The End for the DVD Rewinder
Posted on | January 3, 2010 | 1 Comment
It’s a shame that they stopped making these. I would have thought they would have taken off. This idea was simply brilliant, I’m tired of forgetting to rewind my dvds before putting them back on the shelf. Anyone ever get a rewind fee from Netflicks? This thing made life easier than ever and would have saved so much time and wear on my dvd player. There is rumor that it could also handle cd’s, but this is unconfirmed (and xbox games, computer program discs and blue ray dvds). http://www.dvdrewinder.com
The Eigenharp
Posted on | December 26, 2009 | No Comments
I’ve always had a fancy in musical instruments, mostly percussive because I play percussion of course. Recently, I’ve been dwelling on the concept of mixing percussion and techno music. I’m proudly a fan of techno and I always have been. When you think of techno you don’t really imagine traditional musicians taking part in the performance. You think of djs or people on laptops. Thus, I was introduced to the Eigenharp. Part piano, part woodwind and full throttle midi sampler.
It looks like a digital bassoon with a light show. Rumor as it the Alpha Eigenharp is about $8,000, which is really not outrageous for the instrument. I’m posting three videos, one of the interview on what it does, the second on a performance of the James Bond theme song duo and another with three guys.
Rusted Root
Posted on | November 22, 2009 | No Comments
I must say for the longest time there only two bands that ever truly dreamed of playing for. One of those was Burlap to Cashmere. I had seen them 3 times I knew that a part of my life would have been fulfilled if I had ever gotten a chance to play with them. Well, after a little time had passed I did record with Josh Zandman and was told that could possibly play if the group reformed and I could drive to New Jersey and play for Steven Delopoulos in the mean time. I’m not sure why I felt such a strong attachment to their music, but I did. Such an attachment that I knew that if I got the chance, I just may have taken it.
We went to show tonight, of another band that I felt that kind of connection with. It was Rusted Root. I was covering their music in a band 10 years ago, but I have never really known how gifted, talented and sincere they were about their music. I still say that the 40 million dollar U2 360 set was the best show on earth, but honestly, talent combined with passion - I think Rusted Root was different, but better.
I left the concert tonight knowing the my days as a percussionist are only dawning. The best is yet to come. Tomorrow, I’ll be a better drummer and if isn’t with Rusted Root, that just maybe God would place me in a band inspired by them. I dream of that kind of passion. The kind of passion that made the drummers snare explode during Ecstasy. I adore Asheville, not because of all the Wicca people and the liberals, but because of the embracing of the culture, the arts and the music. I played drums up her with Billy from Skinny beat drums and I learned new things on the djembe. I learned that keeping the drumhead tight has more to do with the space between the rings wedged onto the drum. I learned that my african drum slaps cup like they are latin. I learned that there so very much more to learn in the world of drumming.
Poor Homeless Bongos.
Posted on | November 6, 2009 | No Comments
I’m in route to find a used set and no though some of you don’t believe it, I do not own a set of bongos. In my quest to find some used bongos I found this and was humored to read the whole thing.
Craigslist DC Area
Free Bongos to Good Home…
Date: 2004-09-29, 10:51AM EDT
So I’m not 100% sure I really want to give these away yet. But I know I really should. It’s just that they are so enticing and I just can’t stop myself from beating them and I can’t quite figure out why. It’s certainly not the sound they make. They don’t sound like bongos at all. In fact I can hit just about anything else in my apartment and make a better sound. I think the sound they make would be these bongos worst feature, followed shortly by the way they look. They are slightly chipped in a couple of places and have some very cheap looking nylon trim around the rim. So they are not all together pleasant to touch either, but tolerable. They only have the slightest noticable “bongo” smell. I haven’t ventured as far as tasting then yet, so I can’t vouch for their flavor. However, you’re welcome to give them a quick taste test if you like.
So what I am getting at is that they are not the most enjoyable bongos to play. Though if you were drunk or stoned or naked or drunk and stoned and naked, I’m sure that you would love them.
So despite all this I can’t keep myself from playing them. My freinds have all been driven away by the sound. And refuse to come visit me unless the bongos are gone. And no, it is NOT my lack of rythm. Seriously, it’s the bongos fault. So I think they have to go. I mean given the choice of my freinds or the bongos, I think I have to go with my friends for all the reasons mentioned above. My friends certainly look better and make much better sounds when I hit them. Though the bongos might win out on smell, but only just barely. You’re welcome to give my freinds a quick taste test for comparison if you like too.
