What You Read is Up to Me

It's in the way that you use it

2009-07-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Or so Eric Clapton sings as Paul Newman and Tom Cruise smack pool balls around "The Color of Money."

All two of you who read this blog have probably read my last two posts complaining about Apple and their seemingly nonchalant ways to fix a pretty serious problem. In fact, 25 pages and some 44,000 views later on the EFI Firmware thread over at the Apple Forums still nothing has been done.

It's in the way that you use it. That's why the problem has come about. Everybody who has solved their problem without help from Apple seem to be mostly PC users also. Although it has been solved, the computer hardware will not be running at its full potential. The hardware has to be crippled to operate effectively on the Mac side of the dual boot set up.

We PC users are not afraid to crack the case and get our hands dirty. We don't use computers like the typical apple customer. The typical apple customer buys a Mac and uses it straight out of the box because of how easy it is to use. They (mostly) use it for email, surfing, design and liberal blogging. Careful not to spill your triple-half-caf-grande-chocolate-decaf-with-a-dash-of-smugness on your keyboard while you are extolling the virtues of universal health care.

PC users... We're power users. We've learned from day one how to crack open the case of our computers and swap video cards, set jumpers, install more memory and essentially raise the computer from the dead. True all we have is windows but that's half the fun. We tweak settings until the wee hours of the night just so we can run freakin' solitaire. We suffer for our technology and have paid that debt with scrathced knuckles and sweaty ears due to hours on the phone with tech support.

The point is, being a non-Luddite and not afraid to "do stuff that might void the warranty" I want to hot rod my new MBP (Mac Book Pro) to make it mine and not like every other Mac owner out there. I'm not afraid of the inner workings. But to punish me because you [Apple] screwed over tens of thousands of users for wanting to soup up our machines so we can use them the way we want. "We don't support third party drives" BS I cry! The drive I bought to replace the one it came with happened to be the exact same Manufaturer and model as the one I pulled out. It was just bigger. Sucks to you. I don't want to be like every other fan boy out there and say "Well, that's okay I'll just wait til they fix it I love Apple and Steve Jobs It's so easy blah blah blah." Even the "genious," so called, in the Apple store gave me wrong information about using bootcamp. Tool.

I want to like it. I really do. I want to do some iPhone development. That's one of the reasons I got it. I also like the unibody design. I like the ability to have both OS's available at any given time. That's helpful being a musician and developer. Plus now I don't have to re-purchase all of my software.

That being said after about a week of reading posts and what not my FrankenBook is back. The hardware is not living up to its potential but that's not my fault. Those are the parameters I have to operate under until a certain fruit company wakes up and smells the tofu. I boot straight into windows and rarely see the Apple side. That's the way I roll.

Screw you, Jobu. I fix it myself!

2009-07-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

So after much ado, My mac is back up and running. It took some digging and whatnot and I had to get this snazzy utility from the Hitachi web site that is DOS based only. It will boot youe intel Mac up but the keyboard won't work. Steve Jobs owes me about 700 bucks for all the time I spent troubleshooting and solving Apple's problem for them. Actually me and another dude on the Mac forum. He found the link to the Hitachi site. Go dude.

So here are the steps I took: 1. Left the offending drive in my MBP formatted as a Mac Drive 2. Booted to my "old" 250 gig drive that originally came with the system that I put in an external enclosure via USB. 3. Used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone my "old" drive to the offending drive since the OS recognized the offending drive and it could be written to. 4. Went to see Transformers 2 (optional) 5. Pulled offending drive out of the MBP and hooked it up to my PC. 6. Ran the Hitachi "Set my drive to 1.5 GBPS cripple" utility. 7. Put Offending drive back in MBP. 8. Booted up fine. 9. Ran Xbench 10. Copy and pasted results here. Your mileage may vary. Results 106.99 System Info Xbench Version 1.3 System Version 10.5.7 (9J3050) Physical RAM 4096 MB Model MacBookPro5,4 Drive Type Hitachi HTS545050B9A300 CPU Test 168.17 GCD Loop 295.54 15.58 Mops/sec Floating Point Basic 142.42 3.38 Gflop/sec vecLib FFT 119.30 3.94 Gflop/sec Floating Point Library 200.07 34.84 Mops/sec Thread Test 308.16 Computation 450.50 9.13 Mops/sec, 4 threads Lock Contention 234.17 10.07 Mlocks/sec, 4 threads Memory Test 157.00 System 166.79 Allocate 224.10 822.98 Kalloc/sec Fill 142.60 6933.57 MB/sec Copy 153.57 3172.02 MB/sec Stream 148.30 Copy 142.28 2938.80 MB/sec Scale 138.04 2851.81 MB/sec Add 157.84 3362.28 MB/sec Triad 157.12 3361.10 MB/sec Quartz Graphics Test 141.78 Line 133.59 8.89 Klines/sec [50% alpha] Rectangle 165.98 49.55 Krects/sec [50% alpha] Circle 140.57 11.46 Kcircles/sec [50% alpha] Bezier 141.87 3.58 Kbeziers/sec [50% alpha] Text 131.71 8.24 Kchars/sec OpenGL Graphics Test 102.21 Spinning Squares 102.21 129.66 frames/sec User Interface Test 142.70 Elements 142.70 654.93 refresh/sec Disk Test 38.43 Sequential 99.94 Uncached Write 94.79 58.20 MB/sec [4K blocks] Uncached Write 108.14 61.18 MB/sec [256K blocks] Uncached Read 83.51 24.44 MB/sec [4K blocks] Uncached Read 121.16 60.90 MB/sec [256K blocks] Random 23.79 Uncached Write 7.60 0.80 MB/sec [4K blocks] Uncached Write 72.26 23.13 MB/sec [256K blocks] Uncached Read 67.55 0.48 MB/sec [4K blocks] Uncached Read 125.21 23.23 MB/sec [256K blocks]

Thanks for the Brick

2009-07-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Apple,

Thanks for the latest EFI 1.7 firmware upgrade. It's turned a perfectly good computer computer into a useless brick. I hope you are working on a fix for it. I've spent several hours on the phone with tech support (very helpful) and an hour with a genius (so called) who was not helpful. I assume everyone is now fully aware of the problem. If not, look here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2054387&start=0&tstart=0

I'm not the only one with this issue. Your lack of response on the boards is not very encouraging.

I bought a 500gig Hitachi drive to add to my MBP and all was well until the firmware update. How can you knowingly send something out like that knowing full well it would cause problems? Not only have I lost time but I lost several hours worth of work that I had done on the Windows side. I was dual booting and happy as could be until "the update."

Well bravo if you are working on a fix. Claiming not support 3rd party hard drives is BS. The Hitachi 500 gig drive I installed is the exact brand and model of the 250 gig drive that came with the MBP. You even have in your manual how to replace the computer's HD with another one. How was I supposed to know I had to put the "super secret custom Apple SATA crippling cross mojinator firmware" on my new drive before I installed it so your "update" would work?

I think it's time you own up to the deception and make it right. What would PC say in a commercial? He'd probably take Mac by the ankles and beat the VP who made this asinine decision with him. Way to deceive. Just fess up and fix the problem.

I want to like Macs. I like the idea of running multiple OSs on one machine but crap like this makes it hard. Fix it. Now.

I kow I need to lose weigh but these last 80 pounds are killing me

2009-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Usually that is a reserved statement for the last 5 or so pounds. I've decided it is time to whip my hiny into shape.

I aim to lose 80 pounds or maybe a little more over the next who knows how long. I think it would be cool to have a ripped 6 pack but in order to do that you have to have your body fat below 10% and that isn't really that healthy so I'll settle for for body fat somewhere below 20%.

I thought about it the other day. 80 pounds. That's 5 16 pound bowling balls at the bowling alley. That's like trying to carry both of my puppies at once. Seems like a long way to go from 255 but I know I can do it.

I'm thinking about blogging the process with the (ugh!) before picture and the (Damn!) after picture. Plus a few shots here and there in between. I'm hoping by doing that I can keep myself honest and motivated.

When Good Game Stores Go Good: Endgame

2008-07-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well, the game store I blogged about in a previous post has closed its doors after 15 years of serving Atlanta. I wonder if it is the current state of the economy or the fact that when they moved locations they lost clientèle. I'm not sure. I'm sure I'll run into a gaming bud at some point that can offer some insight. My guess is the price of a gallon of gas and disposable income to spend on games are inversely proportional to each other.

I quit going after visiting the new location. It was harder to get to and didn't have the same appeal. Plus the gaming space was severely reduced. The noise coming from the ample back area that ranged from conversations about dwarfs, wizards, all things Warhammer and the occasional dialogs in Klingon was part of the appeal of the place.

