a.miller

I publish "It's Just That Simple" the next great novel detailing a mid level band struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom.

"It's a think piece."

Jeff doesn't look so...Jeff in that pic. He looks like some actor or something, but I cannot place it.

this is mandatory viewing kids

For sure.

Thanks ELF for articulating my exact thoughts.

Netflix has some kind of Instant Play Option on a small portion of movies where you can watch movies instantly through the internet.

They have recently (since its inception) changed this feature to be a big pile of stinking DRM-laden shit. I can't get the movies to play anymore.

1) HD DVD discs are region-free. You can buy a movie in Europe and it'll work in your North American player. But Blu-Ray discs are locked to a specific geographic region.

 

2) SONY. The same people who brought us proprietary stuff like ATRAC, Betamax, Memory Stick, CDs with root kits, etc. They really like to shove their technology down the consumer's throat and the public usually rejects it in the long run.

Yes and Yes. I took the HD DVD plunge over the holidays and it sure is awesome. I can't believe how much better it looks and sounds.

Can we start the draft discussion? Cause right now there is a three-way tie for the 3rd pick between Atlanta, Oakland and KC. Here's hoping my Chiefs score it.

There's always been a debate on firewire 800 vs. 400 vs. USB 2.0 with respect to speed. I agree with the points above regarding front side bus speed, etc. I have found that many aspects (components) are overlooked and others are focused on -- often unnecessarily -- when 'optimizing' a computer. There can be a bottle neck of sorts, with data 'traveling through' the computer, so that having one super-fast peripheral becomes a moot point in an otherwise average system. This happened frequently with the introduction of multi-core processors, where software wasn't written to take advantage of this new technology.

I didn't spend less, or more. However, it's my understanding that the overall holiday spending was down this year as compared with year's past.

This would make up for only playing here twice....

One can stick a finger in someone's face without intending to injure the eye.

that was pretty bad.

I shouldn't have to convince anyone outside of New england. Play of the game had to be the 15 yard unsportsmanlike on Toomer. N.E player taunts Giants sideline and trips over his own feet therefore 15 yard penalty on Toomer.

no worse than the group celebration unsportsmanlike on Maroney after the first Moss touchdown.

The underlying theme of how lousy cable companies are sure was fun during every commercial break.

Here's a pedal question -- what would you guys suggest for simply boosting your volume level? The basis of my question is that I use a gibson and a fender live. The gibson puts out about twice the level of the fender. I'd like to locate a pedal that i can switch on that will boost my signal when using the fender and then i could just click it off when using the gibson. I don't need drive, as I'm happy with my tube screamer (for now.)

Any suggestions would be great.

Yes - The hard drive has the ability to be hooked to the computer via USB or firewire cables; there are "plugs" or "ports" on the hard drive enclosure that allow either type of connection to be used.

Hmm....when writing to the external hard drive, the computer is performing as if if were writing to the internal hard drive. The soundcard and processor handle the data in the same way, but it is then stored on an external hard drive. I'm not sure if that answers your question.

My statement, about an external drive working well, was derived from the idea that there was no lag or delay in the recording being saved to the external drive as opposed to the internal one. This is essential if you are running only programs on your internal drive. You can hit record and the info can be saved directly to the external drive.

I know the guitar tech who used to work for Jewel and is now with Chris Cornell. With most things, the bigger the name, the bigger the money. This guy left Jewel because he was not getting a "retainer fee". This is a fee you, as the guitar tech, are paid when the artist is not touring. So basically, you get a weekly paycheck year round and when the artist says they're gonna tour, you pack and go. This guy was getting paid $200,000 annually working for Cornell.

A lot of guitar techs will work the studio sessions also (which I didn't know) in case a guitar problem comes up. So -- it's more than just tuning the guitars before the songs

I filled in working for Jewel, briefly, when this guy left (short notice) and there was all sorts of stuff to manage -- exactly where the guitars go on stage, wireless mic/monitor setup, tuner pedals for every guitar, etc. etc. The money was good (not 200k), but I got $500 cash per night.

Pair this enclosure with this hard drive. You can swap a different drive into the enclosure, which future proofs it more. Additionally, these enclosures feature superior cooling; something that many "stock" external drives lack. I have 4 of these enclosures. They all perform wonderfully for music recording and are (both) USB 2.0 and Firewire. Hope that is of some help.

Yes to the Fender tube amps. I have a blues deluxe reissue and it has been super. You can get one for around $600. You might also look at a Bassman -- those are really cool too. Or a twin...or a....

And the verdict:

Fantastic guitar. Playability rivals my 335. The tones are so versatile and so easy to obtain with the different tone circuits. For fellow Jazzmaster owners: Is it me or is the tremolo lock a big fat pain to get set correctly? (which I think I finally did)

Happy Holidays, may God bless all the wonderful people here and all those around you.

Back to the Magic Hat No.9 -- it's good to make a black & tan with (Guiness).

Good topic idea -- My two cents:

Anyone being exposed to loud music for prolonged periods of time should use them. However, I think there are a number of factors that make your volume level (as a band) more damaging. The biggest one I can think of is the drums. I played in this band for a while and the drummer would pound the shit out of his drums. He was a great drummer, but really played hard. My ears would ring and hurt after every practice and every show we had.

I tried ear plugs, with a similar result as you: very hard to hear yourself sing. So, I went without them. After about a year, I noticed that I couldn't hear conversations well at certain volumes / in certain areas. It was never a case of "low" volume, as much as certain pitches of voices were very hard to distinguish. After our "loud drummer band" broke up, my hearing went back to normal after a couple months. I can imagine, however, that I did some permanent damage.

The current band I'm playing with has a very skilled drummer, with a great amount of touch -- my ears never ring after we play. The drummer's volume allows everyone in the band to play softer, which is better for everyone's ears.

Perhaps your band could turn down a little? I know it's way easier said than done.

If your ears are ringing/hurting after practice, you should definitely be wearing ear protection. Look into a earplug style that has removable filters. You can get filters that cut a certain dB amount, which might make it easier to sing, etc. I think "hearos" brand makes some of these. Maybe check with the percussion department at a music store and see what they recommend.

Oh yes.. I actually covered "Waiting on You" in a band.. And then they had "Susanne" - Great.. "Mykel and Carli" - Great.. The Christmas songs.. "You Gave your Love too Me Softly".. "Devotion"....Just great tunes..

Yep...and then...none.

Have you heard the song "Jamie"? What an amazing song..

Yes I have, and yes it is. Have you heard "Waiting on You"? I thought that one was great too. Last night on VH1, there was some special about great videos, and they mentioned the "Buddy Holly" video. I just thought, what the hell happened to this (awesome) band?

Magic Hat No. 9