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It Ain’t All About Talent

I enjoy watching clips of Britain’s Got Talent more than I do clips of similar “talent” on America’s Got Talent for many reasons, not the least of which is the actual talent. ¯\_(?)_/¯

Recently, though, Simon Cowell got me thinking about talent. (I know – surprising, right? 😉 ) He had a comment to a guy that was an unconscious dig wrapped in a compliment, something to the effect that Michael Bublé pretty much had the guy’s genre wrapped up.

That spurred me to think a bit about Bublé’s performances and his genre. Compare his singing to the guys who defined the genre. Yeh, nopers. Bublé’s performances lack life, a certain attitude that goes beyond mere emulation of a crooner’s delivery. Compare Bublé and Sinatra singing the same piece. I’ll grant you that Bublé’s instrument – his voice – is technically a better instrument than Sinatra’s, but there’s a world of qualitative difference in their performances.

That spurred me to recall a “new classic” – a 2003 live performance of “Mary’s Boy Child” by Cliff Richards and Helmut Lotti (sorta Europe’s answer to Michael Bublé). As they performed portions separately and then together, the differences between the kid and the Olde Pharte became starkly clear. While I am not fond of everything Richards did in his performance, it had real life, while Lotti’s technically accurate performance, complete with better vocal instrument, was just kinda lifeless, no matter how much he attempted to insert Copycat Richards elements.

And that brought me to memories of what may be the ultimate “talent ain’t all there is” evidence. Early in his career, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, arguably THE best solo voice of the 20th Century, and if not the best, then in the top two, performed (and recorded) Schubert’s Wintereisse song cycle several times in his early career, and was justly famous for giving definitive performances, however. . . later in life, toward the end of his singing career (in his late 60s), he performed and recorded the same song cycle. While his vocal instrument was fading at that time, the performances are at least an order of magnitude more artful and moving.

Why? I would like to suggest that, even though Fischer-Dieskau’s voice was a lesser instrument toward the close of his singing career, his understanding of the music and text had advanced greatly, and. . . yes, even as his voice was fading, he never stopped developing his complete grasp of his art, his “chops” as it were.

Just a few synapse firings. No real conclusion or tie back to the BGT/AGT lead in.

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Mini-Micro Crafty Project

Dug out a holster I have rarely used and customized it a bit. I’ll use it, now.

Fun.

BTW, this lil customization is to accommodate a moderately old (~100 years – UPDATE: new reference for model numbers places this maybe halfway between 1907 and 1913 – but definitely manufactured for modern powder) collectible I’m having some fun with. The half-cock (the only “safety” it offers) seems pretty secure. The action is clean. Double action is smooth, and single action is very light. Nice break on the trigger. Need to take it to the range for some light plinking, but first have it approved for such by a gunsmith, I suppose. Neat lil thing.

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How Powerfully Polarizing IS CwaZy (pervy, racist) UnKa JoE, ZOMBIE POOPY-PANTS President in Name Only?

This powerfully polarizing: after 46 years of marriage to my Wonder Woman wherein I have been the “politically aware/concerned” partner, she has now become radicalized. Well, not in the sense that insane Dhimmicraps and other leftards use the term, but radicalized nonetheless. She spends much of her time searching the web for FACTS about what political leaders actually say and do (RADICAL!), listens to and watches videos of both talking heads and of actual statements/behaviors of political leaders, rather than trusting quotes of their statements by Hivemind Podpeople (and, as often as not, finding the Podpeople have constructed lies from partial quotes. Of course).

She used to spend her discretionary time watching TV or shows on the web, in reading professional development books, taking classes, attending seminars, etc., but CwaZy (pervy, racist) UnKa JoE, ZOMBIE POOPY-PANTS President in Name Only and his Fellowship of Evil Clowns have radicalized her.

I have yet to decide whether that is for the better or not. . . but then, it remains her choice and her decision about whether it’s a good thing or not.

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The World Turned Upside Down

It’s kinda crazy nowadays when what someone believes is actually firmly based in reality. I’m sure the DSM-(x) has a listing for a “disorder” like that. . . ? (After all, p-sychs nowadays are labeling all kinds of delusions as “normal” and normal behavior as “disorders,” anyway.)

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Innumeracy May Be a Worse Problem than Illiteracy, or even A-literacy

Order of function error: does not compute! *heh*

Ran into someone who thought πr² meant (πr)². No, it’s π(r²). (πr)² yields a SUBSTANTIALLY different number.

Example: where r = 2: (3.14159 x 2)² = 39.4783509124, whereas 3.14159 x 4 [that is, r²] = 12.56636. That area is less than ⅓ of the incorrect computation.

Correct math can help define and comprehend the material world. Innumerates are easy prey for professional liars (like, say, politicians and mass MEdia Hivemind Podpeople).

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Book Him, Danno

Went to a Trivial Pursuit party, oh, about 40 years ago, held at the home of a guy who owned a moving company. OK, that’s trivializing his company. What he moved was HOUSES (was fun being a minor part of the move when he moved some Army barracks that had been declared surplus).

What impressed me most about the evening was not how trivial the Trivial Pursuit play was but the guy’s library. It was a mezzanine floor that encompassed three sides of the great room where we played our mini single-elimination tournament. I do not recall anything else about the house, but that library has featured in more than a few of my dreams over the years since. . .

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Walkin’ Weird

In recovery from my latest knee dislocation. Off crutches for a few days, now. Cane with knee brace. But. Walkin’ a bit weirdly. If I place the foot on my damaged knee side with the knee flexed quite a bit more than normal, the pain is decreased to “less than requiring naproxen sodium” levels. *heh* In order to keep a mostly even keel, that means elevating my heel ~4” and walking on the ball of my foot (still using cane for partial support).

Yeh, weird walkin;. Still, my new sock-shoes are very well suited to that gait. Like ’em.

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Sometimes, Specializing Is the Way to Go, Ya Know?

Onychorrhexis can be caused by many different factors, but it seems to be a generational thing in my case (maternal great grandmother, grandfather, mother, to some degree, older sister [confirmed] and me, AFAIK, in sibs). as a result, even after factoring in best nutrition, etc., the shorter I can keep my fingernails (and to a lesser degree, even toenails) the better. And that’s the primary reason my Swiss Army Knife has had nail care as its main function for quite some time. Since I also carry a multitool, its other functions are pretty much superfluous. So, replacing it with a specialty Swiss Army tool was the route I’ve taken. Like it.

Victorinox Folding Pocket Knife/Nail Clip

Still has tweezers, toothpick, scissors, and one small knife blade, so essentials for a SAK are covered. N.B. I did change out the dinky lil split ring for a larger, more substantial flat one so it’d be easier to attach and remove from my “belt loop” keychains. . . that I hang from belt clips for “pocket carry.”

Meanwhile, my daily carry Swiss Army Knife (I have others, of course) goes in my EDC bag. Just in case. 🙂

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