"Measuring what makes life worthwhile"

Lots of good messages -- even mixed messages -- in this TED video, but the ultimate takeaway for me: You cannot wait for happiness to come to you, you have to reach out and grab it. Too many people keep waiting ...

Sister Rosetta rocks

The amazing Sister Rosetta Tharpe shreds her Gibson SG on "Up Above My Head," giving traditional gospel an edge that I don't think has been heard before or since this performance some time in the 1960s. The blistering licks start at 1:25 but the whole song is worth repeated listenings. 

Not a fan of swing music? Think again

 Stumbled across this crazy site called Music Machinery that uses Python code to turn popular songs into "swing" versions by "taking each beat and time-stretching the first half of each beat while time-shrinking the second half."

I always thought the original Guns N Roses lineup was the best because of the way drummer Stephen Adler swung and gave the band a loose but punchy sound -- particularly on songs like "Sweet Child O' Mine" -- but Adler has nothing on this altered over-the-top version. 

"Enter Sandman" and "Money for Nothing" also sound good in their new incarnations, but, to me, "Don't Stop Believin'" is a dud.

This studio gimmickry is the kind of stuff that made Robert "Mutt" Lange famous, although he was less obvious in tweaking Def Leppard rhythms to drive the beat in radio-friendly ways.