Mac Community?

Now that I have a mac on the way, I'm inclined to start behaving appropriately so that I can fit in once I get my system.  I'm going to have to grow my hair longer, slouch more and start acting superior (the latter won't be such a transition). :)  Don't sniff, you've seen the commercials as well unless you've lived in a cave for the last few years. I find the idea of a mac community somewhat laughable as it is just a computer, but considering the overwhelming popularity of even more trivial activities like some of the social networking sites, I guess it's not as irrelevant as it seems.

I see the value in most web based activities, but I don't understand the relative importance anything like this plays in someone's life. If you use a certain piece of equipment or have a hobby you want to share with others the web is really the best place to network with others. But, too often people need to separate themselves from others as a means to establish their individuality and a common result is a mac user flaming a pc user or vice versa. I think both sides can argue for their advantages, but it's really irrelevant in the grand scheme.

I think demographically the Mac community is usually a little more wealthy, educated and artistic. I'm not making that up, I've read it in several places and here is an example of one study. That sounds like I just called the pc users poor, ignorant, and boring to boot. I don't relate education directly to mac use, but I think it's established that with wealth goes education and the likelihood of artistic pursuits (not counting the starving artists out there, I think those with more money usually have more opportunities).  So, because Macs cost more on average, I think the other statistics follow, and that's making no value judgment on the mac vrs a winpc. 

If pc users are less educated, etc., then so am I because I have been a winpc user for the last 15 years with an Amiga 500 as my last non-mainstream computer system.  It's difficult to say if a large portion of the loyal mac users are just sticking with what they know as opposed to actually analyzing the pros and cons of a mac vrs pc.  I think that most mac users are more familiar with pcs vrs the other way around.  In the case of musicians, it's very true that they are usually less willing to change once they have a working system hence the overwhelming predominance of macs and the related hardware/software within the professional recording world. It's probably the same reason that Fender and Gibson guitars still have such large market shares, when there are dozens if not hundreds of great guitar companies.

Popcorn season commences

There are some decentish movies coming out this summer, the overwhelming majority of which are franchises. Hollywood knows how to ride a horse until it drops. That being said, I am looking forward to the following corntastic flicks: Bourne Ultimatum, Evan Almighty, Oceans 13, Spider Man 3, Pirates 3, Harry Potter 5, Shrek 3, Fantastic Four 2. We typically watch dramas, comedies (and the less spectacular) on our big screen at home as you don't necessarily lose much compared to the multiplex. 

Those listed deserve at least one theater viewing.  We watch most movies at home and typically enjoy the experience more without the added multiplex frustrations (noisy kids, tiny seats, rigoldarndiculous food prices, etc.), but there still is something special about a screen so big you can't take it all in without panning your eyes left and right. I'm a big fan of IMAX, and I would probably go see more regular films in that format but they never offer them in the markets where I live (thanks Army, no really, thanks).

There’s no going back

Well, actually there probably is, but it sounded dramatic anyways. I have somehow talked my better half into allowing me to purchase an Apple Mac Pro Desktop system which is due for assembly and shipping in the next week or so.  In the last two years my typical computer based activity has been predominately music and to a lesser extent, video centered.  That combined with the fairly recent change of all Apple processors to Intel (allowing windows to be run natively) has made the decision to change platforms more appealing and decidedly less risky. 

My main reason for change is the (by all reports) much more stable and intuitive operating system, and the same user friendliness of the major software programs.  I am looking at a couple of the mid level audio/video programs to start with since my needs are still fairly simple and because the full featured programs start to get prohibitive from a cost standpoint (especially if you're just a hobbyist like myself). One other positive aspect of the change is that my comprehensive software sequencer package from Native Instruments (Komplete4, Kore, Guitar Rig 2) will run on Mac as well as Windows, so I will be able to transfer all that software over, and most likely it will run as good if not better on the Mac. 

The majority of programs I use regularly for practicing, composing and recording will all run on Mac. The only major exceptions are my DAW (Sonar) and Video Editing (Premiere Pro) programs. Considering that I have been relatively unhappy with the performance of both, I don't think I will miss them even if I start off with less featured programs.  I hear good reviews of even the most basic programs (Ilife with it's packaged software that's targeted at consumers) so I'm optimistic that the starter versions of the standalone audio/video editors will suit my needs well.

