The future of recording music for me - Reaper?

I've never been a fan of most digital recording technology for music. Maybe it's that I'm not hip, or perhaps I'm just a snob, but to my ears the quality, the richness in the music when recorded through analog isn't there in things like Logic, Pro Tools, or Cakewalk. What I record has no real presense or weight. And no, it ain't the instruments or the amps, as those setup have largely stayed the same over the years.

Despite the apparent ease of use (basically anyone who can write a song, can record one with just the right setup), I always imagined I'd always see it as nothing more than a glorified demo.

That being said, I'm checking out this product called Reaper - http://www.reaper.fm/ to see what they offer.

I'll keep you posted.

Before The Onion ... there was Airplane!

It's too bad one of creators went all right-wing a few years back. And it's too bad the Naked Gun series was all racist with its depictions of Arabs (that and watching O.J. Simpson is a bit much to stomach, knowing he murdered his wife in cold blood).

Still ... we have Airplane!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/30/airplane-predicted-tsa-fiasco_n_789604.html#s194147

Seriously, Airplane! was just ahead of its time.

Dallas - The great American entertainment export of the 1980's.

Okay. I admit this blog has been somewhat serious (even grim) about various subjects over the last couple of years.

Maybe it's that part of me that's going all midlife crisis already. And by my own admission, I've not been a fan of much culture these past few years. I only recently found out who Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are (i.e current big hypes being pushed by 20th century business models like record companies). They both kind of remind me of Justin Timberlake and Cyndi Lauper 2.0, though in the Lauper's case, she actually struggled for a long time before becoming successful (that whole thing about paying one's dues, working, writing, etc).

So I thought, why not publish a note about real escapism?

For many Americans in the previous latter half of the 20th century, there were soap opera television programs. They mostly ran during the day, were sponsored by large hygenge companies like Proctor and Gamble (hence the term soap operas), and contained a bevy of melodrama, bad acting, bad hair, and ... well that's about it.

Then, there's Dallas - the television series.

It started off not with a pilot, but rather as a 1978 mini-series - a production that spanned 4-5 one hours episodes that were broadcast over a few weeks or so as a test run. Its ratings were not bad, but not that great. It got picked up.

What started out as a Romeo and Juliet show about two people (Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes) married to each other from different families and such, turned into a Reagan/Me show about excess, evil, etc.

The over-the-top acting, the Southfork mansion, the cars, the hot women, the bombastic music. That plus all that back-stabbing, bed-hopping, yelling, sceraming, punching, oil, Lone Star State (Ewing Oil was an 'independant' oil company founded by Jock Ewing), coupled with strong writing, and good continuity make for the perfect American fantasy of the 1980's.  Seriously when something 'happened' whereby they went to commerical, you'd swear the world was coming to an end just by the music alone.

Yeah Dynasty was there too, but we all knew it was a rip-off of Dallas.

It was Dallas that really ushered in the idea that soap operas can be successful in prime-time, as opposed to daytime.

Of course the key to it was JR Ewing, as played by Larry Hagman.

Seriously, Who Shot JR? was quite the phenomeon.

Sometimes I'll buy a TV show I grew up on and watching it now, discover how pointless and devoid of any real content it was. Don't get me wrong, Dukes of Hazzard is entertainment, but like Knight Rider, it was the car that was the show. You can only pull off so many plots where the car jumping over something resolves the plot.

But Dallas was different. There was quite a lot going on.

JR Ewing was a complex evil character. And like so many popular 'evil' characters, they themselves didn't think they were evil at all. Even when you didn't want to see his latest scheme to succeed, even if you didn't want him to win Ewing Oil from Bobby (who let's face it, every straight guy wanted to be. After all, he did bang the hottest chicks on the show, Pam and Jenna Wade. Though it turns out, so did Ray Krebs), the best part about the character was that the audience was really in on everything he did. Even when 'good' characters were doing something they thought they came up with independantly of themselves, in the back of the audiences' minds, we knew it was another move concocted by JR. And Larry Hagman pulled of the great acting feat of appearing both sympathetic and sincere when having dialog with other characters, as well as giving subtle and obvious cues to the audience that he was evil all the way through.

What a guy!

Okay, so not all the female characters were as multi-faceted. Sue Ellen (who I believe Mrs. Culture Vulture described as a tool) was forever an idiot, running back to JR each time. You'd think being put in a sanatarium, and being framed for shooting one's husband would be signs, but no. And yes, Pam had quite the stick up her ass much of the time (she only seemed to ever relax when Bobby was spanking her). And let's face it - Lucy was annoying and never really part of any major plot, unless it involved JR.

