Posts are flying left and right about the great one, Don Knuth and the wonders of his home and travels.

His fascination with diamond-shaped signs (and, please, let's call a rhombus a rhombus) has been documented as has his quest to quash inferior delta symbols from publication.

Eileen has intimated that installing a gigantic pipe organ in one's home might be unusual.

Gee, next thing you know, somebody will post that acquiring seals from a zoo and training them to play said organ would be considered eccentric (too late, I just beat you to it).

I will come clean and confess that I have pipe envy. I have a not-so-gigantic simulated-pipe organ in my home. I had thought of rescuing a pipe organ from the Organ Historical Society, but when my wife asked if it came with headphones, I told her "only for those who don't want to hear it".

So, acquiring a true organ remains for me a pipe dream.

But if I did rescue one, or have one built for me, the pedal division would certainly not be electropneumatic, as is the case for Don Knuth's organ. I would think his disdain for deprecated deltas would extend to organs that are not authentically mechanical, but it appears he capitulated and (reasonably) settled on non-mechanical means of playing his pedalboard.

He won't read papers that contain the deprecated delta (I wonder if he has students who prescreen papers for such problems). In striving for greatness, I proclaim that I won't listen to or play organs buit with non-mechanical pedal action.

OK, I admit that my organ uses magnets (yes, magnets) to actuate the pedals. I guess professors that live with magnetically actuated pedalboards can't afford to be so critical.

Posted by: James at September 24, 2003 9:21 AM

Posted by: Nathan at September 24, 2003 10:37 AM

Posted by: rkc at September 25, 2003 7:25 AM

Posted by: Nathan at September 25, 2003 11:48 PM