Career possibilities

My most recent foray into the wilderness provided ample time to ponder the next few years ahead, especially in the realm of career moves.  Currently I am scheduled to move to Fort Bragg, NC later this year (time tba) and should be going on an OEF (Afghanistan) tour next year for approximately 15 months based on current info.  After my return I should have about 14 months left on my current contract and at that point I will probably have a better idea of what the next few years after will hold (US political landscape specifically). 

Ae Young and I have discussed our options and preferences and at this point I am leaning towards signing another 4 year contract if I can negotiate a career move that's acceptable to us.  We have decided that geographically we would most like to go to Germany.  We haven't been stationed there, and we both would like to travel to points of interest around Europe, the Mediterranean and the former Soviet Union. 

Currently I owe the Army 3 1/2 years, which would put me at 23 years time in service. If I sign another bonus contract, then I would be obligated until 27 years.  Another option is pursuing a PhD in either Public Health or Education, depending upon the needs of the Army. That option would probably extend my career until 32-33 years active duty by the time school and contract were completed. That's another one of those choices that are too early to predict. Right now I think that retention is pretty good, at least in the PA ranks. With the recent bonus option, I think they have managed to stabilize the numbers, but the long term is still tough to predict.  The majority of people who took the bonus will be due to exit at the same time, mostly in October 2010.  That will also likely place a premium on assignment choices as everyone will probably be using the threat of retirement to negotiate for better assignments.  If everyone asks for the more desirable postings, there won't be enough to go around.

I have my concerns that the Army in general is setting itself up for a big fall in retention numbers when the majority of the active force has been on multiple combat tours.  I think retention was initially steady since soldiers were allowed to get tax free bonuses if they reenlisted while deployed. The problem is that most of these reenlisting soldiers were on their first OIF tours and now they are paying the price of multiple OIF/OEF tours, mostly measured in terms of losses. I have a feeling that the initial jubilation of getting a large, tax free bonus will be greatly tempered by the realization of the eventual cost in life and time away from home, family and pursuing life goals.

June is shaping up to be Jam-tastic…

with the afore-mentioned Police show in Dallas, and now with the added bonus of Norah Jones and ERIC JOHNSON (CAPS INTENDED) both playing in Little Rock. Yee-Fricking-Ha is all I can say. We have 6th row center for Norah and Eric is playing at Juanita's like last year (general admission, woo hoo), so I should be close enough to help him with tone control adjustments and brow wiping.

Juanita's is a small club about equivalent in size to an Applebee's (yeah, I've quite the discerning palate, get off me) with the stage taking up the corner.  Last August we saw him there and I was about 5 feet away from him for the whole show.  The downside is that I was also in a direct line of sight to his dual Fender Twin Reverbs and not far off the downrange hazard area of his Marshall double stack, all of which he had cranked loud enough for an arena sized show.  I had a hard time communicating with my wife on the drive home, my ears were so fried. I even felt kind of sick and hung over the next day and listening to electric guitar and similar frequency sounds was painful for a few days after. This time I'll be taking an assortment of earplugs and hopefully they won't kill too much of the dynamic range. Amazingly enough, my hearing hadn't deteriorated on my annual audiogram this year, but I'm not going to push my luck again.

Last year I got him to sign a guitar player magazine from 1986 that I had kept all these years (his first cover article) and I'm debating on taking my Fender EJ Strat to have him sign this year. I hesitate because Juanita's isn't necessarily in a bad part of town, but it isn't right next to the police station either. I realize that's borderline fanboy behavior, but I'm not embarassed when it comes to my guitar idols. Eric is the closest thing to an exact model of how I would like to sound (most people don't realize how great he is at fingerstyle and other genres, knowing only his electric lead sound). Not to mention that he is a great pianist as well.

