tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144088692012-01-23T02:09:32.625-06:00Tech, hobbies, guitars, music, digital recording, Open Source Software, IP Law and of course lots of opinion.chroniconnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-7610356295622477902011-01-03T13:58:00.008-06:002011-01-03T14:33:04.174-06:00

This is a pain. This needs to be fixed. Workarounds should not be needed, but for now we do what we must...There is some kind of limitation on the iPhone 4 (and iPhone 3GS apparently) that will not allow you to download / save video that you have recorded if it is larger then about a couple hundred MBs. If you have recorded video on your iPhone of any significant length of time—and your file

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-61622088150192588122011-01-01T17:32:00.009-06:002011-01-03T16:33:29.660-06:00

Very useful (to me). It took a good deal of searching to find the right little application to do what I needed—convert locally saved HTML pages to PDF and collate them into a single file.It sounds so simple, but actually finding a free / Open Source app to do this was problematic. I hoped HTMLDOC would do the trick and perhaps with a little more experience, I could achieve the desired results. In

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-75023776930879584392010-05-14T22:22:00.006-05:002010-05-14T23:47:45.737-05:00

Installed CentOS into a VirtualBox virtual machine this evening. I recommend installing the Guest Additions into your virtual machines. Simple to do under Ubuntu. A little more involved with CentOS, but still easy enough.Google is your friend. Here it is quick and easy:Start the CentOS virtual machine.Mount the VboxGuestAdditions.isoRight-click on the VirtualBox CD iconClick

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-13133317317430943802010-05-08T12:28:00.004-05:002010-05-08T13:05:42.527-05:00

Recently did a network upgrade from Ubuntu 9.10 to 10.04 LTS (desktop edition). The upgrade didn't work initially--there was some conflict with XUbuntu which I also had installed under 9.10. I removed all traces of Xubuntu and xfce, and then the network upgrade worked fine.10.04 LTS is a fine distribution. I really like it. It's been a while since I used Ubuntu and one of the things I enjoy

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-17585519255017149052009-08-29T08:50:00.004-05:002011-07-16T14:52:02.680-05:00

A place to post useful Linux operations in case of organic memory failure:Store a data CD on your filesystem (this is not one I forget but it pertains the following):dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/some/dir/data.isoMount your virtual data CD:sudo mount -t auto -o loop /some/dir/data.iso /mnt/vrtl-cdCheck your Linux software RAID status:cat /proc/mdstatExt3 Filesystem Checksudo umount /SomeFileSystemsudo

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-62304772216557438532009-08-14T16:45:00.003-05:002009-08-14T16:54:14.263-05:00

Windows Messenger. So annoying. Disabling it from starting is a wonderful thing. Here's how:Use the Group Policy (gpedit.msc) snap-in to turn on the Do not allow Windows Messenger to be run option.NotesTo use the Group Policy snap-in, you must be logged on to the computer using an account that has administrator permissions. This method prevents programs that use the Messenger APIs from using

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-70961920821953061932009-08-08T07:59:00.004-05:002009-08-08T08:37:11.712-05:00

No, not the Picante sauce. I much prefer Arriba! Fire Roasted Mexican Red Salsa (gallon size!) that my wife found at Costco. Just heat it up a little in the microwave and Mmmmm! Awesome.I made my own "fire roasted" salsa by roasting all the veggies on the grill once. It was great. A friend of mine said I should bottle it up and sell it. Guess Riba Foods beat me to the punch and they appear

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-83840740263021253982009-07-04T15:08:00.006-05:002009-07-06T21:17:10.813-05:00

Ping... Ping... Ping...Every time I hit the bar on my Super Strat I could hear the strings hanging up somewhere and making that awful pinging noise. I had a graphite nut installed in the neck a long time ago with the hope that it would help with whammy tuning with the stock bar—but even today with the Planet Waves locking tuners and the Wilkinson tremolo it was making that noise.I sprayed

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-59339151451929338462009-05-24T18:09:00.003-05:002009-05-24T18:14:35.979-05:00

I was loading up the latest Adobe Acrobat reader in Windows XP the other day—it took forever! And, it took forever to open. Total, complete bloatware! What is with that? It's just a PDF viewer—or at least it should be...Enter Foxit Reader 3.0Man, now that's just what I needed. A PDF reader that isn't hundreds of MBs, integrates with Firefox, opens quickly and displays properly. Get it.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-69481359180199895082009-05-13T19:17:00.003-05:002009-05-13T19:33:24.058-05:00

Funny how things go full circle sometimes. I initially worked on converting all of my music CDs to Vorbis files, a tedious and rather boring adventure in itself. I was reminded during a conversation on slashdot that it might be wiser to convert to FLAC first and then I could transcode into lesser quality codecs when needed. I thought it was a reasonable idea—too bad I had all my music in

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1520645674657660072009-05-03T20:49:00.002-05:002009-05-03T21:00:22.745-05:00

This is a pretty cool application. Something that should be brainlessly easy under the command line in Linux—all I wanted to do was replace one character in all the filenames in one directory. Well, I ended my search when I found Metamorphose—a Windows app that would do the trick which I could run against the filenames since the directory is on a Samba share. In seconds it was all over.It makes

