Moira Gunn speaks with Artis Wodehouse, a pianist and Gershwin scholar, who has studied the piano rolls of George Gershwin under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her work has led her to convert some 65 of the 130 known Gershwin rolls into today's technology. A CD, recently released by Elektra Records, is entitled "Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls." Dr. Gunn and Ms. Wodehouse discuss the technology of the early player pianos and how the rolls were translated into notation that could be played by a Yamaha Disklavier piano. A Disklavier is on hand in the studio for actual demonstration.
Also, Moira Gunn speaks with Jeff Liebowitz, director of marketing for the ImagiNation network. Mr. Liebowitz discusses this innovative new network that enables users to establish graphical "personas" and to play adventure games with other actual personas. They also discuss the socialization aspects of the network, including the 13 marriages that have resulted from people meeting on the network, and the unusual connections formed between people of all ages.
Tapes, transcripts, and more information on TechNation is available by calling technation@aol.com or by sending e-mail to technation@usfca.edu. Rebroadcast of TechNation is made possible by the sponsors of the Internet Multicasting Service.