Where Streams of Opinion Come Together With the Sea of Data
This is a personal blog. So it is about my personal interests and ideas. But there is an underlying theme here. I want to explore stories and what they mean to our lives. I believe that narrative trumps data every time. In other words, it’s narrative first, then data, every time. It is the power … Read more
Song of the day: “On Top of the World” by bluegrass fiddle virtuoso Mark O’Connor, from his 2021 release Markology II. Here is the original version from his first guitar album, Markology, released in 1978. Poem of the day: “Six O’Clock Flight to the Interment” by Philip White. Fact of the day: The action-packed story … Read more
Song of the day: “Woodstock” was written by Joni Mitchell who famously skipped that event for a previously scheduled appearance on the Dick Cavett Show. But she made up for it by writing the definitive song about the gentle, peace-loving, utopian, laid-back, free-flowing hippie spirit of that moment in time. The earliest live version of … Read more
Song of the day: “Irene” by Ian Noe. Poem of the day: “Altars” by Austin Rodenbiker. Fact of the day: Informative discussion about what the Apple iPhone ecosystem doesn’t allow you to do. Leaned one thing today: An interesting reflection on the ways in which the shape of a painting influences our understanding of its … Read more
Song of the day: “Fountain of Sorrow” by Jackson Browne. Poem of the day: “Astrobleme” by Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers. Fact of the day: The number of Master’s and Doctoral degree holders in the U.S. has doubled since the turn of the century. Learned one thing today: There is a difference between price volatility and inflation. … Read more
Song of the day: “One Way Ticket (Because I Can)” by LeAnn Rimes. Poem of the day: “Tender Buttons: Objects—Food—Rooms” by Gertrude Stein. This is the entire book of Cubism-influenced ‘verbal still lifes’ that are more about the juxtaposition and sounds of words than any literal meaning per se. Beautiful stuff if you approach it … Read more
Song of the day: “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” by Solid Air. Great cover. This song brings back freshman year memories of that Basement Tapes bootleg I bought that had this song. My roomie (harp maestro Bill Newton) would sing this tune all day long … Tie yourself to a tree with roots. Poem of the … Read more
Song of the day: “Searching for a Heart” by Warren Zevon. Poem of the day: “This Is Not a Small Voice” by Sonia Sanchez. Fact of the day: Tracking global “uncertainty.” Learned one thing today: How the pandemic changed people’s view of wealth. Visual of the day: A 1978 Dylan portrait drawn by Ralph Steadman … Read more
Song of the day: “Long Wide Open Road” by Darrell Scott. Poem of the day: “Stove” by Philip Booth. Fact of the day: In economics, a culture of “debate through tweets” has replaced “debate through books.” I think this is true in everything, and it’s not a good thing. Learned on thing today: We want … Read more
Song of the day: “Static on the Radio” by Jim White. (If you the supporting vocalist sounds familiar, it’s Aimee Mann.) Poem of the day: “Bus Stop” by Donald Justice. Fact of the day: The NewNew app enables people to pay to cast a vote on what creators should create next. In a sense, it … Read more
Song of the day: “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations. Poem of the day: “The Storm-torn Edge of Heaven” by Mark Cox. Fact of the day: A history of the past 100 years through the lens of New York Times headlines. Learned one thing today: Interesting speculation that, perhaps, God is a liberal. Visual … Read more