Gh0st_Preacher's Stuff

SRV was a Total Ripoff of Albert King! Or was it Buddy Guy?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:57:27 -0800

I was rewatching an old Philip Sayce video:

Of course the video is rife with comments that he’s just trying to rip off SRV. I’ll give them that the influence is apparent, though I hear some other technique and influence in there, too (I’m hearing some Eric Johnson and Satch in there)

These comparisons will always be made. People immediately compare it to stuff like this from Stevie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWLw7nozO_U&t=1m33s

But back up 15 seconds and listen to his slower, hardcore bends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWLw7nozO_U&t=1m13s

Back then, old timers heard that and automatically compared it to Albert King. I’ve always like to say that SRV got his bending technique directly from Albert. Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdDRCIEEZ3w&t=0m18s

And even then, you could claim he ripped off the entire idea of bending strings from Lonnie Johnson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpr6h04_POc

And I’m sure you could claim Lonnie stole the entire idea of playing guitar from somebody else.

My point here? We all “steal” a bit from the people who influence us. The problem for the last 20-30 some odd years has been that SRVs shadow is so absolutely staggering, we’re having a hard time getting anybody out from under it. He really set a standard that we need to stop comparing against.

And don’t even get me started on the “SRV ripped off Hendrix” BS. If you really think that, go listen to some old Buddy Guy stuff.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - A Critical Analysis of Community

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:32:35 -0800

Do you know why people get on here and complain?
Its because they love the game, but they see issues that in their eyes are really hurting the experience.

- Barracudastr on the SWTOR forums

The recent early access and live launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic has been an interesting study in a lot of ways. On one hand, you have many MMO veterans - as well as your more “accepting” gamers (like me) - complimenting their almost too smooth launch. There were some queuing and server population issues, sure, but for the most part, it was smooth sailing. Early game access really helped them distribute the load, and it’s been mostly good. Game performance hasn’t been too bad, either, just the same problems you’d expect at launch.

Right now, the forums are filled with raged induced posts from people having reactions spanning the spectrum from “Oh well” to “How do I get my money back?!”. Some folks even have signatures that say they’ve unsubscribed, with the date they did so, as some sort of badge of pride. Ad hominem attacks abound (“troll”, “fanboy”). All in all, it’s normal, healthy internet discussion.

It’s no big secret that most MMO players don’t use the forums for their particular game. It’s also no big secret that most folks don’t provide feedback unless they’re pissed. Combine those two with an IP that’s got one of the most rabid fanbases around AND with gamers (who are notoriously devoted to their hobby), suddenly you start to see where the SWTOR forums get their
swagger.

However, all of these players share a commonality. They share one consistent trait, something that binds them all together into a cohesive community: they’re all rallied around a thing, and they’re very passionate about that thing. In time, the anger will subside a bit, the game will get better (framerates are bad in some areas), and we can all move on.

The EAS, the Feds, and YOU

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:39:00 -0800

Over the last few weeks, I became privy to some skepticism regarding the EAS. For those not in the know, the EAS (formerly known as the EBS) is a way to submit warnings over given areas through radio and television.

You’ve probably seen/heard EAS tests before. They have those bizarre, 56k modem-like noises that happen before and after the announcement. They usually interrupt whatever you’re watching/listening to. They’re usually seen as plainly obnoxious, until you actually need them (like when tornadoes touched down in my town).

The stir I recently heard was in regards to the federal level EAS use. Today marked the first time a Federal level EAS test has ever been carried out. The fear was that the government would use this as a way to shut off/control radio/tv/the internet and keep us all in the dark about the occupy protests and whatever else. I can tell you, from experience, that this is not how it works.

NOTE: I will use Radio as my example here because I have actually done work as a board operator and show host for a radio station before - it’s the only system I have any personal experience with.

