Mark
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Sent from my Blackjack II
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Breaking News?
What has our society become when THIS is breaking news?!
-----Original Message-----
From: CNN Breaking News
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 2:18 AM
Subject: CNN Breaking News
-- Ashton Kutcher is first to reach 1 million followers in Twitter contest with CNN.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Controlling Your Camera’s Flash
Controlling Your Camera's Flash
Interesting little commentary from David Pogue. I especially like this part, which I've known for years, and am amazed at how many people don't:
"Your camera's flash probably has a range of about 10 feet. Beyond that distance, it does nothing at all—except waste battery power and annoy people."
"You know when thousands of flashes go off at a rock concert, football game, or school play? Don't be one of those clueless people. They're all firing their flashes for nothing. Do they really think they're going to illuminate a singer, football player, or actor from 200 yards away?"
"The second time to avoid using the flash is, well, whenever possible. A no-flash picture is almost always better-looking and more realistic than a flash picture."
Interesting little commentary from David Pogue. I especially like this part, which I've known for years, and am amazed at how many people don't:
"Your camera's flash probably has a range of about 10 feet. Beyond that distance, it does nothing at all—except waste battery power and annoy people."
"You know when thousands of flashes go off at a rock concert, football game, or school play? Don't be one of those clueless people. They're all firing their flashes for nothing. Do they really think they're going to illuminate a singer, football player, or actor from 200 yards away?"
"The second time to avoid using the flash is, well, whenever possible. A no-flash picture is almost always better-looking and more realistic than a flash picture."
It SO figures!
Here's the deal...
I used to have DirecTV which I loved, and still would recommend to anyone. Problem is that when I bought a Hi-Def flat screen, I found that I would not be able to receive any HD channels because of trees right outside my condo (which I can do nothing about). So, bye-bye DirecTV, hello Comcast (ugh!). The one very small upside...Comcast, like DirecTV, carries the NFL Network. Cablevision (the cable carrier that my friends and family have) does not carry NFLN.
Fast-forward to the present, and it turns out that as of May 1, Comcast will no longer carry NFL Network. Turns out that NFLN won't let any provider carry them unless it's on the "basic" tier. Comcast only offered it as part of an optional sports tier.
Anyway, on to my point. Now I no longer have access to the NFL Network be it at home or at a friend's, or even my local family.
So the NFL released the 2009 schedule on Tuesday, and as anyone with my luck would expect, the Dolphins have a prime time game scheduled in November on....you guessed it...the NFL Network.
What kills me is that they also have a Monday night game against the Jets. A game that had it been on NFL Network, would also be televised on a local channel, because if you live in the tri-state area, you will see the Jets and Giants on TV no matter what.
It SO figures!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Frank Zappa: A 'Lumpy' Legacy : NPR Music
via npr.org
Lest anyone think that I am unfairly harsh towards Gail Zappa and the ZFT, see what people with first hand knowledge have to say.
Oh, and be sure to note the box titled "Hear The Songs" directly under Frank's picture on the article page.
Ray White quits Zappa Plays Zappa
1 April 2009
Hello Friends,
Here's a funny story... sort of.... So we're getting ready to leave for Japan and Australia and we've been rehearsing away like a good little teenage rocking combo. Diligently re-distributing parts and practicing our new musical responsibilities in the wake of Aaron Arntz's departure. We decide to stop for a moment and we say to ourselves where is Ray White?
He was supposed to be here today wasn't he? Yep today's the day for Ray. Let's call him. He doesn't answer any of his phones and they all say they are disconnected. Is he suddenly in the witness protection program? What has happened? We decide to look at our e-mails. I had one in my in box from Ray.
Ready for the hilarious punchline? Ray quit via e-mail with no advance "romance" notice whatsoever.
This sort of thing happened to Frank often. It never stopped him. While it is not enjoyable to deal with, it is predictable. History repeats itself.
As a band we have become even more galvanized by this odd turn of events. We have plenty of material to perform both vocally and instrumentally. We got a bit short changed on preparation time but we're professionals, we can handle this type of thing.
