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Podrunning

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:48:00 +0000

When I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I stumbled on Steve Boyett's Podrunner podcast which provides electronica for working out with specific beats per minute (BPM). It reminded me a lot of the soundtrack for "Run, Lola, Run" and I have been a fan ever since.

From Steve's Bio page:

In 1998 Steve Boyett learned to play the didgeridoo, a unique Australian wind instrument. This led him to learn about digital recording, which led to composing electronica, which led to DJing. Which, as everybody knows, leads straight to heroin.

He swore he'd never be a DJ. When he started DJing, he swore it was just for fun and he'd never play out. When he started playing out, he swore it would only be at parties. When he started playing small clubs, he decided the smartest thing to do would be to swear never to become filthy, stinking rich.

He's played Hollywood & Vegas clubs, Burning Man, conventions, after parties, and private events. He keeps the room moving with house, progressive house, breakbeat, funk, tech house, pop remixes, downtempo, spoken-word poetry � whatever keeps the vibe alive.

He produces three of the world's most popular music podcasts: Podrunner and Podrunner: Intervals (workout music mixes), and Groovelectric (dance music mixes of what he calls New Old Funk).

Cheers...

Eagles and Wolves

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:33:00 +0000

So I'm driving through town, listening to Don Henley's greatest hits, specifically "New York Minute"...

"Lying here in the darkness
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody's going to jail
If you find somebody to love in this world
You better hang on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door"

And as Don sings the last line, I stop at a traffic light behind a young tuner who took some crappy chrome stick-on letters and wrote "wolf" on his trunk lid.

Cheers...

Elderly Instruments

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:15:00 +0000

This is one of those shop names that has a double meaning.

While they sell new items, a lot of what they sell could be considered elderly...

Spent a Saturday morning there with a friend who needed a new bridge for his mandolin. Not an opportunity that presents itself very often.

Cheers...

Undiscovered Band of the Month: Nive Nielsen

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:11:00 +0000

Nive is an Inuk Eskimo from Greenland who enjoys playing a red ukulele. First heard her music via Indie Feed podcast playing her latest "good for you".

Checkout her first video...

room - nive nielsen

Cheers...

The Seven Basic Plots

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:25:00 +0000

According to the British journalist and author Christopher Booker, there are only seven �storylines� in the world. In his book, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, a work that took over forty years to write, Booker surveys world literature, outlining commonalities and showing that, although there are a multitude of tales and endless variety in the telling, all narratives are really variations of the basic seven.

Booker�s work is detailed, interesting, and very long�over 700 pages�but his message is simple. Whether they represent the deep psychological structures of human experience or whether they are merely constructs of tradition, no matter what the story, you�ll find one or more of these basic plotlines:

Overcoming the Monster A terrifying, all-powerful, life-threatening monster whom the hero must confront in a fight to the death. An example of this plot is seen in Beowulf, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Dracula.
Rags to Riches Someone who has seemed to the world quite commonplace is shown to have been hiding a second, more exceptional self within. Think the ugly duckling, Jane Eyre and Clark Kent.
The Quest From the moment the hero learns of the priceless goal, he sets out on a hazardous journey to reach it. Examples are seen in The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Voyage and Return The hero or heroine and a few companions travel out of the familiar surroundings into another world completely cut off from the first. While it is at first marvellous, there is a sense of increasing peril. After a dramatic escape, they return to the familiar world where they began. Alice in Wonderland and The Time Machine are obvious examples; but Brideshead Revisited and Gone with the Wind also embody this basic plotline.
Comedy Following a general chaos of misunderstanding, the characters tie themselves and each other into a knot that seems almost unbearable; however, to universal relief, everyone and everything gets sorted out, bringing about the happy ending. Shakespeare�s comedies come to mind, as do Jane Austen�s perfect novels.
Tragedy A character through some flaw or lack of self-understanding is increasingly drawn into a fatal course of action which leads inexorably to disaster. King Lear, Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bonnie and Clyde�all flagrantly tragic.
Rebirth There is a mounting sense of threat as a dark force approaches the hero until it emerges completely, holding the hero in its deadly grip. Only after a time, when it seems that the dark force has triumphed, does the reversal take place. The hero is redeemed, usually through the life-giving power of love. Many fairy tales take this shape; also, works like Silas Marner and It�s a Wonderful Life.

Cheers...

South by Southwest Music Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Today marks the end of the South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Paul Ford of The Morning News listened to 1,302 songs and provides a six-word review of each.

Cheers...

The Uses of Sorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0000

[ from inward/outward ]

Mary Oliver

Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.

Source: Thirst

Cheers...

First Faded Jeans, Now Road Worn Guitars

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Guitars with more than a few miles on them exude a captivating mojo and mystique that musicians find irresistible. Every scratch, ding, and dent is like a badge of honor, earned through considerable sweat, passion, and determination. It's almost like the harder you push your instrument, the more it gives back, rewarding players with ever-increasing comfort and playability.

