Tag: music
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Will Turntable.fm really return?
For decades, some of us have found ways to share experiences remotely, using services stubbornly determined to enable individual use or physical world sharing only. The pandemic has shown that remote socialization beyond first-person shooter gaming can be part of mainstream life, whether that’s a Zoom happy hour or a game of Drawasaurus that I…
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Friday night in virtual worlds
It’s been a rough week: I haven’t felt well, the news has been lousy, and I’ve been frustrated and lonely in my online worlds. I’m bored in ArcheAge, though I’m finding some amusement in traveling the oceans, killing sea monsters for drops to upgrade my clipper. Other than that? Blah. Second Life hasn’t been much better.…
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Monday music: Mr. Roboto
I got the Kilroy Was Here LP for my 13th birthday and I have to give my parents credit: they somehow survived hearing a teenaged soprano screeching prog rock while doing her chores until I got Duran Duran’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger for Christmas. Ah, the ’80s were fun! So, when I stumbled across a YouTube…
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Review: Amazon Echo (updated)
My Echo arrived on Christmas Eve and I’m happy with her as what I expected her to be: a music player with some bonus features. As a digital assistant, she’s woefully incomplete. For the sake of not twisting my brain too much, I’ll refer to the Echo as “Alexa” and with feminine pronouns, since Alexa…
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Musical interlude: Gough by The Whitlams
WordPress has been up and down all day and I’m left without time to post, so enjoy a brief musical interlude in honor of former Australian PM Gough Whitlam, who just died at age 98. Who was Gough Whitlam? It’s ok — you’re not the only one who doesn’t know. The Sydney Morning Herald has a…
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Sharing simultaneous experiences around the globe
The spread of technology allows people around the world to participate in events simultaneously. It’s remarkable to me how little this utilized. Why are we locked in our geographical containers for so many things? Time zones play a role, and language, but too often the barriers are broadcast rights and access restrictions. I think humanity…