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What I Think I Know by Damien Del Russo
Quick links: New "music video" of Artemis.
Here is a cool page with lots of digital touch-ups - amazing stuff. And we wonder why real life doesn't match what we see in magazines! (well, some people do, I hear)
I've been rooting against this MagLev train project since I first heard about it. 30,000 riders per day? Are they high? They'll be lucky to if it's 2,000, and they'll be losing money like crazy. They'll be losing my money like crazy. Newsflash: trains aren't that popular. Making them faster but proportionally more expensive won't fix that. For traffic problems, they'd be better off creating tax breaks to promote work-from-home arrangements. But wait, that would be unfair to some people...and we can't give businesses tax breaks...
A couple weeks ago I mentioned some problems with electronic (i.e. computer-controlled) voting methods - here is a follow-up.
Some may find this entertaining. They may also need professional treatment. There's no point arguing with these folks - they have images! And music!
I find it interesting how cheap technology is being applied around society - it's not usually as I would expect. Check out how webcams in classrooms are being considered, tested, and rolled-out. The development of a "let's go to the videotape!" culture - is that a bad thing? It seems to me that one effect will be increased personal responsibility and less (successful) lying - is that a bad thing? Of course, there will be some less salutory effects as well...I don't know exactly what they'll be, but that's how things work.
This Rich Lowry piece in the Washington Post strikes me needlessly plaintive. I'm normally a fan of Rich, who is an editor at National Review, but I have no complaint with Bush more or less avoiding the culture war. He is a leader by example, not by directive. Anyway, the last time a president brought his cultural values to the Oval Office, look what we got: a generation who doesn't think that a "bl0w job" is sex. Trying to argue that cultural influence will fall to the courts is a bit short-sighted as well - there are also some 500+ legislators in Washington, not to mention the media, including influential publications like National Review. We don't need the president - any president - to play a big part in directing culture.
I recently attended a conference, and for entertainment we had a comedian/musician named Mike Rayburn, "the world's funniest guitar virtuoso". As it turns out, he lived up to the billing.
Mike is classically trained, while also having played plenty of parties, bars, and otherwise bawdy crowds. His comedy mainly consists of either mimicing annoying pop songs such as Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply" or performing a song in the style of a much different artist, such as AC/DC performing the Savage Garden song. He's got a great collection, and the entire room was laughing at most every mini-composition.
I could tell there was a musical striver waiting to get out, and sure enough, Mike did show off a bit. I'm quite happy he did - he is an amazing guitar player. I'm not sure if his guitar has some custom pickups or something, but he was able to do quite a bit of playing with only his left hand - no strumming or picking needed. I don't know if you've ever tried to sound out notes by simply hitting a string hard enough along the neck, but it isn't easy. Mike makes it appear to be so. As he is an entertainer at heart, some of his playing was akin to magic.
His normal playing was incredible, too. He did a version of "Devil Went Down To Georgia", playing a guitar version of the classic fiddle duel that simply amazed the audience. He played a couple original pieces as well, which were also innovative and entertaining. The best comparison I can make is to Tim Reynolds, who I know from playing with Dave Matthews "Live at Luther College".
From the looks of things, Mike doesn't have a record deal. Apparently he gets along pretty well with his live shows - playing colleges and conferences and such. His CDs are available online through his website, and I intend to try some out. When I do, I'll put a temporary clip here with his permission. If you'd like to hear some through Real Audio, go here (they wouldn't work for me, unfortunately).
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