There has always been a plan to perform solely as the core band and now is as good a time as any. Quite frankly I'm looking forward to this experience. I have a lot of confidence in the core band. They are all exceptionally talented.
While we have enjoyed playing with our favorite alumni over the years it is time for a change. Yes folks, it's the end of a chapter for ZPZ.
The new chapter for ZPZ begins thusly...
'Twas the night before rehearsal and all through the studio every creature was stirring, clicking their mouses and searching the internet for new lead singers...
To be continued... ( We may have actually found one from a city far far away.)
In closing, here is the official word on the status of the upcoming tours and what to expect.
Zappa Plays Zappa will be performing as 6 piece band - until we find a few musical compatriots that will complement our line up . We will do what we always do - deliver our very best efforts to present the music of Frank Zappa with the utmost respect and have an excellent time in the process.
Please feel free to join us for the festivities.
See you on the road.
Regards, DZPOSTED BY DWEEZIL ZAPPA AT 2009-04-01 17:30:04
No, this sort of thing did NOT happen to Frank "often."
Let's see...Napolean Murphy Brock is axed for wanting to participate in a performance that was...are you ready?....a tribute to Frank. Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio do a one and done, Ike Willis is not welcome, and now Ray White quits.
Hey Dweez? Why maybe it's YOU (and you don't even know it!) and your c*nt of a mother!
Seems all the FZ alum have nothing but fond memories of Frank, yet they don't seem to share the same sentiments towards you and the rest of the Zappa clan. Hmmm....
This blog post seems to imply that Dweezil expects to be the new incarnation of the Mothers, and that a new legion of followers will abound.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're NOT Frank!
Do your own thing with the talent you've surrounded yourself with. People would respect you more. You can only ride coattails for so long; then it just gets old.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Most wonderful time finally over?
They finally took the Xmas season banners down. I wonder if they saw my post from last week? ;-)
=====
Sent from my Blackjack II
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
New Gmail Feature: Autopilot
via mail.google.com
Leave it to Google to always be on the cutting edge.
Although, I don't think this feature is quite as "resourceful" as the one they rolled out about a year ago. ;-)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
THE ALBUM IS ALIVE
http://tinyurl.com/cntzws
EDITORIAL: THE ALBUM IS ALIVE
April 04, 2009
Technology Doesn't Mean The End For Extended Work—Or Artistic Packaging
Reports that CD sales continue to decline—they fell 14% in 2008 compared with 2007—have once again inspired a pundit-led roll call of the music industry's dead and dying institutions: major labels, record stores, terrestrial radio and the CD itself, to name but a few. Recently added to the obituary page is the album itself, thanks to industry "experts." However, I'm happy to say that the reports of the album's death are greatly exaggerated.
The true album—with the capital "A"—is alive and well. I'm not talking about an album that offers a compilation of songs strung together without meaning or purpose (other than to sell a hit single). I'm talking about the Album. The true Album. A narrative series of songs that an artist has purposefully created to work together as a whole, from the sequencing to the artwork and packaging. It resonates. It takes you on a journey. You put it on, and it's evocative and satisfying. It becomes an essential part of you.
If you think I'm being nostalgic, imagine your favorite album right now, the one you would take to that deserted island if you could only choose one. You know where I'm coming from. And that's why the album is still relevant.
We're told that the main threat to the album is digital technology—the widespread availability of music via downloading; the increased popularity of iPods and other portable music players; and the diminished sound quality of MP3 and AAC files.
One of the ironies of the CD format is that albums have gotten longer, while attention spans have gotten shorter. We live in an age when information in available instantly from computers, cell phones and satellite TV. Music can be sourced from all over the Internet, from online radio stations to artist Web sites. When the computer becomes a listener's main source of listening to music, it's hard to focus for 40 minutes, let alone 70.
But the argument that technology killed the album is a diversion—the mere availability of downloadable music is irrelevant to the question of the format's viability. It's just as easy to download eight songs from the same record as it is to download eight tracks from different artists. An iPod can play songs in order as easily as it can mix them up. Indeed, the widespread availability of digital music from virtually unlimited sources only increases the access to albums and gives artists an entirely new forum in which to distribute them.