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-69110052019441133992009-04-19T22:58:00.001-05:002009-04-19T23:01:11.982-05:00

Very cool...Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-4422397420398061042009-04-10T22:14:00.008-05:002009-04-10T23:22:52.295-05:00

Regardless of popular opinion, Linux can often be so much more user friendly then Microsoft.With one simple command I can access an .iso file as if it were an actual physical CD or DVD disc. Why must everything in the Windows world a) be such a pain in the butt, b) usually cost extra to implement a needed feature (virtually always free in GNU/Linux) and/or c) scare away the average user who just

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-10432914424362819152009-04-08T20:42:00.004-05:002009-04-08T21:05:16.076-05:00

This has probably been around for a while without my noticing—I focus on Linux tools for the most part so I'm sure I missed it.Runtime Software's DriveImage XML however is extremely cool! Free for personal use. "Hot Image" backups of drives that are in use, and other really cool stuff:DriveImage XML is an easy to use and reliable program for imaging and backing up partitions and logical

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-9955316828949282272009-04-01T19:21:00.004-05:002009-04-01T19:35:16.506-05:00

I was looking back through a couple of old posts on the idea that the world has peaked out in oil production. Um, that's not quite the case. Not if we are willing to go after our own reserves. This according to the government's own reports:Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered volumes of 3.65 billion barrels of oil, 1.85 trillion

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-33375123905323915022009-01-31T23:03:00.001-06:002009-01-31T23:05:20.753-06:00

So I don't forget...flexbackup -extract data.1.date.tar -onefile ./one/two/three/dir-I-want

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-8776187631043810882008-09-27T18:26:00.005-05:002008-10-30T09:43:50.243-05:00

So you played by the rules. You purchased your music through Wal-Mart's DRM service. Guess what, you just lost by playing fairly. This isn't right, but it is indicative of what DRM really means to consumers. It's one of the reasons why I still buy CDs...See Boing Boing 9/26/08:Beginning October 9, we [Wal-Mart] will no longer be able to assist with digital rights management issues for

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-80410931448361640212008-09-15T00:04:00.002-05:002008-09-15T00:22:21.259-05:00

I always feel trepidation when it comes to "reviewing" someone else's work. Music particularly.If I throw out my thoughts about the songs on an album should each song be compared against the others on that particular album or should they be viewed individually without reference to the others? On my last review here (Out of It), I did the first--stacking each song up against the others on the

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-4574013372248871242008-09-13T10:43:00.020-05:002009-03-31T20:54:46.271-05:00

Out of It by Brad SucksFirstly, I am a huge fan of I Don't Know What I'm Doing so I had very high expectations for Out of It. I was not disappointed.The progression in the quality of production from the first album to Out of It is immediately apparent. Much improved. (Note: I am listening to the 128k mp3 tracks. Bet the sound on the CD is superb!)Unfortunately (IMO), this album lost to the

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-32581235291244070832008-09-09T19:07:00.004-05:002008-09-10T20:51:02.499-05:00

I would really like to know what Metallica's Death Magnetic sounded like before it was sent out for mastering.It definitely lost (and lost badly) to the Loudness War.I am listening to The Day That Never Comes right now (iTunes) and they've gone beyond the brick wall, the track is clipping all over the place. Everything is painfully compressed. Compressed to death.Post-production blues aside,

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-34892381852197564012008-06-21T15:13:00.007-05:002009-04-01T12:58:13.519-05:00

Where to begin? (I guess check out my previous post?)First, my release to release upgrade to Ubuntu 8.04 LTS server was going along fairly well. The upgrade from Edgy (6.10) to Feisty (7.04) went fairly well, except that it dropped one of my drives from the RAID arrays—easily remedied. Just added the partitions back into their respective RAID devices.Next up, time to move from Feisty (7.04) to

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-81703782314898448782008-06-18T16:32:00.007-05:002009-04-01T12:59:55.717-05:00

You never know what you are going to get when you do a distribution upgrade.Somewhere along the way I "upgraded" my little fileserver from Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support) to 6.10 (NOT Long Term Support). Why? I do not know. Support for 6.06 LTS will end June 2011 but support for 6.10 ended April 2008!! Unfortunately, I only realized this yesterday. No wonder I hadn't seen any package

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-19473500824232656762008-06-12T20:17:00.001-05:002008-06-12T20:20:40.648-05:00

Theresa Andersson. Words fail me. Just watch & listen...

