Rodent Regatta

The third season finale of The West Wing was called Posse Comitatus. It was one of the best and most complex episodes to date. During the final moments of the show, dialog was largely suspended as various scenes played to a piece of music called ”Hallelujah.” At Tower Records I found Jeff Buckley’s CD with that song on it. In one of the great exceptions to frequent misfortunes, the CD was ”value-priced” at $7.00. It is a rare find when something one wants to own or have happen comes through and at a true bargain!

Here are the lyrics:

Hallelujah
by Leonard Cohen & performed by Jeff Buckley

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

Well baby, Ive been here before
I know this room and Ive walked this floor
You know, I used to live alone before I knew you
And Ive seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
Its a cold and its a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

Well There was a time when you let me know
Whats really going on below
But now you never show that to me, do you?
But remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew is Hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

Maybe there is a God above
But all Ive ever learned from love
Was how to shoot someone who outdrew you
And its not a cry that you hear at night
Its not somebody whos seen the light
Its a cold and its a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

”Sony, Sharp, Pioneer, and Kenwood are working together on a new line of stereo systems with Ethernet ports that can download music directly from the Internet without requiring a PC.” [Gizmodo]

”Only a person with zero friends would want to bother with file sharing. Which is why we can now say that the RIAA is the world’s leading promoter of friendship!” [Philip Greenspun Weblog]

Dan Gillmor points at the flood of subpoenas coming from the RIAA and its members. They want to find people who might be guilty of violating the copyright laws of the USA.

Dan’s not happy about the RIAA’s insistence that the law be enforced. Then, in an amazing turnabout, the end of his entry suggests doing business with companies that are not members of RIAA or doing business with artists directly.

I could so easily be mistaken, but here’s what I believe to be true. We have a copyright law in this country that protects the creative work of artists and those they designate to produce, promote and market their music. If that law needs to be altered we have a process for doing that.

If someone wants to produce creative works which are not protected by copyright law, they can do that.

I don’t like legal wrangling of any sort. I don’t like fine print. It’s terribly unsettling that we’ve become a nation of endless laws, litigation and feuding. Yet, the RIAA can use the course they’ve chosen. We can then decide – each one on his own – to patronize members of RIAA or not. I hope that’s what Dan is suggesting.

Ridiculous audiophile excesses could easily creep into my nature. For years I’ve been fascinated with the notion of trying to reproduce the sound quality of a live concert in a home audio system.

In the world I’m talking about wires that lead to speakers are as big as garden hoses. Amplifiers for such a system weigh several hundred pounds. Turntable, tonearm and cartridge combinations can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

It is truly excess. It’s obscene excess. It can be wonderful.

Fortune’s Small Business (FSB) magazine has done an in-depth report on a manufacturer of the ultimate stereo speakers in the home audio industry. Some models range as high as $225,000 a pair with rumors of a $300, 000 product on the way.

Take a look at the article, then visit the Wilson Audio site. There is simply no way to rationalize, justify or explain yourself if you have this much invested in creature comforts, but it surely is fun to listen to somebody else’s excesses!