- How Will A.I. Really Change Art? Part One
- At The Movies: Cromwell (1970) And The Nature Of Violent Revolutions
- How To Find The Perfect Headphones - Part 1
- The National instrument of Madagascar
How Will A.I. Really Change Art? Part One
Note: This was hoping to be another Vella nonfiction book but I decided to run a few of the pieces here then continue it in the Subscriber section.
The legal battles raging between Hollywood and upper-level writers and artists are a different battle than what you and I are probably concerned with.
Whether or not they get compensation isn't going to benefit most of the artistic community selling stuff on Etsy or eBay, indie music, etc.
For example, do you want a new front room? Don't hire a designer; have the A.I. program give you hundreds of ideas within the budget and where to get the items (or even order for you).
Are you a young filmmaker who needs a soundtrack? Just feed the program your script (written by A.I.) and have it create the perfect music.
Now the Talking Heads of Tech will thump their chests and proclaim that the software will have proper safeguards, and only regulated copies will be allowed, abuse will be minimal, and so on. This is the type of spin we all heard when people had concerns about online banking.
The legal issues will be straightened out, mainstream companies will follow the law, and copyright issues will be settled, at least to the satisfaction of businesses and the upper tier of artists.
Even upper-tier artists who get compensated will find that their audiences might shrink once people can have A.I. give them similar art.
Most of the art we buy is street level. Most of us can't afford Picassos or have Taylor Swift sing at a wedding. You have a budget, and there's generally an artist that can do the job.
Aspiring artists need these levels. That's where all of them get their start on the way to hopefully becoming a star.
So far, much of the press has been from analyst opinions, artists, and A.I. companies. The opinion that counts is those of future customers. What do they think about A.I., and what would they do with it?
The opinion leaders have put out a lot of speculation and scare stories about killer bots. Still, some smarter ones say the uncomfortable truth: that the customers will replace human beings. Not maybe, but as soon as the A.I. can do it.
As far as the good?
Despite complaints about spell and grammar checks, writers have benefitted from it at the expense of editing companies.
Almost all indie book covers are designed by artists using software that automates design and execution at the expense of artists who work on canvas and paper.
Indies use a variety of software to create and distribute art and market it at the expense of many designers, copywriters, sound engineers, producers, and so on.
Or...would these Indies even exist if they had to pay that considerable support structure?
We know the harm A.I. can do to the art community. The question is, will it create the same opportunity it did for Indies in the last few years?
In other words, can it lead to an explosion of new artists like Indie writers after Amazon KDP and software made it possible to become a published writer without the expensive approval and support structure?
Is what we think is art changing, and is A.I. part of that?
I've said in past blog entries that technology drives much of the change in art. I'm hardly the first and won't be the last to say it.
Rock and roll would have been different without electric guitars, as with the 80s without electronic keyboards and synthesizers. Those instruments allowed artists to create new sounds, primarily for young, upcoming artists.
In other words, is the fight over A.I. actually a struggle by old-school artists and sensibilities about change? Is A.I. a new technology that will be embraced by a young generation already going full blast on social media, and will it be their electric guitar or home computer?
I have ideas about that and will discuss them in part 2.
At The Movies: Cromwell (1970) And The Nature Of Violent Revolutions
The Coronation of King Charles was a joyous occasion for Monarchists and, indeed, for those who long for the days when the nobility is abolished and rank properly determined by levels of wealth like in the United States.
Such festivities give anti-monarchists a voice in the English media who love everything royalty, especially if they smell blood. Thanks to social media, new stars are born, like Penny Mordaunt, a Tory Boudica in the Coronation ceremony who wore an outfit that even wowed some in the Labour Party. Talk about a bridge between parties!
I'm oversimplifying, of course, but my description is adequate for the purposes of this essay.
The movie "Cromwell," starring Richard Harris and Alec Guinness, was on movie sites, and being in a festive Royal mood, I watched it. Most reviewers rate it as inaccurate and so-so, which makes it like 99% of historical films. It was about the English Civil War between the King and Parliament in 1642.
I enjoy watching English actors chewing up the scenery in historical costumes, so whether critics like it or not is irrelevant.
To an American who's puzzled as to why Britain still has a monarch, reading about the rise and fall of Cromwell explains it. What happened (sorta) in the movie is why most Western Countries keep the military under civilian control.
Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan Squire who became the leader of the Parliamentary Army, known as "The New Model," who defeated the King's forces and became Dictator. His tenure was so unpopular that England restored the Monarchy after his death.
Scholars and intellectuals cite Cromwell as why the Military or Church should never run a country. It also illustrates a point about revolutions, which are generally seen as a glamorous fight against oppression.
Violent revolutionaries often destroy the system they're trying to protect or restore. It doesn't matter if they claim it's about freedom; the new reality is that power is up for grabs (i.e., might make right).
That's why many revolutionary governments become oppressors. If they can do it, so can anyone else. The French and Russian revolutions ended up with an Emperor or Dictator to consolidate power.
