Ray of Sunshine #3 FTDT...

Sometimes YouTube is like a wayback machine. This aired in 1978 but Steve Martin never gets old. Get the whole family to dance along! Enjoy!

Super Full Moon Tonight!

It doesn't happen that often so get on out there and watch it! You'll be glad you did.

And to find out more about it check out NASA's info on it from their Science News page.



And now for your listening pleasure (don't know why, but, Miss Bun's brain made a leap from Super Moons to this!):  Enjoy!

One of Harrisburg's Best Kept Secrets!

If you are a bibliophile living in Central Pennsylvania and have not heard of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore & their Famous Reading Cafe  you are going to want to sit down for this.

The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is part warehouse (stocking over one million academic & general interest books) which you can browse & order from online. (Note: if you are local you can request to pick up your purchases at the retail store thus avoiding shipping fees.)

The retail store (all six floors of it!) houses over 100,000 used & rare books, a great coffee shop & art gallery, plus is host to regular contemporary folk concerts & other interesting programs.Check out the website for info on book groups, readings & signings, writing groups & more!

Be sure to sign up for their mailing list or keep track of Midtown Scholar on Facebook & Twitter.

The store is located at 1302 N. Third Street across from the Broad Street Market in what was once a 1920's theater.

In fact, Miss Bun spent a lovely Saturday afternoon lunching at the market and then browsing at the book store where she found all kinds of delightful surprises on the very well organized shelves!

Midtown Scholar has been voted the region's "Best Independent Bookstore" for seven years. When  you visit you will know why!

Enjoy!

This Librarian Wannabe Really Does Rock.......Really!!!

Who knew that Keith Richards (yes, the one from the Rolling Stones!) has a thing for libraries and books.

Librarians the world over are rejoicing about this choice quote he has given us:

“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.”

You can read all about it in this Sunday TimesOnline article: It's Only Books 'n' Shelves But I Like It by John Harlow.

Plus you can get the hype on Mr. Richard's autobiography due out in October. (Needless to say, Miss Bun has a bit of a crush simmering at the moment!)

A Cyborg Composer? A Fascinating Article . . .

This article is from the March/April issue of the Miller-McCune.com online magazine:

Triumph of the Cyborg Composer:
David Cope's software creates beautiful, original music.
Why are people so angry about that? by Ryan Blitstein

is a thought provoking look at artificial intelligence, creativity and what that might mean to us.

 (You can also hear some segments of Emily Howell's music.)

Here is some info about the magazine in case you were wondering who they are and what they are up to: 

"The online magazine Miller-McCune.com harnesses current academic research with real-time reporting to address pressing social concerns. Each day, we offer you information and possible solutions to concerns in areas such as education, politics, the environment, economics, urban affairs and health so you can join our lively global conversation based on work by researchers, leaders and journalists."

Be sure to check out the other interesting topics to be found there! 

Frosty the Snowman....

  

What's winter without a snowman?

Ever wonder where the snowman comes from? Glad  you asked! It turns out that the snowman does have a history and it just might be one that you weren't expecting. Check out this Smithsonian article by Bob Eckstein (who also wrote a book on the subject called History of the Snowman): Snowman Gone Wild.

We are so glad that Frosty was able to clean up his act which led to the famous song from the 1950's. Get the scoop on the song @ Wikipedia: Frosty the Snowman 

And then take a look at this original vintage Frosty the Snowman video (with lyrics) from 1954:






To finish our "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Snowmen" tour try building one of your own online from the good people at Highlights:
Build A Snowman (Don't forget to print your creation!)

Now we just need a good snow day!!!

Check Out the Most Famous Shipping Disaster in the History of the Great Lakes. . .

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank suddenly on November 10, 1975 in 530 feet of water without sending any distress signals. Her entire crew of 29 was lost.



The sinking of the "Mighty Fitz" became the most famous disaster in the history of the Great Lakes and was the subject of Gordon Lightfoot's hit ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

Here are some links to a wealth of information on this famous ship and her fate:

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum  
(Don't miss the tabs at the bottom of the page for more info.)