I'm a bit disappointed in the fact that getting new games or hard to find models is now a little more difficult now that the store has gone. But alas, there is still eBay and BoardGameGeek.

What does that License Plate Say?

2008-04-29T07:59:00.001-07:00

So I'm driving into work today. My office has moved so my drive is shorter and at times slower since I'm not on any of the major interstates. I see a car in the next lane with a license tag that reads SNSKDNY.

I'm usually pretty good at figuring things like that out. This one has me stumped though. the only thing I could come up with is Son's Kidney. So am I to assume that you sold your son's kidney to buy that car? I don't know what kidneys are going for these days but the driver could have gotten a nice certified pre-owned BMW or Audi or something like that.

Another good one I saw a few years a go was a hot blond driving a red corvette. The tag read WAS HIS. Ha!

Pest Exclusion

2008-03-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the little things I see just crack me up. Here is a case in point.

I was driving into work with my wife today. She was driving so that gives me time to look around or daydream or whatever. I saw a truck next to me that had door magnets that read so and so's Pest Exclusion. I thought to myself hmm, is that some kind of kindler, gentler extermination? How would that exactly go down?

I could picture the exterminator, no, excluder walking onto the scene:

"Listen up critters. We've had some complaints for your sector and I'm here to set things straight. You there. Squirrels, Rabbits, Little Birds just step right over there. That's right everybody but the Opossum and Raccoon. We don't serve your kind here. You've been excluded. So you just get on out of here and don't make me come back. Yeah call animal rights. See if I care."

Just because an animal plays dead or wears a mask doesn't make them any less of an animal does it? But still, what a novel idea. Non-lethal extermination by exclusion. Brilliant.

Farewell to the Woblin' Goblin

2008-03-20T10:42:00.001-07:00

The original stealth fighter is being retired. It's being replaced by the more stealthy and stable F-22. The F-117 has been around since the 1970's in one form or another. It's being moth balled so it could possibly see service again if needed.

Perhaps the incident in Europe during the Kosovo conflict lead to the decision for such an early retirement. Early considering the F-14 is pushing 40 years. Once the plane was shot down and different governments were able to get a good look at the wreckage, I would surmise the USAF decided to send it to an early retirement due to the fact that these other governments, so called, could develop technologies to detect its presence early enough to kick up the attrition rates of the fighter.

The trade off, I think, is a good one. The F-22 is much more stable in flight and the cool thing is it can go almost Mach 2 without going on afterburner. Sure it's expensive but there is nothing else out there (that we know of) that can touch it. The plane basically flies itself. A friend of mine works on the F-22 program and says the pilots will ask the civilian engineers "How can I get the plane to do such and such and so and so." The engineers basically say "Don't touch anything."

F-117 R.I.P. April 22, 2008

File under Ummmm yeah. okay.

2008-03-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Right. So all I need is those ultra hip goggles with the camera, a swank-ass white coat and I can find that Star Wars figure I lost when I was a kid? Only if you were wearing the goggles when you lost it.

Apparently the goggles are hooked into a computer that you wear on your back. It uses image recognition software and you tell the goggles (or more appropriately the software) what stuff is and remembers the last place you looked at it with the goggles on.

I assume you can eventually pick up some terrabyte sized storage accessories to add to it since you are going to be making your own reality show called "Where's that damn thing I had yesterday" recording everything you touch and see for days on end.

I wonder if it could find my virginity? No. You sold that car. Remember?

Here's your link...

Music Rig Update:

2008-01-24T08:20:00.000-08:00

Desk cleared -- Check
Sound Card re-installed -- Check
Side Panel Back On -- Check
Just have to get my MIDI rig going.

I've hemmed and hawed over what software to use and I've finally settled on Sonar. I like the fact that you can use ACID loops natively and it has very robust MIDI support. The coolest thing is the active controller technology or ACT that is built into it. No switching patches on your control surface. Basically you make a Sonar component active, map your controls then save. Then you move on to the next component. So when you have a component active like the mixer, your controls control only the mixer. If you switch to a soft synth or effect the controller is "re mapped" by Sonar. Very cool for speeding up work flow.

I also have an independent record label in the works. More on that later.

Ink Jets Rock -- Really

2007-12-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

So whats a techie to do with their old Ink Jet Printers? Turn them into a musical instrument of course. That's Lesley Flanigan and Andrew Doro. I think it's pretty cool. Now if we could figure out who is printing documents worthy of a Grammy nomination we could take that drug addicted Amy Winehouse out of the running.

Main Music Rig Being Re-Built

2007-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well,

The creative process has come to a grinding halt while I re-build my main music making machine. I'm totally re doing everything. I've got a brand new SATA drive that getting a fresh install of Windows XP Professional. I'm not quite ready to take the plunge into Vista yet. The OS Really doesn't have anything to offer me quite yet.

I'm adding a couple of new hardware pieces to my rack as well. I picked up a MOTU Midi Express XT 8 in 8 out Midi interface. I decided I wanted to run the bulk of my gear with USB and Midi as Midi so when I decide to gig out it will be easy to get everything to communicate instead of having a daisy chain of USB hubs. I also picked up a Pocket POD for my guitar sound sculpting needs. I was using a Behringer V-Amp but the POD sounds sooo much better. At least I think it does. Both have their merit but there seems to be more support for the POD products.

Creativity will be resuming soon as I add back on the Music software and various VSTi's and what not. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, some of my newer stuff can be heard on my myspace page if you are into that. http://www.myspace.com/idtmusic Add me as a friend.

Green n’ Sexxy!!

2007-10-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

When I go green, I want to look damn good doing it. Think I'll pick up one of these puppies. Fisker’s Hybrid sports sedan. Screw you hippies in your Toyota Prius. I'm all about un-adulterated Green Materialism here. Sleek, Sexy, and Fuel Efficient. Gotta Love it.

Public Schools: “We make things gooder.”

2007-08-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness she looks good. She should have at least said "world peace" or "end hunger."

Alternate Commuting Methods

2007-08-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

What I wouldn't give for a pneumatic tube from house to my desk. I would just step in at the front door and *foomp!!!* off I go. And then on the other end *foomp!!!* "Hey everybody!"

It's all about time really. The other morning it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes. School is back in so the time it takes to get from my house to the interstate seems to increase exponentially.

I've tried leaving the house earlier but I'm, not that guy. I loathe the morning. Always have. Even when I was a kid mom would have to drag my sorry ass out of bed almost every morning. I never ate breakfast. That was 10 or 15 minutes of sleep I would "lose" in the morning. Get up (eventually), shower, catch the bus just in time and go to school.

Yesterday I left later. Well, I trimmed 15 minutes off. An hour and a half. Today I left even later. I left at 9:20 and got here at 10:05. Better but traffic was still pretty thick in places. That just means I have to stay till 6:30 or so. The drive in the evening is usually shorter but I won't get home till around 7:30 probably. Then eat, watch a bit of TV, pay bills then bed. So where is "my time"?

That's why I want the pneumatic tube. My commute will be a matter of seconds as opposed to hours. Plus I think it would be loads of fun. I could even go home for lunch. I would even have the luxury of using my own bathroom. No public toilets for me.

I'm not sure about the physics behind it but I don't really care. That's an SEP. Just make one and I'll install it.

Since it's just air I doubt I would even have to dry my hair after my shower. That would save an additional 5 minutes.

The Death of Reading?

2007-07-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

I remember back in the day when the first Harry Potter book came out. I was amazed to see so many kids reading. They weren't playing video games nor were they watching TV they were reading. I was amazed. I haven't read any of the books myself and probably never will. I'm not a big fantasy genre fan. I prefer history, techno-thrillers and just about anything involving submarines. Any way I digress...

I've heard rumors that the beloved Harry could possibly meet his untimely demise in the last installment though it would seem unlikely to me given the fact that there are still a few movies left to be made. I just wonder that if Harry does end up ten feet under what will that do to the millions of kids and adults who only read Harry Potter books?

I could imagine all of J.K.'s myrmidons turning on her and storming her estate with pitchforks and torches. Imagine a bunch of LARPers, pre-teens and adults in business suits marching across the moors to exact the same brand of justice that Harry received at the hands of some nefarious evil. More than likely if Harry dies, he may well slip in the shower on his Hogwarts soap on a rope. It's soap on a ROPE Harry. You wear it around your neck so you don't drop it. It does make washing your feet kinda difficult though.

More than likely they'll bitch and moan on forums an blogs then just stop reading all together.

I see the death of Harry as the death of literacy. We've had good run. Farewell.

I Have a New Addiction

2007-07-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I got totally cracked out on a video game.