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-31140841462122715292008-04-30T23:02:00.008-05:002008-12-10T18:37:32.094-06:00

I wanted to find out if the old mainboard I am using for my little file server supported USB 2.0 and not a measly 1.1--let's keep that USB drive (used to back up the server) flying along as fast as possible, eh?Came across this thread which lead me to the answer. I could now get the needed information without shutting down the box, opening it up and hopefully finding the model number so I could

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-8882316749038949292008-02-28T22:01:00.010-06:002008-04-30T18:10:48.484-05:00

Want to run Perl scripts on Windows systems that don't have Perl installed? Compile them into standalone executable applications!There's always a way...After much Googling and much frustration trying to get it to work, it did!I am using ActiveState ActivePerl 5.8.8 Build 822 on my Windows XP systems. I read much about PAR & perlcc, etc. but nothing seemed to magically turn my paltry Perl

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-5970978847370865212007-12-29T10:51:00.000-06:002007-12-29T11:08:49.042-06:00

CESLA is the Coalition for Educational and Scientific Literacy Assistance.[Their] mission is to aid children of educationally disenfranchised rural populations. The advancement of critical thinking principles and problem solving techniques is encouraged. An emphasis is placed on the promotion of hands-on science centers and museums as an intermediary to the communication of science and technology

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-28651981318874257142007-12-24T11:41:00.002-06:002009-04-01T13:06:07.720-05:00

About a year and a half ago I bought a small scale guitar for my oldest son. He used to want to play (with) my guitars all the time so why not? Well, time did tell. His interest in guitar quickly diminished and I thought my hopes for another musician in the family were dashed.We went to my mother's house for Thanksgiving, and to our immense astonishment J immediately took to her piano. Within

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-69117339248066707082007-12-12T19:21:00.002-06:002009-04-01T13:07:55.399-05:00

Can I just say, setting up a floating Floyd Rose style tremolo is a total pain?I'm not talking changing strings on a Floyd--I'm not sure why people think that is difficult. I am talking intonation set up. Even with the cool Peterson Strobe tuning software I bought it was just absolutely no fun at all. No wonder luthiers charge a good penny to get it done.I won't go into the specifics, since

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-86976947051937215852007-12-08T09:21:00.000-06:002007-12-08T10:38:13.386-06:00

I was a late-comer to Sixth Sense, I caught it on DVD as my first introduction to the creative genius of Shyamalan.Thus far, all of the movies that M. Night Shyamalan has released have ranked as some of my most favorite. His directorial style and presentation has been impressive & captivating. I look forward to each release with his name stamped on it. In my house, his name means "quality work

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-69175772071377065702007-12-07T22:01:00.000-06:002007-12-07T22:07:19.222-06:00

When we moved we couldn't move our cable modem account. We couldn't get DSL out to our new home either. Satellite was too much and unreliable. We ended up with a Novatel Sprint USB whatever you want to call it, mobile access device?Being away for the weekend and blogging this over a wifi connection at the location we are staying, man... do I miss broadband.I should Torrent the heck out of all

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-76283990256893796562007-12-01T13:34:00.000-06:002008-12-10T18:37:33.210-06:00

I thought this was a cool shot of Stewart Copeland. It was inside the November '07 Sam Ash GearGuide.I have never been to a Police show, which is quite unfortunate as I have wanted to see them live for a... very... long... time.At any rate, Mr. Copeland ranks as my favorite percussionist of all time.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-91520130945931421552007-09-22T09:43:00.000-05:002007-09-22T10:10:01.248-05:00

I was just checking out the Damone site and they haven't posted anything new since June. There are some tour dates listed for the UK in December, so they are still around I guess (which, IMO is a good thing). They put up links to a couple of videos on YouTube "...chronicling the recording of our album Out Here All Night." It's pretty interesting to see them cranking out such a well produced CD

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-7168212825755418982007-07-09T18:41:00.000-05:002007-07-09T19:07:06.794-05:00

Spent all day Saturday trying to get the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum front panel inputs & outputs working in my AMD64 box. Reloading drivers, updating software, on & on & on.No luck.Finally, gave up. I ultimately figured it was pointless and would only work properly in another system (like the old K7 box were I had initially installed it and where it worked perfectly).The front panel has a connector

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-78118490328213206012007-07-07T10:18:00.000-05:002008-12-10T18:37:33.605-06:00

The KWorld ATSC 110 PCI card receives both Analog NTSC as well as Digital ATSC over the air signals. This post deals only with the OTA HDTV portion.The software that they bundled with the card was useless to me, I thought I was getting a full meal deal that I could use right away with the card to begin viewing OTA HDTV, instead I got a non-functioning software key that would not unlock the trial

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-5737665571968163012007-06-30T02:46:00.001-05:002008-12-10T18:37:34.094-06:00

What happens when you a take a circa. 1986 Fender Squier Stratocaster that you have been playing for the last 20 years and decide it's time for a change? Buy a new guitar? No way! It's hot rod time!I have been talking about doing this for years. The Seymour Duncan Everything Axe Set looked like the ticket (and ended up being so in a round about way--I could not find it in black so I ordered

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-61215865683728683882007-06-14T00:55:00.002-05:002009-04-01T13:12:14.147-05:00

One thing leads to another but finally it all worked out (for now).First, I found that my VIA C3 Linux Software RAID server (scroll down in this link for details) couldn't take a simple cp backup without taking a dive. Unreal.I got a reasonable deal on a 500GB external drive. USB 2 of course. That was my first problem. The junk board didn't have USB 2 connections so I had to upgrade it with a

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-69842726162436031352007-03-12T23:03:00.000-05:002008-12-10T18:37:34.254-06:00

