The Emotional Range of a Teaspoon

Soundtrack - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - Aphex Twin

This is the stand-out in Ambient Albums. I'm not sure how much I believe about the instruments being homemade; they sound too much like other things I have heard but that may be the "sound of electronics". I did once try to link an Oric computer to a very early (and cheap) BOSS drum Machine - a DR-110 which had a terrible sound when untreated but became quite "ambient" if you used a bit of reverb. I was quite pleased that I could string a number of user-defined fixed length, 8 beat bars together to make a 5/4 time pattern so I could do a techno version of Take Five which is probably not very credible in any musical community these days. I gave all my drum-machines and keyboards away when we moved house but I aim to get one keyboard and link it to the computer. One day I may get a second-hand computer and have it set up permanently with an amp and a keyboard. After all I did manage to get the Playable Pi music working and something like Change Ringing. I must try and understand "hunting" and get a proper plain bob going. How did we get from the Aphex Twin to Bell Ringing?

It still amazes me, that all this information travels back and forth along the tiniest of connections to this laptop. I basically have the whole world accessible from this keyboard. Anything I want to find out about, any opinion any picture. So much of the internet is taken for granted just like all the techno toys which have come before it. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'' indeed. I like to be able to understand the technology I use. We seem to be becoming so distanced from how things actually work, that we are in danger of falling into a totalitarian state by default. Most people don't understand how Government works and therefore accept its pronouncements in all cases except where it has a major impact on their wallet. "It is fine for the Government to read my email as long as they don't tax me too much". Moral considerations don't seem to make it onto most people's radar these days. I should stop this. I berate my wife for Luddism (Not Laddism which is prejudice against small boys with Jumpers for Goalposts) but I suppose I am just as guilty with all this rant about lack of morals. Oh no! Where is the address for the telegraph and how can I find an Anger Management course in Tunbridge Wells. Why Are so many people angry in Tunbridge Wells? I have just seen the picture and it is in danger of going "bland" like all the other market towns - see BBC article about ... er ... bland market towns. Anyway, I am not that angry all the time.

Go see some pictures of Malvern to offset the blandness of Tunbridge Wells. All complains from Tunbridge Wellites to rdeweyden@hotmail.com.