Thursday, July 05, 2018

Silly Amazon Suggestions


There’s something charming and a little wacky about Amazon’s “suggestions” algorithms.



For example, when I bought a 5-piece luggage set last year, Amazon suddenly decided that I must want to buy a bunch of female clothing to fill the bags up.



 Check out the gold-plated stainless steel.  Talk about the best of two worlds!


And if this is a sandal, I’ve been doing it all wrong!


I wonder who exactly would buy shorts which are “no image available”?


 Either I’m a cross-dresser for buying the luggage, or I’m about to elope with a very fashionable woman.



I cannot even imagine a world in which a person would want to wear a “sticky bra”!


See you on Monday for another swipe at modern-day life.  Or maybe a celebration of modern-day life ... I’m not sure yet.

Monday, July 02, 2018

Happy Independence Day! Re-Post: MA-73 - American Favorites

Here's an anthology of music about our great country, re-posted because its previous appearance from 2014 is a dead link.

01. The Star-Spangled Banner - Jerry Goldsmith (1:22)
02. This Land Is Your Land - Peter, Paul & Mary (2:27)
03. Let' s All Be Americans Now - Arthur Hall (3:05)
04. People Like You and Me - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (3:46)
05. The Stars and Stripes Forever - The US Army Ceremonial Band (3:33)
06. Home On The Range - Roy Rogers & the Sons of the Pioneers (2:41)
07. God Bless America - Kate Smith (2:04)
08. Variations on 'America' - Charles Ives (7:10)
09. The House I Live In - Frank Sinatra (3:39)
10. The Magnificent Seven Main Title - Elmer Bernstein (1:59)
11. Pleasant Moments - Scott Joplin (3:02)
12. Ragged Old Flag - Johnny Cash (3:08)
13. No Restricted Signs (Up in Heaven) - Golden Gate Quartet (2:59)
14. You're a Grand Old Flag - James Cagney (5:39)
15. High Noon - Tex Ritter (2:47)
16. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (3:11)
17. Battle Hymn of the Republic - John Williams & The Boston Pops (5:01)
18. A Lincoln Portrait - Aaron Copland (15:44)
19. The Stars and Stripes Forever - Vladimir Horowitz (4:00)

Yes, Track 1 is from Poltergeist -- but it's also one of the best arrangements of our national anthem ever.

Track 18 is a live recording of a broadcast I stumbled across around 1980.  That's Copland himself narrating.  So it's a treasure, even if the dub is of less than pro quality.


Thanks for stopping by, and have a thankful Fourth of July.  See you on Thursday!
  

All original content
copyright
© by Mark Alfred