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Here is a fantastic article on why software patents are mostly unnecessary, and why they stifle innovation. Worth a read! < p>So Mom’s new computer is a doozy. It’s a really sleek case with one of those pimped-out LED fans on the side (and a clear cutout to see the innards at work), and inside you’ll find:
< p>I am getting antsy for a new computer myself, so maybe I’ll build myself one. I used a 266 MHz FSB (Thoroughbred) Athlon for Mom’s computer, which saved a little money. I bought ahead on the mobo and RAM so she can move it up later if she wants a faster Barton (333 MHz FSB) model. Thanks, Newegg.com! |
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Here’s one of the first reviews of the new album. You’ll be able to buy this online at the Aware Records online store on Tuesday, September 9, but if you’re a real playa, you’ll come over to the IOTA Club and Cafe on Sunday, September 7 for the release party. ;-) |
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So now the loony eco-terrorists are targeting car dealerships for their vandalism and detestable acts. It’s far easier to simply slip in under the cover of night and destroy people’s property, than to actually work constructively to change the course of public policy. Just another sign of our lazy, easy-way-out, no-responsibility, slack-jawed sheep-raising culture. The funny thing is these people actually think they’re waking people up, when they themselves are the indicators that even grassroots political movements are beginning to embrace the couch potato mindset. Why bother engaging in political action when you can simply behave like a gang of fourteen-year-old hooligans? The message they’re sending is nothing like what they intend; it reads, “I’m too tired to actually stage a real political protest, so I’ll just spray-paint and burn some stuff instead.” These people are to environmental causes what Woodstock ’99 was to the original. I wonder if they even grasp the irony that most fascist movements start with sloganeering, move on to vandalism, and eventually arrive at jackboots. It’s a very short hop from car dealerships to Kristallnacht. |
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Today we had an ultrasound for the new baby… the pictures are here and here. Our doctor says everything is perfectly normal, except for the fact that the baby is just a little bit bigger than usual by this age. Of course, Evie was more than two weeks early and already weighed almost eight pounds. We weren’t really under any misconception that any baby of ours was going to be a little petite one like some of my brother’s munchkins. We’re just happy and excited that everything appears to be where it should! (And no, we are not finding out the baby’s sex, so don’t ask.) :-) |
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Band rehearsal last night was great. The CD release party on September 7 at IOTA in Arlington looks like it’s going to be a good show. It looks like we have a surprise musical guest as an opening act. We are also working on shows at Jammin’ Java and some other venues opening for national acts in the near future. More to come! |
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All right, so I got my song down to hard disk this weekend. It is extremely down and dirty, as I didn’t have much time, or any assistance, to do the work. For acoustic guitar, given my “less than optimal” studio setting, I used my Line 6 Variax, the 1959 Martin D-28 patch. It’s straight into the board (an Alesis Studio 24) and then the recorder. The voice and shaker were recorded with a Superlux CM-H8A, again straight to the board and then to hard disk. The synth is an Alesis QS7.1. < p>I’m not overly proud of the recording quality, because without some nice tube preamps to warm everything up, it’s pretty flat and tinny. The object was not to have a great recording, but to capture the song so I could at least get it to some friends before we start really recording it “for keeps.” |
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Students from the RCFG symposium: I am working on getting those presentations up at the URL I provided during the sessions. They will be in PDF format, but I am specifically trying to get a hold of appropriate material to license these under either the GNU FDL, the Creative Commons License, or something reasonably close thereto. Such a license allows me to release my work publicly while both retaining my authorship and allowing others the freedom to utilize pieces of it, so long as they give appropriate credit, and pass that right on to others… much like Linux and the GPL! < p>Keep an eye on this space for updates. I expect to have this done by Monday as promised. |
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This article discusses personal information and hidden text that can turn up in a variety of word processor formats, most notably Microsoft Word. I’ve been aware of this “feature” for a number of years and don’t use Word for publishing anything these days. Instead, I use either OpenOffice converted to Acrobat PDF format, or LyX. The DocBook format allows me to put very nice articles or books together with a minimum of fuss about formatting. LyX does all the work, I just type my ideas and they can be output to PDF, HTML, or text format in a snap. |
