A nightly pause from the news to give the reader/viewer a bit of classic entertainment.
An evening pause: Performed by the Orchestre National de Lyon, Jun Märkl, conductor.
And no, it wasn’t written for the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was simply a good choice for the score.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
An evening pause: Performed live 2024. A great song to herald in the weekend. May all my readers find themselves dancing in the dark with their perfect lover.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
An evening pause: Music by Disturbed.
Hat tip to Wamphyr, who adds, “It’s fun to watch a grandmother rock out like this.”
An evening pause: For background, the Antikythera Mechanism is an archaeological artifact from ancient Greece:
The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known scientific computer, built in Greece at around 100 BCE. Lost for 2000 years, it was recovered from a shipwreck in 1901. But not until a century later was its purpose understood: an astronomical clock that determines the positions of celestial bodies with extraordinary precision.
Today’s pause shows how this very complex mechanism, that includes many metal gears, might have been made by hand, without electricity and our modern tools.
Hat tip Cotour.
An evening pause: Performed live c2016.
Hat tip Judd Clark, who also recommends the long and interesting essay at the youtube page describing the artistic and musical history of this piece.
An evening pause: A blues piece performed live 1994.
Hat tip Alec Gimarc, who adds that “Al Kooper was the creative force behind Blood Sweat & Tears.”
An evening pause: The opening lyric sets the tone, asking questions about life. A translation:
Where are we going?
When we no longer have a home?
The flowers under the concrete,
Mom,
Tell me,
Where are we going?
Hat tip Judd Clark.
An evening pause: Watch another demonstration of Galileo’s Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment where he proved gravity worked the same on all objects regardless of weight.
May everyone have a great weekend.
Hat tip Doug Johnson.
An evening pause: Music by AC/DC.
Hat tip Don Carrera, who adds, “With a shout-out ranging from Vivaldi & his Primavera, up to Michael J. Fox & Johnny Be Good.”
An evening pause: Performed live 1967. One of their most beautiful songs, but rarely heard anymore.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evening pause: A most interesting cover of the song by The Doors, using new technology. It appears that strange instrument is called a BanjoSynth.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
An evening pause: To start the weekend, let’s learn some of the engineering history behind the sounds of the 1970s.
Hat tip Willi Kusche.
An evening pause: Let’s start the week with some boogie-woogie. Performed live 1983.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
An evening pause: If you haven’t done crossed the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, than this video will allow you to experience it.
And a drive like this is a great way to start the weekend.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evening pause: Some history that should never be forgotten, but sadly few now remember.
Hat tip Cotour.
An evening pause: Performed live 2016. It ain’t some long-haired guy twiddling on a bass guitar, but her fingers as a nimble and as creative.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
To all: I am in need of more evening pause suggestions. If you have suggested before, you know the rules and the way to do it. Please send me stuff. If you haven’t suggested anything previously and have something you think would work, say so in a comment here — but don’t tell us what your suggestion is. I will email you to get it. The guidelines:
1. The subject line should say “evening pause.”
2. Please send only one suggestion per email.
3. Variety! Don’t send me five from the same artist. I can only use one. Pick your favorite and send that.
4. Live performance preferred.
5. Quirky technology, humor, and short entertaining films also work.
6. Suggestions should generally be short, less than 10 minutes, preferable under 5 minutes
7. Search BtB first to make sure your suggestion hasn’t already been posted.
8. I might not respond immediately, as I schedule these in a bunch.
9. Avoid the politics of the day. The pause is a break from such discussion.
An evening pause: On Memorial Day, let’s revisit an evening pause from 2011 of one short scene from the William Wellman film, Battleground (1949), to remind us why sometimes it is necessary to fight a war.
The saddest thing about this clip is how ugly it makes too many modern Americans look, for they have adopted the certain, ignorant, and bigoted aspects of the totalitarians from the 1930s and 1940s that the generation then fought so hard to defeat. Today’s American totalitarians — almost all of whom are on the left — are certain that because Donald Trump is doing things they disagree with, he along with all of his supporters should be killed. No debate is permitted. They are right and anyone who challenges them is evil.
Memorial Day is not simply about remembering the dead so that they will not have died in vain. It is also about remembering why they died.
An evening pause: From the peak of the Wetterhorn, 12,106 feet. As always, these videos don’t show the work required to get to that peak, but he does describe it on the youtube page:
We climbed over the Willsgrätli, taking around 4 hours to reach the summit of the Wetterhorn. Holy moly… this climb was serious. We didn’t use ropes, and the heavy backpack caused me some problems in certain climbing sections.
What are you planning to do this Memorial Day weekend?
Hat tip Judd Clark.
