the art of writing is discovering what you believe
Yesterday being the 11th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, I suppose I should just be grateful that, this year at least, we’re not cursed with an Ann Coulter profile in Time.
Still, every year since 2002, this sad anniversary reminds me of a question I still haven’t heard answered:
Why wasn’t April 19, 1995 the “day that changed everything”?
Where were you on that April morning?
Continue reading “a good question”
We Both Go Down Together / The Decemberists / Paste Magazine Sampler 15
Jealous Guy / Roxy Music / Street Life – Greatest Hits
Four Seasons In One Day / Crowded House / Recurring Dream
– Wieder Sehr Breit / Simon Rattle/City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Symphony No.2 “Resurrection”
Hey Julie / Fountains Of Wayne / Welcome Interstate Managers
I’m A Man / Jeff Beck / Beckology (Disc 1)
…Dust / Elvis Costello / When I Was Cruel
All the Young Dudes / World Party / Clueless
Gone / U2 / Pop
“Adagio sostenuto” from Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor,No. 2 “Moonlight” / Béla Fleck / Perpetual Motion
Pinhole Camera Kits from Pinhole Solutions:
The BULLDOG 5×4 Self Assembly Camera Kit
This is a new type of camera kit, it is laser cut out of MDF to very precise measurements and you just push out the different parts and glue them together. Also provided are all the metal components that allow you to have a rising front and lateral movement of the front panel. The Bulldog accepts standard double dark slides as well as a Polaroid back in the spring loaded back with a ground glass screen. This camera also accepts a standard Linhof lens panel for regular use with the appropriate lens but it comes complete with a double etched pinhole lens and a Brass dial exposure calculater so once made up it can be used straight away as a large format pinhole camera with a variable focal length, 50 mm to 200mm. The Bulldog is made in the UK and is on offer for £160 as a pinhole camera inc Exposure calculator and carriage.
Looks like US$285. A good deal, I think. But perhaps more than I have any use for, at the moment.
Not sure what possessed me to do this, but I fished Sandanista out of the pile of vinyl to be run through the digitizing mill.
ACCORDING TO YOUR ANSWERS, The political description that fits you best is… . LIBERAL
LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded “safety net” to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.
Interesting how the different categories break down:
Centrist 32.08 %
Right (Conservative) 7.73 %
Libertarian 33.98 %
Left (Liberal) 18.21 %
Statist (Big Government) 8.00 %
One could argue that the Statists are the most vocal part of the right: lumping them and the traditional conservatives together still doesn’t equal self-identified Liberals, who are supposedly the fringe party.
I’ve long claimed that one should decide what you believe in and find a party or organization that shares those ideals: I don’t think most people do that. My take on it has always been that people associate themselves with a party based on the social appeal. Liberalism has been stigmatized for the past 15 years as a result of the right-wing’s constant framing efforts: being conservative has been portrayed as reasonable and moderate, mature and responsible. Anyone who has followed the nation’s financial predicament and our train-wreck of a foreign policy would find a disconnect.
The other curiosity was the high percentage of libertarians, but I suspect that’s an artifact of this being an internet-based quiz. And I realize now that this quiz is offered by a libertarian activist group, so there is some skewing/framing in the definitions. The political compass does a better job w/o an agenda.
Tim Burton’s stop-motion movie The Corpse Bride was shot frame-by-frame using modified Canon 1Ds cameras, which were chosen after their image quality was compared with all available alternatives, including motion-picture film. The very subtle tones in that movie are a tribute to Canon electronics.
I haven’t seen the movie, just the trailer. Interesting.
Moving from one blogging tool to another is a pain in the ass, whether you’ve outgrown Radio, Blogger, Movable Type, Manila or something else.
Moving from MovableType to WordPress was no big deal, and I suspect it’s still trivial. But far be it from me to get in the way of someone making a living.
TPM Muckraker April 20, 2006 08:28 AM (Printable Format):
The truth hurts. Missourian Bill Jones opened a letter from his congresswoman, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), in which the lawmaker wrote, “I think you’re an” followed by “a profane, seven-letter insult,” the AP reports, which our New York Times crossword dictionary tells us is “asshole.”
If you check out the original[pdf], it looks like the offending bit was stripped in after it was signed: it’s not like the text appears in the middle of a paragraph.
Continue reading “constituent communications, how not to conduct”
I ended up with a solution to my audio hum problem.
The iMic is out of the loop which means I can’t use Final Vinyl: it won’t run if it doesn’t detect an iMic in the loop. Using it made too much noise, worse than before. So we’re working with the old dependable: Audacity.
The turntable is running into an old receiver and the output from that to the line-in on the old iMac. Works fine, as best I can tell. The input volume in Audacity has to be way down, but I have it playing through the speakers and it sounds just fine.
Sluice down the vinyl with spritz or two from a spray bottle of clear water, run round it with an old DiscWasher brush, and drop the needle. From what I can tell, leaving a thin film of water eliminates some crackling and popping, either by lubricating the needle’s passage or by eliminating static and dust by negating the natural magnetism of a vinyl record.
My niece brought these to me on her last visit: I had read some of the later books in the series, but was content to read them in the order I found them rather than in what passes for chronological order. Can’t recommend them too highly, in or out of order.
“The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel (A Discworld Novel)” (Terry Pratchett)
“The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel (A Discworld Novel)” (Terry Pratchett)
“Mort (Discworld, Book 4)” (Terry Pratchett)
“Equal Rites: A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels)” (Terry Pratchett)
“Sourcery (Discworld Novels)” (Terry Pratchett)
“Guards! Guards! (Discworld, Book 8)” (Terry Pratchett)
“Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, Book 6)” (Terry Pratchett)