Think of a great Fender� guitar player or bassist and chances are you'll also think of their well-worn and loved instruments. From Stevie Ray Vaughan's Number One Stratocaster� with only remnants of its original sunburst finish remaining on its body to Andy Summers' highly modified and battered Telecaster�, these guitars reflect the players' personalities and experiences in every scar and blemish. These are the reliable old friends that players like Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, and John Frusciante (wins the prize for wear and tear) count upon gig after gig and session after session even though they could afford to buy a shiny new guitar every day if they wanted.

If you're not into beat up guitars, how about $150 for a pair for jeans that have been blasted with a shotgun? Only in America.

Cheers...

World's First Hybrid Tugboat

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Thick, squat and powerful, tugboats are the pint-sized strongmen of the maritime industry.

But, despite their stature, they tend to be big polluters, spewing heavy clouds of diesel soot into the sky as they push and pull massive freight ships into position.

Their reputation as grimy workhorses, however, may be changing with the recent development of a diesel-electric hybrid tug - the Carolyn Dorothy - by Foss Maritime Co. The quiet, 78-foot tug carries all the punch of its counterparts without the environmental price tag.

"Tugboats spend most of their time sitting around idling, and while they're idling, they're sending diesel (soot) into the air," said Foss engineer Jerry Allen during a visit to the boat's engine room. "This tug doesn't consume diesel during down time, so you're having no (ecological) impact there. And it's emitting much less during routine operations."

Externally, the $9 million Carolyn Dorothy - named after a Foss executive's wife - looks like any other tug. But unlike its rivals, it emits roughly half the emissions, including significantly less diesel particulates, which can lodge in workers' lungs and cause cancer.

And because it can plug into an electrical outlet while docked, operators are able to recharge the ship's 126 12-volt batteries during down time. Built during the past year at Foss' Rainier, Ore., shipyard, the Carolyn Dorothy is the source of much hope and pride among port authorities in Long Beach and Los Angeles, who together kicked in $1.3 million to fund its development.

"This proves the technology works in this application," said the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commissioner. "We think it serves as a template for future (green) growth."

Foss has agreed to operate the tug exclusively in Long Beach-Los Angeles through 2013.

Cheers...

I'm picking up some serious NetVibes

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

NetVibes is one of those under-appreciated apps that does one thing amazingly well - namely, sets up a tabbed homepage full of live widgets and streaming feeds. Next to a cup of coffee, it is the best way to start the day.

Put your email, facebook, flickr, weather, news, live tv, podcasts and more in your face.

Rick Broida of LifeHacker, wrote how to trick it out...

Cheers...

The Blind Boys of Alabama

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:56:00 +0000

A good friend recently invited me to see these guys in concert. They have a dynamite sound that will blow you away.

They've been making music for over 60 years, won 4 Grammys and are up for a lifetime achievement Grammy next month.

You can get a taste of their sound here.

Cheers...

Words Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:54:00 +0000

"Words not only convey something, but are something; words have color, depth, texture of their own, and the power to evoke vastly more than they mean; words can be used not merely to make things clear, make things vivid, make things interesting and whatever else, but to make things happen inside the one who reads them or hears them."

- Frederick Buechner's English teacher, Mr. Martin

Cheers...

Don't Stop...

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:07:00 +0000

So I pick up my son today after his tubing party, and I had the volume on the car radio turned down because I had been chatting with his youth leader. The title of the song on the display was "Don't Stop" so he immediately cranked the volume.

When he found out that the rest of the title was "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" by Fleetwood Mac, he moaned and said, "I thought it was 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey."

So he switched the radio to his favorite station...and what song were they playing?
"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.

I don't make this stuff up.

Cheers...

How to Remove Caffeine from Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

[ from Qualiteas.com ]

The biggest surprise is that approximately 80% of the water soluble caffeine in tea is released during the first 30 seconds of brewing. So, to remove most of the caffeine from your tea, simply pour boiling water over the loose-leaf tea leaves in your teapot, allow the tea to steep for 30 seconds, and then discard the liquid. Use the same tea leaves with fresh hot water to brew a close to fully decaffeinated cup of tea for drinking.

You will find this process highly effective, allowing you to enjoy the originally caffeinated teas you love without major concern over caffeine content. Test it for yourself and you will see that it works.

Be sure to use only loose-leaf, premium-grade teas instead of the tea in teabags. Unlike teabags loose-leaf teas can be brewed over and over again until you have depleted the leaves of their wonderful natural flavor. This means that the same teaspoonful of tea can produce two, three or more cups of tea all from the same leaves. It is nearly impossible to brew a second worthwhile-tasting cup of coffee from the same grounds, or a good second cup of tea from most of the off-the-shelf supermarket teas sold in teabags.

Cheers...

Water Figures

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Fotoopa's flickr set called Water Figures" has more amazing shots like this one:

The setup includes a homemade hardware controller and a couple of lasers to control the flashes.

Cheers...

French Knitting with Reclaimed Plastic Yarn

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

How could you possibly resist a blog entry with a title like this? Anyway, Mike over at Atomic Shrimp shows how to do something a bit more creative with that mound of plastic shopping bags that you've been saving to reuse. If you're like me, just reusing them to throw something out doesn't seem to cut it.