One of the great pleasures of the album is its artwork: the lyrics, liner notes, photos and packaging. Artwork can complement the music within, on some sets more elaborately than others—the spinning wheel on "Led Zeppelin III" comes to mind, as does the triple-gatefold "Yessongs." The immediacy and tactility of that experience vanishes when it's reduced to 5 inches square, encased in plastic and coupled with an eight-page booklet that's hard to read. No wonder artwork came to be considered disposable. And yet it can now be downloaded in high quality, in various sizes. The ability to present images and lyrics is no longer limited by physical packaging or label budgets, only an artist's imagination.
Technology isn't the enemy of the album. If anything, the opposite is true. Widespread broadband, cheaper hard drives and better compression formats allow listeners to access files that sound as good as CDs. The top two online stores—iTunes and Amazon—have found success selling high-quality files, proving that sound quality matters.
As CD sales continue to plunge and the jewel case CD itself prepares to join the cassette, the 8-track tape and the MiniDisc in the dustbin of history, artists and labels need to devise new ways to sell physical products. They've had considerable success selling good old LPs, which fans keep buying as CDs fade. Another bright spot is deluxe or limited-edition albums that include additional features like bonus tracks, video footage, surround-sound mixes and more elaborate packaging. This month many U2 fans bought a $96 limited edition of the album "No Line on the Horizon." Just this week Sony released a $200 reissue of Pearl Jam's "Ten" that caters to the album's diehard fans.
Such releases would have been inconceivable 10 years ago. And technology should facilitate, not hinder, their release. Give album lovers something aesthetically pleasing to buy—and trust me, they'll buy it. ••••
Steven Wilson is the founder and lead singer/songwriter of Porcupine Tree and a member of several other bands. He recently sold out a 4,000-copy run of the deluxe edition of his first solo album, "Insurgentes," which contains a coffee-table book of photography related to the album.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Yesterday in music history
via youtube.com
Meant to post this yesterday...
21 years ago (March 25, 1988), Frank Zappa and his touring band performed their last U.S. concert at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.
I'm glad I had the privilege of witnessing it (even if it was under the influence of a fantastic amount of trendy chemical amusement aid).
If you can spare 5 minutes of your life, play the video and witness one of Frank's many "air sculptures."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Vegetarian Pets?
I was wondering today...regarding people who are vegetarians for animal cruelty/slaughter reasons, do they feed their pets (cats & dogs) regular canned pet food (which contains meat)?
I'd be willing to bet that there are some that do. Do you suppose they see the hypocrisy?
Just something to ponder.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Still the most wonderful time of the year?
What the hell...they're just going to have to go up again in 8 months!
"One likes to believe in the freedom of music..."
Check it out at huffingtonpost.com
Interesting essay by John Mellencamp about the state of the music industry.
My favorite statement that seems to really sum it all up is the end of the second-to-last paragraph where he says that it's not that people don't still love music, it's just the way it's presented ignores their humanity.
How sadly true that is.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
YouTube - The Obama Deception
via youtube.com
Despite the title of this, it is not right-wing propaganda. It is not extreme left or right, but rather one man's expose on the corruption of government.
It only has Obama's name because he's the current puppet.
It is very unsettling, but something most free-thinking people have suspected for years.
Is it a bit overblown? Probably. But anyone who thinks there can be no truth to this at all is in denial. I can't imagine anyone with any average (or above) level of intelligence would deem this as complete bull.
And please, if you haven't or won't watch this film in it's entirety, don't waste my time engaging me with comments. Trust me, you cannot make any educated statements based on the title or 5-10 minutes of viewing.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
For the true fan
My mom came across this and sent it to me. Obviously a photoshop, but still kinda cool. :-)
Sunday, November 09, 2008
He hates your guts
Tonight was a fun night.
