CM Blog

Dream-post: Kids These Days.

2012-02-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

2.3.12 / Non-lucid / Vivid.

I am in Los Angeles driving a convertible car, top down. I am passing a billboard of the Japanese flag, under which is the caption "I EAT RICE AND I EAT BEEF" or something along those lines. The passing scenery behind the billboard I recognize as China, and I wonder if I can see Japan from the west coastline of California. Sure enough, I look to my left over the down-sloping terrain of the mainland and I find Japanese architecture blocking my view of the morning horizon, on a long strip of island just off the shore. Watching the island with its lush green forests, punctuated by tall Japanese towers of midnight blue and orange colours, I notice that the mainland coast on which I'm driving also features a fusion of Japanese and American culture, through its architecture and people; the same kind of towers I see on the island also populate the city I'm driving through. I get incredibly excited to take some photos of the towers, and take a left onto an orange brick street down the hill toward the shore.

I see no beach but that the entire shoreline has been setup like a pier so diners can eat and relax right on the edge of the water. I get to the end of the orange brick street and here a Japanese-American woman greeting me and inviting me to look at her dining menu. She has a lime green dress on, very dark hair and eyes, and a brilliant smile. I rifle through my messenger bag in the back seat and retrieve my camera, noticing that the people populating the pier are blocking my view of Japan. However, I imagine this would make for an even better shot than one featuring just trees and buildings, as I could take shots of the many people here, with Japan still being in their background.

I notice a few Japanese-American teenage boys standing around looking at me without smiling, and I get really uncomfortable at the thought of sitting here taking photos of these people. Looking behind me to the top of the hill, I see several more young men wearing black clothes, listening to the complaint of a Japanese woman (also in black), pointing at me while talking nervously.

I know I'm about to get attacked by a gang, and throw the car in reverse, turning almost perfectly on the spot. Facing the top of the hill, I floor the gas pedal, but the car only creeps forward and up the hill. One gang member is standing not 50 feet in front of the car, and throws a little black and silver ninja star of intricate design at me. I have no way to defend myself, so I put my head down and begin flailing my right arm in front of my head and torso as best I can to swat away the star. I open my eyes after feeling something bump my arm, and I see the star has fallen into my lap, causing no harm. I try to hit the would-be assailant with my car but he has already disappeared from sight.

The next attacker is on my right and throws another star, this time a little faster. My defense technique worked again, and I find a black and green star sitting safely on my leg.

By the time I reach the top of the hill, there are a couple more gangsters waiting for me, also throwing stars. One of the gangsters simply drops a star in front of him, and it flies as if remote-controlled around my head. The more stars they throw, the more crazy their flight paths become, none hitting me due to my wonderful defense technique.

All but one gangster has disappeared, and a huge muscular guy, about 22 in age and wearing a brown shirt, attacks the remaining gangster with a long brown guitar, using a stabbing motion. He then puts the gangster in a kind of headlock, and breaks the head-stock of the guitar against the thug's neck, then looks up to see if I'm alright.

And I never got those pictures I wanted.

Almost identical to the dream's representation. Midnight blue rooftops, orange accents and walls.

I Have A Website Now.

2012-01-02T00:25:00.000-05:00

Photography and A New Website.

My posts have slowed.
And I swear it's for a good reason.

Remember that photography thing I've been doing? Yeah, I'm still doing that. It's my new thing now, so it keeps me busy when not working or in class. That's most of why I haven't been posting, 'cause I've been working with my camera.

However, I now have renewed reason to post, as I recently purchased a proper TLD (top-level domain) website for myself! It's still getting worked on, but it'll be presentable by tomorrow morning and ready for regular use by the end of the week. That being said, you can take a peek at what's on it right now by heading over to www.clydemachine.com.

What's Going on this Site?
This site will function as a multi-part digital portfolio of my creative endeavours. Among them, I will be putting up music, literature, and of course photography, and later will try to incorporate my thinking endeavours/philosophies. My plan is to have a proper section dedicated to my most important/inventive/helpful philosophies, and explains them in a detailed but concise manner. But for the time being, it'll just be a collection of all the cool stuff I've worked on that people may not have seen/read/heard from me.

Oh, and I changed the name of this blog from "CME Blog" to simply "CM Blog". It just makes sense. =P

www.Twitter.com/deadlymetal86
www.Clydemachine.com

Everyday Photogwaphy Project 2wk Review + Interstate Migration.

2011-12-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's Everyday Photogwaphy. Not Photography. That's too typical and predictable and whatnot.

So! Got a camera a while ago - evidenced by the last blog post - and I've made an attempt to use it every day since. I believe I have not missed a single 24-hour period in which to turn on the camera, point it at something not expecting to be photographed, and do just that.

Everyday Photogwaphy: Review.
Thus far, I have to say the experience has changed the way I do my routine. I now go out of my way in a split-second decision, in the hopes of seeing something I haven't seen before. This has yet to do anything life changing - it just introduces me to new parking lots, new parts of town, new places around the college campus, etc. But, it does get me going places I wouldn't have otherwise gone, and of course it gives me new opportunities to try new things with the camera.

Most of my learning of how to work it has been compensating for the light of the environment, be that shooting under dark stairwells or getting incredibly bright sunlit scenes of trees. That being said, shutter speed and aperture settings have been my number one most adjusted settings, followed by the "macro" setting (for taking photos super close to your camera lens, as in less than 8 inches away) and the zoom. This, partnered with my own creative eye (or at least, it seems to be creative) and my history of Photoshop skills, has produced a rather decent portfolio of amateur photos, now amounting to 19 on my Flickr account. [flickr.com]

Everyday Photogwaphy: Reception.
Unexpectedly, people love what I've done with this camera. In particular, photos I've done with my model, the lovely and talented-beyond-belief Chelsea* have received some hardcore praise, and I am really excited about this. What it comes down to is that someone thinks my work is good, and that makes this whole endeavour worthwhile. Good to know I'm not a failure in that respect! =D

*(mentioned in earlier posts as "a certain young lady") .

Everyday Photogwaphy: 1 Year Goal.
I intend to keep going with the Everyday project into the next few months, shooting for the 3-month mark. I am in the mindset to continue this for an entire year, as I was originally inspired to do by Chelsea and her attempts at year-long Everyday-style challenges. But, I'm pacing myself by counting the months right now to see how I feel after certain lengths of time (milestones of 1 month intervals seem appropriate right now, where every month I re-evaluate how I feel about doing a year-long photography project). We'll see what happens!

Two photos featuring Chelsea, all on the Flickr:

And now onto the "oldish idea".

Introducing the Oldish Idea: Where I Got The Idea
One day while at work, I was thinking about how much I want to move. I really don't care for the geographical location I am at now. The climate is very cold, which I don't care for. The culture is very tradition, resistant to change, intolerant of new ideas (new technology, alternate religious/spiritual beliefs, new industries, new legal policies, etc.), and incredibly conservative, with a large Christian religious bias. There are no hills; the land is flat, and I like land that isn't flat. There is too much farmland and not enough city, if that makes sense.

Basically, this is a dead area for someone of my personality and demographic. I need out, and would like to go somewhere much cooler and much more responsive to people who want to do "get ahead". So, California comes to mind! But with as many problems as I'm having living here, how can I stand trying to work up the money in this area to move out/away?

Introducing the Oldish Idea: Migration support groups!

The premise is simple:

A bunch of people have the same issues. They want to move away from where they're at, and could use guidance and help in doing so, especially if they've never moved before in their life. The group comes up with a plan, where each party (can be an individual, a family, a couple, whatever) decides on their expected expenses, included but not limited to the anticipated cost of living in their destination spot, as well as the travel expenses to get there. Using this, everyone sets a party-specific financial goal and an expected date of success in reaching that goal.

Everyone then works toward this goal and records their progress, either by blog or by actually meeting in person. For continuity and a better feeling of community in participating, the expected move date is set for each party to be on the same date, or at least in the same week. Everyone also gets to go over their concerns and worries in moving away from their current home, and those with experience or insights can provide support to them to help them cross their psychological gaps to getting to the new location.

People share knowledge, worries, insights, and possibly even physical assistance (money from one party to another, household items like furniture and kitchenware, etc.). And best of all, everyone gets where they're going!

What do you think of an American interstate migration support group?

So I'm Doing a Photography Thing Now.

2011-12-06T00:12:00.001-05:00

I got a Fujifilm Finepix S3400 digital camera last week or the week before, and I've been playing around with it trying to figure out how to take great-looking photos.

In my efforts to ensure that my investment doesn't go to waste while I try to figure out a bunch of photography basics, I am making a goal for myself to take at least one photo a day for this month, and possibly even extend said project into the following year.

If you're interested in keeping up with my photographying skills and how they progress, here's my Flickr. (If you are a friend on Facebook, you'll see these photos there as well.) I'll be keeping only the most interesting/best photos that I take in there, so you won't see the garbage of the garbage. Let's see how much I can learn and how fast I can learn it!

Special thanks to my dear friend Chelsea for giving me the idea to do an "Everyday" kind of album (though she doesn't yet know she inspired it), and to my dear friend Tori who has so graciously offered to share her artistic wisdom with me.

Oh hey, I've got one of those Twitter things, if you wanna follow that or yell at me or something!

Dream-Post: The President Would Like To See Noah's Ark.

2011-11-06T17:40:00.000-05:00

11.5.2011
I am in a tiny classroom for kindergarteners, but I'm with Chellie and Aaron. I am seated facing them, they are seated forward, and all three of us are quoting lines from funny videos we've all seen. Chellie faces the blackboard at the front of the class and goes to say something, but doesn't seem to want us to hear it. She has her hair in two blonde braids and grabs each with her hands, making another video reference which I find hilarious. She looks around to me, clearly not expecting anyone to hear what she'd said, and laughs with me about it.

Later, I'm the President of the United States, and am in some huge dark room where a number of large items are on display. I understand the items to be important relics and artifacts collected and saved by the American government. I'm casually playing with a straight bass that is twice as tall as me, when my butler shows me an artist-drawn picture of Noah's Ark, another artifact the government apparently has possession of. I get excited at the prospect of going to see it, and we change rooms, but the dream moves to a different scene, and I don't see the boat.

Dream-Post: With Chelsea at the Food Court.

2011-10-31T11:56:00.002-04:00

10.31.2011 / Non-lucid
I dreamed Chels and I were at the mall sitting on a cushioned bench/love-seat thing. My arms were around her, and we leaned against one another as she closed one of her hands around one of mine. After a short while she fell asleep.

The dream shifts and we are on a different but similar love-seat in the same area, when she lays sideways onto my lap. I readjust my body so she's lying against me and I wrap my arm around her. We were talking about something but I don't recall what.

Early on in the dream, before we were on the love-seats, I had ordered some food for us at the food court. When I noticed they were taking a terribly long time getting Chellie's food ready, I left her on the seat and went to the counter. On the way I read the receipt, trying to remember what I'd ordered, but didn't recognize or understand any of the items listed. I stopped trying to figure it out when I read the item "1x www.JOOBIE.com," and handed the lone worker at the counter the receipt. (That site is not as interesting as it sounds. =P)

Since I couldn't remember what I'd ordered for Chellie, I just told her, "Can I pick up the order that has a fried chicken sandwich?" She gave me a look like she hadn't a clue what I was talking about, but tried to fake a smile to hide it, and started punching buttons on the cash register. Before the dream ended, I heard someone say, "She's the first woman to discover a whole new world," and I understood that it was referring to the cashier dealing with my order.

We never did get that order.

EDIT: Another dream fragment remembered from earlier:

I'm in a church surrounded by people with their heads down. Everyone is singing and then they all cross themselves. I try blending in - I hum along and place my hand vertically on my chest without crossing myself. My efforts fail and someone announces, "There's a rebel among us," with a laugh. Everyone disperses and I walk about the church before the dream ends.

Dream-Post: The Donnie Darko Dream

2011-10-23T23:52:00.001-04:00

10.23.2011
Coming from an earlier dream, I am with a couple very young friends, running through a muddy pond-sized puddle. I avoid some deep spots to make sure I don’t wind up drowning myself, since I can’t swim, and run through shallow waters with the group to join a group of unfamiliar older adults on a lawn on the other side. I suspect they are of some relation to me, but I don’t actually know any of them.

Lead by a tall man among them, they are reciting some long historic quote which I recognize but haven’t memorized. When they’ve finished I walk around a bit and overhear someone asking another how to install Linux on their computer – they ask, “do you have to use a CD?” I can answer their question, but I feel like I need to drive somewhere. After thinking about it a moment, I choose not to interject into his conversation, and hop in a silver mini-SUV and drive off the lawn, down a driveway that has appeared where the pond was earlier.

I stop at the road (also replacing the aforementioned pond), still able to hear the would-be Linuxer’s questions. I think about driving off like I’d planned to, then I throw the car in reverse, hop out, and push the car by its hood backward to the group of people, intent on helping out. (Somehow I’m able to drive the car without operating the steering wheel, but I think nothing of it.)

When I arrive back at the group, I push the car away and find that they’ve all gone silent. One elderly man, an ex-sailor possibly a veteran of military service, stands from his lawn chair and approaches me, and begins reading a script. It reads like a funeral speech, or something you’d hear on Memorial Day. The man’s son was killed/died early in his young life, and the group gathered every year to remember him. However, the man began directing the speech at me, going off the script to tell everyone that I am dishonouring his memory, “standing there looking all cool, wearing the shoes he could have worn.”

His words were painful for both of us, but the sadness and guilt I was feeling was quickly replaced with anger. I became thoroughly pissed and pulled off my sunglasses, disgusted that he was publicly blaming me for his son’s death. He continued to rant, both of us standing there face-to-face with no more than three feet between us, and I could feel the situation about to escalate. He pulled out an oversized handgun, loading it with a single shotgun shell. Someone came up from behind me and tried to talk him down, as did I, but to no avail. I tried to get closer to him with a kind of diagonal sidestep in the hopes of disarming him, while making it difficult for him to aim at me, but I wound up twirling as I moved. Obviously, I start to freak out because I’m moving much more slowly than I’d intended to, and am expecting to feel a bullet break my skin. However, the ex-sailor appears to have turned into a short dark-skinned boy and is having trouble figuring out how to operate the gun. Since I can’t run, I twirl a couple more times, and someone manages to stop him – I don’t see how exactly.

