Monthly Archives: August 2009

Bull Sheet

Posted on August 30, 2009 by midiguru

The demise of the brick-and-mortar sheet music store is one of the lesser-known but keenly felt tragedies of the late 20th century. Perhaps not quite on the scale of Serbian atrocities in Kosovo, but the degradation in quality of life … Continue reading →

Posted in cello, music, society & culture | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Nakedness

Posted on August 30, 2009 by midiguru

For a long time I’ve wondered why people go in for tattoos. I mean, what if you change your mind? The charitable interpretation is that these folks are celebrating the fact that all of the decisions in your life are … Continue reading →

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Handy Andy

Posted on August 27, 2009 by midiguru

Starting to think about expanding my Inform 7 Handbook. I’ve gotten a number of nice compliments on it, so I know people are finding it useful. If I’m able to put together an IF class this fall, having an even … Continue reading →

Posted in Interactive Fiction | Tagged | 1 Comment

Caution and Paralysis

Posted on August 22, 2009 by midiguru

I’ve been trying to figure out how to teach a couple of classes — one in interactive fiction, another in computer-based music-making. I’m sure there would be enough interest to fill a couple of small classes (say, 8 to 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Interactive Fiction, society & culture | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Shocking…

Posted on August 21, 2009 by midiguru

Glanced at a news story tonight. It appears the head coach of the Oakland Raiders (a football team) is suspected of having broken the jaw of one of his assistant coaches. This is hilarious, on at least two levels. First, … Continue reading →

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Reading: The Thin Man

Posted on August 18, 2009 by midiguru

Having absorbed a few recently published mystery novels, I thought it would be fun and possibly instructive to compare and contrast them with one of the old masters. So I pulled out my copy of Dashiel Hammett’s The Thin Man. … Continue reading →

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Healthy Choice

Posted on August 18, 2009 by midiguru

I haven’t been watching the health care shenanigans on Capitol Hill (and around the country) with any assiduity. It’s too depressing. Also, I don’t own a TV, which is a nice way of filtering out the noise. Personally, I’m strongly … Continue reading →

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Reading: Oh, Faye

Posted on August 17, 2009 by midiguru

Elmore Leonard has said that when writing his novels, he tries not to write the parts that people skip. Yesterday the mystery novel at the top of my stack was Faye Kellerman’s The Burnt House. I found myself skipping large … Continue reading →

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Reading: Hunt Sharp

Posted on August 16, 2009 by midiguru

Grabbed a stack of mystery novels from the library. Quickly absorbed Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich and The Hunt Club by John Lescroart. They couldn’t be more different. About all they have in common is nasty crimes and the obligatory … Continue reading →

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Not Fiction

Posted on August 14, 2009 by midiguru

I’ve been toying with the idea of writing another novel — poking at a few plot outlines, drafting a few scenes. Today I’m coming, reluctantly, to the conclusion that I’m not likely to be able to pull it off. Technically, … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, music, society & culture, technology, writing | Tagged | 2 Comments