Smiffi Surgubben Wears a Mask @grumpysmiffy@aus.social

I beg your pardon, Guardian?

I was signed in, but then got a banner asking me to sign in. Followed the link, and got this.

This morning, due to something I thought of yesterday:

But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!"
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might..."

Leave Sanna Marin the fuck alone! Look at her for the good stuff she's done (COVID response, joining NATO.) If a hard-working person wants to party, GOOD.

No, I didn't mean The Dark Side of the Moon, I meant what I typed - The Dark Side of the MOOG.

I had to add "Schulze" to get what I was looking for, and it still didn't find volume 1, so I guess I just get volume 2...

Ah, OK. I looked up something Pokémon related, and now realise that I will most likely never, ever understand any of it.

I've always called bullshit on the thing where Japanese culture is alien to Europeans, because I know how incredibly popular certain aspects are., like Pokémon, Manga, Hentai, Godzilla.

These artforms (yes, I lump games in as art, because of the creative process to make them) obviously transcend any geographical shit.

So I know it's not a cultural thing, it's just the way my brain works. I just don't GET games. Or, more specifically, I can't relate to the motivation to play. I find the gamification in Duolingo annoying AF. But sympathise with those who play as an escape. I fill that gap with languages.

Oh, my goodness! Tomita's The Sea Named Solaris is WONDERFUL. An interpretation of a piece by JS Bach.

Anyway, the album Kosmos definitely gets my seal of approval.

Just about every day this month - Saturdays, not just weekedays, I have had a call from 02 7252 5xxx. Different number each time.

Has anyone else had this? They certainly aren't getting the message, because my OGM says specifically that I don't pick up to unknown numbers.

Interesting. A medley of Also Spracht Zarathustra, Walkürenritt, and the prelude to Tannhäuser.

For Amazon's supposedly unlimited music service, there's a hell of a lot of stuff that I can't find on there.

Bugger all Tomita. Will switch to Schulze after this one. Although it makes me sad. (He died earlier this year.)

I've reached the point where I can recognise Portuguese, but at the frustrating point where I can't read any more than things like "your birds eat flies."

Blown. Away. I haven't listened to this since? 1986? The sounds this guy is getting out of analogue synths are just out of this world.

Despite some of the greatest stables of electronic instruments coming from Japan, Isao Tomita is the only Japanese artist that I could name.

Mind you, there aren't that many I could name, globally, for that matter. Carlos, Jarre, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, and associated acts...

My sheet just ripped. It's not that old.

This is an obscene time to be awake.

As I've got a free trial of Amazon's unlimited music service, I'm pulling out stuff that I haven't thought of in years. Currently on synth pioneer Isao Tomita's Snowflakes are Dancing, a realisation of pieces by Claude Debussy. Which I haven't heard before. Unfortunately, it looks like they've only got three albums on there, which doesn't include Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

After this, I really need to explore Wendy Carlos. Oh, bugger :-( "As of 2020, much of Carlos's discography is out of print, and has not been licensed for digital distribution to streaming or download platforms."

Stop. Giving. John. Fucking. Howard. A. Platform.

Just had a call from the ID specialist. Unsurprisingly, nothing to be seen.

So, back to the GP and figure out what next.

How are you enjoying the can of worms, Albo?

I think that The Works was my first exposure to Queen. I then seem to recall being in Sidmouth* in my first job and I went into a record shop where I purchased their eponymous album.

I liked The Works, but Queen totally blew my mind.

I am now of a mind that the first five plus The Works are all I need.

Having heard It's a Kind of Magic - the title track is great, the rest has put me off investigating any later material.

What do it get out of it? Further broadening my skillset, and getting to do stuff I enjoy.

My ageing brain totally needs this type of stimulus.

What do (corporate) we get out of it? Exposure as an early adopter, and offering a SaaS product that you can send data to.