There's always time for Valentine's Day

It’s six months since Valentine’s Day, but I’m only now getting to the V-Day episode of “All Songs Considered.” But rest assured, this podcast around the theme “Lesser-Known Love Songs” is so good it’ll work any day of the year.

Not only are the song choices eclectic AND superb -- everything from Eric Carmen and Eno to Sam Cooke and The Ramones -- but the warmth among the four NPR contributors exudes its own romance.

Hard to describe further. Just listen for yourself and see if you find yourself smiling too. 

Potter, 10 pages at a time

This is sad. I’m a big Harry Potter fan but find myself reading the seventh book several years after its initial release -- and at only 10 pages a day at that.

Huh, you ask? Exactly.

Not to whine, but I’m a busy and distracted guy. I’m the first to admit I have a short attention span. I love to read, but want to read lots of things every day, starting with three print newspapers then layering on lots of web and  mobile content, tons of magazines, and at least two books at a time (one of which will always be music related).

Anyway, back to Potter. I love J.K. Rowling’s books and the movie adaptations, but it’s only until recently that I’d forced myself to start the seventh and final book in the series. Actually, I’m ahead of schedule in tackling the book, since my normal routine is that as a “Potter” movie nears release, I’ll read the associated book.

This time, however, knowing that the seventh book will be split into two movies -- thus ensuring Daniel Radcliffe will be 32 years old by the time the final scene is cut -- I knew I needed to step up and attack the last novel.

10 pages at a time. At I write this, I have 170 pages to go. So, until Sept. 14, don’t tell me what happens. 

Update on Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 6:30 PM by Logan Molen

OK, just finished the 7th and last book -- ahead of schedule. What a fantastic read, with so many twists and turns and surprises. Real surprises.

And now I understand why the film directors plan to split this book up into two movies. There's so much going on in this book that it makes perfect sense. Of course, Daniel Radcliffe will be 29 when the last movie opens, but, hey, 77-year-old Luke Perry's character was just out of high school when "90210" finally went cold.

"The Social History of the mp3"

Pitchfork has a long take on the 10-year history of the mp3 and raises a thought-provoking question: Will music over the last decade be remembered more for the technology or the music?

I tend to agree with author Erik Harvey in that the technology was the story. Just think past a few short years and marvel at what the mp3 spawned:

• Streaming radio
• Podcasts
• The spread of free music through file-sharing networks like Napster (remember them) and BitTorrent.
• iTunes and the iPod
• Emphasis on singles rather than albums
• Immediate release of music, including tons of live shows, what would have been B-sides and rarities, etc.
• The deterioration of the record labels and the birth of self-sustaining bands.

And that's just music. We're not even touching the side effects that include YouTube, Flickr, etc.

Set aside the debate over the poor quality of mp3s (here's my take), and it's clear that we'll look back on these days at the technology, not Black Eyed Peas