Celebrate Creativity

Send us Fan MailAnd this person here must be shakespeare’s teacher.-Hic Latīnē tantum loquimur.Pardon me.I said that we only speak Latin here.But I don't know Latin. Could you speak in English?Well, yes, ordinarily all of the class is communicated using Latin. But I assume I can make one exception for you now since you do seem to be an English speaking person.Thank you very much. But first, I have something that I need to say–This series blends historical research with fiction and imagined conversations. Not a documentary, not advice.Today: the schooling that made Shakespeare’s language possible—and how those rhetorical “moves” show up in the plays like fingerprints.Now Picture it: a grammar school. from at least six o'clock in the morning to 6 o'clock at night Monday through Saturday. Repetition that drills itself into the mind.Latin. Translation. Memorization. Imitation.Not because the world is kind, but because the world is competitive.A boy learns to hold language in his mouth like a tool—and to sharpen it.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome to Hall of Imagination–and this is the first in a series of episodes about William Shakespeare. And here we have a wax figure of the BARD himself. And personally, let me say as an actor that I am really excited about the prospect of learning more about what makes William Shakespeare so great!  Oh here you are!Mr. Shakespeare, I am really excited about this series of podcast episodes.Now we are not going to begin by interviewing Hamlet… or Juliet… or Lady Macbeth… or Romeo…No. Today, I’m starting with… a town.A town with muddy streets, and church bells, and gossip that travels faster than Wi-Fi ever dreamed of traveling.Because before Shakespeare becomes Shakespeare—the name you’ve heard a thousand times—he is a boy in Stratford-upon-Avon, absorbing the world like a sponge with ambitions.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailMr. Presley, I'd like to begin in Tupelo, move through Sun Records and the explosion of the 1950s, and then spend time with Vegas ., the   pills, the isolation, and the wreckage.Mr. Bartley, it seems that you really knew about my life.Mr. Bartley, I was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, into poverty and instability. MY twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. That loss was not an abstract line on a genealogy chart. It marked MY parents, especially MY mother Gladys, and by all accounts left me with a lingering sense of being “the one who lived” and needing somehow to prove worthy of that accident.Mr. Presley, could you describe your life in Tupelo?Mr. Bartley, you might say that our world was modest houses, odd jobs, and the sounds of the rural South. Church was central. Hymns were sung full-throttle, white Southern gospel quartets layering harmony, preachers who treated volume as proof of conviction. Just outside that world, Black congregations where the same God was praised with even greater rhythmic fire; blues guitar lines drifting out of doorways; early country music and sentimental pop on the radio.Mr. Presley, then were you a music prodigy?No, Mr. Bartley, I can't really say that I was. I was shy, deeply bonded to my mother, uneasy about money and status, and often embarrassed. But I listened. I soaked up voices and styles. You might say that the vulnerability that later made me easy to manage also made me unusually open as a young artist: a receiver before I was ever a transmitter.That is an interesting way, Mr. Presley, of putting it.Mr. Bartley, in 1948 the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, chasing work and stability. My family landed in public housing projects—tight spaces, thin walls, and a city thumping with music.What would you say was the effect, Mr. Presley, of Memphis upon you?AH, Mr. Bartley, Memphis put me closer to Beale Street: Black blues, rhythm & blues, club bands who could make small rooms lift off the floor. I could hear - and feel - that edge, the swing, the looseness.Memphis also gave me access to a mix of radio stations and record shops that didn’t respect tidy genre borders. I could take in country ballads, white gospel, Black gospel, blues, sentimental pop—sometimes within a single afternoon.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailPermit me to tell a very short story about something that really happened. Years ago, I saw Chuck Berry live at the Paramount Theatre in Manhattan. I later learned that a few years after that, the Paramount Theater was completely shut down.  Anyway, that night Chuck Berry was on a bill with The Animals and The Dixie Cups—a lineup that already told you how fast the musical world was changing.  The British Invasion bands were arriving with their sharp suits and American R&B records tucked under their arms. In fact, the animals had the number one song in the country with the house of the rising Sun. And there were girl groups with immaculate harmonies. The Dixie Cups had the number two song in the country with chapel of love.  Here was a crowd already fluent in the new language of pop.And then one of rock's pioneers - Chuck Berry - walked onstage.No elaborate light show, no army of amplifiers, no sentimental introduction. Just that stance, that sly half-smile, and a guitar tone as clean and cutting as a bell. You could feel the air in the room shift. Whether the audience could have put it into words or not, they were looking at the source material—the man whose songs and style had already soaked into the bones of the acts beside him on the poster.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailI'd like to begin the final part of this two part series regarding Michael Jackson by looking at late 1993. Yes, Mr. Bartley, in 1993, I proposed to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone. We were married in La Vega, Dominican Republic, in May of 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez.I would imagine that the tabloid media would have a field day with that marriage!They certainly did! In fact the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a publicity stunt intended to deflect attention from sexual abuse allegations and to boost Presley's career as a singer.  Unfortunately, marriage ended little more than a year later, and we separated in December of 1995.What were Lisa Marie Presley’s reasons for the divorce?Mr. Bartley, she cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the following month and sought only to reclaim her maiden name. Michael, did you ever see her again?Lisa Marie later said that we had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years after our divorce, traveling internationally to be together, but to no success.