Ah, collective punishment…

how I miss it. The military has decided to cut off access to multiple "social" sites, like myspace, youtube, etc. as a means of preventing unwanted information getting leaked by soldiers.  The intention is understandable, and these targeted sites are probably the most likely places that a large number of soldiers could inadvertently (or not) reveal classified or sensitive information.  The opportunity for those leaks still exists, but the likelihood is decreased now.  Still, I can't help but remember my days as a young enlisted soldier when the screw ups of a few led to punishment of the many.  I can't argue the logic that these sites aren't mission essential and can lead to decreased bandwidth for more relevant traffic. It does add more to "the suck" of deployments, though.

Sold! - Brian Moore IGuitar

The Brian Moore has been sold. Thanks to all who looked.

Off to the woods…

I'm taking a little camping trip at the behest of my buddies in the federal service. I'll be away for a short while but will return with renewed vigor for all things civilized. That will initially be focused on the running water, electricity, non-dehydrated food, you get the picture. Once the hierarchy of needs has gotten past the rudiments I'll be back at the electric lobotomizer. I'll take lots o' pics of trees, dirt, field expedient latrines, etc. so no one feels left out.

Cheerful Humidity Moment

is going to be my band's name, I've decided. Once I get one, that is. Or maybe "Ninth Vegetable Quartet".  Of course, I am particular to "Timely Gargoyle Mutiny" as well. Decision, decisions. Need some help with creative inspiration? Check out the Band Name Generator for some rather amusing word combinations that seem to work pretty well as band names.











I’m Anakin Skywalker

…at least according to the Star Wars Personality test. When they asked what I lusted after most I chose power over money and love. They didn't count for the fact that I have love already and don't need more. But I do want to control the universe, so there's that. I don't think I'm quite as bratty as he was though. (Anakin: "Obi-Wan never lets me do anything!!" Mope, sob, whine. Throws miscellaneous spacey thing)

Update - 10 March 2008. Now I'm Boba Fett according to the test. I think this reflects my current work environment, as it indicates I would prefer to go alone and I'm willing to commit criminal acts to further my goals…

This is pretty cool…

these are pictures of actual cakes, but you'll have a hard time believing your eyes.



Rush is Back

The new album is out (well, technically it's out on May 1st) and I have been listening to it over and over and over again.  So far this album is exactly where I hoped the band would go in all aspects. The songs are all medium length, medium tempo, but that doesn't indicate the variety of sounds and textures. The acoustic guitar is very prominent, possibly due to the satisfaction they had from playing the acoustic sets during the last few tours. The influence of "Feedback" seems to have bled into this album somewhat as they have looked back towards their influences in the instrumentation and production. 

One great change from their last album "Vapor Trails" is the production. This album, in a word, is sonically HUGE.  The mixes are pristine and the separation of the instruments is perfect. I find myself torn between just rocking out to the songs as opposed to listening to the mix. Having experimented with recording, I know enough to realize that just taking different instruments and maybe adjusting volume and pan won't get you anything near a good mix. There's an art to taking a certain instrument tone and laying it into the mix so that is distinct, yet doesn't overpower the other instruments and vocalist. The producer,  Nick Raskulinecz, who has also produced Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver and other great bands just did a fantastic job on this album. He has a short interview, where he discusses the new album.

We have to wait to get concert tickets since I'm not sure where we will be this summer. Suffice to say, we will go, oh yes, we will.



New Gear, New Frustrations

We just upgraded our camcorder to the Canon HV20 and so far it has been living up to the mostly positive reviews it received. It has better low light performance than our previous Sony camcorder (an older model from 2001) and the high def footage has looked very good. My biggest problem with it so far isn't the camera itself, but trying to upload and manipulate the footage on my computer.

I have a fairly recent vintage (early 2006) Gateway XP machine with a 3.0 gHz processor, 2 gigs of RAM, and a Nvidia 7600 GS Video Card with 512mb RAM which is decent. However, the uploading and then processing within video software is very slow at best. I have jumped back and forth between Adobe premiere and the plain vanilla Windows Movie Maker, and for the most part I have had better luck with the novice friendly Movie Maker. I make sure not to run any other programs, but even then the process of encoding and then exporting the video and audio is very slow. I don't have a good baseline to compare it to and since the source material is HDV, it may not be unreasonably slow.

I am holding off on my next computer because I have decided to changeover to Apple now that they can run Windows pretty well with the Intel processors and boot camp.  I know they are due to release Leopard later this year and it seems like they will also be offering new hardware (quad core and higher laptops) as well. I am hopeful to finally have a system that will be fast (and stable) for music and a/v production, which (in my experience) the Windows machines haven't been.

