7.29.2009

nanoPad

So I've had my nanoPad for a few weeks now, and low & behold, it's broken... argh... I got it @ Guitar Center which without a car is a MAJOR effort to get there (at least 2 hour-long bus rides involved.) But before it broke I loved it immensely, I mean it's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys but now 2 pads don't work @ all & 1 pad is majorly wonky. I reset it to factory defaults a couple times but it's completely borked.

I wonder why Guitar Center is still around? I mean, I got my beautiful black Ibanez acoustic there & within 2 month it was buzzing in awkward ways, whilst all the gear I've gotten from the wonderful Pianos 'n' Stuff has been properly set-up & worked perfectly for years... Maybe I'm jinxed or something...

c'est la vie.

7.17.2009

Geek Gear-Day 2k9

Yea-haw... yesterday was geek-day 2k9, and this time I had a bit more dough and a bit more luck... My shopping list was simple:
  1. Drum Sticks
  2. Bow & Rosin
But I had a good time, and a bit of good luck... Found some decent deals (spent a little over $100 on alot of quality goods)

Drum sticks & Bow are going to be put to use for sound-design, I just need to wrap the sticks other ends to make them mallets (yarn & bouncy balls)... Need to figure out the methodology behind bowing, rosin & friction, expecially since I have absolutely no intent on using it on string-instruments.

Also I aquired a rig that hooks up 3 mics on one stand, which is going to let me use my DanElectro Free Speech Talk-box along with my mic, and the opportunity to connect my telephone-mic too!

But the pièce de résistance is the Korg nanoPad, It's so easy to set-up and use, although if I get other nano-series controllers I'll have to invest in a powered USB-hub, because my computers mobo doesn't play nice with my front-facing USB ports. Korg has included some other goodies, drum programs, a discount for Ableton Live, and a USB A to USB mini-A cable. This thing is beautifully responsive to velocity, feels as nice as an MPC, it's wafer-thin and the roll & flam are controlled by the X-Y pad in some pretty fun ways allowing for amazing controllerism effects with no software setup. The software for the controller allows an insane amount of tweaking what everything does in all 4 scenes, and you can even drag & drop the order of the scenes, very sexy for $60.

I recently downloaded CamStudio so I'll post some production tutorials fairly soon (I promise.) next big purchase will be a camera, so I can show some non-computer-related sound-fun too!

7.10.2009

100 things every geek should be able to do

I copied this list over from GeekDad, on Alltop, via @donttrythis... the shortened link is: http://om.ly/?peL

@donttrythis says he's nailed down 72 of the items on this list, I think I'll scratch off the ones I can do just to see if I'm anywhere close to being as awesome as him.

