Charles Stover

The Romantic Egalitarians

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:05:35 +0000

While Romantic ideals about the superiority of emotion and beauty over logic and scientific rationalization do not fit entirely with modern interpretation of truth – generally being a falsifiable, objective, scientific approach to reality – there are many philosophical movements still in existence today that revolve around the equality and acceptance preached by poets and

“Enlightenment” Responses

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:57:08 +0000

If I had to choose between living in a society governed primarily by passion and living in a society governed primarily by reason, I would much rather live in a society dictated by reason. As Dr. Johnson wrote in the fourth paragraph of the opening pages, “He that thinks reasonably must think morally.” Immorality, it

Music Appreciation: The Brilliance of Handel

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:54:42 +0000

If I had the opportunity to meet either Handel or Bach, it would be Handel. While both are outstanding composers, Handel’s additional knack for business is admirable. Not only is Handel able to harness his creative intuitions to write original, extensive, and beautiful music; but he can then effectively and systematically market himself and his

Music Appreciation: Marten aller Arten

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:49:49 +0000

Amadeus is a 1984 film loosely depicting the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It does an amazing job of humanizing Mozart in a way that textbooks and other education material rarely do. Showing him as fallible, imperfect, and in his day-to-day life, it becomes very easy to sympathize with and relate to the composer. While

Music Appreciation: European Concert Hall

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:44:42 +0000

As the owner of a famous European concert hall, I wish for Franz Liszt to perform. To have a sell-out crowd, I believe his work Les préludes would be most appealing. Franz Liszt is known as a virtuoso, a master of technique and artistry. Loved and promoted by many famous personalities, not only would Liszt’s

Music Appreciation: A Perfect Circle – The Noose

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:40:44 +0000

If I had to narrow down my music library to a single song that invoked the most delightful auditory stimulation, pleasant emotions, and deep intellectual reflection, it would easily be “The Noose” by the rock supergroup A Perfect Circle. The song can be found on their concept album The Thirteenth Step. The group produces music,

American National Government: Crusaders vs. Pragmatists

Charles Stover — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:29:30 +0000

The eighth and ninth chapters of Why Nations Go to War by John G. Stoessinger describe two perceptions of military by persons in power. The first type of person, which Stoessinger entitles “crusaders,” are fervent in their desire to make the world match their idea of better. The second type, called “pragmatists,” follow a much

Release/Bug Fix: Business Theme

Charles Stover — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:40:51 +0000

For those unaware or otherwise interested, the Business Theme (currently used on this website1) has been released publicly via WebDesignFan under the name Green Inc. for WDF Premium Users. Check out the Green Inc. WordPress Theme Release to get your hands on it now! 1. In the event that this website changes themes, there is

Ye Olde Sparky Blue

Charles Stover — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:21:06 +0000

I should take this opportunity to promote another WordPress theme available to the public. The Blue Portfolio Theme, a.k.a. Sparky Blue, was designed by Ionut Ciursa and coded by me. Although I don’t feel it is as extensible as the newer Business Theme, it is much more graphically stunning for those interested in such a

New WordPress Theme, New Website

Charles Stover — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:59:24 +0000

I was recently commissioned by WebDesignFan.com to create a new business theme for WordPress. The theme matches the design of the old website layout for CharlesStover.com extremely well, so it seemed like the perfect time to port the site over from the custom CMS to WordPress. Ideally, the new ease of updating will encourage a