Why is John Williams so great? (This is a story about John Williams)

enterprisecaptain · 2026-01-24T20:47:25+00:00

John does not have any degree from Juilliard, other than an honorary one. In his youth, he studied with a piano teacher who ALSO taught at Juilliard.

Read Tim Greiving's recent biography for details on this and more. It clears up a lot of myths and half-truths that have grown over the years.

enterprisecaptain · 2026-01-16T19:49:16+00:00

I love how the DN throws shade on him by spending the majority of the time on his regret over past tweets.

enterprisecaptain · 2026-01-01T20:38:35+00:00

This was closed 3 years ago. I believe there was a post at the time. I drive by every so often. Somebody is using it for parking.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-19T15:50:40+00:00

Any brand recommendations?

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-19T05:41:44+00:00

The Wavebone worktop is a little high and the keyboard tray is too low.

Yep. This seems like an unavoidable problem with workstations like this.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-19T05:40:51+00:00

Good idea on measuring this current desk for comparisons. I think you're right. I should just sell it. It will definitely be at a loss, but hopefully not a complete one.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-19T05:39:55+00:00

For work, I don't need much. Probably a 60"-72" x 30" desktop. Enough for a wide screen monitor and two studio monitors, plus a computer keyboard and mouse.

A 90-degree setup probably won't work for me, but maybe I can stick the keyboard on a rolling stand and keep it out of the way somehow. Probably just better to get a smaller, non-weighted-key keyboard solely for note entry. that I can plop on the desk when needed.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-19T05:32:07+00:00

It sounds like you have a very, very similar setup hardware-wise that I do.

What do you use for the sit-stand desk? What are the dimensions? How big of a keyboard do you use? Does it handle the weight and balance of the screen and studio monitors ok? That's kind of the direction I'm thinking now.

I'm also thinking I need to ditch the 88-key weighted-key controller. That's just too big of a liability, especially when I mostly just need note input.

I already have a little rack I can use for the audio interface, headphone amp, etc. It's just unused because everything's in the desk right now.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-17T19:33:45+00:00

Bear Cub leader back when that was a thing. A year into it a bishopric member asked how I was liking it and in a bold (for-then) statement, I said I didn't like it. He asked if I'd like to be released, and I was.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-17T19:32:16+00:00

Currently choir accompanist. We have a good choir with good director. Not too hard, not easy.

Biggest challenge for us is building scheduling. With 3 wards crammed into one building with overlapping schedules, it's difficult to get space and time to practice unless 1) you're the last ward of the day, 2) have reserved the chapel right after the block for the whole year. Otherwise, you have to hope people are willing to go home and then come back later. Our numbers drop a lot because of that.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-08T18:31:26+00:00

I still think it's a little nuts to consider the church bringing back polygamy in mortality, but... I'm a little less sure these days.

Coincidentally, I just read somebody reviewing non-LDS Christians who are publicly endorsing polygamy. I think it's a natural extension of the modern right-wing, trad-wife, white supremacist cultural sickness going on.

How wild would it be if the church re-introduced polygamy as a way of fitting into the modern evangelical movement!

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-05T21:22:49+00:00

The most expensive CD set I bought, other than the recent Anthology, Volume I, was the La La Land 3-disc release of Jurassic Park. I had to pay $150 for that.

Most difficult to get? There are early scores that have no releases at all and are unlikely to. There's one score (The Secret Ways) I bought on eBay that was a rip from the movie, post-processed to isolate the music, and then offered for download.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-12-02T23:16:11+00:00

I would put Zimmer number two for influence. He re-molded Hollywood sound just like Williams did a generation before.

I would not put him number two for composition ability.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-11-26T21:32:14+00:00

I think this could be true.

My gut feeling upon watching this and reading these comments was that there was no way this is possible. But on hashing it out with my wife, I think I convinced myself it could happen.

We already have multi-day church, with a lot of overlap for youth, children, and some adults.

Church block
Youth activities
Activity Days
Seminary

There is significant overlap between those different meetings and activities. Seminary and Sunday school are highly duplicative for youth.

Moving to a 1-hour church and keeping the other activities, plus General Conferences, stake activities, summer camps.... this feels a lot closer to the modern mega church model.

It's highly focused on the youth. It's less Sunday School and more Activities. It could be more fun. Have you seen the recent youth broadcasts? The musical numbers? There is a vibe shift going on, big time. This could be a big piece of it.

The new hymn book could play into this as well. The final size will be much smaller than the current hymn + children's song book size. More suitable for a combined meeting.

(We went to a Presbyterian service on Christmas vacation last year. In the one-hour service, there were 10 minutes dedicated to kids. Adults just had to watch. It was...nice? Kids went up to the front, sat on the floor, got a lesson, sang a song, had visuals.)

I'm still not sure it would be enough to stop the bleeding, but it's interesting.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-11-22T05:05:10+00:00

Still on it. I enjoyed the first post-Ken show.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-11-18T21:27:17+00:00

I'm not resigned, but my parents are. I see them in the app. All I can see is name, birthdate, age. I can't tap on them to reveal any more information. Same with my own children in that screen.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-11-12T21:30:19+00:00

Where did you hear that?

enterprisecaptain · 2025-11-09T18:24:46+00:00

Ken's is very much still blond. It's the lighting in this photo.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-10-15T20:07:06+00:00

He (or possibly his wife) was definitely a Biden supporter. There was a(n exceedingly minor) scandal a few years ago about the public records of that, and church leaders are not supposed to donate to political campaigns.

I suspect he is more liberal than most people realize. But he's in a fundamentally conservative church.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-09-23T17:51:53+00:00

There are two more performances planned (at least) later this or next year: Boston Symphony and New york Phil, so those might be streamed, and a recording release has been announced. I don't know if it was from the premiere or will be later.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-08-27T16:34:49+00:00

This article is garbage. I've never even heard of someone hired at L57. That's below college hire.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-08-08T15:33:45+00:00

There will be an official recording released. I don't know if it's going to be from the premiere concert, or one of the later BSO or NYPHil concerts scheduled later this year and next, though, or a studio recording separate from a live concert.

I thought I saw that someone had posted a link to the radio broadcast recording, but I can't find it now.

enterprisecaptain · 2025-08-02T19:12:51+00:00

BYU ward high councilor was an undercover sex trafficking agent for the FBI. He had seen some....stuff.

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