@talkderby2me
I love twitter. With twitter I can follow tech-oriented people easily. Many people in the PHP community are using twitter. I can track them to learn what they are doing, who they are replying to, and any links they enjoy. Following people smarter than me provides an infinite learning curve towards my quest for more knowledge.
Still a few people won't use Twitter because "why should they tell everyone what they are doing?". For me, Twitter is less about updating my own status and more about following interesting people. If I enjoy someone's Tweets (A post to twitter), I can explore the people they're following.
Twitter is not problem-free. There are few roaming bugs associated with Twitter. In one annoying bug, I stop receiving updates from people. The only way I can fix this is to stop following them and then visit their page and follow them again. I have complained about this problem publicly at Get Satisfaction but also the problem continues. A more reliable solution to this problem has been to get myself an RSS reader. Each Twitter page is equipped with an RSS feed. Intead of monitoring my Twitter page, which could be missing valuable updates, my RSS reader can notify me when someone Tweets.
An RSS reader is an invaluble tool for reading the Interweb. Most websites syndicate their content in the form of Really Simple Syndication feed. So you can either visit your list of favorite websites, or you can subscribe to their RSS feed. When you subcribe to an RSS feed, you are telling your RSS reader to receive updates from that particular website. Working like an E-Mail client, your RSS reader will notify you of new updates. You can read your subscribed sites' updates in a similar way of reading E-Mail. Some websites provide the entire post, while others provide a headline and summary, forcing you to visit their website to read the entire story. I can either bookmark and visit each site individually on a semi-regular basis, or I can tell my RSS reader about the site and receive updates as they happen. Bypassing each site in this Web 2.0 whiz-bang world, allows me the freedom to miss the site's latest Ad campaign, to avoid their sometimes impossible navigation, and mostly to unburden my CPU with their usual battery of heavy graphics, videos, and extra-long (Pagination? We don't need no stinking Pagination) blog posts & comments. I can simply get the content, which is the main reason I am visiting the site in the first place.
On my Powerbook G4 I use NewsFire
December 21, 2008
December 09, 2008
Jeff Mills @ Smartbar Dec 12th
JEFF MILLS (axis)
KARL P. MEIER (subsystence, img, remnant)
TYREL WILLIAMS (gramaphone)
$15 before midnight
smart bar
3730 n clark
21+
$20
KARL P. MEIER (subsystence, img, remnant)
TYREL WILLIAMS (gramaphone)
$15 before midnight
smart bar
3730 n clark
21+
$20
December 05, 2008
June 1998, 30 to 40 minutes outside of Paris
So there I was smack dab in the middle of Paris, checking into my first hotel, which kicked off my 1.5 month Europe backpacking tour.
My father was with me, the first 2 days. I left Chicago the night before. The flight was long, and I was wired, or maybe I slept the entire trip?
It was Saturday morning in Paris, the Sun was bright and shiny. I was glad, happy, on top of the world. I told my Dad I was going to explore. He suggested I take a nap. I said I would be back later.
My previous, brief excursions to Europe and more importantly the South of France via the US navy around 1996, brought me to chic record shop in Cannes. My ship was anchored offshore. After wandering around looking for a hotel, which were all way out of our budget, we got a train and headed west for 15 minutes. In Nice, we found an inexpensive hotel and a chic record shop for EDM. A flyer told me Richie Hawtin was playing that night at club in Cannes. How convenient, I thought. Also, I saw that France, similar to other European countries at the time, carried a magazine called Flyer.
Back to 1998, my love for Electronic Dance Music was 3.5 years old and running strong. By that time, I learned that trance was my favorite genre, and in 1996 I heard the first sounds of Goa from CDs at a mall in Haifa, Israel. I bought my first pair of 1200s in mid '95, etc, etc.
Wandering the streets of Paris that Saturday morning was an adrenaline rush. Speaking no French outside of Wi and NO, I listened to everything and was enchanted.
I scoured for signs of the EDM scene. At 1100, I found a recently opened record shop. I wandered in the store to find that ever-true and concise mini-mag called Flyer, which was stacked prominently in front.
A quick grab-and-pull to this weekend's date (which I can't precisely remember, either first or second weekend of June 1998) allowed to see my current favorite genre Psy-Trance at an event that night. Total Eclipse(maybe?), some opener, and the headliner: some guy called Simon Posford, whom I never heard of before, were going to play at some Paris address.
