Joy In Looking

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Today For No Other Reason

Today, for no other reason than I want to learn the Python programming language I made my first tentative steps into a world many others inhabit.
While day one was easy I know that what comes after becomes increasingly difficult until that day when it all just makes sense. It was the same when I learned HTML, days and weeks of staring at Notepad, stealing and adjusting code. Bit by bit it began to sink in and then one day it clicked. I could knock up a decent web page in minutes without looking at a reference book.
That Python day is maybe years ahead of me but I'm looking forward to getting there.
Hello Python world!

My Move

About 20 years ago I used to play a lot of chess.
On a table in the living room was a chess board with cheap Staunton pieces and a Gary Kasparov chess computer. Both sets would be playing the same game. The idea behind having a real chess board was that I could study my moves for a long time without running the chess computer's batteries down. I could also study the game from both perspectives. And besides, real chess pieces are tactile.
Over time I've played less and less. Despite thinking I should play more I never quite get round to it. Now I'm using the excuse that it will help with my computer's entropy. It's a good excuse and I'm sticking with it.
I've downloaded PyChess. It's a good piece of software and I can export .pgn files to Droidfish on my android phone. I'm going to be playing very slow games so I need to be able to view them on any platform.
The above picture is from a game I've just started.
I'll let you know when I'm done.

Our Man Inside

Just over a year ago Documentally suggested that I might like to make an ident for his new Backchannel newsletter. I did, it was fun.
Backchannel has now morphed into Our Man Inside! so I was once again asked to supply an ident. Something different to reflect the change. Here's the thought process:

I wanted the typewriter sample in there to represent Christian hammering away on his keyboard. The 3+3+6 rhythm spells out Our Man Inside. I used a sample of Christian's voice as a musical note to add chords but the tuning was a nightmare so while playing with various delay lines I happened on the rhythmic middle two bars. Christian spells out O M I and the echo repeats his voice in different ways which mimics the formula of the newsletter.
Christian finally says Our Man Inside! I added plenty of reverb to this to make him sound like he was inside something large. The vast space he is inside equals the vast range of subjects covered in the newsletter.
There's a secret bassline which bounces around the note C. This is my secret nod to (Sea = A boat show has been covered in Backchannel) and (See = There's always plenty to look at).
I hope you're intrigued enough to subscribe to this once a week publication.

Subscribe to Our Man Inside!