Comments for Jim Aikin's Oblong Blob http://midiguru.wordpress.com Rampant Misanthropy, etc. Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:57:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Stupid Software Tricks by JB http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/stupid-software-tricks/#comment-925 JB Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:57:01 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1136#comment-925 Wow....I wonder why you can afford Ab 5 but not a new HD? You can get 1TB drives now for well under $100. Wow….I wonder why you can afford Ab 5 but not a new HD? You can get 1TB drives now for well under $100.

]]> Comment on Missing Information by Gravel http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/missing-information/#comment-909 Gravel Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:29:49 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1128#comment-909 Try emailing the library about a card. Many, many times college libraries will pass out cards to community members who make a compelling case. Granted, I haven't tried this with Stanford - only public school libraries - which may make a difference. That aside, try appealing to your public library - often they can request books from across the country (even Illinois!). If Stanford and the public library fail, try a community college - they're linked into better college library networks than publics, and they're less picky about who they issue a card to. You'll probably still need to talk to someone/fill out a form, but at least you'll have access. Try emailing the library about a card. Many, many times college libraries will pass out cards to community members who make a compelling case. Granted, I haven’t tried this with Stanford – only public school libraries – which may make a difference. That aside, try appealing to your public library – often they can request books from across the country (even Illinois!). If Stanford and the public library fail, try a community college – they’re linked into better college library networks than publics, and they’re less picky about who they issue a card to. You’ll probably still need to talk to someone/fill out a form, but at least you’ll have access.

]]> Comment on The Future of Keyboard Magazine by wossname http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/the-future-of-keyboard-magazine/#comment-902 wossname Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:38:08 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=520#comment-902 The problem with all the "free info" on the internet is that it is tainted. Coloured by sellouts, drowning in manufacturer salespeak. One DOES need some kind of filtering mechanism in place, to protect oneself from exactly that "free info". That's why I subscribe to the british Sound On Sound magazine, which btw. seems to be doing real well, thickness-wise :-) There is simply NOT time enough in the universe to keep oneself updated on everything going on. One must trust the magazine employees to catpure what's good and what's not. I also subscribe to both EQ and Keyboard Magazine in their free, electronic version. It's worth a peek every month atleast. I gave away my collection of keyboard magazine issues last year. Must have been back to the early 80s. Oh well. The problem with all the “free info” on the internet is that it is tainted. Coloured by sellouts, drowning in manufacturer salespeak.

One DOES need some kind of filtering mechanism in place, to protect oneself from exactly that “free info”.

That’s why I subscribe to the british Sound On Sound magazine, which btw. seems to be doing real well, thickness-wise :-)

There is simply NOT time enough in the universe to keep oneself updated on everything going on. One must trust the magazine employees to catpure what’s good and what’s not.

I also subscribe to both EQ and Keyboard Magazine in their free, electronic version. It’s worth a peek every month atleast.
I gave away my collection of keyboard magazine issues last year. Must have been back to the early 80s. Oh well.

]]> Comment on Retirement by Robin Hobb http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/retirement/#comment-852 Robin Hobb Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:33:19 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1132#comment-852 "Leaving The Station" Just finished reading this tonight, in the December Asimov's. Don't know about your retiring from your other interests, but I do think your time invested in writing is worth while. I very much enjoyed this tale. It was a nice break in a day of feeling like I'm going to have the flu any minute while surviving my youngest child's senior year of high school. Thanks for Joan and her story. Robin Hobb “Leaving The Station”

Just finished reading this tonight, in the December Asimov’s.

Don’t know about your retiring from your other interests, but I do think your time invested in writing is worth while.

I very much enjoyed this tale. It was a nice break in a day of feeling like I’m going to have the flu any minute while surviving my youngest child’s senior year of high school.

Thanks for Joan and her story.

Robin Hobb

]]> Comment on Retirement by Conrad http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/retirement/#comment-851 Conrad Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:11:04 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1132#comment-851 Also a good place to disseminate misanthropy. Why would I want to disseminate misanthropy to people? Because it's to their disadvantage. C. Also a good place to disseminate misanthropy.