Line 6 Variax 700 Acoustic Review

I have had this guitar for a few months now and it's become my main guitar acoustic guitar for practice and recording. All the current samples (as of April 07) on my songs page were recorded with the Variax acoustic. I was so impressed with this guitar that I splurged on a Variax Electric 700, despite having another great electric guitar in the Fender EJ Strat. The ability to change tunings by rotating a knob is about the coolest and most useful (esp. for fingerstyle players) tech advance I can think of. Sure, you could have 5 different acoustic guitars sitting around in different tunings, but cost and care start to get overwhelming. This guitar also models many different brand guitars including classic Gibsons, Martins of different size/shape as well as steels, and even a banjo and a shamisen.  I have found that it's a little difficult to really hear the difference between some of the models, although the primary reference point for me is headphones and they may color the sound a bit when compared to a good pa system or through a better preamp than I have. The ability to play the various songs I love on acoustic that require different tunings (DADGAD, Nashville, that weird open C-ish tuning for the Rain Song by Zep, etc.) is such a convenience for me. This guitar is actually a solidbody but it appears acoustic and is very  convincing when amplified, but don't take my word for it, listen to one of the songs I uploaded. That's one of the few drawbacks. Since it uses electronics to change the guitar sound and the tuning, you can't play them unamplified. In fact, you need to make sure they are amplified loud enough that you don't hear the strings or it could get distracting.

Line 6 Variax 700 Electric Review

I bought this guitar after playing the acoustic model for several weeks and I haven't been disappointed. This guitar is actually even more versatile in it's own way than the acoustic model. I found on the acoustic that there were only a few models that I really liked, but I have found a greater of variety of useful tones on this guitar.

I must admit to being stuck on the 58 Les Paul Standard since that was one of the main guitar sounds I had been lacking. I absolutely love my Fender Strat, but it doesn't quite work for more modern hard rock and metal tones. You can get close with enough processing power, but if you want your tone to approximate that of Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads or pick you're favorite humbucker-centric player, then you need a guitar with humbuckers or one that is good at modeling the tone. The interesting thing is that I have a Brian Moore guitar with Dimarzio hums in it, but I have never been thrilled with the tone.  That's not the case with the Line 6.

This guitar was the missing ingredient in my arsenal. The ironic thing is that the Strat sound is pretty good as well and since I can switch back and forth I haven't been playing my strat that much lately.  This thing has pretty convicing models of Teles, Strats, Pauls, Rick 6/12 strings, Gretschs, ES-335, ES-175 and even includes a couple of acoustic and steel models. I really like the Danelectro model that is based on the one Jimmy Page played on Kashmir and other tunes. I think it sounds pretty good for "Ten Year's Gone" although he played a Tele on the live version (not sure what he played in the studio).  This guitar looks great and actually is very playable. It has a more Gibsonish radius (meaning flatter fretboard) in my opinion and just seemed really comfortable and familiar as soon as I picked it up. I posted my attempt at a Pat Methenyish tone (ES-175 model on neck pickup with some chorus/delay) on the "Time in a Bottle" cover. I intend to post more tunes featuring the overdriven and distorted tones this guitar is very adept at modeling. I truly am only limited by my ability at this point. With this guitar and the acoustic model I can get convincing close to any tone out there.

Back from Vegas

We're back home. My thoughts on the trip are to be in a later post. Puppy update: we have decided to name our new puppy April instead of eclipse. We both agreed that we had kind of a regular name theme going with our other dogs (Lucy & Bridget) and we thought eclipse was not only too masculine, but that it sounded more like a name for a sportscar.



Movie Review - Breach

based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent responsible for what is considered the worst security breach in US Intelligence history. The story focuses on the short interval of time after the FBI had already begun an investigation into Hanssen. A young agent in training is assigned as his assistant to what is ostensibly supposed to be a sting operation to catch him as a sexual deviant with the true purpose of the operation being unknown to the young agent at the time. Chris Cooper delivers another great performance as the egotistical and domineering senior agent who looks at the entire agency and its personnel as being mentally and technically inferior to him. Ryan Phillippe plays Eric O'Neill and successfully captures the earnest but inexperienced stumblings of an agent in training. 

