I am going to show you a music video that my friend Neal sent over. It's the debut single of a new band called Little Comets, and it's called Joanna. Already off to a good start, right? ^_^
Isn't that one of the most magical things you've ever seen? The colors and lights and scenarios remind me of what I see in my head when I read The Elephant Vanishes or After Dark. It reminds me a lot of how I used to feel in 2007, which is interesting because the album was mixed by the same dude who worked with MGMT.
There's not a lot out there about Little Comets yet, but I loved this line from their Wikipedia page: They are described to play 'kitchen sink indie' music, citing Debussy, Roald Dahl, Ella Fitzgerald and Paul Simon as influences. That might make some people's eyes roll out of their heads and out the door, but I was in a good mood.
Kinda Vampire Weekendish, no? Which also makes sense given the Paul Simon influence, I guess. Take a listen; what do you think?
20 January 2011
03 January 2011
2010 in Pictures.
Taking a cue from last year, I decided to make another Year In Pictures mosaic to give some visual highlights of how I recorded 2010. I left out some favorites, but wanted to keep it to 25 x 25 to be even.
[captions and individual links here]
Some highlights:
Happy 2011 again everyone!
[captions and individual links here]
Some highlights:
Happy 2011 again everyone!
02 January 2011
JetBlue and Twitter Save New Years
Unless you have been hibernating (I wouldn't blame you), you know about the mess that resulted from blizzards in the Northeast a few days ago – on city budgets, on the cities' residents, and – most "loudly" – on the airline industry.
Lee tweeted a NYTimes article a few days ago called For Some Travelers Stranded in Airports, Relief Is in 140 Characters. It was perfect timing, because at that exact moment, I was writing this blog post.
I kept hearing about thousands of flights being canceled and people sleeping at airports. I figured my 12/29 JetBlue flight from Florida to New York would be okay, since it was a full four days after the storms, and every flight from 2 days prior to mine between the two airports seemed fine - at worst, a few delays here and there.
Wrong. At 2.30 am my phone rang – a JetBlue robot telling me that my flight was canceled.
I was on hold for two hours and fifteen minutes, trying to re-book. Finally I was told that the earliest possible flight for me was on the 3rd of January, 5 days later. I went back to sleep at 5.30 am, delirious.
The following morning, I was furious. I laughed at the irony that after boycotting JetBlue (I was directly affected by their 2007 crisis) and taking a few cautious maybe-we-can-be-friends-again flights 4 years later, this happened. I considered a lot - paying close to $500 for an earlier flight on another airline, renting a car and driving two and a half days, taking a train. I heard about another guy on my flight that had put himself on a standby list and flown to New York an hour later. I tweeted.
I combed Bing Travel. I was hung up on by JetBlue's support call center. I searched CheapTickets. I planned around the day of work (and four days of sanity) I would be missing. My phone rang.
"Hello, is this Johanna? This is Jeff with JetBlue, and I might have some good news for you."
Jeff told me that he would be able to get me on a flight at 9am the next morning. I was utterly confused and asked him why he called me, of all people on that canceled flight. Turns out Jeff Hofmann manages their Twitter account. He saw my tweet of desperation, looked me up in JetBlue's system, found that one seat, looked up my phone number, and called me personally. He said that he would have DM'ed me but was too worried the seat would go before we could speak. I was so stunned I almost cried on the phone to him.
And there you have it, folks. Jeff single-handedly restored my faith in the airline, saving them from another 4-year boycott. I knew JetBlue had a social media strategy and knew what they were doing, but I honestly never thought someone handling a Twitter account could have the power to do something as big as changing a flight reservation for someone. This level of personalized service went above and beyond what I ever thought a Fortune 1000 company could be capable of. Well done, guys. My doubt for you has gone out the window.
And: Happy New Year, everyone!
Lee tweeted a NYTimes article a few days ago called For Some Travelers Stranded in Airports, Relief Is in 140 Characters. It was perfect timing, because at that exact moment, I was writing this blog post.
