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Messages - jkn

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1261
Everything and Nothing / Re: Best of 2007
« on: January 09, 2008, 01:51:09 PM »
I really never have a list - I tend to buy stuff that's been out for awhile so am not really all that current.   :)

I did pick up four great releases from Mike and Lena here at Hypnos that I completely enjoyed.   APK's first two releases on his Blue Oasis label are absolutely superb and highly recommended.   And I always enjoy new Vir Unis stuff - he released a couple of solo albums last year that are well worth downloading.    I enjoyed Numina's Symbiotic Spaces - I don't think it's at the top of my list as it's more of a collective peek at his growth as an artist over several years, but it's good and there are several true gems in the mix.  I really liked Parallel Worlds - Obsessive Surrealism.

1262
Everything and Nothing / Re: What are your plans and goals in 2008?
« on: January 09, 2008, 01:46:37 PM »
I didn't realize you were a playwright!   Either I just haven't been paying attention or you've been shy.  :)


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Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Gear for sale @ Hypnos HQ, 2008
« on: January 08, 2008, 05:53:34 PM »
Looking forward to the FX goodies you might be selling... :)

1264
Everything and Nothing / Re: What are your plans and goals in 2008?
« on: January 08, 2008, 01:58:46 PM »
Yes - I love this topic - I'm the culprit for the 2006 and 2007 versions of this thread... :)  really glad you fired up a new one!

Once and for all - I'm buying a new soundcard and recording again.    Recording again has been my plan for about 4 years now (if you could still see the old threads, you'd laugh...)...   This is the year!   

Heidi and I have already talked about getting a new soundcard since my Aardvark is tied to Win98 - and I don't feel like trying to get it to work in XP.   I might still use the old computer for a drum machine - we'll see.   I have a goal of writing a few songs this year and maybe, just maybe, getting a release ready to send out as a demo.

We've already moved a large chair out of my studio and half of my bass amp is in next to my synths for the first time in 5 years (the other half of the amp is at my mother-in-laws - we had a great jam session on New Years Eve... :)  it's coming home soon...).   I'm toying with getting a new effects box as a present to myself, and Heidi thinks I should buy a decent guitar.   I'm definitely getting the sound card - we'll see about the rest. 

Beyond music my goal is to continue getting healthier and losing weight.   It was quite the weird year for my health last year.   I think I'm on the right track now with regular exercise, eating right, vitamins, and regular doctor visits.   

My wife and I have these sort of running resolutions to be...

* physically fit
* financially fit
* mentally fit

I've been working on those three for about 5 months now and things are looking a little better in the world.

Heidi and I plan to hike more - that's the biggie for us.  I'm not an outdoor person, never have been.  We went hiking once last fall and I loved it.   We also bought bikes and I can't wait for the weather to clear up a bit to get out and ride!   I'm riding indoors this winter to hopefully have the muscles built up to actually be able to go a decent distance next year.   


1265
Everything and Nothing / Re: yikes - first tornado warning of the year
« on: January 08, 2008, 09:29:42 AM »

There've been a lot worse storms - but it's very rare for them to be this early.   March / April through June / July is normal tornado season for us.   Last year we had them in late August which was really weird.

Basically - I've decided that the weather is becoming weirder and weirder and I'm not surprised anymore.    We almost don't have four seasons anymore - spring and fall are almost non-existent - and it used to be a clear four seasons type of place here.   Heck - the last two days were more spring-like than we'll probably see in April...  Last winter we had a ton of problems with being too warm too early - trees, flowers, grass - all started to green up and bloom - and then winter came back...  Oh well.    Looking at recorded history for weather - we've seen this sort of thing before - it's cyclical.    It's just that the cycles stretch longer than my lifetime so it all seems totally "new"... ha.    I've been around long enough to remember the blizzards of '78/'79 - and then the warm up in the 80's and 90's - and then getting hit with blizzards a couple of times the last 10 years or so... but still - in general - our winters are a lot warmer than they used to be.

Back to last night... The big cold front pushing down from the northwest into our really unseasonably warm warm front is what caused the big storms.   