I find myself on the road in the silver mini-SUV, and I’m barreling down the road. I am on the phone with the boy that saved my life, and I excitedly laugh that the scene I’d just witnessed reminded me of the movie Donnie Darko. I ask the boy on the phone if he’s seen Donnie Darko, and explain the comparison: if I hadn’t started down the driveway in the SUV, then returned to try answering the Linux guy’s question, I might not have survived – it made sense in the dream. He agrees with a laugh, and the dream ends.

Earlier dream fragments:
I am with Chelsea listening to an old woman talking. She is switching between French and English, with a heavy Mexican accent to all her words. I interpret the French words for Chelsea where I recognize them.

I’m on a train which is driving on the freeway, high above a big city, and the door next to me is open to allow me a clear line of sight to the people driving cars next to us. One person is driving what appears to be a blue-coloured variation of the Dalek suit from Doctor Who, and I call it a TARDIS (without realizing my mistake). I’m incredibly entertained by seeing this as a functioning vehicle.

Dream-Post: The Things I Do To Impress A Girl

2011-10-20T16:33:00.002-04:00

I believe I will start incorporating my dream journal entries into the CME Blog. They'll be marked by a prefix to the title like so: "Dream-Post:" They'll also be labeled properly for ease of searchability. This should prove interesting!

10.20.2011/Non-Lucid

I dreamed I was joining the US Air Force. I was in a room with a lot of strangers, almost like a kind of waiting room for a train station, about to leave for either training or some kind of active combat. I was wearing a green uniform and looking at my military ID card in my wallet when I realized I didn't want to do this - I was doing it to impress a girl, I think. I started to reverse my dream, watching earlier sequences go in reverse like a movie being played backwards. I wasn't aware it was a dream, I just knew I could undo my life at that point. I stopped just before applying for the Air Force, and I don't remember doing anything besides before the dream ended.

Simply Incredible to Read

2011-10-18T21:12:00.002-04:00

So this certain young lady I keep talking about has a really incredible mind. Never mind that you haven't been introduced - 'cause we'll take care of that right now.

Meet Chellie's mind. [berniedreams.blogspot.com] While her dreams are only a glimpse into the world of an imagination she has, what you'll read here will grab and hold you. To put it simply: When was the last time you read about a girl's wild ride sitting in the shopping-cart sized basket of a motorcycle, driven by their grandmother at breakneck speed down the highway? I thought so!

To get you started, I'll point you in the direction of her most recent post, "Explosions, Heights, and Speed in Los Angeles." I won't steal her thunder in trying to summarize all of what she witnessed, but be aware that there may be a death-defying circus act, and possibly some flying vehicles à la Transformers. If any of that is an exaggeration...well, I'll leave that up to you to find out!

The blog is actively updated. Follow it by RSS or with the Google Friend Connect widget thingy and it'll just hand you all the goodies she posts!

Also, she loves getting comments. Leave her one for me!

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Notes:
This blog post was written to the tune of some tracks off of The Colour Morale's "We All Have Demons" album [2009], and MGMT's songs "Kids" [2008] and "Time To Pretend" [2007] on repeat.

Learned Modesty

2011-10-17T02:11:00.000-04:00

Okay everyone, I'm having issues both intrinsic and extrinsic. But, the good news is I'm working on them.

And yes, one of them is making my wording less complicated. =P
(If you get nothing else out of this post, you may find the music recommendation at the bottom to be of use.)

Future Planning Done Wrong
I've always had a plan for my future. Every detail had been worked out, every possibility taken into consideration. I knew what I was going to do with myself in terms of a career - I'd be a Network Engineer, either for a company or for the government. I had a general idea of where I'd be living - out of this state and somewhere warmer.

Like most big plans, this one didn't work out. Every detail of what I had hoped would be the story of my life became up for adjustment over this last summer. I am no longer sure what it is I really want to do with my life (as in, I don't have a big ol' dream like I used to), I'm not definite on working as a Network Engineer, and I haven't the faintest idea where I'll be living, though I should hope it will be somewhere warmer.

It feels like I've always had a plan, and now I just don't. Aimlessness is an accurate way to describe how I view this nasty outlook on the next five-or-so years for myself.

But then a certain young lady (the very same one I keep mentioning everywhere else I post stuff) reminded me that this is what happens when you make plans in your teen years and expect them to work out. Of course, I initially wanted to believe that my case was different. But, it really wasn't, and it really isn't. I'm 21, and still in my parents' home, which is not what I'd planned for. But that's what's happening right now and hey, I'm still alive!

I've started on a new plan, but a more realistic and flexible one. It deals only with the next few months, with a general idea of where I want to be in half a year. Nothing too rigid - just a list of things I'm going to do that adds up to "Doing It Right", rather than "Doing It Perfectly". Of course I'm going to continue trying to do great things with my time, but I'm also going to get work, get a vehicle that I can actually call my own, and at some point finish my degree, even if I don't finish it by the end of next semester. (I hate considering that last thought, but considering how terribly rigid that plan is, I really have to consider all the things that can go wrong with it.)

To put it simply, I now have a list of what I'm going to do, starting tomorrow, where I quit acting/thinking like I've "got it figured out", and actually make some things happen. On that list: get a job or two (with a new plan on how I'll conduct myself in interviews), save the money I make, get a car, find out where I want to move to and have a good reason for moving.

Learned Modesty
On a smaller scale, I recently discovered I have problems with talking too much and listening too little. It eats me up to have to realize that this old issue has come back to haunt me again, but that's the truth of it. I've always had a certain cocky element to my personality, and now it's a problem. I enjoy learning, and I enjoy listening - but I enjoy talking too, and that comes from the cockiness. Whatever word describes the antithesis of "modesty" would describe how I've been for years. While it used to be fun and handy (see: when playing on-stage in a rock band), it is now a barrier to my self-improvement and my potential usefulness to others.

And, last but not least, I've found that part of that cockiness has lent itself to my writing style - confident, and often overly wordy. I have strange ways of writing, I know. Now I get to try a new thing: writing for comprehension rather than writing to impress or to show off.

The writing of this post is rather self-serving, as it deals only with myself and absolutely nothing else. However, it is necessary for me to lay out in writing what problems I'm dealing with, and how I'll go about fixing them. If nothing else, I can come back to this later and see how well I've been accomplishing my new goals. If you've read this far, thanks for caring about what I'm thinking and feeling. =)

TL;DR and Conclusion
This is me admitting I need help, and that I've got work to do. Lots of it.
The music recommendation is below.

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Notes:
This blog post was written to the tune of Attack Attack's self-titled deluxe-edition album [2010/2011].

Dream Journal Returns!

2011-10-13T14:50:00.002-04:00

I don't think I'm about to jump back into lucid dreaming like I used to do it, but I am definitely going to get back to writing down and sharing my coolest dreams.

Here's my Dream Journal (DJ) [dreamviews.com] which contains my current (and many of my past) dreams, both lucid and non-lucid. There may be profane language and some violence, but I rarely have any content that requires censoring for the general audience, so it's mostly SFW (safe for work) to read my dreamlogs. There's an RSS option to follow my DJ if you're one of those RSS types.

You should see two current posts, "Vodka Fries" and "Vodka Again: Picking Up A Lady at the Bar" (also could have been called "Chelsea Gets Her Vodka"), and a number of my past dreams. I don't believe I actually got through transferring all of my old dreams [dreamviews.com] to this DJ from my old one, but there are a number of entertaining posts in there to keep you busy if you're interested.

So! Quick recap:
- Current Dream Journal.
- Old Dream Journal (The one with all the really good dreams in it.)

Now go read 'em and laugh and whatnot.

Post-21st-Birthday Planning!

2011-10-07T19:43:00.000-04:00

Before I start, pardon anything that sounds a little more like me than it usually sounds like - I stayed up quite late last night, got up early for classes this morning, and had a southwest-style chicken sandwich coupled with a mocha coffee as my only meal yet today. I say this obviously not looking for pity, but only understanding, as, to put it simply, I am feeling pretty weird right now. =P

So! 21st birthday was yesterday, and it was a good albeit average day. Got my new driver's license, so that's all nice with the new picture and all. Haven't touched any alcohol yet as an over-21 candidate for perusing such beverages, in case you were curious, so no, I have no great stories to tell (or great stories to have forgotten in drunkenness). XD

However, I do have an idea.

I'm 21 years old. I've lived in the same house, same city, same state, same country for every one of those years. I have traveled little, and experienced much - but not enough. I have great friends, for lack of a more generous adjective of appreciation, and want to do some story-worthy things with them. And by that, I want to make some memorable events take place.

So!

I want to compile a list of all the great things I'd love to say I've done, when my 22nd birthday rolls around. Think of it like a bucket list with a 1-year expiration date. These can get pretty crazy and outlandish, but that's kinda the point.

This list is not intended to be a closed effort, noted by my mentioning that I want friends involved in these memorable experiences. That said, anyone and everyone is welcome to throw ideas my way of nuts or crazy things to do.

I'll throw out some thoughts as they come to me, see how this list will get started.

- Revise and edit the novel I wrote back in July.
- Publish said novel!
- Write a novel's worth of short stories. (Plans for NaNoWriMo, as they stand now.)
- Learn to swim, or practically die trying. =P
- Roadtrip several states away. To quote The Doctor: "Anywhere you want. Any time you want. One condition: it has to be amazing."
- Learn to write good poetry.
- Release my first recorded album.
- Take a young lady out to a place she's never been and do something mind-blowingly amazing.
- Ice skate without dying.
- Roller blade without dying.
- Fly in a plane for the first time. Preferably without dying.
- Visit California.
- Visit a country not attached to North America.
- Get a job, learn what it's like to have a job that's less than pleasing. Everyone else seems to be able to pull this one off. =P
- Meet Matt Smith or Benedict Cumberbatch, respective actors for the 11th Doctor (Doctor Who) and Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock).
- Get a college degree!
- Watch so many movies I've missed over the last 30+ years of film-making history that I find nothing interesting to watch besides reruns. This will be a challenge.
- Get the CompTIA Network+, Security+, and Linux+ certifications.
- Get the (ISC)^2 SSCP (associate of) certification.
- Teach a class of college kids for a day (or close to it). This will take some sneakiness to pull off, I'm sure.
- Help my brother Myron [myrongreeneforsheriff.com] succeed in his campaign for Sheriff of the local law department.
- Make at least green-belt in Taekwon-do, yellow belt in Aikido.
- Get caught up watching all the worthwhile TV shows I've missed. (Included but not limited to: Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Eccleston-era and older Doctor Who.)
- Figure out what to do about the following issue I'm having. (Image source: XKCD 863: "Major in the Universe")

- finish reading "God Is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens.
- get to "conversational" level in French, but sound like I'm fluent.
- get to "conversational" level in Arabic, but sound like I'm fluent.
-

And the list goes on.

The Arch Linux Adventures Begin

2011-10-01T13:01:00.000-04:00

Been a while since I've done a Linux/computer-related blog post, so here's what I attempted last night:

I installed and started configuring Arch Linux x64 alongside my Windows 7 x64 OS. Since my existing machine was factory setup, there were three partitions dedicated to Windows - a system recovery thing, some other system-protected thing, and then the main partition with all the typical Windows C:\ drive goodies on it. After installing the GRUB, everything was running fine as far as I could tell - until I booted into Windows. (Isn't it always a Windows problem after a Linux install? XD) When I'd boot in, it would take me straight into the Acer eRecovery Manager. After poking around with CHKDSK /F, the MSDaRT Windows 7 disk [technet.microsoft.com], and considering going through with the factory reset I was being told to do, I popped into Google with my Android tablet (since I haven't yet set up GNOME in Arch, and didn't feel like doing a Google search in a text browser [archlinux.org]) and came across this forum topic [bbs.archlinux.org] where a gent/lady was attempting the same thing, and getting a different problem which resulted in the same problem I was having. The end of the thread suggested editing GRUB's menu.lst to read the following for the Windows partition:

# (2) Windows 7
title Windows 7
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
makeactive
chainloader +1

The suggested change was to modify (hd0,0) to (hd0,1), and that's all it took to make Windows 7 work again.

Pretty cool fix if you ask me! I'm mostly posting this in case someone else has the same issue and didn't come across the fix elsewhere, lest they wipe their machine due to a bootloader/partition mismatch. Now all I have to do is figure out why my Windows clock keeps fast-forwarding by 3 hours whenever I boot into it. XD

In other news, it's the first of October, and this is one beautiful day. I had/have plans for today, and so far a few of them have been modified in favour of tinkering with my machine. It's gonna be a good weekend no matter what I do, I'm sure.

Hit me up on Twitter [twitter.com] or Google+ [plus.google.com].

Now Playing: Ingrid Michaelson - "Die Alone"

2011-09-28T15:37:00.001-04:00

A beautifully-done live version of this incredible song.

Atheism: Only For Smart People?

2011-09-26T22:10:00.001-04:00

Evening once again, one and all. I trust this post is received in a comfortable but mentally engaged state, as this post will likely be a long one.

The Prompt
The reason for this post comes from a number of prompts, but the lighting of the fuse only really took off last week on what became an explosion of personal inquiry on the topic of atheism. To clarify: I was asked off-handedly by my sister, in so many words, "Is atheism only for smart people?" Before I'll jump into my take on this small but enlightening intellectual challenge, I'd like for you to take a moment and think on it. I realize it's directed at those who already hold a skeptical view of spirituality, but all the same, I'd like to know that this question - not just my reaction - is being thought about as you are reading this post.

My instinct in taking the question led me to blurt out the obvious response, "No." After all, the state of atheism is simply lacking a belief in any god(s), higher power, or any kind of supernatural what-have-you. Any person who can understand the basic concepts of the world around them and of belief has the capacity to choose not to believe.

But, of course, I couldn't simply let my gut reaction stand as the representative to my thoughts on the question. After all, she was expecting an informative (and informed) response. I gave it some thought and considered the validity of my fast-thought reasoning. Just because someone has the capacity to do something doesn't mean that they will - or even can - reasonably do it. In context: Any conscious human being has the capacity to become an atheist if they haven't done so (and vice versa), but the daughter of a priest will find it nearly impossible to do so, as will most Muslims whose families are also followers of Islam. (In case the example is lost on you, Muslims who convert out of the religion are subject to being killed for their heresy.)

Although that doesn't call into question whether or not a person's intellectual development could be a prerequisite for becoming a nonbeliever, it does make my original support for the answer weak. To come back from this, I considered the scenario of a person who is not intelligent, but still chooses to be atheist. All I could come up with was an apathetic guy who had no ambitions in his life beyond getting the next highest scoring spot on the leader-boards for some outdated Flash game. As nasty as an image as that was, I shrugged my mental shoulders and accepted that it was feasible that an unintelligent person can accept atheism as their outlook on the spiritual aspects of their life.

