… the more you know about music, the less income you are guaranteed to generate.

… to Angela at mommy bytes, who figured out my little number puzzle.

I recently discovered that John Stump, the composer of “Faerie’s Aire and Death Waltz,” wrote other pieces of music, including the “String Quartet in A Minor (Motoring Accident).” A tribute to Stump, with scans of his scores, can be found here.

More remarkable scores can be seen here, here and here. Some of them have been performed.

Eyjafjallajokul, April 17, 2010. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

More here.

(Via NRO.)

Update: A collection of eyjafjallajokull links. And one of several webcams.

I visited Botanica again this afternoon and took a lot of pictures, which I’ll upload to my gallery later. On the way home I spotted a couple of other noteworthy floral displays: a Chinese empress tree, above, and a wisteria.

The tax collectors of Kansas want me to file my taxes online this year. How well does their website work?

After calling the toll-free number and learning nothing useful, I tried again.

So I clicked there.

I can cycle through the log-in page and these two pages indefinitely.

Every year I try to pay my taxes online, and every year I marvel at the utter incompetence of the website designers. Then I file my tax return on paper. Now the state of Kansas, in its wisdom and magnanimity, is going to start charging an extra fee for those who don’t file online (and another fee for those who want paper checks). There do exist some words that — weakly — describe my feelings toward the Kansas taxman, but I prefer to keep my website PG-rated.

Update: Success, finally, after changing to a different browser.

Terry Teachout on Flannery O’Connor

Gene Wolfe on J.R.R. Tolkien

John C. Wright on Jorge Luis Borges

(Via TSO and JCW.)

I spent the weekend in Atchison. Here are a few of the pictures I snapped.

(more…)

… so if I want to post a picture of a Lenten Rose, I’d better do it today.

This is a good year for flowering trees such as magnolias:

(more…)

(more…)

Horticulturally, this year is running about three weeks slower than last year. Plants that were in full bloom a year ago are just coming into bud now. Nevertheless, I did find some color yesterday on my first visit to Botanica this year.

(more…)

1. Those who understand software don’t know how to write.

2. The usefulness of a manual is inversely proportional to its length.
Corollary: a manual is only as good as its index.

3. Most computer users are neither software engineers nor dummies. Publishers of computer literature have yet to realize that.

Even if I had a television, I wouldn’t be able to watch Al ‘n’ Me. It’s broadcast only on “Metromedia,” which is not available in most markets at this time. Until that classical-era sitcom receives the wider distribution it deserves, you’ll have to make do with Acropolis Now, featuring such low-lifes as Heraclitus and Aristophanes and their mother the Oracle, and Socrates and Plato. A degree in Classics is not necessary to appreciate the show.

If you prefer modern, interactive entertainment, here’s the do-it-yourself Bayeux Tapestry.

(Via Maureen.)

You may think that putting dancers in black costumes on a black stage with minimal lighting is very dramatic, but for photographers it is a nightmare.

… i.e., the early 21st century. It includes the “Deceleration of Independence.” The Amazon.com listing is here.

(more…)