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome to the hall of imagination, and I can't believe what I'm seeing. This is the first time that I have ever seen a wax figure who is now deceased that I saw in real life.Yes, I am Michael Jackson, and you say that you have seen me before?Yes, I saw you with your brothers at a concert in Washington DC.AH, Mr. Bartley, I believe that I remember that concert very well.And Michael, if I may call you that–this is really strange–as of talking to wax figures and hearing them respond is not strange enough - but in your case I saw you during your earthly life.Well, Mr. Bartley, Let’s have some fun… or at least, let’s start there. Michael, could you tell us about your very beginnings–back to the Gary Indiana days.?Yes Mr. Bartley. If you were talking about my life, it definitely does begin in fun–think of me as a kid in a tiny house in Gary, Indiana, singing my little lungs out, dancing like someone my age, trying to be heard over brothers, siblings, and the general chaos that you might find in a big family.But it doesn’t end in fun.You might say, Michael, that you are a tragic warning about what happens when intense fame collide with a fragile human body and mind. Why don't you start by telling us about your early years?Certainly Mr. Bartley. I was born August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana—a working-class steel town in the Midwest. I was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, packed into a small house where money was tight, tempers could be hot, and music was both escape and opportunity.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailChrist said to feed the hungry, not to give them food poisoning! This will all make sense in September.You see, In early September, I'll be sharing a special series called The 2000 Pound Pineapple. I am announcing it now because the events that comprise The 2000 Pound Pineapple are taking place right now, and should be over by September. I wanna be able to look at them in perspective.No, it's not about tropical fruit. It's about a very real experience that completely changed my daily routine and taught me lessons about patience, recovery, perspective, and finding humor – And there is a great deal of humor– in situations that certainly didn't seem funny at the timeThe series is based on real events, but it isn't simply a story about an injury. It's about what happens when life unexpectedly forces us to slow down. It is about discovering that creativity doesn't disappear during difficult times—it often becomes even more important.Again, There will be plenty of humor along the way, because sometimes the best way to understand a challenging experience is to laugh at the surprising moments that accompany it. There will also be honest reflections on frustration, perseverance, and the importance of allowing both our bodies and our minds the time they need to heal.If you've ever had your plans suddenly interrupted by life, I think you'll recognize a little of yourself in these episodes.So join me in early September for The 2000 Pound Pineapple—a true story about an unexpected adventure, told with humor, honesty, and the belief that even life's detours can become sources of creativity and GROWTH.Sometimes the most unexpected experiences become the ones that teach us the most. Until then, this is George Bartley thanking you for listening to the hall of imagination – a part of Celebrate Creativity - which I plan to continue as usual. I’ll see you next time.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailIn the previous episode, we walked with Walt Whitman down the open roads of America, hearing the chorus of ordinary lives. Whitman’s poetry celebrated the sweep of America, the chorus of countless lives, and the boundless possibilities of freedom. Across the ocean and slightly later in time, Dostoevsky turned his gaze inward, exploring the shadowed recesses of the human heart. Whereas Whitman’s lines embraced the world, Dostoevsky’s narratives probe the tensions, doubts, and moral struggles that define our inner lives. In moving from Whitman to Dostoevsky, we travel from the expansive optimism of a young nation to the intense psychological and ethical landscapes of nineteenth-century Russia—a shift that reminds us just how varied, yet universally human, the work of great writers can be.And right now, I am standing in front of a wax figure of FYODOR Dostoevsky-or at least that's what the title on the nameplate here says.Yes, Mr. Barley, I am most definitely Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Some might call me one of the towering figures of 19th-century literature. I was Born in Moscow into a middle-class family, AND faced hardship early: my mother died when I was young, and my father was a rather strict and harsh figure. I originally trained as an engineer, but my passion for literature led me to the literary scene in St. Petersburg.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome to Hall of Imagination. - in your previous episode I mentioned my suspicions that I would be having some more episodes dealing with Walt Whitman very soon. Well that time has come, and I'd love to talk a little bit more with the wax figure of Walt WhitmanWalt, are you prepared to speak to me tonight?\Certainly George, you know it can get rather boring up here on this pedestal and I welcome the chance to just simply communicate with someone who is appreciative.Well Walt, you can certainly put me in that category. I would like to ask you if you had just one thing to say or tell the listener who listening to this podcast what would it be?George, I would like to believe that my writing helped to capture and define the spirit of the growing United States during the challenging 1800s - and yes they were most definitely challenging times. I would like to think that I had a bold and unusual way of writing that created a new artistic style for America.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome to the hall of imagination. Tonight I was looking up at the wax figure of the writer Walt Whitman– And I was not surprised in the least when he looked down at me and began speaking.George, I was most commonly known as "Walt" among friends, family, and in much of my correspondence, rather than as "Mr. Whitman." My parents shortened my given name from Walter to Walt when I was born, and  used this familiar form throughout my life. As a poet, I believe I embraced a democratic and accessible persona, and the informal "Walt" aligns with that approach. However, in public and formal settings—especially as I gained fame—I  was often referred to as "Mr. Whitman" or by various honorifics such as "the Bard of Democracy". In my later early years in Camden, New Jersey, I was generally called "Mr. Whitman" by the press and new acquaintances, but those who knew me well continued to use "Walt". Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailHello this is George Bartley, and I was walking through the wax museum when I ran across the figure of John Milton. Naturally I had to stop, and I watched him as he came to life and began speaking.Mr. Milton, this is indeed an honor! Do you mind if I speak with you tonight?Certainly not. I would definitely appreciate the company. And and what is your name?My name is George Bartley, and I was in English and drama major in college–SO THE English major part of me is quite humbled to speak with you.AH, Mr. Bartley, then I would be most obliged to satisfy you with an account of my life.  I grew up with privilege, expectation, and a mind hungry for knowledge. My father, a scrivener, provided tutors, music lessons, and an education that he hoped would prepare me for greatness. You might say that from an early age, I believed that I was destined for fame, or even immortality.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailIn the previous episode, I talked about an exhibit of the inklings– Token, Williams, and Barfield. But I would like to devote this entire episode to an individual who is arguably the most well-known of the inklings–CS Lewis. Mr. Lewis, how do you believe the inklings influenced you as a writer.Ah, Mr. Bartley, I began as a rationalist atheist, but the Inklings helped me blend logic, imagination, and faith. The result was stories that enchant across generations, such as The Chronicles of Narnia and essays that provoke thought I wanted to show that fantasy could carry deep moral and spiritual truths, and that literature could entertain while transforming the mind and heart.  I would like to think that I did not just write books– I crafted worlds, ideas, and moral truths that continue to inspire readers to imagine, believe, and wonder.”Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWhat Were the Inklings?Today’s episode deals with four people instead of one individual. They are often classified as one group because they were a band of university friends who argued, challenged, and inspired each other—the Inklings.”  You see, the Inklings were largely a group of Oxford professors, writers, and thinkers who met to read aloud, debate, and challenge one another. First, I'd like to concentrate on Mr. CS Lewis. Is what I have been saying a fair way to express it. Yes Mr. Bartley, when you and your audience think of me today, you probably often picture The Chronicles of Narnia, or my rational, graceful Christian apologetics. But to really understand me, you need to see me inside a unique circle of writers and thinkers: the Inklings—a group that met in Oxford in the 1930s and ’40s to read aloud, critique, and sometimes spar over each other’s works. That is why this episode is about the group called the inklingsAnd Mr. Bartley, I do believe that my love of myth, the study of language, its history, and how it shapes thought—shaped the group’s imagination. JRR Tolkien didn’t just make up languages for fun; he spent hours analyzing old tongues to make Elvish and other Middle-earth languages feel authentic. He spent so long lecturing me on the difference between a fairytale and a proper myth that I joked that I might need a dictionary just to keep up!Then there was Charles Williams, a poet, novelist, and theologian with a mystical streak that pushed me to explore the spiritual depths of story. Williams could be so intense that the others sometimes left a meeting feeling like they’d just survived a philosophical thunderstorm—but I secretly loved the challenge.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailI sincerely hope that you are enjoying the episodes that make up the Hall of Imagination. A wax museum is a wonderful metaphor. During the day, the figures are silent exhibits. At night, they become people again. That gives me tremendous freedom to let them explain themselves, argue, laugh, and even admit uncertainty—all while hopefully making it clear to my audience that they're listening to a dramatization grounded in history.After I had finished talking with the inventor of paper in the previous episode, I came face-to-face with a wax figure of a man who is often called the inventor of printing–JOHANN GUTENBERG–not surprisingly, my first remark was you must be the inventor of printing–I have spoken with an individual who is often said to be the inventor of paper– But, from what I understand you are the inventor of the movable press.Guttenberg: That is only partially true. One must note that I developed the first method of using movable type and the printing press in such a way that a great deal of written material could be printed with speed and accuracy. Compare this to the scribe or monk– However well intentioned–could not transcribe written communication at the speed of a machine– And that machine was the printing press–a machine that used movable type. And although there was a form of movable type used in China and Korea, it never came into general use until relatively recent times.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailMr. Douglas, I think it would be very interesting for our listeners if you could relate the part of your life when you finally succeeded in making your escape from slavery.But before narrating any of the peculiar circumstances, I deem it proper to make known my intention not to state all the facts connected with the transaction. My reasons for pursuing this course may be understood from the following: First, were I to give a minute statement of all the facts, it is not only possible, but quite probable, that others would thereby be involved in the most embarrassing difficulties. Secondly, such a statement would most undoubtedly induce greater vigilance on the part of slaveholders than has existed heretofore among them; which would, of course, be the means of guarding a door whereby some dear brother bondman might escape his galling chains. I deeply regret the necessity that impels me to suppress any thing of importance connected with my experience in slavery. It would afford me great pleasure indeed, as well as materially add to the interest of my narrative, were I at liberty to gratify a curiosity, which I know exists in the minds of many, by an accurate statement of all the facts pertaining to my most fortunate escape. But I must deprive myself of this pleasure, and the curious of the gratification which such a statement would afford. I would allow myself to suffer under the greatest imputations which evil-minded men might suggest, rather than exculpate myself, and thereby run the hazard of closing the slightest avenue by which a brother slave might clear himself of the chains and fetters of slavery.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailCould you describe your voyage to Baltimore?Frederick Douglas: We sailed out of Miles River for Baltimore on a Saturday morning. I remember only the day of the week, for at that time I had no knowledge of the days of the month, nor the months of the year. On setting sail, I walked aft, and gave to Colonel Lloyd’s plantation what I hoped would be the last look. I then spent the remainder of the day in looking ahead, interesting myself in what was in the distance rather than in things near by or behind.