Properly secure a wireless router.
Crack the WEP key on a wireless router.
Leech Wifi from your neighbor.
Screw with Wifi leeches.
Setup and use a VPN.
Work from home or a coffee shop as effectively as you do at the office.
Wire your own home with Ethernet cable.
Turn a web camera into security camera.
Use your 3G phone as a Wi-Fi access point.
Understand what “There’s no Place Like 127.0.0.1″ means.
Identify key-loggers.
Properly connect a TV, Tivo, XBox, Wii, and Apple TV so they all work together with the one remote.
Program a universal remote.
Swap out the battery on your iPod/iPhone.
Benchmark Your Computer
Identify all computer components on sight.
Know which parts to order from NewEgg.com, and how to assemble them into a working PC.
Troubleshoot any computer/gadget problem, over the phone.
Use any piece of technology intuitively, without instruction or prior knowledge.
How to irrecoverably protect data.
Recover data from a dead hard drive.
Share a printer between a Mac and a PC on a network.
Install a Linux distribution. (Hint: Ubuntu 9.04 is easier than installing Windows)
Remove a virus from a computer.
Dual (or more) boot a computer.
Boot a computer off a thumb drive.
Boot a computer off a network drive.
Replace or repair a laptop keyboard.
Run more than two monitors on a single computer.
Successfully disassemble and reassemble a laptop.
Know at least 10 software easter eggs off the top of your head.
Bypass a computer password on all major operating systems
Carrying a computer cleaning arsenal on your USB drive.
Bypass content filters on public computers.
Protect your privacy when using a public computer.
Surf the web anonymously from home.
Buy a domain, configure bind, apache, MySQL, php, and Wordpress without Googling a how-to.
Basic *nix command shell knowledge with the ability to edit and save a file with vi.
Create a web site using vi.
Transcode a DVD to play on a portable device.
Hide a File Behind a JPEG.
Share a single keyboard and mouse between multiple computers without a KVM switch.
Google obscure facts in under 3 searches. Bonus point if you can use I Feel Lucky.
Build amazing structures with LEGO and invent a compelling back story for the creation.
Understand that it is LEGO, not Lego, Legos, or Lego’s.
Build a two story house out of LEGO, in monochrome, with a balcony.
Construct a costume for you or your kid out of scraps, duct tape, paper mâché, and imagination.
Be able to pick a lock.
Determine the combination of a Master combination padlock in under 10 minutes.
Assemble IKEA furniture without looking at the instructions. Bonus point if you don’t have to backtrack.
Use a digital SLR in full manual mode.
Do cool things to Altoids tins.
Be able to construct paper craft versions of space ships.
Origami! Bonus point for duct tape origami. (Ductigami)
Fix anything with duct tape, chewing gum and wire.
Knowing how to avoid being eaten by a grue.
Know what a grue is.
Understand wherre XYZZY came from, and have used it.
Play any SNES game on your computer through an emulator.
Burn the rope.
Know the Konami code, and where to use it.
Whistle, hum, or play on an iPhone, the Cantina song.
Learning to play the theme songs to the kids favorite TV shows.
Solve a Rubik’s Cube.
Calculate THAC0.
Know the difference between skills and traits.
Explain special relativity in terms an eight-year-old can grasp.
Recite pi to 10 places or more.
Be able to calculate tip and split the check, all in your head.
Explain that the colours in a rainbow are roygbiv.
Understand the electromagnetic spectrum - xray, uv, visible, infrared, microwave, radio.
Know the difference between radiation and radioactive contamination.
Understand basic electronics components like resistors, capacitors, inductors and transistors.
Solder a circuit while bottle feeding an infant. (lead free solder please.)
The meaning of technical acronyms.
The coffee dash, blindfolded (or blurry eyed). Coffee [cream] [sugar]. In under a minute.
Build a fighting robot.
Program a fighting robot.
Build a failsafe into a fighting robot so it doesn’t kill you.
Be able to trace the Fellowship’s journey on a map of Middle Earth.
Know all the names of the Dwarves in The Hobbit.
Understand the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel.
Know where your towel is and why it is important.
Knowing the answer to life, the universe and everything.
Re-enact the parrot sketch.
Know the words to The Lumberjack Song.
Reciting key scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Be able to recite at least one Geek Movie word for word.
Know what the 8th Chevron does on a Stargate and how much power is required to get a lock.
Be able to explain why it’s important that Han shot first.
Know why it is just wrong for Luke and Leia to kiss.
Stop talking Star Wars long enough to get laid.
The ability to name actors, characters and plotlines from the majority of sci-fi movies produced since 1968.
Cite Mythbusters when debunking a myth or urban legend.
Sleep with a Cricket bat next to your bed.
Have a documented plan on what to do during a zombie or robot uprising.
Identify evil alternate universe versions of friends, family, co-workers or self.
Be able to convince TSA that the electronic parts you are carrying are really not a threat to passengers.
Talk about things that aren’t tech related.
Get something on the front page of Digg.

7.08.2009

A tale of woe...


This county band Sons of Maxwell took a jaunty trip on United Airlines and to their dismay saw the baggage carriers mishandling their equiptment. When they got off home-boy's guitar had a case of snapped neck syndrome, so he complained to the airline & they basically told him off. He decided that the issue shouldn't be a total waste & wrote this song "United Breaks Guitars."
So I pass this on to you, in the hopes that this gets enough views to guilt United into doing the right thing.