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
This site has many interesting links to explore, song lyrics, and midi-versions of the song.

Wikipedia's SS Edmund Fitzgerald
This site has a list of the crew as well as some very interesting external links to check out including Google Earth and NOAA.

And Now For Your TGIFF Listening Enjoyment . . .

Check out this amazing international vocal theater group that hails from Israel. Too much fun!!!

Take An Armchair Cybervisit to ...

The National Library of Australia where you can click on "Explore Our Digital Collections" from which you can explore the Australian story through photos, audio recordings, maps, printed manuscripts, printed music & more.

Be sure to click on "Online Exhibitions" under "Other Online Resources" (its on the middle right) to find out what a Bunyip is and how it fits into Australian culture.



There are many other fascinating things to look at and learn about here so take your time on this site.

Miss Bun (no relation whatsoever to the aforementioned creature!) has noted that visiting National Libraries is one way to explore another country without undue trials or tribulations (or expense)!

Enjoy!

Love To Be Read To???

MrsP.com
is the place to go if you like reading and being read to, interactive games & activities, videos, and contests.

Oh, and there is also the part about this being a free, safe & secure site for children that is ad free & subscription free as well.

Mrs. P is wonderfully played by the actress Kathy Kinney and reminds Miss Bun of the character Mrs. Doubtfire (from the film of the same name). Who can resist the accent?

There are plenty of options you can choose from to make your visit enjoyable like read along options that are great for beginning readers, ESL students & home-schoolers.

Click on the "Note to Parents" link for a reader's guide with ratings.

This site is meant to be explored so hone your mouse-clicking skills and don't be afraid to try different things out. (Hint: The bunny in front of the fireplace leads to coloring & activity pages.)

As far as Miss Bun is concerned Mrs. P puts the PLEASURE back into reading where it belongs!

Make Your Own Music on a Simple Sinewave Synthesizer - TGIFF!

aM Laboratory
created by Andre Michelle (who is, as far as I can tell, a flash audio guru in Cologne, Germany)

This is entirely too much fun to play with!!!

All you have to do is to click points on the 16x16 matrix which trigger sound waves. After clicking multiple boxes, the sound waves interact with each other to create a sound sequence. Click points square by square and build a tone sequence. To clear the grid just hit the space bar.

If you are the adventurous sort try clicking on the "Audio Tool" button on the bottom right. What you'll get is the Hobnox Audiotool site where you can produce your own electronic music with this amazing tool. All in your browser.

(Miss Bun and I both agree that this broader application seems a bit beyond us at the moment but that will not stop us from jumping right in and playing around with it!)

Sign up for a free account and you can save your files, collaborate with other members and more!

What are you waiting for? Go forth and make some music!

Enjoy!

TED - Ideas Worth Spreading...

TED.com

Their catch line: Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.

Needless to say that caught my attention because: 1) I like to hear interesting people talk and 2) I like to share ... so a site like this is a little bit of Nirvana come my way. (I hope you will think so too.)

Here's the concept: TED stands for "Technology, Entertainment, Design" and is actually an annual conference that was started in 1984 to bring together folks in these three disciplines.

Since that time, the scope of the conference has broadened and the annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

TED's mission: Spreading ideas.

They do this by making the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. More than 400 TEDTalks are now available, with more added each week. All of the talks feature closed captions in English, and many feature subtitles in various languages. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

There is a TED blog, you can subscribe to TEDtalks with an RSS feed, you can join (for free) the TED community and save your favorite talks, discuss your ideas, get the newsletter and more.

You can search TED by themes, speakers, talks, and translations. Each of those categories has several ways to limit results including things like: "rated jaw-dropping" and "most discussed".

Here is a talk I listened to that has forever changed the way I will look at the art of crochet, coral reefs, and geometry. Check it out:

Like Music? This is Way Cool!

The Internet never ceases to amaze me re: the sheer depth and breadth of what is out there, who put it there, and how anyone who has decent computer access can be a part of it.

Here is a great example: Pandora Radio which, according to the website, was "created to put the Music Genome Project directly in your hands."