I kept hearing about thousands of flights being canceled and people sleeping at airports. I figured my 12/29 JetBlue flight from Florida to New York would be okay, since it was a full four days after the storms, and every flight from 2 days prior to mine between the two airports seemed fine - at worst, a few delays here and there.
Wrong. At 2.30 am my phone rang – a JetBlue robot telling me that my flight was canceled.
I was on hold for two hours and fifteen minutes, trying to re-book. Finally I was told that the earliest possible flight for me was on the 3rd of January, 5 days later. I went back to sleep at 5.30 am, delirious.
The following morning, I was furious. I laughed at the irony that after boycotting JetBlue (I was directly affected by their 2007 crisis) and taking a few cautious maybe-we-can-be-friends-again flights 4 years later, this happened. I considered a lot - paying close to $500 for an earlier flight on another airline, renting a car and driving two and a half days, taking a train. I heard about another guy on my flight that had put himself on a standby list and flown to New York an hour later. I tweeted.
I combed Bing Travel. I was hung up on by JetBlue's support call center. I searched CheapTickets. I planned around the day of work (and four days of sanity) I would be missing. My phone rang.
"Hello, is this Johanna? This is Jeff with JetBlue, and I might have some good news for you."
Jeff told me that he would be able to get me on a flight at 9am the next morning. I was utterly confused and asked him why he called me, of all people on that canceled flight. Turns out Jeff Hofmann manages their Twitter account. He saw my tweet of desperation, looked me up in JetBlue's system, found that one seat, looked up my phone number, and called me personally. He said that he would have DM'ed me but was too worried the seat would go before we could speak. I was so stunned I almost cried on the phone to him.
And there you have it, folks. Jeff single-handedly restored my faith in the airline, saving them from another 4-year boycott. I knew JetBlue had a social media strategy and knew what they were doing, but I honestly never thought someone handling a Twitter account could have the power to do something as big as changing a flight reservation for someone. This level of personalized service went above and beyond what I ever thought a Fortune 1000 company could be capable of. Well done, guys. My doubt for you has gone out the window.
And: Happy New Year, everyone!
29 December 2010
The Sea and Cake: Weekend
Late this year I got a recommendation for The Sea and Cake's most recent album (which is actually 2 years old). I hadn't really thought about them since I was in graduate school, so I was excited to have a listen. I'm not through hearing the whole thing yet, but so far it's a bit more poppy than their usual chilled-out sound. It's pretty fantastic. I came across this video a few weeks ago and wanted to share. I'm not the type to miss the season I'm not in, but it's one of the most perfect music videos about summer and that carefree, young feeling that I've ever seen.
I started reflecting on this past summer in New York, which was filled with bike rides, barbecues, record stores, balconies, brunches, Brooklyn, bloody marys, and World Cup games (lots of good things seem to start with the letter B). It made me smile and want to listen to Mark Ronson and The Beach Boys as well, which I listened to a lot. Enjoy! And give the rest of Car Alarm a listen.
I started reflecting on this past summer in New York, which was filled with bike rides, barbecues, record stores, balconies, brunches, Brooklyn, bloody marys, and World Cup games (lots of good things seem to start with the letter B). It made me smile and want to listen to Mark Ronson and The Beach Boys as well, which I listened to a lot. Enjoy! And give the rest of Car Alarm a listen.
26 December 2010
EFIT in Montana
A few weeks ago, I went to a completely foreign place: Montana. I had never seen snow or mountains like that up close before; it was a completely surreal and dreamlike weekend for me. The inverted-V rooftops of the ski lodges and pine trees strung with silver lights and caked with snow made everything feel like a gingerbread neighborhood.
One of the days I was there, I did an EFIT for Julie. Those of you who have been around for a while know I do these every now and then. A combination of no-Internet (none) and a shoddy memory made my email to her about doing a joint EFIT float into the ether rather than getting to her. So here are my photos. I was worried about them all being only of snow, but I managed to get a little variety in there.
