There oughta be a law against autoplay music on websites. Here’s yet another example: the 52nd National Square Dance Convention starts playing something (don’t know what it is, because I backed out quick) as soon as the start page loads. But, hey, guess what? I don’t browse in a vacuum, and, as it happens, I was playing MP3s while surfing. Result: instant cacaphony.

I went back to the page briefly, to look for a way to turn the freakin’ music off, but no dice. Bamm, I’m outa there.

Wise up, webmasters: music is a good thing, but it should be voluntary, and (I think) it should serve some function…playing some stupid MIDI file just to have some sound is irritating.

Okay, I turned off my music and went back. The page played a MIDI version of Oklahoma (I can see all kinds of copyright violations, but what the heck), which is appropriate, since the convention is in Oklahoma City, and it only played it once (whew, no autorepeat). But there ought to be a way to turn it off. Quickly.

Ah yes, the fifties…where square dancing, beer, and cigarettes went together. Check out this beer ad from 1952, showing people square dancing, smoking, and drinking beer because, “in this freedom-loving land of ours, beer belongs…”

This item is available on eBay for the next 5 days. I’m almost tempted; I could hang it next to my 1896 self-portrait of Frances Benjamin Johnston enjoying a beer and smoking a cigarette (with her legs crossed in a very unladylike manner).

This list of tips on dancing with beginners has good advice. Here are the first two items:

1. Smile
2. Make eye contact.

These are some things we could improve in MWSD. After an evening contra dancing, I really notice the lack of eye contact in MWSD. In fact, when I google “eye contact square dance,” the references that come up are almost all contrasting contra dancing with square dancing. Virtually every writeup on contra dancing mentions eye contact as an important part of the dance. If you watch square dancers, it almost seems like there’s a taboo on direct eye contact…unless you’re trying to help someone.

Oh wait…here’s a reference to eye contact:

Bow (Honors) To your Partner: Men: Turn slightly to face your partner making eye contact(emphasis added). Place left hand behind back or at left hip, palm out. Place right foot in front of left foot. The right foot should be pointed toward the lady with the toe touching the floor. Man’s right hand holds lady’s left hand. Both legs are straight, with weight on the back foot.
Ladies: Turn slightly to face your partner making eye contact(emphasis added). Left foot should be pointed forward with toe touching floor, right foot in back. right hand holds skirt toward center of square, right arm bent at elbow. Place left hand in partner’s right hand. Both legs are straight with weight on back foot. [an acceptable traditional variation of styling is that the man bow slightly from the waist as the ladies acknowledge with a curtsy.]
To your Corner: Men: Right hand holding partner’s left hand, turn slightly to face corner, making eye contact(emphasis added). Place left hand behind back or at left hip, palm out. Place left foot in front of right foot. The left foot should be pointed toward corner with toe touching floor. Both legs are straight with weight on the back foot.
Ladies Left hand in partner’s right hand, turn slightly to face corner making eye contact(emphasis added). Place right foot in front of left foot with the right foot pointed toward corner and the toe touching floor. Both legs are straight with weight on back foot. An acceptable traditional variation of styling is that the men bow slightly from the waist as the ladies acknowledge with a curtsy.

Here’s what I think…square dancers should lighten up a little…

Kate Yule and David Levine are square dancers. David’s also a science fiction writer, and both are science fiction fans who publish one of my favorite publications of all time, Bento, a physically-small, sporadically-published fanzine. (…I just lost 1/2 hour browsing through the few issues that are online…)

They write about square dancing on occasion, although my favorite, Kate’s first description of dancing with the Rosetown Ramblers as a straight woman, isn’t online yet.

But another favorite, a reverse Switcher story called “Immigrants”, is online in Bento #7. (I wonder if they ever think about switching back, now that Macs are following the Unix path…)

Their most recent issue, Bento 14, arrived a few days ago. It included a piece by Andrei Codrescu that totally struck home. It’s called “‘Vampires’ at the Airport,” and you can listen to the original NPR recording here. I’ve been there, roaming, searching, endlessly seeking a place to plug in. Why can’t airports provide more outlets?

I’m on the Square and Round Dance Web Ring, so there’s a banner at the bottom of each of my pages with the webring controls. Both the previous site (Valley Squares of Shelton, CT) and the next site (Mike Callahan) have automatic MIDI music that starts to play as soon as you enter the site. I hate that, since I usually have a TV or iTunes going while I surf. If the music is useful (like hearing some samples from a square dance record producer, or demo calling from a caller), I’ll play it (after turning off other sound sources. Otherwise, it just makes me hit the Back button as quickly as I can to stop the sound.

At least the two sites that surround me display controls for the music, so I can scroll down and stop it. Sites that play music and give me no controls go on my blacklist.