The system works something like this:
1. Originating station sends out the primary alert broadcast.
2. In the case of Radio, stations in range are always “listening” on that frequency. They have units in-house that determine if the signal they just picked up applies to their area or not. If it does, they switch over to the EAS broadcast - this step can happen many times as stations then act as repeaters for other stations in their areas.
3. The broadcast is given to the public.
4. The broadcast ends.

The EAS setup at a lot of radio stations mostly consists of a rackmounted unit that’s waiting for an alert to come in. If the alert fits in the right parameters, the unit basically hijacks the entire station, switching all outgoing signals from whatever was going on before to whatever signal is coming in. This is pretty neat, because it doesn’t require any intervention on behalf of the board operator. The system does exactly what it needs to do, then shuts off.

Knowing that, let’s look at a theoretical situation where we deteriorated to the point that the Feds decided they wanted to control all media. 24/7/365 government radio, same thing on every station. If that were to happen, the station could override the system and take control back. The only way for the Feds to then override this would be to overpower any other signal at every single entrypoint to each network. In short - it’s not going to happen any time soon.

While this account might only apply to Broadcast Radio, I could see other transmitted media (Satellite Radio, Cable TV) being a least semi-similar in many regard, since the entire system is setup with an assumption that each repeater and endpoint follows the rules.

So the test that was run today - what was the point? Oddly enough, the infrastructure has always been there for federal use, but it’s never actually been activated. Any major national event that would have warranted its use was all ready covered by other media outlets that everybody would have seen/heard. Data moved so fast that the EAS was shown to be completely unnecessary.

And what happened after the test? Well, you can still watch television, listen to the radio, and you’re reading this (which means the internet’s still “up”), so it looks like it came and went without a hitch. We did learn, however, that Oregon’s Federal-level entry point failed to replicate the signal out, leaving the entire state in the dark. Oops! EDIT: Other failure points were noted, as well, and there were some other problems that cropped up.

I could go on and on about the conspiracy theories surrounding this - like the suggestion that it’s easy to “turn off” the internet for an entire nation (hint: we’re not setup like Egypt), but that’s a whole ‘nother rant for some other time.

Remember kids, skepticism is always a good thing. Not just skepticism of things you disagree with, but skepticism of your own beliefs, as well.

"Not only does [Put This On] spread enthusiasm and knowledge about the art of dressing well, but it..."

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:28:11 -0700

“Not only does [Put This On] spread enthusiasm and knowledge about the art of dressing well, but it does so in a manner that never condescends.”

- Thanks, Michigan Daily!
Couldn’t have said this better myself.

This song is still amazing. And you know it.

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:39:00 -0700

This song is still amazing. And you know it.

Creative Inspiration and Finally Accepting It

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:06:39 -0700

For the last few years, I’ve been going through some creative hurdles. It’s impacted my music-making and my web development. Using the guitar as the reference point, things often go like this:
1. I’ve done a thing that sounds cool.
2. Wait, what if it isn’t that cool? What if others think it’s stupid?
3. How do I make this thing not sound stupid to other people?
4. Completely abandon the idea entirely because I think it might actually just be stupid in concept.

This is really bad because I never actually get the feedback, I just assume it’s not good and completely give up. While it’s important to strive to do the best I can, I also know (and have had others even tell me) that my work can be good. I can’t assume what others think just because of a hunch - instead I need to pump work out and get real, unbiased feedback from people.

Now to just find the time to actually record that work and put it up somewhere…

ShortFormBlog: Picasso drawing nabbed from gallery

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 07:03:07 -0700

ShortFormBlog: Picasso drawing nabbed from gallery:

shortformblog:

HEIST! A 1965 Pablo Picasso drawing valued at over $200,000 was successfully stolen earlier today from a San Francisco art gallery. It was a sophisticated heist that included eleven individuals, a remote-controlled car, a decoy video feed and several impostor cops. Hah, just kidding, that was…

Paging Myles Connor.

The idea is simple: once you pick the piece up, nobody will shoot at you or otherwise try to stop you for fear of damaging the item you’re holding. You then use the piece as a bargaining chip to get a lesser sentence for something else.

