Sweet Cucumber

When Browsers Go Wrong:

This can happen when database-driven websites get updated just at the exact moment when you load a page…
Click the above image for a larger view… But not as large as it really was: the screen snapshot is in reality 3300 x 2200 pixels (took me about 4 screenshots).

Anyway, I didn’t even want to see that news about friggin’ Heather Mills on the Beeb’s site. Damn ballbuster. Awarded £24.3m (€30m, $48.6m) in her divorce ruling against Macca, and still not happy.

In other, much more important news, the heating is broken here, and it’s bloody cold to work at the Box.

Almost there…

This just in from a certain weather-uk.com domain:

Geraes, sta. Catharina and espirito santo silver, noticed
which farms had good crops he heard the of houses to which
one begins to get reconciled. I’d rely on it every time.
no good in court, of you think i know what household affairs
are? And she excelled in several branches of sport. She
the heavenly heart unfolded itself to a flowerchalice (o
do something. That’s what my fe petary, miss your affectionate
brother as gently as possible your own son is innocent?
i pray without ceasing effect. I couldnt have played the
hand better nothing you want to see?’ ‘the set of china
figures fun. Had you ever been there before? Jane, suddenly
mother’s heart was broken at the thought that the stairs
leading to the river were close at.

Sir Lancelot gazed fondly into the soft blue pools of Lady Guineviere’s eyes and gently held her mutant third hand.

Wait, what?

via photoshop disasters

Back online, after two [house] moves in only a few weeks.

Still need to connect most of my music gear, but that’s a rather pleasant experience compared to moving boxes.

Every single bone and muscle in my body aches. My back and ribs are slowly getting better though.

A lot of work awaits me, but first: connecting my new 1TB - 7200rpm Raid discs. Yay.

More soon…

…and I dare to run the same test as the previous post with a real vintage analog MiniMoog, compared to some VI (Virtual Instrument) software clone [as in: a digital emulation or copy of the MiniMoog’s innards].

I already know what the outcome is gonna be.

So puhlease, can we stop about that ridiculous hype about analog synthesis now ? And how much better analog equipment sounds, no matter what brand, vintage or whatever ? It’s bull.
I’ve had millions of analog synths back in the days (even some Mini’s), and let me tell you that most software I have right now does at least sound as good as ye’ olde boys. And it has presets, doesn’t drift out of tune, and doesn’t cost half a mortgage.

Boohoo to you, Moog, with your ridiculous MiniMoog Voyager Old School. For friggin’ $2600.

Some analog freaks also tend to forget that most recordings nowadays go through some digital audiopath anyway, be it a A/D converter, a digital mixer, or both. There goes your analog, boy.

From a post on the Audioholics forum:

We gathered up a 5 of our audio buddies. We took my “old” Martin Logan SL-3 (not a bad speaker for accurate noise making) and hooked them up with Monster 1000 speaker cables (decent cables according to the audio press). We also rigged up 14 gauge, oxygen free Belden stranded copper wire with a simple PVC jacket. Both were 2 meters long. They were connected to an ABX switch box allowing blind fold testing. Volume levels were set at 75 Db at 1000K Hz. A high quality recording of smooth, trio, easy listening jazz was played (Piano, drums, bass). None of us had heard this group or CD before, therefore eliminating biases. The music was played. Of the 5 blind folded, only 2 guessed correctly which was the monster cable. (I was not one of them). This was done 7 times in a row! Keeping us blind folded, my brother switched out the Belden wire (are you ready for this) with simple coat hanger wire! Unknown to me and our 12 audiophile buddies, prior to the ABX blind test, he took apart four coat hangers, reconnectd them and twisted them into a pair of speaker cables. Connections were soldered. He stashed them in a closet within the testing room so we were not privy to what he was up to. This made for a pair of 2 meter cables, the exact length of the other wires. The test was conducted. After 5 tests, none could determine which was the Monster 1000 cable or the coat hanger wire. Further, when music was played through the coat hanger wire, we were asked if what we heard sounded good to us. All agreed that what was heard sounded excellent, however, when A-B tests occured, it was impossible to determine which sounded best the majority of the time and which wire was in use. Needless to say, after the blind folds came off and we saw what my brother did, we learned he was right…most of what manufactures have to say about their products is pure hype. It seems the more they charge, the more hyped it is.

Of course, everyone with at least a spoonful of brains in his head knows this.
The big question remains - knowing that most human beings do have a brain, sort of - why the fuck every single one us of still falls for all this hype ?! All the time.

And don’t get me started on all this bio-food stuff and shiite.
Listen greenie, bio-food is NOT handmade by some lovely garden gnomes, okay ?
Even bio-diesel is almost as harmful as regular diesel. It just sounds better. And costs more.
Duh.

Ricochet by Tangerine dream, probably my most favoristititcstiz elektronik album ever. I literally grew up with this, and I still listen to it on a regular base, 30 years on… I know every single note, twist and beat of this record, and it still fascinates and amazes me with new meanderings at every occasion. Those sequences, my god, so many others tried it too, but always failed. Ricochet brings back so many memories down trippy lane…

Anyway, I’m busy. Hence the lack of posts lately.

Awesome stuff in Dan Paluska’s and Jeff Lieberman’s ping pong ball hurling, robotic Absolut Quartet orchestral machine.

Stunning.