10.30am - I was convinced me to go snowmobiling. The moment we got out of the car at the rental place, 3 dogs walked over to us, curious. This one had the most piercing blue eyes I had ever seen. Like water in the Blue Grotto.
11.33am - On my snowmobile. I tried to pretend I was Beatrix Kiddo the entire time so I wouldn't be paralyzed by terror. The narrow trail up the mountain through forests had a probably 60° drop on one side.
12.23pm - In a meadow thing on a mountain - our first destination. Completely silencing.
1.09pm - In a rented snowsuit and helmet. Those guys know how to dress for the weather, yeesh. I wasn't cold the entire afternoon, and it was about 6°F that day (colder than I've ever exprienced).
2.04pm - Taking a break.
3.30pm - Back at square one, 50 miles later. A note about snowmobiling - I had no idea what a snowmobile even was until I looked it up on Wikipedia (most of my life was spent in tropical places). If you've never been before and you want to try it, there is a section of the article called "Accidents and Safety" - don't read it. I made that mistake and was petrified for the first half of the trip. But then by the end I was having a blast. So much so that I almost flew off the thing from going too fast over a hill on the way back. Another note: You will not be able to move the next day. From my triceps all the way to my sides and quads, this thing used just about every muscle to steer.
4.07pm - Another tip for anyone who may go snowmobiling for the first time: Eat beforehand. We were all so starving by this point that we had dinner at 4 o'clock on the afternoon. This was at one of the half dozen restaurants in the area - a motorcycle-themed place called Choppers. I had a burger, onion rings and Guinness. Perfect.
5.24pm - This huge thing was on our way out.
6.03pm - Just before the hottest shower ever. Mister Toky's midi keyboard, Nooka, and loose change.
7.40pm - Writing a letter to Julie about Montana.
9.00pm - Here is where I was one minute too late to get an 8pm photo. Rats. This is Mister Toky's computer; he was playing this amazing computer game that was like Doom but took place in an underwater city with zombie-like guys walking everywhere.
9.32pm - On our way to have a snack (still hungry) and drink. Most of the little trees in the resort were lit up and covered with snow like this.
10.50pm - If anybody has any idea what this is, let me know. I looked up at my table and was met with this dude; pretty disarming.
The first half of those pictures were taken with my phone, since taking a camera on a snowmobile is pretty useless. The second half were with the Nikon. Quite a different EFIT than the ones I'm used to doing. This was a pretty amazing trip; I'd go back. And maybe do the same thing again ^^
One of the days I was there, I did an EFIT for Julie. Those of you who have been around for a while know I do these every now and then. A combination of no-Internet (none) and a shoddy memory made my email to her about doing a joint EFIT float into the ether rather than getting to her. So here are my photos. I was worried about them all being only of snow, but I managed to get a little variety in there.
10.30am - I was convinced me to go snowmobiling. The moment we got out of the car at the rental place, 3 dogs walked over to us, curious. This one had the most piercing blue eyes I had ever seen. Like water in the Blue Grotto.
11.33am - On my snowmobile. I tried to pretend I was Beatrix Kiddo the entire time so I wouldn't be paralyzed by terror. The narrow trail up the mountain through forests had a probably 60° drop on one side.
12.23pm - In a meadow thing on a mountain - our first destination. Completely silencing.
1.09pm - In a rented snowsuit and helmet. Those guys know how to dress for the weather, yeesh. I wasn't cold the entire afternoon, and it was about 6°F that day (colder than I've ever exprienced).
2.04pm - Taking a break.
3.30pm - Back at square one, 50 miles later. A note about snowmobiling - I had no idea what a snowmobile even was until I looked it up on Wikipedia (most of my life was spent in tropical places). If you've never been before and you want to try it, there is a section of the article called "Accidents and Safety" - don't read it. I made that mistake and was petrified for the first half of the trip. But then by the end I was having a blast. So much so that I almost flew off the thing from going too fast over a hill on the way back. Another note: You will not be able to move the next day. From my triceps all the way to my sides and quads, this thing used just about every muscle to steer.