You see the change from revolution to military rule in the movie (though it's whitewashed). Cromwell, played by Richard Harris, becomes exasperated by Parliament, which keeps extending its term of office (Congress would love that), and uses the Army to impose what he thinks is the original aim of the revolution.
The English Civil War was about ending the King's power, but as the movie shows, a violent revolution can lose its way when there's only one rule: force.
Regarding the movie, there's only one rule; is it entertaining? In my case, I've seen it several times. The facts are slightly off, but the look and feel are spot on.
-Al Handa 5/11/23
How To Find The Perfect Headphones - Part 1
Sample description: The right pair of headphones will enrich your musical listening experience and lead to endless rediscovery of heretofore buried joy in your beloved music collection.
As you can see, reviews aren't just reviews. You must consider who the writer is, what they know, their agenda, and from what personal experience the information comes from (if any).
This guide should be useful for finding the right pair of headphones. It may just cause more confusion, but if so, as a dedicated Blogger, you can trust that I'll feel bad about it and not remind people that there's a First Amendment.
I think the best way to present this with the least amount of words is as a step-by-step guide.
Step One: Decide how much you want to spend. There's good stuff in every price range, so stick to your budget.
The headphones companies just want your money and happily provide gear at every price tier, complete with experts saying it's "great for the price" or "an unbelievable value."
For example, let's say your budget is ten dollars. No need to be embarrassed about such a small amount, even in America. My backpack spare is a cheap 15.00 set purchased during a Christmas Sale for 9.99.
A spare might be unnecessary if a two-hundred-dollar set gets lost or stolen. People rarely feel like popping in a cheap backup after such a loss. I would, but I'm a music nut.
Your spare should actually be the set taken outside, but there are compelling reasons for having premium cans on your ears while on the go.
That leads to Step Two: Get new headphones designed for the intended use or environment. If you're only going to listen at home while sitting in a chair, forget Bluetooth or any wireless.
Wired headphones outperform wireless in every price range, and that's the only way to go in the recording studio.
The reason is that music is sorta kinda maybe analog information transferred to digital and has to travel a path to your earphones. A cable transmits the data best as it has the more bandwidth than a wireless signal.
That said, let's say you want headphones for on-the-go activities; then wireless is an option. You'll give up some sound quality, but that happens once you leave the chair.
Street traffic sounds, for example, are in a frequency range that'll make the midrange and top end disappear and the music can sound tinny. In other words, outside sounds become part of the music.
You can sorta get around that by turning up the volume or wearing a tighter set (or earbuds that block more noise out), but overall music will still sound harsh or thin. That won’t be a problem with audiobooks, of course.
Street sounds can be overpowered by cranking up, the ear space mechanically isolated with tighter cans (the part over your ear), or electronically with noise canceling, but safety comes into play. You can become unaware of your surroundings.
But before you do step two, there's one major factor you have to consider: headphones are conduits that deliver the sound that hardware and software produce.
If you don't look at that factor first, there's a chance you'll buy more headphone capability than you need. In fact, the right software can make your old headset sound like a more expensive model.
It's not like the 90s; in 2023, even an inexpensive phone or mp3 player can deliver at least 75% of the desired sound quality if correctly set up.
I'll cover that in part 2.
The National instrument of Madagascar
About a month ago, I stopped by an antique store to check out its book section and spotted a Madagascar Valiah on a table with other items.
The Valiah is considered the national instrument of that African island and is generally described as a zither built around a bamboo tube (see the attached picture). However, it's played like a harp or lyre, so calling it a zither isn't accurate (to me, anyway).
I could tell it was an economy model, but it was intact and playable, and I was always in the market for one, so after some haggling became the harp's new owner.
These things are pretty cool looking, so somebody probably would have bought it for a display, but I feel that even the cheapest instrument deserves to be played, not hung on a wall.
I'll need to replace the little bridge pieces with better quality wood, at least banjo grade, but other than that, it's ready to go.
I recently uploaded a video short for "Madagascar Summer," it's one of three African numbers that Handa-McGraw International has recorded.
The Madagascar number is one of the most personal because African music drew me back into playing music after spending most of the 80s and 90s writing.
I took a chance on a record by a Madagascar artist named D'Gary and was impressed with his guitar playing. Oddly enough, the first instruments in my new collection were percussion, but I got an old friend, Mark McGraw, to work up a guitar part that was in D'Gary's style and became the Madagascar Summer instrumental.
Justin Vali was another artist from that island, and his specialty was the Valiah and the larger rectangle-shaped Box Harp. I've always liked the various styles of harp music, so his music was an instant hit with me.
That's why I immediately recognized the Valiah in the store (but acted dumb; otherwise, the price would have been less flexible) and made it a point to get it.
I'll probably never see Madagascar, but musically, I've visited it several times, and I'm sure my new Valiah will take me back there again.
Here's a link to one of many Valiah videos on YouTube. Also, check out D'Gary and Justin Vali. I'll do a piece on Madagascar music sometime in the future, but those two are good examples of that genre.
"Liva's Valiha / Ilay tany nihaviana (Feom-baliha)"
youtu.be/fH6nihLmF7I