Updated June 15, 2007: Check out the Ibanez Tube Screamer History page. It's clear(er) now from checking out this site that it is in fact the TS-808 that would be the ideal pedal in this series. Analogman offers custom mods to the TS-9 that give you exactly what you need. I want one of these!!I have been interested in getting this pedal for a long time. A vintage model is probably

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-31951480867946544902007-03-12T22:28:00.000-05:002008-12-10T18:37:34.511-06:00

See that tape around Kirk's picking hand? I have seen a lot of bizarre (or sometimes reasonable) reasons that people thinks he tapes his hand. Someone e-mailed me asking about it and I dug this bit out of 20th Anniversary of Master of Puppets edition of Guitar World (January 2006). The definitive answer from the man himself:[Question] There have been many theories spread on the Internet about

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-72384618515041525212007-02-03T21:44:00.002-06:002009-04-01T13:15:45.200-05:00

I have had Hot Stacks in the mid & neck positions on my Warmoth since it was put together. They were never the ideal match for the JB Trembucker in the bridge and too bright for an intrinsically bright guitar from the start. The output mismatch between the Hot Stacks and the JB was just plain annoying, but in my defense I will say I think they were (at the time) my best option for a stacked

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-71195527699061266002007-01-16T11:55:00.000-06:002007-01-16T11:58:23.183-06:00

Why is it every time I look for specs on computer hardware all I get is shopping sites? Ridiculous! It is making Google a less valuable resource, but what can you do? Google is it. If you can't find it there, where can you turn?I generally have to add the site:some_manufacturer_site.com tag to my search, but sometimes even that won't cut it...

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-33501646585898440892007-01-14T11:23:00.000-06:002007-09-22T10:35:14.855-05:00

Update 9/22: Replaced removed video/linkHow did I miss this?!Rodrigo y Gabriela performing a live number on the Late Show with David Letterman from December 18, '06. They rock the house as you will see...YouTube Link

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-62351036453160305672007-01-13T15:36:00.000-06:002008-12-10T18:37:36.032-06:00

All right, I'll admit I am not familiar with any of the commercial tablature editing programs available--if there are any. As I said, I really don't know. But if there are, I say forget about it! Power Tab Editor is all you could ask or hope for, and for some reason, it's free!As you can see, it doesn't just do tablature but standard notation as well, and will export your work to MIDI files.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-46332249844590371082007-01-09T21:24:00.000-06:002008-12-10T18:37:36.240-06:00

What can you do? The Mini-Maglite is almost a necessity to have around in many industries. I use mine constantly. We must have about five of them around the house.However I have always had a few gripes with them. One, the batteries drain far too quickly. Two, the light isn't very bright to begin with. Three, the bulbs burn out too fast.Again, what can you do? Well, my friends, now we can

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-21032145702029669942007-01-09T21:00:00.000-06:002008-12-10T18:37:36.430-06:00

Update 4/3/07: Fear not!! Fun with the Circle Of 5ths and Identifying Chords referred to below is actually quite understandable and very useful. Check it out! Much more useful then my example, that's for sure...Update 1/9/07 11pm: A Circle of Fifths Chord ApplicationI have recently been checking out the Circle of Fifths and trying to see what kind of patterns I could find. I was really happy

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1168193845387456192007-01-07T12:08:00.000-06:002008-12-10T18:37:37.328-06:00

A composer/guitarist develops tendinitis in his arms and his life is basically ruined for years, but he overcomes eventually and records an album. Pretty amazing, even if instrumental rock is not your thing. Check it out. Good stuff; and really a tribute to the strength of the human spirit.Programming a drum machine with his feet?! Man, now that is some serious dedication!Randy Ellefson's

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1167545826998754652006-12-30T21:53:00.000-06:002006-12-31T00:17:07.146-06:00

For a few months I have been pondering building another custom guitar. I was looking for very specific features that were missing on my other electrics, and I was intent on putting them together on an Explorer-style guitar. This is what I was after:Maple/Ebony compound radius Explorer-style neck with 24-XJ-Stainless Steel fretsMahogany Explorer-style body with contoured heelJB Humbucker (bridge

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1167173543786859882006-12-26T16:32:00.000-06:002006-12-26T17:36:21.540-06:00

Introspection by one of the world's most renowned rock bands.Admittedly, I haven't read many autobiographical works, but this one is definitely different compared to what I have seen previously. It tells the U2 story from beginning to today through a collection of statements by the band themselves. They don't seem to leave much out or gloss over the less then glamorous sides of their very

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1164688896377008002006-11-27T22:41:00.000-06:002006-11-27T22:41:36.390-06:00

Nice...

