Monthly Archives: July 2014

Culture, Creativity, and Copyright

Posted on July 29, 2014 by midiguru

The law of copyright is a modern innovation. Copyright protection was developed for an important reason — to enable creative people to earn a living by doing creative work. Before the law assumed its present form, authors and composers routinely … Continue reading →

Posted in music, politics, random musings, society & culture, writing | 4 Comments

Outfoxed

Posted on July 28, 2014 by midiguru

It occurred to me this afternoon that in the past year I’ve done nine electronic arrangements of venerable Beatles tunes. Possibly a few other people might like to hear them. Some sort of digital download is obviously the distribution method … Continue reading →

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Reality Check

Posted on July 16, 2014 by midiguru

The local public library has hundreds of books on religion, but only a handful on atheism. Yesterday I checked out The Atheist’s Guide to Reality, by Alex Rosenberg. At first glance, it seems sensible enough, but problems soon develop. Rosenberg … Continue reading →

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Needed: Big Blue Box

Posted on July 10, 2014 by midiguru

I really ought to go back to writing science fiction. In science fiction you get to make stuff up. The trouble with writing about the real world is, you pretty much have to get it right. Or at least, I … Continue reading →

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A Taste of History

Posted on July 8, 2014 by midiguru

History is not as far away as we tend to think. Once in a while it rises up and gives you a little extra ripple of pleasure. Right now I’m doing some research for a possible rewrite of a novel … Continue reading →

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What’s in a Name?

Posted on July 7, 2014 by midiguru

Five years ago I wrote a historical mystery novel. My agent didn’t think it was marketable, and in retrospect he was right. There were problems. Ever since, I’ve been mulling over ways to fix it. Last month I figured out … Continue reading →

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