Kids love to knit using the French bobbin technique, and I have no idea why it seems to be something that we outgrow. It's a pity really because it truly is a lot of fun.

I don't think I would be as ambitious to take on this for an initial project but it at least shows what is possible to generate ideas.

Cheers...

Introducing the Personal SuperComputer

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Remember the Charlie Chaplin TV spots promoting IBM's first personal computer? You may not be old enough, but I am and I do.

Which is why I can't wait to see how NVIDIA plans to market their new Tesla.

How would I use a PC that is 250 times faster than what I use today? How fast can I really play Mah-Johng?

The entry level Viglen CL2000 PSC-2 Personal Supercomputer puts nearly 2 teraflops of computing muscle at your fingertips for a mere 3,999 pounds (what with the exchange rate that's less than 6,000 bucks)

I guess if they offer it in the same harvest orange color as my electron microscope with matching particle collider, I might be tempted.

Cheers...

Awaken Your Inner ChessMaster

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

[ from LifeHacker ]

Whether you'd like to increase your mental health or just relax after a stressful day in the salt mines, there aren't many games more classic than chess. Over at tips and tricks blog MakeUseOf, they have rounded up a variety of ways you can both play and sharpen your chess game. One offering there is a beautifully rendered flash-based and free for download chess game called FlashChessIII. If you're concerned that all the playing in the world won't make you any better, they have a variety of resources listed for helping you not just play but increase your grasp of the game. Our favorite was Chess Problems, a site which generates "puzzles" based on chess board setups ranging from simple to extremely complicated. After some practice at Chess Problems you won't find yourself often staring down a chess board without a clue what your next move will be. If you're absolutely brand new to the game, make sure to check out a beginner's guide to getting good at chess.

The Best Online Sources to Learn and Play Chess [MakeUseOf]

(We included Chess in our look at Strategy games back in 2006)

Cheers...

Step-by-Step Plan for Networking Your Next Event

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

[ from CIO.com ]

Virtually everybody is nervous and anxious about meeting new people at conferences and events. But networking at such events, especially during our troubling economic times, is crucial for giving your career a boost.

That's where etiquette comes in, says Judith Bowman, founder of Protocol Consultants, an etiquette advisory firm, and Jacqueline Whitmore, author of Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work. They say that good etiquette engenders goodwill and trust from others, and makes it more likely that others will want to work with you. "Etiquette is really about the golden rule," says Whitmore.

Perhaps the best part of focusing on etiquette is that you'll be so busy concentrating on following guidelines and making others feel comfortable that you'll have less time to remember your own nervousness.

Checkout the slideshow here.

Cheers...

Sustainable Sanitation

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Bulgarian organization Earth Forever has as one of it's areas of interest how to handle the problem of so much water being used to dispose of human waste. Their solution? Don't use any...

Their Mission: "We consider our mission to promote community sustainable development through proper environmental management, efficient economic practice, social justice."

You can check out their research here.

Cheers...

The Real Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:51:00 +0000

[ from inward/outward ]

Alessandro Pronzato

The crowded bus, the long queue, the railway platform, the traffic jam, the neighbor's television sets, the heavy-footed people on the floor above you, the person who still keeps getting the wrong number on your phone. These are the real conditions of your desert. Do not allow yourself to be irritated. Do not try to escape. Do not postpone your prayer. Kneel down. Enter that disturbed solitude. Let your silence be spoiled by those sounds. It is the beginning of your desert.

Source: Meditations on the Sand

Cheers...

So Much for "No Copies"

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Two brothers in Wisconsin recently bowled perfect 300 games whilst playing for the same team in the same game.

Ed and Tom Shircel are both decent bowlers with a combined 10 perfect games to their credit, but they never imagined anything like this.

Cheers...

From Boredom to Board Room

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Matthew Baldwin's 2008 Good Gift Game round-up is worth a look - some great games and fun reviews!

Board games make great gifts, so great, in fact, that every year Matt assembles a top ten list of Good Gift Games (G3s), titles that even those who don�t typically play games will love playing. In doing so, he primarily looks for those that meet three criteria:

Easy to learn, with rules that can be explained in less than five minutes
Entertaining enough that even the guy who comes in dead last has a great time playing
Quick, lacking downtime, and requiring an hour or less to complete

My most likely to buy? TZAAR and The Hanging Gardens

Cheers...

Facing the World with a New Face

noreply@blogger.com (Milton) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Details of the first almost-complete face transplant from a dead donor performed in the United States have emerged.

Eight specialists transplanted bone, muscle, blood vessels and nerves in the 22-hour operation in Cleveland, Ohio.

After such transplants, the new face does not look like the donor because its shape is altered by the muscles and bones of the patient's face.

But some experts have warned of possible psychological side-effects which may include remorse, disappointment, or grief and guilt towards the donor.

The hope is that as this procedure becomes more commonplace, people who avoid others due to their appearance may have an option to help them feel better about themselves.

Cheers...