January, 2005 A while back, I took the photo at the bottom of this page. Now, having just finished the bore work on a new shakuhachi, I was reclining back, miring in its form and beauty, while "Stargate SG-1" (ahem...) shown in the background. As I pointed the shakuhachi at the TV to allow more light inside the bore, it began to radiate throughout, in patterns of swirling colors and dynamics, with each scene change of the show. Expanding on the still-shot below, I decided to grab the digital video camera and see if it were possible to capture a moving version of the bore. It actually worked, and the video link follows. Unless time is of great excess for you, I really recommend a DSL or Cable internet connection--the video is approximately 34MB, 3min-15sec long, MPG format, 352x240 wide-mode, and will enlarge well, even to full screen. To enhance the mood, the video is over a backdrop of a small portion "Tamuke", masterfully performed by Stan Richardson (and with his gracious consent :), from his "Shakuhachi Meditation Music" CD. Wonderful! For Windows users, the quickest is to open Windows Media Player first, then select File, Open URL, then paste in the following link: http://www.funklogic.com/jibore.mpg . This will allow the video to begin streaming after a few seconds +/-, though depending on the speed of your connection, you might wait 1 minute before playing, or retry it, if the playing catches up with the downloading and chatter occurs. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO July, 2003 "The Awakening Bore" One morning I was doing a little dawn practice on my Bonchiku. The sun began to open its eyes through the window to my left and shine on my flute... I tilted it slightly to the left and let the light shine through the holes. It was beautiful. Quite often I love to sight down the bore and simply admire the craftsmanship and great beauty of the high-gloss lacquer that appears almost metallic at times (as I'm sure is the case with most shaku players, during pauses in playing and certain contemplative moods; or, pausing out of frustration at the inability to play a complex passage?). As the sun hit the holes, it radiated throughout the bore into an amazing flow of light and bright red swirls. I quickly wiped the moisture from the bore, grabbed my camera, propped the flute, and took a macro digital shot, hoping to capture what I was seeing... below is the result.