Inspired by Instapaper and Readabililty, I wrote two minimal styles for Sage this morning. There are two versions available:

• Download Minimal Sans-Serif style for Sage
• Download Minimal Serif style for Sage

Update: Netbook version

Researchers think that the condition of our offices and bedrooms says a lot about our political philosophies. Their findings show that people with messy rooms tend to lean left, and conservatives are often neat freaks.

According to a controversial new study, set to be published in The Journal of Political Psychology, the bedrooms and offices of liberals, who are generally thought of as open, tend to be colorful and awash in books about travel, ethnicity, feminism and music, along with music CDs covering folk, classic and modern rock, as well as art supplies, movie tickets and travel memorabilia.

Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to surround themselves with calendars, postage stamps, laundry baskets, irons and sewing materials in their personal spaces, according to the study. Their bedrooms and offices are well-lighted and decorated with sports paraphernalia and flags—especially American ones.

I was familiar with Georges Boulanger as the composer of several interesting pieces performed by some of my favorite fiddlers, ie. Roby Lakatos and Abram Shtern. But I was unaware that Boulanger was an accomplished violinist himself, who studied with renowned pedagogue Leopold Auer. I have gathered several examples of Boulanger’s playing below, which I hope fellow violinophiles will enjoy.

Ann Richards’ Keynote Address to the Democratic National Convention in 1988.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Buenas noches, mis amigos! I am delighted to be here with you this evening, because after listening to George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like.

This evening I was thrilled to discover a new website dedicated to one of my musical heroes, Henryk Szeryng. The website, which is managed by the estate of Henryk Szeryng, contains a biography, video excerpts, and photographs of the artist. Szeryng was born in Poland, and during the early 1940s he accompanied the Polish prime minister to Mexico to seek amnesty for 4,000 refugees. Szeryng himself settled in Mexico City, where he focused on teaching for over a decade before resuming his solo career in 1954.

Years ago, I delivered sandwiches by foot in downtown Austin for Thundercloud. There were a few buildings I loved walking into, but the Brown building was perhaps the coolest of them all. Here are a few photos of the interior at Apartment Therapy. It’s nice to see the building made it onto the National Register of Historic Places (before being converted into loft space.)

YouTube user dkurgano aims to upload all his recordings of Toscha Seidel (along with accompanying photographs) to YouTube. There are about a dozen clips so far with the promise of more to come. This will be a great resource for violinists and those who enjoy musicianship of the highest quality, as most of Seidel’s recordings are out of print and difficult to obtain.

This old Franz electric metronome was an early birthday gift from Michelle. Thanks! Now I might actually look forward to studying Carl Flesch.

Johnston HS to reopen as Eastside Memorial High School.

Wednesday a new sign reading Eastside Memorial High School went up and covered the old Johnston sign. Five hundred students so far are enrolled in the new school on the old campus. Members of the faculty, students, and parents attended the ceremony, which was set to music from the marching band.

The cultural geography of the United States.

Passage from Adagio in E Major, K. 261. Molto giocoso, caro Mozart.

Dear Brian,

I think it’s time you began specifying alt attributes for images and closing your elements.

Thanks,
The Internet

I found a nice collection of Fritz Kreisler 78 RPM recordings, some I had never heard before, including “Lotus Land” op. 47 No 1 by Cyril Scott and “On Miami Shore” by Victor Jacobi.

Second Line Social is a new music blog featuring scans and mp3s of choice 45 RPM records.

“I’m taking my record blog off of the MySpace and going to do it here now, independent of all the spammers and lurkers. I’ll be scanning, ripping and sharing my newest and favorite 45′s and even attempt to comment on some of them.”