Never been one to let the carrier drop

I’ve always loved emulators – ever since my first exposure to the concept back in the early Amiga days. I especially love the idea of running emulators inside emulators, kind of like those nested egg things.

I recently downloaded a couple of C64 emulators and a number of d64 images, and was amused to note that many of the C64 games still retain their playability, and the C64 sound is still amazingly good. Actually, what really blew my mind was discovering people were stripping SID chips out of C64s in order to make synthesizers..

Anyway, as part of the searches that turned up said emulators and disk images, I discovered http://stella.sourceforge.net/ which is a Atari 2600 emulator – which has features that are being added for 2600 ROMs that are still being developed. Yes, people are still writing 2600 games.

Actually, after looking at the capabilities of the 2600, it amazes me that anyone ever managed to write games for it. According to the wikipedia, the Atari 2600 had 128 bytes of RAM.

So, http://www.earthtechproducts.com/bye-bye-standby.html is a product that claims it will save all that power that your appliances waste while in ‘standby’ mode. However, what it seems to actually be is a rebranded X10 system (note the ‘unit code’ and ‘house code’). So remind me – replacing one active power switch with another does me what good exactly?

To caughterfy a cat is to hold him (or her) against his (or her) will in order to cuddle, pet, or otherwise Call Him (or Her) George.

(I just googled for caughterfy, and got no results. Clearly this needed to be remedied)

Since YouTube seems to draw so much attention, I’m playing with the idea of shooting (if I can find my video camera, which I don’t think I’ve seen since we moved) a music video for the track I just recorded, so I can put it on YouTube and thereby increase my fanbase. I’ve got lots of interesting stuff to look at lying around, although I might wish I had a bunch of DMX controlled LED wash and spots 😉 But I’ll wait for that until I have some sign that people are actually going to watch my music videos. I mean, it’s kind of unusual, a music video for a jam track..

http://www.sheer.us/stuff/SheerBlues.mp3 – the first track of 2009, and in fact the first track since our move to Long Beach. This is actually mostly just a test track – I have been wanting to set up the multitrack gear for quite a while now, and I finally found the energy to do it. I’m missing a couple of ADAT cables, so right now this is recorded via the extremely hokey method of patching audio from two of the general outputs that have been assigned to be solo outs to two of the analog ins on one of the 896es, but it still sounds pretty good.

I got in a mental space where I was absolutely going to manage to record *something* – since I keep telling myself, over and over, that I’m going to get back to writing music – so when cables that weren’t exactly right came to paw and the right ones didn’t, I just made do. I hereby dedicate this track to my paternal grandfather, who recently left Earth bound for wherever it is we go next, and also to my girlfriend, who puts up with all kinds of odd behavior from me all the time. (Even this track, which was pretty much a straight out jam-and-record – one take per instrument – involved playing the same song about 7 times. And I didn’t use headphones. I kept waiting for the neighbors to come over and growl at me. I actually lost a even longer piano saddish jam track when I kicked out the power plug while it was transcribing to wav via Ivory)

Anyway, it’s good to be set up to record again, and sometime in the very near future I will go buy a couple of ADAT cables. I also maanged to get the noise in the A/D of my mixer to settle out by shaking it some, but that mixer is going to have to be replaced soon – and unless some new digital mixers have come on the scene, the only mixer good enough to replace it is a identical one. Ah well, here’s to ebay.. 😉

Anyway, be sure and comment if you like the track, which will encourage me to go write (and post) more.

So, I’ve now read the entire Girl Genius series to present, as well as printing out some of the art and hanging it on my walls. I still love it – I love all the old mechanical creations, and I love how hot Agatha and Ferretina are, and more than anything I love that wonderful cat, Krosp. Especially when he holds out one cat ‘finger’ and extends a claw when he’s making a point. 😉

Also, we recently had a spate of BadgerBadgerBadgering, and then I was listening to Tom Smith’s Mad Scientist’s United (as part of listening to the entire Last Hero On Earth operetta) and realized that the beginning of the song is actually badger badger badger, remade for mad scientists:

mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter
blind fools blind fools
mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter
blind fools blind fools
Switch.. switch.. Igor, throw the switch..

Yay filk. Also yay Girl Genius.

Please don’t ask why..

Note that in order to have value to me it must be this series – Webcor, cat’s eye VU meter, mechanical manual reverse, auto-stop with microswitch. I don’t expect to find any that work without serious amounts of tinkering, though I do expect with a little searching I can find one for cheaper than $100 – last time I looked I was able to find one for $30 that the seller claimed was ‘partially operational’

For those of you unfamiliar, check out Tom Smith’s web site.

Some lust for gold and silver, and some for gems and jewels
But some want greater treasures, and they use their software tools
For some of us quest for knowledge, and we wants it undefiled,
But now and then you get a troll who thinks he’s Oscar Wilde.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, who sail the server seas.
They flaunt their fake credentials and their advanced degrees.
They control the information with bullying moderation,
‘Cause arrogance and online swagger trump your expertise.

No matter what your sources, no matter whom you cite,
He doesn’t want to hear it, ’cause he knows for sure he’s right
There is no compromising, no bargain or accord,
He’s never heard of you, or doesn’t like you, or he’s bored.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, they love to wield their clout
All day they’ll argue details that no one cares about
They don’t see as overreachin’ their demands for page deletion
Web pages are in short supply, and what if we run out?

Yo ho, yo ho, no one ever thought,
Yo ho, yo ho, in this web we’d be caught,
The Wiki’s meant to document the stuff the mainstream missed,
Instead we’ve got a pompous sot who’s building up his wrist.

So if ye’ve got a subject that really interests you,
Beware the Wikipirates, they’ve got nothing else to do.
Someday we’ll have a knowledge base with all you want and need,
Till then we’ll take cold comfort that they’re likely not to breed.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, who whine at our attacks.
They’re only trying to help us, never mind the rules and facts.
They’re just honest, not unpleasant, it’s not their fault that we’re peasants,
If we’d only see their brilliance, everybody could relax.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, that basement-dwellin’ band.
They regulate and obfuscate what they don’t understand.
The grief they give ya will reduce ya to trivia and minutiae,
And prayin’ that you really do get banned,
Only “public noteriety” will get you in their library,
Be grateful they’re all lost at sea… they’d try to delete the land. (Anyone know any project managers like this?)

Audio restoration plugin

Assuming they have a version that will play nicely with Digital Performer. Oh, and for Intel Macs. [I am still planning a transition to Intel Mac for my audio recording stuff in the nearish future]

When I was a kid my dad had pictures of these clowns
He hung them on my wall and wouldn’t let me take them down
I didn’t understand then and I still can’t figure out
What those goddamn clowns were so sad about
A clown was my boss at every job I ever had
Clowns run all the record companies that ever said we’re bad
A clown pretended to be a girl who pretended to be my friend
Ths world is run by clowns who can’t wait for it to end

I have yet to meet a kid not scared to death of clowns
They can’t walk and they don’t talk they’ve got painted on frowns
A clown with a gun I hope I never see
Would he shoot himself or shoot me?
A clown taught every class I took at my old high school
Clowns all wear Speedos when they hang out by the pool
Clowns dress up like cops and threaten to call my folks
This town is filled with clowns who don’t get my jokes
They fall on their asses
It takes lots of practice
I have nightmares filled with clowns and you’re there too
You have a big red nose and stupid floppy shoes
You’re becoming one I can see the signs
I hate clowns almost as much as I hate mimes