But to what degree are they really living a secular lifestyle?

Atheism vs. Full Atheism
This is where my brain got a little workout. To be an atheist today means far more than simply renouncing any faith in a celestial being. Those who truly live an atheist life understand the conditions under which various deities were created, and therefore also will reasonably have their doubts about the possibility of there being an afterlife. When one accepts an atheist view of life, and is truly thinking about where their beliefs are founded, they will take issue with the concept of their being a place that a person's "soul" goes to when their physical self dies - and, if you're like me, you'll also take issue with the concept of a "soul" in terms of it being an invisible separate entity from the body. After all, where outside of religious teaching is the idea of an afterlife imprinted upon us? Does nature give us any reason to believe there is a heaven or a hell beyond that which we create for ourselves? If you find something, please contact me that I might be wrong in saying that religion is the only source of the belief in an afterlife.

The intelligent being will understand that, should they truly accept a lifestyle that accepts no gods and no afterlife, it's a scary proposition to think that once the body dies, everything ends there. Death is scary for the previously described atheist - I'll call this the "full atheist", as they accept nothing from religion that is not founded elsewhere in the universe. Being a full atheist myself, I am still scared of the concept of my life ending. I accept it as my belief and understanding that everyone dies in this way, and that my experience will be no different. Given this much, it's incredibly difficult to imagine that unambitious apathetic guy accepting the life of the full atheist, given that his behaviour while living on earth is the only thing against which his ultimate worth will be gauged.

This is where the question comes back, under a new lens: Is "full atheism" only for the intelligent?

This rephrasing of the question, for me, begs more questions as responses than it begs statements. One of these questions is: Can an unintelligent person renounce the concepts introduced by religion? To the reader, I ask you to think on this. As far as my imagination will allow, I can't imagine a person saying they are a full atheist without re-evaluating the beliefs they grew up with (if one grew up with religion and later discovered atheism) and taking the time to form their new beliefs based only on what they find to be true - not on what they are told. This is a far cry from simply saying that all editions of the Bible, the Torah, and the Qur'an (to name a few) are wrong, and leaving it at that.

Conclusion
To be a full atheist means to prove the falsehood to oneself of the religious texts they were once taught to accept. This cannot be accomplished by a person who does not care for their own intellectual cultivation.

Therefore, I do not believe full atheism is for the unintelligent in our society today. We now know how to prove and disprove theories and ideas, and must use this knowledge to examine our personal fundamental beliefs.

Thank you for your time, patience, and open-mindedness. If you have questions, comments, concerns, complaints, interjections, or any other resulting status from reading this post, or just want to bang away at your keyboard for a minute to appear intelligent to that pretty young lady sitting next to you at the coffee shop, that's what the comment box below is there for.

P.S.: Disclaimer
Since I've gone this entire post without making any disclaimers, I might as well toss one in now. I realize this post will be read by atheists, theists, deists, agnostics and every other belief-related label you can think of. These ideas regard atheism in a sense that I cannot say is empirical, as there is no quantifiable measurement of the difference between a wannabe atheist and a full atheist, nor reliable sources to say whether or not the religious texts mentioned are false. However, I have made an attempt to present the information in an objective format, that can be read, understood, and hopefully accepted by atheists and non-atheists alike. I do not present this particular post to push my atheist beliefs onto my readers, only to share an interesting thought process I encountered when asked about my beliefs. If it got you thinking, my goal has been achieved.

P.P.S.: I realize that theism can be for smart people, so in case you were thinking about that, I'm not saying that all non-atheists are dumb or that all atheists are smart - just that full atheism cannot be accepted by a relatively unintelligent person.

A Very Short Review of Google+

2011-09-26T20:13:00.002-04:00

I posted this originally on the CZ and figured it would do nicely to update this blog sometime this week with a casual post, in case my planned post (regarding an intelligent topic, of course) isn't finished before the weekend hits.

The following is the imported post:

What I like about Google+ when compared to Twitter:

Compared to Twitter, it is identical in practical use, with the exception that it adds mobile functions to dictate which groups of your followers will see your content. To do so, append +friends or +public or +extended or +DFA to the end of each mobile update. This is mostly just relevant to me since I do the SMS social networking, but whatev.

As for the site and follower management, it far exceeds Twitter's user friendliness.

Why I stick only to comparing Google+ to Twitter and not comparing G+ to other social networking sites:

They both do the same thing for me. I send a text message to a shortcode they provide, they post it, you guys all see it. My Facebook and MySpace are linked to auto-import my tweets, so realistically I only actually work with two social networks on my mobile anyway.

Current downside to adding G+ to my list of oft-used social networking sites:

- currently, my phone doesn't get SMS updates from updates from those I follow, be they Friends, Acquaintances, Following, or whatever. So, I don't actually see what others are doing while I'm out and about, but if they comment on my stuff or start a conversation with me, I can see it then.
- not enough people I know actively use G+. I know b4k4 made the point that so long as it lacks a desktop client it won't get much use in his camp, which sounds logical to me: I only started using it when I found I could do (some of) G+ via texting.

So, that's some food for thought if you're into mobile social networking and were thinking about G+.

What Do You Think? A New Subject For CME Posts

2011-09-17T19:50:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

I've got a new thing I'm going to try on the CME Clyde Machine Environment blog. Most of my current topics of interest for discussion and for writing deal with abstract concepts within sociology, psychology, and are often labeled as "philosophical". Naturally, the idea to bring them to CME crossed my mind, but didn't come to a head.

Until now!

This blog was started simply as a way for me to share my greater ideas and discoveries in more than the 140-character limit Twitter offered me. Does the inclusion of philosophies and other intellectual discussions fit this venue? You bet! Since the majority of this blog's attention comes from readers rather than commenters, I am uncertain as to what kind of reception this will receive - though I would hope the reception would be shown through inspired discussions on relevant posts.

This idea has been with me for a short while now - just a month or two - but recently came back to the forefront of my free-time attentions when my College Composition II course instructor said that we would be keeping a blog specifically for use in class assignments and discussion. Upon discovering the opportunity to share more of my thoughts with others who may share them, I immediately began working out how to incorporate the class blog into the CME blog, since the time and effort I'll be putting in will certainly warrant a larger audience for the thought-products than an ENG112 community college course.

The alternate "class blog" mentioned is "Promoting High-Level Thought" and covers a topic very important to me: the decline in American collegiate students' interests in pursuing high-level thought and philosophical discussion, and how best to address and overcome this apparent apathy for cultivation of the human mind. To keep things clean but connected, I will introduce posts from "Promoting HLT" into the CME Blog if they truly warrant a larger audience's eyes, or if there is an apparent interest in seeing such posts. For the most part, the blog posts for the class will be simply to ensure I'm keeping up with the assignment requirements, but there will (and already are) those posts that are passionate and inspired. Where those posts occur, they will be posted here as well, with potential addendum as there is room for further development on whatever good ideas were written at the time of the original post.

Of course, posts from "Promoting HLT" will not be the only intellectually-charged posts that will make their way onto the CME Blog. I will share what thoughts I have when they are profound enough to share using this vehicle, and will certainly make sure they are worth taking the time to at least skim through.

Excited? Scared? Intimidated? Give me at least one word of a feeling you get from what you expect from these posts, here or on Twitter.

I predict this'll be a fun adventure for everyone involved! How about you?

Music on Soundcloud + Camp NaNo Update!

2011-08-02T03:53:00.000-04:00

Great news! Clyde Machine tunes are now on Soundcloud! If you head over there right now, you can listen to some of my newest (and some of my oldest) tunes from within your browser! Like what you hear? There's a little downward-pointing arrow on each track that lets you download the mp3 of the song, and if nothing's gone wrong in the uploading of each track, they should be fully labeled with their proper IDv3 tags - artist name, album name, track name and number, those kinds of things should be on each track.

Also! I've been slacking on Camp NaNo.... Yes, I know I should already be racing ahead like last time around, but I'm sufficiently distracted with other things at the moment. Not to mention, I haven't got a solid plan for the novel yet.... But hey, it'll get done one way or another!

Until next time, hit me up on Twitter like usual, but make sure to follow @ClydeMachine right now - some updates are coming in tomorrow you might want to pay attention to!

Another Novel? Camp NaNoWriMo Hits Again!

2011-08-01T02:00:00.000-04:00

August session of Camp NaNoWriMo is underway! And I've written one paragraph. Not bad, I suppose, considering I wasn't planning on writing anything on day 1 anyway.

Follow the novel's progress here (stats page) and here (detail page)! And, naturally, follow the guy who got me started into NaNoness, Lloyd Wallace and his currently untitled WIP! I expect awesomeness from you, B4k4!

Camp NaNoWriMo: I Just Finished My First Novel. :3

2011-07-20T04:01:00.001-04:00

I feel cool and accomplished now. But, out of the 57000 words it now contains, I wrote 9000 of them in one almost uninterrupted sitting tonight. So this is all I'll type before going to bed. Night!

EDIT: Here's the stats page for the novel!

Camp NaNoWriMo: Closing in on the 50k!

2011-07-17T03:44:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! As of this post, I'm sitting at a comfortable 45400 words in the novel, and my anticipated finish date is....tomorrow! Yeah, can you believe it?

I'm really excited about this whole experience - as I've been from the start - but not because I'll be finishing the goal I set for myself on July 2nd of this year. I'm excited about this whole ordeal because I will (in the coming weeks!) have a chance to show you all some writing that you might enjoy! I'm not yet sure how I'll release this, though you can be certain it'll be in at least a PDF ebook format, for readability on most ereaders and all current computer screens. I'll look into making an EPUB version since I know a few people who use ereaders that prefer that format, and simply because I prefer availability over proprietary my-way-or-the-highway distribution methods. =D

So! The title of the novel hasn't yet been officially decided, though it's carried the working title "Presence is Everything". I'm reluctant to use this title because it's already found a home as the title to a new music piece released on the Luminarium in the recent exhibit "Sequential". (Click the link to explore the exhibit, and find the tune by Clyde Machine in there among other excellent works from artists and musicians, as usual! You will not be disappointed.)

The anticipated endgame plan for this novel is to shoot for 60-75000 words, since I will not be done with the story in 5000 more words, plain and simple! Since the 50k goal has kept the novel rolling along so well, I'm scared to think of how it might turn out (if at all) if I attempt to finish it without a wordcount goal to reach up to. Hence, 60-75k range, which is a good amount to allow several more chapters in for rounding out the story and wrapping up the package nicely.

Until next time, I'll be writing or reading - or learning Arabic. Wish me luck in all three endeavours!

How I'll Spend Independence Day This Year.

2011-07-04T12:54:00.000-04:00

This is all I feel up to doing for the major portion of the day. =D

Enjoy your Fourth o' July!

Camp NaNoWriMo: Broke the 11K Mark, Surprisingly!

2011-07-04T01:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is pretty crazy and quite cool - I've been involved with the Camp NaNoWriMo project for about two full days, and I've written a total of 11238 words toward the 50000 word goal of the novel-writing challenge!

What's also really cool is that I was able to listen to a ton of my post hardcore tunes while doing so. I've never been one for creating things while listening to music, as I have to give each an equal amount of attention, which makes them conflict in my mind, but it seems that listening to A Skylit Drive, Abandon All Ships, Alesana, and Amyst do help me write some great material!

I'm really enjoying what I've come up with so far, and I'm glad that I've been able to produce this much material so early into the project. I can only hope the ideas keep flowing and I don't run into any major snags down the road. I'm fearing writer's block, but will equip myself to handle it if I do run across it.

I wish all those involved in the project right now the best of luck and the most productive of July's, and really hope others I know will jump onto the bandwagon. It's pretty darn great, and there's still plenty of time to start writing for July! Camp NaNo information is here!

Happy Independence Day to everyone worldwide!

FUN FACT: The last three digits of my collective word count right now, "238", is the title given to a demo song done by A Skylit Drive on their "Industry Demos" collection.

Camp NaNoWriMo

2011-07-03T02:58:00.000-04:00

So my good buddy @gaijiin_b4k4 informed me a couple days ago about this cool offshoot project of NaNoWri Mo called Camp NaNoWriMo.

For those of you who have no idea what I just said, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and is an annual challenge for anyone and everyone (at least 13 years of age) to try their hand at becoming a novelist! The details: Write 50,000 words in about 30 days. Yep. You get one month to write between 170 and 200 pages of totally unplanned unedited fiction! (Well, you can do some planning, but the time frame really doesn't allow for much outside of making your ideas up on-the-fly.) NaNoWriMo happens during November, and the offshoot project functions in exactly the same way, except that it occurs during July and August - pick your month between those two options, and go for it.

This is just such a crazy idea, B4k4 decided to give it a go, and now that I've been told all about it (and have almost all of July to myself with no big plans of anything to keep me busy), I have no choice but to join in! I know he's been looking to do this project for a while, so my participation is quite flighty by comparison, but all the same I hope my participation in this project will do some justice to its concept.

The "how-to's" and "faq" and "why do this" sections on the NaNoWriMo page are great for really explaining the purpose of the project(s), so I won't even try to explain it here. The two links that will be of most benefit to your understanding are here and here.

I've been working quite hard on the first few chapters of my novel, and have had little difficulties outside of remembering character names, as funny as that may sound. In the last two days or so, I've written roughly 7760 words toward the 50000 word goal of the novel. I intend to surpass that number by a significant amount, because I am REALLY loving where this story is going right now. It's quite impressive what my mind has come up with in the last couple days!

Interested in this project? Yes, it sounds scary, yes it sounds insane. But yes, it's doable. Or so I've been told.... Here's a little math for you: in a 30-day month, you only need to write about 1667 words per night for your work of fiction, which is about an hour of uninterrupted writing if things are coming to you smoothly.

Hit me up on Twitter about this project! It's crazy, it's fun, and it's crazy!
Also, here's the link to my "Camper Info" on Camp NaNoWriMo's website, and my "Novel Info" if you're interested in what I've got so far.

News About The Lucid Hallucination Album

2011-06-05T20:15:00.000-04:00

Okay folks, it's time to get serious.

