Take this short test

I really surprised myself on the way in this morning.

Go and download this:

http://www.evolution-control.com/sounds/Chart Sweep 1.mp3. Right-click and do a Save As, then listen to it in your favorite browser.

This is a 46-minute tour through about 30 years' worth of chart hits, from maybe 1954 to around 1985... all in little five-second snippets. I'd have to guess that there are maybe 250 songs represented in here.

I knew at least 70% of them cold: artist, title, and even the year, within reason. Of the remaining 30%, most of them I could name the song but wasn't sure about the artist, or knew the artist but couldn't remember the exact name of the song. Only maybe two or three were mysteries to me, mostly because there wasn't enough there for me to grab onto.

There's no sheet of what ECC put in the sweep, so it's not like I could get a definite score on myself, but when you know, you know you know.

The major gaps in my knee-jerk knowledge mostly centered around the disco years, though being as it seems to represent mostly #1 hits, the Bee Gees and Donna Summer were heavily represented. I also couldn't always name the artist on certain late-Fifties pop tunes, though I always knew the song.

I scare me sometimes. I know a lot more pop music than I would ever have guessed. Seems sorta stupid that I can remember (clearly) songs by now-obscure bands like Player, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Tornados... and draw a complete blank on "Boogie Oogie Oogie."

Then again, maybe it's better that way.

This is the sort of compilation I'd do. I'm glad ECC beat me to it.

By the way, there's lots of other fun stuff on that site, I think I mentioned. I am truly awed by their mash-ups of Public Enemy with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. I cannot get over it.

Talked with Fawn last night. She's sort of out of sorts since her surgery, and wants to be able to get back to being active again. Her DSL is making her happy, and I have to send her links to real software.

For the record, this is what I use on my Apples...

1. Web browser: Thunderbird
   
2. IM client: acqlite, BitTorrent and Poisoned
   
3. Audio editor: Audacity
   

Notice the complete lack of Microsoftism in this list. On the PC side, I can still use Thunderbird, Firefox and Audacity, but use Trillian as my IM client. I don't do P2P with Windows... it's too flaky.

I use all this stuff, and you should, too. But of course, you need to dump that Windows PC and get an Apple. Or, not. Your life.

Name that tune.