The Spark and the Algorithm
Andy Senior
July 1, 2026
I do not consider baked goods to be oracular. Nonetheless, there was a time when I looked forward to the end of a meal of
I do not consider baked goods to be oracular. Nonetheless, there was a time when I looked forward to the end of a meal of
To the Editor: Many thanks for your well written “Static from my Attic” column offering your Juneteenth Reflections. It is imperative that those of us
Unlike most normal people, I’ve never been a fan of holidays. I regard Christmas and Thanksgiving with particular distaste, since they’re all about overeating and
I started dabbling at this idea in 1983 or so, for a friend of mine who had a filmmaking class at LeMoyne. I originally labeled
To the Editor: As a consequence of travel, I’m a month behind in my reading of the April edition of The Syncopated Times. Thus, I
– The Only April Fool is the Editor – To the Editor: I am greatly saddened to read (April issue) of the proposed takeover (bid)
Media moguls Larry and David Ellison, well-known for their recent acquisition of Paramount and planned takeover of Warner Bros., have made a bid to acquire
– Kind Words from the Board – Dear Andy and Syncopated Times (one and the same), My hearty congratulations on ten unqualified successful years! Your
While laying out the current issue I experienced a brief and welcome respite from all the external sources of static that have polluted this column
As I celebrate ten years of publication of The Syncopated Times, I think I now may safely confess something that many of you have known
The day before Thanksgiving my wife and I went to the local arts center for a showing of the best movie I am likely to
The last ever US penny was minted on November 12, 2025, and my last ever expressible thought occurred at approximately the same time. I can’t
Willie Gary “Bunk” Johnson was born December 27, 1889. Johnson was the youngest of 14 children. He had been schooled in sight reading and improvisation
In the midst of the darkening gloom that attends the season, I’ve had the pleasure of attending (or at least listening in on) some marvelous
For some inexplicable reason, a few readers have expressed that they miss my words in this space. I frankly needed a break from myself because
We owe a vast debt of gratitude to all the readers and supporters of The Syncopated Times who have kept us in print this year.
This past month, I made noises in a fundraising letter that I was planning to shut up for a month or two. “I am likely
It has come to my attention that there is a problem with postal delivery of the paper. Subscribers to The Syncopated Times have written to
As if Anno Domini 2025 were not fraught enough with rumors of war and the vain, blustering hubris that ensures a constant level of High
Snook Haven County Park & Restaurant, which hosted the Gulf Coast Banjo Society since 1987, is now undergoing a thorough renovation that will take at
I am heartened that the response to last month’s Static column, “Tearing Apart the Arts,” was overwhelmingly positive. I was expecting a flood tide of
If you’re anything like me, you had “that friend” as a child. Not really a friend, but someone you knew at school or from the
Aside from the weather and just about everything else, it’s been a good month. This is the sort of old-fashioned winter we had when I
Yes, I admit it. It’s a shorter issue this month. I could just be flippant and say “It’s a short month.” Or I could suggest
