April 2005
The Papal Name Search
The new pope got introduced earlier this week, and he happened to take the name of "Benedict XVI", in homage to the eponymous WWI-era pope. This sort of got me thinking: how do popes end up with these names in the first place? As usual, NPR comes through with a recent discussion on pope names, which can be boiled down to just a couple of bullet points:
- Pick a name that's at least a thousand years old. To be safe, you actually might want to go 1500 years back. You've got a tradition to uphold here. Would you want to go down as, say, Pope Gordon?
- Don't pick a name that sounds like an Autobot. Even if it rhymes with Awesome-us.
- For pete's sake, don't use a pagan god's name. Your peeps may start to wonder, especially if you start boasting about being able to change wind patterns.
- When all else fails, pick a nice adjective, like Innocent, or Urban, or Pius, or Hilarius. If anything, you'll have some good anecdote material.
With your new name, all you now have to do is try to avoid getting involved in a messy subplot in a Godfather film and/or Dan Brown book, and you're home free.
BK Performs: Video Killed the Radio Star
Here's a little familiar piece that I learned while hanging out with this beat-up old piano in my college dorm. It's slightly rearranged from the original.
- Video Killed the Radio Star (3:08, 3.6 MB, performed by Brian Kobashikawa)
Technical note: I outputted this one through one of Logic Express' softsynths (as opposed to the piano keyboard), which seems to allow better noise and gain control. However, it sounds pretty synthy. One of these days I'll actually try to arrange something multitimbral.