Why would I want to disseminate misanthropy to people?

Because it’s to their disadvantage.

C.

]]> Comment on Retirement by prophet-5 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/retirement/#comment-850 prophet-5 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:53:53 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1132#comment-850 Ah, but I'm already a master of misanthropy. Further cultivation would be redundant. Ah, but I’m already a master of misanthropy. Further cultivation would be redundant.

]]> Comment on Retirement by Conrad http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/retirement/#comment-849 Conrad Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:05:44 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1132#comment-849 Hey, you could retire to Cambodia. The cost of living is less, and it's a really good place to cultivate misanthropy. C. Hey, you could retire to Cambodia. The cost of living is less, and it’s a really good place to cultivate misanthropy.

C.

]]> Comment on My Music by prophet-5 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/my-music/#comment-847 prophet-5 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:31:28 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?page_id=22#comment-847 By now I don't remember where I got them, but they're a Wordpress widget. Or maybe I got them from my friend David. The code looks like ... well, I'll munge it so you can read it. It would look sort of exactly like this, except replace anything in angle brackets with an actual thing. The word "audio" should be printed as shown: (open square bracket)audio(space character)(url where the mp3 is stored)(close square bracket) My mp3s are hosted on my own website. It's possible Wordpress has storage space for audio now ... dunno. Try it and let me know if it doesn't work. By now I don’t remember where I got them, but they’re a WordPress widget. Or maybe I got them from my friend David. The code looks like … well, I’ll munge it so you can read it. It would look sort of exactly like this, except replace anything in angle brackets with an actual thing. The word “audio” should be printed as shown:

(open square bracket)audio(space character)(url where the mp3 is stored)(close square bracket)

My mp3s are hosted on my own website. It’s possible WordPress has storage space for audio now … dunno.

Try it and let me know if it doesn’t work.

]]> Comment on My Music by Mandy http://midiguru.wordpress.com/my-music/#comment-846 Mandy Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:54:01 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?page_id=22#comment-846 hello, i quite enjoy your music, but i was also wondering if you could share with me where you got the little widgets, as i'd like to host some of my own. thank you. hello, i quite enjoy your music, but i was also wondering if you could share with me where you got the little widgets, as i’d like to host some of my own. thank you.

]]> Comment on Beastliness by Conrad http://midiguru.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/beastliness/#comment-841 Conrad Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:38:06 +0000 http://midiguru.wordpress.com/?p=1125#comment-841 Asserting a trend between two sociological factors is not generally understood to mean that the two are always found jointly in every particular person. I have come to believe that most people are as kind as they feel they can afford to be. It's also true, as you mention, that comparably poor people are often more generous with what they have than are comparably rich people. That has to do with managing resources, the expectation of reciprocity, and a "teamwork" mentality. (Nietzsche mentions this as one of the characteristics distinguishing ubermen from untermen.) However, richer societies are generally institutionally kinder than poorer societies. They are also generally institutionally kinder than they themselves were when they were poor. Also, when societies become poor they tend to become mean. And what is true in agregate is true on average: People from richer societies are on average kinder than those the indivuals from poorer ones. Presumably, that's because on average they feel they can afford to be. C. Asserting a trend between two sociological factors is not generally understood to mean that the two are always found jointly in every particular person.

I have come to believe that most people are as kind as they feel they can afford to be.

It’s also true, as you mention, that comparably poor people are often more generous with what they have than are comparably rich people. That has to do with managing resources, the expectation of reciprocity, and a “teamwork” mentality. (Nietzsche mentions this as one of the characteristics distinguishing ubermen from untermen.)

However, richer societies are generally institutionally kinder than poorer societies. They are also generally institutionally kinder than they themselves were when they were poor. Also, when societies become poor they tend to become mean.

And what is true in agregate is true on average: People from richer societies are on average kinder than those the indivuals from poorer ones. Presumably, that’s because on average they feel they can afford to be.

C.

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