2 min read

Friday, September 22, 2023

Happy Friday, folks, and Merry iPhone Day to those who celebrate. Welcome back to Wolmania, where we have a pretty weird collection of things to talk about today. Off we go.


It's been far too long since I linked to a Bartosz Ciechanowski blog post - nobody explains complex concepts as well as he does, using visual simulations and interactive demonstrative tools. So this week let's go ahead and learn all there is to know about sound. For reasons that should be extremely obvious, you'll want to make sure your speakers are on.

Item 2: a list

Minutes of Stairway to Heaven, ranked

  1. 6:00-6:59 (This is the stuff of legends.)
  2. 7:00-7:59 (Cont’d.)
  3. 2:00-2:59 (This section starts off strong with finger-picking and the introduction of the 12-string guitar, although I could do without the flute.)
  4. 5:00-5:59 (5:00-5:34 isn’t anything special but the guitar solo finally gets started at 5:35 and kicks into high gear at 5:54)
  5. 1:00-1:59 (First mention of the titular “stairway to heaven” and some generally inscrutable lyrics overall.)
  6. 4:00-4:59 (“If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now / it’s just a spring clean for the May Queen”. So true. Also, finally some friggin’ drums.)
  7. 0:00-0:59 (Solid use of copyright infringement but it’s the beginning of a long, slow build-up.)
  8. 3:00-3:59 (Nothing new here. Snoozefest.)
  9. 8:00-8:02 (We don’t need this part.)

Item 3: a media recommendation

Tom Waits - "Ol' 55"

Item 4: word of the week

Potation

There are people out there making crazy claims about me, and I'd like to put these scurrilous rumors to rest. Yes, I enjoy a potation or two on a special occasion. But no, I have never woken up blind drunk in a grain silo, wearing nothing but a Red Lobster bib. I have too much respect for grain to do anything like that.

Item 5: a photograph

Steve Ryan - Mr. Ripple (2007 or so)

See ya!

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See you next week.