2005 August

Where are the Tunes?

I’ve gotten a few emails asking me where the mashups are, as I had mentioned last month they should be back up on August 9th. I’ve made a bonehead move where I have to start over. I have to rename the files so they display correctly in the player, otherwise they don’t display the full title and you won’t know who the artists are that are in the mashups. I hope to rectify this this weekend, and hopefully have the tunes back up at the beginning of next week.

The good news is that you will have 3 more volumes of mashups to enjoy. A grand total of over 2300 songs to select from. Thanks to everyone that has wrote in with kind words, and those who have donated to help out with bandwidth.

Secret Machines, Kings of Leon in Concert

After listening to the live performances via NPR.org of Secret Machines and Kings of Leon, I was so impressed by Secret Machines, I ended up rushing to the iTunes Music Store and grabbing their latest album. Of course, Kings of Leon were awesome, as I expected them to be. I’ve listened to their 2 albums over and over to death, and I can imagine their live performances are electrifying. I had never heard of Secret Machines, but after this concert, I’m definitely enjoying their music.

Check this space on NPR as they’ll have an archive of the performances for you to enjoy.

The Art of Good Coffee

One of the things that is a mainstay of happiness to most adults, me included, is hot coffee in the morning. However, the sludge we buy from the local grocery store, and drink from a can that has beans that are already ground up, and eventually put in the freezer, is nowhere near the quality that we can get by doing it right. With the proper research, I’ve discovered that a good coffee maker counts a lot, especially if it can brew the water to the proper temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Then a good grinder is ideal, preferably with burr blades for even, consistent grinding of the beans. Finally good, quality roasted beans are necessary to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This is exactly what I did. I did research, and discovered the Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe to be a good bang for the buck coffee maker. It heats the water up to near 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and it keeps the coffee hot without burning it using a heating plate. It also looks nice. Compared to the old coffee maker we had in here, it barely heated the water hot enough to enjoy (it was always warm unless I left it on the heating plate for a while, but then the coffee would have a burnt taste.)

For the grinder, I went old skool and got the classic KitchenAid KCG200TG Classic-Series Model A-9 Burr Coffee Mill, which is truly spectacular. In fact, it costed more than the coffee maker, but as it turns out, it’s well worth it. It grinds up the beans effortlessly, it is rugged and heavy duty, and it looks neat on the counter. I anticipate this thing lasting for a long time.

When ordering the beans, I’ve found that Peet’s Coffee & Tea is a good place for quality, fresh roasted beans. The price are reasonable, and they got a great selection to choose from. So far I’ve tried the Guatemala beans, which was real nice, very aromatic and flavorful. I’ve also tried the new African Blend, from Ethiopia, which is just as marvelous as the Guatemala beans, except a bit milder and more tangy.

I’m no expert at this point, but this new step has opened my eyes up to some real good coffee. Before, I used to put a ton of creamer and sugar in my coffee because it was so bitter, and in most cases, didn’t taste good. Now it isn’t necessary, in fact, I’m finding I can even enjoy the coffee without anything in it, and it’s just as enjoyable compared to a little cream and sugar. I never thought I’d be able to say that.

Razer Copperhead Mouse Images

Razer sent me some photos of their new mouse, the Copperhead, which was recently announced. Photos:

• Photo 1
• Photo 2
• Photo 3
• Photo 4

Company pitch:

Powered by Razer Precision(tm) technology, the Copperhead’s laser sensor has an unequaled tracking precision of up to 2000 dpi, making it the most precise gaming mouse available. As a full speed USB device, the Copperhead is also the fastest mouse compared to other gaming mice. Its 16 bit data channel features 1000Hz Ultrapolling(tm) capabilities, and with a 1 millisecond response rate, the Copperhead empowers gamers with lightning-fast response that can mean the difference between fragging vs. getting fragged to the hardcore gamer. The mouse features a frame rate of over 7000 frames per second (fps) - far surpassing the industry’s current frame rate of 6400 fps and high-speed motion detection of more than 50 inches/second.

Suddenly my Logitech MX510 doesn’t seem so hot anymore.

NPR To Stream Live Concerts

I was just notified by Nhia Vang from NPR that they will be streaming live concerts on their website, which should be really awesome, considering the line-up. Here’s the details straight from the horse’s mouth:

I thought you might be interested to hear that National Public Radio will be streaming live concerts of several artists on their Web site, NPR.org, from the setting of the 9:30 Club, the premier music club in Washington, D.C. The Web cast continues NPR’s Live Concert Series with Web casting audio for David Gray on Saturday, Aug. 6, Lucinda Williams on Sunday, Aug. 7, and Kings of Leon and Secret Machines on Thursday, Aug. 11. Listeners worldwide have already enjoyed listening to five live concerts since January with Bloc Party, The Decemberists, Interpol, Bright Eyes and Wilco. Visit http://npr.org/ to hear the concert and http://npr.org/liveconcerts for schedules and archived live shows.

Gmail Locked Me Out

I can’t check my email because Google has decided to lock me out. According to Google, I’m using a 3rd party application they don’t support, except I’m using their own provided software, Gmail Notifier, to check my email. This is the message they give me:

Our system indicates unusual usage of your account. In order to protect Gmail users from potentially harmful use of Gmail, this account has been disabled for up to 24 hours.

If you are using any third party software that interacts with your Gmail account, please disable it or adjust it so that its use complies with the Gmail Terms of Use. If you feel that you have been using your Gmail account according to the Terms of Use or otherwise normally, please contact us at gmail-lockdown@google.com to report this problem.

I’ve had nothing but praise for Gmail, but this latest incident of locking me out wrongfully has me really wondering if I should try another service. I rely on my email for important business, and personal communication. A search on Google shows that a number of other people are having this problem too.

LifeHut - Answers To Your Life Questions

I can never get enough of sites that enhances my life, makes me a better person, and perhaps even smarter too. One such new site is LifeHut. Sporting a gorgeous design, and lots of good information, LifeHut looks to hog my daily surfing habits as I glean all the information from it.

Questions like how to get rich and wealthy (Chris Rock skit comes to mind here), how to keep your environment clean, and my favorite right now, how to be a cool and responsible parent, are all touched upon here. Bookmark the site, and don’t miss out on what is to be a fantastic resource as it grows.