The time for the Flyer event came, and I went to the address. I told my father I was going to club in Paris and wouldn't be back until morning, probably 0600. Upon arriving at the address, I saw it wasn't a club but the center of a traffic circle. Lots of youngsters looking the scene sat around. Great, I thought, a sketchy map point, the end of the line for this illiterate American. I waited and waited. And waited. Finally 45 minutes later, a car pulled up, and a guy emerged holding strips of paper. All the sitters stood and swarmed him, me included. Within 5 minutes, the 50 or so people vanished. My last thread of hope remained in a small group of 4, who sat unmoved.
I approached them, dumb and blind. English? English? Can I get a ride? Out of the four, one spoke enough English to communicate bits and pieces. They had 2 cars and agreed to drive me there. Sweet, we left 10 minutes later.
The drive along the highway at soaring speeds to the venue was at least 30 to 40 minutes. I thought of my father and how worried he was going to be in the morning when I wasn't there. The car boomed a good trance DJ mix. Thoughts crossed my mind about walking back to Paris.
It was 2300 as we arrived. The venue, by American Rave standards, was HUGE! It was an indoor arena built for some other purpose. The security and door price were a breeze, compared to the large fees and near strip search, empty all your pockets, and stand over there while we poke and dump your bag all over this table in True American Style.
Inside the arena, hung the largest Psychedelic tapestries I, even to this day, have ever seen. There was a remote-controlled zeppelin snapping flash pictures at the crowd. A free fruit stand welcomed me. The beer was cheap. I was in Love: my first, outside of my house, Full-On Psy-Trance party.
The sound was good. The first act played Chillout. The 2nd act picked up the pace. The 3rd act who I believed to be you, really brought it all out, on the dance floor.
There was probably a fourth and maybe a fifth, but after you everything blurred.
Excellent.
I danced until 1100, when the party ended, and we all exited the venue. I sat quietly in the parking lot and relaxed. There were over 10 of us that hung around. A few came up and asked me if I spoke French. I said no in English. Still out of the group, only the original one spoke English to me. I was grateful. He explained (I think) that cars going back to Paris had a different license plate, and I might want to catch a ride with one of them. Feeling safer with him, and learning he would eventually go back to Paris around 1400, I stayed with his group and made the nearby grass whistle.
I arrived back at the hotel at 1500. My father was a wreck but relieved to see me alive. I told him the whole story.
Thanks for reading.
It was probably around 2001, while reading the liner notes on my Lone Deranger LP, I spotted the name Simon Posford. I pulled out that Flyer to Verify and froze.
Since then I have seen you in the following places:
Puerto Rico 2000: large multi-act, all the headliners of the day, but only about 300 people showed up.
WEMF in Canada 2001: a large outdoor multi-genre event outside of Toronto I think.
Arkansas 2007: a dusty, rock laden place in a picturesque part of mid-South USA. It was my first Shpongle set. I saw you there waiting for your turn to play, while listening to the most wretched pre-Shongle set. The DJ was playing slamming Trauma Trance. Stupid Americans. I thought about telling you the above story then, but I was too shy.
Chicago 2008: the Abbey Pub, with ghastly sound, even your pleads to the mixing board for more Bass went nowhere.
If you play in Chicago again, and please do, Choose Smart Bar, they have Funktion One sound, and its so sweet. Also, they have no dress code. Sonotheque also has Funktion One, but their layout prohibits a good dance floor. Sound Bar also Funktion One, but their door turns away casual dress, especially my Keens.
Thanks for posting those Youtubers about your studio layout, very inspiring. I look forward to more of them.
You might like this guy from NZ: He has a good idea for a live setup too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNM-3QFq9fA
To this day, I use your sound creativity as a reference point when I hear everything else.
My father was with me, the first 2 days. I left Chicago the night before. The flight was long, and I was wired, or maybe I slept the entire trip?
It was Saturday morning in Paris, the Sun was bright and shiny. I was glad, happy, on top of the world. I told my Dad I was going to explore. He suggested I take a nap. I said I would be back later.
My previous, brief excursions to Europe and more importantly the South of France via the US navy around 1996, brought me to chic record shop in Cannes. My ship was anchored offshore. After wandering around looking for a hotel, which were all way out of our budget, we got a train and headed west for 15 minutes. In Nice, we found an inexpensive hotel and a chic record shop for EDM. A flyer told me Richie Hawtin was playing that night at club in Cannes. How convenient, I thought. Also, I saw that France, similar to other European countries at the time, carried a magazine called Flyer.
Back to 1998, my love for Electronic Dance Music was 3.5 years old and running strong. By that time, I learned that trance was my favorite genre, and in 1996 I heard the first sounds of Goa from CDs at a mall in Haifa, Israel. I bought my first pair of 1200s in mid '95, etc, etc.
Wandering the streets of Paris that Saturday morning was an adrenaline rush. Speaking no French outside of Wi and NO, I listened to everything and was enchanted.
