Spam Roundup: April 2013

Increased traffic has meant increased spam to this blog. And a few comments have provided some unintentional humor. Here's a sampling of some of the best of the worst -- with my own thought thrown in as well.

For some reason, my post on Fastidious Spam (which was about goofy spam) attracted a fair amount of its own. Goofy spam, that is. My comments are bracketed.

 - This is a topic that is close to my heart. .. [I'm sure it is -- spambot] best wishes! Where are your contact details though [to the right, in plain sight]


  - Way cool! Some very valid points! [Points you've just helped prove, BTW]  I appreciate you penning this post and also the rest of the website is extremely good. [Why thanks. High praise indeed for a spambot.]
 

  - Hey very nice blog! how to cure hemorrhoids at home on Fastidious Spam [OK, that's not an image I want in my brain.]
 
  - Thanks for finally writing about > "Fastidious Spam" < Liked it! [Oh yes, we're into hard-hitting editorials here at Off  Topic'd.]  Also visit my web page - treatment for hemorrhoids [What is it with hemorrhoids? Is it just professional admiration from one pain the ass to another?]  

 - What's up to all, it's actually a fastidious for me to pay a visit this site, it consists of priceless Information. [Your use of "fastidious" is priceless to me.]

This is the toy that inspired spambots to write about
lollipop cigarettes, online money, South Africa, and poetry.

Another popular post proved to be The Straco Layout, Part 23 - Lumbering along, which is just about a small Japanese tin toy car. Really. So I'm not sure why it attracted the following comments:

  - I used to be able to find good info from you? content. My weblog - South African Government Travel Advisory [So sorry to disappoint. But I didn't have much to say about South Africa in my post about an early 1960's lithographed Japanese toy car.]

 - Yes! Finally someone writes about money online. [Really? Well they didn't do it here!]

  - Lollipop shaped v2 cigarettes incredibly preferred amongst ladies. [Cryptic advice from the spammers. You heard it hear first, ladies.] 

  - Hi there colleagues, how is all, and what you wish for to say on the topic of this article, in my view its truly awesome for me. [Yes, how is all, y'all?]

  - What a material of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious familiarity regarding unpredicted feelings. [Sheer poetry.]

And in conclusion, we have a comment that refers back to a previous post and ties everything together nicely.

What's up, this weekend is fastidious for me, since this point in time i am reading this wonderful educational article here at my residence. 

Wishing one and all every fastidiousness at their residence.

Thea Musgrave: Chamber Works for Oboe - an unusual but effective composer portrait

Thea Musgrave: Chamber works for oboe
Nicholas Daniel, oboe
Harmonia Mundi

Oboist Nicholas Daniel is uniquely qualified to present this program (which is probably why he did so). Daniel commissioned a concerto from Thea Musgrave, and the working relationship they established gives Daniel special insight into Musgrave's music. This recording brings together Musgrave's compositions for the oboe in chamber settings, and represent over fifty years of compositional development.

The earliest work is the Trio for flute, oboe and piano (1960). To my ears it sounds academically atonal, as was the fashion then. And yet, it's not at all harsh or unmusical. The inherent lyricism of Musgrave might be buried, but it's lying very close to the surface.

The featured piece, Night Windows for oboe and piano, is more recent, dating from 2007. Based on a Edward Hopper painting of the same name (which appears on the cover), Night Windows is a series of musical sketches, each one delineating a different emotion: loneliness anger nostalgia despair and frenzy. The sparse piano part coupled with the single-line of the oboe present these emotions in a simple and straight-forward manner. Here Musgrave's melodic gifts are to the fore, making this work quite effective and appealing.

There are some shorter and lighter works on the album, such as the two impromptus and Take Two Oboes, which is just some good-natured fun.

For me, works for live performer and tape don't age well, but Musgrave's Niobe is an exception. Although composed in 1987 for oboe and tape, its atmospheric and ethereal sounds have a timeless aspect.