This album isn't going to be ready by the end of spring 2011, because it's already summer! =D That would be entirely my fault. And, as always, it's for a good reason. For those of you who really know me, you know I'm an ambitious college student (or at least like to act like one), and this means I have more classes than most people are willing to handle. With those classes comes the responsibility of getting the work done and learning something new at the same time. This takes time, and I simply don't have much time or drive to work on anything musical lately.

This of course doesn't mean I'm putting the album on a shelf, nor am I ignoring my duty to you fine folks to get music out to you that I said I would get out to you. This simply means I will have limited time to work on the album, and will do my personal best to finish it in a respectable time frame.

But! This pushing back of the album doesn't come without a perk for you as a listener.

After weighing my options, and the consequences of all courses of reasonable action that I could take with Lucid Hallucination, I've decided that the best way to promote and distribute this album is not through iTunes, Amazon, etc. In fact, I've found it best not to charge you in any way to listen and download this music.

That's right - Lucid Hallucination will be a free-to-download, free-to-stream LP!

As it stands now I will be putting the album up on Soundcloud.com, as I've found their services best for distributing my album in this way.

Now, if only I could give a decent deadline prediction, I could wrap up this post.... Hmmm.... Let's say, I'll shoot for the last Tuesday of July - the 26th of July 2011. That'll be a long time from now, I know, but it'll also give me ample time to work on the album without having it interrupt my other responsibilities.

Until next time, enjoy your summer!

Current Challenge: Be Able to Run for a Half Hour.

2011-06-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

Challenge: Train to jog/run for a half hour straight.
Why: To build endurance, develop greater stamina, and uphold physical health.
Info: "Run for Half Hour.docx"

Interested in joining in? It'd be really cool to do this knowing that others are doing the same training. Obviously you don't have to be incredibly athletic to give it a decent shot, but also obviously it'll take some commitment - it's a 9 week training schedule.

I got this from a lifehack image I came across some long time ago that I never tried before, so I typed it up to make it printer-friendly. Click the link above, print it out, let me know you're interested and get started!

Why am I doing this? 'Cause it'd be cool to be able to run for a half hour without stopping. =D Besides that, doing these martial arts classes has me in physical shape like I've never been before, and I'd like to see just how much I can physically do, this being a simple but useful indicator of my physical stamina.

Wanna join in? Hit me up on Twitter, like always. [Twitter.com]

Chill-Post: Winning Academically + Album Work.

2011-04-27T13:26:00.000-04:00

So, everyone, how's your day going? It's raining like it should during April, which is much better than the snow we just got over.

But that's all I have to say regarding mundane topics like the weather. =P

Semester's almost out, and I'm still somehow acing all my classes. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Still working on the album, though it's going slower than planned due to a number of distractions - end of the college semester and Fallout 3, though everything still appears to be on track for completion late this spring.

And that's this month in a nutshell! More exciting than it sounds, but you have your own awesome month to make rather than just read how mine went.

What've you been doing this month that's made living it worthwhile, and what are you going to do next month to make THAT one worthwhile? Hit me up. [Twitter.com]

Tips on Recording Your Own Music, by Clyde Machine.

2011-04-04T15:33:00.001-04:00

So hey! It's been a bit, but I figured I'd post this for those of you musicians who are recording your own music out of your bedroom or basement or whatever, like I do! :D

This thread [theluminarium.net] at the Luminarium is my first foray into contributing to community resources (hey, hey! I'm a busy guy!) and I think it's being well-appreciated. I've contributed two less-than-tutorials on recording your own much and making it sound good. I call them "less-than" because they're really just compendiums of tips for you to peruse and abuse at your leisure. There is a little handholding, but not much. I give you a little info to make you learn a bit without having to crash-course your way through it all like I've been doing for years, and then I tell you to do some crash-coursing of your own!

Hey, it's an awesome way to learn how to record and produce your own music.

With that said, click the link and read the content. I think you'll like it if you're at least halfway serious about making your own music sound good.

EDIT: In case there's any issues, here's the links.
"On Recording and Producing Music by Clyde Machine.docx"
"Part 2: Tweaking Your Track by Clyde Machine.docx"

Chill-Post: A Piece For The Luminarium

2011-03-02T14:11:00.001-05:00

While I wait for my Vectorbox download to finish, I'll just throw up a chill-post.

So! Listening to The Color Morale, sounding pretty good, got high hopes for the TWA show in April, now that I've sampled a little music from each of the performing bands' libraries and have found something to enjoy from each.

Naturally I can't mention music without pointing to myself and saying "Oh hey! Guess what I've been up to!", so here it is: Just dumped a new piece into the critique section of the Luminarium for pointers, suggestions, recommendations, praise, brutal put-downs, and whatever else the Lum community wishes to dish out. :D This track may or may not appear on Lucid Hallucination, depending on how I feel about it and the rest of the tracks on the album when it's nearing release. It's a great tune and I'm proud of it. It's very different from my past Lum work, though within my current compositional style, so I'm really clueless as to how it'll be received. Posted it this morning at 4AM or so, shortly after tracking the bassline and enjoying what I came up with, so I have yet to get feedback on it. A little excited, slightly nervous, we'll see what time away from the Luminarium does to a musician.

On that subject, I'm feeling pretty well motivated by this song's completion, and I'm feeling good about the possibility of working on another piece for the Luminarium in the near future, though not for this upcoming exhibit. We'll see how things turn out. In the meantime, I've got music to make for LH, and IT certification exams to study for.

Wish me luck in both endeavours!

This Linux Box Just Got Even Better.

2011-02-26T15:15:00.002-05:00

"Customize. Optimize. Repeat."
Variation on a pro-Linux wallpaper from Wallbase.net.

While that's a cool new wallpaper I encourage supporters of Linux machines to use, that's not the reason for the title. Well, partially, but only in relative idea.

I discovered a cool feature on a particular deviantART user's desktop configuration for their Linux computer.

"KDEMod fine tuned15-12.09" by ~beyecixramd.

The awesome desktop seen above is worth checking out not just because it looks like a sick desktop to be running (I imagine that's for a dual-monitor setup), but also because it features something I've seen done before but didn't have a clue where to begin looking for details on: a desktop-integrated calendar/weather/temperature/system monitor dock.

Several clicks and a couple metaphorical jumps later, I discovered the existence of scripting options for such features which are commonly used in conjunction with "Conky", a light-weight system monitor program with a fully customizable config file. Naturally, others before me refused to simply take what they were handed with the config file, and wrote all kinds of scripts in various languages(I'm now running "Conky Flavours" which makes use of Perl scripts).

Anyway, after installing and configuring Conky and Conky Flavours, as well as editing some system config values to hide all the icons off my desktop, here's what my openSUSE box now looks like!

Yep, it sure looks nice! Got a little customization to do with rearranging the contents of the dock, but all that is just extra at this point. This is now one killer-looking machine.

Debut Album Announced: Lucid Hallucination, due Spring 2011!

2011-02-22T10:04:00.011-05:00

Well, the cat's out of the bag so to speak!

Clyde Machine's debut album will be titled "Lucid Hallucination" and is due for release in April/May 2011. This has been one exciting and long project for me, and I'll be ecstatic to know it'll be complete and ready for you all to enjoy.

As it stands now, the album will be released as a digital album rather than as physical discs, to make sure people can get it anywhere at all despite the fact I'm not signed to any label. I'll keep everyone updated on details of the album and its release as the time for release draws near.

What I can tell you now is that the title of the album is inspired by lucid dreams - and while that's rather obvious for me to say, it's less obvious to convey the reason for the inspiration unless you've had a lucid dream. They are empowering experiences, that anyone who has ever had an imagination can have and enjoy. This album is empowering for me, and is a symbol of accomplishment and completeness, that even a college student trying to make it in the world can work on and complete a project like this and put it out to the world. Needless to say, these songs are very important to me as a person, and all have something special about them.

It's not complete as an album yet (of course not, or it'd be out next week!!), but for the most part they are heavy rock/metal instrumental songs. There is some extreme deviation from this generalized categorization of the album, but I'll leave those surprises for you to find!

So! Enjoy your spring while I get working on completing this rather sizable musical endeavour.

- Clyde

Geek Post: Linux Collection Expands. [openSUSE + Sabayon Impressions]

2011-02-19T21:15:00.001-05:00

Copy-pasted from the CZ [czforums.us.to] 'cause it covers everything about my day today outside of chilling with friends and watching Dirty Dancing.

- -- -

So much Linux on my compy.... Found out I have 20 Linux OS ISOs for various purposes. I have multiples of some (32-bit and 64-bit versions, different versions of the same distro, etc.) but that's still a lot of geeky stuff. And I keep adding to the collection for the heck of it. =D

Discoveries today:
Gave a five-minute live-disc testrun of openSUSE on a hardcore machine and was very impressed with how sleek and elegant the GUI looked and behaved in my mundane use of it. Very cool upon first impression, but that's only talking about the superficial "ooh! pretty!" aspects of it. Haven't tried all the features and whatnot - and since it's a liveCD instead of a liveDVD there is very little pre-packaged packages for programs and whatnot. But it comes with Banshee (great music app)!

Gave a less-than five-minute run of the liveDVD for Sabayon Linux 5.4 on the same hardcore machine and was also impressed, partially because of the prettiness of it (like openSUSE), but also because of how the start menu is opened upon left-clicking deadspace on the desktop. (Regular start menu button opens up system preference kind of menu items.) The desktop icons run across the top of the desktop by default as opposed to the more common PC-like left-column arrangement. On that note, there's a dock at the bottom of the screen in place of a taskbar that is very OS X-like. I find it pretty cool.

Anyway, I'm looking to jump into one or the other. Sabayon is a very different beast than Linux Mint (which I'm still running), while openSUSE has the familiar GNOME desktop I'm used to in Mint. So, one's not much of a big jump, the other is a rather much larger jump. Not to mention, Sabayon is (from what I've read) meant for aiding in the installation process of Gentoo, the hardest-core distro I've heard of because it allows the compiling of your own kernel. Even this computer geek hasn't done that nor sought to do so.

But hey, every road is a learning opportunity. Whichever I take from here will teach me something. (Of course, I could always go down BOTH roads at once and throw them both on the same machine!! XD)

Valentine's Day Again!

2011-02-14T13:06:00.000-05:00

Not everyone cares about V-Day, but hey, I do!
It's not just for couples though, it's for singles looking to not be single anymore, and for chocolate-loving singles who love themselves.

Make the most of your V-Day by utilizing the following categories' situation-specific directions:

DATING: This [Thinkgeek.com] and this [Thinkgeek.com], wrap 'em up and ship 'em to her/him. You are set. Or, choose from any of their other awesome items. BTW if you didn't think of this til now, either let them know they're getting their gifts late, or wait til their birthday.

SINGLE (on the verge of not being single): Make your move! If you've been pretty secretive about it thus far, chances are pretty good he/she isn't expecting anything from you. So make use of this excellent opportunity to surprise him/her!

SINGLE (no prospects of changing): Get some chocolate - no complaining! Treat yourself to stuff. Get something cool and new. It'll be great.

And other situations are totally irrelevant. =) Have a good one.

Excited for TWA Show + Music Recommendation: Abandon All Ships

2011-02-07T15:48:00.000-05:00

It's still a couple months away but I'm getting psyched for seeing The Word Alive in April. Since I don't really know the other bands on the bill I'm getting some tunes from Abandon All Ships and will later pick up some For All Those Sleeping. Should be good stuff.

So! Programming wark done for this week, got hardware class tonight, and little else to be concerned with this week. First exam was for Linux class, and I think I did well on it but I won't know for sure til later in the week.

Current impressions of Abandon All Ships [Last.FM] - post hardcore in a similar style to Asking Alexandria [Last.FM], complete with the blend of hard heavy screaming and Auto-Tuned vocals, riding over guitars, synth and drums. Lyrics are heavily Christian, but pretty good, nothing to really complain about. Recommended for checking out: "Megawacko2.1 [Last.FM]", "Brendon's Song [Youtube.com]".

And one more thing:

This is worth noting, via @chibishini [Twitter.com].

A Career in IT.

2011-02-02T17:25:00.018-05:00

When I think of what it is I want with a career, the money isn't my top perk or interest.

Money is good to have, but having the skills and knowledge to work proficiently in the IT field is all I truly care about right now.

Really, the things I'm learning while studying for these certifications make me feel even more useful to myself and to the world. When I think of me working in a career, and being successful, I imagine being able to look at things that would freak most people out, and think, "I understand exactly what this is, what's going on, and what to do with it."

Knowledge and information is important to me in all forms, so it goes to show that I significantly would be more excited for what I could walk out of college knowing in a year or two than I would be for my pay. Let's just hope that holds up, since I've never once heard anyone working in a career utter anything like the above to me.

1.29.2011: Bringing You Up To Speed

2011-01-29T20:00:00.002-05:00

(Post imported from PureVolume.com [PureVolume.com].)

Greetings from Clyde Machine, everyone!

This is another announcement regarding the upcoming events in the musical world of Clyde Machine, and let me say right now that the recent silence has been for a very good reason. However, I'm not yet at liberty to discuss what is being done behind the scenes - just know that it DOES MEAN NEW MUSIC is right around the corner!

Since it's been a while, let me ensure that the following remains established: I am Clyde Machine, the instrumentalist you've been hearing develop his musical abilities for some while now, and I am currently pursuing heavier and heavier sounds with my music. There's the obvious 'post hardcore' influence in my upcoming tunes you'd hear in songs from A Skylit Drive and early Emarosa, alongside the less-than subtle alternative rock influence you might expect from the Smashing Pumpkins and select Steve Vai tunes.

As always, I am first and foremost a guitarist, and the guitar takes center stage in most of the songs I've been working on as of late. This means your ears will be happy if you've been a rockchild since the day you were born.

There is now a Clyde Machine mailing list you can jump on! Hit up www.reverbnation.com/ClydeMachine to get on it and you will be FIRST to hear when new tunes are on their way, and some very big news I've been sitting on for some while and have been wanting to dump onto you all! It will come in the email before it's even in blog posts, so GET ON THE LIST right away, or you might miss it. And no, I will not send senseless emails to you to get your attention - only messages I think are worth your time to read will reach your inbox.

With that, have a good one, and you'll be hearing again from me more often than usual in the coming months. Be ready - you WILL be blow away!

- Clyde

Night on Auto-Pilot: Mello Yello Has Less Caffeine Content Than Vault.

2011-01-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

And yet, it's okay. I like the flavour of them both, and they both at least have caffeine. Vault has roughly 117 mg of caffeine per 20 oz. bottle, Mello Yello with 86mg/20fl. oz. But hey, it's enough for tonight.

So! Class tonight, nothing special going on beyond that. Worked on a new tune last night that's shaping up really fast for my solo project, more work to put in with Caliber for Friday night and with all this in mind it should be pretty obvious that I've got my guitar-playing/creative mojo back! I'm really excited about this, since it's been forever since I've made music in mass quantities. And by mass quantities I'm referring to making a complete tune whenever I feel like it. Like, for the Luminarium.

The following is copy/pasted from the CZ. I have a usual place at the college lounge that happens to be the same general corner where a group of people play Magic: The Gathering every day.

"So that group of kids who play Magic: The Gathering over in my area in the college lounge every day? A couple very odd guys walked up with matching coats and incredibly high-pitched voices asking them if they wanted to buy 7000/8000 M:TG cards.

At first they were saying they'd give them away, then the conversation quickly turned to how the regulars would pay the two $80 for the entire collection, then divide them up somehow. I couldn't stop thinking of two things: how quick they became giddy and loud over the whole ordeal (really hilarious), and how seedy the whole thing looked. I swear, this looked like a really mean setup by the two strange guys.

I was expecting them to hand over the money right then with how excited they all got, but they were smart enough to wait til next Tuesday when the cards would be brought in.

I have no classes Tuesday or else I'd watch. It's gonna be funny knowing they have no clue how they look.
End of mean lolrant."

Night on Auto-Pilot: The Word Alive @ The Loft, Lansing MI Apr 6.

2011-01-20T17:55:00.000-05:00

Got one more class tonight to round out the week, but I'll start out my night going into auto-pilot mode right now. Gonna chill through it anyway. =P

Taekwon-Do was pretty awesome today, really worked compared to first day. Learned the four blocking motions, the various kicks, and went over punches. Worked on 3 step sparring, combined punches and blocks, and I stretched every last muscle in my legs getting the kicks right. Sure hoping they all come together soon, I'm still not anywhere near locking these down to muscle memory so I'm making little mistakes all over the place and lacking coordination. It'll get cohesive soon so long as I keep at it, so I don't have much to worry about.

Now! I've never been to a concert. It's a fact. I've played on stage but I've never attended a professional rock gig. That may change in early April, as I'm looking to go with @ChibiShini to see The Word Alive, one of my favourite post hardcore/metal bands. Following @TheWordAlive suggests to me that they put on an insane show, and I'm greatly looking forward to that. I'd love to see A Skylit Drive, but meh, with their album just around the corner I think it'd be a better move to wait til later in the year after the album's gained some recognition and whatnot. Plus, I'd like to know the words to the tunes they'll be playing. =P

The only concern I have with seeing any of the bands I like at this time of the year is that none of them are touring together. They're all touring, but with bands I've either never heard of, or have heard of but don't know what they sound like. Luckily the TWA show will host a couple bands I've heard of - For All Those Sleeping and Abandon All Ships - so I'll have to give them a listen soon to see what I think of them before buying tix. $12 is seriously not a bad deal when we're talking about seeing one of my favourite bands.

I'm excited! =D

Gotta take off for class, so this is as much as my cold fingers will type for now. It's cold at the lounge. No idea why. A Skylit Drive's She Watched the Sky EP [2006] to sign off.

UNIX/Linux Class Issue All Set.

2011-01-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

Had a problem with connecting to the Delta server using PuTTY/telnet, got it resolved and got my first lab made up with only a 2 point penalty for lateness. This coming from the professor who originally had a syllabus reading "NO LATE WORK" and changed it to "Expect no late work to be accepted, but special circumstances can warrant a bypass of that rule." So, Doc Southwell is one of my better professors. =)

And for today! Eating Nutter Butters, taking care of loose ends related to school, and now a friend has me wanting to jump back into Dragon Age: Origins. But meh, we'll see how that goes.

I'm carrying around a guitar tab notebook to write down ideas into. We'll see how well that goes. It'll spur new songs for sure, I used to carry one around that produced some good musical ideas.

And this is a day I made really good right off the bat by doing some stretches for twenty minutes before getting out off my bed. I'll have to keep this in mind for future days. Taekwon-Do tomorrow, looking forward to it!

Night on Auto-Pilot: Another Day, Another Septim.

2011-01-17T22:08:00.000-05:00

The above is a TESIV: Oblivion joke. =P

Today started out well enough as can be expected on a freezing day in Michigan, and ended much the same. I did a lot of classwork, learned a little more about computers today than I knew yesterday, and counted down another day til I go back to Taekwon-Do. Yes, I'm very excited about said class.

Made a neat little discovery recently - when I have very little to be responsible for/keep track of, I tend to forget more things than if I have a great amount of things to be responsible for. When given a lot to do, I can generally get a lot done and pick up on smaller details I may have otherwise missed. Either this is the reality of the world, or I just get so busy I don't notice when I do forget details. It's all good as far as I can tell though!

Gone back to listening to some older post hardcore bands from my library, including A Skylit Drive's She Watched the Sky EP, Dance Gavin Dance's Downtown Battle Mountain, and some early Alesana. Good times, naturally.

I really haven't any great responsibilities tonight unless I decide to work on music for the Luminarium, a new song for Caliber, or work on classwork that needs doing before the end of the week. I'll jump on them whenever I feel like it, naturally.

May begin a mini-series kind of blog where every now and then I'll post a blog on relatively unimportant things called Night on Auto-Pilot, for real chill topics like this one was on. Someday I'll look back on this and think, 'When did I ever have that much time on my hands?'

Meh, enjoy it while I've got it. :P

What You Expect To Be Written This Early in the Morning.

2011-01-15T05:40:00.002-05:00

Hey folks, Clyde with another post here. Hanging at Kerrdawg's place again, another late night, and a good one at that.

Watched 2012, an excellent movie by far whether or not you care about this semi-current apocalyptic myth circulating through the media. Movie is great if you just want something epic in proportion and impact to watch, like Independence Day. I'd recommend doing as I did: watch the movie without expecting anything remotely like its depictions to occur to the world. Makes it much more impressive and positive an experience to enjoy it that way. It was hugely positive to me, not really something to be scared about or whatever - which I say because I know some can't let go of the fear that the end of everything they know could be within a year or two of today.

Also sparred with Kerr a bit, mostly to remind me how much I have yet to learn. Definitely looking forward to next Thursday's TKD class. As far as I can tell, I am going to go forward with it all the way to black belt, but that's my excitement over a newly discovered interest talking. Time will tell whether my commitment is genuine or superficial.

Worth noting! I hadn't had a lucid dream in many months, and went to sleep last night wanting a lucid dream but not actually using any properly-strategized technique. And had a lucid dream. Successfully recreated that roller-coaster feeling while standing atop the cab of a flatbed truck careening down a road. More fun than it sounds!

At the moment, spending my time looking at various maps of the world, particularly Oceania and the Antarctic. Randomly interesting. :)

Twitter. [Twitter.com] Communicate is good.

First Day of Taekwon-Do

2011-01-13T13:09:00.002-05:00

As per the recommendation of a friend, I took up my first class of Taekwon-Do at the college I'm also taking tons of computer classes at, and so far all is going well. It was surprisingly fun having never even taken a peek at learning a martial art before, and I can already feel my sense of physical movement seep back into my limbs. =P

Back when I actively did parkour, I began my own exercise/working-out regimen, and kept to it for a short while. I live too far away from the community center to utilize gym facilities like I'd like to, but this class has so far taught me several stances and movements I can practice more or less anywhere I have at least a 5' x 5' space. Now I'm revitalized and re-inspired to get physical, get in shape, all that good stuff men around my age tend to be into on the weekends when not gaming/hanging out/online/with their girl.

I've already learned the proper way to maximize the power in a punch, where power is lost in a poorly-executed punch, and how punching can harm yourself. We've learned how to walk and punch - done correctly, the punch is powered by the first two knuckles, the straight fist and arm, and the back leg of your stance being locked at the knee.

It's good to be active, especially with spring coming up. Doing a little Wikipedia-reading, it seems that Hapkido is more along the lines of my preferred martial art philosophy, where there's great emphasis on controlling the opponent.

Odd as this may sound, I didn't know this class let students have the opportunity to have a uniform and rise in rank. It's got me real excited, because the thought of having a uniform, belt, and recognized rank brings back those childhood thoughts of when I first felt the desire to learn a martial art.

As I age, I guess I'm going to grow up and yet still stay a kid. Looking forward to next week's class. Til then, I have terminology, stances, and motions to memorize.

ALSO! Julia's driving back home today! Hoping she gets through Atlanta without injury and without too much stress. =)

Listening to today: August Burns Red, Alesana. Both great for a metal fix.

First Week of College Nearly Over, and All is Well

2011-01-12T16:35:00.002-05:00

I've finished a lot of classwork/homework a week ahead of time, so I've got a relatively free weekend coming up that I'm planning on using for social life stuff. =P

Out of all my 8 classes, I've got nothing left to do in 4 of them, and three of those I don't start until tomorrow anyway. Thanks to that combination of awesomeness, I have little over-the-top commitment left this week, and will have a great first week back to college as a result.

And I've even got new music to listen to! August Burns Red, Alesana, Eyes Set to Kill, and the newest A Skylit Drive track "XO Skeleton" are all loaded up in Rhythmbox, as well as dubstep tracks friends have recommended.

Even though there's snow on the ground, I fully intend to get out and do great stuff during this semester, 'cause there's always something more a person can be doing to be interesting! :D

Hit me up on Twitter [Twitter.com] for whatever reason you wish!

EDIT: Quick edit - I'm working on a great new track for the Luminarium that's definitely out of the way of the style I've used there before, but not too far out of the way of the style I've been working with lately. Will definitely be an exciting piece to work on and submit.

Great news from the Caliber camp! Two of the three demo tracks are completed in terms of recording, and both are nearing release time! Hopefully the third track will be done by the time these two will be released, that way you'll all be amazed by a trifecta of metal goodness, rather than a dual-prong attack. Time will tell!

Fourteen Minutes To Class!

2011-01-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

Not much time before class, so I'll make this quick!

I'm back in college again, 18 credits and all computer-tech classes! Lotsa work ahead!

And that's about it. More details later!

Disney World Wrap-Up

2010-12-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

Rolling to Chicago on a Greyhound bus loaded with wifi and outlets, so I'm all set to do another blog post for you fine folks. =)

I wanted to write in detail about Disney World through multiple blog posts at the end of each day during my stay, but nearly every 14+ hour day wore me out until I crashed as soon as we got back to the hotel room, leaving me no will to force myself to write posts about my day's experiences - the few posts I did manage to write never got posted.

But I do intend to give my thoughts on some aspects regardless, to serve my own memory when recollecting Disney World if for no other reason.

So! I'll cover each park briefly.

First day at Disney was Hollywood Studios, the smallest of the four parks, but one of the most unforgettable places I've ever been to.

Lights! Motors! Action! (show) was based on the idea of the actors making an action movie and telling us all about the effects and methods they used to do so. After this show, I was reminded why I love pyrotechnics. They're way more exciting when you can feel the flames from the front row than watching them on a massive screen. And they look better, too. =P

Tower of Terror (ride) is one of my favourite rides, and was the first one I rode when I got there with Julia - who had the excellent taste to guide me there first thing that morning. It's Twilight Zone themed, and is a drop-you-from-on-high kind of ride that's absolutely insane. Rode it twice, wish I could've rode that more.

Toy Story 3 (ride) is a game with 3D screens for you to shoot things on with your toy mounted machine gun - with a pull string, in Toy Story fashion. Excellent game, very fun. Julia is great at getting high scores, but I demonstrated a higher accuracy - and yet her dad still beat us both in the final scoring. =P Here's to you, Mr. Basham.

Next day was Magic Kingdom, which was far too much to handle in just one day, with all the different lands. However, I do remember (through all that chaos of fun and new sights to marvel at) a few key events and rides.

Splash Mountain (ride) was really awesome - I'm sorry there are no other words to describe it. Splashtastic! Sit in the front three rows for maximum effect and wetness. Oh, yes, it's called Splash Mountain because when you take the 5-story drop into the lake, you get soaked. Splash is of my top three ride favourites, and is seriously the best ride in Frontierland.

Holiday Wishes (fireworks show) was a really sweet fireworks finale for their Christmas musical (the show and musical done at the castle, of course). The light-covered and brightly lit castle was an excellent backdrop for the festivities. The Disney Electrical Parade rolled right through the INSANELY HUGE crowd while waiting for the finale, and featured light-covered floats and dancers.

The Holiday Wishes post-show is not really a show. It's actually the event (I guess you could call it that) where everyone is trying to leave Magic Kingdom. If you've ever dived into a deep pool, it's like that. But with people. And you can't move freely. You go with the flow of people down Main Street at an incredibly slow pace until you get near the entrances, where you get some free walking room, then you're packed into a dense mass of people once more to board the monorail, which moved very fast for that many people. BTW the monorails are cool.

Space Mountain (ride) is very dark, very fast, and has tons of turns, with tons of altitude changes too. However, the king of the space-related rides is a shared title between two Epcot rides.

Epcot was the next day, and I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw. Epcot features a few rides and attractions out front, but the real action surrounds the giant lake in the center of the park. That's where countries are represented right next to one another in mini towns. Town representations of Norway, the UK, America, Canada, Germany, Italy, etc. all populated the area, and sat side by side. Like the various regions of Magic Kingdom, each country flows right into the next one, or should I say, doesn't. You go from one to the next, you don't even realize you changed countries. Instantaneous shift to another part of the world. It was really great.

Spaceship:Earth (ride) is the giant golfball Epcot is known for. Thing is sweet, it's an informative ride telling of the past, and the present, then letting you do a little interactive game on what the future could be like. Bonus: You can smell Rome burning. This is one of my top favourites and is Julia's favourite of all Disney World.

