Category: The Arts

The “What Makes You Feel Good” Parade – Part II

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More of the Good Stuff – A Bit Deeper

Now, Where Were We?

We started this conversation back in March with a short list of things that make one feel good. The plan is to divide that list into three levels – the easy everyday stuff, which was titled The Light Stuff. You may recall that my Light Stuff list included an eclectic but not unusual mix. It included:

  • A perfect baguette
  • A walk in the woods
  • Time in a hardware store
  • A really good cheese platter
  • Being up early enough to wait for the sun
  • Serious red wine
  • Being in a baseball park before the game

Many of you wrote to concur with parts of that list,

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Money, Politics, Electronics, and the Courts

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What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

What’s Up?

Today we take a short look at four subjects very much in the headlines these days. Some connect to each other in obvious ways, others are more stand-alone. All have our attention of late.

Money

This one is actually a good mix of financial matters and politics – the national debt. This is being written about five days before you read it, as I will be on travel for several days, so it is possible the logjam on the debt will break before you read this. I would be delighted if this segment of today’s blog was out of date and the problem resolved.

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Sometimes the Cover is Better Than the Original

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A Short Tour of Some Captivating Music

First, A Note About Me and Music

This might help you understand why I selected the versions of popular music selected for today’s discussion. As I mentioned in a blog a couple of years ago, I find that I like just about all types of music, from all around the world and through the ages. The playlist on my phone would blow your mind.

I find music a remarkably powerful thing – something with great artistic and social power. Something to sooth the soul or to be used for political purposes.  

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Down the Rabbit Hole, Through the Briar Patch, We Have Crossed the Rubicon into the Brave New World

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Enough Metaphors in One Title? Trust me – They All Fit This Discussion

What in the World are We Talking About?

Artificial Intelligence – AI. This thing has been with us for some time now but on several fronts, new ground is being broken at very important levels. I have no intention to try discussing all of the aspects in this topic – I probably would need some AI help to do that. Today we are going to briefly look at two AI phenomena that are hot topics in many quarters today. This is AI that can write creatively and AI that can create art.

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Turning the Page

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No, This is Not About Politics or Philosophy; It’s About Music (Mostly…)

What May Seem Small Can Count a Great Deal

I have attended two classical music concerts in recent days and watched one on Youtube. All three reminded me that seemingly small contributions can have great value and are worthy of our attention.

In this case, I speak of the humble Page-Turner (that is the actual title of such an individual), the individual who stands next to a performer playing an instrument, turning the page on the sheet music at the right moment.

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The Power and Pleasure of Music

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Three Recent Examples Bring the Lessons Home Delightfully

What Is it About Music?

Music seems to almost magic in its power to motivate, activate, sooth, and inspire the human creature (and other creatures, too; more on that later). You get this observation from someone who does not play any instrument nor knows how to read music. Well, I did have a short musical interlude. I had an impromptu kazoo band that showed up uninvited at Pentagon ceremonies when I worked there. And I once attended a dulcimer workshop. At the end of that first session, the instructor and I agreed my future was in the audience.

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Disconnect to Reconnect

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We All Need Time and Space to Chill Out. Here are a Couple of My Favorites

Why We Need to Sleep, Dream, and Chill Out

The picture with today’s post is of our beloved lab Lizzie. That girl knew how to relax!

In truth, we don’t know exactly why we need sleep or why we dream, but the evidence is compelling that these states of being have something to do with our ability to recharge and refresh. The same appears to be true for pretty well all creatures, not just humans.

I submit that as important as these things may be,

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An Homage to Our Senses

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We May Overlook the Gifts of Our Senses. Today, We Recognize Them

A Change of Pace for Agents of Reason

More times than not, this blog talks about our lack of sense – as in Common Sense. National and international news has been so intense of late (and will get more so over the next 6 months), I thought we could use a little change in focus for today. About those other senses, not about common sense.

I have mentioned from time to time how important our senses are, but only in passing.

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Short Observations on a Busy, Weird Week

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The Last Few Days Have Been Long on the Sublime and the Ridiculous

 

Starting with the Easy Stuff

The Academy Awards

I have long found it increasingly harder to care at all about the Academy Awards. It seems a party of self-congratulation among people whose lives have zero relevance or connection to the rest of the world. But, hey, I have my favorite movies, too and and sometimes the outcomes are interesting. The Big News this time, of course was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Four VERY short observations:

  • Way too much has been written and discussed on this little dustup already.

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The Mystery and Power of Language

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We Sometimes Forget What a Powerful Thing Language Can Be

What Do We Mean by Language?

For a long time, when we thought of language we thought of word-based communications between human beings. One of those things that separated us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Now, of course, we are learning that this was our ignorance showing itself. It seems almost daily that we learn of communication between critters of all kinds that go beyond just particular sounds.

The basic definition holds – a system of communication that may be verbal,

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