By George Petersen
Lately, we’ve all been mesmerized by the glorious images coming from the James Webb space telescope. It’s pure technology. And each new revelation brings us closer to the reality of an expanding universe, which harkens back to Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity and the relationships between energy, matter, space and time. But back then nobody realized that he was actually talking about audio!
THE AUDIO SIDE…
And E=MC2? It’s all so simple. Matter is all that junk — er, gear — we accumulate to reproduce sounds. Space can refer to the horrid acoustic spaces in hockey rinks that we’re supposed to magically transform into concert halls. Time may refer to checking phase, aligning drivers or some Bozo wanting to open the house a half-hour early after showing up two hours late to open the venue for load-in. Energy? A few minutes with a pushy promoter or prima donna artist can drain anyone’s energy reserves.
This brings up a major flaw in Einstein’s understanding of the cosmos: He forgot to mention Money, which, as everybody knows, is the force that makes the world go ‘round. You see, with access to enough money, anything is possible. For example, the well-known Iron Triangle states three conditions, whereby any project can be completed with any two of these factors, stated as: “Faster, better or cheaper — pick two.”
Unfortunately, things today are not so simple. Issues such as staffing shortages in the concert biz or manufacturers’ supply chain disruptions are elements not easily remedied, even with unlimited capital. Yet nothing is truly insurmountable. Perhaps the “C” in the modern version of Einstein’s equation didn’t refer to the speed of light, but to Creativity, and smart thinking is exactly what we need to succeed these days. And that… is the secret of the universe.
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