Due to several factors (finances, age, motivation, among others), I don't really get out too much when it's not the concert season (that being the summer generally), so it's nice when I do get out and it turns out to be a lot of fun.
Val and I had tickets to go see Jim Norton at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick.
Our tickets were for the early show; one of 5 shows of the weekend (at least 4 of them sold out).
We got there at about 5:50 PM to wait for the 6:00 PM opening of the doors. There were maybe 30 people or so ahead of us. Not a problem, because we easily got our new favorite table which is such a location so as to accommodate my "generous" build.
Since there's still almost 2 hours until show time, we ordered some food. It should be noted that the Stress Factory is a comedy club, not a restaurant, so the food is...well...edible. We played it safe and ordered the Improv Sampler, which consisted of 2 mozzarella sticks, 2 chicken fingers, 2 jalapeño poppers, and a handful of curly fries. Val doesn't care much for the poppers, so in return I let her have the one really good curly fry (you know, the one that looks like a potato slinky).
After the sampler and one or two Yeunglings, we decided to each order the one thing that is genuinely tasty at the Stress Factory, and that is the hot pretzel. At $3.75 each, they ought to be good. :-)
After the obligatory "funniest home videos" on the screens, followed by 5 minutes of panning and scanning the room with the in house camera and zooming in on random patrons complimented by text "remarks" on the screen (for example, when we went to see Bill Burr a few months back, the camera zoomed in on me and the text came up saying, "Needs Viagra"), the show started promptly at 8:00PM.
As always, club-owner Vinnie Brand started things off as MC. After his opening monologue, on came the opener, a very funny gentleman named Melvin George. We had never heard of him before, but he was very funny and entertaining. If I had to guess, I'd say the only thing keeping him from being more of a rising star is that he wasn't topical. His act was obviously entirely rehearsed, and he pretty much didn't say anything about the election (or anything really related to current events). Sure, it was only 4 days ago, but that's the point. A truly good comic would have come up with something pretty quickly.
Again, he was very funny and everyone obviously liked him. I'm only speculating as to why I haven't really heard of this guy.
He did about 40 minutes, and Jim Norton came on shortly before 9:00PM. Jimmy, as always, killed with his unique brand of politically incorrect humor. For any of you who may not have heard Jimmy's act (be it on stage, screen, or the airwaves with Opie & Anthony), just imagine the bastard child of Richard Pryor and George Carlin.
Jimmy did about a 90 minute set. After the show, Jimmy was selling and signing his new book, "I Hate Your Guts". I didn't stick around because I already have and read the book, and I didn't feel like waiting in line. How about that...I even lack motivation as a fan-boy. ;-)
Val and I then went to Marita's Cantina (two blocks away) for a nightcap of nachos and beer.
There was a live local band playing tonight, so there was a $5 cover charge to get in. We made that up when we got inside because Val had a friend behind the bar that gave us the first round "on the house." We ended up getting an order of nachos, two beers, and a shot for $20, which included a 35% tip.
We didn't stay long, because it became apparent very quickly that we could easily have been the subject of a "what's with the old people?" comment from just about anyone else in there.
After hearing the band play a Beatles cover, a Santana cover, and (what they referred to as) a Metallica cover, that being Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" (and yes, I know Metallica popularized that song, but these guys called it a Metallica cover. It's not. It's a Bob Seger cover. If you're a bar band and you play "I Shot The Sheriff," you would not be doing an Eric Clapton cover. 'Nuff said.), Valerie made the observation that her and I were the only ones in the whole place that were older than the music. Although, we were suspicious of one of the guitar players which may have been the others band members' dad. ;-)
So anyway, it was a fun night, and I would recommend that you go catch Jim Norton if you can, and buy his book.
Mark - Smober for 3 Years, 6 Months, 24 Days, 20 Hours and 46 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 181 Days and 5 Hours, by not smoking 52195 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $14,202.78.
Due to several factors (finances, age, motivation, among others), I don't really get out too much when it's not the concert season (that being the summer generally), so it's nice when I do get out and it turns out to be a lot of fun.
