Tom Roper's Weblog

Plumpton

A visit to Plumpton today, so here, for posterity, are my selections
200: Harrycat
230: City Affair
300: Calvic (my one winner of the day0
330: Peddars Way (had a nasty fall, I hope OK)
400: Capitana
430: Mondul (but my daughther Jo had the winner, Greenhope)
500: Mrs Fizziwig

Newbury and Gowran Park

Today's kick at the cat:
150 Gowran Park: Rathgar Beau
225 Newbury: Valley Henry
250 Gowran Park: Hardy Eustace
300 Newbury: Tiger Cry
335 Newbury: Well Chief

Shrove Tuesday

Pancakes

Michael Bywater's Lost Worlds

Michael Bywater's Lost Worlds: What Have We Lost and Where Did It Go? is a splendid book, with the finest index I have seen for a long time. I am tempted to nominate it for this year's Wheatley Medal, CILIP's award, jointly with the Society of Indexes, for the best index.
Some examples:

Onan, the sin of

as cause of brain strain, 109
paradoxical effects on paternity, 74-75
patent device for committing in lap dancing clubs, 150

patients

empathy with, potentially dreadful for doctors, 117
good versus weak, 29

steam

the palpable virility of, 174
scented, 45
trains,  similarity to stockings,  234

 

Sandown selections

215 Rooster Booster
250 Lacdoudal
325 Fountain Hill
400 Lou du Moulin Mas

And the Six Nations starts today.Corals give 7/4 for an England win.

Two iPods?

Two iPods? I understand, Scott, though I've only had mine since Christmas, but can already see the need. I came to it from a much more impoverished background than Scott, as I never had a portable CD-player.
It has indeed, as Scott says more eloquently, changed the way I respond to music I know well, given me new insights and made me listen to unjustly neglected stuff. Scott juxtaposes Dylan, Wagner and Coltrane; my favourites are the 48 prelude and fugues of Das Wohltemperierte Clavier which I have in a recording played by Davitt Moroney and which fit ideally and serendipitously with all other sorts of music, never failing to surprise and excite.
See this on Wired: Wired News: Hide Your IPod, Here Comes Bill.
And see also last Sunday's lebrecht.live on Radio 3.

More on Audioscrobbler and LastFM

I can now offer my personal radio and my profile radio to the world, thanks to LastFM; the distinction is that the personal radio plays things from my iTunes playlist, the profile one plays things from playlists by people who are supposed to have similar tastes (cum grano salo I would suggest, today it tried to suggest that I might enjoy Led Zeppelin and Frank Sinatra's reading of White Christmas but I dare say it will learn). You'll need to register.

Scientific Publications: Free for all?

It's out:  House of Commons - Science and Technology - Third Special Report.