The Threnody for cor anglais and piano makes a fitting close to the program. The cor anglais has a warmer and darker sound than the oboe, an the change in timber from the previous oboe pieces almost serves as a coda. The work was commissioned to make the passing of a beloved teacher, Musgrave effectively conveys deep sorrow and a sense of loss without sounding maudlin or trite.

Daniel plays with a clean, clear tone and is in complete command of this material. He has the ability to be warm and expressive, and to play aggressively and with great agility as the music demands. An unusual but very compelling portrait of a modern master.

CCC 069 - Carlos Colon Quintana

The Consonant Classical Challenge features Carlos Colon Quintana this time around. Colon Quintana was born in El Salvador, and moved to Guatemala, where he first studied composition as a teenager. In time, he made his way to the United States where he is active as a composer today.

Colon Quintana writes primarily orchestral and choral compositions. He incorporates the music of Central America into his works, which makes them readily accessible, even on first hearing. At the same time, his music is structurally sound, taking full advantage of the complexities that classical composition can offer.

El Alabado de Margil is a good representation of Colon Quintana's style. Listen for the blend of contemporary art music gestures with the rhythms and harmonic patterns of Latino culture.


The Obertura Para Un Martir is a powerful work for soloist, choir and orchestra. Part concert work, part theater piece,  Colon Quintana sublimates the folk elements to the imperative nature of the text.


Colon Quintana writes quite effectively for chorus. This excerpt from his requiem shows how Colon Quintana uses the human voice in sometimes unusual ways to communicate the emotions he wants. Confutatis from the Requiem demonstrates this principle in action. And in this video, the composer conducts, providing further insight as to how he envisioned the work to be performed.


Carlos Colon Quintana is part of a distinguished company of  Central and South American composers who have successfully blended folk traditions with classical conventions to create a unique musical voice.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any recordings to recommend. And that is unfortunate, because all of his works I've heard have been appealing, engaging, and well-crafted. All we need is some rising conductor to champion his music (and perhaps record it for Naxos).

Lessons from York - What we didn't see: Vendors!

Dad and I recently returned from our semi-annual trip to the Train Collectors Association Eastern Division toy train meet in York, PA. As always, we discussing what we saw a lot of (and what we didn't) -- and why.

There are cycles to what we see at the York show. What was missing? Well, a lot of the things that seemed to be in disproportionate abundance in earlier meets -- like the vintage Pennsylvania Railroad wall calendars, the Lionel Coke Sets, or the Tootsietoy box sets.

But what was really missing this time were the vendors. Not that the show was undersold -- far from it. Every table had a name affixed to it. But strangely, every hall had a significant number of tables that were empty.

So what?

I've done professional trade shows, and compared to the rates we were charged, the York meet is a bargain -- $30 per table, with most vendors spreading out over two or three tables. Now according to the rules, there is a penalty for leaving the show early. It runs from noon on Thursday through noon on Saturday, and (rightly), the organizers don't want a ghost town to those who can't make it during the work week.

There's no penalty for arriving late, though, and that's what made what we didn't see interesting. Every hall had 5-10 vendors that simply weren't there for the first day of the show. Now in the past, the first day has been critical. In the past, the first hour was a feeding frenzy as collectors rushed down the aisles hoping to find the good stuff before another eager collector snatched it up.

So the first hour of the first day would be a prime time to sell. Maybe.

Missing out, or conserving energy?

This year, the energy level was a little lower. The first hour was very active, but not frantic as folks moved in a brisk but orderly fashion through the halls. So why did some vendors -- who had invested $60 - $120 for tables -- not show up?

Perhaps they did more volume on the weekends and didn't see the need to sit around the first day (and perhaps the second) with little to show for it.

And if that's so, then that could suggest an interesting shift in the demographics of the attendees. The hobby has tended to skew old. That time when you're old enough to want to reclaim the toys of your youth and have the disposable income to do so usually doesn't happen until your own children are grown -- around middle age.

Folks in their late 50's and early 60's are usually senior enough in their companies to have enough leave to attend York on Thursday and Friday. Those older are often retired, which also lets them attend during the week.

