And now for something entirely different. Accordion, Vivaldi, and Sand Animation.

Carl Sagan was a man of extraordinary vision — and what is more, a man who helped others to see more clearly. Here’s Sagan’s meditation on that little speck seen in this image taken from a distance of 6.4 billion kms from earth, the place we call home. The image was taken by Voyager 1 (launched 1977) in 1990 on its way out of the solar system. It shows earth as if it were a “mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.” Sagan had persuaded NASA to command the …

One of these days I will get around to replying to some of the comments that do need a response. Now though is time for an open thread. Say what’s on your mind.

Go check out the videos shortlisted for playing at YouTube Play celebration event at the Guggenheim Museum. What’s that?

First of May always reminds me of that song. It is one of my all-time favorite love songs. And like the best love songs, it is exquisitely sad.

The hang drum looks a bit like a flying saucer from some ’60s science fiction B-movie. But it does sound very nice. While the clip is loading, read below the fold about the hang drum.

. . . you and I, our love will never die,
but guess who’ll cry come first of May.
That refrain from the song — First of May — by the Bee Gees always echoes in my mind whenever I hear the words “first of May.” It is a wisftul love song, a song of yearning and longing for a sweet remembered past.

The lyrics of the song are below the fold.

It began with
So ya thought ya
Might like to go to the show.
To feel that warm thrill of confusion,
That space cadet glow.
I’ve got some bad news for you sunshine,
Pink isn’t well, he stayed back at the hotel
And they sent us along as a surrogate band
We’re gonna find out where you folks really stand.

I was there to see Roger Waters perform yesterday at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. He is the creative genius behind the lyrics and much of the music of The Dark Side of the Moon and …

Can it get any better than this? Listening to Rashid Khan sing “sajan bin bawari bha-i ray” in Gorakh Kalyan on a Sunday morning. No, it does not get any better.

The world of technology is magical. There are not enough hours in the day to even begin to scratch the surface of what amazing things that exist today, leave alone what is going to come down the technology cornucopia which is beyond imagination. You do get brief glimpses of tomorrow, occasionally. For instance, check out this Crazy Multi-input Touch Screen video clip. (Wait, don’t click on the link before you read the entire entry.)