Entropy and Evolution
This is an addition to The Arrow of Time, that links the concepts of entropy and evolution.
The Song Six annex to this website
(james-ingram-act-two.de)
5th July 2026:
As part of the building of a new Song Six annex to Act Two, the "Afterwords" folder has been renamed "SongSix" and now contains various folders related to my new Patreon. The whole site has been updated for this change, so this should not affect new visitors. Old visitors may need to refresh the home page and/or any expired links.
The Song Six annex includes texts and interviews produced after Retrospective 2024. These include A Reaction to the Hawkins-Tse Interview, which was previously available only on Nathan Hawkins' Patreon. The original interview is publicly available on YouTube.
As part of the building of a new Song Six annex to Act Two, the "Afterwords" folder has been renamed "SongSix" and now contains various folders related to my new Patreon. The whole site has been updated for this change, so this should not affect new visitors. Old visitors may need to refresh the home page and/or any expired links.
The Song Six annex includes texts and interviews produced after Retrospective 2024. These include A Reaction to the Hawkins-Tse Interview, which was previously available only on Nathan Hawkins' Patreon. The original interview is publicly available on YouTube.
The Philosophic Method
Published 7th June 2026: This is an extension of the scientific method (used in physics and other sciences) that explicitly handles untestable hypotheses.
The Arrow of Time
12th March 2026: Published The Arrow of Time.
This is the latest attempt to discover what I ultimately believe — this time taking Stephen Wolfram’s ideas about computation, and biological considerations (neurons etc.) into account.
This is the latest attempt to discover what I ultimately believe — this time taking Stephen Wolfram’s ideas about computation, and biological considerations (neurons etc.) into account.
Interview #2 with Samuel Andreyev on YouTube
The Interview was filmed on 11th March, and published on 6th April 2025.
Vectors documentation — and other scores also available on request
Uploaded new documentation for Vectors (1974-76).
and
and
Full scores of the following pieces are now available on request in PDF format:
The Probability of Harmony (A3 landscape)
Possible Developments (327x285mm for A3 landscape)
Vectors (380x495mm for A2 portrait)
beyond the symbolic (390x297mm for A3 landscape)
The Innocent Bystander (A4 portrait)
Possible Developments (327x285mm for A3 landscape)
Vectors (380x495mm for A2 portrait)
beyond the symbolic (390x297mm for A3 landscape)
The Innocent Bystander (A4 portrait)
Performance material for these pieces is also available as follows:
The Probability of Harmony (PDFs, WAVs)
Possible Developments (paper)
Vectors (paper)
beyond the symbolic (paper)
The Innocent Bystander (paper — the choir sings from the score.)
Possible Developments (paper)
Vectors (paper)
beyond the symbolic (paper)
The Innocent Bystander (paper — the choir sings from the score.)
Contact information can be found here.
The Probability of Harmony: new performance material and documentation
Documentation for The Probability of Harmony and its revised performance material has been completed and uploaded here
Interview with Samuel Andreyev on YouTube
The Interview was filmed on 3rd December 2024, and published 9 days later.
In Defence of Literacy — Two Types of Time
1st December 2024: Published In Defence of Literacy — Two Types of Time.
This replaces the essay The Origin of Time, originally published in May 2023, but now withdrawn.
This replaces the essay The Origin of Time, originally published in May 2023, but now withdrawn.
Retrospective 2024
4th October 2024: Completed and published Retrospective 2024.
This is a detailed look at the path I took after 1971, when I was a student.
This is a detailed look at the path I took after 1971, when I was a student.
ResidentSynth and ResidentSynthHost Documentation
April 19th: Completed and published detailed documentation for the (further improved) ResidentSynth and ResidentSynthHost web application.
The documentation not only describes the synth's and host's functions in detail, but also their context and motivation.
The documentation not only describes the synth's and host's functions in detail, but also their context and motivation.
ResidentSynth and ResidentSynthHost
Completed and published a greatly expanded version of the ResidentSynth and its ResidentSynthHost web application. The host can now record and play back MIDI input sequences. The synth provides configurable mixtures, tunings, ornaments, settings presets and other functions.
