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jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social
Musician & historian. Drummer playing ska, reggae, cumbia, & more. Composer & sound designer. ABD historian of technology writing about convenience. Railroad history, food history, DDR Alltag & Underground, building things large & small, &c.
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If it looks like there are two different fonts on this clay tablet from ancient Babylon, that’s because there are. In December of 603 BCE, a young scribe named Balāṭa made a faithful copy of a far more ancient inscription of Sîn-Kashid who had ruled Uruk over 1,000 years earlier.

submitted 3 days ago • 17 comments

I have a policy of not posting in anger and it's getting harder to follow by the day.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

I'll never forget how kind Brad was. In 1990 my band opened for his. Rather than disappearing to his bus or other headliner'y stuff he watched our soundcheck and then came up and talked drums with me like we were old pals. I still use drum techniques he shared with me in my playing today.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Our very own Lindsay killing it with Eastern Standard Time at Bluebeat DC!

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

45 years ago today The Selecter released their debut album, Too Much Pressure, on this day in 1980. It features “Three Minute Hero” and “Missing Words.” #punk #ska #skalegends #skabands #theselecter #paulineblack #toomuchpressure #history #skahistory #skaturday #otd

submitted 8 days ago • 8 comments

If I can tell that your meme was screenshotted from Facebook, I really don't want to see it. I left that place for a reason.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

In the past, most synthesizer music was set in the future, but nowadays, most of it is set in the present or the past. This is not necessarily a bad thing and probably natural, but we now lack an instrument which ekoves the future, so we should think about nominating a new one.

submitted 8 days ago • 40 comments

Stepped away from writing to play live music* for the first time in a few weeks. It felt amazing and rejuvenating. Great to see so many friends out. We all needed that. *I mean full-on, 1.5 straight hours of adrenaline-fueled good time, with friends. Not the sedate precision of studio work.

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

Headed out to play drums with @estmusic.bsky.social in DC tonight. Come out if you like Ska, Jazz, Reggae, and/or Soul.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Walking in to NASA’s JPL today as a woman in science leadership felt almost like a protest. They can take us off the webpages and the walls, but we will still be here, absolutely crushing it, and supporting our community while we do it. Happy International Day of Women in Science, everyone.

submitted 12 days ago • 26 comments

Just three sleeps until we hit the stage in DC! Blue Beat DC at Wonderland Ballroom 2/13. The Soularites are joining us. We've got special guests & songs for you just for this night. Ska music and ska community recharge your soul. #ska #blueska #LiveMusic

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Day four of having the theme music of Magnum PI stuck in my head. No, not the one you’re thinking of; the odd one from the first few episodes of the first season.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments