Preference Personnelle
Sunday, June 30
r. kelly fake news: quotes from r., opinions from the biz.
"I have an ex-manager that's been on my back. A lot of people know about it, but when the smoke clears, you guys will really be able to know exactly what is going on. ... People are trying to make money off my music and my name in a very, very negative way. I've been blackmailed for the last four years, and I didn't give in, and I'm still not gonna give in. ... There are a lot of people who are very jealous of me right now ... and they're trying to destroy me."
"I'm not going to sit and lie. I'm not going to I.D. people. Most of the time when I meet women, we're in clubs, and in clubs they're supposed to be 21 and over to get in ... I just like going to clubs and I like partying, so I go to the party and there's, of course, all kinds of women there and they're after you, and sometimes I'm after them too.
"These are things that I'm trying to change in my life: The women thing, the so-called friends thing. I probably spent like $2 million a year on just Chinese food and pizza for everybody 'cause I've got these 10 people in the studio that don't sing or that don't produce."
"Even though I do not believe any of the charges are warranted, I'm grateful that I will have a chance to establish the truth about me in a court of law. I have complete faith in our system of justice, and I am confident that when all the facts come out people will see that I'm no criminal."
"I do honestly believe that your fame has a lot to do with why you get with women. I walk into a club and I can come out with two or three women, and that's a problem for me. I was living the life of R. Kelly, but that's something that I'm working on. I'm trying to change that part of my life and make it better. I'm trying to take one step at a time doing that."
"Because Aaliyah is gone now and out of respect for her and her mom and her dad, I will not discuss Aaliyah."
"I said to myself, this has gotta be some kind of set-up to hurt me, because why would someone be on TV breaking my CD when they don't know the facts, when I haven't been charged and when nobody has said, "You're guilty"? Why break my CD? I've given you 13 years of me and my music."
"I believe in my fans and I know that my fans believe in me. They still play my music. My music is still selling. That lets me know that this situation didn't affect that. But I believe that people got into my personal business in the studio and got a CD maybe six months before the project came out and started bootlegging it, big time. If there were a way we could check the bootlegging, I believe it would be the biggest bootlegging situation in history."
and some other opinions (nearly all of this from the muckraking newshounds at mtv and bet):
Irv Gotti, CEO of Murder Inc Records, said as a friend of Kelly's, he hopes the singer doesn't do any serious jail time. "If it is true, I hope he gets help," Gotti told BET.com. "He ain't no criminal." According to Gotti, he's known R. Kelly for years and said, "If he's f***king with them little girls, he needs to stop f***king with them little girls."
While people like Gotti feel therapy is the best option for Kelly, Def Jam artist Redman disagreed, saying there are many people serving time for the same predicament Kelly has. "Ni**as in jail right now would say, 'Hell yeah, let me get some help,'" he said, pointing out that most people would accept a program rather than time in a cell. Additionally, Redman alluded to a financial double standard within the African American community. "There are normal ni**as from the hood who are sitting in jail right now for the same thing [R. Kelly is accused of]."
DJ Quik, the father of a 10-year-old daughter, and who has worked with Kelly, jokingly said he thought the state should, "threaten to cut his d**k off" and "put it in a guillotine." Incidentally, Quik preaches against sexual relations with underage girls on "Gina Statuatorre," from Under Tha Influence, his current album. But realistically, Quik said, if found guilty, Kelly probably needs to do time, because of his unwillingness to admit he has a problem, something that could eventually harm the crooner legally.
"I've been hearing a lot of talk on the radio [in Los Angeles] from stations that are saying they're not going to play his records ever again because they saw the video and he's a sick bastard," Dr. Dre said Wednesday. "But I don't know if it's true. I only know what I've heard. I haven't seen the video, nor do I want to see it because there's a kid involved. That's where I draw the line. You can do almost anything except touch kids or something like that. That's a no-no, you know what I'm saying? If he's guilty, he's over. I'm just waiting for the results."
Some artists, such as Fat Joe, whose single "We Thuggin' " features Kelly, are supporting the singer. "He's like this sex-driven dude, so automatically that makes him guilty because his image is caught up like that," Joe said. "As far as I'm concerned, I hope it's a rumor. I wish him the best."
Nas, a rival of Jay-Z's, referenced Kelly at a performance Wednesday in Los Angeles, noting, "We ain't touching no little kids onstage. It ain't no Best of Both Worlds."
Jay-Z has only commented vaguely on the scandal, saying last month, "We're entertainers, man. [My] new album coming out in November is [called] The Gift and the Curse. We accept the good with the bad. It is what it is"
Sisq�, whom Kelly mocks on The Best of Both Worlds, attacks the singer on his new "This Is Heart," with one of his prot�g�s in the Associates rapping, "Let me remind you of that ish you did/ The 'world's greatest'? whatever/ Ain't nothing but a child molester" (see "Sisqo Shoots Back At Nas, R. Kelly On 'This Is Heart' ").
"I have an ex-manager that's been on my back. A lot of people know about it, but when the smoke clears, you guys will really be able to know exactly what is going on. ... People are trying to make money off my music and my name in a very, very negative way. I've been blackmailed for the last four years, and I didn't give in, and I'm still not gonna give in. ... There are a lot of people who are very jealous of me right now ... and they're trying to destroy me."
"I'm not going to sit and lie. I'm not going to I.D. people. Most of the time when I meet women, we're in clubs, and in clubs they're supposed to be 21 and over to get in ... I just like going to clubs and I like partying, so I go to the party and there's, of course, all kinds of women there and they're after you, and sometimes I'm after them too.
"These are things that I'm trying to change in my life: The women thing, the so-called friends thing. I probably spent like $2 million a year on just Chinese food and pizza for everybody 'cause I've got these 10 people in the studio that don't sing or that don't produce."
"Even though I do not believe any of the charges are warranted, I'm grateful that I will have a chance to establish the truth about me in a court of law. I have complete faith in our system of justice, and I am confident that when all the facts come out people will see that I'm no criminal."
"I do honestly believe that your fame has a lot to do with why you get with women. I walk into a club and I can come out with two or three women, and that's a problem for me. I was living the life of R. Kelly, but that's something that I'm working on. I'm trying to change that part of my life and make it better. I'm trying to take one step at a time doing that."
"Because Aaliyah is gone now and out of respect for her and her mom and her dad, I will not discuss Aaliyah."
"I said to myself, this has gotta be some kind of set-up to hurt me, because why would someone be on TV breaking my CD when they don't know the facts, when I haven't been charged and when nobody has said, "You're guilty"? Why break my CD? I've given you 13 years of me and my music."
"I believe in my fans and I know that my fans believe in me. They still play my music. My music is still selling. That lets me know that this situation didn't affect that. But I believe that people got into my personal business in the studio and got a CD maybe six months before the project came out and started bootlegging it, big time. If there were a way we could check the bootlegging, I believe it would be the biggest bootlegging situation in history."
and some other opinions (nearly all of this from the muckraking newshounds at mtv and bet):
Irv Gotti, CEO of Murder Inc Records, said as a friend of Kelly's, he hopes the singer doesn't do any serious jail time. "If it is true, I hope he gets help," Gotti told BET.com. "He ain't no criminal." According to Gotti, he's known R. Kelly for years and said, "If he's f***king with them little girls, he needs to stop f***king with them little girls."
While people like Gotti feel therapy is the best option for Kelly, Def Jam artist Redman disagreed, saying there are many people serving time for the same predicament Kelly has. "Ni**as in jail right now would say, 'Hell yeah, let me get some help,'" he said, pointing out that most people would accept a program rather than time in a cell. Additionally, Redman alluded to a financial double standard within the African American community. "There are normal ni**as from the hood who are sitting in jail right now for the same thing [R. Kelly is accused of]."
DJ Quik, the father of a 10-year-old daughter, and who has worked with Kelly, jokingly said he thought the state should, "threaten to cut his d**k off" and "put it in a guillotine." Incidentally, Quik preaches against sexual relations with underage girls on "Gina Statuatorre," from Under Tha Influence, his current album. But realistically, Quik said, if found guilty, Kelly probably needs to do time, because of his unwillingness to admit he has a problem, something that could eventually harm the crooner legally.
"I've been hearing a lot of talk on the radio [in Los Angeles] from stations that are saying they're not going to play his records ever again because they saw the video and he's a sick bastard," Dr. Dre said Wednesday. "But I don't know if it's true. I only know what I've heard. I haven't seen the video, nor do I want to see it because there's a kid involved. That's where I draw the line. You can do almost anything except touch kids or something like that. That's a no-no, you know what I'm saying? If he's guilty, he's over. I'm just waiting for the results."
Some artists, such as Fat Joe, whose single "We Thuggin' " features Kelly, are supporting the singer. "He's like this sex-driven dude, so automatically that makes him guilty because his image is caught up like that," Joe said. "As far as I'm concerned, I hope it's a rumor. I wish him the best."
Nas, a rival of Jay-Z's, referenced Kelly at a performance Wednesday in Los Angeles, noting, "We ain't touching no little kids onstage. It ain't no Best of Both Worlds."
Jay-Z has only commented vaguely on the scandal, saying last month, "We're entertainers, man. [My] new album coming out in November is [called] The Gift and the Curse. We accept the good with the bad. It is what it is"
Sisq�, whom Kelly mocks on The Best of Both Worlds, attacks the singer on his new "This Is Heart," with one of his prot�g�s in the Associates rapping, "Let me remind you of that ish you did/ The 'world's greatest'? whatever/ Ain't nothing but a child molester" (see "Sisqo Shoots Back At Nas, R. Kelly On 'This Is Heart' ").
"when something fresh comes out, people are, like, 'thank god.'"--cassandra wilson, on some lame vh1 neo-soul show. who manufactures movements?
Saturday, June 29
airing on women's-networks oxygen, we and lifetime movie network: wall street, chasing amy, brokedown palace. i've put a great deal of effort into becoming a sensitive man, sitting through crap with julia roberts and barbra streisand. i've seen 'the accused' twice. and all this time, i could've been watching movies about insider traders, comic-book artists and drug smugglers? dammit. (oh, and later tonight on lifetime? goodfellas.)
Friday, June 28
on the bright side, when i turned around and went back home, i took a very backroads kinda route, and saw four deer. all together, in the middle of the road, looking at me like, 'what?'
wow. so i guess i'm not going to visit rachel after all. on my way there, i was stopped by the police not once but twice, and within a span of about five or ten minutes. first a fairlawn officer, then a state trooper let me know that my headlight and license plate light are out. they, y'know, encouraged me to drive safely, and get it fixed, and i didn't get a ticket or anything, but that's, like, unnerving enough to send me whimpering home.
Thursday, June 27
this daniel forbes? i'm pretty into him. he wrote in 2000 about how the feds used payola to get anti-drug messages on network teevee, and articles into magazines. then the white house complained. then they abandoned the prime-time payola plan.
last year, he wrote something for the institute for policy studies about how bob taft (ohio's governor) and his secret plan to defeat a treatment-not-punishment initiative. then some guy in ad age dissed him, and he responded. that's about all.
last year, he wrote something for the institute for policy studies about how bob taft (ohio's governor) and his secret plan to defeat a treatment-not-punishment initiative. then some guy in ad age dissed him, and he responded. that's about all.
Wednesday, June 26
22:28:28 rachel (aim): wow. i should have taken your word on law and order. it's mad entertaining. i really didn't think i'd like it this much. and this g-train episode? wow.
it's a ringing endorsement. i posted about that g-train episode when it aired originally. since then, i've also read ronin ro's puffy book, 'bad boy' (not to be confused with jim thompson's 'bad boy,' or walter dean myers' 'bad boy,' both very much worth reading, or a lee atwater bio called 'bad boy,' which i own but have never opened.) it's pretty good, though his 'have gun will travel' is a lot better, probably because ro has mixed feelings about death row and despises puffy.
it's a ringing endorsement. i posted about that g-train episode when it aired originally. since then, i've also read ronin ro's puffy book, 'bad boy' (not to be confused with jim thompson's 'bad boy,' or walter dean myers' 'bad boy,' both very much worth reading, or a lee atwater bio called 'bad boy,' which i own but have never opened.) it's pretty good, though his 'have gun will travel' is a lot better, probably because ro has mixed feelings about death row and despises puffy.
fbi starts visiting libraries, says this ap story. scarifying.
msnbc looks at microsoft's 'palladium' plans. also pretty scarifying, actually.
msnbc looks at microsoft's 'palladium' plans. also pretty scarifying, actually.
Tuesday, June 25
Sunday, June 23
diz-nee crooks go after a public library. ridiculous. how could 'book mouse' possibly be infringing?
ridiculous.
ridiculous.
Friday, June 21
i definitely managed to crash while on this bike ride i just returned from. dropped the front wheel into a rut, quick endo, and next thing i knew i was being run over by my bike.
cringely on roll-your-own dsl. yeah, it's definitely old news.
cringely on roll-your-own dsl. yeah, it's definitely old news.
ryan stiles names an example of 'things you'll never see on a church bulletin board': 'no collection this week.'
Wednesday, June 19
new r. kelly single: heaven i need a hug. apparently, there's only one station in chicago (r's hometown--and, not to digress, but what the hell's up with chicago hip-hop? there's common, and...) is still playing r's songs.
oh, this is the saddest drew carey episode ever.
oh, this is the saddest drew carey episode ever.
everybody wants a date.
My fashion sense can be described as cool and refined. I wear khakis and Doc Martens and black a lot--some gentleman at dateless.blogspot.com. i also wear khakis and doc martens and black a lot, but i don't think anyone would call my fashion sense 'cool and refined.' it's more like casual friday with black t-shirts instead of polo shirts.
contentwatch--hilarious stuff. they suggested that the ie setup log, which contains the word 'latex,' and a file called 'hardware.txt,' which contains the string 'xxx,' are objectionable. it also notes that the filename 'expimprt.bmp' contains the word 'pimp.' useful information. (note to my less comp-savvy pals: for christ's sake, don't run the scripts on that page from your own machine. i was at the computer lab.)
oops, i should've gotten permission before linking to the npr link-request form. ridiculous.
rural studio houses--so rad. ditto the phoenix commotion.
rural studio houses--so rad. ditto the phoenix commotion.
Tuesday, June 18
that vw commercial with the nick drake song in it? i haven't seen it for a long time, but there it was on that 70s show. figures.
i really love 'footloose,' but is there a character i particularly identify with? maybe that guy at the mill who points out to bacon that the local authority doesn't extend across the railroad tracks. that role should've been played by a librarian.
okay, so i returned to the first office today, with shiny new flashcard in hand, only to learn that, oops, they still needed a social security card. yesterday, i was given the clear impression that i simply had to return with the flashcard. otherwise, i'd've found my social security card, and brought it. i loathe this institution.
so at ksu, i recently learned i have to go fill out a 'student appointment form.' this is the third or fourth time i've done this while working in the computer lab. anyway, they won't fax it to the library, or even mail it. i have to go to this random building, and pick up a form, and, like, sign it, and take it to the library. and today, they couldn't help me, because the only id i had was a driver's license, and mine doesn't have my social security number on it. the people were helpful, though. a 'flash card' (ksu multi-purpose id/bankcard/food card/keycard/etc), they told me, is also an acceptable form of id. i didn't have one. like, at all. they encouraged me to get to the flashcard office. now, at this point it was about 4:30, and i had to be at work at 5. anyway, i went to the flashcard office. they were deserted (it's the middle of the summer, after all), and, after the relevant employtee got off the phone with some anxious mother ("well, the food plan and the flashcard money are separate accounts. if you go to a store in town, and you don't have enough money for the purchase, it won't let you do it. it won't go into your food money."), they were happy to issue me a flashcard, with nothing more than my license. okay, so, the other people would've been content to help me if i'd had a flashcard? what does getting a flashcard prove? asinine. anyway, i was running late, and i wanted to stop at the subway, so i'll take my shiny new flashcard back to the first office tomorrow. kafkan.
Monday, June 17
i'm considering redesigning my page according to the golden mean. probably won't wind up happening, though.
Sunday, June 16
ohio state fascism--what happened today. one thing that happened is that news outlets, predictably, aren't covering this story.
uwire.com (reprint from 'the lantern')
cbs news
msnbc
cnn
turnyourbackonbush.com
washington post
freerepublic.com (?)
whitehouse.gov
public relations, osu
uwire.com (reprint from 'the lantern')
cbs news
msnbc
cnn
turnyourbackonbush.com
washington post
freerepublic.com (?)
whitehouse.gov
public relations, osu
wow, scooby-doo did 56 million this weekend--it's the third-biggest opening of 2002. i guess the advertising worked.
global climate change--it's real in alaska, says the nyt.
Lucas claims these movies are intended for kids, but who was the last kid you knew who got fired up about political alliances and trade federations? When my sister was eight she did, but then these guys from the U.N. came to the house and beat the bloody hell out of her.--the filthy critic's 'attack of the clones' review.
wow, a marimba table. that's wonderful. (the page is french. here's the english version of the site, or just use babelfish. i think that's what the page designers did.)
MALLET WRAPPING 101
I wrap my own mallets. Whether it's worth the time is a question only you can answer after you've done it. The advantage (outside of saving money) is that you can make mallets that get the sound YOU want.
You will need a set of upholstery needles--the curved ones--which you can find at a fabric store. For wrapping material, you must experiment to get the sound and wear you want. In general, kite string is very long wearing but results in more "contact" sound on impact. Softer yarns and more wrap (and looser wrap) yield less contact sound, more pure note sound, but wear out faster. Go to a yarn store and test yarns by stretching them tightly and rubbing your thumbnail across them. You will quickly see which yarns wear out easily and which are more durable. Also, look for yarns that are very thin rather than the thick bulky ones (although these can also produce wonderful sounds).
To wrap the mallet, start with a loose end of yarn and make a slip knot about 30 inches from the end of it. Slip this over the mallet handle, right up to the mallet, and pull it snug. You will need to keep the 30 inches of yarn dangling down while you wrap the mallet. To wrap, pull the yarn tightly and simply wrap it over the top of the mallet but NOT directly over the top--just slightly off center. (Imagine that the mallet shaft extends through the top of the mallet and you are wrapping around it.) You do this becuase you are going to leave a small opening at the top of your mallet-- look at the mallets you've got now and you'll see what I mean. There's usually sort of a hole at the top. Anyway, you continue wrapping around the mallet, always a bit off-center, trying to keep the same amount of tension on the yarn. Count each wrap, because you will need to wrap the other mallets the same number of times to get the same sound from them. For kite string, I used to use about 170 wraps. The wrapping itself doesn't take long--maybe 3-5 minutes per mallet AFTER you get the hang of it. (Your first few will be frustrating and slow, believe me.)
After you've built up enough yarn (more on this later), it's time to tie off the mallet and sew it down. Stop your wrapping by ending at the joint of the mallet shaft and ball. Tie it around the shaft very snugly twice. Cut it off, leaving about 20"-30". Now, this is where the curved upholtery needle comes in. You are going to have to sew a circle around both the small "mouth" you left at the top of the mallet and in a concentric circle about 1/4" down from the top mallet. If you don't, the whole thing will come unraveled when you play! Thread the yarn through the curved needle. Sew the little "mouth" at the top by pushing the needle through the hole and out through the wrappings. The first one actually brings one last wrap up the mallet, so snug it very tight. Repeat this, sewing around the entire "mouth." This helps anchor the wrappings at the very top of the mallet. Next, keeping the same length of yarn--which is now down to about 15"--you need to sew the concentric circle about 1/4" from the top. Look at how your store bought mallets are made and emulate that. You stich under about 3 or 4 strands of yarn, pull up, make a loop, pull it snug, and continue around the mallet until you complete the circle. (This keeps the yarn from shifting back and forth on the mallet ball while you play). To finish off, thread the yarn back through the top "mouth" a few times and tie it off. Snip the yarn.
You're not done yet!! Remember the loose 20" at the bottom of the mallet from when you started? You now repeat the previous few steps at the bottom of the mallet, stitching first around the yarn where it raps around the shaft of the mallet, similar to the way you did for the top "mouth." After that's done, you stitch a concentric circle about 1/4" up from the bottom, just as you did at the top of the mallet. After completing that, stitch the remaining thread through the bottom of the mallet and tie it off.
Repeat for the remaining 3 mallets.
These things affect mallet tone:
1. Hardness of the ball at the core of the mallet. The softer core produces more fundamental, less overtone. Harder core gives more overtones, masking the fundamental pitch. You can experiment with differnt cores, ranging from large wooden macrame beads to soft rubber test tube stoppers. The roundness of the core also affects tone. In general, the more material that touches the bar, the more dampening of sound. A certain amount is good, because it prevents too many harsh overtones and produces more fundamental pitch. But too much gives you a dead sound.
2. The number of wraps--more wraps soften the hardness, but too many give you a thuddy sound. This happens because the mallet wrapping is so soft it's squashing against the bar, staying in contact long enough to deaden the sound.
3. The wrapping material. The more fuzz, the richer the tone, because the fuzz dampens the overtones, just like a loose wrap.
I spent many years experimenting with different wraps, core materials, and so forth. I also used to wear out my wrappings alot, becuase I played in a lot of noisy situations. I've since shifted my playing style and rarely play on jobs where I need to bang. Mallet wear has decreased noticeably!
I hope these instructions are clear. Study the way the mallets you now have are made, and you can pretty much figure this out on your own. That's how I did it. Only you can decide whether it's worth your time. For me, the years of experimentation was part of my development as a vibist.
--from thevibe.net, a vibraphone site (since 1995, even)
I wrap my own mallets. Whether it's worth the time is a question only you can answer after you've done it. The advantage (outside of saving money) is that you can make mallets that get the sound YOU want.
You will need a set of upholstery needles--the curved ones--which you can find at a fabric store. For wrapping material, you must experiment to get the sound and wear you want. In general, kite string is very long wearing but results in more "contact" sound on impact. Softer yarns and more wrap (and looser wrap) yield less contact sound, more pure note sound, but wear out faster. Go to a yarn store and test yarns by stretching them tightly and rubbing your thumbnail across them. You will quickly see which yarns wear out easily and which are more durable. Also, look for yarns that are very thin rather than the thick bulky ones (although these can also produce wonderful sounds).
To wrap the mallet, start with a loose end of yarn and make a slip knot about 30 inches from the end of it. Slip this over the mallet handle, right up to the mallet, and pull it snug. You will need to keep the 30 inches of yarn dangling down while you wrap the mallet. To wrap, pull the yarn tightly and simply wrap it over the top of the mallet but NOT directly over the top--just slightly off center. (Imagine that the mallet shaft extends through the top of the mallet and you are wrapping around it.) You do this becuase you are going to leave a small opening at the top of your mallet-- look at the mallets you've got now and you'll see what I mean. There's usually sort of a hole at the top. Anyway, you continue wrapping around the mallet, always a bit off-center, trying to keep the same amount of tension on the yarn. Count each wrap, because you will need to wrap the other mallets the same number of times to get the same sound from them. For kite string, I used to use about 170 wraps. The wrapping itself doesn't take long--maybe 3-5 minutes per mallet AFTER you get the hang of it. (Your first few will be frustrating and slow, believe me.)
After you've built up enough yarn (more on this later), it's time to tie off the mallet and sew it down. Stop your wrapping by ending at the joint of the mallet shaft and ball. Tie it around the shaft very snugly twice. Cut it off, leaving about 20"-30". Now, this is where the curved upholtery needle comes in. You are going to have to sew a circle around both the small "mouth" you left at the top of the mallet and in a concentric circle about 1/4" down from the top mallet. If you don't, the whole thing will come unraveled when you play! Thread the yarn through the curved needle. Sew the little "mouth" at the top by pushing the needle through the hole and out through the wrappings. The first one actually brings one last wrap up the mallet, so snug it very tight. Repeat this, sewing around the entire "mouth." This helps anchor the wrappings at the very top of the mallet. Next, keeping the same length of yarn--which is now down to about 15"--you need to sew the concentric circle about 1/4" from the top. Look at how your store bought mallets are made and emulate that. You stich under about 3 or 4 strands of yarn, pull up, make a loop, pull it snug, and continue around the mallet until you complete the circle. (This keeps the yarn from shifting back and forth on the mallet ball while you play). To finish off, thread the yarn back through the top "mouth" a few times and tie it off. Snip the yarn.
You're not done yet!! Remember the loose 20" at the bottom of the mallet from when you started? You now repeat the previous few steps at the bottom of the mallet, stitching first around the yarn where it raps around the shaft of the mallet, similar to the way you did for the top "mouth." After that's done, you stitch a concentric circle about 1/4" up from the bottom, just as you did at the top of the mallet. After completing that, stitch the remaining thread through the bottom of the mallet and tie it off.
Repeat for the remaining 3 mallets.
These things affect mallet tone:
1. Hardness of the ball at the core of the mallet. The softer core produces more fundamental, less overtone. Harder core gives more overtones, masking the fundamental pitch. You can experiment with differnt cores, ranging from large wooden macrame beads to soft rubber test tube stoppers. The roundness of the core also affects tone. In general, the more material that touches the bar, the more dampening of sound. A certain amount is good, because it prevents too many harsh overtones and produces more fundamental pitch. But too much gives you a dead sound.
2. The number of wraps--more wraps soften the hardness, but too many give you a thuddy sound. This happens because the mallet wrapping is so soft it's squashing against the bar, staying in contact long enough to deaden the sound.
3. The wrapping material. The more fuzz, the richer the tone, because the fuzz dampens the overtones, just like a loose wrap.
I spent many years experimenting with different wraps, core materials, and so forth. I also used to wear out my wrappings alot, becuase I played in a lot of noisy situations. I've since shifted my playing style and rarely play on jobs where I need to bang. Mallet wear has decreased noticeably!
I hope these instructions are clear. Study the way the mallets you now have are made, and you can pretty much figure this out on your own. That's how I did it. Only you can decide whether it's worth your time. For me, the years of experimentation was part of my development as a vibist.
--from thevibe.net, a vibraphone site (since 1995, even)
Saturday, June 15
i just got back from a bike ride on the towpath. among other things, i saw three rabbits and two deer, one of whom i was even briefly kinda chasing. i wonder if gabrielle stopped while i was gone, though. also, note to self: put slicks on cannondale.
it's old news, but it just boggles my mind that anyone is trying to go after libraries for digital-rights-related stuff. here's a delightful old cartoon about the topic (there's a copy on my refrigerator), and an old article about pat schroeder's lobbying against libraries on behalf of the american association of publishers.
Utility is when you have one telephone, luxury is when you have two, opulence is when you have three -- and paradise is when you have none. -- Doug Larson
Friday, June 14
We admit that cloning is the bailiwick of biology but when talking about basic mechanisms all sciences eventually turn into physics. According to the movie, the customer's lifetime of information passes from a computer into the clone's brain in a matter of seconds. It normally takes a human lifetime just to pass the visual information from the eyes into the brain and this is normally done at a very high rate. Transferring all sensory input as well as conscious and unconscious thought data into the brain in 4 or 5 seconds would require a rate over a billion times faster than the rate eyes acquire just visual data.--from a review of some schwarzenegger tripe 'the 6th day,' from this stupid movie physics page (there are others--if i weren't so lazy, i'd find an .edu to link to.)
i started thinking about this, though. senses and memory, data equivalents, transfer speeds... wow.
To cover itself, the movie throws in a quick mention that the human energy source powering the machines is combined with a source of fusion. This is like getting on a 747 and having the captain explain in great detail that the plane is rubber band powered, then add that it also has four jet engines. Guess which power source gets it off the ground, duh.--from the 'matrix' review
i started thinking about this, though. senses and memory, data equivalents, transfer speeds... wow.
To cover itself, the movie throws in a quick mention that the human energy source powering the machines is combined with a source of fusion. This is like getting on a 747 and having the captain explain in great detail that the plane is rubber band powered, then add that it also has four jet engines. Guess which power source gets it off the ground, duh.--from the 'matrix' review
fuck time-warner. those bastards had better get this fixed soon. my cable teevee picture keeps going in and out. mad snow, too. i blamed it on the rf box for my atari, until the digital channels started looking like streaming internet video circa 1995. i'm kinda searching for an excuse to get rid of the digital cable, and sketchy connections at 8:30 on a friday night seem like as good of one as any. i should wait for noggin to quit showing pete & pete reruns before i do so, though.
some goony economist talks about file sharing. salon has details.
ooh, the harry potter video/dvd is being released without macrovision. seems like a good decision to me. why pay macrovision royalties for a copy-protection scheme that obviously doesn't work?
Thursday, June 13
that scooby-doo movie... wow, what kinda box-office disaster must that be? not only are they advertising it, like, on every network and using every ad angle imaginable (sign of a bad picture ahead--the romance angle, the comedy angle, the 'best buddies' angle, the family movie angle--and i just saw an ad, during a simpsons rerun, that hyped the soundtrack). so, let's review the filmmakers' strategy--first, make not only a modern adaptation of some washed-up retro piece of junk, but a modern adaptation of a cartoon, from the '70s. one that's cherished by hundreds of cynical, broke-ass gen-x'ers. now, make it a live-action/digital-animation mix. add a cast of nobodies. but when are you going to open this thing? why not opposite a star wars prequel?
wow, the dad from malcolm in the middle is in this seinfeld episode.
wow, the dad from malcolm in the middle is in this seinfeld episode.
was it you with whom i was talking about the other black girl on head of the class? well, there was one. she's on 'rendez-view.'
Wednesday, June 12
so i scanned some of the articles for my ethics class. they're linked to from my ksu page.
Tuesday, June 11
wow, an online collection of modern library dust jackets. awesome.
Monday, June 10
wow, maxim magazine branded hair dye. the clock's ticking away on that one.
i've spent a lot of time lately looking at semi-random people's livejournal pages. like people who like fela kuti, for example. they're kind of a mixed bag.
Sunday, June 9
this janeane garofalo eddie vedder interview is pretty long. i love it. eddie's drunk. like, as i write this, i mean.
"Your supermarket loyalty card - it just sits there in your purse or wallet, silently recording everything you buy, occasionally rewarding you with just enough points and prizes to keep you taking it to the shops. But now it's your chance to get your own back - at EXTREME COMPUTING 2002, where you can swap your loyalty card with someone else's (cash in the points first if you must), and take on the brand new demographic profile of a complete stranger. Imagine the data-processors' bafflement when a healthy-eating family of 4 suddenly turns into a single 33-year-old male who consumes nothing but satsumas and ready meals. Plus, in your own small way, you'll be helping to stave off the nightmarish world of personal surveillance predicted by George Orwell's "1984""--from the people who put on this 'festival of inappropriate technology'
this salon review, about some urban planning guy's new book, is rad. two places i'm considering moving to: cleveland and columbus. the rock 'n' roll capital's 'creativity index' is 774, while columbus' is 832. and the mistake on the lake gets a 134 for 'diversity,' versus columbus' astonishing 24 on the same measure. why, the only places in the whole country that are more 'diverse' (it's based entirely on census data about gay couples) are seattle, san francisco, la, denver, miami and nyc.