My new time killer dujour is called Sensible Soccer 2006. It's easy-peasy to play. There are essentially only two buttons you use: Pass and Shoot. The cool thing is after you hold down the shoot button for power you can apply all kinds of English to the ball and score some pretty killer goals. Nothing like pegging the upper left hand corner from 35 yards out. The sprint button is useful for knocking opposing players off the ball as well. You can play an entire game in about 15 minutes too.

There are tons of options for playing leagues an tournaments. Right now I'm in the middle of a 40 game season playing as Newcastle. I lost my first two games then tied two and heave been undefeated since.

There are patches you can download to make the play a little more realistic. I'll probably get those when I finish my first season. You have to win tourneys and leagues to unlock different balls, pitches and playing conditions. The game is a total hoot.

Even if you are not a big soccer fan, this is fun to play. I haven't played any of the EA FIFA games but I hear Sensible Soccer is much easier to play. Even thought the play is kind of arcade like the players seem to behave with real "soccer intelligence."

I am having much fun with this one.

Hog got Balls!

2007-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the motorcycle on the left. I know the pic is kinds grainy but my cell phone camera kinda sucks. Either that or I don't have the settings adjusted properly. Anyway, the bike on the left has a pair of gonads hanging down off the back. Not sure if they belong to the driver or the rider. The driver was a guy but the rider was a rather burly looking lass. So who knows.

What is this supposed to mean. I got balls? My bike has balls? I like balls? Kinda disturbing the things people try to say with their "things" on their stuff.

The Pre-Re-Mix CD Avaialble Soon

2007-06-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

In the near future I'll be releasing a "hand made" edition of the Pre-Re-Mix CD. I say handmade because I will be printing and assembling all materials myself. Plus I will be hand numbering and signing each one as well. It's already mastered and I am currently working on the artwork for the cover as time allows.

It will contain all my old tracks that were on the old mp3.com site as well as my school projects from my college days. It will be a very limited release of 50-100 CDs. I haven't decided yet. So once it's gone... It's gone. I'm not planning on pursuing any online distribution for this release at this time. I will probably make some of the tracks available for download on my site. The idea is to get something out there and start working on more new material.

I'll keep everyone posted through the usual channels. Keep Listening!

Barry Bonds at 754

2007-05-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

I don't care for Barry Bonds. He's a jerk form I've seen and read about him. I know he's close to closing in on Hank Aaron's home run record.

When I was a kid, my parents let me stay up "extra" so I could watch hand break the record. Even though it's a vague memory at this point, I still have what I think I saw in my head. I don't want that memory erased by some performance enhancing drug using butt head ruining that for me.

Will I watch the historic occasion? I have this to say: "Hell no." Hank Aaron said he wouldn't be there wherever there might be. I hate to see a record tarnished with an asterisk. But that is what is going to happen. It will say: "Barry Bonds 7xx Home Runs*". So sad for the game of baseball.

Here's my solution: All the pitchers in the league band together after Bonds reaches 754 and walk him every time he is at bat. No matter what the score or the situation is. Better yet hit him with a pitch. Maybe it will force him into an early retirement. Give him 754 bruises to go with his home runs. Sounds mean, I know. But he's a real a-hole so why not.

Death by Dance

2007-05-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

People, I wish I could say I'm making this stuff up. Apparently a man has died from a Dance-Off. His 1 upsmanship included the move he could only do once: DEATH. Don't believe me? Read about it here. I wonder if it started "West Side Story" style then progressed to the "Beat It" gang fight/dance then ended with this dude doing his Death Dance? On his tombstone: "Top that, Bee-Atch."

Spare a Square and Save the World?

2007-04-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the "un" educated celeb set to solve the world's problems. Sheryl Crow has spent the better part of a bio-diesel-hippie-powered bus trip trying to solve the faux problem of global warming. She proposes the use one square of TP when you go to the "office". Read about it here.

C'mon. I use two for a booger. I'll double over 4 or 5 times that many to avoid a "tear in the void" that results in a stinky chocolate hand. And what about those pesky clingers? Half a roll at best.

How would that law be enforced? Honesty policy? Some freakazoid watching you pinch a loaf from some hidden TP Nazi super secret yet biodegradable alarmist cam? Ooo. I know. An actual government appointed "watcher of the waste" that hands out squares based on the severity of the load. They would be required to use their best judgment. Knowing my luck, my "fecal police" would leave me hanging with a case of the crusties for the rest of the day.

Hello. Mr. Obvious?

2007-03-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yeah. Hi. Long time listener first time caller. I wanna talk about Anna Nicole. I know it's been done to death just like she has but they released the autopsy report. Right. It was an accidental overdose. Read bout it here. Apparently her butt got infected. I don't think it was from some guy but from shots she was taking in her rear. Yeah. No wonder she seemed so F-ed up all the time. Even though some of the drugs were not in her name they were all meant for her. Strange.

I'm going to wait and see what kind of reality series her duaghter will have. I'd call it "Who's my Rich-Ass Daddy?"

2/3 the Bond and all the Poker

2007-03-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

I went to my local Wal-Mart the other day to pick up the latest Bond adventure, "Casino Royale". I was particularly excited about getting it at Wal-Mart because the DVD box set came with a limited edition poker set that was designed after the cards and chips used in the movie. I'm not a poker player but I like having the occasional Bond collectible around. Man was I disappointed.

The only version of the movie that came in the box set was the full-screen version. What a rook! When will people realize that movies should be seen the way directors and cinematographers intend them to be seen? Listen people, uncle Mike is here to educate. Love the black bars on your TV set or get a 16x9 set. If you go pan and scan, you only get 2/3 of the shot. Here's an example from Star Wars:

Pan and Scan:

Original Aspect Ratio:

images from widescreen.org

So, as you can see, you are missing a good deal of the shot. So let's get with the program and view the films the way they were meant to be viewed. There is a reason the shots are framed a certain way. The film maker is telling a story. Think of it this way: How would you feel if you went to the book store and got a book but when you get home to read it you find that 1/3 of it is missing?

Needless to say I didn't get the poker set. That's okay I got all the Bond though.

Are American Idol Voters Retarded?

2007-03-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

Haley over Sabrina? Sanjaya over Sundance? WTF? At least Antonella is gone. She was horrid. I guess the naked pictures kept her around for an extra 15 minutes of of fame. I can see Haley sticking around a bit. She's hot. Sabrina is a much better singer though. Heads above Haley. Now I didn't see the guys sing on Tuesday night. I was watching the "Gilmore Girls." So unless Sanjaya tore up "Waiting on the World" by John Mayer he was even less deserving of being in the top 12 than Haley. Judging from the Randy, Paula and Simon's expression he probably stunk up the place like he did last week. Personally, I think Sanjaya has been "outsourcing" his voting. I'm thinking he called up all his hacker friends that are now over here working and they are somehow gaming the system. If he wins, I smell an Idol conspiracy.

Farewell Sundance. Don't worry, you'll get a job. And a recording contract and whatever else. You got it goin' on dawg.

Gimme another beer

2007-03-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Now if I just had an easy chair with a built in toilet it would compliment my robotic beer fridge quite nicely...

Scamming the system

2007-02-27T07:07:00.000-08:00

I have an idea. I'll teach my kids to act retarded so I can collect benefits on their behalf. Oh, wait. This lowlife already beat me to it.

In Defense of Monster.com

2007-02-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

Well, in my previous post I said monster had outsourced a letter that was written in very poor English. Well, it was obviously a phishing scam but it made me laugh and think "what would it be like if a company outsourced their copy writing?" That would be hilarious.

Monster is taking steps to track down the source and hopefully squash it. It's like phishers and spammers aren't even really trying anymore. There must be some total retards out there that are answering these emails based on the 2-3% rule. That being if you send out a million emails you are bound to get a 2-3% reply rate. You dunderheads quit answering these scammers!

This is what you get when you outsource

2007-02-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

I just got this message from Monster.com:

The subject line of the email is: Please, pay Your attention!

Monster.com company greets you.

We are happy to inform you that we had succesfully upgraded our
site. Because of our system has great changes, you
have to install Monster.com certificated utility (click here) to be able
to use monster.com database. If you dont setup this tool
until March, 1st, 2007, you will not be able to use your account
You dont have to answer this letter - its just a newsletter.
Thanks for cooperation.

Now for the record, Monster.com is a top notch operation. I have gotten my last 3 jobs courtesy of their web site. Not I'm not sure if this was an official email from them or if somebody is doing some phishing or some kind of shenanigans.

So what do I do now? Is my account expiring? Why should I have to install something on my computer to use your site? I don't get it.

UT Number 3 in Music File Sharing

2007-02-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the football team had a hard enough time cracking the top 10 but apparently the student body as a whole has carved out a niche for itself on the RIAA's hit list. My beloved University of Tennessee Volunteers are currently number three in the polls when it comes to music sharing across the campus networks. Read about it here.