Val and I had tickets to go see Jim Norton at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick.
Our tickets were for the early show; one of 5 shows of the weekend (at least 4 of them sold out).
We got there at about 5:50 PM to wait for the 6:00 PM opening of the doors. There were maybe 30 people or so ahead of us. Not a problem, because we easily got our new favorite table which is such a location so as to accommodate my "generous" build.
Since there's still almost 2 hours until show time, we ordered some food. It should be noted that the Stress Factory is a comedy club, not a restaurant, so the food is...well...edible. We played it safe and ordered the Improv Sampler, which consisted of 2 mozzarella sticks, 2 chicken fingers, 2 jalapeño poppers, and a handful of curly fries. Val doesn't care much for the poppers, so in return I let her have the one really good curly fry (you know, the one that looks like a potato slinky).
After the sampler and one or two Yeunglings, we decided to each order the one thing that is genuinely tasty at the Stress Factory, and that is the hot pretzel. At $3.75 each, they ought to be good. :-)
After the obligatory "funniest home videos" on the screens, followed by 5 minutes of panning and scanning the room with the in house camera and zooming in on random patrons complimented by text "remarks" on the screen (for example, when we went to see Bill Burr a few months back, the camera zoomed in on me and the text came up saying, "Needs Viagra"), the show started promptly at 8:00PM.
As always, club-owner Vinnie Brand started things off as MC. After his opening monologue, on came the opener, a very funny gentleman named Melvin George. We had never heard of him before, but he was very funny and entertaining. If I had to guess, I'd say the only thing keeping him from being more of a rising star is that he wasn't topical. His act was obviously entirely rehearsed, and he pretty much didn't say anything about the election (or anything really related to current events). Sure, it was only 4 days ago, but that's the point. A truly good comic would have come up with something pretty quickly.
Again, he was very funny and everyone obviously liked him. I'm only speculating as to why I haven't really heard of this guy.
He did about 40 minutes, and Jim Norton came on shortly before 9:00PM. Jimmy, as always, killed with his unique brand of politically incorrect humor. For any of you who may not have heard Jimmy's act (be it on stage, screen, or the airwaves with Opie & Anthony), just imagine the bastard child of Richard Pryor and George Carlin.
Jimmy did about a 90 minute set. After the show, Jimmy was selling and signing his new book, "I Hate Your Guts". I didn't stick around because I already have and read the book, and I didn't feel like waiting in line. How about that...I even lack motivation as a fan-boy. ;-)
Val and I then went to Marita's Cantina (two blocks away) for a nightcap of nachos and beer.
There was a live local band playing tonight, so there was a $5 cover charge to get in. We made that up when we got inside because Val had a friend behind the bar that gave us the first round "on the house." We ended up getting an order of nachos, two beers, and a shot for $20, which included a 35% tip.
We didn't stay long, because it became apparent very quickly that we could easily have been the subject of a "what's with the old people?" comment from just about anyone else in there.
After hearing the band play a Beatles cover, a Santana cover, and (what they referred to as) a Metallica cover, that being Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" (and yes, I know Metallica popularized that song, but these guys called it a Metallica cover. It's not. It's a Bob Seger cover. If you're a bar band and you play "I Shot The Sheriff," you would not be doing an Eric Clapton cover. 'Nuff said.), Valerie made the observation that her and I were the only ones in the whole place that were older than the music. Although, we were suspicious of one of the guitar players which may have been the others band members' dad. ;-)
So anyway, it was a fun night, and I would recommend that you go catch Jim Norton if you can, and buy his book.
Mark - Smober for 3 Years, 6 Months, 24 Days, 20 Hours and 46 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 181 Days and 5 Hours, by not smoking 52195 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $14,202.78.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Not a spam blog!
This content-less blog post is for no other reason than to say that this is the first post in I don't know how long that I didn't have to input a "captcha" to post it because it was flagged as a "spam blog".
It's been at least a year or two.
Now watch me jinx myself with this post. :-/
It's been at least a year or two.
Now watch me jinx myself with this post. :-/
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