Vinyl LP’s making a comeback
From LA Times article and my personal experience. A few days ago, I was at Noels‘ house. While talking, he fired up his premo-maxo LP rig. Zoey Deschanel was the platter of choice. It was impressive, but more so, I was caught up by the ‘air’ of the vinyl. Having grown up listening to LP’s, I realized it had been more than 25 years since I had owned a record player of any flavor. After a house fire, all my LP’s were destroyed. I wisely replaced them with cassettes (duh!) and then moved to CD. Vinyl never really occurred to me, as I was never really an audiophile. After the Zoey D LP was done ( both SIDES!) Noel broke out Steely Dan Gaucho. The hair on my arms stood up. It just sounded SO gooooooooood….It was alive, breathing in my ear like a certain red headed cutie I know. I was turned on. Compared to the crunchy snap of digital everything, this was a soft fuzzy blanket of audio goodness. A friend has offered me a turn table. I need to get my ass over and pick it up.
Another reminder of why Microsoft is the suck.
The Surface is Microsoft’s Giganto, touch screen table/computer. Check the link out to read the user experience, and why people are turning away from Microsoft based things and moving towards happier Apple and Ubuntu (ok, maybe THAT one is a stretch) experiences..
The Tragically Hip
Again, I find a band that is huge and I guess I just did not get, but the last week or so I have been listening to this and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. They remind me very much of R.E.M. before the SUCK started. It never ceases to amaze me how 3 or 4 chords, a few of the same instruments and a person with an OK voice can just sound amazing in the correct grouping.
You must watch this
if you were ever confused by the Easter/Bunny connection. This explains it all. Brilliantly. And, there is no spoon.
This jacket will defend you from
people thinking you have any style…Really…was this a European Road Sign at some point?
Stewart vs. Cramer
I know everyone on the planet (or at least 2 of you) have been anxious for my take on this. Here it is in brief..
Jon Stewart is really bright, but so is Cramer…they are both serving their markets. What the Daily Show does is serve an underserved market for truth in media, but it does it with comedy, which should illustrate how starved we are for some measure of truth…. I cannot think of another show that has the market penetration it does that is not afraid to both praise and roast those that need praise and roasting. For every Jon Stewart, there are 10 Sean Hannity’s, and that is a problem. And I am not talking conservative vs. liberal, I am talking intelligent vs. stupid. The conservative side needs people that are less abrasive and more thoughtful, but just as aggressive to report on the real news. Overall, the media is a mess, and people tune into to the Daily Show because while it is gonna be riffing on things, the seeds of the stories ring true.
All said, I think Cramer coming on in the first place was a good thing for him to do, and to talk and sit it out was a good thing to do, but I doubt he will change his practices. I do think that we witnessed a historical interview. I don’t think Cramer is a bad guy, but rather just another squirrel fighting for a nut and selling it any way he can.
Philip Jose’ Farmer dies
Philip Jose Farmer
Certainly not that well known, especially now, but one of my all time favorite sci-fi writers. Of all the sci-fi fantasy I read (which is quite a bit) I found his to be some of the most creative, original, and engrossing. He was probably best known for the Riverworld and World of Tiers series, but my favorite is the out of print Dark is the Sun. He had a good life, wrote many books that are deserved of much more attention. He will be missed by many sci-fi fans and of course his family. His official page is here.
McCain…sit down, shut up, go away….
Umm….DUH. He would know about losing though, I guess..:) I am just tired of hearing him blather.
Thoughts on firearms
Quoted from Tom’s blog quote;
Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence … From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable . . . The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that is good –George Washington
Happy Birthday Jack
My youngest son is 10 years old today. My sons’ birthdays to me are the high points of my years. They make me reflective, appreciative and generally happy. Jack is my child of light.