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1164596890431282492006-11-26T21:05:00.000-06:002006-11-26T21:10:01.086-06:00

A brief history of pop music:(h/t Brad Sucks)

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1162016998334463562006-10-28T00:59:00.000-05:002006-10-28T01:29:58.530-05:00

Strange thing. I wanted to see about boosting the hard drive throughput on my little home fileserver (consisting of three Western Digital WD3200JB 320GB drives) but my hdparm tweaks resulted in no appreciable gains in performance over the default Ubuntu Server settings.hdparm -X69 -m16 -d1 -c1 -u1 /dev/hda /dev/hde /dev/hdfResulting in these custom settings for each drive (as shown here for hda)

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1161921560585132632006-10-26T22:36:00.000-05:002006-10-27T12:15:22.280-05:00

First (as I recall) there was White Box Enterprise Linux. Then came CentOS. Now it seems it's Oracle's turn to get into the game. What game is that? Why, taking Red Hat Enterprise Linux source code, stripping out all of Red Hat's trademarks, recompiling and repackaging it as your own distribution.Introducing Oracle Unbreakable Linux. (Unbreakable Linux--I like the sound of that. Hope it can

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1161445558843939222006-10-21T09:31:00.000-05:002006-10-21T10:45:58.966-05:00

Setting up Print to PostScript & the option to open these files for editing with GIMP in Windows 2000.Requirements:GTK+ for WindowsGIMP for WindowsGhostScript for WindowsConfigure a Print to PS file printer driverSet the GS_PROG environment variableDownload and install the current versions of GTK+, GIMP, and GPL GhostScript for Windows.Set up a Print to File PostScript printer driverStart -->

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1161411301986355292006-10-21T00:59:00.000-05:002006-10-21T01:28:32.623-05:00

Use VMPlayer and Ubuntu server to create a virtual build system to compile custom Linux kernels for Ubuntu (and Debian?), quickly & easily.Particularly useful for compiling kernels on faster machines for slower target system--which is exactly why I did this! Compiled custom kernels for a VIA C3 box on my AMD64 system. It saved me a lot of time and works marvelously well.What you need: The

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1160713362180041102006-10-12T23:22:00.000-05:002006-10-12T23:22:42.380-05:00

A quick note and a link I don't want to lose to a very useful article on Linux software RAID management:mdadm: A New Tool For Linux Software RAID ManagementI'll use this post as a placeholder for other relevant links.Software RAID seems to be progressing nicely since my first attempts with it several years ago. It's generally a no-brainer to work with these days, but it was a much more intensive

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1160541227340165672006-10-10T23:22:00.000-05:002006-10-20T23:45:05.196-05:00

***Updates:apt-get updateable to 6.06.1 with no boot up problems!mondoarchive / filesystem backup commandlineUbuntu Server 6.06.1 boot problem solved?I finally got around to upgrading my little home fileserver. I have always wanted to do a software Raid5 setup for my data partitions and after my workstation HDD failed, I thought now was the time.I have been using Ubuntu server edition for this

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1159682094736742312006-10-01T00:29:00.002-05:002009-04-01T13:19:29.756-05:00

As I stated on a previous occasion, "...When moderate voices prevail and ...technology can be employed so that the consumer has on-demand access to media, AND the production companies can still get paid--we will all win."Kudos to ABC for posting popular TV shows for on-demand viewing.I hope more media companies follow suit. I will gladly sit through the commercials or pay a modest subscription

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1156875680494757102006-08-29T13:16:00.000-05:002006-09-29T00:05:42.880-05:00

The lawyers win again, the rest of the world loses.The On-Line Guitar Archive has been forced offline. Here's a screenshot, I don't think even it's there anymore:Sad.Tags: OLGA tablature RIAA lawyers culture music guitar

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1156824835740257232006-08-28T22:45:00.002-05:002009-04-01T13:22:00.786-05:00

I have been playing the heck out of the Fender and haven't changed the strings since it came back from the fret-job/set-up. All the credit for the strings lasting so long has to go to Deoxit D5 (which I wrote about previously). There are still no real signs of corrosion on these strings. Granted, they are not as bright-sounding as a brand new pack but they are well broken in, sound great, and

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1154797785956894202006-08-05T12:09:00.000-05:002006-08-05T12:09:46.063-05:00

Well this isn't good. I am not having any luck getting version .50 to play nice with any of my equipment. I'm not sure what is going on. Rosegarden hangs on both of my systems. Hydrogen starts to load but then immediately closes. I got Jack to work with the Audigy2 ZS based system but as it is I am not getting much done. I'll keep trying though but it looks like Studio To Go! will remain my

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1154669042217392092006-08-04T00:00:00.000-05:002006-08-04T00:24:02.936-05:00

Musix GNU+Linux .50 has been released. This is a well-crafted distribution based entirely on free software designed specifically for musicians and DJs alike. It boasts a large selection of applications and I have had good experiences with previous versions. Language support for "Spanish, Galician, Catalan, Basque, English, Portuguese and French... German and Italian too." You can run it as a

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1154646065280751082006-08-03T17:57:00.000-05:002006-08-03T18:01:05.316-05:00

I'm laughing, I don't quite know what to make of this...Jamming on the Fender with a GNX2 Eric Johnson patch through the ol' Deluxe 85. My eight-year old comes in and yells, "It's too loud dad!"Huh??"IT'S TOO LOUD!!"LOL!

