ken_cleanairsystems's recent activity
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Comment on Harmony in ~music
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Comment on Harmony in ~music
ken_cleanairsystems LinkFollowing on from toshi's post, here's a little variety of things: Thomas Tallis - Spem in Alium -- from the Renaissance period, a choral piece written for 40 voices. This is just a single...Following on from toshi's post, here's a little variety of things:
- Thomas Tallis - Spem in Alium -- from the Renaissance period, a choral piece written for 40 voices. This is just a single example; for my tastes, pretty much any Tallis is worth listening to.
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Missa Papae Marcelli -- As with Tallis, I think you can't go wrong with any Palestrina.
- Gregorio Allegri - Miserere mei, Deus -- a Baroque piece that's "stylistically conservative" so it has a lot in common with Renaissance styles. It's repetitive and not nearly as complex as the Tallis (for example), but I find it positively transcendental. I saw a live performance several years ago and would have been happy if it just repeated forever.
- Sergei Rachmaninoff - Divine Liturgy, Op. 31, Mvt. 18, "Let Our Mouths Be Filled -- There's a ton of beautiful Russian sacred choral music out there. This is just a sample that I'm partial to, as one of the many voices in this particular recording is mine.
- Robert Schumann - An Die Sterne -- Schumann is probably not best known for his choral music, but this is a gorgeous song for double choir, full of longing.
- Blind Boys of Alabama - Amazing Grace (House of the Rising Sun) -- an interesting arrangement of a traditional spiritual.
- Carbon Leaf - Gloryland -- made famous by Ralph Stanley.
- Great Big Dea - Old Brown's Daughter -- There are quite a few good examples from Great Big Sea that I could have picked, but this one is probably less known than some other others.
I'd love to know if you like any of these!
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Comment on Taskmaster NZ | Series 1 complete playlist in ~tv
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentThey actually have four!They actually have four!
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Comment on Tourist destinations that are more than just a nice view? in ~travel
ken_cleanairsystems Link Parent"Not craft" is perfectly fine -- and a particularly good alc free one is definitely of interest. Thanks for the tip!"Not craft" is perfectly fine -- and a particularly good alc free one is definitely of interest. Thanks for the tip!
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Comment on Looking for book suggestions in ~books
ken_cleanairsystems LinkHave you read any Clive Barker? I'm usally not into horror but I really like Barker. IMO, Weaveworld is a good one to start with. He has some short story collections and some YA novels if you'd...Have you read any Clive Barker? I'm usally not into horror but I really like Barker. IMO, Weaveworld is a good one to start with. He has some short story collections and some YA novels if you'd like to ease in from either of those directions, too.
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Comment on Tourist destinations that are more than just a nice view? in ~travel
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentOh, this is very timely information for me, as I'll be visiting Hamburg for the first time in a couple months. Really looking forward to it. Would you say that Hamburg has a signature beer style?Oh, this is very timely information for me, as I'll be visiting Hamburg for the first time in a couple months. Really looking forward to it.
Would you say that Hamburg has a signature beer style?
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Comment on Tourist destinations that are more than just a nice view? in ~travel
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentSpeaking of some of the oldest cities in North America and cities that feel very different than the rest of the continent, let me stump a bit for St. John's, Newfoundland. It's beautiful and...Speaking of some of the oldest cities in North America and cities that feel very different than the rest of the continent, let me stump a bit for St. John's, Newfoundland. It's beautiful and extremely friendly, and Newfoundland is a unique place in a bunch of different ways.
For a "big city", it's quite small, so while it has its share of "city" things to do, it's easy to get out and see the countryside and/or some of the nearby smaller communities. If you go in the summer, take a whale or birdwatching boat excursion (some of them are one and the same). During other parts of the year, some of the same boat tour outfits do iceberg excursions.
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Comment on What are some foods you really like, from countries not well known for great cuisine? in ~food
ken_cleanairsystems LinkUK: Beans on toast -- always thought it sounded a little gross, but turns out I love it. Georgia: Khachapuri Finland: Karelian pie/pasty Columbia, Venezuela, and other South American countries:...- UK: Beans on toast -- always thought it sounded a little gross, but turns out I love it.
- Georgia: Khachapuri
- Finland: Karelian pie/pasty
- Columbia, Venezuela, and other South American countries: arepas
- El Salvador and Honduras: pupusas
- Newfoundland, Canada: fish and brewis
- Korea: mul naengmyeon
(I'm from the US.)
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Comment on Please suggest me some books from past decades and centuries that are not widely known classics but you value and would like people to discover in ~books
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentIt is surprisingly funny. I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I started it, but I enjoyed it, too.It is surprisingly funny. I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I started it, but I enjoyed it, too.
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Comment on Please suggest me some books from past decades and centuries that are not widely known classics but you value and would like people to discover in ~books
ken_cleanairsystems LinkI really enjoyed Maurice Druon's The Accursed Kings series. George R.R. Martin wrote the forward to the (recent) English version and says that it served as an inspiration for A Song of Ice and...I really enjoyed Maurice Druon's The Accursed Kings series. George R.R. Martin wrote the forward to the (recent) English version and says that it served as an inspiration for A Song of Ice and Fire. I haven't actually read any Martin because I don't want to dive into a series I don't really believe will ever be finished, but I ripped through The Accursed Kings like wildfire.
Gore Vidal's Julian is another historical fiction work that I liked a lot.
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Comment on Did you feel ready to have kids? in ~talk
ken_cleanairsystems LinkNot only did I never feel ready, but I never felt an active desire to have children. I never particularly enjoyed the company of children -- even when I was a child myself -- and never found...Not only did I never feel ready, but I never felt an active desire to have children. I never particularly enjoyed the company of children -- even when I was a child myself -- and never found babies all that appealing. I assumed that all that would change someday, but it never did, so I got my tubes tied (there were other reasons as well, of course). That was over 20 years ago, and I'm more and more glad every year.
