h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

'Tis the season for carolling. Melinda Kathleen Reese thinks it's also the season to let Google Translate loose on the carols. Enjoy her mini-concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zto_T0XIrQw

Beautiful.

Don Caron of The Parody Project is still gleeful about November's midterm election results. He bursts into song about the end of the 'White Congress':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb5LmFCPBE0

Don's rhyming abilities continue to astound. Also his ability to fit complicated political ideas into pop song lyrics.

'Oh,' I hear you say (in my warped imagination). But what have *you* been doing this carolling season? It's too cold to sing outside. Also, it's too hard to carry a piano around. So Sis and I went over to the public library and played their new, slightly out-of-tune baby grand. Yes, two of the patrons were asleep. What's it to you? The ambience was restful. The overstuffed leather chairs and sofas are way too comfortable. The bear statue in the back of the main reading room didn't seem to mind the noise. He was rearing next to the Christmas tree. No, I don't know why there's a bear statue in the library.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVxXXbwVyvs

Yes, children, that's a Carnegie library. Fittingly. Little Andy got the seed money for US Steel by harvesting oil not twenty miles from this library. These days, it's a quiet place except for the piano playing.

Happy Christmas to all!

Superb video of the playing in the library - the timbre of the notes (especially the high one at the end) brings back memories of our old family piano that never quite managed to hold its tuning!

Thanks, Sasha. Yeah, that jangle is the sound of hundreds of thousands of neglected instruments in home everywhere, from the mountains to the seacoasts....

Yeah Dmitri, the old piano I have here at home sounds much like that, too. I don't use it much … in fact my nephew Christiaan is likely going to get it, he's asked for it and I said yes, it just depends on when my sis can get someone here to collect it.

I also liked the vids from Malinda (never miss her stuff!) and that white congress one, really made me laugh!

Thanks, Willem - good on you for encouraging the next generation of pianists!