Welcome; today is a quick run-through of exciting thoughts and ideas.  Life’s throwing curve balls at us today like a batting cage possessed by demons.  We got demons too, a story about underwater demon fish, a dream studio in Austin, by Austin, a recap of legends at the Kennedy Center, and what an egg looks cracked underwater.  Let’s get busy.

Say what you will about the algorithm; it led us to Marc Weidenbaum’s Substack called This Week in Sound.  Not heavy on graphics or images, but a great read.  Our favorite writers and newsletters find fascinating stories from all over the world.  In our first read of Weidenbaum’s newsletter, he nails it.  We have been following reports of the money pit Amazon’s Alexa is; under the heading of Sound Ledger, Weidenbaum puts a few numbers with it. 

The highlighted piece talks about “coin sound” and how it was used in the 1800s to diagnose pulmonary (lung) issues.  Without going too deep, amplifying the sound of two coins hitting each other near the lung area could give doctors the indication of fluid in a lung.  Sound amplification using household items continues to this day.  Ever put a drinking glass up against a wall to hear what’s on the other side? 

There is also a link on Weidenbaum’s newsletter to a longer form story on Mastodon.  We have not made it through this one, but we look forward to it.  With A Shout is on Mastodon but less than active. 

In another “why do we need to explore outer space” story, USA Today reports on sea creatures and deep ocean floor terrain, unlike anything we’ve ever seen.  Australia’s national science agency went as far as three miles below the surface and collected everything from seafloor maps to several deep sea creatures that have adapted over thousands of years to live without light. 

All we can say is it’s a good thing these creepy things can’t see, and we are no longer afraid of what’s under the bed, only what lives so far down in the ocean; their looks could kill.  The image below is of a batfish and is the tamest of the photos in the article.

Austin Kleon, whom we’ve written about before, posted updates on his newsletter describing the process of dreaming of completing his new studio.  In his post Building my dream studio, Austin walks through sketching out the studio, all the way through to sitting in the finished space.  Kleon, like many of us artist-types, started in the spare bedroom, garage, and kitchen to work his craft.  As noted in the article, his favorite space was the kitchen.  For some of us, the basement, finished and unfinished versions, and the dining room.  Our dining rooms see people a few times a year; outside of that, they serve as office and storage rooms for all those purging projects around our home offices.

Kleon has promised more posts on the new studio, and we will be watching for them.  In the meantime, sign up for his newsletter and buy his books.

The 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors took place last month and this year included; singers, songwriters, musicians, composers, and a few boys from Dublin.  Oh yeah, and that actor guy, George Clooney!  The Kennedy Center recognizes the best of the best in the arts and artists who’ve spent a lifetime working on their craft to bring more into our lives. 

President Biden had the winners over at the white house.  In a quote we appreciate, he said:

Words | Music | Art | Unknown

Be all heart.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us!

With A Shout Team