Read that article. And then see what you can do to change your lightbulbs. This is incredible stuff given this type of benefit:
One thing hasn't changed: the energy savings. Compact fluorescents emit the same light as classic incandescents but use 75% or 80% less electricity.
What that means is that if every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.
That's the law of large numbers--a small action, multiplied by 110 million.
The single greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States is power plants--half our electricity comes from coal plants. One bulb swapped out: enough electricity saved to turn off two entire power plants--or skip building the next two.
I'm SOLD. You go do it too. [Hat Tip: Instapundit]
My next, and probably last, piece of studio gear, Avalon Compressor/EQ
THE AVALON VT-747SP IS A CLASS A, VACUUM TUBE-DISCRETE TWIN SIGNAL PATH OPTO-COMPRESSOR-EQUALIZER The Avalon VT-747SP combines a creative STEREO tube-discrete Class A spectral-opto-compressor with a musical six band program equalizer, L-R output level and gain reduction metering and internal regulated power supplies in a 2U space. Ideal for high performance DAW input signal conditioning, stereo buss compression-EQ, stereo keyboards and analog mastering applications.
This will be it for a long time. I want to get my mixes of my tracks and sounds feeling really full and fat. This should do it. Probably have to get a paper route or start washing some dishes somewhere. It is not as if this music and DJ lifestyle earns the big bucks.... Hmmm, breaking even would be nice enough, but that's for another blog post to ponder on.
Derrick May talks about the U.S. scene & his appearance at Compression.
DJ DERRICK MAY AT EXITFEST 2006
What is interesting are his comments about LA being being dead, but not because of the "valiant efforts of the promoter" (that being me). That makes me feel better, but since I don't get around the country much to compare what we are doing here vs. what is happening elsewhere, I can't really say that I agree or disagree as I thought we had a good show with Derrick. But the gauntlet is laid down because he does mention that Texas had it going on vs. LA and even NYC. Wow.
He also makes some good points about youth marketing, etc. Check it out. Note: the substantive part of the interview is about halfway through the video if you want to bypass the small talk in the beginning.
"BT's This Binary Universe is really a follow-up to his 2004 soundtrack to Monster, a brilliant work of cinematic moods and ambient Americana. It was unjustly ignored by both the Oscars and the Grammys, where it should have at least been nominated for Best Surround Sound Recording. None of that has stopped Brian Transeau from going further down this path of expansive ambient electronica that takes him out of the techno-pop and trance direction he had been pursuing. This Binary Universe taps into BT's classical side, with expansive arrangements and intricate, albeit minimalist, thematic development. From the opening of "All That Makes Us Human Continues," BT reveals himself as a master of Eno-esque melancholy, as simple melodies evolve through an electro-orchestral instrumental palette. Lounge jazz with solos in the key of abstract, plaintive arpeggiated guitars, electro marches, minimalist hymns, and pastoral dreamscapes drive an album that seeks out joy and redemption, but not without traveling through the dark. The last track, "Good Morning Kaia," is a paean to his newborn daughter, and the most purely anthemic track on the disc. I suspect the real raison d'être of This Binary Universe is the accompanying 5:1 surround DVD. BT creates an immersive space that's less sonic pinball and more audio sculpture, often revealing different aspects of his music than in the stereo mix. Each song on the DVD has a unique video that includes antique robots, surreal landscape drawings, live action fantasies, and abstract designs. It's the best way to experience this music, but whether you watch the DVD or tune into the stereo CD, This Binary Universe may be the first ambient symphony of the 21st century. -> John Diliberto"
I totally agree with this Amazon.com review. I just downloaded the album from iTunes and I think it's great.
So, I run across this woman who posts videos of her trials and tribulations on becoming an actress in LA. At first, I was dismissive, but then I watched this one below and kinda started to think she was real. Then she posts a video about asking her mom for some money to survive out here and then I couldn't help it. I felt sympathy and whole lot of empathy given that I moved out to LA in 1999 without a clue as to how to really make it here. I emailed her with unsolicited advice. (I'm bad at that because I do it often to a lot of people, but I can't help myself.) In any case, she responded back with a thank you and it was a very nice exchange, etc. And that was the end of that.
LUCYinLA/ Little Miss Sunshine
BUT, then I ended up checking back tonight to see if anything new was posted by her. It wasn't. BUT, others had started posting responses to her videos with their videos. I don't why this blows my mind, but it does. It is like YouTube is enabling a whole new way to easily communicate with people we've never met - ever. But still have this weird humanistic connection through PIXELS.
I can't imagine what life is going to be like for my son when he grows up to be an adult. But anyway, watch the video. I went to see the movie based on her reaction in this video. Okay, is that weird?
The 3 Stooges @ SYNC - Maven, Robtronik, & DJ Andre
Yep, gear overload. In this set from the SYNC (which happens the second Sunday every month at the Mor Bar, link here for our last event flyer), we had 2 Xone:3D mixers, two laptops running Ableton Live and one Roland MC-909. All sync'd up (get it, get it?) and we were jamming our tracks, samples and grooves all together. Except for rockin' my double chin, it was sweet! :)
I just recieved this Friday and used it at Compression when I opened up for Santiago Salazar and Droid Behavior's Subversion. (Event info here). Its a 4 drum instrument analog machine with five 8 bit samples for additional drum sounds (which draw from the the famous 808 and 909 machines, as well as others). It really pumped on the Turbo sound system we bring in. I can't wait to learn how to program it on the fly while playing. This adds a lot of interactivity to my Live PA/DJ set.
Currently I am using an Allen & Heath Xone:3D with a Radikal Technologies Spectralis and the new Jomox Xbase 999 in my performances. I have my laptop running Ableton Live through the 3D as well. Its fun and a very involved and this set up feels the most right since I abandoned vinyl (and even CDs) almost a year ago in lieu of using Ableton Live.
For my complete review and further thoughts, check out my thread here on the board.
I don't know why I haven't turned this feature on before. But it rocks. I think maybe in my haste, I turned it off when I was redesigning the site. And I've probably missed a ton of feedback because of it. I redesigned my site to be more a conversation between anyone coming here and me... but failed to turn on the comments. Oh my.
Please drop me your feedback on any mixes, events, or even my bio. Thanks for coming by. :)
A lot of DJs' selections turn to shit after they start using digital. Somehow - no, because of all those choices, they're unable to make a single interesting one. This is no coincidence.
And I think, as it has always been, the skill of programming that makes a DJ. Selection is king over technical skill. And vinyl? I give it 3 years tops.
And this is the best line I've seen in awhile on our ongoing fight against terrorism:
"you may not be interested in terrorism, terrorism is still interested in you." Apparently this was modified from a famous quote of Trotsky's that stated: "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." (Found this via www.instapundit.com a famous libertarian blog, you've probably heard of it.)
I'm glad that they stopped this plan. Although I travel a lot and I had just gotten over my initial fears of flying from 9/11. And now this. It's unfortunate and scary.
Not sure if this takes anything away from the king of the current crop of effects tools, the Pioneer EFX-1000, but it certainly has the specs to be a serious contender. It even has a USB connection for moving data to and from your computer. To me it looks like something from Battlestar Galactica or a Space Invader. That's not a bad thing.