So if you would like these bongos let me know. You can come pick them up any evening this week or just keep an eye on the center of the intersection of 16th and U, as they may be getting tossed there at any moment.
Thanks.
this is in or around Dupont
Trees for Warren Baptist
Posted on | October 19, 2009 | No Comments
We received a sketch Nate of would it should have looked like. I thought that we came pretty close. The goal was to bring to life this tree house 3 panel mural that the church was using on Wednesday nights for the kids. So we carved it out of foam, we shaved the surfaces, coated it, painted it, detailed it, delivered it and installed it. The piece is about 10ft high by about 28ft wide. It took roughly 80 hours to build and 4 trips with a truck to deliver it. I want to thank Josh Suich, Glenn Towery, Matt McMeans, Chris Rucker, Sarah Thompson and Alexis Reese for all of the their help in the construction of this beast.
The tough part about the project is that it has to be moved, currently, every week, therefore it had to be deconstructable. We came up with the rope idea to mask the cracks.
Funny PS - One of the manufacturing companies that sold the us materials has asked us if we would like to be promoted as foam carvers for tradeshows and all kinds of stuff.
Sneaky Warcraft
Posted on | September 28, 2009 | No Comments
Believe it or not. I do pay attention to the gigs on the my computer. I was sweatin it down to about 6 free gigs on my machine. I then proceeded to march all of my files into order and begin the mass file exodus off of my computer onto the server or some external drive. While identifying where the masses of gigs were being used I noticed the WoW folder was a WHOPPING 17 GIGs. I’ve never heard of a game being 17gigs. It’s all of the sneaky download patches. I deleted it and my computer was sooooo happy.
Serving two masters…
Posted on | September 13, 2009 | 1 Comment
I’m always intrigued to watch Christians in the workplace. (I being one of them) If we don’t live ministering like disciples, we work. It’s pretty much as simple as that. I believe that whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability. Well how best? Like 80%, or 9-6 best or 50/50 or what? When does your best become your master?
I honestly don’t know if I have an answer for that. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Is your trade your master? Do you love what you do for a living? When see active Christians in the workplace, it seems a like a juggle of the heart. A master of flipping switches. The holy spirit side of us brings a meal to friend, invites a client to church, habors no deception and helps the homeless man on the curb. The man side of us wants to raise his prices, make more money, work less and be the absolutely best at his/her job. I find the two, easy to divide. I’m sure that many of you will tell me that they aren’t dividable, it’s sum of the total.
If it’s a sum of the total, then at the end of my life, how many hours will I have devoted to God and how many hours will I have devoted to my clients? This whole comment is debatable, but certainly food for thought.
At the beach
Posted on | August 31, 2009 | No Comments
I’m at the beach for the week. I rarely just sit and do nothing. I made it a point to do nothing. I forgot what it feels like to just sit in a rocking chair and not do anything. It feels pretty nice. Many of you ask, well, what do you actually do all day? I must say that it is the great mystery, and very few actually know it. It’s that Chandler Bing concept. This blog, I’ve been trying to update with fun little bits since May 12, 2009, and let some who choose to inquire, actually learn more about me.
Back to the beach. Tonight I stood outside and watched an encroaching storm roll in from down the coast. The wind was at about 10mph, and when I was alone I threw out my arms like I was on the bow in the movie Titanic. After that, I had a moment of mortality knowing that I’ll only catch a tiny fraction of these clouds during my lifetime, and how many people before have, and after me, will, experience the same feeling.
You got one tiny moment in time for life to shine, to burn away the darkness - Matisyahu
Arnie’s 80th Birthday Gift
Posted on | August 28, 2009 | No Comments
One of the negatives that we have needed some serious help. After much thought and Frank’s insight, we’ve added some clouds and removed cars and took the patches of grass out. It is, as it should have been - wink wink. This is on canvas, 28″ x 40″ and on our hand planed 3.75″ deep stretcher bars. I actually really liked this one, I hope that he likes it as much as we did. It leaves us tomorrow, and will be presented next week at the party.
Wedding Documents - Now Art.
Posted on | August 15, 2009 | No Comments
As an interior designer, my mother is amazing at navigating the huge Atlanta antique markets (jannielsen.com). She finds little treasures here and there and is always hunting for things that we can blow up on canvas. One trip she brought me some original Italian wedding documents, handscripted from the late 1600’s. They are currently sitting in a drawer at the house. We blew some up for my step sister who is a renown event planner in D.C. (ritzybee.com). Here are the results, I just had to plug in some links. They’d do the same for me.
Italian Wedding Documents from the late 1600's