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailDid these apparently incoherent songs mean anything to you?I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of these songs. These songs told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness. I have frequently found myself in tears while hearing them. To those songs I trace my first glimmering conception of the dehumanizing character of slavery. I can never get rid of that conception. Those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slavery, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds.”I don't know how to express this, but it seems that our society feels that singing among slaves proved that they were happy. Is that true?Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailNow I was walking in the hallway through the wax museum when I looked up at the wax figure of an Afro-American individual. He looked down at me, and his features came to life as he said–As I hope you realize, my name is Frederick Douglass, and I want to tell you about my life. That would definitely be an honor.  I tell you what–I am going to get out of the way and let you start talking about your early life. And please be as thorough as you want.Thank you. I was born in Tuckahoe, about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time, or fall-time. A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailNight watchman: Welcome to another night at the wax museum– Or Hall of wonder–step sound–and  what do we have here. It looks like the wax figure of a Chinese person, and the identifying plaque says that his name is TI LonMr. Bartley: pardon me for coming to life, but that name is tsigh loon–think of sigh& the bird loon–SIGH LOONNight watchmen: And pardon me, but I am not familiar with you or any of your accomplishments. Were you an emperor or Chinese ruler?Mr. Bartley: no, in fact I was made to drink poison because of political intrigue, so I guess you could say that ultimately, I was definitely not successful in the world of ancient Chinese politics.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailBefore we begin, let me emphasize that today I'll be talking with a wax figure that never existed– In this case, a figure from literature that was never flesh and bone, but the author of the literary work from which she came created a character that is extremely lifelike, and teaches us a great deal about human nature.I know that in the early 21st century, a group of 100 prominent writers selected Don QUIOXOTE as the greatest novel of all time. In the novel– If I remember correctly–the author Miguel de Cervantes shows the negative consequences of following a way of life that is completely out of touch. He reminds us that even a supposedly intelligent person can become completely foolish in the character of Don QUIOXOTE of La Mancha.I met that individual last night–or at least a wax figure of that character, and I knew that something was unusual when I saw that he was dressed in armor–that this could be a person or character who was following a way of life that was completely and unrealistically old-fashioned.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailThe museum was unusually quiet.The lights glowed softly across the polished floor.I made my rounds through the gallery of scientists.There stood Isaac Newton.There stood Marie Curie.And there, at the far end of the room, stood a familiar figure with wild white hair and kind eyes.Albert Einstein.As midnight approached, I noticed something.His eyes seemed to twinkle.A moment later, he stepped down from his pedestalGood evening.  VAT are you doing?Professor Einstein!Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailNight watchman: you would be astonished by many aspects of the modern university that you founded with the University of Virginia.Jefferson: That is most fascinating. "How many students attend today?"Night Watchman: "Mr. Jefferson, the University of Virginia now has roughly twenty-five thousand students, including undergraduate and graduate students."Jefferson: "Twenty-five thousand! Why, sir, that is a town, not a college!” When my original university opened, there were only a few dozen students.Night watchmen: you might find it interesting that Women first began attending in the late nineteenth century, and today make up about half the student body."Jefferson: "I confess that would have surprised many of my contemporaries.” Yes, it certainly appears that society has changed dramatically after my lifetime.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailMr. Bartley: Mr. Jefferson, the last time we spoke, you had basically written the Declaration of Independence. The United States was fighting Britain in the revolutionary war, and in October 1781 George Washington's troops defeated the British at Yorktown Virginia. We had now won our war for independence.Mr. Jefferson: And by early 1782, my family was back at my home of Monticello. My beloved Martha gave birth to her sixth child, Lucy Elizabeth. Unfortunately Martha grew weaker and weaker following the birth, and I stayed by her bedside. I would read to her from her favorite books, and at night I slept in a nearby room.But she grew weaker and weaker, and during her final hours, she told me her final wish. Now understand that we had three living children– Patsy, Maria, and Lucy Elizabeth. She said that she could not tolerate her children being raised by a stepmother. And she begged me to never remarry. Of course I promised and soon on September 6, 1782, my beloved Martha died. My oldest daughter Patsy was nine years old when my wife died, and many years later she wrote that I almost lost my mind from the grief– That I would refuse to leave my room for a week at a time– And then when I did come out I would go on long horseback rides through the woods surrounding Monticello. She later wrote – the violence of his emotion, of his grief to this day I dare not trust myself to describe.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome to the Hall of Imagination, and episode. 628 - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessDuring this week of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States, I would like to devote the episodes for Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Thomas Jefferson–the author of the declaration of independence.Episode 1: The young Jefferson and the writing of the Declaration.Episode 2: The President Thomas JeffersonEpisode 3: The elder Jefferson, the University of Virginia, reflections on the future—even artificial intelligence—and then his death on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailThere is something I would like to tell you about my life in Chicago... After all, you might say I am one of its most influential residents.”Who are you? I asked"My name is Jane Addams.”I couldn't believe it! Here a wax figure was talking with me–just like the figures in the toy museum last year-and somehow this was even stranger– This was a individual who was deceased, but was somehow walking and talking to me about her earthly existence. For some reason, I felt the need to somehow test her out.