] The Classical Archives is the largest classical music site on the web:
] 31,805 full length classical music files by 2,067 composers.

Nice resource! Free users can access 5 files/day. Subscribers ($25/year) can download 1000 files/month.

Classical Music Archives

As some of you know, I'm on the Online Games Committee of the International Game Developers Association. One of our projects is that we release White Papers on the state of the industry every so often. Our newest White Paper just went live, and it's focused on my own corner of the industry -- Persistent State Worlds. I'm listed as "Editor in Chief" on this one, which means that I was one of the volunteer editors who pulled in contributions from many different individuals, and tried to massage the whole thing into something that has at least a superficial appearance of looking somewhat consistent and professional. ;)

The Paper is about 80 pages long, and gives general "developer to developer" advice about my industry, covering everything from a quick overview of major products, to design considerations on multiplayer gameplay and dealing with online communities, to technical considerations, to some stats about the international marketplace, including the rapidly-growing Asian market.

The official announcement about the White Paper's release hasn't gone out yet, but the paper is up now on the IGDA website. It's a free download, if anyone wants to take a look.

Elonka :)

IGDA State of the Industry - Persistent State Worlds White Paper

Because of my day job, I frequently get asked questions like, "How do I get a job as a game designer?" or "I have an idea for a game, how do I sell it?" or "What do I need to learn about to write a good game?"

This page has excellent answers to a lot of those questions.

GameDev.net - The Getting Started Guide to Game Development FAQ

] LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Kelly Freas, an
] influential illustrator who produced sleek, stirring
] images for science fiction and fantasy books and helped
] shape the image of Mad magazine mascot Alfred E. Newman,
] has died. He was 82.
 . . .
] In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Freas
] illustrated the covers or the pages of books by writers
] including Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C.
] Clarke, A.E. Van Vogt, Poul Anderson and Frederik Pohl.

I met Freas a few years ago, at one of the conventions where I was speaking, and put him in touch with the staff at Dragon*Con so he could be invited to be a guest of honor there as well (I think in 2001).

He was an amazing talent. When I was a kid and reading back issues of Analog and Astounding magazine, it was one of his drawings that made me finally ask myself, "Wow, that's an amazing picture, I wonder who drew that?" Then once I knew his name and went looking, I found that he'd created many of the other book and magazine covers that I loved.

It was an honor to meet him, and I am very sorry to hear of his passing.

More information about him can be found here, at the Dragon*Con bio site: http://dragoncon.org/people/freasf.html

And a page with some samples of his art can be found here: http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/freas.htm

Mad magazine, sci-fi artist Kelly Freas passes away - Jan 3, 2005

] The musicians are demanding that the symphony dip into
] its donation-fattened endowment to give them raises.
] Management refuses, insisting that the fund be left
] intact to ensure the 125-year-old symphony never again
] faces bankruptcy.
]
] The impasse here is a reflection of the immense strains
] threatening orchestras across the nation.
]
] Intense and often divisive contract negotiations consumed
] three of the nation's top orchestras last fall: Chicago,
] Cleveland and Philadelphia. All were settled without
] strikes. But analysts say they and many smaller groups
] are struggling. In response, management has asked
] musicians to change the way they work.
]
] Contracts that traditionally set rigid limits on
] rehearsal times and performance dates have been amended
] so orchestras can reach out to new audiences.
]
] And in this year's contract negotiations, musicians in
] both Chicago and Philadelphia agreed to cut a few
] full-time positions - a painful concession in the
] classical music world, where hundreds of musicians might
] audition for a single open seat.
 . . .
] The musicians say they won't play until they have a new contract.
] Adams says he won't negotiate until they resume performances.
] Ticket holders who looked forward to a winter full of Mozart and
] Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky will have to be satisfied with
] recorded CDs.

Looks like the strike at my local St. Louis Symphony is indicative of a larger nationwide problem.

Los Angeles Times: Top Orchestras Face Tough Contract Talks

] A pay dispute in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has
] cancelled performances and the musicians are standing
] outdoors in picket lines. The musicians say they were
] locked out after they rejected a contract offer from the
] symphony earlier this week. Symphony officials dispute
] that.

(sigh) No Mozart for me this weekend. :/

NPR : St. Louis Orchestra on Strike over Pay

] Mozart wrote only one sonata for two pianos, the Sonata
] in D Major K. 448/375a, of which Alfred Einstein was to
] write that "not a single shadow darkens its cheerful
] character. The artistry of balance and dialogue between
] the two pianos, the delicacy of the figuration, the sense
] of texture in blending and exploiting the registers of
] the instrument are all of such supreme mastery that the
] seemingly 'superficial' and enthralling composition
] becomes one of the most profound and mature Mozart ever
] wrote."

I'm still in the process of importing my entire music library to iTunes. Along the way, I'm listening to a bunch of music that I own, but hadn't listened to in years. One of the pieces, this Mozart Sonata, immediately (pardon the pun) struck a chord with me, and I can't get enough of it right now.

Listening to it on CD is fine and good, but I'm also trying to figure out if there might be some place within a day's drive where I could hear this live. Unfortunately, I can't figure out where I might track down that kind of information (a live performance of that particular sonata within a day's drive of St. Louis).

Anyone have suggestions?

Mozart's Piano Sonata in D Major for Two Pianos

] The Internet Archive is building a digital library of
] Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital
] form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to
] researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public

VERY cool resource. I can type in any URL, see how it's changed over time, and retrieve old URLs that have since gone offline if I want to mirror them.

Try typing www.memestreams.net into it, and see the early homepage. :)

The Cure for Web Rot - The Internet Archive

] He addressed subjects considered unthinkable in comic
] books and rarely seen at the time in newspaper comics:
] spousal abuse, tax audits, urban blight and graft.
]
] In 1940, he created a weekly newspaper supplement titled
] "The Spirit," which at its height had a circulation of 5
] million in 20 Sunday newspapers. The supplement consisted
] of a comic book with three self-contained stories, and
] "The Spirit" became the most popular.

I don't read a lot of comic books myself, but since it's peripheral to my own industry, I try to stay informed. Will Eisner's name was one that came up often as one of the true greats of the genre. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.

Comic book legend Will Eisner dead - Jan 4, 2005

] Be our guest! Be our guest!
] Put our service to the test
] Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie
] And we'll provide the rest
]
] Soup du jour
] Hot hors d'oeuvres
] Why, we only live to serve

] Try the grey stuff
] It's delicious
] Don't believe me? Ask the dishes
] They can sing, they can dance
] After all, Miss, this is France
] And a dinner here is never second best
] Go on, unfold your menu
] Take a glance and then you'll
] Be our guest
] Oui, our guest
] Be our guest!

I've been listening to this song nearly every day since I got the news about Jerry Orbach. :/

'Beauty and the Beast' Lyrics - Be Our Guest