Remembrance of the 5th anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection

Here we are, five years later…some people would say that the insurrectionists won (Trump is back in office, Jan6 insurrectionists were pardoned). We still have a democracy, but it is heading towards authoritarianism. I hope the results will eventually head back towards democracy.

Previously on this weblog:

Other coverage:

EmacsConf2025: Zettelkasten for regular Emacs hackers

EmacsConf had their 2025 online conference in early December 2025, and I am listening to conference presentations from their YouTube playlist. I thought that the presentation “Zettelkasten for regular Emacs hackers” was a good one. The presenter, Christian Tietze, one of the people behind zettelkasten.de, talked about some zettelkasten principles, and used the Denote package in Emacs for creating new “notes” in Emacs. In addition to the 25 minute talk, he did a Q&A session for almost an hour and a half, which was very illuminating about his zettelkasten process/skills. I have embedded the videos for the talk and the Q&A session in this post – enjoy!

The end of podcasting, chapter 65

Well, well, well….my last chapter on this topic was written almost one year ago (one year ago tomorrow!)! Why bring this up again? Reason: a recent article from TheVerge.com on the name “podcast”, and a rationale for why this should be dropped (“end the use of the word “podcast””). Some pull quotes:

“But in 2025, with almost every major podcast now having a video component, the definition of the word “podcast” has become pretty meaningless.”

“So in 2026, instead of trying to define what a podcast is, I think we need to stop using the word altogether. “Podcast” is becoming an outdated or even a potentially cringe internet relic, similar to how the phrase “web series” faded from use online.”

Ah – I see where this person is coming from. As mentioned in chapter 64, many audio programs that are being created now are really videos. Also, instead of using the above pay-walled link about defining a podcast, we need to turn to this definition by Dave Winer:

“A podcast is a series of digital media files made available over the open web through an RSS feed with enclosures. Podcasts usually are audio, but you can distribute any media object this way.”

Here is a clear definition of a podcast. Admittedly, it is a “technology-based” definition (need to use a RSS feed to distribute the content), but still, a good, clear definition. For videos, go ahead and call them “videos” or “shows”. For audio that is controlled via apps and not using RSS, those media creations should use some other word (I suggested “appcast” back in 2019).

My final beef – is this “genre” of article needed or wanted? Audio programs are branching into video programs – so what? Podcasts and the creation of podcasts (podcasting) will continue, because no one can stop people from creating or publishing podcasts. Some quotes from Dave Winer on why podcasting is not dominated by a single company (although some might think Apple Podcasts dominates podcasting):

“There is no gatekeeper that can turn down your podcast, make you not cover topics they don’t want covered or use language or images they don’t think are acceptable, or compete with them.”

“Why is podcasting still open after over 20 years? Drumroll please. The answer: there are enough users who understand how it is supposed to work. They expect to be able to listen to any podcast anywhere they want.”

As long as the above two statements are true, there will be podcasts, along with shows, appcasts, or other names for media content that people want to consume using various tools/apps/web sites. I end with a quote of my own:

However, I think the thing to do is to make great things and find ways to innovate. Let’s get out there and compete people – come on!

Followup on podcast criticism post, and thoughts on feedback

A few days ago, I wrote a post about podcasts as criticism (like literary criticism), and received a generous comment from Alan Levine, who I linked to in the post. He gave several other examples of media where the media in question was used to comment/critique an example of that media, and I appreciated reading his response/feedback. I agreed with his examples, and wanted to mention it here.

Thanks to WordPress sending a pingback on the original post by Alan Levine, Alan was aware I posted something that linked to his post. Since I allow comments on my site, Alan was able to reach out and offer his thoughts. It did not bother me – in fact, I enjoyed it! I also did not worry that some of the “flow” of interest from my five regular readers might be usurped by Alan Levine. I hope to hear from more people in 2026. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What are the first words of “White Christmas”? It’s not what you think….

I know this is a little after the Christmas holiday, but still within the Christmas season. When I took over directing a company choir a long time ago, I went to the music store to pick out some octavos for a Christmas program. One of the ones I selected was “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin. When I opened to the first page, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but the following words…

The sun is shining, the grass is green

The orange and palm trees sway

There’s never been such a day

In Beverly Hills, L.A.

But it’s December the twenty-forth

And I am longing to be up North….

Then the words everyone knows….

I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…..

This was in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s, so no Internet around to check on this, but I always remembered as a “fun fact”. Later, I saw the movie “White Christmas”, and thought “I am going to hear those words now”…but no….

This year, I learned that the song first premiered in film in the movie “Holiday Inn”. I searched for a clip with the performance…but no….

Finally, I found an article where the author stumbled onto this “fun fact” and managed to find a recording of a 1968 TV performance where Bing Crosby (yes, Mr. “White Christmas” himself) sang the original words.

Merry Christmas everyone!