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I read part of Hilary Putnam’s Realism with a Human Face for the class on metaphysics my advisor is teaching this semester, and was particularly struck by the following quote:

I take it as a fact of life that there is a sense in which the task of philosophy is to overcome metaphysics and sense in which its task is to continue metaphysical discussion. In every philosopher there is a part that cries, “This enterprise is vain, frivolous, crazy–we must say ‘Stop!’” and a part that cries, “This enterprise is simply reflection at the most general and abstract level; to put a stop to it would be a crime against reason.” Of course philosophical problems are unsolvable; but as Stanley Cavell once remarked, “there are better and worse ways of thinking about them.”

This is essentially why I am stopping my active study of philosophy; it’s too hard. It’s so hard that I feel the problems are intractable, that is, the first part of the philosopher above is winning out. But the second part is still alive, and that is why I am sad about it.

Now I just need to finish the last four commitments I have for my final term, and finish a thesis.

It’s time, once again, for Massive Music Weekend, WRCT’s 60-hour marathon of 120 30 minute blocks of our favorite artists, which we do over Valentine’s Day weekend because we’re married to music. I’m doing five blocks this year, and it should be really good. Here are the slots corresponding to bands I already know I like (there are a bunch more of bands I am anxious to learn about), with ones I’m particularly excited about hearing in italics, and the ones I’m doing in bold. Listen from Friday, February 13th at noon until Sunday the 15th at 11:59 on 88.3fm in Pittsburgh or on our website worldwide!

• Friday, 2:00pm: Frank Zappa (experimental rock)
• Friday, 3:30pm: Brian Eno (rock, ambient)
• Friday, 4:00pm: Captain Beefheart (experimental rock)
• Friday, 5:00pm: King Crimson (prog rock)
• Friday, 9:00pm: The Orb (ambient house)
• Saturday, 1:30am: The RZA (hip-hop)
• Saturday, 3:30am: Judas Priest (80s metal)
• Saturday, 4:30am: Keith Fullerton Whitman (ambient)
• Saturday, 5:30am: The Avalanches (dance, dj)
• Saturday, 6:30am: Windy & Carl (ambient)
• Saturday, 7:00am: M83 (electronic shoegaze)
• Saturday, 8:30am: Time Machines (ambient)
• Saturday, 12:30pm: Mogwai (post rock)
• Saturday, 2:00pm: Broadcast (indie)
• Saturday, 8:30pm: Modeselektor (dance)
• Saturday, 9:00pm: Aphex Twin (idm)
• Saturday, 10:00pm: Wiley (eskibeat, grime, 2-step, 8-bar, garage, urban)
• Saturday, 10:30pm: Lucky Dragons (ambient)
• Sunday, 12:30am: Emeralds (ambient)
• Sunday, 1:00am: Autechre (idm)
• Sunday, 1:30am: Squarepusher (idm)
• Sunday, 3:30am: Portishead (trip-hop)
• Sunday, 6:00am: Hrvatski (idm, drum’n'bass)
• Sunday, 6:30am: Mu-ziq (idm)
• Sunday, 8:00am: Bleach (hardcore)
• Sunday, 11:00am: Melvins (metal)
• Sunday, 5:30pm: Lee “Scratch” Perry (reggae)
• Sunday, 8:30pm: Funkadelic (funk)
• Sunday, 11:30pm: Crystal Meth Wolf Fire From Barcelona (free improv)

I am in a good mood, and thus I reorganized my a new one featuring Faust, Twine, Comets On Fire, Coil, and Matmos. Go listen.

(Edit, 2009/11/22: I have removed the mixtapes in question to save storage space. Sorry, all! The tracklist was:

• Faust – Meadow Meal
• Twine – None Some Silver
• Comets On Fire – The Black Poodle
• Coil – Sex With Sun Ra (Part One – Saturnalia)
• Matmos – The Struggle Against Unreality

I should really get around to making another one.)

Muxtape may be dead or returning as something new, but Opentape is taking Muxtape’s original idea and UI, making it self-hostable, and running with it. I just set one up here, check it out.

(Edit, 2009/11/22: I just removed the old mixtape for storage space. The track list:

• Giraffes? Giraffes! – When the Catholic Girls Go Camping, the Nicotine Vampires Rule Supreme.
• Zeni Geva – Angel
• This Heat – Horizontal Hold
• Keith Hudson – I’m All Right
• Sun City Girls – Cruel And Thin
• Charalambides – Silvatica

Pretty good, in retrospect. I should make a new one.)

Since Muxtapes are no more, I felt I should make a post listing what tracks were on mine at its time of death.

1. Yura Yura Teikoku — 2005 Nen Sekairyoko
2. Murcof — Camino
3. Coil — Teenage Lightning (10th Birthday Version)
4. Muslimgauze — Saladin Mercy
5. Slowdive — Souvlaki Space Station
6. Global Communication — 14.31
7. Burial — Southern Comfort
8. Gescom — Go Sumo

Combined with this other muxtape, I feel like my run on that site was pretty good.

I swear I’ll get to the 50 Great Albums thing eventually. I’ve been really busy—who knew grad school took up lots of time?