4.07pm - Another tip for anyone who may go snowmobiling for the first time: Eat beforehand. We were all so starving by this point that we had dinner at 4 o'clock on the afternoon. This was at one of the half dozen restaurants in the area - a motorcycle-themed place called Choppers. I had a burger, onion rings and Guinness. Perfect.
5.24pm - This huge thing was on our way out.
6.03pm - Just before the hottest shower ever. Mister Toky's midi keyboard, Nooka, and loose change.
7.40pm - Writing a letter to Julie about Montana.
9.00pm - Here is where I was one minute too late to get an 8pm photo. Rats. This is Mister Toky's computer; he was playing this amazing computer game that was like Doom but took place in an underwater city with zombie-like guys walking everywhere.
9.32pm - On our way to have a snack (still hungry) and drink. Most of the little trees in the resort were lit up and covered with snow like this.
10.50pm - If anybody has any idea what this is, let me know. I looked up at my table and was met with this dude; pretty disarming.
The first half of those pictures were taken with my phone, since taking a camera on a snowmobile is pretty useless. The second half were with the Nikon. Quite a different EFIT than the ones I'm used to doing. This was a pretty amazing trip; I'd go back. And maybe do the same thing again ^^
20 November 2010
Art Historians, German Translators, Frankish Kings, and Scrooge McDuck
A text message conversation with Brandi this morning about Disney characters led me down my second rabbit hole of the week. This one is about Frankish kings in the 7th century. The question that prompted this:
"Who is your favorite Disney character?"
The immediate answer of "Dagobert" came from my father.
?
He said that Dagobert was the rich uncle of Donald Duck – the one who would dive into a pile of gold coins while being a very stingy guy on the side. I am admittedly a bit ignorant about the side stories of Disney characters, but I knew who he was talking about.
[source]
Dagobert is what Scrooge McDuck was called in Germany.
I started Googling. The first result on my phone was for Dagobert I - the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639).
??
Okay, too weird. Was there a connection? Unsure. Digging into this one took a really long time. Two hours. I read about Dagoberts I, II, and III, and none of them really gave any hints as to why this name was given to Scrooge in Germany. Well, Dagobert I took me down a side-rabbit-hole that ended up being a clue, but more on this later.
I also read about Dagobert of Pisa and Erich Dagobert von Drygalski.* I read about a famous German extortionist named Arno Funke.** I read the near-eleven-page Scrooge McDuck Wikipedia article.***
Still nothing. I searched on Metafilter, more Wikipedia, and then just started Googling all over the place. My father told me that his brother might know the answer. It was dinnertime in Germany at that moment, so I waited on that one. He also said that perhaps he was just called Dagobert Duck because it sounded good, and because it allowed for him to have an alliterative DD emblem all over the place. I supposed that was possible.
THEN, my final resort – which I was just turning to so I wouldn't feel like I had abandoned an unsolved mystery – got me close enough to feeling I had the answer. I went to the German Wikipedia page for Dagobert Duck and winced as I hit the Translate button (I'm still used to the horrors of Babelfish days). It introduced me to the person who gave Scrooge his German name – German Walt Disney translator Erika Fuchs.
[source]
Fuchs was a prolific Disney translator in Germany, and stuck all kinds of wordplay and hidden meaning into the stories. She seemed to have a ton of fun with it, and once said, "You can't be educated enough to translate comic books." Apparently some phrases have stayed in pop culture throughout time and there is even a term - Erikativ - for popular phrases she coined (no Scrooge pun intended). In 2001, she got a prestigious literature prize "for her work on Duckburg." I am SO DELIGHTED that someone became successful and famous for translating Duckburg stories for most of her career. She was an honorary member of – ready? - D.O.N.A.L.D. This stands for "Deutsche Organisation nichtkommerzieller Anhänger des lauteren Donaldismus" or the "German Organization of Non-commercial Devotees of the true Donaldism". HA! This is the best thing I've heard in weeks.
