Another new one, inspired by a writer I was close to for a minute back in the day. As far as I know, she doesn’t live in Portland, but I had to incorporate the home of the best book store on the planet into a song about literature.
I’m slowly compiling enough new(ish) songs to release an EP. Bad Chapter will definitely be on it. More previews to come.
Finished another new song today. Amazing how fast some songs come together, and how incredibly slow others do. No obvious correlation between time to complete and quality. But I feel like the ones I like the best happen pretty quickly.
On the other hand, I’m about to finish another one (Ashland Street Blues) that has been percolating for 3+ years.
More music (including a few older ones that only recently made it to the World Wide Web) at Errbear.Com.
This is really, really good.
You said
Vegas is beautiful at night
And it’s not about the money
You just like the lights
M.J. Lenderman, from Asheville, in North Carolina.
More great music at Rancho Radio (on Apple Music).
Siri? Really. I mean, I’m pretty invested in most things Apple, and I generally watch their announcements with a sense of reverent excitement. But even as an admitted Apple devotee, I know- and you know- that Siri is, well, awful. I have to assume Apple knows this too, at least to some extent.
From Ars Technica:
Under Apple Intelligence, Siri gets a big boost with a new logo and on-screen design, a new ability to understand more nuanced requests, and the ability to answer questions about the system state or take actions on the user’s behalf.
That’s really neat, except, in its current form, Siri cannot do anything well. 75% of my interactions with Siri involve either (a) me yelling at her to please shut the f*#k up when she randomly starts talking or (b) screaming at her to never, ever just randomly start playing music (this happens at least 3 times a week and really drives me nuts). Alexa is bad, but sort of functional (though the inability to control what shows on your Alexa device is close to a deal-stopper); Siri is just one hot mess. The fact that, by design, it often interacts- usually unsuccessfully- with its equally dysfunctional mate, Apple Home, ensures that the Siri experience…does not “just work.” Or work period.
Siri is the most un-Apple thing in the world. So I’m pretty skeptical of expanding it into more of a go-to feature across my devices. Here’s hoping ChatGPT can save the day.
I’ll believe it when I don’t hear it.
Today’s Reading
DOJ sides with farmers in fight againt John Deere monopoly
Quarters That Have Been Painted Red
Tyrian Purple: Where It Came From, and Where It Ended Up
A racist lie about kidnapping and torture helped make a #1 hit in 1971
After years of scandal, Boy Scouts of America changes its name to Scouting America *
Turn Several Live Photos into a Single Video on iPhone
Humane Tells Customers to Stop Using AI Pin’s Charge Case Due to Fire Risk **
Today’s Commentary
* I hate to type this, as an eagle scout and someone who had some good experiences in Boy Scouts, but sometimes you need to know when to fold ’em.
** See above.
Today’s Cool Thing
Today’s Emotional Weather Report
For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.
More great music at Rancho Radio (on Apple Music).
Today’s Reading
M4 MacBook Pro: Everything you need to know
Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’ Being Adapted by ‘Gladiator’ Writer John Logan **
These Elastic Shoelaces Turn All My Shoes (From Converse to Doc Martins) Into Slip-Ons
The Cursed Decade: 10 Classic Rock Stars Who Had Low Periods in the 1980s
Security Bite: Cybercriminals take advantage of Apple Store Online’s third-party pickup
Tips and Tricks From a Crossword Prodigy ***
‘Lol, No’ Is The Perfect Response To LAPD’s Nonsense ‘IP’ Threat Letter Over ‘Fuck The LAPD’ Shirt
Today’s Commentary
* Words cannot describe how much I detest this auto start-stop “feature.” My F-150 has it, and it’s seemingly impossible to disable without giving up your trailer hitch, which I need. I won’t buy another vehicle that has it and makes it hard to disable. Period.
** One of the best books ever written, and includes the best passage ever written.
*** I’m not a huge crossword guy, but I love the NYT Mini. If I can finish it in under a minute, I take it as a good omen for the day.
Today’s Cool Thing
Today’s Emotional Weather Report
For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.