Hopefully the RIAA will run out of money trying to sue every Tom, Dick and Harry that downloads music without paying for it. I guess the boneheads have never stopped to figure out that it might actually help sales of music. Who wants to buy an entire album of crap for one good song?

Imagine doing interactive music with this thing

2007-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me a link to some new touch screen technology that is being developed. You are able to do some killer things with interactivity providing you or someone you know has the programming skills to pull it off. Personally, I'd like to use it for interactive music installations. Check it out.

Thomas Dolby is Doing it Again

2007-02-20T20:12:00.000-08:00

I just watched my autographed copy of the Thomas Dolby Sole Inhabitant DVD. It was very cool. It was filmed at the Berklee College of Music during his tour last year. He came through Atlanta and I missed it but I picked up the DVD and it did not disappoint.

Thomas did the entire tour as a one man show. He had a MAC G5 running Logic Pro Audio driving most everything. He used two hardware synths made by Novation as well as an old Roland analog synth. For keyboards, he mainly used controllers with the keys split into ranges with different sounds mapped to different parts of the keyboard. He also had a M-Audio Trigger Finger for doing drums and triggering samples. A Muse Receptor was in his rack to control all the effects on his voice.

The performance was very good. There were a few places where he wavered off key a bit but who cares... It was Thomas Dolby live for the first time since the 90s. Plus he had a lot going on with managing all the hardware and software. The audio on the disc is very good as well except there were some noticeable volume changes probably due to the fact the Dolby was tweaking the mix from the stage. He also made use of the real-time video along with canned clips and software that was written for v-jaying. The creator of the video software served as his VJ for the tour.

The set list included his big hits like "She Blinded Me With Science" and "Hyperactive" but I thought the high points, at least for me. were "Living in a Suitcase" and my personal favorite "One of Our Submarines".

I got the DVD from CD Baby. He has a limited few that are signed. Mine is number 383/1000.

Killer Freebies

2007-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

No, it's not some kind of mutant killer bee or radioactive Frisbees. It's a list of some really great free software. Click over here to FOXnews.com and persue the list and see what you might find useful. They've done the research and you should be able to get the stuff without having to navigate the gauntlet of pop-up ads and porn.

Do you have the time?

2007-02-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

According to an article on FOXnews.com, watches are going the way of the dodo. Apparently more and more people are not wearing watches in favor of keeping time with their cell phones, computers and iPods. Personally, I prefer a precision timepiece.

I'm currently wearing the beauty pictured to the left. It's a Citizen Skyhawk Black Eagle. It was a Christmas gift from Mrs. MikeTheBlog. Sure I look at the clock on my cell phone from time to time but I have to take it out of my pocket. I rarely carry my mp3 player (I'm not even sure I can set the time on mine) so that's not an option. I do look at the clock on my computer screen but it's right in front of my face. I simply prefer to push back a sleeve and turn my wrist slightly to check the current time.

I have a watch fetish but unfortualtley do not have the bank account to fully indulge. I really wanted an Omega Seamaster like James Bond wore in Casino Royale but those puppies run about 2800.00 US. Well, I'll save that for another day.

I like looking at my watch, twisting the dials and playing with all the features. It's got a flight computer built in on the face of the watch. I'm not a pilot -- yet. But when I become one I'll be ready. In the meantime I'll be able to convert from statute miles to nautical miles with a twist of the watch face;l but it's knowing that I can that makes me feel good.

Do I need a watch with all that stuff on it? Well, Yes. I like the fact that it is water proof up to 100 meters. If I'm 300 feet under water, that last thing I'd be concerned about is my watch but at least I know it can take it. I wear it when I swim and use the stopwatch feature to time my laps. So far my best has been 1/2 mile or 15 laps in 26 minutes. If I actually swam freestyle instead of side/breast stroke I could shave at least 7 or 8 minutes off that time. I digress. The watch will also allow you to switch time zones. Pretty handy if you don't feel like doing the math or resetting a watch as you travel. Plus if you are going long distances, say to New Zealand, you can "bip" it right on over to the AUK setting and start trying to adjust to the local time there. Pretty cool. The other neat thing is it's an Eco-Drive watch. It is charged by light. So unless I stay in cave for an unusually long time, I'll never have to change the battery.

So, suffice to say, watches may be losing ground to all the other gadgets and phones and various and other sundry things out there. I'll always have one on my wrist. That's the way I prefer it. I wear two pieces of flair: my watch and my wedding ring. Period.

Irony in the mile high club

2007-02-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

Should yopu engage in illicit activity on the way somewhere to promote safe sex? Apprently Ray Fines thinks it's okay.

Pimp My Potty

2007-02-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah. It is time to officially declare the "throne room" the "THRONE ROOM". Roto-Rooter is giving away the ultimate john. The quintessential crapper. It comes complete with an X-Box and a beer cooler. Now if they could just figure out how to turn it into a recliner. I want one. Check it out.

I try not to be political but…

2007-02-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

Just damn.

Okay Music Industry. We get it. You don't like President Bush. The Dixie Chicks cleaned up. Well, good for them. Our guys are defending their right to say what they want. That is what makes this country great. As Voltaire supposedly said: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." The entertainment industry has said it. And said it and said it. Move on already. It is what it is. I don't need every anti Bush or anti war song/album or whatever winning a freakin' Grammy because they are trying to send a message. Hell, one of our worst presidents ever even won one for Best Spoken Word. It was a tie for first! How's that for twisting the knife? IT was like the Grammy voters were saying "Let's try to find one more way to get our point across."

What is it with entertainers and their fascination with all things liberal? I just don't get it. I know throughout history art and music has sparked controversy but I can't think of a time when it has been so "in your face". I guess it's the media world we're living. Live and die by the sound-bite. Just take me back to the days when everyone would bitch and moan for a few days then get over it.

And another thing: here it is two years from another national election. TWO YEARS. Why all the campaigning already? I'm going to be so sick and tired of all the rhetoric, name calling, flip flopping and just plain meanness I'll be hard pressed to vote for somebody because they annoyed me the least. Suffice to say I'm pretty agitated by all this. Wait til the Summer before the election before you start stumping.

For now, just go away and shut yer pie hole. That goes for you too, Republicans!

Reflections still getting streamed on DI.fm

2007-02-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

"Reflections" just got another play on the DI.fm chillout channel. It does happen from time to time but actually happened to be listening when it got played this time. It was pretty cool. I guess it was kind of like hearing your song on the radio in the traditional sense. I'm going to have to figure out a way to get some promotion going. Stay tuned...

IDT to Remix a Devo-esque Band

2007-02-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm going to be doing another remix in the near future. The name of the band shall remain nameless for now but through my feeble pimping of my myspace.com page, I've gotten hooked up with a band that sounds a bit like the spitting image of Devo. It's not actually Devo but I have been asked to contribute a remix as soon as they are through tweaking their tracks. I'm looking forward to it. As soon as the deed is done I will post info on where to hear it.

Jesus before His yearly review

2007-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

If Jesus worked for the last company I worked for I think his last supper would have resembled this photo. You know Judas sold him out on his last performance review. Make sure Jesus is the only one doing the "big hands" thing.

I am Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

2006-12-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks Time. Thanks for making me person of the year. Because I use the web I am person of the year along with millions of others whom I am sure have not made the impact on the web I have. I bet my blog has like 3 or 4 readers. And I do know that my myspace.com page has been viewed 262 times as of this writing. I even have videos on youtube.com I'm a web celeb. And I did all with out going out in public without any underwear on (at least on purpose).

The only caveat to being Time Magazine's person of the year is I can't leave my house without not being recognized. But as soon as I log in to myspace, whoa, Nelly!! everybody wants to be my friend. In fact, Kim Jong Il (number 2 in the voting) threatened to "nuclear test all over my IP address" if I didn't add him to my top 10 friends. So sorry, Kimmy. Those spots are for people who don't fall into the despot category. So be a nice dictator and go starve a village or something. Tool.

It's hard to believe I beat out the likes of the Hollywood elite, superstars of the political world on the left and the right and Leeroy Jenkins. I mean come on, that dude is a legend.

So again, thanks to Time Magazine, all those people who believed in me, my wife, my dogs, my mom, my dad, my brother, flabbyGuy1 and all my homies in the chat rooms for making this possible. Next stop: the Nobel Peace Prize.

TTFN

And I Still Have Space Left!

2006-12-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

I've been adding and subtracting music on my zen touch mp3 player for awhile now and I fianlly have the stuff I want on there. Before I was carrying around every CD I had ripped to my hard drive which included a lot of stuff I'd never listen to. Plus I was down to only a few megs left on the zen. That's no good... theMike needs space for music.

