Music. Lots of music

The way music has changed in the past century is phenomenal. Where before you had to play it yourself or go to concerts, you now can immerse yourself in the stuff without knowing anything or going anywhere. A while ago I had so much music on my computer that if I wanted I could go for at least a week without hearing the same song twice if I didn't want to. And I'm not as obsessed as some people are. It's a rather massive shift if you ask me, and no doubt in years to come it will provide historians and social scientists with ample fodder for study.

If you want to get still more music and learn about yet more bands, a useful site to keep checking is the Hype Machine, an aggregator of music blogs. Updating frequently, it's a treasure trove of all things musical. If you want to sign up, it promises that you're able to customize what you see, presumably allowing you to keep tabs on the genres that you particularly enjoy. Otherwise, check it frequently to see what people are listening to and what they think of it...

Polynesian plant names

I have recently come across a mighty tome. The Dictionary of Polynesian Plant Names by Karl Rensch and Arthur Whistler weighs in at over 700 pages in length and contains a mighty amount of information on what species of plant are called what names on what island or island group in the Pacific.

While essentially it is just a list of names, it also contains some fascinating tidbits of information regarding cultural use of the plants. For example we find that Cordia subcordata, known as tauanave in Samoa is a highly-valued timber tree used for canoes and household implements.
We also discover that mafa'i in Tongan refers to the cucurbit Luffa cylindrica var. insularum, a creeper whose fruit makes a good sponge. The relative value of each of the plants is also shown by the number of names given to each plant, with Finderlist 2 show

This book is obviously a book that is the result of much scholarship and research by the authors. No doubt it is also a labour of love, with both authors having much experience in the South Pacific. A reference work of great value for biologists, linguists and anybody interested in the interaction of people and their environment in Polynesia. Unfortunately, it appears to be privately published, and thus is hard to obtain. If anyone knows where to get it from, let the rest of us know...

Reference:
Rensch KH, Whistler AW. 2008. Dictionary of Polynesian Plant Names. Archipelago Press, Canberra. 723 pp