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailHello, I am a nightwatchman, and if you've been listening to my adventures over the past several months—especially during December of last year—you may remember that I was working as the night watchman at a toy museum. In fact, you might enjoy going back and listening to Episodes 526 through 557, where the toys came to life after dark.This is the introduction to a new podcast series where the night watchmen works at a wax museum in Chicago where the figures come to life - and the past is never quite as silent as it seems!Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome, my friends, to episode 625, and to a special preview of a brand-new series called The Hall of Imagination, part of Celebrate Creativity.In this series, the figures of history—and even some figures who never existed at all—come to life in an imaginary wax museum. Some of these characters changed the world through science, literature, music, politics, and invention. Others changed our world through stories and imagination. And every episode begins after the museum closes and the lights grow dim.But before I go any further, I want to thank all of you who listened to my recent episodes about voice control. Those episodes came out of a necessity. As many of you know, I've been dealing with some hand problems, and learning voice control has become not only fascinating but very practical. In fact, I am using voice control to help write the transcript for this very episode. Like learning a musical instrument or any new skill, it becomes easier the more you practice. Little by little, things that once seemed impossible become almost second nature.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan Mailhttps://macmost.com/printable-mac-enhanced-dictation-cheat-sheet.htmlBy the way, the first time you might want to turn voice control off as you go through the sentences, and then later turn voice control on.There are several sections, so without further ado, let's start with text selectionSupport the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I wanna talk about another side of voice control - it may be ab and work with scroll  or go to sleep well and individual files in a folder le to do some wonderful things, but there are some programs where voice control it's not able to do a really good job - not because it is inefficient - far from it - but voice control deals with the human voice and doesn't play well with such programs that emphasize sound such as YouTube and GarageBand.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan Mailhttps://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mh40719/macI certainly am going to talk about a few areas that I want to address in the next two or three episodes, but right now I'm gonna state the obvious–the best way to learn voice control is to use it.Use the Apple support page that I previously mentioned, and if necessary, go over and over and over the commands and what they mean, until it almost becomes automatic. Stick with it, and eventually you will come to the day when you can speak to the Mac, and get things done faster and more efficiently than you could ever do using the mouse and keyboard. I know that I thought voice control would be a cool thing to use it at first but eventually lost interest. However when my hands started screaming in pain from the years of wear and tear - and it could very well happen to you - I found that I viewed voice control not as something interesting, but as a necessity.Having said that, I want to specifically address what I think is one of the most useful characteristics of voice control - and that is the use of grids.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan Mail"For the next month or so, I'm going to take a break from podcasting. My sleep schedule has become seriously disrupted, and I've also been dealing with pain in my hands and arms. Before I continue creating new episodes, I need to focus on my health, work with my doctor, and become more proficient with Voice Control and some other accessibility tools.  I have an appointment with my doctor the beginning of next week, and I look forward to zeroing in on solving some of the problems that have made it all but impossible for me to do a podcast now.I have no intention of disappearing. In fact, I have more ideas than ever— I have several projects waiting in the wings. And I want to get to the point, where I can completely do an episode solely using voice control. But for the moment, the most creative thing I can do is take care of myself.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailThis podcast episode is an example of dictation. In the next few episodes, I will talk specifically about using dictation in voice control, as well as some of the commands. As for now, do not forget to use enter THAT! - with an emphasis on the THAT!Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailAbout two weeks ago, I apologized for not doing an episode for a month. Actually, I did not do an episode for two weeks, but it seemed like a month. I like to think that this episode has some very important uses and organizing your files and folders - how to organize a messy desktop rather than just demonstrate commands. And later, will get into the use of voice control into doing some fascinating graphics with artificial intelligence.So, - I am keeping this episode about half the length of the usual podcast episode in this series - so you would be more inclined to go back and listen to it twice or even three times. It is full of information that might be hard to assimilate the very first time, but I wanted to become second nature.Imagine that - like me - you have all kinds of files scattered around your MacIntosh desktop - some you probably should throw away, some have information that you would someday like to use, and some that you should definitely throw away.Oh one thing before we start-what you want to do is move a document on the desktop, but it is much easier in voice control to say drag a document. And I have a voice control turn off now, so my computer will not be doing all kinds of things when it thinks I'm issuing a command.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailDo not say enter! Always say enter THAT! And emphasize the THAT!And for dictation, speak clearly and naturally.