And it's true, that when Jim Davis (the actor who played Jock Ewing) died in 1981 from brain cancer, the show's direction focused solely on JR, which I think proved to be it's eventual downfall. A show can only focus on one character for so long before it becomes tiresome (this I recall from watching the show as a teenager).

But all in all, it really was the show that looking back, provided a true form of entertainment. And all this before the Internet, iPhones, Facebook, etc.

Sure many prime-time shows came afterwards, but it seems just about every major character is more a boy or girl, rather then a man or woman. And for all the money spent on the production, the writing, the stories, the dialog, and the acting fall flat. I'd even make the case that this extends not to just soap shows, but pretty much all television shows.

But for now, we're up to Dallas Season 7, and there's no let-up on the action and drama.

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Okay, I know I should be really spending more time blogging about the US 2010 Mid-Term Election results and their impact on the nation, or perhaps the latest Wikileaks relevation, and their impact.

Well yes they are important. Probably the impact of those will be long felt for very long time to come.

However, as a resident of Montreal, I think it only fair to take a moment and celebrate -

Alouettes pull off Grey Cup repeat

Ah yes. I know the CBC and TSN are Toronto-focused when it comes to sports. But it's hard to avoid focusing on Montreal when -  you know - a team wins the big prize.
 
So on that note, every one sing with me -
 

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai la tete

Je te plumerai la tete

Et la tte, et la tete

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai le nez

Je te plumerai le nez

Et le nez, et le nez

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai les yeux

Je te plumerai les yeux

Et les yeux, et les yeux

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai le cou

Je te plumerai le cou

Et le cou, et le cou

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai les ailes

Je te plumerai les ailes

Et les ailes, et les ailes

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai le dos

Je te plumerai le dos

Et le dos, et le dos

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai les pattes

Je te plumerai les pattes

Et les pattes, et les pattes

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Je te plumerai la queue

Je te plumerai la queue

Et la queue, et la queue

Alouette, Alouette

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette je te plumerai

Orcinus explains why most manufactured goods in the US come from China

I read this blog because he lays out reality in plain cold-sober English. This includes everything from tracking hate groups (and their connections to the right-wing in the US), immigration, global warming, you name it.

In a single post - he show how and why people find just about every manufactured good Americans purchase today is made in China.

Two words: Wall Street.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - http://cdn.crooksandliars.com/files/vfs/2010/11/Manufacturing-Financial.JPG

Read it here.

Money, money, money. And lots of it ...

... if you're a corporation.



"Word that American businesses sucked in profits at an annualized pace of $1.66 trillion between July and September is certainly better than the alternative. Ditto, the wholly expected news that the economy grew faster than an initially reported 2 percent annual rate, reaching a still modest 2.5 percent. But none of this has translated into the sort of job growth that will be required to cut into an unemployment rate stuck at 9.6 percent. Worse, there is little reason to suspect it will anytime soon."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/23/corporate-profits-q3-2010-_n_787573.html

You have to wonder about the future viability of a society that prioritizes the health and welfare of a corporate non-human 'person' over actual human beings and their lives.

Another Korean War? Let's hope not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelling_of_Yeonpyeong

As if there isn't enough strife and violence in the world today.

Google, Android, Verizon, the US wireless market, and Net Neutrality

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/google-raises-the-white-flag-on-transforming-the-us-wireless-industry/41996?tag=nl.e539

So the dream of having a European-style wireless market in the US was dealt a big blow by Google and it's new Nexus S phone.

This commenter sums it up best -

The only force that can transform consumer markets... is consumers. When consumers become educated and stop accepting crap from vendors for their money, things may change. Unfortunately the consumer has been conditioned to believe that they have no say and no power. This is made abundantly clear when you look at any number of vertical markets...software and airlines spring immediately to mind.

Consumers have been led to believe that they have no alternative but to accept whatever level of treatment the industry deems appropriate. They don't understand that "market-driven economy" doesn't mean "business-driven economy". Consumers are the market, business is the entity that serves the market.

Google, in developing Android, provided a tool for business to serve the market. It is ultimately up to the consumer to vote with their pocketbook which vendors are serving the consumer best.

