Internet = World's Largest Library

Written by Keith Sunday, 21 February 2010 21:49

I've often said that browsing the Internet is much like walking into a huge library at nine in the morning, with nothing special in mind other than to "go to the library," and coming out in what seems to be a short time and discovering that it is five in the afternoon!

Here's an example of what can happen.

When I learned that Cantus was performing, I thought I should learn a bit about them. So, from the comfort of my own home (trailer), I went to the Internet and Google.

And that was the beginning of a full evening of browsing the Internet "library"—or in this case, only the You Tube library, actually.

After finding Cantus, I thought, "I wonder if the Welsh National Anthem is on You Tube?" It was, in several renditions. Most were sung at stadiums before rugby games, but there were others. Performers ranged from school kids to men's choirs of hundreds of singers in true Welsh tradition.

Here's one version for you to enjoy. But you might want to to go to You Tube and find your own favorite.

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With that bit of success, I wondered if I could find any neat polkas on You Tube. (Some might consider "neat polkas" an oxymoron, but I happen to like polkas. Especially those with great umpahs from the tuba. As you might expect, there were many from which to chose. But, honestly, I did not find any which appealed to me so I did the logical thing: moved on.

How about barbershop quartet music? That provided lots of great choices, including many by the Buffalo Bills and their original Music Man songs. One interesting one I found was by a recent medalist quartet which sang Stars and Stripes Forever. You, too, can enjoy it if you'd like: 

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If you're really into barbershop music, you might find this link interesting. It gives the top 25 quartets of modern time, according to the author, of course. Your mileage may vary. http://josephmathieu.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-25-barbershop-quartet-champions-of.html

That was about it. In effect, I had spent one evening in one small corner of what I view as the world's largest library: the Internet.