Read Art Of The Heist and it all makes more sense than you’ll be comfortable with.

As if we needed more evidence that Fox News does not live up to its' motto

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:43:55 -0700

As if we needed more evidence that Fox News does not live up to its' motto:

This is a huge story, and needs far more love and attention.

Sure, it’s from Gawker, but I can’t think of many others who could provide commentary on mass media appeal like them.

Basically, Fox News traces its’ roots back to 1970 - during the Nixon White house. Ailes worked on a project to do everything from bring dissenting political candidates into interviews where they would be effectively ambushed by questions, to making sure the president’s ties weren’t shiny, to how the president should choose a youngster to light the tree with him one Christmas.

Read this thing folks. It’s well worth it.

putthison: howtotalktogirlsatparties: What you know bout real...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 20:45:51 -0700

putthison:

howtotalktogirlsatparties:

What you know bout real menswear, doe?

This gentleman appears to have entered a contest, the challenge of which is to wear all of mens clothings at once.

Oh my. That’s… That’s terrifying.

Jack Conte’s latest - a mashup between Daft Punk’s...

Mon, 09 May 2011 10:20:05 -0700

Jack Conte’s latest - a mashup between Daft Punk’s “Derezzed” from the Tron: Legacy soundtrack, and “Dream is Collapsing” from the Inception Soundtrack.

This is stellar stuff. A combination most of us would’ve never thought of.

Mr. Conte, you are too smart for your own good.

thedailywhat: Somewhat Apropos Of The Previous Post of the Day:...

Sun, 08 May 2011 16:40:00 -0700

thedailywhat:

Somewhat Apropos Of The Previous Post of the Day: A montage of memorable movie sandwiches.

[vvv.]

This is absolutely, without question, some of the most...

Thu, 05 May 2011 14:57:55 -0700

This is absolutely, without question, some of the most deplorable behavior I’ve seen in light of recent events.

I wonder how many of those protesters really understand what their group is advocating.

Oh, but the Tea Party isn’t racist. That’s right.

One Of Those Momentary Things

Wed, 04 May 2011 09:08:06 -0700

I can look almost anywhere and see missed opportunities, regrets, frustrations, and other negative stuff.

Then I remember that not only can I not do a damn thing about the past, but fixating on those things detracts from looking to the future.

And still, all of this looking defeats the real purpose- right now. Right now is the only thing that exists. Fixating on any other time detracts from life.

F’real.

I am king of my domain. Sorta.

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:00:05 -0700

After moving in with Megan, there was the discussion about the jungle that had taken over yards front and back. I am happy to report that we have made some impressive progress! Weed killer has been layed down, which I’d like to think is some kind of message. Like “No, your kind is no longer welcome here, weeds. We’re no longer interested in your company.”.

This is just a strange wish. I can still hope, right?

Yardwork? Late night?

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:46:51 -0700

Just tore up most of the yard. Layed down some weed killer. Our front yard is gonna actually look semi-presentable soon! Not nearly as much work as I’d thought.

So now folks care?

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 10:05:05 -0700

Domain name seizures by ICE are nothing new - it’s an issue that’s been going on for a while and that some folks have been working hard to bring light to. But a lot of folks only started to care after they came for poker sites. Honestly? I think this says a lot about where we are as a nation.

Scooby. Up close. I figured I’d share with you my I go...

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:09:06 -0700

Scooby. Up close. I figured I’d share with you my I go through daily.

So that was a Thursday

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:46:06 -0700

Megan and I come home after getting pie and notice that the house next door (which has been empty since mid december of last year) had its door wide open. Super spooky and weird. Called the popo because we were a little freaked. All’s well now, though.

"You’re fired!"

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:24:06 -0700

“You’re fired!”

- Megan, because she thinks she’s Donald Trump.

This is “Under the Waves” from the Pendulum album...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:13:03 -0700

This is “Under the Waves” from the Pendulum album “Immersion”. Stupid fun. The lead synth featured at places like 1:22 is so doofy, but it works so well.