I scoured for signs of the EDM scene. At 1100, I found a recently opened record shop. I wandered in the store to find that ever-true and concise mini-mag called Flyer, which was stacked prominently in front.
A quick grab-and-pull to this weekend's date (which I can't precisely remember, either first or second weekend of June 1998) allowed to see my current favorite genre Psy-Trance at an event that night. Total Eclipse(maybe?), some opener, and the headliner: some guy called Simon Posford, whom I never heard of before, were going to play at some Paris address.
The time for the Flyer event came, and I went to the address. I told my father I was going to club in Paris and wouldn't be back until morning, probably 0600. Upon arriving at the address, I saw it wasn't a club but the center of a traffic circle. Lots of youngsters looking the scene sat around. Great, I thought, a sketchy map point, the end of the line for this illiterate American. I waited and waited. And waited. Finally 45 minutes later, a car pulled up, and a guy emerged holding strips of paper. All the sitters stood and swarmed him, me included. Within 5 minutes, the 50 or so people vanished. My last thread of hope remained in a small group of 4, who sat unmoved.
I approached them, dumb and blind. English? English? Can I get a ride? Out of the four, one spoke enough English to communicate bits and pieces. They had 2 cars and agreed to drive me there. Sweet, we left 10 minutes later.
The drive along the highway at soaring speeds to the venue was at least 30 to 40 minutes. I thought of my father and how worried he was going to be in the morning when I wasn't there. The car boomed a good trance DJ mix. Thoughts crossed my mind about walking back to Paris.
It was 2300 as we arrived. The venue, by American Rave standards, was HUGE! It was an indoor arena built for some other purpose. The security and door price were a breeze, compared to the large fees and near strip search, empty all your pockets, and stand over there while we poke and dump your bag all over this table in True American Style.
Inside the arena, hung the largest Psychedelic tapestries I, even to this day, have ever seen. There was a remote-controlled zeppelin snapping flash pictures at the crowd. A free fruit stand welcomed me. The beer was cheap. I was in Love: my first, outside of my house, Full-On Psy-Trance party.
The sound was good. The first act played Chillout. The 2nd act picked up the pace. The 3rd act who I believed to be you, really brought it all out, on the dance floor.
There was probably a fourth and maybe a fifth, but after you everything blurred.
Excellent.
I danced until 1100, when the party ended, and we all exited the venue. I sat quietly in the parking lot and relaxed. There were over 10 of us that hung around. A few came up and asked me if I spoke French. I said no in English. Still out of the group, only the original one spoke English to me. I was grateful. He explained (I think) that cars going back to Paris had a different license plate, and I might want to catch a ride with one of them. Feeling safer with him, and learning he would eventually go back to Paris around 1400, I stayed with his group and made the nearby grass whistle.
I arrived back at the hotel at 1500. My father was a wreck but relieved to see me alive. I told him the whole story.
Thanks for reading.
It was probably around 2001, while reading the liner notes on my Lone Deranger LP, I spotted the name Simon Posford. I pulled out that Flyer to Verify and froze.
Since then I have seen you in the following places:
Puerto Rico 2000: large multi-act, all the headliners of the day, but only about 300 people showed up.
WEMF in Canada 2001: a large outdoor multi-genre event outside of Toronto I think.
Arkansas 2007: a dusty, rock laden place in a picturesque part of mid-South USA. It was my first Shpongle set. I saw you there waiting for your turn to play, while listening to the most wretched pre-Shongle set. The DJ was playing slamming Trauma Trance. Stupid Americans. I thought about telling you the above story then, but I was too shy.
Chicago 2008: the Abbey Pub, with ghastly sound, even your pleads to the mixing board for more Bass went nowhere.
If you play in Chicago again, and please do, Choose Smart Bar, they have Funktion One sound, and its so sweet. Also, they have no dress code. Sonotheque also has Funktion One, but their layout prohibits a good dance floor. Sound Bar also Funktion One, but their door turns away casual dress, especially my Keens.
Thanks for posting those Youtubers about your studio layout, very inspiring. I look forward to more of them.
You might like this guy from NZ: He has a good idea for a live setup too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNM-3QFq9fA
To this day, I use your sound creativity as a reference point when I hear everything else.
November 05, 2008
Mounting a Lichtenstein
November 04, 2008
March 20, 2008
James Zabiela Live @ Vision Chicago
This time he is live at Vision in Chicago. August 4th, 2007. Very Electro.
