Despite the fact that it's been proven more than once that there are lots of folks who are well-versed in Morse code, it appears that the SMS of the 19th century has become a thing of the past. The FCC has finally dropped the requirement to learn the obscure language to become a ham radio operator; up until now there had been a five word per minute minimum Morse code speed requirement in order to get the amateur radio license. This brings American amateur radio operators in line with similar requirements in Europe and Canada, who since eliminating the rule in 2003, have found this requirement a bit, shall we say, old world? [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Slashdot and ARRLWeb]

Each week Tom Whitwell of Music Thing highlights the best of the new music gear that's coming out, as well as noteworthy vintage equipment:

Human ingenuity has no limits. Walking through the vast halls of the Frankfurt Messe exhibition centre last week, I saw pretty much every musical instrument imaginable, and several things that I’d never imagined seeing…
Most kick drums don't rotate, so I'm not sure how the spinning starts on these things, but I guess the lead singer could casually give it a flick round every so often. No, there's no way that attaching a random bit of shiny, pointy aluminium to the front of your drum kit will make it sound better.