Pest Exclusion

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

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.

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:

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

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

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!!

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.