I knew when I was driving home and I could see lightening hitting in all directions around me very frequently... that it was going to be a weird one.   

We're totally fine.  The only thing that struck me was just how ridiculously early it is for tornado problems!   Fortunately - they've gotten so good at predicting these storms.   

Our rain might turn back to snow tonight - we'll see.   

1266
Listening: Podcasts, Mixes, and Music Sample Clips / Re: update to Forrest Fang audio page
« on: January 08, 2008, 08:22:52 AM »
I don't buy new gear all that often, but when I do I always do a big jam session just like you're describing... sometimes I really wish I would hit record during those because I typically don't...

Your Wavestation jam is definitely fun and enjoyable - nothing like that initial rush of discovering new sounds and instruments...

1267
Everything and Nothing / Re: What's HOT and what's NOT
« on: January 08, 2008, 07:36:09 AM »
Nice discussion...

I find Saul Stokes amazingly musical and melodic - definitely a great song writer and sound tech, etc...  he's said on numerous occassions he doesn't have great playing chops.   But in his case - his writing completely overwhelms any lack of virtousity with an instrument.  (And frankly, I think he's being modest...  or he's got the "feel" to carry him through. ).   He's a case where his released music was always melodic, and always totally synthetic - but it has a warm glow of life to it.   One of those people that sculpts his sounds the way someone playing a piano or guitar can.

Just to call out APK a bit ... his music has also always been melodic (at least all the stuff I've heard) - and I think people will really like his stuff now that "melody is hot" again... ( grin )

I love acoustic instruments (maybe I should say non-synths?), and I love synths.    (there wasn't really much more of a point to that statement - so I'll let it hang...  :)  )

I still love big soundworlds and drones.    (ok - not much point to that one either... :) )



1268
Everything and Nothing / Re: yikes - first tornado warning of the year
« on: January 08, 2008, 05:18:08 AM »
Yeah - the front stretched all through Missourie, Illinois, and Wisconsin. 

We have water coming in our basement.. :(   2 more inches of rain today.   We also have water coming in our bathroom closet.   Yippee.  Not new things - but worse than "usual".

1269
Everything and Nothing / Re: yikes - first tornado warning of the year
« on: January 07, 2008, 04:21:23 PM »
worst is past already... crazy.

1270
Everything and Nothing / yikes - first tornado warning of the year
« on: January 07, 2008, 04:06:05 PM »
Wow - we're months early for a tornado warning (I guess jumping from 0 degrees 5 days ago to 66 today might be part of the problem?) - lightening is hitting hard - and it seems like it's right out the window.   I'm hiding in the basement waiting for Heidi to get home from work...  :(


1271
Everything and Nothing / Re: New flatscreen TV recommendations?
« on: January 07, 2008, 02:56:33 PM »
I found this little "confused about HDTV?" primer from Best Buy / CNET helpful... the burn in rate has been greatly reduced - and as Mike mentioned - calibrating the tv is a must. 

http://bestbuy-cnet.com.com/4350-12658_7-6544480.html?profileId=ATG4398816873&h=488

Actually - I'm not fully sold on the whole 1080p thing, we do like to buy "more than we need" when we make a major purchase like this (or go really really small if we know it's temporary - hate to be too wasteful).   Based on the HDTV primer - since we sit about 13 feet from our tv - they recommend the 46" (of course they're going to say bigger is better!) - I love our 27" - but once you flip it to widescreen - it's getting really small from 13 feet away... :)

I didn't check the CNET article on plasma vs. LCD today - but basically when I read it a few days ago... - one is better for side angle viewing than the other and the other can deal with glare a bit better.   The lifetime for both is about the same now.

We have a 20" LCD in our bedroom (Samsung) - and a Sharp 14" LCD in our kitchen.  Both are great.   The Sharp seems to be a bit better - but that might be due to a lot of factors...



