What I really want…

August 4th, 2010 | autos, general

…is a cheap stick-shift car. Why? Because I want to re-learn how to drive a stick shift. I once knew by learning with a friend’s minivan. Yep, that’s right…a stick-shift minivan. That of course was well over a decade ago. Wow, a decade already? Blimey, I’m old…

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Computers: love vs. hate

August 3rd, 2010 | general, tech

There’s a guy at work that says “computers are like women…hate to deal with them but can’t live without them”.

When things are working correctly computers are great. Entertainment, work etc etc. Plus, there’s that little thing called the internet.

I must say, I really like my current laptop computer. MacBook Pro works great and it looks great too. My main dislike for computers comes into play when visiting family and at work.

Both places are dealing with viruses currently. It’s a shame because they are so easily picked up without knowing, even when careful. At, at both places, it’s not like they weren’t protected. Things just happen and those things cause problems.

There are many days where I wish I could just unplug and move to the middle of nowhere and not deal with anything modern. Sadly, I’m sure I would get bored reading books for entertainment, and I’d be really bummed without electricity to play electric guitars.

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never enough fuzz

July 7th, 2010 | music

I love fuzz! If you aren’t a guitar player or musician that hangs around guitar players you’re probably looking at an old blanket thinking “huh”?

Fuzz is an effect. I’ll keep this basic: It kinda started with the Fuzz Face and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. Yes, I know there are others, so don’t burn me because just because I didn’t include. This isn’t a history of fuzz post, this is a “I want more fuzz pedals” post. The point is…if you’ve listened to any music with a guitar since the late ’60s I will bet you any money you’ve heard a fuzz pedal on an album.

You know how people always ask “are you a Beatles or Elvis guy?” Well the same can kind of go for fuzz: “are you a Fuzz Face or Big Muff guy?” I have found that I’m a Big Muff kinda guy. That said, I’m open to anything. Currently I have the Red Witch Fuzz God I (link is to version 2, which is a bit different but my version isn’t made anymore). I love the Fuzz God…it’s probably my most used pedal, as long as you don’t include my T.C. Jauernig Luxury Drive boost, which is never turned off.

Anyways, I want more fuzz pedals. No, not to replace the Fuzz God…just to have other flavors to choose from. You don’t always want to drink cherry Kool-Aid do you? Sometimes you want black cherry instead haha. Here are a few choices I’m looking into:

Blackout Effectors Musket Fuzz:
This thing is based on a Big Muff. From the demos I’ve listened to, it sounds great and is extremely versatile, thanks to all the knobs like “focus” and “pre”. This is a strong contender.

EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Fuzz:
I’ve read good things about this fuzz, but have yet to find a really good demo of it. It’s based on the old green russian muff (variant of the Big Muff). I’m keeping my eyes out for more demos on this one.

Stomp Under Foot:
This guy makes a bunch of different Big Muff pedals. Civil War muff, Ram’s Head muff, green Russian muff…they’re all there, and the demos sound good. The biggest problem with these pedals is I can’t decide which one I like the best.

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi:
I’ve always been one to just go for the original, and this is it. But is this too easy? Some say current EHX Big Muffs are like Fender Amps: the were great back in the day, but cheap manufacturing makes them crappy now. Another thing to consider, the Musket IS much better than this…is the price difference justified though? Maybe I should get this muff instead…

Audio Menagerie Timber Wolf:
This was the only photo I could find of this online. I actually played this pedal at another shop in Portland called Old Town. It’s a nice pedal. Concerns: for the price would the Musket be better? Also, is it too close to the Fuzz God? Still would be a neat addition I think. I don’t think this one is purely based off a Muff, but that’s not a problem (variety is great).

Bigfoot F.X. Spaghetti Western Fuzz:
Oddly enough, just like the Timber Wolf builder, this builder is in/near Portland, OR too. This one is a bit different…it even says in the description it’s not based on a Fuzz Face or a Muff. This could be very nice because it would be different from my Fuzz God. Here’s how much I like this pedal: I never see people talk about it, I don’t see advertisements for it, but yet I keep going back to the website every now and again just to hear those wonderful sound clips. hmmmm it’s too tempting.