So I reformatted the zen touch, upgraded the firmware and made sure I had all of music ripped. A few resets later I have the "meat" of my collection on my zen. Maybe with a bigger drive, I'll add the potatoes and salad as well. For now, it's all musical protein.

I finally got around to making the OMZ (on my zen) page work. The link is over there on the right hand menu. Right now it's an I-Frame and a ginormous html file. At the moment I can't think of a more elegant way to display it. If anybody has any ideas on ways to include large amounts of data that doesn't reside in a database, please let me know. I'm trying to be as user friendly as possible.

Thanksgiving in England - A weary traveller’s tale

2006-11-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

My wife just posted an amusing story about trying to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal in England. It appears that once all the local colloquialisms were understood, a good time was had by all. Enjoy the read.

Where is the Beef?

2006-11-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Okay. I admit it. It's like pulling teeth going throught the creative process. With all of life's distractions it's a wonder I can find the time and peace of mind to type somewhat organized thoughts.

I've been pretending to be the artist/music person for some time now. Well, now it's time to put up or shut up. The year of 2007 will be the year. I'm planning some cool stuff.

War Machine - This will be an EP of my electronic music projects from my school years at the univesity of Tennessee.

In Out Thru - This will be a very limited, handmade edition of the CD I released under the "Blind Monkey Phil" moniker back in the glory days of mp3.com.

Finding God in Zreos and Ones - The first official Intelligent Design Theory release. It will include "Reflections II" a remixed version of the orignal "Reflections" currently heard on di.fm and at the IDT myspace page as well as "Love on a Toy Train", an homage of sorts to Tangerine Dream.

So that's what is coming up in 2007. Stay tuned and I'll be sure to let you know where you can get copies, downloads, merchandise, etc.

IDT now on myspace.com

2006-08-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Itelligent Design Theory is now on myspace.com. I figure it would be a good way to generate some traffic as the CD nears completion. There are currently three songs featured there: "Reflections", "Love on a Toy Train" and IDT's remix of 4o1k's "Serious". More than likely, the best place to keep up with IDT news will be here. The network at myspace seems to be extremely sluggish the times of night I'm on it. If you do visit my idt profile, I'd be happy to be your friend.

“Harmless” or “Mostly Harmless”?

2006-08-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Now I have to unlearn my science? Crap. I'm not done forgetting everything I've learned in my years of schooling. Now I have to forget that Pluto is not a planet. Because I just learned that Pluto (or is it now pluto, sans the capital "P"?) is no longer a planet it will take me years to forget that.

You see, it's fresh on the learning stack. The learning stack is like a stack of books. It's easier to pull something off the top of the stack. The further down you go, the harder it is to remove something. The good news is if you have to go pretty far down to pull something off the stack, chances are you will put it back on top and it will be easy to remember until some room full of people wearing pocket protectors and lab coats saying "We have determined that Pluto is no longer a planet. Or a Disney dog. Snort! Snort! Snort!" (pushes glasses back up nose)

My theory on this conspiracy, and it is a conspiracy, is that all these guys have textbooks in publication and they want them changed from saying "Pluto is a planet" to "Pluto is a dwarf planet." Then they make more money as schools all over the world buy the "revised" editions. Leave it to astronomers and self involved teachers in the publish or perish world of academia to pull crap like that.

I'd hate to be a second grader coming home from school right after this announcement was made. I think the conversation would go something like this:
Mommy: "What did you learn in school today"?
Second grader: "We learned about the solar system. The solar system has nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Neptune, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus (he he he) and Pluto."
Mommy: "Well actually Pluto is no longer a planet."
Second Grader: "WTF?"
Mommy: "You see, scientists are smarter than everybody and else..."
From there the explanation drones on about how scientists and teachers don't make much money and they need extra income from the sale of textbooks because you can't get anywhere in the world of higher education unless you publish something. It's purely self serving.

Comment Spam the other other other white meat

2006-08-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Spam sucks. Email spam, canned spam, and I'm starting to loathe comment spam. Why, why why? Well, thanks to another blogger
I've sisnce installed a plugin to squash the idgits. I recently installed Peter Keung's anti-spam plugin. It uses word verification. So far so good. At least until somone creates some crazy-ass way of spoofing them. I created all my words based on cartoon characters. I haven't seen any comment spam since I installed it. Highly recommended. Thanks, Peter.

I don’t like curry anyway

2006-08-03T17:41:00.001-07:00

Well, It's been awhile since I last blogged. (Is that a verb?). Much has happened. As I checked the date of my last post it was approximately over a month ago. Way too long. I really shouldn't make both my readers wait that long for an update/musing. The big news is my job was outsourced. I guess they have 3 or 4 underpaid, over zealous minions doing the bidding of the big corporate machine I used to work for. Am I bitter? Nah. I had been looking for another challenge for awhile. The "bangladeshing" of my position just motivated me to take a more active role in my job search.

The good news is I have a new job. I'm working as a contract Flash Developer for a small Atlanta based multi media company. It's a nice change of pace where you can be walked around in 15 minutes and meet everyone at the company. They eat a lot of cake at the new company. I think 5 people have had birthdays since I started 2 weeks ago. Free sodas too. Now all is left is beer on Fridays and mandatory Quake 3 breaks and the good ole days of millions of dollars in stock options and weeks of sleepless nights are back! I remeber when you could walk into a venture capitalist's office with "I'm going to sell (insert item, service, sex here) online" written on a cocktail napkin and walk out with a check for half the gross national product of Bhutan. Those were the days.

I Passed Gas on I-75 South. Sort of…

2006-06-23T05:00:00.002-07:00

Well, I really didn't pass gas. I passed a billboard that simply stated "I pooted." I laughed out loud. Right in the middle of a Grand National song playing on XM Radio. Whoda thunk that a simple billboard could take the edge off a commute? I need to get me a camera phone. I would have posted a pic here for those of you in disbelief. If you google it you can find some pics.

Was this a frustrated sign designer's last day at work? Like they are saying "On my last day I'm gonna stick it to the man. I'm gonna design a big ass 'I pooted' billboard. It'll be funny. People all over the nation will laugh and blog about my rapier wit. Bwahahahah." Or maybe it was a well thought out ad by a tired ad exec's 12 year old son for baked beans. Picture the scenario: It's 2AM the night before a presentation is due and the ad exec has been through more failed slogans than he has fingers and toes when his son who is giddy from the lack of sleep due to a marathon chat session on myspace comes out cackling at himself and says "I pooted." Ding ding ding!!! Well, I had to find out.

Upon arriving to work I immediatley logged in and did a little "crack" research. It appears that billboard is part of an ad campaign by the Cartoon Network. Other billboards in other cities with the same crimson background and white letters read "I'm a Hot Toe Picker" and "Clowns Hate Tangelos". They appear to be from the cartoons "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" and "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" from the Cartoon Network.

I was disappointed it wasn't a disgruntled designer wreaking havoc with a national ad campaign.

Thanks, Cartoon Network for a delightful "gufaw" on the way into work.

Musical Tedium part II

2006-06-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

Well, I've finally figured out how to control Tracktion with my UC33e. It makes mixing a track much easier. As I said in my previous post, I'm re-mixing my track "Reflections". I've got the track re-built and I'm now in the mixing phase. Since there are only nine tracks in this tune I'm able to mix most of it without having to change patches on the UC33e. I only mapped the volume faders and pan knobs. It really takes the drudgery out of mixing with a mouse. I plan on using it with VST instruments and everything.

Tracktion doesn't support the UC33e natively so I had to set it up as a generic controller. A lot of people copmplain about this saying that is the reason why they won't buy Tracktion. I have no problem. Like with everything else in Tracktion, it's stupid easy to set the controller up. It shows up as a USB audio device. You simply choose it then a screen pops up and you choose a parameter to control then move a fader, turn a knob or push a button. Done!

Rebuilding + Remixing = Musical Tedium

2006-05-30T08:58:00.001-07:00

I spent a good part of yesterday's time in the studio rebuilding and remixing my track "Reflections". You may be wondering why. Well, I had a hard drive crash on me a few months ago. I was able to recover most of the data. The files that got corrupted were the .wav files from my Cubase project. I'm not sure why those particular files got cratered. I assume it was because of their size. I was planning on just getting the stereo .wav file ready for the new CD but I don't seem to have it. In fact, I don't think I ever made one. I just saved it straight to .mp3 or .wma. Fortunatley, I was able to also salvage the MIDI data from the track. So I've imported the MIDI data and all the loops into a new project in Tracktion.

I am now reconstructing the tune track by track trying to get everything laid out the way it was originally. I am missing about a minute or so of some improvisational audio. That's okay though. I was thinking about re-doing that section anyway. I was also thinking of re-recording some of the pads in Atmosphere but haven't stumbled across anything that sounds as goos as the patch I used on my Triton. So I still have some work to do. You can still get the original over at www.idtheory.com. It's also getting some plays over at www.di.fm on their chillout channel.