Anyway. It was Erika Fuchs who gave Scrooge the name Dagobert in her Duckburg translations, named after those Frankish Kings Dagobert I, II, and III. So my initial impulse WAS the right one, but I needed that Translator button (ha, das ironie).
And you know why this makes sense? I will tell you. First, let's go back to the Dagobert I clue I mentioned earlier.
[source]
That is a cathedral close to Paris called Saint Denis. Dagobert I founded this cathedral in Saint Denis's name, and is now buried there. Who is Saint Denis? A patron Saint of France. How was he martyred? By beheading.
[source]
That is a statue of Saint Denis. Apparently after he was beheaded, he walked six miles, preaching the word of God while holding his own head (yes). And apparently saints were beheaded happened enough that there is a term for statues depicting saints holding their own heads – cephalophores. Good grief. Anyway, at Saint Denis's burial place was erected a shrine, and this is where Dagobert I founded the Abbey of Saint Denis (a Benedictine monastery). This is now the cathedral of Saint Denis. The shrine was made by a goldsmith named Eligius.
[source]
[source] and [source]
Know why this is interesting to me? Because I am an Art History nut.
Know who else was an Art History nut? Erika Fuchs. In the 1930s (about 10-15 years before Scrooge was invented and entered into German pop culture), Erika Fuchs studied Art History in university. And I'm fairly certain that this stuff is why she named this character after Dagobert I.
So cool. And now I'm exhausted. Hooray! I guess it's still a theory, but hopefully pretty close. And as I tweeted earlier:
* Erich Dagobert von Drygalski was a really cool geographer and took the first Antarctic aerial photo from a balloon, ever.
** Arno Funke used to place bombs all over Germany to get ransom money. He always strategically placed the bombs to minimize people getting hurt – he was mostly seen as a prankster who kept trying to get rich. He gave himself the pseudonym Dagobert after Scrooge McDuck, because he had visions of himself one day swimming in gold coins.
*** You have to read this thing. It is more thorough an historical account than some articles I have read about real people. It contains a personal history; educational history; professional history; psychological analysis; code of values and moral conduct; log of traveled countries and languages spoken; analyses on his relationship with Donald and Huey, Dewey and Louie; and short list of wealthy duck rivals in Duckburg. I can't believe how extensive this article is. It blew my mind.
Thanks to Brandi and my father for making this afternoon amusingly strange ^^
"Who is your favorite Disney character?"
The immediate answer of "Dagobert" came from my father.
?
He said that Dagobert was the rich uncle of Donald Duck – the one who would dive into a pile of gold coins while being a very stingy guy on the side. I am admittedly a bit ignorant about the side stories of Disney characters, but I knew who he was talking about.
[source]
Dagobert is what Scrooge McDuck was called in Germany.
I started Googling. The first result on my phone was for Dagobert I - the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639).
??
Okay, too weird. Was there a connection? Unsure. Digging into this one took a really long time. Two hours. I read about Dagoberts I, II, and III, and none of them really gave any hints as to why this name was given to Scrooge in Germany. Well, Dagobert I took me down a side-rabbit-hole that ended up being a clue, but more on this later.
I also read about Dagobert of Pisa and Erich Dagobert von Drygalski.* I read about a famous German extortionist named Arno Funke.** I read the near-eleven-page Scrooge McDuck Wikipedia article.***
Still nothing. I searched on Metafilter, more Wikipedia, and then just started Googling all over the place. My father told me that his brother might know the answer. It was dinnertime in Germany at that moment, so I waited on that one. He also said that perhaps he was just called Dagobert Duck because it sounded good, and because it allowed for him to have an alliterative DD emblem all over the place. I supposed that was possible.
THEN, my final resort – which I was just turning to so I wouldn't feel like I had abandoned an unsolved mystery – got me close enough to feeling I had the answer. I went to the German Wikipedia page for Dagobert Duck and winced as I hit the Translate button (I'm still used to the horrors of Babelfish days). It introduced me to the person who gave Scrooge his German name – German Walt Disney translator Erika Fuchs.