I fear that this venture will further erode the possibility of Net Neutrality ever becoming a viable reality in the United States. Till people come to fully understand and realize the implications of what's going on and respond, I see the Internet going the way of network television - another controlled corporate product distribution system.

TSA's and their new 'scanners'.

http://johnnyedge.blogspot.com/2010/11/these-events-took-place-roughly-between.html

Mr. Tyner is brave guy. I applaud him for refusing to let the TSA search him or be subjected to Joe Lieberman’s scanners. I certainly won't let them use that technology or grope me or my family.

That means people like me and my family will avoid flying. I doubt I'm the only person who feels that way. I wonder if the travel industry is paying attention, just before the holiday season?

I wonder if there are any exemptions for government employees/officials, or people who enter the airport via the VIP entrance?

So why is the TSA pushing a technology on the public that would violate an individual's civil liberties, plus result in having their privacy violated, on a technology that doesn't work (or the simply be groped)?

Could it be that one of the people involved with the scanner company happens to be former Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff?

Seems to me the group benefiting from all this is the Rapiscan Systems with a guarantee of profits and future upgrades courtesy from the TSA.

(h/t here, and here)

If you ever wondered why people in the United States continually vote against their better interests ...

... like for example not putting up much of a real fight on things like, health care, perhaps it's because a percentage of them are conditioned to believe it's not important.

Conditioned you (may) say - how?

Well ...

Often times, the organizations that conduct such operations can be traced back to the very health care insurance companies that want to keep things as they are.

Case in point -

http://www.prwatch.org/node/9591
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendell-potter/why-i-will-stay-far-away_b_780961.html

"Few Americans know what a central role the health-insurance industry played in the fear-mongering and anger-mongering campaign against the Democrats' original vision of reform, which included a "public option" that would have competed against private insurance companies and which President Obama said early in the debate was necessary to "keep insurers honest."


Insurers were able to kill the public option and weaken the reform bill, but it couldn't kill it. Despite conventional wisdom, insurers didn't want to kill it because the requirement that all Americans buy private coverage if they're not eligible for a public program like Medicare and Medicaid will ensure their profitability for years to come.

They do, however, want to weaken the bill further, which is why the industry funneled millions of policyholders' premiums this year into the campaigns of Republican candidates and round-the-clock advertising based on lies about the new reform law. "

And it's not like there isn't socialized healthcare in the US? The VA? When you hear some politician railing about the evils of socialized medicine (usually reading the insurance talking points) in the US, remember, that person has their health coverages handled and paid for the by the taxpayer.

Seriously, unless one has lived in a country where healthcare isn't tied your employer or the healthcare provider itself, people in the US have truly no idea how they are fucking themselves repeatedly out of something every person should have - good quality healthcare.

CBC asks: Who's the best NHL coach ever?

Process of elimination is the answer here.

First – eliminate people who weren’t good coaches. That's an obvious point, though it's no surprise that person is on there, considering the CBC is his fucking employer.

Second, eliminate any active coaches (because their careers are still a work in progress). Babcock is out.

Third, eliminate any coach who didn’t win a Stanley Cup. Gone are Neilson, Reay, and Quinn.

Fourth, I rule out any coaches who didn’t win at least four cups (i.e. repeated success). That leaves Irvin, Arbour, Bowman, Blake, Sather, and Imlach. Arbour, Imlach, and Sather’s success were with one team, so they are out. I would’ve eliminated Blake here, but his successes span more than ten years (plus he did win some cups as a player).

That leaves Irvin, Blake and Bowman. Irwin and Bowman both have long coaching careers, but Bowman has a better record of success, and Blake has won more cups. Since Irvin doesn’t match up to either individually, he’s out.

Finally we have Blake and Bowman. While Blake’s success is phenomenal, it was part of a dynasty, and all with one team. Bowman is really the guy who demonstrated repeated success over a long term, across many teams.

Scotty Bowman is the winner.

The coolest organizational chart, predating the 1980's!

Whenever I watched The Godfather, Part II, I always tried to pause it here to see this chart. I'm glad someone out there was able to find it.

On this day, Sesame Street debuted 41 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame_Street

Original run	November 10, 1969 – present

It largely died sometime in the 1990's sometime after Jim Henson's death.

It's amazing to me how a show I grew up on has changed so drastically in the last 20 years to become something I don't even recognize.

All the humor, wittiness, and sense of enjoyment is lost today on idiot characters like Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Zoe, largely in a effort to market and Elmo's world is turning current toddlers into future morons.