nostatic at all...

Well, wrapped up a couple of days of intense thinking, typing and talking. Then it was into the rental car and back to SJC airport for the flight to LA. Just have to drop off the car...oh, why is the guy eyeing the right front? Now he's writing something down. Now he's saying I have to go to the counter...that there's damage to the car. A small black scrape and the fender/bumper joint is a bit askew. I think I remember seeing the black scrape on the bumper...I didn't really note it as it wasn't very big and its a crappy rental car with 20K+ miles on it. So to the counter I go, and I get a "claim number". I go back out and take a bunch of pics (always carry your camera). I didn't get the waiver insurance...I hope my CC covers it...I think it does.

It's never easy. Never using Alamo again (the guy was a jerk). You shouldn't either. And I'm going to note the smallest detail on the little pictogram the next time I rent.

Posted at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the most offensive commercials I've seen in a long time. Even if you don't ride a motorcycle or are an EMT, you should be aghast at this spot. Let Olympus know:

Olympus Corporate Imaging
attn Director of Advertising
3500 corpoprate parkway
PO Box 610
Center Valley PA, 18034-0610

bad spot
skip the intro, click on main menu at the lower left, commercials, then emergency.

Posted at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sure...let's just remove any sense of stability from my existence. Why not? I mean, I can handle it. Without meds even. I'm losing count of things though...where's my abacus?

Posted at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apologies to the ring tone business, but please, for the love of gawd and country, could you PLEASE put your phone on vibrate when you're in a public place? Especially in a lecture, meeting, etc. I frankly don't care that your phone plays the 1812 Overture (with cannon) or the latest Brittney tune. Ok, well maybe the cannons would be cool, but otherwise nobody wants to hear it!

On a related rant, if you phone does ring (you feel the vibration) and you're in, say Peet's Coffee, please answer it and quickly TAKE IT OUTSIDE! I don't want to listen to your conversation, and neither does anybody else. Everyone has a cell phone these days...you don't look cool or important talking on your phone in Peets. You just are annoying people around you.

Whew...I feel better now.

Posted at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, today it was to LAX to catch a flight to Salt Lake City, then hop in the rental car for a short drive to Park City, Utah. No, I'm not signing a major deal at Sundance, and no, my latest sountrack is not up for anything. Instead I'm in for business meetings that I can't talk much about due to a pesky NDA that I signed. But the short story is that we're meeting up here in part because a lot of the players are in town for Sundance, and it involves the state of Utah.

Pics will follow. Also I'm scheduled to go to "ChefDance" tonight which is supposed to be some incredibly cool dinner party where they fly in the best chefs from around the country. Pics from that too assuming I make it.

Posted at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not sure if I like this...

Posted at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, what do you know? My podcast feed is now at the iTunes Music Store. If you have iTunes, click on the music store and search for nostatic. And there ya go. I submitted another one for Simpleflower as a back way into getting the album there (for free download). We'll see if that works...but for now, I need to work on more podcasts. Yikes!

Posted at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Finished packing my office today. Well...sorta finished. There is still a bookcase full of books and tapes. And the passthrough is still filled with soundproofing and some equipment. But the desk and credenza are cleaned out, and there are about 20 boxes waiting to be moved upstairs. I hauled my computer up to temporary digs on the 3rd floor (the office that used to house my editor/director/producer), as I need to help sort through the archive and figure out how the new boss wants to dissmantle our production capabilities. But close enough for me to head off to Hawaii for a conference next week, and finish off when I'm back. Change is good...

Posted at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Along with the renewed output in the blog comes a redesign of the site (I like it), and a revamp of the categories. I was inspired by a friend's blog, but decided that I needed to go a direction that fit my tilted mind. So here is your program. Can't tell the posts without a program...

