|
|
Tuesday, 23 September 2003
|
|
| |
The 3,000-year-old Ward Hunt ice shelf, the largest ice shelf in the Arctic, has broken up, report U.S. and Canadian scientists. [Wired News] It's not really getting warmer every year, is it?
6:10:54 PM  ;
|
|
Side I and Side P are still going at it after 50 years, so Side I is building a wall to seal off its border with Side P. The company doing the construction will make a lot of money, but in the end there's a stiffer price to pay. From Wired magazine. [Wired News] This is the opposite of Border Towns like El Paso...this is trying to prevent cultures from clashing...it can only last a while....
6:09:29 PM ;
|
|
Schlemphfer writes "Spammers have likely received their biggest setback yet, when California governor Gray Davis today signed a bill outlawing all unsolicited ... [Slashdot]
6:07:03 PM ;
|
|
We're fast closing in on the late November deadline for cellular companies and other telcos to offer number portability to their customers. The telcos have been dragging their heels on this for years, knowing that their businesses -- which have legnedarily poor customer satisfaction -- will be challenged to behave like real companies if their customers can switch and keep their phone numbers with them.
Now Congress is starting to waffle on the idea of number-portability -- big-money lobbyists have done their work and turned our elected representatives against us. Escape Cell Hell is the action-center fielded by Consumers Union (publishers of Consumer Reports) where you can write in and tell your Congresscritter not to sell out your interests to the twisted progeny of Ma Bell.
Via [BoingBoing]
6:04:35 PM ;
|
|
A Buddhist priest dubbed the "marathon monk" has completed an ancient running ritual in the remote Japanese mountains that took seven years and covered a distance equivalent to a trip round the globe, wearing only a flowing white robe and flimsy straw sandals.
The 44-year-old monk, Genshin Fujinami, returned Thursday from his 24,800-mile spiritual journey in the Hiei mountains, a range of five peaks that rise above the ancient capital of Kyoto
via [Minding the Planet]
5:27:59 PM ;
|
|
Ottmar's short guide 2 performing @ a casino 1. Casinos usually pay decent money and usually have great equipment, which makes for a better than average sound experience for the band and the audience.
2. Casinos want a fairly short show, usually between 75-100 minutes. I think as long as both the artist and the audience are aware of this it is not a problem.
3. Not all Casinos have a dedicated theater - as we found out in Connecticut a couple of years ago, where only a curtain seperated us from the din of the casino floor. I suggest you ask if you don't know the casino.
4:49:55 PM ;
|
|
We use the Shure KSM 44 live in conjunction with a KSM 141, which has a higher output. In my ear-monitors I only listen to the KSM 44.
4:48:14 PM ;
|
|
CNET story about a new product that promises the ability to automatically shut off small cameras in futurephones:
Iceberg Systems is beta-testing Safe Haven, which combines hardware transmitters with a small piece of control software loaded into a camera phone handset. When the handset is taken into a room or building containing the Safe Haven hardware, the phone is instructed to deactivate the imaging systems. The systems are reactivated when the handset is out of range.
Analysts have predicted that there will be almost 1 billion camera phones in use within five years, which has led companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics to bar employees from using camera phones in research and manufacturing facilities because of fears over the security of sensitive data.
Patrick Snow, managing director of Iceberg Systems, said he is already in talks with well-known handset manufacturers interested in testing the technology. Although the technology is designed only for disabling the imaging system, it could be adapted for a wide number of uses, such as blocking loud or annoying ring tones in a theater or even disabling text messaging in a school. However, Snow said that for now, his company is focused solely on controlling the imaging side of handsets.
Link to vendor site [BoingBoing]
4:45:49 PM ;
|
|
Tue 23 Sep 03: El Paso, Texas There is a good vibe in El Paso. It's a vibe many border towns have, in my opinion. It is where the culture clashes and ideas from two countries are propelled into one another like atoms in an accelerator. And since culture clashes are my speciality, I do like border towns.
I woke up and got ready for a live TV show on the local NBC affiliate, which serves people in two nations and three states: USA and Mexico, and Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua...did you know that Juárez was known as El Paso del Norte until 1888 and renamed for the Mexican president Benito Juárez?
I played a song on the noon news show and we talked briefly about my music. Unfortunately I didn't get to mention my new web and concert only CD distribution because we talked about the old how-come-a-german-plays-flamenco question. Old hat for me, but probably interesting for new fans...anyway, everyone at the station was very nice. The stage manager decided to use one lavalier mike clipped to my shirt for the interview as well as the guitar performance...it's amazing what you can get away with on TV. The eyes rule over the ears and nothing proves that more than the sound of a good old TV: 30 inches of huge tube screen and a tiny 4 or 5" speaker for sound that is compressed to hell. That reminds me: ever notice how, on a show like "Law and Order" for example, when they stop talking the compression "grabs" the background noise and amplifies it, for a moment making it as loud as the speech or music before...that sounds funny! "Pick him up!"-zszszshhhh (hum and hiss).
After the TV show, I went to a restaurant I know near the Chavez Center and had a lovely meal by myself. While dining I sent a text message to my friend in London, who I found out was having dinner in an Italian restaurant that very moment. How nice that one can reach across the pond so easily! The buffet and a glass of wine (for my health) came to twelve bucks. How often can you eat a decent meal for $12? I gave the nice old waiter $20 and walked across the street to the El Paso Art Museum for a quick look-see. Soundcheck followed and was very enjoyable as the hall sounds lovely. The next three shows in El Paso, Austin and San Antonio should be a lot of fun as all three halls are great.
4:43:34 PM ;
|
|
One of my favorite artist. There are many rumors surrounding his BLUE which was incredible. Many of these rumors were more interesting than the truth, which I learned was that he hired a chemist to figure out a new and more pure way to attach pigment to the canvas. Klein, I believe, felt that using oil or water-based paint just diluted the power of the pigment. Of course this also means that his paintings have to be seen in person, because no print or screen can do them justice. There are more examples of his work on the above site, but I wanted to link to this fire painting, which I love.....and yes, he played with fire!!
3:43:14 PM ;
|
|
Look at what I found out about today...Zagat has a new Music Guide...
"We knew this survey would be especially challenging since musical taste is so personal and top picks of all time stir passionate arguments," publishers Tim and Nina Zagat said in a statement. "To our delight, participants showcased their tastes with a depth of knowledge that stands up to the most critical musical ear -- these are people who know chapter and verse on their preferred genres and they avidly shared memories and associations that their favorite recordings evoke."
The Zagat survey found that fans listen to music 24 hours each week, more than five of which is conducted on computers and MP3 players. Participants spend an average $343 per year on music to stock an average collection of 516 titles; 53% download music from the Internet and 55% burn their own CDs.
That's all nice, but of course what made my day is a little further down on the page....suddenly a two day hang on the bus, from San Diego to El Pase, feels insignificant...
3:26:03 PM ;
|
|
Drawing 21 
3:07:09 PM ;
|
|
|
|
© Copyright
2003
Ottmar Liebert.
Last update:
25.09.03; 8:24:05.
|
|
|
