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Ooops, I Did It Again…. Again.

You know how last summer I decided to finally become a guitard? That’s coming along nicely TVM, as in two weeks I’m going to play a song at an open mic all by my lonesome, just me and the guitar.

Well, that apparently jus011111111111…. Sorry, my dog decided to get into the conversation. Anyway, I decided that learning to play the guitar wasn’t enough…. and I just bought a drum set! It’s a red Pulse at the heart of it – toms, bass, and snare. I did have to buy some new hardware – high hat stand, cymbal stand, and as it turns out I had to replace the bass pedal. I had intended to do this cheaper, but I didn’t consider how much the hardware would be before I bought the drums on Craigslist for 90 smacks. Spent about 250 in all.

Though I bought the thing a couple of days ago, I have yet to put the thing together. I might have some time this afternoon before my gig tonight. I hope this experiment goes well.

PS. The song I will be performing is Tim Finn’s “Persuasion”, and the guitar it will be played on is a Taylor 614CE. What a fine guitar that is.

PPS. If you’ve noticed I haven’t typed too much about politics lately, it’s because I have resigned from the political scene. For some musicians, the music and politics go hand-in-hand. For me one distracts from the other, so, in the probably vain attempt to improve my musical skills politics must take a seat at the back of the bus.

Hey San Fracisco…

Ha Ha, Your Government Is Stupid!!!!!!

Just a friendly response to the strangeness that has become the San Francisco nanny-state way of life. They deemed it necessary to legislate that Mondays will be “Meatless Mondays” for both health reasons and to fight Global Warming. Of course, they’re scientifically out of touch on both counts.

And, you know, you do have a $483 million dollar deficit to solve. But, hey, that can be put off and not solved later. That is, after all, the standard on problem solving long established by our wonderful state government.

50 Days To Save The Planet

“There are now fewer than 50 days to set the course of the next 50 years and more. So, as we convene here, we carry great responsibilities, and the world is watching. If we do not reach a deal at this time, let us be in no doubt: once the damage from unchecked emissions growth is done, no retrospective global agreement, in some future period, can undo that choice. By then it will be irretrievably too late.”

Gordon Brown, Britain’s Prime Minister, October 20, 2009. That was four months ago. Are we doomed yet?

PS. I missed this. While looking for an article that documented the massive needless in carbon emissions that took place at Dopenhagen, I found an article that shows some of the hypocrisy of some “green” celebrities who wish us to sacrifice our meager lifestyles to save the planet. Sting’s wife gets pummeled. These sniveling whining environmentalists don’t exactly set a stellar example for the rest of us, do they. Though I’m not a fan of his politics, I give major kudo’s to Ed Begley Jr., as he actually walks the walk concerning living with a small carbon footprint.

What’s Wrong With The Music Industry. No Emotion?

Here is the original version of “The Weakness In Me” by Joan Armatrading.

Yes, her voice is not the most perfect thing out there. But there is an emotion carried within that speaks to the soul.

Here is a new version by Keisha White.

She has a better voice… but man, there is no feeling to this what-so-ever. It sounds like she’s singing by the numbers…. add a flourish right here… raise an octave there…. Oh, I can do gravel voice… It sound like a typical mediocre American Idol audition. I get no impression that she’s ever been in a situation like the song is describing. On the other hand, at least she’s not going all Whitney Houston on us.

Even live Joan displays an emotionality that seems to be lost on this generation of artists. This is how it’s it’s done.

Keisha, maybe you should take some advice from Mrs. Armatrading and….

And From The “Dammit! Why didn’t I save the movie I made when I was a film major in college!” Dept.

Birdemic: Shock And Terror Official Theatrical Trailer from Severin Films on Vimeo.

Yes, it really is a movie, and it’s soooo bad, I just might have to go see it.

A Short Demonstration Of Political Disconnects.

If umpires were allowed to judge the game based on political leaning:

If the ump is a Republican:

“That pitch was very high and way outside”.

If the ump is a Democrat:

“Wow, that was THE BEST breaking ball I’ve ever seen. You questioning my judgement? You’rrreee out!!!! You’re ejected….”

And come to think of it, it seems like the President knows about as much about the White Sox as he does about the health care bill he just signed into law. Listen to the way he tries to cover his lack of knowledge by dragging the answer, for which he has no detailed knowledge, out to infinitum. It’s his modus-operandi. At least he didin’t go on for 17 minutes not naming any of his favorite players for the team.

Still, can the President get ejected for delay of game?????

Whithering U.S. / India Relations.

If the usually inept Obama worshiping Newsweek felt the need to take notice, then it must be worse than we thought. Of course, you could look at the subtext of the article and surmise it’s the fault of everyone around Obama, and not the man himself.

The iPad – A Quick Review

Normally, we are not first adapters, but…

Yes, Greg got one, the 16 gig model.

We’ve had it for a day now, and here are my thoughts.

When the iPad was first revealed a few months ago, I was skeptical. Just google “computer tablet” to get an idea of how many times this concept has been tried and flopped. Kind of like the mythical youth vote that will swing the election every year, the market and demand for such a device has never materialized.

The iPad may succeed, because it’s by-passing that mythical market. How do I mean? There is no stylus to write with. That was always one of the key features of tablets in the past. Still, with the typical Apple suite of office apps, typing is very easy, and you’ll be able to take note with no problem. On the iPad though, taking notes is an afterthought. This is a multi media device, an iTouch all grown up.

You can play movies and music with ease. Last night we had a few guests over, and the iPad was channeling music through the stereo for half the night via Pandora. We had it running continuously for five or six hours, and the battery indicator was at 86%. That’s pretty darned good.

So, if the iPad is not a “tablet”, what is it? I can’t say for sure, but here are a few things that this device excels at. Maps, which uses “Google Maps” data, really shines on the iPad. On smaller smart-phone devices such as the iPhone or my Nokia N97, this type of program is indispensable when traveling. The large screen of the iPad gives you a wonderful perspective of where you are in regard to your destination. Sky Walk looks soooo cool, it might just motivate me to concentrate more time on astronomy, one of my scientific knowledge weak points.

There is a lot of buzz about this being a potential Kindle-killer, and Amazon should be worries. Not only are book pages very easy to read, but one could spend hours simply turning the pages on the device. It’s not done with a button, but with a swipe of the finger across the screen. If there is one thing Apple absolutely excels at, it’s the GUI interface.

And here is the real “Kindle-killer”. This displays things in vivid color! The Kindle can’t display color pictures, which robs you of seeing many wonderful illustrations that accompany many books. Comic books, which aren’t available on Kindle type devices, look stunning on the iPad. You can zoom in to just one illustrated frame on a page to examine the details and art of your favorite super hero. Now you have opened the window to the full world of literature.

Another plus is the form factor. It’s easier to hold and use than a standard laptop. In my opinion, typing on the iPad is a bit easier than typing on the average Net-Book.

Given the state of the economy, I’m not sure if this is going to sell quite as fast as Apple is hoping. But when compared to all the other devices out there, and the fact that this is so good at so many things, despite the fact that it is only a first generation device, this may very well be a game-changer in the industry.

PS. On further reflection, maybe I can’t call it a “first generation” device, since it is an over-sized iTouch. Never-the-less, I do think there is quite the potential for this to really put the squeeze on other manufacturers to improve their products… In a big hurry.

Word Of The Day

“Speeplespopatween”.

I knew It Would Take More Than A Fox Network Executive To Kill Off Jack Bauer!!!

There will be a “Day 9” after all! The previously canceled “24” has been picked up by the TNT Network!!!! How cool is that!