The Chat Thread

[karlhenning]

Anyone for tennis, by the way?

Angus Podgorny, what do y'mean?

[Elgarian]

And while I'm here - does anyone else share my feeling that the 'what are you listening thread' is like a black hole? Things that go into it disappear without trace, because when you make a post, before you can say 'Jack Robinson' [why 'Jack Robinson', incidentally? What's his claim to fame?], five billion new posts have piled up on top of yours and buried it forever.

F'rinstance, I just posted a really thoughtful post about Gibbs's 'Dale and Fell' - I'd lingered over it, nurtured it, gave time to it; then posted it in the 'listening' thread; and swoosh bang - it was swept away by the whirlwind and buried deeper than did ever plummet sound. I'm still aching at the loss.

[Elgarian]

I can't get along with his orchestral music [Parry]

You'll be telling me you don't like breakfast in the Pump Room at Bath, next.

[karlhenning]

And while I'm here - does anyone else share my feeling that the 'what are you listening thread' is like a black hole? Things that go into it disappear without trace, because when you make a post, before you can say 'Jack Robinson' [why 'Jack Robinson', incidentally? What's his claim to fame?], five billion new posts have piled up on top of yours and buried it forever.

F'rinstance, I just posted a really thoughtful post about Gibbs's 'Dale and Fell' - I'd lingered over it, nurtured it, gave time to it; then posted it in the 'listening' thread; and swoosh bang - it was swept away by the whirlwind and buried deeper than did ever plummet sound. I'm still aching at the loss.

It's the turf, don't let it get you down!

You should cross-post your thoughtful remarks on a lower-volume thread, though. Dude.

[DavidW]

And while I'm here - does anyone else share my feeling that the 'what are you listening thread' is like a black hole? Things that go into it disappear without trace, because when you make a post, before you can say 'Jack Robinson' [why 'Jack Robinson', incidentally? What's his claim to fame?], five billion new posts have piled up on top of yours and buried it forever.

F'rinstance, I just posted a really thoughtful post about Gibbs's 'Dale and Fell' - I'd lingered over it, nurtured it, gave time to it; then posted it in the 'listening' thread; and swoosh bang - it was swept away by the whirlwind and buried deeper than did ever plummet sound. I'm still aching at the loss.

I feel exactly the same way Elgarian.  I was going to start up another thread just to separate actual discussion of music from listmania.

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Now playing: Hob. III:45 String Quartet Op. 50 No. 2 mvt. 4   

[Opus106]

I don't post on "listmania" very often for the reason that simply stating what I'm listening to does not add anything constructive to the thread. (Okay, occasionally someone else might comment, but as I said it's only on occasion.) These days, it's more for marking the dates when I listen to a work or performance for the first time for posterity or just fulfilling my thread duty.

[DavidW]

Gurn showed me this thing called Foxy Tunes, it's a neat add on.  If you listen on your computer alot, then you can just add what you're listening to as a sig on every post.  And you can look back over your posts and easily what you were listening to.

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Now playing: Hob. III:46 String Quartet Op. 50 No. 3 mvt. 3   

[Opus106]

Gurn showed me this thing called Foxy Tunes, it's a neat add on.  If you listen on your computer alot, then you can just add what you're listening to as a sig on every post.  And you can look back over your posts and easily what you were listening to.

True, I used to have FoxyTunes (on Windows) before they brought out Signatures, but from the time I switched to Linux, I didn't bother with an extra music player within the browser. I nevertheless gave it a try, but the player I usually use (Banshee) is not yet supported. And only an early version of Amarok (quite possibly the most popular player for Linux users) is supported. I'd be happy if Signatures were a separate add-on, with support for a variety of non-Windows-only players.

[DavidRoss]

I don't post on "listmania" very often for the reason that simply stating what I'm listening to does not add anything constructive to the thread. (Okay, occasionally someone else might comment, but as I said it's only on occasion.) These days, it's more for marking the dates when I listen to a work or performance for the first time for posterity or just fulfilling my thread duty.

Different strokes, eh?  The "What are you listening to?" thread is one of my favorites because (a) I'm often reminded of a piece that I've not heard in some time that I'd like to hear again, and (b) I'm often introduced to a piece (or recording) that I'm not familiar with but interested in.  Still, I probably post fewer than one out of five times I open the thread, seldom thinking that what I happen to be listening to at a given moment would be of interest to anyone else.

I don't Twitter or Facebook, either!     And this might be my first post on this thread....

[DavidW]

Yeah the listening thread is clearly a good thing, I just feel that it needs a complementary thread so that you have a place that's not a black hole without having to create dedicated threads.  And I've started one!

[Opus106]

I'm often reminded of a piece that I've not heard in some time that I'd like to hear again

I'll classify those as Comments not Said Aloud.

I'm often introduced to a piece (or recording) that I'm not familiar with but interested in.

I have just a handful and they're pretty mainstream.

It's not that I dislike the thread. I visit it for the very reasons that you put forward, but when it comes to my contribution -- or the lack of it -- I'd like it have to at least a little meat in it.

I don't Twitter or Facebook, either!    

Neither do I. I am averse to social-networking websites.

[Lethevich]

Question:

"Trio for violin, viola, and cello"

Is the final comma required for this and sentences like it to be grammatically correct? I don't know why, but this style feels clumsy to me...

[bhodges]

Question:

"Trio for violin, viola, and cello"

Is the final comma required for this and sentences like it to be grammatically correct? I don't know why, but this style feels clumsy to me...

It depends on which style manual you are following.  IMHO, I'd go with no comma for exactly the reason you state: it feels slightly clumsy.  Here is a big Wiki page on the whole thing.  Lately I've been using The New York Times style guide, which eschews a comma before "and" in a series of words.

Bruce

[Scarpia]

Question:

"Trio for violin, viola, and cello"

Is the final comma required for this and sentences like it to be grammatically correct? I don't know why, but this style feels clumsy to me...

Style guides, including Strunk and White, sometimes say the final comma should be there, but it seems to be common usage to omit it.

[Lethevich]

Than you both! I guess that I can continue omitting it, partially on grounds of laziness

[bhodges]

Of course, as soon as I wrote that, I noticed the Henry Miller quote in my signature... 

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

Yeah the listening thread is clearly a good thing, I just feel that it needs a complementary thread so that you have a place that's not a black hole without having to create dedicated threads [...]

Viz. my exhortation to Elgarian:

You should cross-post your thoughtful remarks on a lower-volume thread, though. Dude.

[Henk]

Poured me in a glass of Rose. I deserved it!  

[Elgarian]

You should cross-post your thoughtful remarks on a lower-volume thread, though. Dude.

Good thinking. I shall do it.

[karlhenning]

Of course, as soon as I wrote that, I noticed the Henry Miller quote in my signature... 

Oh, you can't go by Henry Miller, Bruce