Category: Life

Why the 90s are Literally Disappearing From History

May 18, 2014 / Paul / 0 Comments

A man whom it amuses me to call “The Last Stereo-Repairman Hero” rode his motorcycle to my house a couple of months ago. He brought with him a backpack full of tools and electronic parts: a soldering iron, some fuses, a jeweler’s loupe. I had summoned him to work his magic on a turntable and an integrated receiver/amp, legacy hi-fi stereo components that had emerged from a couple of years of storage in a state of severe dysfunction. The local repair shop in Berkeley that I depended on for years for things like this had gone out of business. But their Web page pointed me to Gene, who looked to be pushing 70, but was still doing good business making house calls across…

Original Article Can Be Found Here:

Why the 90s are literally disappearing from history

Also published on Medium.

Before Pantone, There was this Hand-Painted 17th Century Color Guide

May 14, 2014 / Paul / 0 Comments

A large and largely undocumented Dutch manuscript from 1692 was brought to the world’s attention last week after a historian published images of some of its stunning pages, many of which are filled with block after block of hand-painted colors. Some reports have been calling the manuscript the “original Pantone,” because “like the famous color catalog” the book documents hundreds of colors as they vary with different amounts of water. Titled Klaer lightende Spiegel der Verfkonst, it was hiding inside of a French library’s collection for about a century before being published online under a listing that roughly translates to A guide to colors for watercolor painting. According to medieval book historian Erik Kwakkel, the Leiden University researcher who brought attention to the book…

Original Article Can Be Found Here:

Before Pantone, there was this hand-painted 17th century color guide

Also published on Medium.

Fastest Way to Board a Plane

May 11, 2014 / Paul / 0 Comments

Previous studies have already established that a passenger with two items of hand luggage takes 60 per cent longer to board a plane than one with no bags Photo: GETTY IMAGES Airline passengers should be allocated seats based on how much carry-on luggage they have, according to scientists who devised a formula for speedy boarding. Lengthy queues at departure gates could be substantially cut by spreading passengers with several bags around the cabin and ensuring they sit in window seats wherever possible, they said. Allied with other tricks such as asking passengers in window seats to board first and those in the aisle last, experts estimate carriers could passengers’ waiting time by more than 25 per cent. The system currently used by most airlines of calling passengers at…

Original Article Can Be Found Here:

Fastest way to board a plane

All of Bach for Free! New Site Will Put Performances of 1080 Bach Compositions Online

May 5, 2014 / Paul / 0 Comments

in Music | May 4th, 2014

Bach wrote 1080 compositions during his lifetime. And now thanks to the new and certainly ambitious All of Bach web site, you can eventually watch the Netherlands Bach Society (founded in 1921) perform each and every one of those compositions. The site features six performances so far (see below), which means there’s only another 1074 to go. A new Bach recording will go live every Friday. So you mark your calendars and check in weekly for the next 20 years. Thanks to Erik for sending this our way! First recordings: Related Content: A Big Bach Download: All of Bach’s Organ Works for Free

Original Article Can Be Found Here:

All of Bach for Free! New Site Will Put Performances of 1080 Bach Compositions Online

Does it Really Exist?

May 3, 2014 / Paul / 0 Comments

I admit that I didn’t know this technical term existed till somewhat recently. The Sandbox. That’s what it’s called. The sandbox. Really. The sandbox is the period of time that a new website owner blogs adds content, feeds their site but has nothing or almost nothing to show for it. The site is muddled, mired, bogged down in the sand. Question: Is there a search engine sandbox? Answer: From my experience. Yes, there is. Playing in the Sandbox I have numerous examples from my own experience where I plodded along, faithfully adding relevant content to my web site and seeing so little to show for my effort. Read minimal traffic. Then suddenly a jump. I wouldn’t exactly call it playing. Perhaps to …

Original Article Can Be Found Here:

Does it Really Exist?