808 Day: free Roland e-Bjook, NTS Radio jams, animation

We could all use an 808 kick in our soul about now, so let’s get straight to the 808 Day goodness. Today’s a day to browse through Roland history with Bjooks, turn up NTS Radio, and immerse ourselves in a new animation featuring Mannie Fresh.

Pi Day: Hear and see approximations for Pi — and learn about shaders, too

Rebel against the anti-intellectual world around us! Forget the traumas of math classes past! Instead, enter a hypnotic trance as your screen vibrates and headphones ring with the sight and sound of Pi’s approximations. Our friends over at VDMX would like to introduce you to the wonders of … bad Pi.

Peter Kirn - March 14, 2026

“The Webb Ellis Cup completes visit to Dubai as part of Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour” by Land Rover MENA, CC BY 2.0

Trump tariffs bring chaos, as shipments halted from Europe, Asia

The Trump administration’s trade policies do more than increase costs for US consumers. Their historic scale and disorganized rollout are causing global disruptions. That hurts independent music gear makers and label owners. It’s also ironically likely to cripple manufacturers trying to work in the USA. The only (sort of) good news: shippers and exporters are trying to find solutions, and at least some of the disruptions should be temporary. But those solutions won’t come free.

Peter Kirn - August 25, 2025