Mission Space (ride) is an intense space-launch simulator with two modes: Orange for the more intense ride, Green for the less intense ride. Julia and I made use of the greater of the two. =D It's the first ride I've ever been on that stuffs you into a tight dark space, tells you to look at the screen, and orders you to not look away from the screen, or else you'll become dizzy and disoriented, and will probably heave your cookie. I couldn't sit through the ride and not try looking away from the screen at least once! I did, and they were right - if you take your eyes off the screen, you'll start getting a headache. I've done it so you don't have to. ;)

Animal Kingdom got one of our days as well. As you can expect, it's all animal and nature-y, and was pretty cool if compared to your typical zoo. The best part about it was:

Himalayan Expedition (ride) is my favourite ride in all of Disney World. Rode it twice, nearly soiled myself second time around. It's a roller-coaster that takes you over a few bumps, takes you way up in the air (letting you see the tops of the bigger rides in Hollywood Studios), then leads through a short cave. You come upon a broken track, and you sit there, going WTF the yeti broke the track?! Then it gets in reverse gear, and you start rolling backwards. You're like, "oh man, we're going down that big hill we climbed earlier!", but NOOOOOO, you go through a secret section of the cave that's pitch-black and quite long (going backwards), and you race through it like crazy! Fastest ride I've been on, as far as I know, and scariest by far. The backseat of the train is the best spot to ride in, so do it.

The safari ride was pretty cool though I wish I could've gotten closer to the baby giraffe. =3

The last few days I was in Florida I perused Downtown Disney on several separate occasions. It's a Disney-owned merchandise area, full of stores of every kind. Didn't expect to see two Sosa Cigar shops there, but there they sat on Pleasure Island! (One was on Pleasure Island, anyway. The other was near the contemporary art shop and sunglass shop.) Oh, the Sunglass Icon shop is a small spacy store with a counter in the middle and shades covering the racks on all the walls. My particular taste in shades focused my attention away from the 300 or so pairs to about ten on a couple different racks. There were none under $100, and I'd spent most of the money I'd brought down, so I obviously resorted to window-shopping (with limited trying-on of shades), and determined that heavy, polarized lenses were a purchase for some other year. =P Nice shades, but everyone knows they get stolen, lost, and broken.

World of Disney and the Art of Disney stores are my favourite, 'cause they're huge spots for Disney merch. I'm not a HUGE Disney fan, but I loved a lot of the stuff they sold there. Wanted to pick up a killer white Mickey hoodie, but with a $65 price tag and a host of hoodies already in my possession, I opted out of the deal. Julia's dad and stepmom picked up a NASA guitar pick (oh, did I mention we stopped at the Kennedy Space Center the day before hitting Hollywood Studios? THAT was an awesome experience!) and a Mickey Mouse keychain with a pewter-coloured "J", and it looks sweet.

All in all, first vacation was a massive success. Christmas in Florida doesn't feel like Christmas no matter how many Christmas carols the radio plays or decorations places put up. But, that wasn't a problem - I was on vacation and with my sweetheart. I wasn't about to complain.

I can't thank Julia's family enough for making it all possible, but I'll find a way. =) Anyway, I've got a great IRC chat to hit, so I'll end this post here. G'night everyone, and have a great new year.

Disney World Review

2010-12-28T21:24:00.001-05:00

Well, none of my blog updates got posted here! But I'll post up the very last and possibly most important one.

Disney World is incredible even for a non-Disneyfan. More details later.

Me sitting next to the lovely and talented Julia at Fantasmic.
Not shown: My mind being blown not ten minutes into the show.

Thank you for your time. =D

Thoughts on: The Aesthetic Face(s) of Anonymous by Kerim

2010-12-16T17:23:00.002-05:00

The Aesthetic Face(s) of Anonymous, a blog post by Kerim of Savageminds.org, demonstrates just how to properly describe Anonymous - Kerim had to write a whole post on what it is, and covered so many things correctly that I wonder why more people like him* don't work in the journalism field.

* "people like him" meaning people who can report the facts accurately regardless of their stance on the subject.

The hardest thing I've found to get people to wrap their minds around when I describe Anonymous to them (I've only done it a few times, each occurrence ending painfully for me but leaving my conversational partner with a vague understanding) is to not recognize it as a "group", because that implies a central location of meeting, and possibly even some organization. Anonymous has incredibly loose organization (and by the usage of the term I am referring to the fact that IRC channels get used to direct orders before/during/after events), but there is certainly not organization for the entirety of Anonymous' members (only within each congregation in IRC channels; can't speak to IRL gatherings though), and there are fragmented meeting locations all over the world, both in the physical and virtual planes of existence. (Now all they need to do is expand their horizons into having mutual-dream meetings and they'll have gone into a third plane!)

I won't rehash what Kerim so skillfully typed, but instead implore you to give the article a read, regardless of your stance on Anonymous and their activities. I predict they will only continue to gain more attention in the media with upcoming Operation: Paperstorm, an IRL event for this Saturday, December 18th, and current Operation: Leakspin, where Anons and non-Anons alike are dedicating themselves to exposing the most sensitive leaks from Wikileaks' collections. It's best to learn about such things before the media confuses you in their own typically misinformed manner.

Current flyer for Operation: Paperstorm, set for 12/18/2010.

On Linux and Being Tech-Savvy

2010-12-16T14:23:00.008-05:00

A recent Twitter conversation I had with @Chatterb0xxx [Twitter.com] brought up some thoughts I've sat on for a while regarding a topic I am unashamedly passionate about, and that is the Linux operating system.

"Here we go again..."

Yes, here we go again, dear reader.

My passion for Linux is actually too exclusive a statement to be entirely accurate - my passion for computers is far more appropriate, and that's because of who I am. To clarify: knowledge is omnipotent, ever-available, ever-useful, and is invaluable to me in varying degrees depending on category. When it comes to computers, any knowledge is important to me, and learning something new about my own computer is about the same thing as you finding a $20 in your pocket you didn't know you had.

Now, Linux comes into play. Using one OS is what most people are comfortable with, and that is probably where it ends for most people in regard to their aims with using computers. Me? I've gotta try as many as I can. I won't grab every version of Win/Mac/Linux/BSD just to dip my toes in new waters, but I will stick my whole hand into some of the big rivers of each continent to see what I can see, learn what I can learn. In some respects I've learned about my computer simply from having multiple OSes, regardless of my usage of the Linux partitions. And it is for this and other reasons I wish to say that I would sooner applaud a person dual-booting Windows and Mac than a stubborn Linuxer who's never touched anything else or even bothered to get adventurous with his current software.

Linux doesn't make you smarter or better understanding of technology or superior to the rest of your geeky friends. Just like all other OSes, it gives you the means to teach yourself, and in my experience it does this better than Mac and Windows. (I can think of no other OS that practically forces you to get a little experience in using the Terminal.) It does it differently, but they all reach the same end in that respect. What I find appealing about Linux is that while anyone can try it out and learn from it, long-term use of a Linux distro (as in the thought of abandoning other OSes entirely isn't a terrifying thought) is NOT for the light-hearted. Anyone can install and boot up Linux Mint - it's supposed to be newbie-friendly, after all! - but that doesn't make you a true Linuxer, nor does it make you a smarter geek, nor does it make you a hacker/cracker, nor does it bring you anywhere significantly closer to becoming a Linuxer/geek/hacker/cracker/skiddie/guru/other stereotypes and generalized labels, UNLESS you work a little mindmagic: pull up your hardcore geek trousers and put half a mind to work educating yourself about your machine and your software. Knowledge is available, knowledge is free, but that doesn't mean understanding and assimilating it is effortless nor painless.

I think this has become as long-winded as it needs to be to get my point across. I want more people to educate themselves about their computers, and I have found that Linux is an excellent vehicle for doing just that, just as Windows was when I first logged onto a Windows 2000 Compaq (and continues to be in my usage of Windows XP/Vista and occasional dabbling around Win7). I cannot call myself a true Linuxer yet, as my knowledge of the operating system only spans over five month's use (started back in July if memory serves tonight), but I am certainly a Linuxer at this point in my experience. I use it and XP in tandem to teach myself more about computers as I use them and find new things that need doing, and encourage others (meaning you, patient reader) to try something new with their machine. I'll include links to popular Linux distros if you are thinking you want to try your hand at a Linux flavour. You can find hundreds upon thousands of distros at Distrowatch [Distrowatch.com] along with descriptions and extensive information on past versions, screencaps, costs (if any), etc. to give you some guidance on which to look into.

To bring this to a close, I'm going to finish my JS project.

Here are the links as promised! Each of the logos, found on Distrowatch.com, links to the homepage of the shown distribution of Linux/BSD. Check each out, and do a little exploring to find which one or ones you'd like to jump into! Those who've been around the open-source OS world for a bit will notice this mix includes common distros as well as a few uncommon ones. If you're looking to jump into Linux right away, I recommend Linux Mint 10 "Julia", but don't let that stop you from getting adventurous.

Having A Problem? Got A Tip To Help You Resolve It

2010-12-15T15:22:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter. Best advice I can give on the majority of problems I see - that of my own and that of others as well.

"Yeah," you say to yourself, "on a long enough scale nothing matters at all."

Correct, but it may not take as large a scale as you think! Think of your next problem situation like this: will winning this argument or fighting for this refund matter a couple months from now? A year? Will you even remember it two years from now? Chances are that you pegged yourself before the 1-year mark, because the majority of problems I've seen teenagers around my age deal with are not very important problems of any kind.

But does this thinking stay limited to trivial pursuits of young minds? Heck no, I say! But I can't simply ask you take my word for it. Try it for yourself. The next time you're feeling put off in a situation, having a hard time coming to a decision (or trying to convince someone else to agree with your decision) look at the whole thing in a different light, and ask your future self if they care about what you did today.

I can't imagine this not coming in handy with making potentially awesome life decisions either. Thinking of going to an out-of-state college rather than an in-state one? Weigh all the factors and details, figure out what you'd rather look back on. Remember: you want an education to get a job to make money to make you happy, but if the job and the education aren't making you happy then how can you expect the money to make up for both those losses? You might as well quit trying or change your life, right? Make these observations now and you won't be fighting yourself later over why you didn't take the other freeway lane. =D

Dealing with In-Game Opponents?

2010-12-14T14:56:00.002-05:00

How do you deal with in-game opponents?

I'm Lawful Evil. For the lulz.

Current and Future Plans

2010-12-14T14:10:00.005-05:00

I've been quiet here the past few days, so here's what I've got to say.

My internet is still out so I'm taking the opportunity to take care of things that I usually put off due to being online, including working on music - I'm getting more creative inspiration as I go, so who knows where I'll end up? I may even announce an album if I get real ambitious! =D

The most exciting news I can bring is my upcoming trip to Disney World! It'll be my first time, gonna spend a couple days in Kentucky before the long ride south. I've never been to Florida (or any state south of Tennessee for that matter), so I'm filling a void from my childhood! Gonna wear Mickey Mouse ears and be all excited, both for being at Disney and for being with Julia again.

Tonight, I'm going over everything I need to pack (gonna try to only pack two/three bags for a change, I hate handling more than three bags) and am waiting til tomorrow to work on my JavaScript final project. It's due midnight Wednesday, and given how I've completed most of the assignment sets in a few hours I think two days will be plenty to code-test-debug-code-test-rage-debug-code-test-turnin the project. That'll be the last school-related commitment I need to fulfill before taking off to see my baby.

In my recent reading experience I've been working steadily throng Harry Potter #7, found out tonight my ebook has lines seriously out of orner in the current chapters I'll need a new dl before I rage about that too. I got several suggestions for further reading material from @Dapookiepaul [Twitter.ccom] which I'll be loading up soon. I've got so much to read already, but I'll pick up the good stuff and work through them all eventually. Like I say about movies. Nice to know it's not a total lie, neither!

And for tonight: taco salad for dinner, plenty of lemonade and Arizona tea, and all my good dubstep playing. I remember when I used to fill in those details on deviantART journals. Good times for sure. If you need a song to listen to, get "Massive Attack - Risingson (Bassnectar Remix)", good for a slower/powerful mood, real heavy tune.

Missing IRC a lot! GRR. Oh, which reminds me, I have 18 credits for next semester, as it stands now. Gonna be all busy and studious and stuff. =P Updates on whether or not I drop any will be evident as they appear here or on Twitter. [Twitter.com]

On Philosophical Writing and Reading

2010-12-07T16:49:00.001-05:00

Between three and four years ago I began a text document on my laptop to log all of my prominent beliefs, theories, understandings, discoveries and philosophies about anything and everything. If that document survived my many file prunings and my harddrive reformats and sporatic backups, I do not know, but I do recall the idea stuck with me, even if my consistency in keeping that document updated at edited didn't.

I had the thought to begin a new document, written like a typical prose text, simply stating what I think, and where the thoughts originated. Not coincidentally, I found my new interest in ebooks has caused me to develop an extensive initial collection of philosophical texts, which grows as I look into the first few chapters of each. If I do get into putting what I think down in a type-written format, not only will it not rival the length of even the shortest of my newly downloaded selections, but I highly doubt I will be very unlikely to promote it as a public piece. I'll be surprised if I even dump the contents into a blog post because I would much rather be judged by what I do and aspire to do than by what my opinions and accepted truths are.

However, I don't find it wise to rule out the possibility; after all I only began thinking of getting it started when someone questioned what I believed and told me of their own. Maybe one of these days I'll string together my thoughts, and decide then the best path to take to use the information, besides getting them straight for my own understanding.

If you'd actually want to read it, tweet me! [Twitter.com], otherwise let me know what I should be reading! [Twitter.com]

Acquired Item: Literati ereader x1

2010-12-05T13:00:00.003-05:00

Post idea from a couple days back, enjoy!

----
This'll be another short post, 'cause I've got an ereader to play with!

Today I was with my ma at Kohl's and we were looking over a couple ereader selections they had there (who knew there were so many?) and I took a shine to the Literati. While it's no nook - this ereader is only for ereading, it doesn't try to emulate tablet-PC features like games/apps/web browsing (though all those things are cool in their own right) - it's still a good device for being an ereader.

Out of the box it's charged and comes with a pro-looking cover with an excellent texture, but the device comes with un-updated software! :P This isn't a big issue if you use Wifi a lot, as that's the only way to update it, but once you get the first big update, the whole system looks and behaves like it got a total overhaul. Out of the box you can only read books available pre-loaded or from their online store. Post-update, everything from .PDFs and .EPUBs to .TXTs and even .PNGs can be viewed, and have their own categories (books, mags/newspapers, and documents). The addition of night reading mode (black background with white text, YES!) and sepia mode (black on white, but the text is very soft, kinda faded), as well as options for absolutely tiny text (previously you were allowed more larger options, kinda silly) were all very welcomed additions.

Like I said before, I wasn't after a tablet computer, and that has worked in my favour for functionality and price (retail is an exorbitant $250, but thanks to Christmas deals it was only $108 - much more appropriate pricing for the device as far as I'm concerned), but the one thing I really miss on it is note-taking functions. I'm pleased with most all other features and functions of the device but it seems that being able to make extensive use of the full qwerty keyboard would be a logical addition to a well-endowed yet simple ereader.

