Bert Jansch RIP

Poliphemus with a Kindyl in his hande

Obituaries for Michael Hart, visionary founder of Project Gutenberg, here and here.  He was that rarest of creatures, a person who knew what to do with the Internet.

Besides the obvious benefits of making available to the general public 16th century treatises on rhetoric, the second edition of A Practical Handbook on the Distillation of Alcohol from Farm Products, and back issues of The Esperantist from 1905, thank you, Mr. Hart, for providing the venue for geeks the world over to put their OCD tendencies to work in the service of humankind, especially on blackletter OCR nightmares like this:

Do but behold what a beauteous and technology-friendly thing the Post Processor hath wrought of it. (Not that one wouldn't prefer having the original, of course, but I think it was in a library in France.)

Salvatore Licitra RIP

NYT obituary here.

Forty-three years old. Wear your helmets, people.

Bill Morrissey RIP

His own songs never really spoke to me but his Mississippi John Hurt album was and remains a thing of fabulousness.

RIP Jack Hardy

a songwriter's songwriter