"Well life's a train, it goes from February on, day by day, but it's making a stop on April 1st."

"April Fools"
Rufus Wainwright
Self-Titled, 1998

"Cross My Heart"
The Rocket Summer
Calendar Days


Waking up to chill wafts of air from an open window instead of a dusty fan is revitalizing; spring is creeping around the corner and into my lungs.
After not bothering to pay attention to the weather forecast during the New England freeze (There's snow on the ground. Okay, sweatshirt and pants.) I find myself clicking the 10-day forecast profusely while sitting in a bathrobe, waiting for Mother Nature's word on what I am allowed to accessorize for the day.
Certain aspects of our lives change with the season; we slough off the long johns, bulky boots, restrictive mittens and gloves. Materialism aside, many even opt for a change of tune.
During the not so sunny days of darkness after 5p.m, the music in constant rotation was that of a more mellow, guitar twinged sound: M. Ward's 'To Go Home' had me longing for my father's rural home in Massachusetts, Matt Pond PA's "Halloween" reminded me of my isolatory ways in public situations (not being able to speak at parties where socialization is out of the question), with every song comes an accompanying thought.
Once the temperature creeps up to 50 degrees, it's as if that overthinking fold of the brain decides to go on a vacation, yet checks a Blackberry daily for updates on the body's functionality. Another section of the brain sits in for the other on leave, but this one isn't employee of the month material, this little guy wants to kick his feet up in the cubicle and have a nice drink.
This is when the musical maniac in me begins to crave lighter, flow-through-your-room airy delights; songs reminiscent of the better days. Even though I am constantly trolling the music industry for new artists, during the hotter months I tend to pull out favorites that remind me of past summer memories. As a certain smell can trigger a figment of something once thought forgotten, music has always been a major firecracker that helps one remember an ex-significant other, a childhood home, and even a deceased loved one.
There is a warmer weather memory I have thought of constantly recently, and have tried my best not to be too melancholy over: driving solo in a car with no destination in mind, with the windows down and the stereo cranked. The two songs at the top have found their way into my past automobiles during these months for the past four years, where I loudly sing along tit for tat, note for note. Being momentarily without a vehicle, this could pose a threat to my ritualistic pleasures.
For this, I have found a temporary solution of planning walks, hikes, camping trips, and I can still of course enjoy my upbeat selections while being a trooper and taking public transportation. I may have to resist the temptation of singing, a stranger would probably tell me to not quit my day job, and then I'd overthink the reasons I don't have one.

Earliest Recording Unearthed

Move over, Thomas Edison, it’s time for Frenchman Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville to get the credit for the earliest known audio recording.

According to the New York Times, a 10-second recording of a woman singing “Au Clair De La Lune” was discovered earlier this month, and researchers are certain that it was created on April 9, 1860, 17 years before Edison’s infamous “Mary Had a Little Lamb” recording.

What was merely squiggles on paper turned out to be a phonautogram, which was a recording created on a 19th century phonautograph. The phonautograph, invented by Scott, could transcribe sound into a visual medium, but was not made to sufficiently play back any sort of audio. Scott, a Parisian inventor, was fully convinced that Edison had received recognition that was rightfully his own.

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California used a mix of optical imaging and modern technology to extract sound from patterns etched on the soot-blackened paper 150 years ago, and with that, the rag-like 9 by 25 inch rectangle gave way to the clearest, cleanest audio waves conceivably possible for such a time period.

Before this momentous occasion, scientists were only able to make phonautogram’s “squawk,” but this one was special. In the recording, a hissing, popping background gives way to a woman’s eerie rendition of the lyrics “Au clair de la lune, Pierrot répondit” in a hauntingly short and creepy fashion.

Some Central Connecticut students provided their thoughts on the recording, which were rather mixed reactions.

“It reminded me of a class I took while going to school in Chicago for two years,” said junior Nick Garofolo. “We analyzed recordings and had to figure out what they were recorded with while learning the history of recording.”

“Sounds really rough... haven’t these people ever heard of digital?” quipped junior Phillip Causey, while others, like freshman Nicole Verderame, were naturally curious. “This is really interesting, especially knowing that it was waiting in storage somewhere just to be discovered,” she said. “It makes me want to know who the person was that was recorded.”

On a broader social front, the audio clip has continued to get national recognition. Charlotte Greene, a BBC newsreader, dissolved into a fit of giggles after playing the recording over the airwaves. She attempted to continue business as usual, but could not do so after a studio member remarked that it sounded like “bees buzzing in a jar,” according to BBC News.

Discoveries such as the April 9, 1860 phonautogram ignite cravings for history that are insurmountable, and should be spoken of to children and young adults alike. It is a driving force that will propel students into a world of education that they will not want to leave, and will most likely inform and teach others of what they learn.

But seriously, in all the years of knowing what is produced from a coal oil lamp or what lines the inside of a chimney, who would have realized that by simply putting that and a piece of paper together, that a voice could be recorded? It is a marvel, and a mystery, and thanks to Scott, it will now be researched.