Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Explorers Club
No. CCXXXI - The E.N.I.A.C. (Electronic Numeral Integrator And Computer), or "Giant Brain."







As a lad, E.N.I.A.C. was described to me as simply "the world's first computer" & will always remained fixed in my brain as such.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril
King Apparatus, "King Apparatus" from King Apparatus (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: King Apparatus is the most direct inspiration for SKApril, because I was listening to them when the thought passed through my mind, something along the lines of "Sweet fancy Moses, I love ska!" (Wayback Machine.) Thence, 'twas only a matter of time before both the plan & the name o' the plan were formed. I wish that "SKApril" worked when spoken aloud, but it just doesn't. However, it works so well in writing that I dared not even contemplate resisting. SKApril is going to be an annual tradition here at The Secret Base. At first, I didn't know if I'd have enough music not to repeat any bands over the month's thirty days, but as I combed through my catalog I discovered gem after gem, so many that SKApril '12 will feature bands for which there just isn't room in SKApril '11! Fear not, by no means does that mean ska songs won't remain a regular fixture of the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. throughout the other eleven months of the year. Is there such a thing as too much ska? Not in my experience, but let's go for broke!

As for the troika of "King Apparatus" by King Apparatus from
King Apparatus, well, surely you'll concur that the opportunity was too precious to let pass.

2 comments:

brenda cox giguere said...

Mike, I love this series you're doing. It's been my privilege to be alive to witness the rise of the computer age. Sometimes when I see someone casually buying a terabyte drive, it gives this mental time-traveler a chill.

Mike Wilson said...

Thanks, Dreamer! I am chagrined to inform you that the "thinking machines" series draws to a close with the next episode of "The Explorers Club," a transitional bridge twixt this current series & that which follows.