So? What's that mean?

Well, Peeps, it means that you can create your own radio station based on artists or songs that you like. Or you can listen to a "station" based on a musical genre.

For example, I currently have a Crosby, Stills, & Nash station, a Feist Station, a Bonnie Raitt station and a Laurie Lewis station.Thanks to the Music Genome Project when I make a new station it takes the music/artist I've selected and pulls other music that is similar to play on it. You can also fine tune your station to your liking with the "options" drop down. You can also bookmark your favorites.

If something gets played that I don't like I just let Pandora know and I won't hear that selection again. Can you say that about your AM/FM stations?

You can share your station with friends or put it on your mobile device and lots more!

Pandora Internet Radio requires that you have an account but it is free. The free account will stop the music in an hour and ask if you are still listening. You also have to put up with some advertising but it's not that bad.

For $36 a year you can have a paid subscription that is advert free and plays for at least 5 hours before asking if you are still listening.

What are you waiting for? Get your Pandora Radio on!

Jazz Up Your Monday!

Check out JazzStandards.com if you like jazz or just want information about jazz standards.

This from their "About" page:

"JazzStandards.com is the first and only centralized information source for the songs and instrumentals jazz musicians play the most.

Here you'll find fascinating origins, musical analyses, jazz histories, anecdotes, biographies, and much more. Currently the Top 1000 jazz standards are ranked and the Top 300 are fully documented."

Try having a listen to the Diana Krall number below....

Diana Krall - Fly me to the moon

One of Miss Bun's favorite jazz standards....enjoy!

Happy May Day!

Take a look at this webcast from the Library of Congress where Jennifer Cutting, a folklife specialist in the American Folklife Center, describes and displays some of the folk traditions surrounding May Day (May 1) in Britain and the United States.

Bringing in the May

"Dog About Town"

This number was performed in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia (named for our Birthday Boy below) by Furry Murray and The Bow Wow Band for Commerce Bank's 3rd Annual Carnivale for the Dogs .

This should get your tail wagging on a Wednesday!

Happy Birthday To.....

Shirley Jones, stage, screen, and television actress, who was born on this day in 1934 in Charleroi, PA.

Here is her website: Shirley Jones

And here is the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) page on her:
Shirley Jones on IMDB

You may remember her as the Mom in the TV show The Partridge Family. I remember her more for her work in Broadway musicals...especially those by Rogers & Hammerstein. Miss Bun particularly remembers her for that famous scene in The Music Man which is near and dear to her heart for obvious reasons.
Check it out below!

Another Amazing Resource!

(click on logo)

A National Preserve of Documentary Films about American Roots Cultures
streamed with essays about the traditions and filmmaking. The site includes transcriptions, study and teaching guides, suggested readings, and links to related websites.

"Folkstreams.net has two goals. One is to build a national preserve of hard-to-find documentary films about American folk or roots cultures. The other is to give them renewed life by streaming them on the internet. The films were produced by independent filmmakers in a golden age that began in the 1960s and was made possible by the development first of portable cameras and then capacity for synch sound. Their films focus on the culture, struggles, and arts of unnoticed Americans from many different regions and communities."

Really, this is what the Net is all about (or should be). It boggles the mind to think that these films are offered for anyone around the globe (who has Internet access) to see and enjoy for free. What an incredible legacy!

There are films from a broad range of subject categories or you can search by region or film title. If you don't have RealPlayer installed you might have to download it ( it's free) to play the videos.

Here is one I'd like to share to get you started: New England Fiddles
(Once you are on the page click on "Play Real-Surestream Film")

A toe-tapping film for a rainy Sunday.

Enjoy!!!

Conducting the Road Not Taken

If you have never heard Frostiana: Seven Country Songs by Randall Thompson check out the selection below. If you like choral music (Miss Bun does, of course!) you should like this.
(Sorry for the link instead of the actual video but YouTube was being uncooperative.)

The Road Not Taken (click to see the video which features Jessica Israels' graduate choral conducting recital....Very well done!)

See the Happy Birthday to Robert Frost below.

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.