Beating the Goat at Midnight

I call it Thunderhead, though I have yet to unleash upon it to confirm its namesake. It was midnight this Sunday morning when I finally got to beat the old goat skin into the night air. I played some variations on Saidi and Masmoudi to get a feel for the resonance and response on this new drum.

A Comment on the Weather

I got a Christmas card from the nice folks at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – the Climate Witness division. You may recall the article I wrote for them concerning the pitiful state of Lake Lanier (speaking of which, the scientific review of my story is now available). The card reminded me of… Continue reading A Comment on the Weather

The Year is 2035…

Perhaps some of you are aware of Charles Lindbergh’s other work.  Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, but a few years later he was able to get some time with the surgeon, Dr. Alexis Carrel to discuss some common interests.  It turns out that Lindbergh believed it to be possible to build a heart… Continue reading The Year is 2035…

Zune 2.x

You may recall that I had written up the Zune Wish List a couple of months after I received mine in December of 2006. I took the time to assess my needs and what the Zune hardware and software could do to meet those needs. It has now been nearly a year since that list… Continue reading Zune 2.x

The Family Portrait

For Christmas this year, I commissioned Len Peralta of monsterbymail.com to do our family portraits. He did a wonderful job – a wonderfully gruesome job! I built a frame to finish it out and presented it to Amy Christmas morning. It was a fun present, certainly an unexpected one. I detailed the frame over at… Continue reading The Family Portrait

Gävlebocken (The Gävle Goat)

In a small city north of Stockholm, 5,000 onlookers welcome a giant Goat as it is unveiled each year around Yule. For several decades now, the Gävle Goat has made a historical mark in Gävle history as it is either sacrificed or spared during the Winter. In 1969 the goat was burned on New Year’s… Continue reading Gävlebocken (The Gävle Goat)

Silver Stars: A Sensual Boutique

It was about a year ago that I wrote about Gainesville’s decision to close its doors to the occult. If you’re on the business end of the occult, maybe now is a good opportunity to try out your entrepreneurial venture again! Gainesville is now the happy home of one Silver Stars: A Sensual Boutique. This… Continue reading Silver Stars: A Sensual Boutique

Zune Wish List

I couldn’t find a place to send my Zune wish list, so hopefully the Microsoft product managers are reading my blog… Zune Hardware: Alphabet ToC Navigation in addition to click-wheel Ratings categories (so I can play 4-star or 5-star music only, for instance) The ability to remove songs from my “quicklist” Setting EQ attributes to… Continue reading Zune Wish List

Too Zune to Tell

I got a Zune for Christmas – a wonderful gift, really. I really wanted to get into the iPod/Zen/etc. scene, but I wasn’t that interested in the whole iTunes thing. I also want video to be a comfortable size and 4:3 aspect ratio. The Zune has that, and is still pocket size and relatively inexpensive.… Continue reading Too Zune to Tell

Women’s Jeans Suck

For Christmas this year I decided to go in over my head and do some shopping for women’s jeans for my wife. I took the advice of several other females – some at work, personal friends, and family. I learned a volume about women’s fashion designs and the marketing evil behind it. I also learned… Continue reading Women’s Jeans Suck