Boss Radio 66 DJ Tom Hanks popped up on Jeopardy! a couple of days ago.
Beatles Rotator
I recently played my big sister’s original American copy of the 1966 Beatles album Revolver.* It’s in mono, and I was surprised by how good it sounds, considering the damage it endured. Here’s ‘Good Day Sunshine’.
Monitoring the playback with Audacity, I was impressed with how dynamic the sound is. There’s no compression going on here.
For comparison, here is the official online copy of the song.
Looking at the peaks, some loudness compression was apparently added to the recording. The 2009 mono Beatles set reportedly was transferred from the master tapes with dynamic range left intact, so perhaps this is a YouTube effect.
Okay, so let’s find out. What about ‘Good Day Sunshine’ when played from the Beatles 2009 CD mono box set? No loudness compression is confirmed.
* A 60-year-old record on a 50-year-old turntable, with a 30-year-old cartridge and a relatively new stylus.
Cover Charge
In 2009, original comic book art dealer Mike “Romitaman” Burkey offered this page to me for only $35,000. It’s the cover to Tales of Suspense #93, the first issue of that title I bought as a kid.
The timing for such an expensive investment wasn’t good, however, as I would soon be facing college expenses. So, I had to decline the offer.
What is the piece worth today? I said “only” $35,000, because on May 8 it sold on Heritage Auctions for $90,625.
Ending the Excursion
Trump has lost his war with Iran, but that’s okay. I’m just glad he decided to “go TACO,” rather than deploying 50,000 troops and turning a “little excursion” into a full-blown ground incursion.
Now, let’s return to the biggest of all wars. Eighty years in the past, yet never far away.
The Color of Wasted Money
There’s no getting rid of the slime. $14.2 million dollars spent for nothing. A fitting allegory for everything in the Trump administration.
Trump Ordered ‘American Flag Blue’ for the Reflecting Pool. It’s Green Again.
Magneto and …
… TITANIUM MAN!
