Tuesday, 27 January 2004

Philips to mass produce electronic paper displays A few months ago Philips revealed that they we working on electronic paper, and now it looks like they're close to mass-producing them, with the... [Gizmodo] 9:04:32 PM    comment []; AAC Thanks for all of the comments regarding music files for downloading. While I like the idea of lossless encoders like the FLAC, I feel I have to consider that some people might be using a dial-up, and files around 20-40MB and more are just too large for them. I think a good compromise might be serving up AAC files encoded at 160KB. I listen to those on my iPod all the time and think the quality is enjoyable and the file sizes are very manageable. Above is a link to an AAC player for Windows for those people who don't want to use Apple's iTunes software. I think I might serve up another song from "The Santa Fe Sessions" for the February download and you can let me know what you think of the AAC encoding. AAC at 160kbps could then become the file format for the subscription service. 9:04:06 PM    comment []; Radio ate my post Well, last night I wrote a post about "La Semana", which disappeared overnight - but the comments to that post appear as comments to Paco De Lucia shows canceled. Isn't that interesting. The post went something like this: One night in the late Eighties I was hanging with some Flamencos in Santa Fe. They asked me what kind of guitar I played before Flamenco and I played them some funky riffs from my past. A dancer suggested that I should find a way to incorporate that funky vibe into Flamenco. I think that is at last happening on this La Semana recording. There are a couple of songs that are pretty funky. Play that funky flamenco mixed boy.... 6:31:37 AM    comment []; Over $300 raised for Coral Park Buddy Raffle So Far! We've already raised over $300 for the Bonaire National Marine Park to protect coral reefs. Thanks to those who have purchased a raffle ticket already. How about the rest of you? Wouldn't you love to stop playing air guitar and start playing Ottmar Liebert's beautiful electric guitar? Tickets are only $10 and the money helps fund the Bonaire Park Ranger course where the rangers there are doing their best to keep coral reefs alive and healthy. [iceplant radio] 6:06:34 AM    comment []; Paco Update De Lucia’s bass player, Alain Rodriguez, is a Cuban national and a resident of Spain. Due to heightened security requirements, Cuban nationals are subject to more stringent requirements than most visitors. Several clearances are required by federal agencies for the visa to be issued, and the Department of Homeland Security has delayed Rodriguez’s required interview at the U.S. Consulate in Madrid. The agency does not give reasons for delaying these interviews, saying it is a matter of national security.   One of the world’s greatest guitarists, Paco de Lucia is a globally admired cultural ambassador. A well-known musician in his own right, Rodriguez, the bassist, has played with Isaac Delgado, Celia Cruz, Paquito de Rivera, and more. Rodriguez played with Chucho Valdez on his Grammy-nominated album “Bela Bela in Havana.” Heightened security restrictions in the wake of 9/11 have caused delays in visa applications for many international touring artists. Several performances were delayed or canceled at Mondavi Center in the 2002-03 season due to visa delays or denials. Mondavi Center remains committed to presenting great artists from around the world, despite the difficulties involved, in order to encourage better understanding between cultures. Mondavi Centerapologizes to ticket-holders for this event, and appreciates the willingness of audiences to continue to support world artists. There you have it. It's that stupid Cuban thing again. I don't remember the last time terror was inflicted by Cuban nationals, do you? That is, except for the terror inflicted on mere mortals by their awesome musicianship, of course. 6:05:11 AM    comment [];

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