My Inheritance Will Not Make Me Rich

June 18, 2012

Why We Should Pay For Our Music

by David Lowery on Trichordist

Recently Emily White, an intern at NPR All Songs Considered and GM of what appears to be her college radio station, wrote a post on the NPR blog in which she acknowledged that while she had 11,000 songs in her music library, she’s only paid for 15 CDs in her life. Our intention is not to embarrass or shame her. We believe young people like Emily White who are fully engaged in the music scene are the artist’s biggest allies. We also believe–for reasons we’ll get into–that she has been been badly misinformed by the Free Culture movement. We only ask the opportunity to present a countervailing viewpoint.

Five Letters of Fatherly Advice

from Brain Pickings

Nobel laureate John Steinbeck was a prolific and eloquent letter-writer, as the magnificent Steinbeck: A Life in Letters reveals. Among his correspondence is this beautiful response to his eldest son Thom’s 1958 letter, in which the teenage boy confesses to have fallen desperately in love with a girl named Susan while at boarding school. Steinbeck’s words of wisdom — tender, optimistic, timeless, infinitely sagacious — should be etched onto the heart and mind of every living, breathing human being.

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

on HBO July 2 at 9:00pm

Über Tavern - Wizard Staff Day

Craft beer drinkers who favor cans argue that they are easier to produce and transport, and block out skunking agents like light and oxygen. But here’s another argument in favor of canned beer: You can stack the empties on top of one another and duct tape them together to form a wizard staff. The more you drink, the longer your staff—and the more respect and admiration you demand from your fellow drinkers.

Who would do something this unabashedly (and awesomely) dorky? Well, Über Tavern for one. Apparently Saturday is International Wizard Staff Day, and the Greenlake beer bar is ready to host a few rounds of this drinking game. Uber will be at the ready with canned beer specials and—most importantly—free duct tape. Most 12-ounce cans will go for $2, and tallboys for $3, with the exception of a few higher-end brews.

This is the bar’s first foray into the game known as Wizard Staff, says manager Charlie Wedbee. “According to one of my bartenders, this is an actual thing.”

Today's Photo:

My Dad collects things like this.

He thinks this will be worth something someday.