Meanwhile, at Parenthetical Recluse… Upon a (Daily) Return, Again.
EarBliss, 17nov2020: ANNUMINAS, by Arctica.
Status.
Quinones’s DREAMLAND is giving the changes I’ve seen around this little slice of atrophied heartlandia a deeper, more tragic context. An essential and eye-opening read.
Well, then - that was some impressive weather.
This week, at Parenthetical Recluse… Upon a Return.
Inputs, 09-15nov2020
Reading: Wrapped up Nick Bostrom’s (terrifying) SUPERINTELLIGENCE and a re-read of Jiro Kuwata’s BAT-MANGA: THE SECRET HISTORY OF BATMAN IN JAPAN and moved on to Sam Quinones’s DREAMLAND. My complete reading list, from now back through 2013, lives here; evidence of the week’s abundant internetting lives on my Links channel.
Listening: BECAUSE OF A FLOWER, by Ana Roxanne… ARTLESSLY FALLING, by Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl…BURNHEART, by Johanna Burnheart… JOURNEY IN SATCHIDANANDA, by Alice Coltrane… … and more await in the Micro EarBliss archive.
Watching: DOCTOR WHO, Series 11…. THE MANDALORIAN, Season Two… THE REPAIR SHOP, Season Two… RUST VALLEY RESTORERS, Season Three… and in weekend film viewing, the enjoyable ENOLA HOLMES, from Netflix.
Playing: L.A. NOIRE, a replay / revisit, continued - homicide desk, at present; Phelps still an awful protagonist.
First morning in longer than I can remember without penning and sending a newsletter (switched from weekly to monthly last week). Nonetheless, a new post will arrive at Parenthetical Recluse later this morning.
Sanctum / Office expansion and redesign: the day’s work, in pictures…
Update to the update: three out of three missing cables have been located. Calm has returned.
Update: two of the three missing cables have been found.
Hunkering down.
When you set aside the necessary cables and forget where, exactly, you set them aside.
Neighborhood turkey running partner update: he was out and about, but didn’t join me - apparently I’ve become old news and thus unworthy of his fascination.
The past week of Tumor/Pestilence + enabler shenanigans have kept George Carlin’s immortal words at the front of my brainspace: “Fuck the fucking fuckers.”
EarBliss, 13nov2020: BECAUSE OF A FLOWER, by Ana Roxanne.
Clearly in a weird mood this morning: not only am I amused that the sound of fork against bowl in the morning’s omelette making sounds, to me, like Mario’s steps in DONKEY KONG – but I’m also compelled to share this with you.
Links, 12nov2020
‘She made music jump into 3D’: Wendy Carlos, the reclusive synth genius, via The Guardian.
A furious behind-the-scenes battle to counter Trump’s threat to national security, via The Washington Post.
Robot wolves prevent Japanese bear attacks, are also very creepy, via The Verge.
‘It’s the screams of the damned!’ The eerie AI world of deepfake music, via The Guardian.
The promise of the new COVID-19 vaccine is immense, via The Economist.
Greek Masquerade (1771), via The Public Domain Review.
EarBliss, 12nov2020: ARTLESSLY FALLING, by Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl.
Pleased to report that the neighborhood turkey - my running partner for the last tenth mile of the day’s run - is quickening his pace. Daily exercise has been good for him.
Reading, 12nov2020:
Every time I hear DeWine speak, I come away with both a deep disappointment in his transformation from decisiveness to impotence and the impression that he thinks his words are far more impressive and inspiring than they actually are.
But I should add here that his “phase one” decisiveness was, itself, an exception: he’s merely reverted to form in the post-Acton COVID wasteland of Ohio.
EarBliss, 11nov2020: BURNHEART, by Johanna Burnheart