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1154183052790161952006-07-29T08:06:00.000-05:002006-07-29T10:03:43.886-05:00

No, not that kind of supermodel. I am talking about a must have addition for every Digitech GNX owner. A patch set of cabinet & amp models & artist presets that will turn your guitar multi-effects system from a neat idea into an actual useful (and useable) musical instrument in it's own right.Here the producers of this exceptional series give you a glimpse of what it's all about:What are

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1153875710749861792006-07-25T19:40:00.000-05:002006-07-25T20:31:28.406-05:00

I usually sweat a bit when playing guitar. Corrosion builds up pretty quickly on the strings as a result. Our local luthier pointed us to a product that would help resolve this problem without fear of damage to the finish or fretboard. It's called DeoxIT D5 Power Booster.The can touts that it "cleans, enhances, lubricates & protects electrical connections (Treatment for All Metal Surfaces)".

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1151996050010938442006-07-04T01:54:00.000-05:002006-07-04T02:30:36.146-05:00

Nice...More at erikmongrain.com. Check it out.Tags: Erik Mongrain acoustic guitar music performance video

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1150947931359502622006-06-21T22:45:00.000-05:002006-07-04T02:31:35.900-05:00

Wow. You never know what you will find when you're not even looking... Check this out.Say It's Possible --Terra NaomiUpdate: Instructional video for Say It's Possible added.The main riff tabbed out (with capo on the second fret) would go something like this, if I am following the video correctly (I don't have a capo so I mute the 3rd srtring): 5--5--5-------5--5--5-------2--2--2-------4--4--2---

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1150767582314259842006-06-19T20:39:00.001-05:002006-06-20T07:47:28.430-05:00

"Where do you want to go today?" Without Net Neutrality you may not get to decide that for yourself...Tags: net neutrality legislation internet freedom

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1150747854024946132006-06-19T14:36:00.000-05:002006-06-20T07:41:14.506-05:00

A totally rocking, fun, well-produced CD that harkens back to elements & style in rock music that have been missing for years. All sorts of great aspects from '80s rock without the silly posing.You should buy this disc.Now Is The Time - Out Here All Night - What We Came Here For - (Yeah man! Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about!)Stabbed In The Heart - (Bryan Adams LIVES!!!!!) On Your Speakers -

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1150584151769124852006-06-17T17:42:00.000-05:002006-06-17T17:47:21.066-05:00

SCO is like a weed in your garden that just won't die. At first I thought this was a joke but I guess they are at it again.Get this, SCO is going to release a new version of GNU/Linux?!?!The SCO Group, Inc... today announced plans to release a new version of it's former OpenLinux franchise in early Q4 2006...The decision to reanimate the very popular OpenLinux product series was made after it is

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1150582684350824592006-06-17T17:04:00.000-05:002006-06-17T21:39:06.816-05:00

DistroWatch Release Notes here.Download Information:BittorrentFTPGPG Signature FileTo obtain the Public Key for this project use the following command line:gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys 0x5320454DTo check the signature file against the ISO image use the following (when you have both files in the same directory of course):gpg --verify MusixGNU+Linux-0.49.iso.sig MusixGNU+Linux-0.49.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1150061081978664602006-06-11T16:22:00.000-05:002006-06-20T07:50:01.756-05:00

A new twist on the Pepsi + Mentos combo.Kids, do NOT try this at home. (I'M SERIOUS!)Enjoy...Tags: video pepsi mentos humor

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1149995300337782962006-06-10T22:07:00.000-05:002006-06-11T16:29:17.760-05:00

Finally, the controversy is settled...

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1149229122220761702006-06-02T01:17:00.000-05:002006-06-02T08:39:40.513-05:00

Distrowatch has the scoop.Release NotesThanks to the support of the Ututo Proyect, FSF, Ourproject, and to the usual collaborators, the Musix project has just released Musix 0.40, whose programs were tested for over 2 months, time that allowed to solve all kind of problems over Musix 0.39, and to make the more relevant software updates. 0.40 can be consider the more stable and functional Musix

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1148925074440420842006-05-29T12:45:00.000-05:002006-05-29T12:51:14.563-05:00

Photo by Allen Conant

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1148881783279526392006-05-29T00:24:00.000-05:002006-05-29T01:03:47.776-05:00

I have to say: seeing & hearing the live stuff that Metallica has done on their St. Anger tour (and beyond), I have to think they are absolutely at the top of their game. If they were an NBA team, I would say that they are hitting on all cylinders and going to take the title for sure.To be sure, St. Anger was an extreme departure from anything that they had done before, no question about it. To

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1148451545094147762006-05-23T23:46:00.000-05:002006-06-19T15:12:40.546-05:00

Every once in a while on a friend's suggestion I will download the iTunes freebie of the week. Such was the case a few weeks ago...Mostly, I have remained unimpressed (unfortunately). Finally though, something caught my ear. It was Damone's Out Here All Night.Frankly, it rocked!Next, I believe I heard the acoustic version of Out Here All Night--which in it's own right (properly equalized, etc.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1148442679592512162006-05-23T22:47:00.000-05:002006-05-24T09:37:58.286-05:00

Time to move my political thoughts to my other (insignificant) blog. To see my latest political rant see Reflexive Codex.I think it's time to get back to GUITAR & general geekness over here...PS I will still keep my IP law, patent, copyright rants on this one however, FWIW...