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailCommandsWake upGo to sleepSupport the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailHello, and welcome to Celebrate Creativity. I’m George Bartley.In the last few episodes, I have been talking about Voice Control in a broader way — my own background, some of the reasons I care about it, and some of the larger philosophical questions behind it. What does it mean to use your voice to deal with a machine? What does it mean in terms of independence, creativity, and accessibility?But now it is time to move a little closer to the ground.Today, I want to talk about something very practical: how Voice Control comes with every recent Macintosh, how you turn it on, and what you are actually looking at when you face those settings for the first time.Because that first encounter can be a little unnerving.  I remember the 1st time I saw voice control on the MacIntosh. I saw it as something just for disabled people and felt that voice control could not possibly do much that was useful. And I must admit, that I gave up after about 30 seconds, and said this is not for me. I had some erroneous idea that it was impossible.But all that needed a little time on my part.It's not that it was badly designed.But simply because it was new.And new things often look more complicated than they really are.You go into the settings and suddenly you are looking at terms like language, microphone, show hints, play sound when command is recognized, overlay, fade overlay after inactivity, fade after, fade by, and Voice Control tutorial.And if you are a first-time user, you may think: what in the world am I looking at?And to be honest, even if you don't fully understand some of the settings by the end of this episode, you're doing about right. It takes a while to get your bearings, but it certainly is worth it.So that is what I want to do today. I want to slow it all down. I want to describe what the user is seeing, what those items mean, and how to think about them without getting flustered.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailLooking at Life from Both SidesHello, and welcome to Celebrate Creativity. I’m George Bartley. And I promise that starting in the next episode, I'm going to begin to teach you how to use voice control.But today, I want to talk about accessibility, disability, voice control, and something even larger than all of those: what it means to look at life from more than one side.There is a phrase that has stayed with me for years from a song by Joni Mitchell: I’ve looked at life from both sides now. I am not quoting the whole song, and I do not need to. That one phrase is enough, because it expresses something I have thought about for a very long time.I have looked at disability from both sides now.I have lived as someone who works with people that have motor difficulties. And I have also lived as someone that many people would never assume had a disability unless I told them.I have looked at communication from both sides now.As someone who helped others communicate.And as someone who has known what it means to need a different kind of access to the world.I have looked at institutions from both sides now.From the hopeful side, where they want to help.And from the realistic side, where good intentions often collide with lived reality.And I think that matters.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailWelcome to Celebrate Creativity and the second part of Voice Control on the Macintosh: Why It Matters, and What It Feels Like to Learn It.I hope you realize by now that this podcast has been talking about the importance of voice control and some of the human elements involved in mastering the skills. So rest assured that in a few days, I will deal into the mechanics of voice control - in other words HOW use it. My philosophy of education it's not to try to dazzle you with information that might be hard to remember, but to carefully explain a concept. And then use tried and true educational concepts by going back and explaining that concept over and over in different ways - ways that help make that concept your own. In future episodes, I intend to talk about specific voice control commands, and even have imaginary visits from historical figures in the fields of computing and literature - individuals such as William Shakespeare, John Milton, Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, and the writer of the first computer program - Ada Lovelace.  But before you learn the actual information, I feel that you need to get the attitude towards learning and a different way of working down first. And that is the purpose of the previous and the following few episodes.Now let me come back to something I said earlier in a broader way: adaptation is not defeat.I think many people, when they first I'll say that I'd like for you to rest assured that in a few days I'm gonna deal with the mechanics of using voice control in other words and that certainly matters  find themselves needing a different way of working, feel that they are somehow moving backward. They may feel that because something old has become painful or difficult, they are losing ground. But another way to see it is that they are being asked to develop a new form of competence.And developing a new form of competence is not failure. It is growth.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailHello - welcome back to How to Talk to Your Mac.  And this is  part one of Voice Control on the Macintosh: Why It Matters, and What It Feels Like to Learn It - in this and the following episode I want to talk about the philosophy behind voice control, and then we'll get into the specifics in future episodes.However, first, I'd like to apologize for the weeks this month when I have been unable to do an episode. For the first time in years, I think I have had computer problems when things would just not go the way I wanted. But no, I have not become a victim of pod fade, a term used to refer to a podcaster that just stops putting out episodes without any intention of continuing. And it looks like I'm going to be jumping right back into the game.In fact, this podcast just hit over 33,000 downloads across the world. Celebrate Creativity has now has reached listeners in 121 countries and territories — Not surprisingly, the majority of the downloads are in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, and Singapore. I decided to forgo the third promo in this series–it didn't really say anything new about voice control itself, and–instead say a few words about why the use of voice control matters is so important. And I hope that when you really get into this podcast, you just might find that you can't see yourself using a computer without voice control.  It may seem somewhat hard at first, but you just might find that voice control becomes natural, and the fastest and most efficient way of using a computer.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailNow I believe I mentioned that at one time I was doing up to two and three podcasts episodes a day.  