611 entries from "Toronto"

Sam Gendel: Cold Duck Time

From Satin Doll (2020). space hyper jazz bebop swing squeal sax glitch loop vibe. The rest of the album is comprised of quirky interpretations of jazz standards.

Little Simz feat. Obongjayar: Point And Kill

From Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021). Makes body move, and if your eyes are open, the visuals are sublime. Words and rhythm fit like a glove. Feeling an unapologetic artistry through fashion and music. Concludes with a sudden change to African instruments but with the same time feel.

El Masreyeen (المصريين): Bahebek La (بحبك لا)

From بحبك لا (1977). The warmth in this funky disco gem from Egypt goes straight to your shoulders. A simple composition with slight contrast between sections, yet it stays interesting throughout. “I love you, no; I need you, yes.”

Kidi Band: So Good (2021)

Has lots of cool things that I like in jazz and indigenous music, but as if an indie rock band did it. There are stereo effects, hocket-like devices, odd meters, and highly rhythmic singing throughout. So many tracks with an individual charm: the polyphonic ending of Mary (Merry) with crunchy harmonies; Burn It Up‘s intricate interlocking rhythms in multiple voices with wild vocal bending, all in a five-meter polyrhythmic time feel; Man of Endless Motion‘s heavy head-banger groove, again in five-meter, with cascading interlocking vocal interjections; the incessant intense rhythmic vocals in Free Will; Ingomar is like a complex Rube Goldberg machine that sings in seven; Go On has a wicked African three-against-two time feel; Across the Sea lilting triplet feel, pleasant yet precise.

Brian Lovin

This personal portfolio has some affordances to make it interactive like a web app, and participatory like a social network: people can ask anything, comment on writing or bookmarks, say which apps they use. There are also some ‘evergreen’ resources like this digital security checklist and app dissection blog.

Demonstrates that we can construct spaces for community within a context that’s often highly individual, and without asking people to create accounts (sign in with Twitter, data stored on Firebase); like a purpose-built room with specific and relevant activities.

Hosting one’s own ‘Ask me Anything’ reminds me of Pat Metheny’s Question and Answer.

Would be nice to have RSS feeds for each ‘type’ as opposed to for writing only. The list presentation is unfortunately Designed to disappear.

See the source code for how it’s made.

[Seek and you will not find, because seeking strengthens the ego.]

The moment you are like a hollow bamboo, the divine lips are on you, the hollow bamboo becomes a flute, and the song starts.

[Indifference is key: the same energy that becomes doubt can become trust; through indifference, you no longer pay attention to or cooperate.]

[A child who holds their father's hand neither trusts not doubts: they are undivided, not missing anything.]

[More like an experiencing than an experience: a process that begins but doesn't end.]

[Words are so dead that they cannot represent anything alive. When you really feel something, it becomes impossible to express verbally.]

Bootstrapping Transistor.fm to 13,000+ podcasts

[It's uncommon for successful entrepreneurs to start from zero: they likely have experience, connection, skills, or a financial runway that provides the conditions to take risks.]

[If it takes longer to get to a sustainable income than you have runway, the market fundamentals might not sustain you.]

[A mental health balance is an important part of your runway when taking on something as stressful as indie hacking.]

Leaving a $500k job to build a portfolio of small bets

[People are willing to pay $30 to $50 to learn everything you know about a topic. What do you have in your head, experience or computer that others would be willing to pay for it?]

[People follow you because they think they will gain something useful for themselves. It can be almost selfish.]

Pat Metheny Group: Secret Story (2007)

Eclectic sonic materials throughout that resemble the album cover’s collage, yet it all seems to belong together. There’s always emotion and sentiment despite compositional complexity. Generally enjoyed the cinematic moments, mood of the 1970s, and the mixing of orchestra with electronic sounds. My favourite moments: an interesting vocal texture to start the album in Above the Treetops; the sound of a sitar played like a guitar in Facing West; the raw earthy vocal scatting and hard sever-meter groove in Finding and Believing; the high-energy vortex soloing environment, abundance of lush harmonies (typical of Metheny’s music) in See the World.

[Emotionally immature people can push humor on others as opposed engaging in it to strengthen bonds.]

[Too much sarcasm can mean a closed person who fears connection.]

Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny: Beyond the Missouri Sky (1996)

Each track is like a short story, with an arc painting different emotions and a clear melody. I admire the timbral simplicity of an acoustic guitar and bass duet. Occasional dubbing of other instruments. My favourite Two For The Road, with guitar soloing that explores various rhythmic feels and ‘out’ harmonies.

[Parents may be able to relax and tolerate more openness when they sense you seem strong and no longer need to win their attention or approval.]

Let's talk about a message to conservative parents....

[Every parent aims to raise their kids to be better than they are, and in your case they succeeded.]

James Long on ActualBudget

[CRDTs gave me undo for free.]

The Source of Sadness

[By tolerating discomfort we actually broaden our comfort zone.]

• Meditation might seem abstract for various reasons, but it can be thought of as simply 'practice and observe what happens'. If thoughts flood us asking 'are we there yet?', then we can step aside and allow it to pass without identifying with it: recognize it as part of what's happening at the moment.
• Success can mean 'helping others recognize and act from their place of abundance'.

Friendships, Scenes, and Growth

['Yes and' over 'one up'.]

[A rhythm for improvising together.]