Cool little thing I noticed: The Literati's software is a distro of Linux! I'm unsure what breed it is - though undoubtedly custom, it had to start somewhere - but the ereader is recognized in Windows XP as a "Linux Stor" [sic] device when under "Safely Remove Hardware", and the .kobo folder contained on the device is hidden by default (as software- and system-related folders are to do in Linux) when viewed in Nautilus on Linux Mint 9. Another cool little thing I noticed that originally tipped me off: for an ever-so brief moment after the splash screen is cleared from the screen, in the dead center appears a white arrow like you'd expect of any common desktop for an OS. Now I've got my mind all set to search through possibilities of searching the system for the actual OS files on the Literati, in an effort to see what options can be made available to me with this knowledge.

Like, modding or jailbreaking. :D

Anyway, I've got books to read. And that's something I never really expected to ever say, and I'm kinda proud of it. Follow reading progress/discoveries and such developments via Twitter! [Twitter.com]

Internet Interrupted

2010-12-05T03:59:00.001-05:00

Don't be alarmed that I haven't been talking much here or elsewhere online - my internet has gone into overage. Used too much data this month. Apparently. Anyway, this means I won't be consistently online until after December 17th or so, when the next billing cycle starts. Til then, it's bumming off wifi hot-spots for the occasional update and such things.

But I still have my phone and SMS access to Twitter. [Twitter.com] ;)

Musicwork Continues: Caliber Demo #2

2010-12-02T03:49:00.002-05:00

After completing the mastering of Torn Apart/Tear You Apart's instruments, the track is now in Chris' capable hands to record vocals, while I make moves on demo number two, "These Walls".

As of this writing the clean-channel guitars are all recorded - still needing EQ and leveling - and the drums are nearing completion very quickly. All drum parts are tracked, all that's left there is some minor EQ tweaking to do and a little leveling after the rest of the guitars and bass are done. That being said, the distorted guitars, solo guitars, and bass guitar need recording, and (if they behave anything like Torn Apart) they'll come together very quickly. Both these tracks feature riffs that are fun to play and solo breaks that provide great opportunities to give each of the songs an alternate personality to play with. I've done my best to make drum tracks that capture this energy and attitude, while still holding to the lyrical meaning of each song.

Working with the guys from Caliber has me in a rather creative mood, though it's manifested itself in a funny way - out of all this work with heavy music, I started writing a chord-driven acoustic song, much in a country style, and it's a really nice creation as it stands. Needs words to match its meaningful sound, but I'll figure that out as I go.

It seems that creation of music never truly walks away from me; it always seems to be waiting around a corner somewhere.

Rambling About Julia

2010-12-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

Image courtesy of the Weddingwire blog. [Weddingwire.com]
And no. We're not yet married.

So I've been talking to my girl a good deal lately, and it's been good. :)

One of the biggest things I missed since Julia went to work at Disney World has been our lengthy hours-upon-hours long conversations about everything from what we dream about to our future plans to things that bother us to why I can't get into Pride & Prejudice. (Still going over that one.)

Luckily, last night we caught up and did one of the best things we've done together in a long while. We made a list together of 99 things we want to do together, that range from simple pleasures to risk-taking adventures. I'm excited for every single one of them, and can't wait to start on it.

The list was supposed to be 100 items long - but I told her I'd come up with #99, since we'd already decided #100 would be me popping the question. As soon as I can get started on this list, I will, and I'll enjoy this greatly.

And for anyone wondering - yes, this is what can and probably will happen if you find the right relationship. :)

Can't get enough smilies into this post. :D

Lifehacks Repack: Ready to Do Something Awesome Tonight?

2010-12-01T14:44:00.004-05:00

Lifehacks Repack! 27.27MB
[Clydemachine.netthrilldesigns.com Some NSFW language.]

Start your download, and read the post while it finishes!

After the initial release of the Lifehacks.zip pack over the weekend I went on a small escapade scouring the internet for more lifehack-related images that would fit in this pack. The full Lifehacks Repack you see linked above is the culmination of my search, providing not only lifehacks for you to use, but links where you can find even more great information.

As mentioned in the text file (contained within), these lifehacks provide you with information - primarily useful information, but that's for you to decide. Handy retail information, elevator usage tips, some recipes (the fitcookies look great), lucid dreaming tips, steak doneness (see above!), and more information than you'll ever need or use - but it's there so you can choose that which will be most helpful to you.

So! Get it on your compy, and look through it! Good luck in finding something you'll really like, not that you'll need it. There's so much in there I can't accurately describe it in one post.

The purpose of this one isn't to get you down - but to remind you not to limit yourself. It really won't matter in the end, so have the grandest experiences you can, while you can still have them.

I feel it worth noting that while it's very unlikely I'll update the pack further from this point, I will instead share whatever lifehack information I come across by means of blog posts and possibly making my own images for you to add to your own Lifehack folder.

Just doing my part to educate the world, even in the most minuscule of ways.

Oh! And use the Share tools at the top to spread this around! :D

P2P DNS: Alternative Internet?

2010-12-01T14:07:00.001-05:00

This post was started a couple nights ago when the IRC channel was first opened to discuss the topic. Here's what I wrote while in attendance.

----

So a recent tweet from Peter Sunde [Twitter.com] (@brokep) appears to have gained more attention than just my own. It was featured in a Slashdot article today and there's currently (as in right now) an IRC channel going discussing the whole proposition.

About an hour into the inception of the chat and public invitation by @brokep, and we've jumped onto the subject of conflict resolution - when Google wants a TLD on the new DNS, and someone else wants it (for the lulz), how is the identity of the rightful owner identified? Surprisingly, the conversation has been rather slow, but I guess that's to be expected at this hour - and that for the past ten minutes we've been discussing malicious possibilities of crackers, and using geek-talk to do so. I'm sure we just intimidated at least a few other IRC patrons. :D

Anyway, if you're interested yourself and want to join in the IRC, the whole operation (if you will call it that) is still being organized. Jump in at irc://irc.efnet.nl:6667/dns-p2p [Efnet.nl] with your IRC client. (irc.efnet.nl #dns-p2p)

If it hasn't moved, there's also a bit of info about the whole thing here: http://p2pdns.baywords.com/ [Baywords.com]

An interesting thought - let's see what happens from here!

A Couple Thoughts.

2010-11-29T21:33:00.009-05:00

Image courtesy of reddit. [Reddit.com]

I learned/realized two useful bits of information in the last twenty four hours.

I quote my own tweet:

"TIL that too much estrogen in one room is one of the biggest causes of problems for women." -via Twitter. [Twitter.com]

It probably sounds lulzy, but imagine any party that had more than one woman in attendance, any sitcom, soap opera or movie showing more than one woman in the same scene - there is likely to be some sparks somewhere! This is true about men too, but as my mom has said, women have the potential to be "catty", and I think many would agree. I mention this to introduce an insight, if anyone has further thoughts or wants to expand on this realization, let me know! [Twitter.com]

Just realized I could turn this into a lifehack if I gave detailed instructions on how to effectively diffuse aforementioned tense situations. But alas, I'm not yet a purveyor of such great wisdom!

My other thought for today is a tip for effectively reviewing: assume the game/movie/computer/person/pen/guitar/album/coffee flavour/new friend/literature/situation isn't great, then prove this to be true. If you can't, it's good. If you fail spectacularly, it's awesome! This is an easy way to instantly add a level of credibility to your review should you present it to someone, as it demands evidence to support what you say about it.

"But a review has to have evidence anyway!" Yes it does, but it's easier to give a great review (as in, have an honest stance with solid supporting evidence) starting on the premise something is not good than to start assuming it's good - it's the way we think, I've found. When was the last time you started telling a friend your thoughts on something they made by saying "it's good"? Using those exact words? We all have. Was that a thought-out review? No. Was that an honest stance? I hardly think so. I mean, it could be, but if you honestly liked it you wouldn't simply say "good". You'd follow it up and tell them what you did like about it.

While this can still yield a good feedback session for them, a much more effective insight for the person (and for yourself) is to think in a (currently) unconventional way, which makes you take an extra step to confirm your ideas are well-founded.

Simply maintain your objective reviewing lens and begin at the furthest extreme, and your words will be heard with interest.

Ubuntu Studio Installed

2010-11-28T21:32:00.029-05:00

Success.

However, it wasn't without pain. All I have to say is, CD/DVD drive, why are you doing this to me?

Earlier in the year (or maybe last year) my CD/DVD drive quit burning CDs and DVDs. It could read them fine, just not burn anything. Now this month, it won't read DVDs anymore. Le sad. Consulting GeekstoGo [Geekstogo.com] about it, I started thinking it was an issue with the laser itself. BUT. I bumped around the laser carriage a little and tried reading a working DVD - and I got it to work. I'm still confused as to what exactly could be the matter with it, but out of about 40 attempts with this "fix" I was able to get four total successful disc reads out of it.

Luckily, that was just enough to get Ubuntu Studio loaded up onto my compy! Need to get Gnome Dialer and wvdial to hop on the Internet, then I'll be able to get Rhythmbox on there, a blogging tool, and I think that's it.

Gotta repartition my drive 'cause now that I'm triple-booting OS's, I need to assign extra space to the ones that need it, and to minimize the size of those that don't. Like Windows XP. =D

That's all the news I'll dump in this post for now - and don't worry, I've got those lifehacks comin'! (Updated pack will go live hopefully next post along with links to get more.)

BTW Say something to me on Twitter! [Twitter.com]

Music Recommendation: Tiësto's Magikal Journey (The Hits Collection 98-08)

2010-11-28T02:43:00.000-05:00

Five days since my last music recommendation seems long enough for me. Rolling through multiple repeats in Rhythmbox tonight is none other than Tiësto's "Magikal Journey - The Hits Collection 1998-2008" (2010), an eclectic mix of trance music that delivers and keeps the mind awake and chill at the same time. (Actually, I could recommend this and "Kaleidoscope" (2009) but I'd better focus on Magikal Journey for the scope of this post.)

Note: All links are from YouTube.com except where noted.

I don't feel the need to pick out individual selections for recommendation as, quite frankly, the entire thing is worth listening to. I'm careful not make over-generalized statements like this lest they lose their value and potency, but this is quite a collection. However, I will point out a few that are definitely worth noting.

"Traffic (Richard Durand Remix)" and "Lethal Industry (Ft. Kirsty Hawkshaw) (Hardwell Remix)" demonstrate the energy of the album. They're not incredibly fast, opting instead to make use of a comfortable dance-able beat that's still good for listening even when you're choosing not to move. I'm a big fan of trance electronic music simply for that reason alone. Jump around the room or bob your head, both fit this music just fine.

"Flight 643", the track that opens the whole collection strikes me as being something you can, oddly enough, lay in bed listening to with good bassy headphones on. I wouldn't go to sleep with it on unless I was looking to have a wicked wild lucid dream influenced by it, but I could see myself beginning a 20-minute winding-down session with it, listening to music that got progressively more relaxing until I was sufficiently ready to sleep. As if Tiësto had this in mind, "Suburban Train" follows Flight 643 with an even more chilled nature, still holding a good deal of the energy indicative of the rest of the album. Following this track I'd put on Crystalsphere's "Ambient=The Mind" and I'd be out for the night.

Bottom line: Another great album, if you're really a fan of trance that changes between energetic and relaxed, giving you a wide variety to choose from when you're in a particular mood for electronic music.

I've said it before, but again: Many thanks to Shinigami564 [Twitter.com] for introducing me to Tiësto, which I predict will be playing through these speakers for a good long while.

Lifehacks: You're Welcome.

2010-11-27T20:09:00.010-05:00

There, finished a forums post on daily accomplishments. I got little done today outside of catching up on sleep and emailing a friend my Lifehacks folder. I owe him after all the tunes he hooked me up with - good times on the way!

A lifehack is self-explanatory. It's cool things you can do with life/know about life most people are unaware of or not knowledgeable about. Most of the time they're shared around 4chan (/adv/ is a great place to look/ask for them [4chan.org:NSFW]) as images with bunches o' text dumped on them.

Good stuff though. Some are pretty interesting (fitness, appearance, and confidence lifehacks are popular and abundant) and others are just plain awesome - I was lucky enough to come across one gentleman who dumped 13 pages of screencapped text documents filled with random information, mostly pertaining to retail. Example: how to get the best deals on cars from used car dealers by means of social engineering, or how to determine the status of an in-store item based on the cents in the price (xx.95 is regular price, xx.99 is the sale price, xx.97 is clearance before liquidators), tips on finding great things to do at night when everything is supposedly closed down and locked up, and other really awesome information.

I'll see what I can do about a DL pack of what I've got so far - it's worth your time, or I wouldn't have saved all the images.

....

I just took maybe fifteen minutes and started reading through "lifehacks1.jpg" through "lifehacks3.jpg", and I can't tell you the immense variety of information that's in here. My God. It's awesome. I'm linking this now.

Not to mention there's a great, short and sweet 'what to do if you're bored' lifehack in here.

....

And a half hour later, I've discovered Anki thanks to "longlist", a killer flashcard program that lets you review material, gauge how well you know the material, and present you with new material to review while allowing you to review what you've already been over at later times. Makes learning awesome from the sounds of things! I'm installing it to Linux right now, it's Win/OSX/'Nix/BSD compatible, and can go on an iPhone as well.

Enough of me telling you about this stuff, now for you to show yourself!

Lifehacks.zip 14MB [Clydemachine.netthrilldesigns.com Little NSFW language content.]

EDIT: Thanks to fellow anons around /adv/ and /b/, this upload will be updated with a great deal more lifehacks for you to peruse, and I'll sift through useful links to even more you can get your hands on.

Running Log for Sat Nov 27, 2010

2010-11-27T06:29:00.015-05:00

Listening to The Bee Gees and Tiesto at the same time over at Shinigami564's place with Kerrdawg, this is really weird. We all made Breakfast Sludge earlier (NSFW instructions will be included!) so I'm feelin' goooood. Had all kinds of awesome intelligent conversations earlier, including food ideas (I shared my love for adding salt to apples and melons), music discussions which including the sharing of new music suggestions, our sources of prejudices of all kinds, and of the possibilities of lucid dreaming. Personal note: Use little or no tea for Breakfast Sludge for very sweet blend, crush superfine wheat.

