iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 09/09/2026

JS Bach was adept at harmonizing all sorts of weird melodies, so I thought I would have a try at reharmonizing the “chorale” melody the AI produced, but improve it by being more interesting.

My own handwritten reharmonization of the weird “chorale” melody produced by AI.

100

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 07/07/2026

I enjoyed that… and have something from yesterday’s choir chat:

Me posting a picture on WhatsApp of Robert and Clara’s grave with the comment “19th century power couple (in Bonn)”, and receiving the reply “Brahms’s name is incorrectly spelt … *wink emoji*”

110

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 01/05/2026

Palestrina, Gesualdo, Lassus.

Straight-laced woman, pretty boy and hot woman watching a game, not sure who they are.

040

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 03/02/2026

A mix? Based on videos I’ve watched? Why thanks, YouTube.

YouTube suggesting a mix based on me having watched Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 26/10/2025

I can only guess at the story behind this but it looks like they are holding it out hard.

The top line of four words in today's NYT Connections puzzle. The words are ONLY, CONNECT, OLIVE, BRANCH.

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 27/07/2025

In the interests of science I present the Milocha.

A mocha made with Milo rather than cocoa and sugar.

100

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 03/05/2025

We’re going to have to throw this potato out.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 20/04/2025

Peter Dutton’s campaign is its own metaphor (via Reddit).

A Liberal Party billboard truck has hit a Skyrail bridge (an achievement of a Labor government).

011

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 14/04/2025

Sadly Douglas Lawrence is not well, so I will be conducting Scots’ Church Melbourne’s annual Bach St John Passion on Good Friday. It’s easily the biggest thing I’ve ever conducted 🤞

JS BACH
ST JOHN PASSION

Performed by Choir of The Scots' Church The Melbourne Baroque Orchestra Conducted by Douglas Lawrence

GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 18 FROM 730PM SCOTS' CHURCH MELBOURNE CNR COLLINS+RUSSELL STREET

FREE ADMISSION

THE PERFORMANCE IS IN GERMAN, A FULL TRANSLATION IS SUPPLIED.

131

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 14/04/2025

Pellegrini’s, it’s been too long…

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 09/03/2025

without downloading new pics, describe your gender

A silhouette of an electricity pylon in front of a hill at sunset, with a crescent moon above.

100

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 22/02/2025

My kid wasn’t really into practicalities either…

A toddler riding a purple plastic tricycle while pulling a toy pram with a teddy in it.

120

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 08/02/2025

It’s been too long since I made iced coffee.

Just a glass of iced coffee with a scoop of ice cream in it.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 07/02/2025

Can you spot the quote here?

A few bars from my 2nd Sinfonietta, written when I was 20. It is March/Polka in a Shostakovich vein, so of course features a trombone solo.

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 10/01/2025

I found not one but two numismatic curiosities in the coin tray today. Firstly a coin from 2022 with a new picture of Elizabeth wearing a necklace, and a 2024 coin with Charles facing the other way.

Three Australian 20 cent coins, one from 2008 with the portrait of Elizabeth that we’re used to for comparison, and then two others as described.

120

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 07/01/2025

Fun times! (One from the archives)

Two sisters (4 and 1) holding hands on a path.

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 05/01/2025

A whole orchestra free-for-all would sort this out. Let the conductor bring one of these anodised aluminum bad boys with carbon fiber shafts…

Three different-sized “Lancio” batons. The description is “Our Lancio® batons have a bold appearance and an equally bold feel.”

100

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 21/12/2024

It will take me a while to decipher this typically enigmatic @dontattempt.bsky.social crossword clue, but I like the Christmas date reference (25/12/24).

A crossword clue: 25,12-across, 24-down Top renegade anti-drug, priests assume, making promise to 1-across colleague (7,12)

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 09/12/2024

Very close to this I reckon (1866 at 33, Deutsches Requiem).

Brahms at 33, no longer ridiculously youthful looking.

110

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 26/11/2024

search “concert” and post the oldest pic in your camera roll

Me, Julie and Maria being fed to within an inch of our lives after a concert in Lodi, Italy.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 23/11/2024

Iced espresso for a hot morning.