1272
Everything and Nothing / Re: New flatscreen TV recommendations?
« on: January 07, 2008, 01:47:13 PM »
The 46 - 48" 1080p ones that we've looked at are at or above $2,000.    We don't actually need 1080p at the moment - (we have a large collection of standard def dvd's - and love tv shows - ha) - but we're kind of figuring it makes sense to get the 'better' one now instead of buying something and then replacing it in a couple years.  Drives me mildly nuts to spend that much on a tv - but in a weird way - that's one of our big things to do at home is watch tv - so it makes somewhat sense to get something a little ridiculous... (ha.)

We've seen the Vizio's at Walmart.   I think we had a nifty whiteboard product from that company about 6 years ago at work... you put a couple of sensors on the whiteboard and everything you drew showed up perfectly in a doc on the pc... nifty thing, but no one really used it much.   

1273
Everything and Nothing / New flatscreen TV recommendations?
« on: January 07, 2008, 12:33:52 PM »
We're thinking about switching to a new tv.   We currently have a 27" Sony trinitron... and are thinking of splurging with something a bit bigger (and a lot lighter!).

It has to be under 50" in physical width - so we're looking in the more or less 42" to 48" screen size.

Any recommendations on brand, type, etc...?    We kind of like the Sharp Aquos at the moment - though haven't looked in depth yet.

I'm assuming there will be some nice Super Bowl sales so it might be a good time to get it.

1274
Now Playing / Re: Currently listening, part 1
« on: January 07, 2008, 08:33:09 AM »
exuviae - settling density - a fine minimal ambient journey

tom heasley - where the earth meets the sky - always love this tuba soundworld... great stuff.

the jam - greatest hits - got in the mood...  the hits collections are fun seeing the swing in music style from the earliest albums to the last (it's almost as drastic as Japan's hilarious first album compared to their last...)

underworld - second toughest in the infants - even though this is so beat oriented - this album works great in the background. 

recoil - unsound methods - actually - I forget the title - that may not be right.  Anyway - from around 1997-ish - some really neat stuff, some not so.   I pretty much in general like Alan Wilder's stuff - always enjoyed his b-sides in Depeche Mode.   This album is fairly dark in sound and lyrics.

1275
Computers, Internet and Technology / Re: Now Playing - the video game edition
« on: January 07, 2008, 03:45:43 AM »
I'm terrible at Mario games.   :)   I've got the New Super Mario for the DS - and my hand got tired of playing it long before I got tired of playing.... but oh well!   Great game - just too hard for my hands... :)

1276
Everything and Nothing / Re: Now watching
« on: January 07, 2008, 03:44:22 AM »
Watched the opening of season 3 of the sopranos - and then pretty much just left murder, she wrote running when we were home most of the time.   Something stupidly relaxing about murder myster tv shows.   

I convinced my sister in mid-December that she needed to watch Lost - as her family had never seen it...  my brother in law called last night to say they'd just finished season 3... ha!   3 seasons in under a month.   Crazy.   What a way to see it though - all in a rush at once.

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Listening: Podcasts, Mixes, and Music Sample Clips / Re: update to Forrest Fang audio page
« on: January 04, 2008, 11:17:47 AM »
Just listened to the Untitled Improv... nicely done! 

1278
Everything and Nothing / Re: Hypnos Forum move
« on: January 04, 2008, 07:46:17 AM »
So far - no issues that I can fine.  I'm using the default theme.

1279
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Gear: Studio shots by Deb
« on: January 03, 2008, 02:49:29 PM »
You might have a good point.   Maybe it's more of an American (US) sort of thingy.

I also wonder if it's not really a new age type of thing - but a coincidental thing.   My wife and I have a lot asian influenced decoration in our house, but we're not really 'new agey' in the spiritual sense - and her like of it has nothing to do with the music side of things.

1280
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Gear: Studio shots by Deb
« on: January 03, 2008, 01:57:41 PM »
I've noticed a lot of people in this thread (and in past "gear shot" type threads) - not everyone, but many people have a tendency towards indian, native american, aboriginal, african, etc... types of decorations - whether it's rugs, blankets, wall hangings or artwork, masks, etc...   Of course, quite a few drums tossed in as well which are both functional and ornamental... :)


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