Now listening to a mix of Alestorm, Asking Alexandria, Beach Boys, and Motley Crue. This is interesting.

Now helping Shini and Kerr to have lucid dreams for the first time. Shini woke up a couple times reporting a few images of what he saw, and this is surprisingly exciting. =P

Listening to Breathe Carolina watching my "test subjects" lay motionless waiting for their dreams to unfold. More exciting than it sounds!

More to come later if anything interesting happens. Been a good night, I say!

Instructions to making Breakfast Sludge - your entire breakfast, in one mug!
Language NSFW.

EDIT: Sorry, full sized image was scaled down somehow, fixed with the FULL INSTRUCTIONS.

Chilling For Tonight + New Skins

2010-11-26T16:34:00.006-05:00

This won't be a very big post for today, as all that's really going on today is I'm hanging out with the guys tonight, and that I went to bed really late last night/this morning just so you wouldn't have to be forced to stare at my red masterpiece of a colour scheme when reading these posts. =D

Tonight I'll be chilling with friends "Shinigami564" [Twitter.com] and "Kerrdawg". Always a good time, tonight should be no different - though we won't be outside much from it being so cold out, now that it's more or less winter in Michigan.

Aaaaand I gave up a good deal of sleep so your eyes could be pleased, so make use of the alternate stylesheet options if you so choose, up at the top right of your screen, lol. There are now red, green, steel, and psychedelic red/violet themes to choose from.

"Master" is the awesome red one you should be loving right now, but if not, then you've got "Adventure", which is a kind of rainy-jungle-esque theme and is really pleasing to the eyes. "Steel" is a wintery theme, matches your cold heart. =D Okay, it's mostly a black and white theme that looks like the city forest on December 26th, with a high contrast that's very visually appealing. I think the subtle blue accents were a nice touch.

Last up is probably my new favourite, "Trip-Photo Fx", which is coloured with reddish and violet/blue-ish tones I've seen used in certain photomanipulation pieces in the past that are very uncommon to see as a combination anywhere else. That being said, it's a really nice skin to use when relaxing and chilling out.

And that's all I've got for you all right now, enjoy and hit me up on Twitter [Twitter.com] if you wanna say something about how I should post more interesting content. =D

Because It Needs To Be Done.

2010-11-25T17:57:00.002-05:00

A list of what I'm thankful for, of course.

I don't usually do this, I don't think I've ever made a "I'm thankful for this and this and all the other stuff everyone else is thankful for" list before, but maybe I'll make it worth your read.

I'm Thankful For....

1. The obvious way to open this list is to thank those I truly love in my life. Friends usually get put at the top of the list alongside family. I'm thankful for Julia Celeste, my sweetheart and life-long companion. She really is the special person everyone says she is, but I know this better than anyone else. She's a princess and knows it. We've been through a lot together, and things just seem to keep coming, but we've come out of every fix stronger than ever before. And what's really nice is that's not some generic BS I cooked up to fill this space. It's the damn truth.

2. I'm also thankful for my family and friends who put up with me and my antics, and provide good times so often. I realized not too long ago that friends can be a LOT more fun outside of the classroom and hallways than inside them. It's great to have fun with friends.

3. I'm thankful for the availability of information, the free availability to expand my knowledge base about everything. Information is very important to me, and knowledge being more important than information.

4. I'm also thankful for quirky things, like @Anonimousvan [Twitter.com] for reminding us all of why we should be thankful. "Dont forget, while you're eating turkey,somewhere in palestin, a kid is dying ,crushed by bombs :D" - 13 minutes ago via DestroyTwitter. [Twitter.com] Despite the dark humour, it's somehow pleasing to see this kind of realistic view shared by someone other than myself.

5. For computers, electronic devices that keep us connected and productive, and those who keep innovation alive in the technology field.

6. For innovation anywhere.

7. For holidays and special occasions that bring people around one another in a like-minded manner where we just kinda hang out, eat, drink, have fun. For the societal conventions of celebration, culture, family, the things you never think about but are always a part of.

8. For the fact that most people who use computers have very limited knowledge of how to operate them. Makes me seem smarter when I do sweet things with them.

9. For the Internet and for the mothers of those that gave birth to the people who made the Internet.

10. For all the rest of the things you might expect a 20 year old male in the USA is thankful for. These are just the ones I chose to share with you tonight.

What are you thankful for? [Twitter.com]

Turkey Day Again!

2010-11-25T16:03:00.005-05:00

Spending most of today on the CZIRC [CZForums.us.to] to get connected with friends. Had a great conversation going earlier, everyone's off busy now so I'll take the time to continue nomming on the turkey I started on earlier!

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving is going great - mine is warm and comfortable, despite it raining/lightly snowing earlier today.

I guess now's as good a time as any to talk about the track I mentioned early early in the morning [Clydemachine.blogspot.com] today in "Mixdown." (After all, it's part of why today is so great.) As mentioned on the Clyde Machine Facebook page [Facebook.com] I'm working with the band Caliber [MySpace.com] (CHECK 'EM OUT) to master their demo tracks. Last night I worked on a track (3-5 hours effort) and finished it, complete with lead guitars, rhythm guitars, bass, and drums, and today got it shipped off to Chris, the vocalist of the duo. He found a moment during his Thanksgiving activities to shoot back a message standing his great approval of the track, which has more or less made my day.

Pretty excited to work on the next track, but I won't be starting on that til tomorrow, or tonight if my festivities are finished by then.

Everyone's Thanksgiving going well? Hit me up on Twitter and tell me about it! [Twitter.com]

Mixdown.

2010-11-25T03:44:00.002-05:00

Ah, I need some fudge cake right now while I wait for this track to upload, but I'll type up this blog to pass the time instead.

I finished recording a song just a half hour ago, and after going through the recording, re-recording, mixing, tweaking, mastering, final level checking, and labeling of the track, I have to say my favourite part of it all is the mixdown of the tracks.

A song is recorded in multiple tracks in a recording program (like a digital audio workstation - a DAW), and when that song is finished it goes through 'mixdown' - where all tracks are condensed to only two stereo tracks (left speaker and right speaker), contained in one singular audio file. Whenever I finish recording the last track, finish tweaking the last drum kit piece, and finish trimming up the ends of the recorded tracks, I love to go through the exporting process, where the song is made into a file I can listen to, label, distribute, rename, or do whatever with. It gives me a strong feeling of success and accomplishment. Like I was able to start something and finish it great.

I'll give some details on this particular tune at a later time. For now, it's time for cake.

Does Any of This Really Matter?

2010-11-24T15:04:00.003-05:00

Sometime earlier this year I picked up a good habit of asking myself from time to time if what I'm doing really matters, if there's something more I could be doing. I found myself asking this question all the time, from correcting my punctuation when writing a text to doing mundane tasks in video games. Most of the time this stops me from my activity and lets me spend time doing things that mean more to me, like learning a new concept in JavaScript.

Other times, this only reminded me of my task's importance. When coding this webpage, I convinced myself that every minor visual flaw I took the time to fix was time spent practicing for similar future situations in web development, as well as practicing my patience in creating a professional-grade product. This habit sure helps me figure out what Im wasting time on, and reminds me of why I do what I do.

Quick Music Recommendation: A Lesson in Romantics by Mayday Parade

2010-11-23T23:08:00.002-05:00

I'm enjoying Mayday Parade's "A Lesson in Romantics" (2007). If you're into melody-driven alternative-ish punk-ish rock with smooth guitar distortion, forward-moving drums, and mostly fast-moving songs, these guys are the ones for you to listen to.

A lot of these songs are heartbreak tunes, so if that's what you're into that you'll find something to get attached to here, but what really grabs me about this band is the lyrical work.

The subjects of the songs aren't all that original, when you can discern what exactly they are, but they present them in a fantastic display of words that I find other bands lack. That being said, the top picks for that very reason from this album are "Black Cat", "When I Get Home, You're So Dead", "Miserable at Best", and "Ocean and Atlantic", but you go pick your own preferences.

I Think I Convinced Him to Get Twitter.

2010-11-23T21:38:00.003-05:00

My favourite band is A Skylit Drive. They were doing a Q&A session on Fearlessradio today, and fans could tweet their questions. Everyone who knows the band knows their drummer (and wildest member) is the only member without a Twitter. I asked him why he doesn't have one yet. A couple hours after that interview, he got a Twitter. I think I convinced him to get a Twitter.

I thought that was cool enough to mention. =P

Project 365

2010-11-23T21:31:00.002-05:00

A while ago my sweetheart Julia suggested we start taking photos, once a day, of various things, and tell why they were meaningful. I didn't keep to the project, due to my odd habits with commitments (some commitments I keep great, but there are those I fall short of), but realizing this was something I did have an interest in seeing through to the end of, I figured I could modify the project rules a bit: I don't have to take photos every day, just as I see things that I find worth noting, and I don't have to stick to only taking one shot either. That being said, you might see a number of photos pop up from time to time - that is the reason why!

To kick this off, you're seeing a photo of me earlier this year with my lil buddy Laythe. He passed away recently, but lived with Julia's mother, and became my favourite cat ever upon first meeting. He always shed an orange storm of fur onto me and everything he came within fifty feet of, but I loved the little guy. He had the quirkiest expressions. Reminded me of myself, so I guess we just had that in common.

IRC and .hack//SIGN; Good Night

2010-11-23T01:26:00.003-05:00

Good way to spend the night: sitting on the CZIRC with friends, watching .hack//SIGN. Enjoying the nostalgia of years ago with the videos and enjoying random subjects of conversation. That's how to spend a night.

The CZIRC appears to be taking off and is proving its usefulness right away. I like it, and will be on it pretty much constantly, if you're interested in joining us. Point your mIRC/Xchat/etc. to Irc.xkcd.com #CZ for good times.

About this blog feed.

2010-11-22T20:08:00.003-05:00

This feed is drawing from the same blog I was using on the old version of the site, and in case you're curious about some of my older blog posts (for those that remember them from earlier this year), they're still online, though in draft form. I didn't want to delete them, but didn't want them cluttering up this new feed.

I cherry-picked the few posts you're seeing because I find they still hold relevance to me. Enjoy the old, enjoy the new.

CME Goes Live!

2010-11-22T19:58:00.003-05:00

Officially finished? Yeah, you could say CME is at last ready for its pilot run.

Welcome to CMEnvironment, the fully furnished entirely upgraded version of my info center! In case you can't tell I'm pretty excited to have it done, so check everything out. This is, clearly, the front page, complete with a regularly-updated blog, there's a page detailing current and future music endeavours, and a page that, while not very detailed right now, will be a run-down of code-/geek-specific info for those of you who know at least one programming language.

Why tell you everything when I can show you? Get clicking on stuff, see what happens - especially with the sharing tools up top. ;D

CZIRC Page Completed

2010-11-22T00:20:00.003-05:00

Everyone's favourite CZ now has its own IRC, at long last. The effort put into that single simple page (consisting of an embedded IRC client and a music playlist) was surprising to me.

My goal was to have a basic background to guide the user's attention to the objects rather than whatever background their chosen skin may have, and to have the two rectangular boxes sitting next to each other in an asymmetrical manner, for aesthetic benefit. After trying a number of different tag and CSS attribute statement combinations, I had to give up on putting all those parameters together the night I started (and hoped to finish) the page.

Ultimately, it took the coding of the Index of CME to figure out what was up. I was unaware of the usefulness of the {display:block;} property in CSS, which allowed an array of other properties' changes to take effect. I found this was missing from every element of the HTML page that needed one, and after correcting this was able to get something close to what I was hoping for.

Just like CME, the CZIRC page will continue to undergo changes and tweaks until it's to the satisfaction of the majority of its users. Overall, a good (albeit tiny) learning experience.

EDIT: Mon Nov 22, 14:58; I've adjusted the layout one last time, now in favour of a window-sprawling stacked design that allows the IRC client and music playlist to take up a great deal more room, and yet will allow the IRC to have its space for when you may not want the playlist's features while talking with other users. Simplicity has won in this endeavour.

Introduction of the Code Monkey Section

2010-11-22T00:13:00.000-05:00

Ah, the coolest section around the site, right? It's common knowledge I'm a code monkey. I code web pages pretty frequently, and have crafted my share of programs and scripts in the past. I'm skilled in the use of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and am taking time to learn Python, PHP, and mySQL. I have used VisualBasic and C++, but I've been out of practice with both for so long I can't say that I KNOW them anymore - they'll look familiar to me if I see them, of course. The last language to mention is AutoIt, which I use on and off as I find a use for it, and subsequently never forget the simple syntax for its many functions.

That being said, my latest testament to my title is this site itself, coded from a single 0KB file to what it is now, making extensive use of HTML5 and CSS3 elements. It will always be under constant updating, and as such I'll make good use out of this page, keeping track of all my edits, additions, flubs and other noteworthy efforts with code of multiple kinds.

Guess what movie I saw with Julia?

2010-04-23T16:55:00.003-04:00

The Playlist ISN'T The New Album.

2010-03-01T01:56:00.002-05:00

Above: Photo while out driving after my night class. I like this view of a city.

I had a thought some while ago about a slogan I'd seen for www.playlist.com, the site where you can form playlists of music to share and listen to online. Here is what I saw:
"The playlist is the new album."
As a musician, that hit me in a funny way. A note added on the footer of a site just informed me that the format by which we've purchased and enjoyed the music we've been listening to for the past twenty or so years is dead and has been replaced by a new format that seems to populate itself in a mixtape style - singles and hits from many artists.

The above was mostly for the humour (there are hundreds of reasons the album format is not and will not die), but I do have a problem with the idea that playlists have replaced albums. That's not true, simply; they've replaced mix-CDs. That's it. Albums are still where I look to when I want to really experience a band or even a genre of music. When I hear the band name Foo Fighters, I don't think of Everlong and The Pretender. I think of One by One and There Is Nothing Left To Lose. Playlists house singles more often than not, don't tell me it isn't so. Singles (tracks released with intent to accumulate popularity and commercial success, regardless how well they depict a band's sound) are for the airwaves and digital music stores, and therefore appear on playlists. Well that's fine and all, but if I'm looking into a group and want to know what they sound like, I don't go to their singles, what you find on playlists. I go find their albums, and appreciate where they put in their time, their talent, and their creativity. I'll listen to the albums, including singles, even though the worth is probably going to be in the non-singles. You don't get those on playlists much, now do you?
Playlists are cool and fun, but don't forget that you hear bands on their albums, not on playlists. Thanks for reading folks. Now go listen to someone's album!