In case of outbreak...

Apparently I've been practicing for this outbreak for the past year or two without even knowing about it...

Fair and UnBalanced

I love to hate FOX news. Its just because they're so biased, then pretend like they're not biased. Their tag line "Fair and Balanced" couldn't be farther from the truth. I mean, I get that every reporter, every station has a certain level of personal bias - its just that FOX is so blatant about it.

For example - remember the NYC fly-over from a few posts back? FOX news SLAMMED the administration and Obama in particular for this mistake. Even today, here's how they quoted Obama's response:

"It was a mistake, as was stated ... and it will not happen again."

Here's the actual quote: "It was a mistake, as was stated. It was something we found out about along with all of you, and it will not happen again."

Nice, FOX. Obviously he didn't know about it, or it wouldn't have happened. Way to make sure your conservative viewership continues to think he somehow personally signed off on it.

to the jerkoffs @ Fox - STOP TRYING TO MAKE NEWS AND JUST REPORT IT.

Stick to shows like 90210, Fox. Leave the intelligent programs to intelligent stations.

Plateaus and Pentatonics

My brother used the phrase "breaking out of your plateau" once when we were lifting during my freshman year of high school. I remember thinking about how fitting of a euphemism that was at the time. He was talking about the times that it feels like you just aren't making any gains in your lifting despite consistently working out. Not seeing improvement even though you're putting the time in. Then, one day, you notice that you've suddenly jumped up 2 notches. Its almost odd how you've forgotten how it feels to experience improvement and that rush comes back the same each time.

I'd been in a serious playing plateau lately, and feel like I just broke out of it in the past few days. I've been focusing on the positions/ boxes/ patterns/ scales/ shapes/ whatever you want to call them- that I don't use very often. This guy in particular is sweet, and I need to use him more. Minor Pentatonic Scale - Position "3" or "C" shape:

a hint at my next project

another XKCD

too funny not to post.   Funnier if you've ever read YouTube comments or Twitter - really, any forum that lets ANYbody post ANYthing they want.   I'd like to think that people (as a whole) are intelligent.  Sometimes, though, its funny to see what happens when stupid people all meet up at the same place on the internet to "talk."

Oops

Somebody is probably going to get demoted for this. First off, it sounds like there was a communication breakdown (not the cool Led Zeppelin kind, either). That's too bad, but still an error.

What nobody seems to be asking is WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU CHOOSE NYC FOR THIS PHOTOSHOOT? Couldn't you have chosen a different city to fly really low over in a 747-type plane? Maybe, say, one that doesn't have a stigma about low flying passenger planes? Even if there was enough warning to the public.... can't we get our photo-op from a different city?

Best quote of the story: "It just scared a couple million people."

The best post ever

Ronald Jenkees is the coolest.   Remember back when I posted this clip?  No?  that's okay.  Anyways.  Ron enjoys the hell out of what he does, and he should because its pretty freakin impressive.   Here's how I originally found him:

 

Today I was searching for something completely different and ended up at Ronald's YouTube page yet again.  And found EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.

Cheers, Ron!   

the generation gap

Tom and I covered this song as part of a medely a few years ago, and a comment on my spacebook page reminded me of it...

Look at what you can do with lots of loud amps, a few candles, simple riffs, and a ton of energy...

You know you loved the '90s.   It was totally awesome, and look at these people soaking in their last year of it...    

iPhone Resurrection

like a Phoenix from the ashes...

..okay so it wasn't that bad.  My iPhone hopped out of my hoodie pocket before a VB game - hit the ground, and the case BURSTS apart and both pieces go flying in opposite directions while my now naked and vulnerable phone goes skidding and bumping across the 3 lane city street -  facedown.   However, the vinyl satin cover I added earned it's worth ($5) by taking all the scratches and saving the face.  The sides got a little scraped up, but its obviously not noticeable in the new cover.  

tensions

North Korea is fucking crazy.   Like... seriously crazy.  They celebrated their rocket launch, even though it broke apart and fell into the pacific ocean (read: epic failure).    When asked, they say that the satellite DID make it into orbit and is broadcasting songs and Kim Jong Il's voice back to Earth.  Its sad, really.  Like kids in denial... (he's not dead he's sleeping!)    C'mon, NKorea.... your rocket sucked and your satellite is laying in pieces on the bottom of the ocean.     Now, you've said that any sanctions at all against you over the launch (which was a breach of a UN Security Council Resolution and a multitude of international powers told you not to before hand) would be taken as an 'act of war.'   And that you would "mercilessly punish any ... who encroach on the dignity of the DPRK even a bit."     Really?  Really.    You're a kid who was told not to do something repeatedly and then did it.   Don't you get it?   This is exactly the type of crazy-person / immature, insolent child BULLSHIT that's exactly the reason that no other country in the world thinks that you're responsible enough to be trusted with The Bomb.      

