David D McIntire

The first show I saw was at Niagara on the Lake and Sunny’s band was so late getting there that Toshiko Akioshi’s band did a second set to fill the time. Later we learned that they were delayed at customs. Asked where he was born, he replied that he was “a citizen of the universe.”

I saw Sun Ra four times, and every single time was unalloyed joy. The last show I saw was one where he could barely walk and his musicians slowly guided him to his keyboard. Once there, decades dropped from his shoulders. The show was as transcendental as ever.

I make no claims about my authority, but DeVore Audio makes some absolutely incredible speakers. I’ve toured their workshops and listened to their speakers and they are aesthetically stunning and sound spectacular.

I used to send similar emails to Sam fairly regularly, with the same results as you. I did get one actual response, but that was before Trump. Now he avoids any engagement with those he represents.

Christian, so sorry to learn this. Higher ed is a brutal place these days.

When I read your piece, the first thing I thought about was the 'Vasa,' a 17th-century Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage, on a calm day. Upon investigation it turned out that all of the design changes that rendered the vessel unstable had been at the king's direct orders.

Your zest for public service is an inspiration to us all

I’ve used Logic myself for over twenty years

Yes, that definitely helps. And the Apple Creative Bundle is a great deal too. One-time purchase, no subscriptions required like Adobe

I’ve used Final Cut in the past and actually found it more intuitive than the “easier” iMovie. I haven’t tried the newest version, but when I was using this kind of software a lot, I disliked the Adobe options intensely.

I used to write Sam on a similarly regular basis...

His Manfred Mann Chapter Three phase produced some truly bizarre music that retains its strangeness decades later. At the same time, he financed this project by writing jingles. The range of his musical curiosity is further displayed by his album Lone Arranger.

Another artist who I’ve rediscovered is Manfred Mann. Seriously underrated as a keyboardist, with a career of astounding breadth. Most folks only know either his 60s pop or his long run with his Earth Band, but there’s so much more…

A lot of my listening time has been given over to revisiting artists that I've not listened to in a couple decades or more, but who were once important to me. One is Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The musical wisdom in his recording of "The Old Rugged Cross" alone could fuel entire careers.

I've heard folks from such churches say "We love Pastor's sermons because he tells it like it is!" Suggesting to me that "Pastor" does't challenge them to consider their views more thoughtfully, rather he reinforces that which they already believe and provides religious cover for their prejudices.

On the leadership side, for men who crave authority and wielding it, ministry in a church that you established offers a lot of options, and limited oversight. On the congregational side, I think many are drawn to a church leader w9th a charismatic personality who feeds their insecurities.

Look at the vocabulary used in comics, it’s not dumbed down whatsoever. I once checked the reading level of early Spider-Man and X-Men and it was grade 11 or higher. I would wager that kids into comics have better reading comprehension. Have any studies on this ever been done?

No kidding. Once sat through a 2-hour Zoom meeting discussing a course proposal that everyone agreed was needed but foundered completely because the two professors that wrote the proposal were from different departments and no one could agree on which department would get the course designation.

I later served on the curriculum committee, but only because I thought I could be helpful

My proudest achievement just might be having attained tenure without a single mention of any activity on behalf of the faculty senate whatsoever.

Lemon Star Soda

How’s it compare to a Lemon Star Sora?

Apart from the joyful cavalcade of fonts on that box, I'm impressed with that someone at the company was sufficiently dazzled with the phrase "magic finger clutch" that they thought, "We'd better register that, and fast!"

Word.

I feel like so much of this season’s struggle could have been avoided if Salloi had made a different choice on that matter.

Good luck. We’re all counting on you.

I bought one when it came out and it's one of the best in the entire series.

Finished watching The Day of the Jackal series on Peacock, twice. While most will regard this simply as a superbly-acted political thriller, it can also be seen as a 10-hour PSA about the dangers of distracted driving.

Wow. I used to watch that when I was in high school but I’d forgotten that theme. You wouldn’t even notice if the episode was dull after that audio equivalent of a Swedish massage…

I (checks notes) have been telling you this for some time now...