Category Archives: random musings

Heretics R Us

Posted on October 22, 2022 by midiguru

In 325 A.D., the emperor Constantine arranged a conference among the Roman world’s Christian bishops. Accounts vary, but about 300 bishops traveled from near and far to the city of Nicaea, in what is now Turkey. Constantine paid for their … Continue reading →

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Processed Art Substance

Posted on October 10, 2022 by midiguru

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a Zoom panel discussion about the use of AI (artificial intelligence) software in the arts. This was hosted by Nick Batzdorf, who is the content director at the Synth & Software website, … Continue reading →

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Let Me Count the Ways

Posted on October 9, 2022 by midiguru

I first encountered a synthesizer in 1975. I had just been hired as an assistant editor at a startup magazine called Contemporary Keyboard. (The name was later changed to Keyboard.) My boss, who was living down the walkway in the … Continue reading →

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The Great Red Spot

Posted on October 3, 2022 by midiguru

I’ve been re-reading James Gleick’s 1987 book Chaos. A lot of chaos theory is about mathematical abstractions, but it also has a very practical side. The Great Red Spot on the surface of Jupiter is still a bit of a … Continue reading →

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Fumble-Fingered

Posted on September 25, 2022 by midiguru

I’ve memorized a fair amount of piano music. I can sit down at the piano and play for an hour, going through ten or fifteen pieces, without opening any of the books of sheet music that are stacked next to … Continue reading →

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Call Me Irresponsible

Posted on September 18, 2022 by midiguru

The fourth of Unitarian Universalism’s Seven Principles is, “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” Three years ago, several hundred UU ministers signed on (literally) in a thuggish attack against one of their fellow ministers, Todd Eklof, who … Continue reading →

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Parlez-vous français?

Posted on July 29, 2022 by midiguru

I had a couple of quarters of German during my chaotic college days, but I’ve never properly learned a foreign language. As an older adult I’ve considered a few languages, including Chinese and Hindi. Chinese is just way too difficult. … Continue reading →

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Game Night!

Posted on July 26, 2022 by midiguru

We’re living in a sort of Golden Age of board games. When you say “board games,” many people surely think you mean Monopoly and Scrabble, or possibly checkers. But modern board games have advanced miles past those dusty classics. Today’s … Continue reading →

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White Light

Posted on July 22, 2022 by midiguru

I won’t pretend to be comfortable with the idea of identity politics and “centering marginalized voices.” I would prefer to look at how things are now for individuals rather than agonize over past wrongs done to large groups. But I … Continue reading →

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I vs. We

Posted on July 22, 2022 by midiguru

Classical liberalism is the belief that the individual is, or ought to be, autonomous. “Liberal” means “free.” Liberals believe that, wherever possible, the individual ought to be free to make [his/her/their] own decisions and choose [his/her/their] own actions. As an … Continue reading →

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