[source]
Fuchs was a prolific Disney translator in Germany, and stuck all kinds of wordplay and hidden meaning into the stories. She seemed to have a ton of fun with it, and once said, "You can't be educated enough to translate comic books." Apparently some phrases have stayed in pop culture throughout time and there is even a term - Erikativ - for popular phrases she coined (no Scrooge pun intended). In 2001, she got a prestigious literature prize "for her work on Duckburg." I am SO DELIGHTED that someone became successful and famous for translating Duckburg stories for most of her career. She was an honorary member of – ready? - D.O.N.A.L.D. This stands for "Deutsche Organisation nichtkommerzieller Anhänger des lauteren Donaldismus" or the "German Organization of Non-commercial Devotees of the true Donaldism". HA! This is the best thing I've heard in weeks.
Anyway. It was Erika Fuchs who gave Scrooge the name Dagobert in her Duckburg translations, named after those Frankish Kings Dagobert I, II, and III. So my initial impulse WAS the right one, but I needed that Translator button (ha, das ironie).
And you know why this makes sense? I will tell you. First, let's go back to the Dagobert I clue I mentioned earlier.
[source]
That is a cathedral close to Paris called Saint Denis. Dagobert I founded this cathedral in Saint Denis's name, and is now buried there. Who is Saint Denis? A patron Saint of France. How was he martyred? By beheading.
[source]
That is a statue of Saint Denis. Apparently after he was beheaded, he walked six miles, preaching the word of God while holding his own head (yes). And apparently saints were beheaded happened enough that there is a term for statues depicting saints holding their own heads – cephalophores. Good grief. Anyway, at Saint Denis's burial place was erected a shrine, and this is where Dagobert I founded the Abbey of Saint Denis (a Benedictine monastery). This is now the cathedral of Saint Denis. The shrine was made by a goldsmith named Eligius.
Above all, Eligius fabricated a mausoleum for the holy martyr Denis in the city of Paris with a wonderful marble ciborium over it marvelously decorated with gold and gems. He composed a crest [at the top of a tomb] and a magnificent frontal and surrounded the throne of the altar with golden axes in a circle. He placed golden apples there, round and jeweled. He made a pulpit and a gate of silver and a roof for the throne of the altar on silver axes. He made a covering in the place before the tomb and fabricated an outside altar at the feet of the holy martyr. So much industry did he lavish there, at the king's request, and poured out so much that scarcely a single ornament was left in Gaul and it is the greatest wonder of all to this very day. [source]So. A very lavish shrine, with gold and jewels everywhere. And these, unrelated to Saint Denis but very related to Dagobert I: gold Dagobert coins.
[source]
[source] and [source]
Know why this is interesting to me? Because I am an Art History nut.
Know who else was an Art History nut? Erika Fuchs. In the 1930s (about 10-15 years before Scrooge was invented and entered into German pop culture), Erika Fuchs studied Art History in university. And I'm fairly certain that this stuff is why she named this character after Dagobert I.
So cool. And now I'm exhausted. Hooray! I guess it's still a theory, but hopefully pretty close. And as I tweeted earlier:
* Erich Dagobert von Drygalski was a really cool geographer and took the first Antarctic aerial photo from a balloon, ever.
** Arno Funke used to place bombs all over Germany to get ransom money. He always strategically placed the bombs to minimize people getting hurt – he was mostly seen as a prankster who kept trying to get rich. He gave himself the pseudonym Dagobert after Scrooge McDuck, because he had visions of himself one day swimming in gold coins.
*** You have to read this thing. It is more thorough an historical account than some articles I have read about real people. It contains a personal history; educational history; professional history; psychological analysis; code of values and moral conduct; log of traveled countries and languages spoken; analyses on his relationship with Donald and Huey, Dewey and Louie; and short list of wealthy duck rivals in Duckburg. I can't believe how extensive this article is. It blew my mind.