Continue reading "your guide to categories" »

Posted at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, so I've struggled with this since reverting back to apartment life a little over a year ago. Before that I had a washer and dryer in house for many years, and its been a long time since I was in a complex with on-site laundry. My current place is 6 units, and there is one washer and dryer in a room next to the garages. What invariably happens is that someone starts laundry then leaves their stuff in there. Sometimes they will have a load in the washer and have money in the dryer. In that case, I'm supposed to take their clothes out of the washer, put them in the dryer, and start it? Umm...I think not. I take their stuff out of the washer and put it on top of the dryer. I don't know what temp they want for the dryer, etc. And anyway, if you're doing laundry, PAY ATTENTION! There are people who start stuff and then leave for the day, leaving their clothes either in the washer or dryer. Isn't that rude? Or is it just me?

Posted at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As I pack my office, some things come home. They likely will make it into a new office (if I ever have an office again), but for now my "art" comes to the walls of my apartment. I love it, but I got a few odd looks over the years. And this definitely doesn't fit into the new "edgy" decorating scheme at the center. Thanks god.

Posted at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

https://www.donotcall.gov/

Be sure to add your cell phone numbers too...

Posted at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Should really be this difficult to get a cell phone? All I want is for it to replace a whole bunch of devices. I want to keep track of my calendar, contacts, and tasks. I need to check my e-mail when I''m on the road. And a camera might be sassy. Oh yeah, and I won a small form factor with a clamshell. Sad to say, the new Microsoft OS smart phones look like they might be a decent choice. I might try the Samsung 600 unit and see how it goes. Then there is the whole question of which carrier to go with, although right now, I''ve been getting decent service with verizon. The search continues...

Posted at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My left thumb doesn''t work, I''m left-handed, I can''t play my bass, I can barely write or type (or mouse). 20+ calls to my doctor today...either a busy signal, or a voice mail system that goes in circles. Never did get through. Thank gawd I pay hundreds of dollars a month for health car insurance...

Posted at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

so jsepeta says: "oh, please spare us the bs. ClearChannel decides what they want to market, and the labels all have to kiss ClearChannel''s buns. while using modern tools like loop manipulators might put one into the ''britney pop throwaway music'' category, it won''t necessarily bestow her girlish figure on you. so garageband should be seen as a fun toy/tool, but not necessarily something that will make you a "star". the age of the album is dead; long live the single.

and I sez: "Not sure what part of my post was BS. I''m in total agreement about the evil that is CC, but the relationship isn''t quite as one-way/black-white as you paint it. Maybe for indies, but not for the big 5.

Continue reading "more on content creation" »

Posted at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, another day, another bit of controversey on the OSX Audio board. I continued on my rant against those who I view as "artistes". One person made a distinction between using canned loops and making your own...with the undercurrent being that canned loops weren''t "music" but if you made your own it was somehow inherently superior. My reply:', 'sorry, but I call more "artiste" nonsense by making a distinction between canned loops and "real" homemade loops. If the final product sounds good and moves people, it is immaterial what and how loops were made. Creating a loop from a sample clearly takes more expertise, but imho it does nothing to guarantee the "musicianistic" quality of what comes out the backend.

hey, a new word.

Continue reading "more loopy loopy" »

Posted at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it is a first. I''ve been banned from a BBS. It was from this site: http://www.vidiars.com/x-static/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44 and I posted a response. It seems that the paranoid, delusional ravings of Mr. Helm not only are manifested in his prose, but in his administrative duties. He edited my post (which he labeled as "ad hominem"), then upon my reply, erased that reply and banned me from the site. Well, good riddance. For background, you can read this site:http://www.osxaudio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5614&start=0

Posted at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I seem to recall many years ago, Apple making a digital camera. It was cool. But then the "pixel race" was born. Now if you don''t have at least 4 Megapixels, you''re passe. Gawd knows I *need* 2272x1704 pictures...yup, gotta have it. Supersize my photos. Bigger must be better. Well, except for the camera itself...make that smaller. Ergonomics be damned...make it tiny. We like big and tiny.

Continue reading "the price of keeping up" »

Posted at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)