Today’s Reading
Applying the mathematical principles of Pareto to Mario Kart 8
Crows vs. Ravens: 7 Ways To Tell the Corvid Cousins Apart *
How The Movie Poltergeist Inspired Mad Men … Yes, Really
Today’s Commentary
* I adore Crows. I have a pair at the farm that live nearby and can often be heard throughout the day going about their Crow business. I am determined to befriend them.
** Apple has pleasantly surprised me before, but why in the name of all the Elvises do you put the screen on top of a round device. Seriously. Just make a better Alexa. And while you’re at it, fix the train wreck that is Apple Home. I can’t successfully add anything to my in-town house. And more times than not it takes multiple tries at the farm. It’s a broken system that needs to be scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up.
*** Given that much of the extreme right involves maintaining the status quo, oppressing women and people of color and laundering the sort of hate-speak I thought (perhaps naively) we’d mostly left behind, I don’t find anything about this surprising. Initially, I thought the takeover of the Republican Party by literally the worst and least intelligent segments of our society was funny. Now I think it’s a real threat to our political system. Android is a bolted-together mess, but it provides healthy competition for Apple. Same with the GOP. I want it out there to keep Democrats on their toes. In sum, if I were a Republican, I’d be way more interested in reclaiming my party than flying a bunch of stupid Come and Take It flags and making fun of the other side.
Today’s Cool Thing
Today’s Emotional Weather Report
For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.
Naming my favorite band is an ever-evolving, cyclical, impossible thing. But, without question, Ashtray Hearts would be in the conversation. What’s much easier is naming them my most consistent band ever. They have four records that I know of (if any band members want to share some other, maybe even live, stuff with me, I’m here for it), and every song on every single record is, at least, very good. If not excellent. They have not released a bad song.
There’s something about their writing, their amazing arrangements and Dan Richmond’s voice that just goes right to my cerebral cortex. I’ve said a hundred times that their songs sound like the inside of my head. Other bands- namely Wrinkle Neck Mules– have meandered around it. But no one moves me instantly the way just about every Ashtray Hearts song does (Flowers sounds like my wistful DNA put to music; I still get weepy hearing the opening chords, even after hundreds of listens). I made my own immersive Joaquin Sorolla– my favorite artist who also lives rent-free in my head- video with their utterly beautiful English.
So when I realized they have a new(ish) record, I dove for my Apple Music app to put it on repeat. And, let me be perfectly clear. This is an excellent record, and will likely be my record of the year. The StarTribune sums it up nicely:
“Gold Century captures the convergence of memory and reflection embedded in middle adulthood – the beautiful and the tragic. Gold Century is a quiet album. A record for late nights. Songs for the slow dance. So go on and break your heart.”
It’s hard to explain how solidly every single one of these songs lands on me, but those who listen to music the cathartic way I do know. As such, it’s hard to pick which songs to share, because everyone should hear every one.
“Turn out that porch light
Stay out here so we won’t wake them
Don’t lose your heart
Take my coat,
I hope it keeps you dry.”
I don’t know what that means to the writers, but I know it invokes all sorts of memories, stories, joys, regrets, etc. for me. Almost every Ashtray Hearts song is like a meditation prompt.
Go listen to this record. Seriously.
Today’s Reading
Emperor Penguins Introduced to the Sea the Hard Way *
Climate damages by 2050 will be 6 times the cost of limiting warming to 2°
Kremlin-backed actors spread disinformation ahead of US elections
iOS 18 Rumor: Notes App to Offer New Voice Memos and Math Features **
Microsoft releases native OneNote app for Apple Vision Pro
Why Is It So Common to See Just One Shoe, Not Two, On the Side of the Road?
Today’s Commentary
* This is a truly amazing video. Watch to the end.
** I like Notes and use it all the time. I think with a few evolving tweaks, it could become one of the essential Mac productivity apps. Really solid. Unlike the Apple Sports app.
Today’s Cool Thing
Today’s Emotional Weather Report
For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.
Newsome.Org 