Wattson FX Classic Fuzz:
I’ve had my eye on this one for a long while. Listen to the demos…it’s amazing. So why don’t I already have it? For one, price. Another reason, it’s a bit huge…but the main reason is price. ouch.

Z.Vex Fuzz Factory:
Yes, the handpainted ones are pricey, but there’s always the Vexter series, which is the same effect, minus the handpainted case. This fuzz is awesome. If you were ever wondering, this is what the guitarist in Muse uses (he likes it so much he has it built into his guitar). My only hesitation is that it might be a bit similiar to my Fuzz God. Not a huge problem, but since there is a variety available, maybe a different sound would be better.

Death By Audio Fuzz War
In the clips I’ve heard, this sounds like a brutal fuzz…amazing. D.b.A. pedals are sometimes quite expensive, but this one is quite reasonable. My only question is, do I want something a bit more “musical/less intense” or do I want the destruction? This is another strong contender because it does sound pretty great.

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this vs that vs those

June 29th, 2010 | autos, general, music, tech

I’m one of those people that always thinks there’s something better than the item I’m interested in. I decide I need/want something, find something I like, and then search for something that’s “better” only to debate between the two items endlessly until they are both out of date. I’m either too picky, or indecisive…I haven’t figured out which. Usually I can narrow things down to 2 similar items…I just can’t find a clear winner. Here are a few current debates going for me…

Delay pedals:

First is the Empress Effects Vintage Modified Superdelay. This thing is somewhat of a powerhouse…able to do more things than a guitar player could even think of. Sadly, it comes at a somewhat of a powerhouse price as well…$449. Ouch.

I’m also interested in the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy. It’s quite a different animal in that it’s analog delay, and EHX isn’t considered “boutique”…whatevs. Why do I like it? Options like tap tempo. It’s also quite different in price…around $179.

The third is the TC Electronic Nova Repeater. It’s sort of the middle between the first two…digital with a few different settings like the Superdelay, but cheaper like the D.M.B. at only $169.

Interface:

I want to record music using my computer. I need an interface to do that. First option is the Presonus Firestudio Mobile. It’s a firewire interface. It comes bundled with StudioOne Artist software, which is made by Presonus.

The second option is Focusrite Saffire Pro 24. This is also a firewire interface. It’s the same price as the Presonus…actually the only difference I can find is the bundled software. To be honest, I have a feeling the Presonus software is better…I’m not sure why I’m still debating this.

Car:

I want a new car. I wanted a 2010 VW GTI. I had all my options picked out and was ready to order one at my local dealer, only to find out VW stopped orders on the 2010 and only started 2011 model orders. Problem is, I’m hearing rumors about package changes and this and that, but nothing has officially changed on VW’s website. I keep telling myself I can’t order a car until I’m exactly sure what I’ll get.

The other option is the VW Golf R20. This car may very well not exist…I’ll explain. It was at a car show…basically it’s a superpowered Golf (the GTI is also a tuned up Golf…but the R20 is more powerful even). Every online publication I can find claims the R20 is coming to the USA summer of 2010 (NOW!). Sadly, my local dealer says there’s no such thing coming. hmmm, what now?

My third option is say screw VW for adding stress to my life and start my search all over for something else.

Phone:

I need a new phone. At first I was waiting for the new Apple iphone. It looks quite nice. But then of course there were all the opening day problems: discolored screen, people holding their phones wrong (WTF), etc etc. Not to mention, I’d need to switch to AT&T (not a huge problem…just annoying switching to another carrier…if there’s even an AT&T store in this town). But, I do think Apple has the best designed App store.

My other option is the yet-to-be-released Motorola Droid X. It’s on Verizon (no changing stuff). It’s also a Motorola…not that I love the company, but I’ve had 3 mobile phones in my life, 2 of which (including my current phone) have been Motorolas. Also, the design is everything I wanted the original Droid to be: a phone without a keyboard! I think I like the actual phone better than the iphone, but I don’t trust the Android market as much as Apple’s ap store. ugh.

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dumbing down sports for network TV

June 7th, 2010 | general, sport, tv

I’ll admit it, I’m not a huge fan of the typical popular sports in the U.S. I love watching the Trailblazers play basketball, but with other teams playing I lose interest. I’ll watch football…only if there’s nothing better on. I enjoy watching the Twins and Brewers in baseball; other than that I get bored quickly. And you won’t ever catch me watching NASCAR because I just plain hate it.