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1148231804575273782006-05-21T12:07:00.000-05:002006-05-21T12:16:44.600-05:00

There may yet be some hope for the mainstream media.The Associated Press is picking up on the double-standards that Mexico has on immigrant issues:Mexico works to bar non-natives from jobsMARK STEVENSONAssociated PressMEXICO CITY - If Arnold Schwarzenegger had migrated to Mexico instead of the United States, he couldn't be a governor. If Argentina native Sergio Villanueva, firefighter hero of the

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1148000978758331922006-05-18T19:53:00.000-05:002006-05-19T22:41:04.613-05:00

I was initially leaning towards 'moderate' on the so-called illegal immigrant issue prior to all of the recent marches and demonstrations. I even sent my US Representative a note stating (more or less) as much.Now that I have taken the opportunity to inform myself on the issues of Reconquista, etc. (which I never really would have been aware of without the marches/demonstrations--thank you) , my

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1147533472974623492006-05-13T10:02:00.000-05:002006-05-13T10:18:10.133-05:00

20/20 reported last night that we are not, in fact running out of oil. Now that gasoline is hitting around the $3/gallon mark it will now be profitable enough for oil companies to extract it from the vast reserves found in the tar sands of Alberta Canada. Their expert claimed it contains enough hydrocarbon to supply the world for the next century.Cool! I won't need to buy a hydrogen car (if

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1146633339088739182006-05-02T23:55:00.000-05:002006-05-03T00:17:10.766-05:00

Video PermalinkOk, love him or hate him, at least listen to the whole thing before calling him names. His point was not surprising to me as I already knew that a double standard existed. Check out the video. Find out what it is.Maybe foreign governments should take their own advice before trying to tell us what to do...PS The Immigration Reform protestors really need to take their cause back

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1146525121717937242006-05-01T17:31:00.000-05:002006-05-02T23:40:49.940-05:00

For the record, the interests of foreigners that are in my country illegally do NOT trump the interests of my nation's sovereignty.I really could not care less where an illegal alien hails from originally, the interests of the United States, it's legal citizenry, and legal immigrants come FIRST.Otherwise, their is no sovereignty. There is no government. There is no nation. Think about it...Is

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1146364163434890072006-04-29T21:16:00.000-05:002006-04-30T11:24:43.430-05:00

Altering the Star-Spangled Banner, the beloved National Anthem of the United States of America by singing it in a foreign language, changing intents & meanings in passages and finally renaming it--well, that is about as constructive & useful in encouraging meaningful and rational discussion on immigration reform (no matter where you stand on the issue) as this would be...Some things you just

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1144709642393705592006-04-10T17:15:00.000-05:002006-04-10T21:12:09.293-05:00

Yes! It's here. The Rodrigo y Gabriela CD+DVD arrived today. I'm listening to it right now. I am first and foremost struck by the fact that you just can't simply put a label on their music. I titled a previous post about their work "Acoustic Melodic Shred Guitar?" but now that I have the CD playing I have to state that title is simply too superficial to adequately describe the style &

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1144604961318925862006-04-09T12:49:00.000-05:002006-04-09T12:51:02.026-05:00

Surreal, but I suppose we shouldn't be surprised these days.Guy gets in a cab to go the airport. Asks the cabbie to put London Calling by The Clash on the stereo.Cabbie figures the guy must be a terrorist when he hears the line "War is declared and battle come down" in the song so he calls the police.Guy gets arrested. Questioned. Misses plane (of course). And is finally released.He told BBC

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1143906331169523212006-04-01T09:32:00.000-06:002006-04-01T14:55:05.033-06:00

Noticed yesterday on DistroWatch that the Musix team had released a new version of the Musix LiveCD (w/ HDD installer). This is a distribution designed with the audio & recording enthusiasts in mind.New in Musix 0.39Rosegarden4 1.2.3 (Musix is the first distro with this version, thanks to Silvan and the Rosegarden TEAM!)Xorg 6.9 (thanks Adrian P. for the adaptation)4 Kernels:2.6.15.2 (boot from

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1143587049060130062006-03-28T16:49:00.000-06:002006-03-28T23:27:51.246-06:00

Time for a RyG update. Since I first heard of these two, which wasn't long ago at all, they've quickly climbed to the top of my list of favorites--and that simply from their releases on the 'net alone (listed below)!Their new (self-titled) album is doing phenomenally well abroad, but I have word from their label that it won't be released in the US until September. I couldn't wait so I recently

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1143580757935614122006-03-28T14:57:00.000-06:002006-03-28T15:19:20.346-06:00

This is really nice!George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps performed on Ukulele. Very well done. The only information I have on the performer is the URL listed at the end of the video, but the site says that it is temporarily down. At any rate enjoy the video.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1143432046569601332006-03-26T21:53:00.000-06:002006-03-26T22:09:37.190-06:00

