@Motodrachen Nope! At least I didn't have that in mind when I envisioned Gateway station, KA, and the pack. I've also never read it, so can't speak to any similarity that might be interpret-able. Any such is unintentional and coincidental.

I've so far left describing Gateway's system in generic terms, both because of my lack of familiarity in describing solar systems, but also to facilitate immersion. If I don't describe it in detail, you'll fill in the blanks.

@Motodrachen Thanks for the reccomendation! I'll have to check it out and have something to read for my Giftmas road-trip.

@Motodrachen No worries! If anything, it will give me some fuel for my own thoughts, either stealing outright, or finding where it doesn't fit and making the changes I need.

@lugh according to the thermostat in the office, its 70F, but I feel like I need to call bull on that. It's 45 outside where I'm at currently.

@kelseyhusky eeep! Cold!

How are you otherwise?

@lugh I've had better months. The last few have been especially hard for me. 2 months into this HRT retrofit has done a real hatchet job on my operating velocity and process load availability.

@kelseyhusky :(

@Leucrotta I've been teaching myself songs on bass for about 5 years now. I played piano, keyboard, and organ from age 4-17, also during which i did percussion/drums from age 12-17.

@kelseyhusky actually... y’know, I have no clue what you’re into other than EDM, the Beastie Boys, and stuff from the 90s. I’d assumed funk b/c Beasties and bass (earlier RHCP maybe?), but I have no idea if you like jazz or have a favorite composer, anything like that. Tell me about your tastes in music?

@Leucrotta My taste in music could probably be best described as "90's kid who has much cooler friends" I grew up listening to Radio Aahs/ Aahs World Radio (AM 1280, St Louis Park, MN!) Aahs was one of, if not the first radio stations with a "kids music" format. (ask me why I hate Radio Disney) They played lots of uncomplicated pop with good messages for young people with occasional top 40 music (some of it really well edited. I didn't know Everybody (Backstreet's Back) had the line asking "Am I sexual?" for almost a year after the song came out.

But my dad also listened to the oldies station. (Kool 108, KQQL 107.9 Anoka, Minneapolis, St. Paul), so i also grew up listening to The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Frankie Valley, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Four Tops, The Temptations (LOTS of Motown. One of the few places besides church i could hear black voices making music before I discovered rap)

Weird Al showed up on my radar around here too. I've listened to him for most of his career. Really impressed with his consistent output and continued relevance. Man's a fucking Genius

Rap's kind of passed me by, but I picked up a few groups. Kriss Kross, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Nelly (before he went country) Run-DMC, The Beasties (again) Eminem, and Vanilla Ice (despite his questionable hardness and understanding of sampling, Ice Ice Baby is actually a pretty decently put together song as far as raps go.) Missy Elliot

"Alternative" ("to what?" was always my question), Rap-rock/NuMetal, and Grunge all happened to me just as Napster, Hotline, and Limewire happened. And I found The Beasties, RHCP, Limp Bizkit, POD, Korn, Third Eye Blind, Sugar Ray, the Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Kid Rock and more. (Thank you 93X, 93.7 The Edge, and 93X again (same frrequency, changed formats 3 times), Zone105 and Rev105 (another name change, kept the format)). I was also starting to discover classic rock. Aerosmith, AC/DC, Van Halen, QUEEN! (but that's been a thing since I was around 5. Another One Bites the Dust blew my tiny undeveloped mind, and I haven't stopped listening to them since. John Deacon is /the/ reason i started paying attention to bass as an instrument.

EDM wasn't much of a thing for me until I started dating @mawr. They got me into BT, Pendulum, Gorillaz, Daft Punk,Crystal Method (I knew Get Busy Child before, but they broadened me on them!) UNKLE, and others too!

I don't have much experience with Jazz other than a few half remembered piano pieces I've learned and since forgotten. I've got some classical in there too (Bethoven's 5th, (but that's a gimme,) Vivaldi's Four Seasons (Spring is my favorite) Tchaikovsky is in there too It doesn't get much more metal than bringing a cannon on-stage for the 1812 Overture. Motzart's Magic Flute too.

I've been exposed to a crap-ton of really awesome music that i love, through a blisteringly wide amount of sources: Radio, TV, my dad's CD collection. Guitar Hero and Rock Band, working in the Apple store, movie soundtracks, and the music collections of all my friends. And I'm on the lookout for new stuff to enjoy as much as I can. I'm really trying hard to not grow up into the un-fun old person who hates anything that came out after they were 25.

Hope that answers your question.

@kelseyhusky that does! We actually are moderately similar in getting alternative and oldies about the same time - the oldies station was the only one that got reception everywhere in A^2, and given proximity to Detroit it was *hugely* Motown.

Actually the new music plus “rap largely passed me by,” reminds me to point you at Ozomatli, if you haven’t poked at them before.

@Leucrotta Thanks for the rec! I'll check them out!

@kelseyhusky actually... as long as we’d mentioned “Black voices making music,” how do you feel about funk and blues?

@Leucrotta *ahem* PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC!

To elaborate: funk and blues i think are some very pure expressions of the complexity of the black experience in America. And experience in America in general. I find the sheer endlessness of possibility amazing and wonderful. It can be sad, tragic, hopeful, hands in the air, panties on the floor and everything in between, and usually more than one at the same time.

But then, I've felt that way about music in general. Its something primal and unifying. There is probably a bunch of neuroscientist trying to understand why music is the one thing (almost) every human can at least identify with (even if tastes in type of music vary /wildly/. Look up Bobby McFerrin demonstrating the power of the pentatonic scale sometime to see a really good example.

Something in the deep firmware of the human brain is something that responds to structured air molecule vibrations.

And I really, really hope that it doesn't get exploited any more wrongly by capitalism than it already has. But I'm hopeful its not. Because you can't be charged for using your own voice and body to make noise.

@kelseyhusky in that case can I point out a favorite in case you don’t know him already? Fred Wesley was James Brown’s horn player but tbh I think he did a ton of great stuff on his own, here’s a sample from Wudda Cuda Shuda which overall is a solid album;

‪Fred Wesley - Funk for your Ass https://youtu.be/mUsn880UWPQ via @YouTube‬

@Leucrotta @kelseyhusky We should make noise together sometime.

@ElectricKeet @Leucrotta That'd be awesome!

@kobunny Increasing the temperature of their operating environment.

or cuddles. Cuddles work really good.

@orrery That's dependent on a lot of factors: Platform energy levels and emotional snapshot state, pending items in current task queue, past history of interaction with the ponderer.

Media experiences are usually welcomed. The pack really enjoys being entertained. But they also enjoy entertaining.

If the good time is going to be naughty, just make sure you're propositioning one of the pleasure-model platforms. Fewer sharp bits and lots more warm places to touch.

@orrery Also, intoxicant experiences. KA enjoyed getting high while organic, and finding substances that affect her now that she is digital is pretty awesome.