Damn George Lucas

2006-05-04T11:50:00.001-07:00

I'm not buying it again. No. I refuse. According to an article on comingsoon.net, soon you will be able to buy the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Enough! I'm sending out a cease and desist letter to Lucasfilm. I can't justify spending my hard earned credits on more Star Wars movies. I've already purchased the original Star Wars movie 4 times. 3 for the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Let's see... there was the original CBS Fox release, then the Trilogy box set in letter box, then the Trilogy box set with the new and improved added material and finally (what appears to be only the penultimate) The Trilogy on DVD. Now another version is coming out? Say it ain't so, George.

But wait... Could this be the grand apology for the three lackluster prequels? The big "I'm sorry Jar Jar was lame. Still, listen closely, I AIN'T BUYING IT!! If I get it as a gift... well, okay. It'll be added to the collection. I might even watch it once or ten times. I just hope George can take pity on us poor souls and stop milking every last Kroner out of our pockets. Sheesh.

The Art of the Mix Tape

2006-05-02T10:10:00.001-07:00

I guess I never really thought about making a mix tape as an art until a few days ago. In my mind, a mix tape was just a few songs that you liked and would listen to for your own pleasure. But I now see how a mix tape can transcend mere "listening to music for pleasure" and just background noise to have on a long trip.

My wife asked me to help her create a mix tape. Well, make a mix CD. I thought she would pull a few songs she kinda liked (usually Broadway and big band music) and throw them on a CD for her drive to here current work site. Instead what I witnessed was a personal musical journey that went beyond "these are songs I know I like." She insisted that she likes rock music more than I think she does. She was extremely thoughtful and weighed each song against the others. Now there were a few songs she insisted on like Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away" and "Since You Been Gone". Then she would add on "Church" by Lyle Lovett with the comment "you just gotta have that!" Another interesting song choice was "Box Set" by the Barenaked Ladies. That song basically lays out everything the songwriter is about and that is exactly what she did before we got married. She sat me down and told me everything that was wrong with her. She then asked "Do you still want to marry me?" Well, Duh. Of course I married her. I bought the whole "Box Set".

My wife then proceeded to sit at my computer and add other songs carefully weighing it's "Rockin' ness". She would pick something and the conversation would go like this:

Her: What's that Shania Twain song I like?
Me: That's country.
Her: I know, but it rocks.
Me: Well, it was produced by Mutt Lange.
Her: Who?
Me: Mutt Lange. He produced Def Leppard's Pyromania album.
Her: Do I like them?
Me: I don't know. I though you were going to make a disk of show tunes.

So we proceeded to add "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" and "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain. She always made it a point to listen to a couple of minutes of each song before it was added the "mix tape". I was impressed with some of the songs she did pick out like Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Apparently a boyfriend of hers in college gave her a recording of "Bat Out of Hell" that she wore out. She even liked some of the songs I picked out like Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" and the Art of Noise/Tom Jones "Kiss" remake.

So after about an hour or so, we burned the "mix tape" and she listened to it on her drive. I suggested she might want to get an mp3 player. I told her she could put 10+ hours of music on it. She asked "When have I ever listened to 10 hours of music?" Apparently it's not about "how much music" but "this is the music I put the thought into."

I guess it's all in the art of the mix tape.

When Technology Flies

2006-04-19T08:39:00.001-07:00

The F-22 Raptor has got to be the coolest plane I've ever seen. I work in an office building about 5 miles south of Dobbins Air Base where Lockheed does the final assembly and testing of the F-22. My side of the building just happens to face north so when I hear the roar of jet engines, I'm often treated to a maiden flight from a new Raptor. In fact, some of them have recently been flying sans the gray on gray paint scheme. It's kind of interesting to see. The color is a mixture of tan and dark brown. Most of the tan color consists of the radar absorbing material that the plane is made out of. The plane itself is a marvel to see. It's about twice the size of an F-16 and during many of the fly-bys the little F-16 looks like it's just about at maximum military power (as fast as you can go without lighting the afterburners) and struggling to keep up. One day I saw the Raptor hit the end of the runway and go straight vertical. I've seen an F-15 do this on numerous occasions at airshows. The Raptor outclimed the F-15 considerably. One of my neighbors works on the F-22 program and he said that one of the test piolots asked a flight engineer what they could do to fly the plane more effectively. The enigneer's reply... "Don't touch anything."

Jumping on the YouTube Revolution

2006-04-12T05:58:00.002-07:00

I've uploaded my "War Machine" video to YouTube. Everybody else is doing it so I thought I would post it and see what kind of response it generates if any. If you would like to find out a bit more about the video read about it or watch it here. I guess I'll see if I actually get any plays from among the volumes of videos that are already there.

File under WTF?

2006-04-08T17:47:00.001-07:00

I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan. The prequels... Umm... well, mediocre at best. Great eye candy, sucky writing. I know good ole George likes his creative control, but damn. "I don't like sand. Sand is rough". What? Did Darth Vader actually say that? What kind of dialogue is that? Any way, that's not the WTF part. The thing that makes me go WTF is the fact that Madonna may be part of a live action Star Wars tv show. I'm expecting "Hello Larry" in space if Lucas does the writing. But still, Madonna? Can't she go away and take Paris Hilton with her? Well, whatever. I'm not buying any more DVDs. I bought the original Star Wars trilogy no less than 3 time. I'm done. Instead, I'll spend my hard earned credits on The Gilmore Girls.

I’m Glad I Didn’t Get the Tattoo

2006-04-06T11:24:00.001-07:00

CD Review - Queensryche Operation Mindcrime II
My buddies and I saw Queensryche twice on their Empire tour; once in Chattanooga, TN and the second time in Knoxville, TN. We were in nirvana. We all had our own copies of Empire and Operation Mindcrime. Those of us who were completely obsessed had the EP, Warning and Rage for Order as well. We were stoked. Twice in one year we got to hear Operation Mindcrime live in all its progressive, ahead of its time, conceptual glory. I even bought a T-Shirt for that tour. We were all excited about the show. We even contemplated driving to Kentucky or some other point a few hours away to see them a third time. We were so mesmerized we even considered getting the Tri-Ryche symbol tattooed on our left shoulders. We refrained. Our lament was "what if they put out an album that sucks?" Well...

Operation Mindcrime II came out just yesterday. I promptly went to Circuit City on my lunch break hoping to get it for 9.99 as I was under the impression that is what they charged for new releases. I guess I got there before they put the sale stickers on. I paid 14 something after tax. Anyway, I'm not saying it sucks but it is definitely less than stellar. It's forced. The mix is thin. Vocal and guitar harmonies sound as if they were all recorded with the Antares Vocal Producer. There is no punch in the drums. The only thing that hit me in the face was how sophomoric the writing came across. The lyrics are forced and melodically parts sound as if they were written and sung by an aspiring songwriter ("choppin' brocc-o-lee") not an accomplished one. I'm one of the first ones to sing Geoff Tate's praises when it comes to vocal performances. I think he's got an incredible voice. He just falls flat on this one. As far as I'm conerned, the only two good tracks on this one are "The Hands" and "Fear City Slide". Both are clearly quoting musical ideas heard in the original Mindcrime.

I wanted to like it. It'll go on my Zen. I doubt very seriously it will even grow on me as Promised Land did. I have the utmost respect for Geoff and the boys. It was a very ballsy move to record this CD. I was okay not really knowing what happened to Mary and Nikki. In the words of Nigel Tufnel "best left unsolved." I think this is the last time I buy a Queensryche record without listening to it first. As for the tour, I *might* go see them live. They are going to do both Mindcrimes with live actors. That should be worthy of another blog entry. I'll save my money on the T-Shirt though.

Back in the Studio This Weekend

2006-04-05T06:49:00.001-07:00

After a brief hiatus, I'll be back at it this weekend. I'm hoping to get some of my software functioning with my external controllers. In particular, I'll be focusing on the Korg Karma Triton software with my UC33e. For those of you not "in the know" that software version essentially turns my Triton le into a Korg Karma so I have access to all that algorithmic goodness.

I've got an idea for a couple of tunes that are more downtempo in nature. Plus I'll be *hopefully* finalizing the mix of "Deep Thought I" which is the newest track going on my forthcoming "War Machine" CD. Once the mix is finalized, it's off to mastering. I thought about doing a package deal for production but I think I'm going to do about 200 or so "hand-made" CDs where I'll send them out as ordered. If demand seems to be there, I'll most likely see about doing a Mass run of 1000 or so. I'm really hoping the digital distribution will take off work better than selling the physical CDs.