Just a quick note for DigiTech GenNeXt (GNX) users. CodeKinesis has some very useful tools available, particularly the On-line Preset Viewer:Use the GeNetX™ Online Preset Viewer to view and/or print, right from your browser, any preset on file at the DigiTech GeNetX™ Sound Community on DigiTech's web site. You can then enter the patches manually without the use of MIDI. Or, you can print them

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1143396969134905932006-03-26T11:54:00.000-06:002006-03-26T12:16:09.223-06:00

Just when you think you've seen it all, you are reminded that you still have much to learn. Below is an excerpt of some e-mails that I sent to an electronics tech friend of mine:This is really really strange, maybe you can offer some insight into what might be going on.[Most] Strat® style guitars in modern times come with plastic pickguard assemblies. Pickups, switches, knobs all mount to this

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1142962310124336132006-03-21T11:23:00.000-06:002006-03-21T11:36:20.393-06:00

I've, uh, never heard anything quite like this before.New Zealand Chinese "Rest Home & Hospital Performer" Wing sings AC/DC's Back In Black.Utterly bizarre or incredibly hilarious? You decide...

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1142801050198948632006-03-19T14:02:00.002-06:002009-04-01T13:26:55.667-05:00

We move ever forward towards the utterly & inescapably absurd.In an opinion piece in the New York Times entitled This Essay Breaks the Law, Jurassic Park's own Michael Crichton informs us of a case that will be heard before the Supreme Court of the United States this Tuesday:The Earth revolves around the Sun.The speed of light is a constant.Apples fall to earth because of gravity. Elevated blood

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1142796638506115462006-03-19T13:17:00.000-06:002006-03-19T15:16:28.396-06:00

No major label support. The Arctic Monkeys shouldn't have gone anywhere, but they are topping charts everywhere via internet "word-of-mouth" promotion alone.Let the revolution (finally!) begin!From a Wired blog entry, Monkey BitesTheir story is remarkable because of one fact: grassroots communication channels like MySpace and P2P file trading networks worked better than the major-label hype

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1142747100402598412006-03-18T22:44:00.000-06:002006-03-21T11:14:24.296-06:00

This is an interesting clip from Google Video. Apparently it's an 8-year old located in Russia (or so it would appear from the banner in the background), that has developed some pretty amazing guitar technique. Whoever said "shred is dead" didn't bother telling this kid! Sure, there is definitely more to music then simply playing ninety miles per hour, still, having the chops to play whatever

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1141866754927820672006-03-08T18:49:00.000-06:002006-03-09T12:22:59.906-06:00

This is one of those video clips that everyone should see. Arab-American Psychologist Wafa Sultan on Al-Jazeera TV states unequivocally the position the world faces today in the constant upheaval of cultural clashes we see before us. This lady is incredibly bold and unflinching. It is amazing and enlightening to read the transcript, but watch the video. You will see the conviction of her

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1141622790982935132006-03-05T23:14:00.000-06:002006-03-18T09:00:50.280-06:00

Just a quick note. There is a modified version of the Google Video Getter Greasemonkey script that will give you a link to download .avi files (instead of the .flv files) from Google Video. I'm finding that these transcode the best more often then not out of the various flavors they offer. Windows users don't get this option automagically from Google but this Firefox script does the job.

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1141167485429870852006-02-28T16:36:00.000-06:002006-02-28T21:26:04.120-06:00

Nice. I use Audacity all the time for minor audio edits and as a scratch pad for recording guitar parts. I'd read some time back that you could use it to capture streaming audio--basically if it plays through your PC you can capture it. I tried it with the two Rodrigo y Gabriela acoustic guitar pieces that they have posted and it worked great!From the Audacity Help FAQ:Windows and LinuxWith

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1141101660341909422006-02-27T22:05:00.000-06:002006-02-27T23:26:16.486-06:00

This thing is so cool, it deserves it's own post!MediaCoderMediaCoder is a free universal audio/video batch transcoder, putting together lots of excellent audio/video codecs and tools from the open source community into an all-in-one solution, capable of transcoding among different audio/video formats with many extra features.Sounds like it does the same thing as SUPER. Yes, but you get much

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1140914791713783122006-02-25T18:37:00.002-06:002009-04-01T13:32:55.341-05:00

Most of the time viewing Google or YouTube video on-line on your computer is enough. For those times when it would be more fun to watch them the old fashioned way on the television, there is hope. This brief article will present some ideas for moving on-line video to DVD or SVCD using freeware & opensource software on Windows 2000 & Ubuntu Linux. This is not a comprehensive How-To, instead it

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1140764373270582722006-02-24T00:54:00.000-06:002006-02-24T00:59:33.290-06:00

Or at least maybe Danny Elfman?The Simpsons Unplugged

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14408869.post-1140672210128013052006-02-22T23:08:00.000-06:002006-02-22T23:23:30.163-06:00

Wow, this is cool. I really didn't pay any attention to this feature for a long time. So tonight, for the first time, I tried the Warp feature on my GNX2. You pick two amps and two cabinets you want to blend, and then use the Warp function to mesh them together in varying degrees to create entirely new tones--a new 'HyperModel' as they call it. It's really quite interesting. You're

chroniconnoreply@blogger.com0