I always enjoy visiting a library I haven t seen before. The one I visited on August 13 says it s the oldest public library in the USA, and it doesn t seem to have any serious challengers. Its story has interesting parallels to the founding of Harvard College s library. The town in one case and the college [ ]
An earlier version of this review is posted on my LibraryThing account. I came across Taking Funny Music Seriously on Hoopla while doing research on P.D.Q. Bach. Half of a chapter is about P.D.Q., and it told me some things I hadn t known, so it was worth it right there. It also has a lot [ ]
I ve started a new publication on Leaflet, focused on music in all the ways it interests me. Leaflet is part of the Atmosphere network, about which I have mixed thoughts. It puts a bunch of different services under one account, sort of like Google. For now I m treating this publication as an extension of my [ ]
I ve put up a video on YouTube of a P.D.Q. Bach piece which perhaps no one had heard in years. It s Two and a Half Variations on In Dulce Jubilo. Peter Schickele s website lists the piece and says it was performed on the December 23, 2000 episode of A Prairie Home Companion. I couldn t find [ ]
Last weekend I came across a YouTube video on a resurgence in CD sales. It made me realize how many people are unaware of any part of the music business outside streaming. The commentator talks about CDs as having the appeal of no subscription, no registration, buy it one time, play it forever. There s a [ ]
Atheists in modern America enjoy a high level of religious freedom. In New England, where I live, we also enjoy a good level of acceptance. I don t encounter hostility for being an atheist. Once the Eagle Tribune in Massachusetts mentioned on its front page that I am one; no one minded. But conditions can change, [ ]
FedEx has cancelled the bizarre customs charge for a book that I purchased. I ve updated my earlier post.
There s no shortage of nastiness from either the left or the right these days, but it s always seemed to me that the flavor coming from the left has something special, which is especially good at driving people away. This is separate from whether their aims are a greater threat. What I see a kind of [ ]
Nailing down populism is difficult. Merriam-Webster says it s a political philosophy or movement that represents or is claimed to represent the interests of ordinary people especially against the Establishment. The idea that the people should rule sounds left-wing, but we tend to think of populism as right-wing. It sounds like another way of saying pro-democracy, [ ]
Update, July 30, 2026: I just got a past due notice from FedEx, so I may not be out of the woods yet. Hopefully it s just notifications lagging behind resolutions. Update, July 28, 2026: Happy ending! FedEx cancelled the charge without requiring me to agree to an outrageous processing fee. Back in June, a friend [ ]