Once in a Forever

2006-04-04T22:02:00.001-07:00

Take a look at the posting time for this little diddy. See it? It was posted at exactly 01:02:03 04/05/06. That will never happen again. Ever. Unless God pushes the reset button, this is a once in a forever deal. Far be it from me to not exploit something that only happens once.

ATTN: Internet Explorer Users: Switch to FireFox

2006-03-31T13:52:00.002-08:00

This site works best in Firefox. There appear to be few bugs with the stylesheets and layout in IE. I'm working to resolve these issues. If you are in IE and you are looking for the right hand menu, scroll to the bottom. That's where it is. Sometimes browsers are Stoopid. I recommend using Mozilla FireFox. It's smart. Apparently IE doesn't want to play nice and is currently riding the short bus to this site. That's okay, I'll fix IE's little red wagon tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Don’t Be Defined by Your Bumper Sticker(s)

2006-03-30T22:00:00.002-08:00

I'm glad I'm not defined by my bumper stickers. I have none. On my way into work I passed a car with at least 1, 2, 3, okay 15 bumper stickers. Traffic wasn't too bad today so I was only able to read maybe two of them. Here are the ones I read: "My Goddess Gave Birth to Your God" and "I found Jesus. He was behind the sofa the whole time." Oh, and the license tag was IAMXENA. Okay I surmised two, nay, three things. Xena Warrior Commuter is more than likely an angry agnostic/atheist femo-nazi and the only reason she wasn't wearing her Live Action Role Playing costume was because she was going to work, it was being dry cleaned or it was being re-forged by Vulcan (Hephaestus for you Greeks). Oh, and maybe she's Greek or Roman. She apparently has a goddess.

What makes people put more than one or two bumper stickers on their cars any way? Is it to cover up the bondo or their insecurities. It's like they are saying "I've got something to say and since I can't articulate it myself, I'll let me car speak for me. Car, tell people how I feel about the world I live in."

Granted, all this may be a hasty generalization. My gut tells me probably not. If you don't want complete strangers finding out who you might be or profess to be, leave the stickers off your cars and SUVs. People are more apt to make a judgement call on your character by what you stick on your ride.

By the way... the most clever vanity play I ever saw was on a Corvette drive by a hot chick that read "WAS HIS".

The French Get Something Right?

2006-03-30T06:16:00.002-08:00

I never thought I would utter these words but I actually agree with the French on this. The land of wine and stinky cheese won't be surrendering to the iTunes blitzkrieg any time soon. Accorinding to an article by John C. Dvorak over at Fox News, the French think that the proprietary structure of the iPod and iTunes is a load crap. I, for one, happen to agree. Don't make it difficult for me to buy music and enjoy it on my Zen Touch. Take my 18 hours of battery life and kiss my non iPod havin' hind quarters. I didn't get an iPod based on the fact that the battery life is less than grand. That and the fact that I had already ripped almost all my CDs to 192kbps wma files. C'est la vie.

Yes, Virginia, you can get a degree in electronic music.

2006-03-21T21:46:00.003-08:00

I'm currently working on a CD for release shortly. This disc is to be titled "War Machine" It is a compilation of the "experimental" or "avant-garde" music I did while I was in school at the University of Tennessee. Yes, Virginia, you can get a degree in electronic music. Well, it's actually a degree in instrumental composition with an emphasis in electronic media. You can hear the title track (plus see a video) and one other called "Electric Dream" at my artist web site (idtheory.com). I'll warn you ahead of time... It is very experimental. The best category to put it in would be Ambient.

The point of the degree was to design one's own sounds then sequence them together for the final work. Fortunately I got into this just as software sequencing was beginning to come of age and direct to disc recording was in its infancy. Had I started a few semesters earlier, I would have spent hours and hours sequencing the "old school" way by splicing tape. I'm glad I avoided that arrow. It was hard enough working digitally.

I'm getting back into music in a big way now. I hope to be doing it full time. I will say that I'm not quitting my day job just yet.

Calculating Combat or Something Like That

2006-03-14T18:41:00.003-08:00

I’ve decided I’m getting into the game software biz. Well, not really a “biz” per se, but more along the lines of gaming aids. I’m mainly doing it as an exercise in programming. Professionally I work as a Flash Programmer and I’m learning C# as well. I’m thinking up these little gaming aids that I can use while playing some of my war games. I believe that once I get them written in C# or ActionScript, it shouldn’t be too hard to port to other languages as well. I see people using laptops with gaming aids on them but I’ve never really seen anybody using a Palm device. Ultimately, I’d like to have a collection of “combat calculators” or “range finders” for various games I own. It will be a nice way to keep my programming chops up. I'll be sure to post anything useful here.

When Good Game Stores Go Good

2006-03-13T19:10:00.003-08:00

I don't know what it is, but part of the appeal of going into a game store is going somewhere that's kind of a not a bad place to be but not a real nice one either.

My local game store (I say local when it was a good 40 minute drive with no traffic) moved from the location where I first discovered it. It used to be in this run down strip mall next to a Piggly Wiggly or Save Rite or some other kind of discount grocery store. It actually didn’t look like the safest place to be after dark either. You would walk in and it was kind of dingy. The carpet was dirty. The walls still had tape on them where various posters and announcements had previously occupied space. You could hear the cacophony of various games going on in the gaming area. A Magic game here, Role Playing there and always some kind of Warhammer something or other going on. Basically it was a place where a good deal many people would not feel that comfortable unless you were "in the know" or part of the culture.

I liked it. I liked it a lot. A friend of mine and I used to spend our lunch hour (or two) driving up there and walking around. I enjoyed the dinginess, the musty smell and even the sights and sounds of some of the unkempt patrons that were regulars there. I would look forward to my monthly trip out there. I would spend the better part of two hours walking around the large sales floor. I would start at the board games. Not the Euro games but the WAR games. The Euros were on the other side of the war game shelf. Each time I was there they always had the same copies of games with an occasional new offering. After perusing the war games, just for kicks, I would make way over to see the Euro games. Upon finishing there, I walked quickly past the “Action Figures” to model ships and sci-fi models. After that it was on to military miniatures, sci-fi and RPG miniatures, Warhammer and finally a well-earned stroll down the model airplane aisle. This store had my entire hobby world all under one roof. Then it all changed.

The store moved. I can’t say I blame them. Their roof leaked and from what I could surmise, the owner of the building wasn’t too keen on fixing it up. I visited the new location a few months ago. The new location still had that new building smell, as it had not been built all that long ago. It was considerably smaller than the last location. I tried to walk around the store in the same order I had before but I couldn’t find everything at first. The appeal was waning. I took a look at once what had been a rather expansive gaming area. It was now reduced to a few rooms with very little open space. I had heard that you even had to sign up for gaming time although I never confirmed that to be true. My world had been crushed. I no longer felt that urge to spend hours at a time there. I no longer felt like the place was kind of an oddity. I didn’t even buy anything.

I’m saddened that my favorite game store lost its appeal. For me, going out there was one of the few simple pleasures I allowed myself to indulge. It’s still the same owners and the same stuff from the old location but I’m afraid it will have to exist without me. I can’t see myself making a special trip like I used too. It’s still a good ways away and not real convenient. If I happen to be in the area for another reason, I would probably drop in. But for now, I shan’t darken the door.

Almost as Satisfying as a Smite Button

2006-03-01T17:43:00.003-08:00

Well, I think I’ve figured out how to lessen traffic during the morning or evening commute.

I live in the metro Atlanta area. As many of you may know, traffic here is probably 3^rd or 4^th worst in the nation. A good many of the problems are at the fault of various things being spilt, dropped, sprayed, leaked, oozed or otherwise strewn about the interstate system.

In my years here I’ve heard reports of cooking oil, grills, hamburgers, beer, ladders, miscellaneous debris and a herd of cattle clogging up the roadways. Oh and let’s not forget the airplane that landed on 400 during the evening rush hour.

What makes it particularly bad is the sad fact that most of the major arteries feeding the “so called bypass” are close together. Being inconvenienced on one major road will more than likely clog up any viable alternate route. Traffic is attracted to those like a pair of earth magnets as soon as the interstate is hosed.

It seems that outside of major decapitations and the odd birth on the road; most of the backups are due to people losing various things like trash, ladders, paint, furniture or illegal aliens out of the backs of their pick-ups or from the tops of their cars. I have an idea that I would think would lessen the amount of lost items that cause the horrendous backups.

