I’m waiting to see if the re-sync to the cloud actually works. No idea how long it will take. No progress bar nor item count.

UPDATE:

I was on pins and needles for about two hours. Nothing on screen that indicates “Success,” but everything I was hoping to see synchronized appears to have done so.

I made the “iCloud Sync Status” column visible in the Songs view. Eventually I will need to look into the large number marked “Duplicate” and a not as large number marked “Ineligible” or “Removed”

One of the issues I have already mentioned is track duplication. Many albums that I have replaced with a re-rip had included one or more duplicate tracks. It feels good to clean those out. I will have gone one by one for each CD, but that does not account for items purchased from Apple or from other sources that were imported.

As an incorrigible collector, I have music from many, many sources. There is some work that will continue once the CDs are all back in. In the case of cassettes or vinyl, should I try to find this music digitally? Or, should I find a way to record these in real time?

Not going to decide today, but I know it would involve “recording” a side at a time, taking those files and separating them into tracks, possibly compressing to a lossless format, and adding meta data and cover art. Maybe after I retire? Or maybe not at all. I really do enjoy having everything easily available and potentially much more portable. No idea what the future may hold.

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I am avoiding articles that include the phrase “Here’s what to expect…” because I expect a company to announce everything it is prepared to announce as soon as it is ready to do so. That is enough for me. I understand that they have advertisers to service, but I’m not participating.

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I met the challenge.

Even with a lid on the cup, I managed to pour coffee onto my face and my clothing.

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The good news is that the guitar I have is rated well for beginners—Some of the information I was looking for lead to several different discussions with similar statements by different folks.

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That feeling when you excitedly disassemble your guitar only to find that you bought the wrong pick guard. SO. Monday night after the new guard arrives, I can get back to work putting everything together and re-stringing. I’m so upset with myself.

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Really surprised to find the Adobe Acrobat installer on my M3 MacBook Pro at work required Rosetta.

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Katie Kadan: All Better

This track is a great case in point. Came up in rotation and fairly demands attention. Soulful/Bluesy vocal.

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It might just be me, but I miss being able to purchase tracks from The Voice on iTunes. It used to be a big part of the show but it must have cost too much money or the licensing liability somehow too great. Nevertheless, it was something I enjoyed.

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There’s a lot to be said for learning the hard way. I am deeply impatient with myself. I was attempting to restring a guitar I was gifted with many years ago—because I want to really dig in and learn. I broke the first new string in my eagerness. So now I wait for replacements to arrive.

Follow me through time?

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I’ve spent a majority of my time today plotting out my genetic ancestry. Remains discovered in various parts of the world have had DNA survive and have been subsequently sequenced. None of the finds are clearly direct lineage, but do match between one and three segments of my DNA and therefore we share ancestry. Of hundreds or more shared with the worlwide scientific community, there are 31 so far that connect with me. In this list, only one, two or three DNA segments match any of mine.

These are some of the places people with shared ancestry have ended their journeys. Dates are best effort estimates, not lifespans. Locations are where remains were discovered, though this doesn’t tell the story of their origins.

Date Location
1596 to 1439 BCE Bylkyldak, Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan
700 to 600 BCE La Mattonara, Civitavecchia, Italy
414 to 211 BCE Tugen Gorge, Kazakhstan
82 to 316 CE Roman Period Celt, Dorset County UK
100 to 400 CE Rákóczifalva, Hungary
400 to 600 CE Rákóczifalva, Hungary
665 to 865 CE Ship Street, Dublin
700 to 800 CE Salme, Saaremaa, Estonia (x2)
700 to 1000 CE Tollemosegård, Zealand, Denmark
800 to 900 CE Finglas, County Dublin, Ireland (x2)
800 to 900 CE Sørherøy, Herøy, Nordland, Norway
800 to 900 CE Kil søndre, Stjørdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway
800 to 1000 CE Balladoole, Isle of Man
800 to 1100 CE Galgedil, Funen, Denmark (x2)
800 to 1100 CE Kärda, Småland, Sweden
850 to 950 CE Bakkendrup, Zealand, Denmark
880 to 1002 CE St. John’s College, Oxford, UK
900 to 1000 CE Tussøy, Tromsø, Troms, Norway
900 to 1050 CE Frojel, Gotland, Sweden
900 to 1100 CE Ridgeway Hill Mass Grave, Dorset, UK
900 to 1200 CE Varnhem, Skara, Västergötland, Sweden (x2)
900 to 1200 CE Ladoga, Leningrad Oblast, Russia
900 to 1300 CE Hofstaðir, Mývatnssveit, Iceland
993 to 1113 CE Kastlösa, Öland, Sweden
1500 to 1700 CE Sandur, Sandoy, Faroe Islands (x3)

My Great Grandfather, my mothers’s mother’s father (mormors far?) was from Sweden and swore that he was of Viking blood. I am living testament.

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I learned of my genetic ties to a part of the UK where only as recently as this year did we learn was the strongest evidence in Europe of matrilineal society.

I think I may finally understand what the erasure actually is, how deep it goes, and what we have been pretending it was about.

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Savor. Savor the good things. Seek them.

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I was going to write a long post, but the gist is that I’m no longer waiting for the Journal app to appear on my iPad or Mac. Notes is the way. I’m already there.

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That feeling when I have to reset the password I just reset because somehow it didn’t stick or what I thought I typed and confirmed isn’t what I thought I typed and confirmed.

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Sommer brought home coffee infused with lavender. I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy it.

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When your first few hours of PTO include communication with co-workers to coordinate support, and a vendor who means well but didn’t quite email the correct folks.

But I am sitting in my home office sipping coffee wife my wife. So I have that going for me, which is nice. Which is nice.

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Not a moment too soon, I’ve got my recurring meetings re-established at work for the coming year and have made a mirror in my personal calendar. I’m not adept at organization or systems but I’m not letting that stop me.

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Sometimes, when an alternative is needed, it appears:

Bookshop.org is now selling ebooks

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Well, after being outside this morning at -18F, walking with the dogs in windy 5F evening was almost pleasant!