Signifying Something podcast returns with a new episode featuring Bhob Rainey! I was fascinated to learn about Bhob's sonification and audification techniques using data from stock market predictions. Thank you @mphonic.bsky.social and @safieflato.bsky.social!

Sawai Sir Sawant Singh Bahadur, 6th Maharaja of Bijawar, looking so boss in carmine floreate frame on this 6 pie stamp issued in 1935 feudatory India. #india #bijawar #stampcollecting #philately

Email your senator about the ACCESS Act. Imagine leaving Instagram and keeping your followers. Post once and share everywhere. Own your data instead of renting it from Meta. That's what this bill does. Bipartisan, stalled, needs noise. Five minutes of your time. www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...

I've been thinking about what you said @stamplab.bsky.social, about how the philatelic community is scattered across the web. This is the same thing we're dealing with in the experimental music community. Social fragmentation.

Ahmad Shāh Qājār looks so boss on these stamps. Issued in 1911 by the Persian Qājār dynasty, these are still illegal to buy and sell in the United States. #iran #persia #illegalstamps #philately #stampcollecting

I'm really enjoying revisiting these recordings. I hadn't heard these since 2006 when they were originally released. Richard's writing is compelling too. Thanks to Wayback Machine for saving this stuff.

I was updating the filenames on archive.org and noticed there was a lossless version of this. Yay! Added to the site.

Dopf, glad I checked these links here first. I had this one entered as "Wilson Zorn and J.O. Jenkins" homophoni.com/homo013/

Just sharing a few of my favorites here to make sure the metadata looks good...

Back online with proper album pages, upscaled artwork, and even Richard's old blog. homophoni.com

This hilariously brazen poke-in-the-eye was issued during the dying days of the Soviet Union and features infamous double-agent Kim Philby. Credits to the esteemed International Stamp Club of New York for the discovery. #stamps #philately #spieslovemail #kim #philby

Here's another Japanese occupation stamp, this time from Burma, issued in 1943. I was surprised to learn that unlike Manchukuo's puppet state, many Burmese welcomed Japan as liberators from Britain—hopes soon dashed by the realities of war. #stampcollecting #philately #stamps #japan #burma

Anyone else notice that Scott now lists Carpatho-Ukraine as its own country, rather than as a semi-autonomous region of Czechoslovakia? #philately #stampcollecting #ukraine #czechoslovakia

Pretty sure these are the first postage stamps to feature a drone swarm. #philately #stampcollecting #ukraine #spiderweb

Here’s a drawing that my art partner in crime and I did in 2020 to protest DeJoy sabotaging the USPS. We made these into postcards and sent them all over the US. I wonder how many senators/reps received them. Quite a few I’m sure. Still relevant, unfortunately. I think I have a stack left somewhere.

El Salvador has been making headlines recently, but before it was famous for giga-prisons, it was known as the "Land of Volcanoes." Here is El Salvador’s first postage stamp, printed in 1867 by the American Bank Note Company, featuring the Izalco volcano. #philately #stampcollecting #elsalvador

Just broke a piano string mid-tuning. Excellent live demo of Hooke’s Law meeting Newton’s Second Law.

@stamplab.bsky.social mentioned Manchukuo recently, which is an interesting chapter in history and philately. So, here's a stamp issued in 1935 during the brutal Japanese occupation of Chinese Manchuria, featuring the puppet emperor Puyi. #stampcollecting #stamps #philately #china #japan #manchukuo

I posted this photo before, but deleted it because I felt like it was too personal. I really should stop deleting posts. So, let's try again: here is a piano that my partner Christine gave me. It's basically the most incredible gift I've ever received from the most incredible person I've ever known.

Here’s something unique — an Express Post stamp from the Republic of China, issued between 1912 and 1916 (I think). Does anyone know more about these? It’s the only one I’ve ever come across. #philately #stampcollecting #stamps #china

Counting down the days until the embargoes are lifted so I can finally start selling stamps from Syria and Iran. How about Cuba next please?

This set from the Lao People's Democratic Republic is beautiful. We often think of Laos as a single, unified culture, but the reality is that it’s home to dozens of distinct and diverse cultural traditions. #philately #stampcollecting #stamps #laos

General Grant and party after leaving the Bonanza Mines, Virginia City, Nevada, Oct. 26, 1879. The mine operated from 1865-1960 and at one time was reported to be the second largest producer of quicksilver (mercury) in the United States. #postcards #mining

Taking apart a destroyed Fostex 260 4-track. I don't like the digital transport buttons on these models, but they make gnarly feedback which I love. And this board is kinda beautiful by itself.

Here is one of my favorite cat stamps from Japan, featuring a painting by Takehisa Yumeji. #philately #stampcollecting #cats #japan #黒船屋

These are bonkers. Issued by the Taliban after the American withdrawal to commemorate the defeat of the Soviets. February 15th is now a national holiday in Afghanistan. #stampcollecting #philately #afghanistan #illegalstamps

These Yemeni space stamps from 1970 are steeped in Cold War-era anxiety and reflect the country's longstanding interest in aerospace and rocketry. Likely intended for collectors rather than actual postal use, they remain intriguing artifacts of their time. #stampcollecting #philately #yemen #space

Found at a thrift store: a letter addressed to Miss Sallie Hall of Wallingford, Connecticut, containing an 1852 albumen print by Montgomery P. Simons (1816–1877), one of Philadelphia’s earliest practicing photographers. #philately #stampcollecting #albumen

Another ruined piano.

Overprinted stamps from 1898, issued during the first U.S. occupation of Cuba—the same year we acquired Guantanamo Bay. Feels timely, as we stumble into a fresh chapter of American expansionism. #stampcollecting #philately #cuba

On the way to the dog park. Mr. Dill Pickles freaking loves the dog park.

I wish I had kept this one.

Cable pianos are generally considered to be the worst, but I think this ruined piano is beautiful. How could you not want to drag your fingernails across those exposed strings? And the way the keys are all crammed together at the end reminds me of something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

A player piano that my friend Pascal is restoring. It would be fun to experiment with preparations or perhaps make some Strumming Music style rolls.

Revox and a can of compressed air.

Trying to figure out why this Akai GX-260D only works intermittently. Bad caps probably.

Replacing the belt on a Sony TCM-20DV. These aren't as nice as the 200DV but I like the location of the pitch knob.

Tuning a Yamaha P22 upright piano.

Replacing a belt on a TEAC X-2000R.

Trying to figure out why one of the channels died on this TEAC 144 4-track.

Steinway and a forklift.

The famous Toshiba RT series, used by the Lockerbie bombers.

This is the inside of my friend Pascal's Revox A77. It works pretty good now.

This is my Otari. It's broken right now but it looks really cool.

I am not really sure what to talk about so I'm just going to post some photos of tape recorders.