Spring Cleaning
When the Allied forces defeated Germany at the end of World War II, they stumbled upon a machine. It had two reels of tape with magnetic heads to read and write data.
While tape machines had already been invented, this particular variation known as the Magentophone was previously unknown to the West. The Allied forces did have an idea about it though, because during the war they noticed that German officials were broadcasting symphonic music from various locations simultaneously.
Music recording goes back to 1857, but the Magnetophone and everything after it cleaned up the process considerably.
Reel-to-reel tape recording slingshotted the music industry along, making the recording process more efficient and just better all around. It held down the fort until hard disk recording became used, and consumers would play back albums on CDs.
Yesterday I donated a studio-grade cassette tape deck that was sitting in my parent’s basement unused for at least 10 years now.
By today’s standards, the cassette is not a great piece of technology. It has a high level of hiss and the tape degrades from playback and storage conditions.
After I donated it, I wanted it back, but I had to realize that just because you give something away, you don’t have to start using that thing again.
My goal for this spring and summer is to keep getting rid of things that I don’t need.
I have a guitar that has been discontinued, and even though this is a bit of a collector’s item in the making, I think it’s time to try to find a buyer for it and free up the mental bandwidth that our things take up.
What are you busy cleaning up this season?
Three Ideas from My Notebooks
Anxiety is a fear of the unknown and unclosed loops in your life. Relax knowing that the gift is being given to you. Take time to receive the gift.
All of our actions are continuous preparation for the next thing. Instead of saying that cleaning up your kitchen at night is drudgery, know that it is preparation for the next morning when you wish to wake up to a clean home.
It’s nice to take the time every day to remind yourself why you’re here and what you’re up to. Know what scares you. Don’t try to fix it, just have an idea about these things.
All of the ideas going back to May 2023 are located in The Ideas Index:
New Music: Crystal Kingdom
To me, New Age and Ambient music doesn’t have to be uplifting or positive. I am more concerned with creating a space inside for each piece to live.
This one is certainly on the darker side of the spectrum. I hope you enjoy.
Save on Spotify:
You can also save on Apple Music or Amazon Prime Music.
Thanks and have a great week ahead 🧡
Elliott
It's all ephemera in the grand scheme of things. Isn't it?
I LOVE this: “Anxiety is a fear of the unknown and unclosed loops in your life. Relax knowing that the gift is being given to you. Take time to receive the gift.” Thank you!