Black Holes and Snowy Mountains

To add to the list of high-tech ways to donate money that have risen to great prominence in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, here’s another. Indie+Relief, a software sale on January 20th in which all proceeds will be donated to relief in Haiti, has a fairly hefty offering.

As always one should take caution when donating to a charity, but I don’t think there’s much to worry about with this one. While there are a number of developers and software companies I haven’t heard of, there are plenty of reputable and well-established ones to match. Delicious Monster and PostBox, Inc. are just a few examples.

The sale is for one day only, January 20th 2010. If you’ve been on the fence about one of the pieces of software being offered, consider buying it and supporting a worthy cause.

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I have been extremely lazy about attending concerts lately, which is sad because concert-going is the best way to experience the genre. Classical music is not only an auditory experience but a visual one as well- I love watching how each musician interacts with their instrument while being able to concentrate on the result of that action at the same time. When I was playing in the various orchestras I’ve been a member of, I remember picking up lots of little nuances from the BSO percussionists as well as my colleagues.
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A new reader inquiry!

Do you (or have you) play an instrument? For how long? When did you start? When did you stop? What do you like/dislike about playing (besides practicing)?

I was a section percussionist from about fourth grade until the end of my senior year in college. I miss playing, and hope to continue some day if I can find the right situation.

Answer in the comments!

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To my pleasant surprise I logged into my Amazon Affiliates homepage today and saw that a few readers had made sales through the site.  Thank you to those who purchased through here!  I’m not really in this to make money; the affiliate links are the only advertisements you’ll find here and are simply a pointer to those who want to follow along or want something to listen to.  That being said, a few sales a month allow the site to break even and lets me know that at least a few people thought what I had to say was compelling.

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The fourth movement rondo of Beethoven’s fourth String Quartet.

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The Minuet and Trio is perhaps the most traditional movement in Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4.

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The second movement scherzo of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4.
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The Quartet we know now as opus 18, #4 was the last opus 18 string quartet to be written. Unique among the opus 18 quartets, no developmental sketches have been found amongst Beethoven’s documents. This leads to the belief that most of the quartet is based on material previously developed elsewhere in Beethoven’s early repertoire.

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The cathartic fourth and final movement of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A Minor.

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The slow movement takes the mood of a processional.
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