Sports I really enjoy watching include rugby, Formula 1 racing, and soccer/football/whatever you want to call it.

Soccer has become more common to see on TV in the U.S. thanks to the MLS. Most of the MLS games though are on cable channels, with ABC occasionally showing a game here and there. I have no problem with these games.

This year marked a first as Fox Sports took the plunge and showed the Champions League final. I thought it was terrific that such a big event was available to such a wide audience in the U.S. Sadly, not many people in the U.S. are familiar with the European clubs, which sadly Fox realized. Problems started in the pregame show with the commentators continuously pointing out how big the Champions League final match is. The commentators spent alot of time talking about how popular and great the players are. Thankfully soccer is popular enough that they didn’t feel the need to explain the rules of the game.

But it bothered the hell out of me listening the commentators bringing up how big the match was, how great the players were etc etc over and over. The majority of the audience were probably the big fans of the sport, and they already knew this. Fox knew that to make this work, they needed to get the people wondering what Champions League is all about, people that haven’t really ever paid attention to it. Once they tune in, the commentators had to remind these viewers how great it was so that the viewers kept watching.

This happens with Formula 1 racing also. SpeedTV carries the races in the U.S. and to be honest their coverage is great fun. Bob, Steve, and Dave are both know their stuff, and keep it funny at the same time. A car as a technical problem, Steve can give the viewers a pretty good guess as to what the problem is within a few seconds. If the team finds new parts on the cars (which happens throughout the season), the commentating team sees them and explains how it will make things better. They educate the viewer keeping in mind that the viewers already know the basics. They aren’t going to waste our time explaining why the steering wheel isn’t round…we know that already. They will tell us if Mercedes GP are running a longer wheel-base car, which is something F1 fans find interesting.

I bring F1 up now because this coming weekend is the Canadian GP and Fox is airing it. The SpeedTV commentator team will have the call, but it’s on Fox. Traditionally when F1 is on network TV, whether it be CBS (a few years ago) or Fox, they always dumb it down. Once again, trying explain what’s happening, give the viewer history of the sport, in the hopes of bringing in new fans. On the flip side, while chatting about the basics, it bores me to death, and I’m sure other regular F1 fans feel the same. I can only hope the same doesn’t happen this year, but it always has in the past, so I’m not betting on change.

Finally, I love rugby. I watch rugby online, I tune into Australian ABC radio to listen to NRL games, it’s great. This last weekend NBC decided to give rugby a try. They aired Rugby Sevens with college teams. I’m not familiar with Sevens other than the fact that they play with 7 players instead of the usual 15 and the games are much shorter. There were a few rules changes from what I’m used to, but picked up on them quickly, and I enjoyed the matches. But NBC hit a new low with their attempt to introduce the sport to new fans…new low for me anyways.

Rugby has positions like “prop”, “fly-half”, and “wing”…or “the flyer”. What was NBC’s way of describing them? Football. They actually used a graphic listing the football position equivalent like “quarterback” “running back”. Wow! Once again, to the majority of the audience watching, they probably liked that. Viewers that enjoy rugby already probably hated it, like me.

This whole thing leaves me between a rock and a hard place. On one side I’d love to see the sports I’ve grown to love get bigger in the U.S. and receive more coverage. On the other side, I don’t want to sit through games, matches, and races listening to commentators tell me the basics I already know. Part of me wishes network TV would give up on these sports and leave it to the specialty channels that know their audience to broadcast. (ah hem F1 races…Fox, give up…keep them on SpeedTV and let Steve, Dave, and Bob do their thing.)

I wonder if people in England have the same problem when it comes to NFL games that air there. Do the few die-hard fans have to sit through basic rules (the yellow flag means a penalty) and history (the Packers won the first two Super Bowls) the whole time? And if you don’t understand what I’m complaining about, aren’t you annoyed just a little bit that I told you what a penalty flag is and about the Packers’ SB I & II wins? You know that, I know that, but this is the bs the networks feel they need to point out with new sports. ugh.

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