Whatever, N. Korea.   Keep talking big.  I think that the insolent, dumbass child metaphor is more accurate than most would think.    I think you ARE all talk and no brain.    I say we LET you develop the bomb.   Because I think you'd get so full of your own hubris that you'd try and make a huge one, only to fuck it up and wipe your own country completely off the map.   That'd solve our problem for us.   

a disturbing turn of events

There's been too much teabagging in the news recently. Any teabagging in the national news is too much.

It all started when a group of conservatives crawled out from under their rocks to stage a piss-poor reenactment of the Boston Tea Party to protest... taxes? Something. Anyways, it was lost in the ensuing double entendre-palooza. So anyways, these people came out into the sunlight and wanted to throw tea into the water. Only, the authorities came out and said "you can't throw those tea bags into the water." So being good conservatives, they didn't. However, they unfortunately choose the "tea bagging" phrase as a name for their protest. This is when their kids should have stepped in. Why not call it a "Hot Carl Rally?" Or a "Cleveland Steamer Protest?" Seriously, kids, you let your conservative parents down. Some of you even faked being conservative, just so you could hoist a humorous sign (see picture).

Anyways, even AC360 got his joke in: "Its hard to talk when you're tea-bagging..." So funny, that I almost pee'd at work. Tea-bagging on CNN. What's next?

from a local blogger

...with good taste! Also a pretty sweet blog. Finn Miles

the birds loved us...

dm Cityview

I picked up a copy of this week's Cityview for lunch since I don't currently have a book to read. It happened to be the week of April Fools Day, so I noticed that the first page's stories were even more ridiculous than usual. Then I realized that it was fake. They'd made up the stories as an April Fools Day joke. Okay, haha, funny idea. Next page - also fake. THE WHOLE DAMN 30 PAGE PAPER WAS FAKE NEWS. There already is a fake news source, Cityview; it's called The Onion and you'll never be as good at fake news as they are. I can understand the desire to pull an April Fools Day prank, but.... the whole paper? I found the whole thing to be humorous - only at Cityviews expense. I imagined myself writing in the Cityview format ABOUT that edition of Cityview:

...And even though the paper was obviously trying to be funny, the impact was lessened by the sheer volume of ridiculous stories - like a child not knowing when to quit. I wonder if our friends over at The Register took time off from their bar-crawling to pull an April Fools Day prank? Little did the folks over at Cityview know, they didn't need to pull any pranks to be funny - their publication is already a joke.
-LW

GDP Preview - Cashes Rivers

We had our first CD Review from the Des Moines Music Coalition:

"It’s the voice of singer/songwriter Cashes Rivers that immediately pulls you in – it’s sad and mournful and aching, but also hopeful and sweet. After that voice, though, you get some nice, lush instrumentation and arrangement (courtesy of some of Des Moines’ best local musicians).
Horns and vocal effects on songs like “Beep Beep” punctuate the poignant lyrics, and the lush introductory keys of “When it Rains” let you know you’re in for something special, and it doesn’t disappoint – the fading vocals and electronic beats at the end leave you wistful and wanting more. Cashes Rivers also hand draws the cover to every CD he sells – how cool is that?

Catch Cashes Rivers at GDP on Saturday, April 11th at 8:45 in the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Fort Des Moines. "

Esoterical, I know...

I'm really into instrumental bands of late. The Autumn Project and Telefon Tel Aviv sparked my interest, and I'm finding some GEMS recently. I like this type of music because it FORCES the focus to be on instrumentation and tone, which is what I'm focused on anyways. It pushes musicians to really get the most out of their guitars, their effects pedals, their amp rig. Drummers are so much a part of the sound in any band, but the dynamics in some of these songs is incredible. Here's who I'm currently listening to:

Russian Circles
Beware of Safety
Telefon Tel Aviv
Explosions in the Sky
The Autumn Project