I know everyone's "decision matrix" is different, but, to me, after doing a bunch of reading and years of thinking about it, it didn't feel like enough to think, "Okay, I think I'd like to have kids" (and I never even reached that point anyway). I started to ask myself whether I specifically wanted to be a parent, wanted to have a baby and then young child around 24 hours a day, could deal with a a child growing into a person who didn't share my and my spouse's values -- lots of stuff like that.
A really common argument I heard then and see around a lot (but, fortunately, not directed at me anymore) is that you'll regret it if you don't have kids. That could have been true, but that never seemed like a compelling reason because it can go both ways. What if I had kids and regretted it? Wouldn't that be worse? Dealing with my own regret would be one thing; dealing with the effects my regret would have on a child -- the cause of the regret -- seemed so much worse.
Anyway, I don't actually mean to try to sway you one way or the other. I just wanted to explain what went into my (our) decision.
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Comment on Electric vehicle owners are fed up with charging stations that lack a single amenity — I had to pee in a bush in ~transport
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentWell, the "nothing around, not even a trash can or walkable bathroom" problem is one I've tended to run into in more rural areas or small cities -- not exactly a Bay Area sort of place.Well, the "nothing around, not even a trash can or walkable bathroom" problem is one I've tended to run into in more rural areas or small cities -- not exactly a Bay Area sort of place.
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Comment on Electric vehicle owners are fed up with charging stations that lack a single amenity — I had to pee in a bush in ~transport
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentOMG, yes. I can't even count how many times I've been sitting in some barren parking lot and remarked that even a tiny, shitty little coffee kiosk would be welcome. What about coin-operated...I’ve been thinking of starting a food cart business just because it seems like a perfect captive audience.
OMG, yes. I can't even count how many times I've been sitting in some barren parking lot and remarked that even a tiny, shitty little coffee kiosk would be welcome. What about coin-operated port-a-potties?
If absolutely nothing else, every charging stop should have a trash can.
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Comment on When did you realize you were different? in ~talk
ken_cleanairsystems LinkI've always known. I'm not white and was adopted as an infant by white parents. I also was the first foreign adoption in the area I grew up. Needless to say, it was always extremely obvious.I've always known. I'm not white and was adopted as an infant by white parents. I also was the first foreign adoption in the area I grew up. Needless to say, it was always extremely obvious.
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Comment on Anti-abortion activists, including one who kept fetuses, convicted of illegally blocking a reproductive clinic in Washington, DC in ~health
ken_cleanairsystems (edited )Link ParentI'll also trot out the age-old argument about taking care of these so-called lives before birth (aside from the abortion question) and taking care of the children after birth. If the people...I'll also trot out the age-old argument about taking care of these so-called lives before birth (aside from the abortion question) and taking care of the children after birth. If the people equating abortion to child murder really cared about the welfare of these (so-called) children, it would seem to follow that they'd care about the health and well-being of the mother during pregnancy and would advocate for comprehensive care after birth.
Or, to put it tautologically, if you cared about children, you'd care about children.
(Edit: grammar.)
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Comment on Book recommendations: Psychology topics in ~books
ken_cleanairsystems LinkI can also heartily recommend The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (and, really, about anything by Oliver Sacks) and Devon Price's Unmasking Autism. Another book about brain functioning and...I can also heartily recommend The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (and, really, about anything by Oliver Sacks) and Devon Price's Unmasking Autism.
Another book about brain functioning and neuroplasticity that I really enjoyed was Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran.
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Comment on Former US President Donald Trump's televised trial could rival Super Bowl viewership in ~tv
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentIn general, "The Squad" in the House of Representatives is a promising group of young, left-wing Democrats. However, since they're all visible minorities in one way or other (women and/or...In general, "The Squad" in the House of Representatives is a promising group of young, left-wing Democrats. However, since they're all visible minorities in one way or other (women and/or non-White), their leadership path is difficult.
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Comment on How do I keep myself sane while trying to find a WFH job? in ~life
ken_cleanairsystems LinkI found my current job on WeWorkRemotely.com, which seemed (when I was looking, about 4.5 years ago) like it had a much better signal:noise ratio than most other sites.I found my current job on WeWorkRemotely.com, which seemed (when I was looking, about 4.5 years ago) like it had a much better signal:noise ratio than most other sites.
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Comment on Do you have favorite lighthearted or silly songs? in ~music
ken_cleanairsystems LinkI like a lot of silly/lighthearted music, like basically anything from Monty Python, any Cartoon Planet/Space Ghost songs featuring Brak, any of the MST3K songs (a favorite there might be "He...I like a lot of silly/lighthearted music, like basically anything from Monty Python, any Cartoon Planet/Space Ghost songs featuring Brak, any of the MST3K songs (a favorite there might be "He Tried to Kill Me with a Forklift") -- but a mostly-forgotten one that always makes me laugh is Eddie Murphy's "Boogie in Your Butt".
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Comment on Want employees to return to the office? Then give each one an office. in ~life
ken_cleanairsystems Link ParentThis is a debugging strategy I'm... not familiar with.pee-emptively fixed
This is a debugging strategy I'm... not familiar with.
I glad to hear that!
If you want to hear more Russian early-modern sacred music, there are a number of arrangements of the "All-Night Vigil" that are worth listening to (IMO). The Rachmaninoff I linked above is an excerpt from his setting, and Tchaikovsky has a famous one, too. Then there are settings by less famous composers like Kastalsky, Chesnokov, and Grechaninov. Out of those, I'm probably most familiar with Rachmaninoff's and Kastalsky's.