Ken C. Pohlmann

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Beethoven, Regolith, and You
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 10, 2022
The year is 1969. I am sitting in front of my family’s TV watching live black-and-white video from the moon. High-definition TV is still science fiction, but in the blurry picture I can see Neil Armstrong descend the ladder and step onto the lunar surface. In the middle of the transmission, I walk outside and look up at the moon, waxing crescent, thoroughly amazed that for the first time people are up there looking back at me. Now, almost a lifetime later, we are preparing to go back to the moon. Just writing that sentence gives me goosebumps.
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4K at 40,000 Feet
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 03, 2022
Back in the day when they served economy-class meals on airplanes, I actually thought the food tasted pretty good. That is a sad commentary on the quality of the cuisine I cooked for myself at home. Now, you're lucky to get a 0.7-oz bag of delicious Party Mix. On the other hand, the on-board video quality will soon be looking good.

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Taylor, Call Me
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 20, 2021
Girlfriend, I feel for you, I really do. Why can't people just accept the fact that you are a music genius? You know why they hate you? It's because they can't be you. If you win the case, they'll say you are banal, uncreative, and unoriginal. And if you lose the case, you will have plagiarized and have to pay tons of $$$ damages. It's just not fair.

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Beethoven's X
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 06, 2021
One could argue that Beethoven's 9th symphony represents the very pinnacle of Western culture. Since then, has any other artist produced a work that equaled its restless and joyful expression? How could even Beethoven himself have improved on its perfection? After the 9th, would he have even dared to write another symphony? Well, yes, he would. And that brings us to the question of Beethoven's 10th symphony.

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The Secret Life of Gear:
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 29, 2021
I usually don’t talk to myself, but the other day I was sitting down to my favorite breakfast, a stack of delicious Eggo buttermilk waffles, and I exclaimed out loud, “Man, I need to buy some more syrup!” Later that day, browsing on my PC, I got a pop-up ad for Vermont maple syrup. I exclaimed, “Wow! What a coincidence!” And then my life spiraled out of control.
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Music Contra Instagram
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 22, 2021
Hang on a minute while I check my receiver's front panel..... Okay — as I suspected, it doesn't have a switch that limits the amount of time I can spend listening to music.

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Revenge Spending
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 08, 2021
I hate Covid. You hate Covid. We all hate Covid. But we love home theater. That creates the circumstances for an interesting scenario that economists refer to as “revenge spending.”

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How Much Is Music Worth?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Oct 18, 2021
Money, get away
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team

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What Sound Does a Car Make?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Oct 04, 2021
What sound does a cow make? That question should not stump you. What sound does a car make? That question is more difficult. For example, Vroom Vroom, or Hmmmm? Or maybe, Ta-Da! Increasingly, the sound a car makes is entirely up to the automaker, and you.

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What Is My Stereo’s Gender?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 27, 2021
Readers will recall, distressingly, that I have tried their patience on just about every topic that marginally relates to audio. LP grooves, CD bumps, flat response, boomy bass, warm recordings, cold binary bits — I have waxed philosophically on all of them. Which bring us to today’s audio topic: gender.
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