"it seems like the industry's bound and determined to turn you into a whore." said the man who did 'road house' and 'black dog.'
"it seems like this country wants to build gods so it can tear them down and destroy them"--patrick swayze
i'm way into this nytimes slideshow depicting people all around the country whose income is near the 54k average. this one guy lives in the bronx, in a 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath apartment. he's also got three kids, a stay-at-home wife and a widescreen tv.
Saturday, June 8
there are crazy trains going by tonight. it's like i'm ozzy osbourne. though, thankfully, there's no 'reality' program about my life.
Friday, June 7
Thursday, June 6
hahahahaha. somebody at mtv's webpage put up the winners of the movie awards before the awards actually, uh, aired.
i got some fresh books at the thrift store the other day: william henry's 'in defense of elitism'; a novel called 'the winshaw legacy,' by jonathan coe; some new york times writers' 'outrage: the story behind the tawana brawley hoax'; 'the jeopardy book'; and g.l. simons' 'simons' book of world sexual records.' some lunatic at the thrift store kept trying to strike up a conversation with me about how they raised the prices of hardbacks to ninety cents. the thing is, they didn't. books are still a quarter, unless marked otherwise.
i made a winamp skin. i'm still not sure what i want to do with the random button though. it's kind of a work in progress.
Wednesday, June 5
this guy wrote a feature about his time spent at 'maxim' magazine.
more interesting news--a criterion issue of 'traffic'.
a very easy intellectual exercise: read this article, titled 'pyramid scheme dot com: how i realized the internet bubble was a pyramid scheme. determine just how full of crap the author is. (one example: he discusses the concept of a 'decentralized pyramid scheme.') i seem to recall a frontline that detailed a theory of how greedy wall street types fleeced heartland suckers. what seems more likely: is it a pyramid scheme with no one behind it, or, in 'dot con''s words, 'did wall street betray the public's trust?'
more interesting news--a criterion issue of 'traffic'.
a very easy intellectual exercise: read this article, titled 'pyramid scheme dot com: how i realized the internet bubble was a pyramid scheme. determine just how full of crap the author is. (one example: he discusses the concept of a 'decentralized pyramid scheme.') i seem to recall a frontline that detailed a theory of how greedy wall street types fleeced heartland suckers. what seems more likely: is it a pyramid scheme with no one behind it, or, in 'dot con''s words, 'did wall street betray the public's trust?'
Tuesday, June 4
the people who were working on that open-source archos jukebox firmware have just released version 1.0. this story was also on slashdot, but, as one of the dozens of people in france and around the world who owns an archos jukebox (hell, i owned a 3.18 one), i'm, shall we say, especially interested.
some kind of all-star jazz program on bet-on-jazz. louis armstrong, gene krupa, lionel hampton... and those are just the highlights. so rad.
awww. a little while ago, i stuck my head out the window, having heard some meowing and wondering if it was this cute tabby i've been seeing around the neighborhood. i've wanted to adopt a cat, on and off, but this particular one, as much as i see it wandering the streets, might belong to somebody. i do, after all, live in something of a rural area, and people everywhere anyway have outdoor cats.
imagine my surprise to see not only the tabby, but also four kittens. i watched them from the window for a while, marveling at the way the junk on my porch provides such a playground, taking pictures through the storm and screen doors.
when i finally opened the door, of course, they spooked, but didn't quite run away. mom, wary, looked at me. the kittens, waiting for a signal, scattered. i went back inside, and when i returned with a big pan of water, they were gone. i left it out there, though. maybe people will think i own a giant dog.
Saturday, June 1
here's the blogbot version of this error message:
here's the blogbuddy one:
does someone know the solution to this problem? i note that posting from blogger.com still works just fine. i also note that a lot of people seem to be having these problems.
[LOAD:0]
unable to post: 0 : java.lang.Exception: java.lang.Exception: Post succeded (postid: 77215652) but error on publish: 101java.io.IOException: Stream closed
here's the blogbuddy one:
java.lang.Exception: java.lang.Exception: Post edit succeded but error on publish: 101java.io.IOException: Stream closed
does someone know the solution to this problem? i note that posting from blogger.com still works just fine. i also note that a lot of people seem to be having these problems.
