July 23rds
7/23/1998
“It’s not so much that something is true, it’s that it sounds true.
Reading book on memory: Searching For Memory by Dan Schacter. In discussing emotional memories, he posited the “weapon focusing” theory based upon data showing that people held up at gunpoint tend to remember the weapon and none of the other details, such as the gunman’s face. Similarly in music, people tend to focus on the singer (the gun) and seldom notice the periphery.
[7/23/2024: Sometimes only the periphery is noticed when the brain is not on high alert, and we tend to focus on the things that typically interest us and avoid things that don’t. The example I always cite is admiring the frame of a painting because you’re not interested in the painting, or not interested in art in general. You’re searching for something, that will in the moment, assuage boredom. Another example is reacting based on familiarity. You might not like art, but will say that it reminds you of something. You searched for a memory].
[7/23/2025: Everyone has a different focus when viewing art or listening to music. Sometimes one element, like how one word in lyric is sung can kill the entire experience, or just the sound of someone’s voice, so they won’t listen to any of the lyrics. Sometimes just the “idea” about art or music will prevent people from engaging with it. Sometimes all it takes is getting a different view. There was one street in my neighborhood where I had always walked on one side. After 20 years I walked the other side. It was like being in another city].
7/23/1999
Entrepreneurs talking on public radio about their prediction about the future of the internet—that it will promote a new “language of taste”. What are the phonemes of this “language” and what does it communicate? Without someone explaining this, I think it’s kind of strange. How would such a “language” be useful? There might be something worth investigating if I could get past my cynicism.
[7/23/2024: I believe this “language of taste” was “collaborative filtering,” which eventually evolved into what algorithms do.]
7/23/2014
Bass Fishing, roundwound strings, hardware, acrylic, mounted on plywood
A new assemblage in using old strings and hardware as a kind of non-functional dummy musical instrument, and visual pun. An abstract double-metaphor, as non-functional dummy musical instrument, and visual pun.
[Piece is still for sale. It is on Saatchi, but I can make a deal on it for the bassist who has everything. Contact me if interested.]
7/23/2023
Idea for Sum II: A piece of music for specific days in every month in any year in any century, past or future, in any style. Accordingly, Sum III would be for any hour in any day. Sum IV would be for any minute and all the songs would be exactly a minute long.
[Sum V would be pieces less than a minute, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 45 seconds]
7/23/2024
Ditty from bit on 7/23/1998: “It’s not so much that something is true, it’s that it sounds true.
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