I agree with Spencer that "reading" the holes is entertaining.  And it
is better than a crossword puzzle, however it is the music that appeals
to the soul.  And at a pumper you can imagine that your really created
a performance.

Whether we like it or not, the digital age has arrived.  People born
into the digital age are programmed (sorry!) to work with computers and
digital media.  Instruments that are exclusively mechanical are outside
of their frame of reference.  Still, the possibility exists that the
disparity between digital and mechanical gadgets will be bridged by
midi.  There is hope that digi-brained Gen-X will find interest in the
music and transition towards the midi-operated instruments.

Digital offers the option of producing new music on keyboards that can
be edited and prepared for roll cutting.  For younger musicians, midi
opens up methods for recording new piano and organ music that could
well benefit the mechanical music hobby.  I hope to see more MIDI-fied
pianos, organs and Violanos.

Although the paper rolls might prove to be longer lasting that digital
storage, the hobbyist can easily transfer aging magnetic disks to CD
at home.  I am still collecting rolls and for those performances,
particularly the Duo-Art Beethoven sonatas that I cannot find, I will
gladly accept a CD copy.

Bill Chapman