Sorry, server problem followed up with user error. I think I’m all set now. You can let me know if I’m not. You always do.
Television recommendation: If you aren’t watching “Reaper” on the CW network (around these parts I think that’s what used to be Channel 56). Best. Show. On. TV. If Ray Wise doesn’t win a Best Actor Emmy…
Okay, so I was thinking about the worst class I took in college. I mean other than accounting. The worst class I took had great potential. It was called “Electronic music.” So I’m thinking about Moog synthesizers, and keyboards and maybe being offered a job by Duran Duran.
This class took “electronic music” down to a level that only Phillip Glass could appreciate. Our instrument was a box with a couple of dials and a reel to reel player. We spent weeks learning how to wire up the two so that we could take sounds we’d recorded onto a cassette, get it into the box with the two dials, and then out into the reel-to-reel so that we could get our final project grade.
It is as horrific as it sounds. All I remember about mine is that one of the sounds I captured for my project was a toilet flushing. The two knobs on the box were basically controlling modulation and something else. One of you probably knows. Or cares. We just basically got it to make beeps and boops and screechy noises that I didn’t think were anything like music at all.
Thinking back, I’m wondering why we didn’t storm the office and demand this class be removed because it was such a ripoff. I think we might have been too young to realize that we could do that…after all, we were paying for the credit hours. But there’s something about being 20 years old and a full-time student living on campus that doesn’t make you think of yourself as the customer, as in “the customer is always right and that was NOT electronic music.”
Ahh, good times.
Well I got college credit for swimming, golf, bowling, and baseball..yup..rip off..
But some colleges pushing $45K a year, has to be a rip off as well. I can’t imagine that kind of $$ is needed to run the place. If you look at the staff, you will find dozen’s of 6 figure salaries.. fat cats..
Jerry
My daughter wants to spend a year stdying in the States. If ever we manage to afford it I’ll warn her to stay away from Electronic music.
Anji, I’m guessing if they still offer that course these days, it’s entirely different. But in reality, with New Wave hitting the radio before I even started, there was a big difference in “electronic music” then than there was in the 60s or 70s. I suspect this guy didn’t own a keyboard.
Jerry, I do think you have a point. Some of these schools are so busy empire building (“more dorms!” “New accounting building!”) that the kids are picking up the tab. by “staff” I expect you mean people like the president, and not some admissions officer. I suppose it’s like running any business…you need to hire and retain good people to get your company name out there to attract more kids, given there’s a minimum 25% turnover every year. Of course, are they all earning that salary? No. And that’s a problem.