As a teenager I had a series of epileptic seizures, and was told that I should not swim - but after I started taking a new medication at that time - Depakote - my seizures became a thing of the past. And I'll talk about a little bit more about that later.  I also started interpreting for the deaf, especially Shakespearean plays. And when I realized that I could swim safely, I started swimming 2 miles three times a week. Of course at the time I thought all this was cool, but I never thought about the fact that my activities were devastating my hands and fingers. I realized recently that I needed to take a break and learn a brand new way of communicating with a computer.  I don't mean to say this was just a choice I made - I would wake up in the morning with agonizing pain.So I decided to take that break - for the sake of my hands and arms - and especially because I know that so much of the information regarding voice control requires me to try out the steps myself and see if they work. I would hate to have to go back and say this will work but this doesn't really work. I want get it right the first time or as much as I can!  I wanna be sure and give you information that you can depend on!With something like Voice Control, the difference between sounding informed and being trustworthy is often very small on the surface, but enormous in reality.I hope that you will see the delay not as wasted time at all and I  I would like to think that listeners are not looking for just glossy theory. They are looking for someone who has gone into the weeds, made mistakes, tried the steps, hit the snags, and come back with something dependable.Because what I what I am building here are not just a series of episodes. I would like to think that along with the information, I am building credibility. A listener can forgive:“This took me a while to figure out.”“I had to test this several times.”But it is much harder for a listener to forgive advice that sounds certain and then fails the moment they try it.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailHello this is George Bartley. And no, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth.  In fact, my podcast Celebrate Creativity - with its current emphasis on William Shakespeare was in high gear - at one point I was doing two and even three episodes a day. Currently Celebrate Creativity has over 32,000 episodes globally. But that rate of output really couldn't continue very long and I started experiencing excruciating pain in my wrists and hands. As a result, I became fascinated with a way of communicating with a MacIntosh that was totally new to me - a sophisticated way of dictating and controlling all the icons and buttons that you normally work with totally by voice.  So I am starting a new podcast series called how to talk with your MacIntosh - later on we'll get into operating iPads and iPhones by voice.And this is one podcast that I am really working hard on - because I definitely do not want it to be a series of flashy comments that end up teaching you nothing. After a bit of practice, I want you to be able to use your MacIntosh, almost as though you were talking with a friend.  In other words I want to show you vocal commands that work and are easy to use.  It may take practice, but it is sooooo worth it!My goal is to teach you how to sit back and tell your Mac what you want it to do using only your voice.  I have never worked as hard on a podcast, and plan to start the podcast on the first day of the lusty month of May.In the meantime I will have more promos on April the 10th, 17th, and 24th - each on a  Friday - regarding the buildup to this very important podcast - I want to be sure that you gain a strong foundation in learning Voice Control for a variety of reasons, not the least is that your hands will thank you.  And watching all those files and folders move across the computer screen to obey your voice it's about as close to magic as I have ever experienced! So join me May 1, 2026 for a solid introduction to voice control that combines the definitely practical with the seemingly magical!Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailUp to now, Hamlet has lived inside questions.“Did my uncle really do it?”“Can I trust the Ghost?”“Am I being manipulated?”“Am I losing my mind—or pretending to?”Act 3 Scene 2 is the moment Hamlet says, in effect:“I’m done being uncertain. I’m going to test the truth.”In other words, Hamlet creates a situation where Claudius either sits calmly… or cracks.What makes this scene so powerful is that Hamlet is doing two things at once.One: He wants evidence.Two: He wants to feel power again.Because Hamlet has been watched, managed, and fenced in.So now he decides to flip the arrangement.Now he watches.Now he controls the room.Now he designs the moment.And that leads us to one of the best surprises in the play:Hamlet suddenly becomes a director.He lectures the actors about how to perform—not too big, not too fake, not too showy.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailMaster Shakespeare, are you ready?SHAKESPEARE:As ready as any man may be, entering a room where love is examined like evidence.GEORGE:That’s exactly it. Because what happens here is not romance. It’s a controlled experiment—and Ophelia is the instrument.GEORGE:Let’s start with the setup. Claudius and Polonius plan to spy. They stage-manage Ophelia. They put a book in her hands. They position her.What’s the moral temperature of this plan?SHAKESPEARE:Cold. And convenient.They call it “care for her.” They call it “care for the prince.”But the act is simple: they use her presence to harvest Hamlet’s secrets.GEORGE:And what’s chilling is how normal it seems to them. “We’ll just hide over here.”It’s like a household trick.SHAKESPEARE:Power always wishes to be ordinary.If it feels ordinary, it feels permissible.GEORGE:So right away, Ophelia enters a room where her feelings aren’t the point. Her feelings are the bait.GEORGE:Now—Ophelia. I want to underline something for listeners: she’s not “weak.” She’s trained.She has been coached to obey father, brother, court—every authority that tells her what “good” looks like.SHAKESPEARE:A young woman in that world is praised for being governable.They call it virtue.But it is also control.GEORGE:So when Polonius gives her instructions, it isn’t just advice. It’s a system:“Speak when told. Hold this. Stand here. Offer the tokens.”FourSupport the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailGEORGE:So right away: the scene begins with the king and queen acting like concerned parents. But it feels… staged. SHAKESPEARE:Because it is staged.Mark their language: they crave a cause, a label, a tidy diagnosis — “What ails him?”Yet their hands are already in the plot. They have hired watchers.Concern and control wear the same cloak here.GEORGE:And the watchers are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern — Hamlet’s old friends.Let me ask bluntly: are they villains?SHAKESPEARE:They are instruments.Not grand villains with black banners — rather men who wish to please authority and keep their place.In a court like this, friendship becomes employment.And employment demands a report.GEORGE:So Claudius says, “Spend time with Hamlet, figure out what’s wrong,” but the real job is: Find what he knows. Find what he intends.SHAKESPEARE:Aye.And I make it plain: they are sent for.They are not there by chance. They are summoned, instructed, rewarded.