Word: arcana
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...listening to a favorite bedtime story, classical audiences love to hear the same works over and over, and most of the time the record companies give them what they want: Bach Brandenburgs without end, Beethoven symphonies without number. Occasionally, however, a darker side surfaces, and . something different is unearthed: arcana by a famous composer, perhaps, or a new piece by a living artist that seeks to reveal the skull beneath the skin. A trio of recent releases for the adventurous shows the eerie attractions of mood music...
...concern was to make a great record. It will be basically the director's job to make it a great show." Meanwhile Rice, who in his spare time helped compile The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits and loves nothing more than to discuss rock arcana, can take satisfaction in his biggest hit record. If its momentum carries the piece to hit status on Broadway and beyond, it may be years before Chess reaches endgame...
...next carver up, Jim Sprankle, offered no-nonsense instructions, going down deep into all the arcana of his craft. His listeners failed to notice the humor in his remark on concentrating on the head area of your duck. "As far as I'm concerned, that's the focal point. That's what draws you in. You don't look at someone's tail first, so to speak...
Success seems not to have spoiled the Trivial Trio; it has only increased their obsession with the money monster they created. Like proud parents with baby pictures, they push morsels of arcana on their visitors. "Who is the only U.S. President to have worn a Nazi uniform?" asks Chris Haney with an anarchic chortle. (Their answer: Ronald Reagan, in the 1942 movie Desperate Journey.) Then they turn back to their work, the Haneys calling out sample questions they have researched in advance, and Abbott, perched at the keyboard of a small computer, tinkering with the wording...
That said, Crichton manages to create a believable human framework for micromachines. Electronic Life is a casual, alphabetized guidebook, with a brief initiation into high-tech jargon (RAM, ROM, kilobyte) and arcana (magnetic fields, artificial intelligence and dedicated machines). The process is reassuring for the technophobic. "Fear of computers is normal," writes Crichton. "A certain amount of kicking and screaming is useful...