Download James Zabiela Live @ Vision Chicago
Download James Zabiela Live @ Vision Chicago
January 29, 2008
Trader Joe's shopping list
McCann's Irish Oatmeal
4 Organic Braeburn Apples
Eggs Dozen large Brown
Red Onions
Clif Bar Black Cherry Almond (12)
Broccoli
Organic Pasta & White Chedder
Dried Cranberries with Orange
Peanut Butter Creamy Unsalted
Brown Rice Medley
Unsalted Butter
Basmatic Rice Medley
Organic Cut & Peeled Carrots
Organic Raw Sugar
Mandarin Orange Sauce
Thai Red Curry Cooking Sauce
$48.76
Thanks Joe
4 Organic Braeburn Apples
Eggs Dozen large Brown
Red Onions
Clif Bar Black Cherry Almond (12)
Broccoli
Organic Pasta & White Chedder
Dried Cranberries with Orange
Peanut Butter Creamy Unsalted
Brown Rice Medley
Unsalted Butter
Basmatic Rice Medley
Organic Cut & Peeled Carrots
Organic Raw Sugar
Mandarin Orange Sauce
Thai Red Curry Cooking Sauce
$48.76
Thanks Joe
January 22, 2008
killer oatmeal
I recently rediscovered the value of oatmeal in the morning. I grew up with Quaker Instant Classic Oatmeal so my taste for the oats were a bit saggy. Recently, a friend made me some for breakfast so this recipe is based on her ideas.
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tblsp sugar [if desired]
1 tblsp Nut* butter
a handful of dried fruit**
1 cup boiling water
* Nut: your desired choice of Peanut, Almond, Cashew, etc.
** Dried Fruit: I prefer Cranberries because it has higher Vitamin C content which helps in the absorption of Iron (from the oatmeal). I have also used blueberries and cherries with great success.
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tblsp sugar [if desired]
1 tblsp Nut* butter
a handful of dried fruit**
1 cup boiling water
* Nut: your desired choice of Peanut, Almond, Cashew, etc.
** Dried Fruit: I prefer Cranberries because it has higher Vitamin C content which helps in the absorption of Iron (from the oatmeal). I have also used blueberries and cherries with great success.
Trader Joe's shopping list
Pure Olive Oil I Litre
TJ's ORG Pasta & White Chedder
Oatmeal Organic Oats & Flax
6 Bananas
Brown Jasmine Rice
Harvest Grains Blend
Dried Cranberries
Creamy Peanut Butter
Brocolli
Garlic
Soymilk
Total $29.29
TJ's ORG Pasta & White Chedder
Oatmeal Organic Oats & Flax
6 Bananas
Brown Jasmine Rice
Harvest Grains Blend
Dried Cranberries
Creamy Peanut Butter
Brocolli
Garlic
Soymilk
Total $29.29
January 10, 2008
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) malfeasance
The Chicago CTA is going bankrupt and screaming about closing routes unless it gets "emergency" state funding?
Let's do some math:
[possible solutions at the bottom]
Income:
my assumptions:
6 hrs / day [Rush hour: 7am - 10am and 3pm - 6pm.]
60 min / 1 hr
1 bus / 10 min
5 buses [In my neighborhood, 5 bus lines 151, 156, 134, 143 & 77.]
40 passengers / bus.
$2 / passenger
6 x 60 / 10 x 5 x 40 x 2 = $14400 / day for 5 buses during rush hour only.
Expense:
Buses:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/695338,CST-NWS-ctaweb13.article
[says 150 buses cost $13.2 million on a 12 month lease.]
my assumptions:
$13,200,000 / year
12 months = 1 year
150 buses / lease
1 month = 30 days
5 buses
$13,200,000 / 12 / 150 / 30 x 5 = $1,222.22 / day for 5 buses.
Gas:
my assumptions:
10 miles / gallon per bus.
10 miles / trip [from my neigbhorhood to loop round trip]
$4 / gallon fuel.
5 buses
6 hrs / day
6 trips / hr
6 x 6 x 5 = 180 trips / day
180 x 10 = 1800 miles / day
1800 / 10 = 180 gallons / day
180 x $4 = $720 / day on fuel for 5 buses.
Drivers:
http://www.careeroverview.com/bus-driver-careers.html
[says In 2002, intercity bus drivers earned a median hourly wage of $14.22.]
So let's inflate that for 5 years.
From Tom's Inflation Calculator http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html
We get $16.55.
my assumptions:
5 buses
1 driver / bus
6 hrs / day
$16.55 / hr
5 x 6 x $16.55 = $496.5 / day
Totals:
my assumptions:
$14400 income / day from passenger sales during rush periods
$1,222.22 expense / day for a lease for 5 buses
$720 expense / day on fuel for 5 buses
$496.5 expense / day on wages for 5 drivers
$14400 - $1222.22 - $720 - $496.50 = $11,961.28 profit!!!