120

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 16/09/2024

The Way of the Cross, an album I recorded with the talented musicians Sam Qualtrough and Tony Gould, is out now on your favourite digital platform. Audio links, a detailed description and lyrics here: mcalley.net.au/?p=172

An album cover featuring a picture of Michelangelo's Pietà, with the following text:
The Way of the Cross
A contemporary meditation on The Stations of the Cross
Tony Gould: piano, improvisations
Sam Qualtrough: vocals
Vaughan McAlley: flute, arrangements

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 25/06/2024

There’s another round that ends “Schlaf, fei gesund, und reck’ den Arsche zum Mund”

The score of an obscene canon by Mozart.

030

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 05/05/2024

I have a fascination with American actuaries.

Google summarises Charles Ives: American actuary and businessman

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 24/04/2024

Our younger kid has a broken arm so their violin teacher agreed to teach some “theory”. I’m not sure what wizardry the teacher performed, but the kid came home able to write out arbitrary major and minor scales.

Several major and minor scales in musical notation.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 15/04/2024

If I recall, Placebo Domino was one of the Three Tenors.

The New York Times Connections puzzle, consisting of four rows of four words. The first words are "PLACEBO" and "DOMINO".

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 06/03/2024

In memory of our much-missed alto, president and friend, Ensemble Gombert will present a concert this Saturday afternoon at 3pm. You can come in person or watch the live-stream… events.humanitix.com/faire-is-the...

A relaxed woman casually holding a camera.

110

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 23/01/2024

Someone finally called the plumber 🪠🪠🪠

A news headline saying “Former prime minister Scott Morrison to resign from politics”

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 09/01/2024

The snails have found out!

An envelope marked “Private & Confidential” which has been heavily nibbled at by snails in the letterbox.

100

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 25/12/2023

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.

An impressive yellow rose from our garden.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 17/12/2023

SARS-CoV-2: Revenant (It’s hard to see, but the 12th and 13th are both faintly positive)

A series of dated Covid tests. 7th December: mildly positive, 12 and 13 December: the line is almost invisible, 14 and 15 December: negative, 17 December: brightly positive.

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 13/11/2023

Of course I would end up in a place called Xtraction espresso…

An aesthetically pleasing cappuccino with a view of Bolton St Newcastle in the background.

101

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 12/11/2023

Lantana! I must be in Newcastle/Awabakal country.

A bright purple lantana tree captured from a taxi.

100

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 21/10/2023

I am very very proud of my spot-the-story effort today (2 Kings 2:23-24)

2 Kings 2:23-25
New International Version
Elisha Is Jeered

23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

110

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 09/10/2023

Tim Tams are everywhere in Australia, but 16 years after our honeymoon in Norway, it looks like it might be possible to get these little jelly guys (and gals, because Norway) without paying eye-watering shipping.

A packet of Norwegian jelly-men and jelly-women (Laban seigmenn og seigdamer)

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 06/10/2023

We wouldn’t want to be encouraging bad behaviour, would we?

A xeet saying that Musk's new innovation of taking away like and retweet buttons is a good move because vanity metrics create bad incentives & behaviour.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 29/09/2023

There’s (a little) life in the old site yet.

A post by the US Embassy in Australia of a sign of amusing but false Australian slang terms.

000

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 23/09/2023

Due to the sad passing of football legend Ron Barassi, my quirky naming scheme for Melbourne Metro stations is now valid, in time for its opening in 2025.

A tweet from 29 November 2017 with a proposal for naming the new Melbourne Metro stations:
If you don’t like the #MelbouneMetro station names, you’ll really hate my suggestions (south to north):
Weary
Chloe
Billibellary (Wurundjeri leader)
[Ida] Halley (early Melb. Uni med graduate etc etc)
Barassi

010

Vaughan McAlley @mcalley.net.au · 16/09/2023

I don’t have the culinary nous to evaluate this suggestion for how to make parmesan-infused iced coffee courtesy of ChatGPT.

Parmesan-Infused Syrup for Iced Coffee:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Iced coffee (prepared as previously mentioned)

Instructions:

Prepare the Parmesan-Infused Syrup:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water.
Add the grated Parmesan cheese to the saucepan.
Heat the mixture over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved and the Parmesan cheese has infused into the syrup. This may take 5-10 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from heat and let the syrup cool. Strain out the grated Parmesan cheese, so you're left with a clear syrup with a hint of Parmesan flavor.

Make Your Iced Coffee:
Follow the steps I mentioned earlier to brew, cool, and sweeten your coffee.

Combine:
Once your iced coffee is ready, add the Parmesan-infused syrup to it. Start with a small amount, like 1-2 tablespoons, and adjust to your taste.

030