He is tasked by his superiors to keep track of all Hanssen's activities, but at the same time develops a grudging respect for the experienced operative. The story revolves around the bond of trust that develops between the two men and the thin line the young man must tread to fulfill his mission while deceiving an agent who is probably one of the best in the agency at smelling a lie. The story is a fairly slow paced character driven drama, but retains its interest especially since its based on true events. I'm curious as to why they didn't cover more of the 15 years of spying and Hanssen's interaction with the Soviets, as it seems that would have been interesting to see as well. Overall a good espionage story.

Movie Review - Curse of the Golden Flower

in the same vein as the recent series of Chinese epics like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Hero" and "House of the Flying Daggers", this movie looks amazing if nothing else. It follows the story of the Emperor of China, his wife and their three sons, the crown prince being the Emperor's son from a previous wife who apparently died. The plot involves your typical sibling and family rivalries and the "interesting" relationship between the Empress and her step-son. The true fate of the crown prince's real mother and the struggle for the throne tips the plot towards a violent conclusion. This movie is more overtly violent with bloody battle scenes and seems to get a bit lost in the look as opposed to character development. I can't point out any glaring errors or weaknesses, but this movie just left me kind of weary at the end and wasn't near as enjoyable as the others mentioned. If you haven't watched these movies, you should check out Crouching Tiger or Hero just to see the cinematography and brilliant choreography of the martial arts sequences if nothing else. I don't normally watch martial arts movies, but these are more like art house films and the blocking of the various battles and stunts are some of the best I have ever seen.

Are You Special?

We have all heard that phrase from a parent or other guiding figure in our childhood, that we are special.  As a kid, I think most of us take this to heart and really believe that we are somehow different than everyone else and are approaching a singular destiny of some sort.  As we get older we start to realize that we weren't the only ones hearing this phrase from our parents and the conspiracy is revealed. Not that it's a malevolent conspiracy or there isn't a positive benefit from these encouragements.

Having been to many different countries, most of which are economically far poorer than the US and other wealthy western nations, I have seen that being special all depends on your frame of reference.  As a child my daily concerns were getting through school so I could come home and play, read a book, or watch tv. In some countries "hide and seek" is not a game, but a means of staying alive for one more day. If the situation is calm enough, they are given the privilege of scrapping and scraping for fresh water and a small morsel of food to get them through to the next day so they can do it again. For these children, special means you made it into adulthood with your physical body intact and your spirit still alive enough to carry on.

Anyone reading this is far more wealthy than most of the world. Having a computer and internet access is something fewer than 1% of the world's population enjoys. That is based on stats I pulled off the web, so it may be a percentage point or two wrong, but it still shows how unique the experience of surfing the web, reading email, or reading anything for that matter is. Not to mention running water, electricity, safe neighborhoods, access to healthcare, education, etc. For most of the world, these things are dreams and not something they would ever take for granted. Most of us reading this probably do. 

Considering this, my cards are looking pretty good if I'm sitting at a table with people from places like Haiti, Chad, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Kosovo, or Iraq.  Does this make me special?  Have I taken the opportunities I could have in life and done something with them?  I like to think I have tried to make the most of my situation and put in a good effort in most things I do.  Still, have I really lived up to my potential?  Have I taken all the wealth and power afforded to me in western society and really made something of it?  It's a question I really can't answer right now. I have to wonder what the playing field would look like if everyone was on an equal footing. 

So, are you special?  

Vegas, Baby, Vegas

we don't fool ourselves into thinking we live the ethic from which that phrase originates, but it's the only chance I'll probably have for a long time to say it because I'm actually here. We arrived Monday evening and Tuesday has been mostly taken up with getting the lay of the land. If nothing else, Vegas is GINORMOUS in scale now. Having been to a few well known landmarks around the world (Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Eiffel Tower, St Peter's Basilica) I can easily say that Vegas wins in the large and sparkly category. Of course it's all mostly decorative and aesthetically engineered to draw in tourists and get their money, but I have to say it's a bit overwhelming just from a scale standpoint.