So what would you do with $11,961.28 in one day?
Possible leaks in the CTA:
1. Top CTA employers making too much money
2. Unions
3. City of Chicago Taxes / Corruption*
* Corruption means taking without giving.
my solution:
1. Fire all employees.
2. Hire back drivers, train operators, maintenance under the following conditions:
a. No Unions
b. No Pension
c. Vacation FULLY PAID:
1st Year: no vacation.
2nd Year: 1 week
3rd Year: 2 weeks
4th Year: 3 weeks
5th Year: 4 weeks
6th Year: 5 weeks
7th Year: 6 weeks (max)
d. Wages:
1st Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $20 / hr. Maintenence: $30 / hr.
2nd Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $30 / hr. Maintenence: $50 / hr.
3rd Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $40 / hr. Maintenence: $70 / hr.
4th Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $50 / hr. Maintenence: $90 / hr.
5th Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $60 / hr. Maintenence: $100 / hr.
e. Health / Dental / Vision Full Benefits for you and spouse + 2 kids while employed.
f. Percentage of Interest generated from profit:
1st Year: 5%
2nd Year: 10%
3rd Year: 20%
4th Year: 30%
5th Year: 35%
other options:
split the CTA into small private companies, each company owns 1 route of either bus or train.
ride your bike.
Let's do some math:
[possible solutions at the bottom]
Income:
my assumptions:
6 hrs / day [Rush hour: 7am - 10am and 3pm - 6pm.]
60 min / 1 hr
1 bus / 10 min
5 buses [In my neighborhood, 5 bus lines 151, 156, 134, 143 & 77.]
40 passengers / bus.
$2 / passenger
6 x 60 / 10 x 5 x 40 x 2 = $14400 / day for 5 buses during rush hour only.
Expense:
Buses:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/695338,CST-NWS-ctaweb13.article
[says 150 buses cost $13.2 million on a 12 month lease.]
my assumptions:
$13,200,000 / year
12 months = 1 year
150 buses / lease
1 month = 30 days
5 buses
$13,200,000 / 12 / 150 / 30 x 5 = $1,222.22 / day for 5 buses.
Gas:
my assumptions:
10 miles / gallon per bus.
10 miles / trip [from my neigbhorhood to loop round trip]
$4 / gallon fuel.
5 buses
6 hrs / day
6 trips / hr
6 x 6 x 5 = 180 trips / day
180 x 10 = 1800 miles / day
1800 / 10 = 180 gallons / day
180 x $4 = $720 / day on fuel for 5 buses.
Drivers:
http://www.careeroverview.com/bus-driver-careers.html
[says In 2002, intercity bus drivers earned a median hourly wage of $14.22.]
So let's inflate that for 5 years.
From Tom's Inflation Calculator http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html
We get $16.55.
my assumptions:
5 buses
1 driver / bus
6 hrs / day
$16.55 / hr
5 x 6 x $16.55 = $496.5 / day
Totals:
my assumptions:
$14400 income / day from passenger sales during rush periods
$1,222.22 expense / day for a lease for 5 buses
$720 expense / day on fuel for 5 buses
$496.5 expense / day on wages for 5 drivers
$14400 - $1222.22 - $720 - $496.50 = $11,961.28 profit!!!
So what would you do with $11,961.28 in one day?
Possible leaks in the CTA:
1. Top CTA employers making too much money
2. Unions
3. City of Chicago Taxes / Corruption*
* Corruption means taking without giving.
my solution:
1. Fire all employees.
2. Hire back drivers, train operators, maintenance under the following conditions:
a. No Unions
b. No Pension
c. Vacation FULLY PAID:
1st Year: no vacation.
2nd Year: 1 week
3rd Year: 2 weeks
4th Year: 3 weeks
5th Year: 4 weeks
6th Year: 5 weeks
7th Year: 6 weeks (max)
d. Wages:
1st Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $20 / hr. Maintenence: $30 / hr.
2nd Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $30 / hr. Maintenence: $50 / hr.
3rd Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $40 / hr. Maintenence: $70 / hr.
4th Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $50 / hr. Maintenence: $90 / hr.
5th Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $60 / hr. Maintenence: $100 / hr.
e. Health / Dental / Vision Full Benefits for you and spouse + 2 kids while employed.
f. Percentage of Interest generated from profit:
1st Year: 5%
2nd Year: 10%
3rd Year: 20%
4th Year: 30%
5th Year: 35%
other options:
split the CTA into small private companies, each company owns 1 route of either bus or train.
ride your bike.
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