My idea is a simple matter of etiquette and just plain nice. Imagine this scenario: you are in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 ½ hours for a 20 mile drive. Why? Because some moron tied down his extension ladder on top of his 1974 Datsun with dental floss. It falls off at approximately 6:30am about 30 minutes before your scheduled drive time. You know it is hopeless because all of your alternate routes will be crowded with people who left 30 minutes before you did. So what would make you feel better? How about a nice, thank you note from said moron? That’s right. A thank you note. I propose a website that you could log onto and list your contact information as one of those people who were inconvenienced by the “moron du jour”. After about 3 or 4 days the moron would receive a list of the names and addresses of everyone who was put out by his lack of forethought and would then be sentenced to house arrest until all of the thank you notes have been written. HAND WRITTEN!!

I think it would be a nice gesture. It’s either that or a smite button on the dashboard of your car.

The Winter Games Are Over. Did You Notice?

2006-02-27T12:59:00.002-08:00

Well, I, for one, thought the Olympic coverage was abysmal. Proof positive that the inmates are running the asylum over at NBC. It’s like they said, "Let’s show the US runs/jumps/races and then the people who actually won. I mean the Luge finals were boiled down to 10 minutes. 10 minutes! Only so we could get back to Michelle Kwan falling on her behind or some special interest story about some figure skater’s cousin who competed in a neighborhood match that took place next to an Olympic venue. Sheesh.

Where do they get the commentators for figure skating? Could there be more nonsense and drivel? The answer is none. None more nonsense and drivel. They chastised one poor girl who had no chance of winning a medal (I thought we only saw the US competitors and the ones in medal contention here) because her laces weren’t tucked. Well la dee freakin’ da. Besides the drivel, they were mostly negative towards everyone. I’d like to commentate on their commentary while they listen.

NBC neglected to show anything live during the day. Personally, I get up between 5 and 5:30 every morning and I would have gladly turned on my TV to watch some of the Downhill – LIVE or Bobsledding – LIVE. I would even watch Curling – LIVE; but I’m really glad they do edit that for us or it would be like baseball… Slow.

I will give them props for hockey coverage though. Even though I missed most of the hockey tournament because they played during the day, they did air that live on CSNBC or USA network. Plus I thought getting Bill Clement to be the hockey anchor dude was a good move as well.

The "official web site" wasn’t much better. Before the games started, I couldn’t find a simple schedule that was formatted for printing. They tried to cram way too much on the front page. To top it off, no results page that you would go to would default to the current day. Most annoying. All the other Olympic web sites would either have next to nothing or link to NBC’s thoroughly unusable space on the web. I think they would have been better off setting up a MySpace account for the Olympics.

I enjoy the winter Olympics immensely. In fact, I enjoy it more than the summer Olympics. I just hope NBC has learned some lessons this go around and will listen to what people have to say about the coverage and fix it in time for the 2010 games in Vancouver. At least the time difference will be easier to work with.

Well, I’m here…

2006-02-23T08:16:00.002-08:00

Greetings and salutations! I know what you are thinking... "Crikey! Another babbling blogger. Just what the internet needs." Well, tough, I say. I've been wanting to do this for awhile so now it is getting done and that's that. Hopefully people will find some mildly entertaining thoughts here. If not, there's always dilbertbog.typepad.com!

Archived Studio Notes vol. 4

2006-02-22T08:48:00.002-08:00

Soon I will have my first release ready to go. I already have a few tracks ready for mastering. I'm currently finishing up a brand spanking new track called "Deep Thought I". The CD will be mostly ambient and experimental and will consist of tracks I did while I was in college. I'm pretty excited about this. I plan on making it available through the web site here as well as on CD Baby and anybody else I can strike some deals with. I'm going to look into Ambient.us and other online download only sites as well. A friend of mine is currently working on the artwork for the cover. Normally I would do that myself but he's a pro and I wanted this to look great.
Stay tuned...

Archived Studio Notes vol. 3

2005-11-22T08:53:00.002-08:00

There is a new addition to the Intelligent Design Studios... Spectrasonics Atmosphere. Atmosphere bills itself as a "Dream Synth" and it is exactly that. That VSTi sounds amazing. I got it on eBay for about 180.00 less than what it retails for. All I can say is after about one hour of listening to some of the sounds I'm totally inspired. I'm looking forward to having this in my arsenal for future tracks. I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of mileage out of this one.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the Spectrasonics EULA forbids you from making loops with Atmosphere and selling them as part of a collection. I guess I understand their point. They did spend lots of time sampling lots of instruments to create their sound set. But still it is a bit annoying.

Intelligent Design Theory Remixes Serious by 4o1k

2005-11-03T05:34:00.002-08:00

Intelligent Design Theory Remixes the track "Serious" by 4o1k. IDT's take on the track leans more towards the progressive side of electronica. Check it out over at 4o1k Productions. (link will open in a new window) Look for "Serious (IDT Remix)".

Intelligent Design Theory on Demo Reels

2005-10-07T05:50:00.002-07:00

Intelligent Design Theory has music on a demo reel. An animator friend just updated his web site with his old demo reel and IDT wrote and recorded music for it. Check it out over at www.hynes-site.com. (link will open in a new window) You'll need QuickTime to view the movie.

Archived Studio Notes vol. 2

2005-10-04T08:55:00.002-07:00

Cubase SX 3.0 is up for sale. (see the studio page) Why? I really want to simplify life in my studio. Having a full time job, wife, house, and other obligations, I really want to be able to just write and record music when I get time. Cubase complicates things. I updated my sound drivers and Cubase wouldn't boot until I re-ran the ASIO set up. I didn't figure that out until about 30 minutes later. Oh and to add to it all, after I re-installed the sound drivers, my computer would hang for about 2 minutes on boot-up. Not the fault of Cubase as I had previously thought. The culprit was my M-Audio MIDI Man 4x4. No big whoop. I just had to re-install those drivers as well.

Now we're golden, right? WRONG. Cubase, in it's infinite wisdom (or my lack of), doesn't have my audio and MIDI inputs configured any more. So another 30 minutes monkeying around with that I finally give up and do my recording for the day in ACID Pro. All I want to do is sit down and write and record. To me, Cubase isn't all that intuitive. I guess Germans are wired different and think differently.

I've switched to Mackie's Tracktion 2.0. That program is "stoopid" easy to use. The first time I installed it, I ran through the set up and everything worked flawlessly. I've started another track idea that may or may not make on to the CD. One thing I am doing is remixing "Reflections" in Tracktion. I had a hard disk crash a couple of months ago and lost some of the big audio files for "Reflections". Fortunately I recorded my performances with MIDI so the whole track is going to be salvageable. A "Reflections" remix is on the way.

Reflections featured on the Sharpe Mortgage web site

2005-09-28T05:52:00.002-07:00

Intelligent Design Theory's "Reflections" is currently being used as background music for the Sharpe Mortgage Website. (link will open in new a window) If you click over, be sure your pop-up blocker is turned off to hear the music.

Archived Studio Notes vol. 1

2005-09-22T08:56:00.002-07:00

"Come on. All the cool kids are doing it." So yet another blog is created in the infinite expanse of the Internet. I'm writing this one to track the progress of various projects going on here in the studio. Plus I hope to share what limited insight I have into music that happens to be different from some one else's. Also, I plan on using this "blog area" to talk about the different kinds of music I'm listening to. If there is ever a tour, business trip, funny event or circumstance, it will probably be written about here.

This is far from being a formal blog with archives, trackbacks, comments, etc. My hosting company offers a free install of wordpress so I am looking into that. It shouldn't be too awfully tricky to set up and integrate with my site. Once I get all "formalized" it'll make it easier for those of you who wish to subscribe to do so. Until then, just check back every so often.

I have set up an affiliation with zzounds.com. If you click through and make a purchase of gear on their site, all the proceeds go to support the work I'm doing here. So if you like what you hear and see, consider purchasing some gear. (link will open in a new window)

Intelligent Design Theory Goes Old School

2005-08-22T05:56:00.002-07:00

Intelligent Design Theory goes old school with this track from the archives. "Electric Dream" was created in 1991 in the electronic music lab at the University of Tennessee. This track was created entirely with the Kawai K-5. All sounds were designed from scratch then sequenced together using some version of Performer for the MAC. This track is reminiscent of the days of Stockhausen and Varese but instead of splicing tape, zeros and ones were spliced together to form an electronic sound scape.

Listen on the music page

Reflections getting play on DI.FM

2005-08-08T05:54:00.003-07:00

Intelligent Design Theory's "Reflections" is getting some spins on the chillout channel at www.di.fm. (link will open in new a window) A few comments have been received both on the forums at DI.FM and through private messages. The feedback has been extremely positive.

First Track Completed

2005-06-06T05:59:00.003-07:00

Intelligent Design Theory has completed the first track from the forthcoming CD entitled "Finding God in Zeros and Ones" The name of the track is Reflections. It is a downtempo track with a melodic piano and pulsing basses driving the song.

Listen on the music page