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailPart 1 — Polonius coaches surveillance (Polonius + Reynaldo)Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris with money and messages for Laertes.But Polonius doesn’t say, “Go check on my son like a normal person.”He says—basically—“Go investigate my son.”Here’s the tactic, and it’s nasty in a very realistic way:Polonius tells Reynaldo:Don’t ask directly, “How is Laertes behaving?”Instead, casually drop mild accusations and see what sticks.Not monstrous lies.Little “reasonable” hints.He’s teaching Reynaldo to do this:Talk to people who might know Laertes.Suggest that Laertes has been seen drinking, gambling, getting into trouble.Keep it vague—lightly scandalous.Then watch how the other person responds.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailToday we’re in Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5 — the scene where the ghost finally speaks.And I want to emphasize something from the start:The ghost’s message doesn’t just give Hamlet information.It changes Hamlet’s operating system.It changes what Hamlet thinks the world is.It changes what Hamlet thinks he must do.And it changes what kind of person Hamlet is allowed to be from this moment on.[Music sting]Segment 1 — What happens in the scene (plot, slowly and clearly)GEORGE:Master Shakespeare, let’s begin with the basic plot of Act 1, Scene 5. Hamlet has followed the ghost away from Horatio and Marcellus. What happens next?SHAKESPEARE:The dead speaks.The son listens.And the world is no longer the same.GEORGE:Here’s the plot in plain language:Hamlet is alone with the ghost.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailToday we’re in Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4.Act 1, Scene 2 gave us the court saying, “Get over it.”Act 1, Scene 3 gave us family advice that’s really control.Now Scene 4 takes us back to the battlements — the cold night air — where the play asks a different question:When truth appears in an unsettling form…Do you follow it?GEORGE:Master Shakespeare, we’ve moved from court politics and family warnings back to the night watch. Why return to the battlements now?SHAKESPEARE:Because the day has done its work.Now the night may speak.GEORGE:Let me paraphrase that for listeners:Daytime Denmark is where people control the story.Nighttime Denmark is where the story refuses to be controlled.And Hamlet arrives here already loaded.He’s grieving. He’s disgusted. He’s isolated.And now he’s standing in a place where the living expect the dead.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailGEORGE:Master Shakespeare, why do we go from the public court scene into this private household scene?SHAKESPEARE:Because the disease is not only in the crown.It is in the rooms of the home.GEORGE:Let me paraphrase that in three ways so it lands:Paraphrase #1 (simple):You’re showing us that Denmark’s problems aren’t only political. They’re personal.Paraphrase #2 (blunt):The same habits that make a court dishonest can show up in a family.Paraphrase #3 (image):We leave the palace stage — but we’re still inside the same building of power. Just a different hallway.SHAKESPEARE:Aye.GEORGE:Let’s lay out the plot of Scene 3 in plain terms.First: Laertes is preparing to leave for France.He gives his sister Ophelia advice about Hamlet.Second: Polonius enters and gives Laertes a long list of fatherly “rules” for life.Third: After Laertes exits, Polonius turns to Ophelia and questions her about Hamlet — and then he gives her orders.So the scene is built like a sandwich:Brother advises sisterFather advises sonFather controls daughterSHAKESPEARE:A neat division.GEORGE:This scene is about warnings.And the warnings are not only about danger.They are about reputation.And reputation is currency in this world.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailThe scene begins with the king saying - Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befittedTo bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdomTo be contracted in one brow of woe,Yet so far hath discretion fought with natureThat we with wisest sorrow think on himTogether with remembrance of ourselves.Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,Th’ imperial jointress to this warlike state,Now If Act 1, Scene 1 is Denmark at night — cold, nervous, haunted — then Act 1, Scene 2 is Denmark in daylight — warm, ceremonial, confident, and polished.And here’s the spine of this scene and the simple phrase that keeps coming back:The court is telling Hamlet, with polite smiles and royal authority, “Get over it.”And Hamlet is thinking, “I can’t. And I won’t. Because something is wrong.”GEORGE:Master Shakespeare, we begin with a ghost on the battlements — and then we jump into court ceremony and speeches. Master Shakespeare - how does the ghost begin speaking.Ah, Mr. Bartley - My hour is almost comeWhen I to sulf’rous and tormenting flamesMust render up myself.Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearingTo what I shall unfold.Well Master Shakespeare, why place these scenes back-to-back?SHAKESPEARE:Because the world is split, Mr. Bartley.Night shows what day denies.GEORGE:Let me say that again in modern terms:Scene 1 shows you the secret weather of Denmark.Scene 2 shows you the official forecast of Denmark.SHAKESPEARE:Aye.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Send us Fan MailMASTER SHAKESPEARE:Good even, sir. I come where questions are sharp and nights are sharper.MR. BARTLEY:And the first question is simple:Why begin Hamlet with guards on watch instead of opening with court life, or the prince, or a grand speech?MASTER SHAKESPEARE:Because the world must feel unsafe before you know why. The audience must stand in the dark with common men—those whose work is to keep danger out. And yet danger comes in anyway.MR. BARTLEY:So the Ghost is a kind of… proof that the job cannot be done?MASTER SHAKESPEARE:Aye. The watch exists to prevent intrusion. Yet what comes is not an army, nor a thief—but a question with armor on.MR. BARTLEY:Let’s talk about the Ghost’s entrance in this scene. He doesn’t speak. He barely does anything. Yet he dominates the stage. How?MASTER SHAKESPEARE:Because he arrives into fear already present. The men are tense before he appears—short greetings, challenges, passwords. Even friendship must announce itself. When the Ghost enters, he does not create fear; he confirms it.MR. BARTLEY:So he’s not just a character—he’s a verdict.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.