Younger collectors, though, might not be able to take off during the week -- or with limited days off, not consider it important enough to do so. For them, a weekend visit is an option.

 We know the vendors have to be there through the end of the show on Saturday. Are they seeing an increase in the weekend traffic? And could that mean that the market is beginning to shift? We're not sure, but I'll be paying attention during the fall meet to see if there are any increases in the no-shows, or if the rules change to cover arrival as well as departure times.

Lessons from York - What we saw: A change in scale

Dad and I recently returned from our semi-annual trip to the Train Collectors Association Eastern Division toy train meet in York, PA. As always, we discussing what we saw a lot of (and what we didn't) -- and why.

Although the particulars of these posts are about toy trains, that's not what they're really about. Rather, it's how changing demographics affect collector's markets.

The York train show is a good place to spot trends. It's one of the biggest shows in the hobby, drawing 13,000 - 15,000 attendees, and has over 1,000 vendor tables. It's also the show that most major manufacturers in the field (such as Lionel) roll out the new product.

What we saw

The biggest change in this year's show was the appearance of vintage N scale items. Not only did a significant number of vendors offer them, but for the most part, the objects for sale were in good condition and reasonably priced.

A little background

The Train Collector's Association was founded to further the hobby of collecting toy trains. In the 1950's, that meant Lionel and American Flyer (and the prewar companies that preceded and in some cases were bought out by them). For prewar trains, it meant metal construction and bright colors. For postwar (1949-1970) it meant metal and plastic construction and more realistic colors.

In any case, gauge (or size) mattered. Trains in standard gauge (1:32 scale), O-gauge (1:43 scale) and even S gauge (1:64 scale) were acceptable. HO trains (1:87 scale) were not.

The reason was two-fold.

First, HO gauge was considered the scale for modelers. Many HO hobbyists started with an O or S gauge train set as a child and discarded it when they became serious modelers. a majority of TCA members are former HO modelers and now look to replace the toy trains they gave away.

Second, what HO scale toy trains there are have virtually no value. There were inexpensive starter sets made that were sold for younger children to play with. They were cheaply made, and quite fragile. As a result, they were often broken through rough handling. And being plastic, these trains weren't easily repaired. Broken plastic trains missing most of their parts aren't attractive display pieces.

Scale model HO trains also have little collector value. Assembling and customizing model kits is a highly individualistic form of expression. Others may admire the craftsmanship, but few are interested in purchasing such a "used" HO train piece.

The HO scale trains and accessories I've seen at York have received no love. They're usually just dumped in a cardboard box and offered as a lot. Even well-modeled pieces are indifferently displayed and sold.

A small change

Enter N gauge. (1:160 scale). N scale really became popular in the late 1960's. Like HO, a number of starter sets were offered, and there were model kits available. But there were some differences. First, because N scale locomotives and cars are so tiny, wheels, gears and motors had to be made with precision in order to work at all. Which mean even entry level N gauge sets were built to a much higher quality standard than corresponding HO sets.

Second, although there were (and are) many serious N gauge modelers who modify their gear in the same fashion as their HO counterparts, a large percentage of rolling stock was used "as is" straight out of the box. The cars were so tiny it was difficult to work on them, and because of their size, it didn't seem to matter. N scale trains can look very realistic without any work.

So why the influx?

N scale trains are not something you give to a child. The first generation to really embrace N scale probably purchased (or were given) their first set as a teenager or later. Now in their late 40's and early 50's, these TCA members are ready to do what most toy collectors do -- replace the objects of their youth.

There's now a market for this scale. The vintage N scale trains I saw offered for sale were clean and in good condition. Most were in their original boxes, and none had been tampered with.

And something else: the couplers that were used universally by N scale manufacturers has recently been replaced by a smaller and more realistic coupler. So if you have an N scale layout with older rolling stock, you can't use the current offerings with them. Another good reason to start haunting the train meets. And at York, I saw some bargains -- and, perhaps, a new market for a new generation.