The Origin of Time, and an old video
Added two items (14th May 2023):
1. The Origin of Time (an essay) — Withdrawn, but replaced by the essay In Defence of Literacy in December 2024.
2. Epiphany 1982 (A spontaneous interview filmed by János Darvas in 1982)
1. The Origin of Time (an essay) — Withdrawn, but replaced by the essay In Defence of Literacy in December 2024.
2. Epiphany 1982 (A spontaneous interview filmed by János Darvas in 1982)
ResidentSynth Host added
October 2022: The ResidentSynth Host is a web application that allows live performance of the GUI-less ResidentSynth, using a MIDI input device attached to the computer. Restricted use of the synthesizer is also possible using only a mouse.
The ResidentSynth and its new Host are developments of the (now archived) ResidentWAFSynth and ResidentWAFSynthHost software.
To keep things simple, I am now developing just one synthesizer in one GitHub repository, the ResidentSynthHostTestSite.
The ResidentSynth and its new Host are developments of the (now archived) ResidentWAFSynth and ResidentWAFSynthHost software.
To keep things simple, I am now developing just one synthesizer in one GitHub repository, the ResidentSynthHostTestSite.
Tick-based Timing
April 2021: This essay describes an approach to tick-based timing in all music notations that contain event symbols.
It further develops the ideas first presented in
It further develops the ideas first presented in
Added the ResidentWAFSynth to my WebMIDISynthHost application
Each synthesizer hosted by the WebMIDISynthHost can be added to a website as a substitute for an end-user hardware MIDI Output device. This makes such synthesizers especially useful on mobile devices.
The new ResidentWAFSynth uses WebAudioFont presets rather than Sf2 soundFonts, so it loads faster and is more flexible than its predecessor (the ResidentSf2Synth).
The new ResidentWAFSynth uses WebAudioFont presets rather than Sf2 soundFonts, so it loads faster and is more flexible than its predecessor (the ResidentSf2Synth).
Shockwave Flash no longer used
When many of the pages on this website were published, the standard way to play mp3 audio files was to use Shockwave Flash objects. Flash is no longer supported by the major browsers, and has stopped working. I have therefore removed all references to it, and am now using the HTML5 <audio> element instead.
The standard <audio> element has, however, a size (and visual appearance) that does not fit into the existing layouts. I have therefore made and used a custom version of Anthony Kolber's audiojs javascript library (which is a wrapper for the standard <audio> element), and used it with a custom style.
Many thanks to Anthony Kolber !
The standard <audio> element has, however, a size (and visual appearance) that does not fit into the existing layouts. I have therefore made and used a custom version of Anthony Kolber's audiojs javascript library (which is a wrapper for the standard <audio> element), and used it with a custom style.
Many thanks to Anthony Kolber !
About Marcel Duchamp's Erratum Musical
Uploaded
- January 2019: An analysis of Marcel Duchamp's Erratum Musical
- February 2019: Two scores that can be played on the Assistant Performer:
- Erratum Musical I-VIII: A simple transcription of diagrams I-VIII in the analysis
- Three Crashes: An original composition that follows the instructions next to Duchamp's “Apparatus”
On Cursors
May 2018: Uploaded two web applications and a short preface.
These applications were written while discussing the synchronization of scores (graphical information) with performances (temporal information) with the
W3C Music Notation Community Group.
They demonstrate the programming of different cursor types.
These applications were written while discussing the synchronization of scores (graphical information) with performances (temporal information) with the
W3C Music Notation Community Group.
They demonstrate the programming of different cursor types.
Interface theory of perception
Discovered Donald Hoffman's Interface theory of perception during the past week.
This theory agrees with the way I think of time as being a brain strategy for reducing complexity, so I have added the following links:
Donald Hoffman: The Interface Theory of Perception and
Donald Hoffman: lecture 1 (YouTube)
Donald Hoffman: lecture 2 (YouTube)
to my Pianola Music documentation.
The Pianola Music documentation (January 2016) discusses the history of music notation in the 20th century, and contains a description of my current views on the nature of (perceived) time.
This theory agrees with the way I think of time as being a brain strategy for reducing complexity, so I have added the following links:
Donald Hoffman: The Interface Theory of Perception and
Donald Hoffman: lecture 1 (YouTube)
Donald Hoffman: lecture 2 (YouTube)
to my Pianola Music documentation.
The Pianola Music documentation (January 2016) discusses the history of music notation in the 20th century, and contains a description of my current views on the nature of (perceived) time.
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