Thanks to Brandi and my father for making this afternoon amusingly strange ^^
16 November 2010
From The Turtles to 1800s Organs
Tonight I had the intense urge to listen to You Showed Me by The Turtles:
I was compelled to Google "circus organ" after thinking that one never sounded so nice as it does in the opening notes of this song. And I found some really cool pictures:
[source]
[source]
[source]
This type of organ – called a calliope – was wheeled around by traveling circuses in the late 1800s. They work via steam (what?) passing through pipes (what??). Here is an old ad for one from 1874:
[source]
The calliope is kind of distant cousins with the train whistle (which makes sense now, steam and all).
Calliope mechanics evolved a bit over time: First they were played via a series of pins on a metal cylinder (like in a music box). Then there were organ keys, and a person played them (like in that ad, above). Then things went back to rotation-based systems with rolls of paper, and resembled player pianos.
I suppose I've only heard "good" versions of what a calliope sounds like, because apparently it's impossible to keep in tune, can be heard from a mile away (no volume control), and the notes' sound depends on how hot the steam is.
Here's a video of a riverboat calliope; you can see the steam flying out of the pipes:
EDIT: I just received an email from Zachary saying that he played this very calliope on the Delta Queen in the 1980s, "When I was about 5 while traveling down the Mississippi River on a riverboat trip that included a visit to the real setting of Mark Twain's work." Amazing.
And here's a video that came up when I searched "circus organ" on YouTube. The sound is different from a calliope, but I wonder if the vast world of 1800s organs gets mixed up easily since it still came up in search results. A quick Wikipedia search helped me figure out that this is a fairground organ, which is (it turns out) different. These were found around fairs and amusement parks, and if you play this video with your eyes closed, it will make perfect sense. Though, don't listen to this if you're not in a good mood, because you will want to throw your shoe out a window.
Randomly falling into a rabbit hole like this one at 1am makes me realize how many other insane things I don't know about yet. Jeez. I could easily spend another 2 hours researching different types of organs from the mid- to late-1800s (there are dance organs and street organs too; which of these sounds the most like a baseball game?).
I was compelled to Google "circus organ" after thinking that one never sounded so nice as it does in the opening notes of this song. And I found some really cool pictures:
[source]
[source]
[source]
This type of organ – called a calliope – was wheeled around by traveling circuses in the late 1800s. They work via steam (what?) passing through pipes (what??). Here is an old ad for one from 1874:
[source]
The calliope is kind of distant cousins with the train whistle (which makes sense now, steam and all).
Calliope mechanics evolved a bit over time: First they were played via a series of pins on a metal cylinder (like in a music box). Then there were organ keys, and a person played them (like in that ad, above). Then things went back to rotation-based systems with rolls of paper, and resembled player pianos.
I suppose I've only heard "good" versions of what a calliope sounds like, because apparently it's impossible to keep in tune, can be heard from a mile away (no volume control), and the notes' sound depends on how hot the steam is.
Here's a video of a riverboat calliope; you can see the steam flying out of the pipes:
EDIT: I just received an email from Zachary saying that he played this very calliope on the Delta Queen in the 1980s, "When I was about 5 while traveling down the Mississippi River on a riverboat trip that included a visit to the real setting of Mark Twain's work." Amazing.
And here's a video that came up when I searched "circus organ" on YouTube. The sound is different from a calliope, but I wonder if the vast world of 1800s organs gets mixed up easily since it still came up in search results. A quick Wikipedia search helped me figure out that this is a fairground organ, which is (it turns out) different. These were found around fairs and amusement parks, and if you play this video with your eyes closed, it will make perfect sense. Though, don't listen to this if you're not in a good mood, because you will want to throw your shoe out a window.
Randomly falling into a rabbit hole like this one at 1am makes me realize how many other insane things I don't know about yet. Jeez. I could easily spend another 2 hours researching different types of organs from the mid- to late-1800s (there are dance organs and street organs too; which of these sounds the most like a baseball game?).
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