waking up
Music Photographer – Charlie Homo
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Please do yourself a HUGE favor and check out this man’s work. Incredible.
Michael Jackson Died Yesterday
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Amidst all the blog posts there must be on MJ, I just wanted to express that I haven’t felt this way about a musician’s passing before. I mean, I was sad when I found out Buddy Rich was dead, or that Jaco Pastorius was dead, and these were musicians I emulated as a drummer and as a bassist. But when MJ died, I was so stunned… I didn’t believe it. For an hour, I constantly checked Google News in case he was in a coma with the possibility of coming back. Why? Because, for all his troubles and all the scandal, he made a difference for the good. I mean, our lives were better for having his music.
I saw a comment on a YouTube video of MJ… and it really made me think. It made me think of all the people who praise his career and influence now who really had no compassion for him during the tough times. And now it’s too late.
***
It’s true,he was one of the best,but it’s funny how, when a person passes he is loved and revered,he needed all this love and support when he was around,just as the common man,you come across of see everyday, desires the same. We are now going to make him into another Jesus. When Jesus/Michael and others were here, they were vilafied, but in their death or demise, we make them into angels. The idea is, love everyone the same, now why you have a breathe yourself, he is gone, duplicated, by only 1
The guy (apart from his broken sentences and poor grammar/spelling) is basically saying that we hate some people when they’re alive, and love them when they die. It’s a strange concept, but I believe it’s true in the sense that we judge and condemn or just become apathetic to many people around us, and while they may not have the talent or accomplishments of a pop icon, are they any less worthy of dignity and respect?
Why not love them now while you’re still alive?
Phone Theory Lesson
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Today it became apparent that I had double booked myself. Not having a clue about it, I got a call from the students I had ditched, who basically were just worried and hoped I was okay. I assured them I was, and they thought perhaps it was a miscommunication. I told them that it was probably 100% my fault.
And then I proceeded to recall the assignment I had given them for the week… it was a theory exercise, through which they had to apply their understanding of the major scale to the guitar fretboard. The reason? 1) So they could know the notes on their guitar, and feel more confident about hunting notes down, and 2) more importantly, that they would recognize chord shapes they already know, and see the constituent notes that form those chords.
Today, I challenged them to not only see a chord they play often, but to understand it at its theoretical basis. AND I WASN’T EVEN THERE. Maybe this could open a door!! Skype theory lessons one day?
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AT&T U-verse Review
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So it’s been a few weeks since I started using the service, and I said I would review it once I had a sense of how good the service was.
First things first… I got a $200 rebate just for signing up before May 31st, which was nice. Second, I also obtained another $100 reward just for signing up and using a referral code that an online agent offered me during a live chat (so if you are signing up through the website, make sure you ask a live chat salesperson to help you finish the transaction… and sorta hem and haw about how you would sign up if you were convinced that it were a great deal and such).
They offered two free months of HBO, cool.
The service worked great for the first week. Great.
The service completely crapped out for three and a half days. BAD.
I spent nearly three hours spread across five customer service calls trying to get the problem resolved. Burned through two routers as well. LAME.
They were very polite, and the customer service was 24/7. Decent.
They had to send over two technicians on separate occasions, and a maintenance guy on another occasion because no one knew the full scope of the problem until the very last visit. ANNOYING. Turns out my phone line was super old, couldn’t steady the signal, and my cable running into the house from the box was getting interference from the electrical wiring because the installation was performed improperly.
They sent each serviceman very quickly, and on one occasion, sent the guy within an hour of the complaint. Impressive.
They offered to reimburse me for the days I was out of service. Good.
They could have avoided all of it if the first technician that performed the installation knew what the hell he was doing. STUPID.
Now, for the actual FEATURES of the service:
-View photos from your Flickr, awesome
-Record up to two HD programs (normal) or four standard channels at once (impressive)
-Very good picture quality… even better than Comcast IMO, but it’s very subjective since I never compared with the same TV
-Weather, Stocks, interactive “U-bar”
-Yahoo! Games (never tried)
CONS
-very slow button response… sometimes close to three seconds for the “record” function to wake up
-resetting the DVR is much like resetting a router… only it takes a few minutes and not seconds
-rebooting the router takes even LONGER, but thankfully, I haven’t had to do this since the major problem that caused my outage was fixed
-the picture and sound jutters wen recording two HD channels from time to time
-internet connection is occasionally intermittent… but we’re talking about a few seconds, and otherwise, it’s relatively solid
***
So far, due to the incompetent nature of the install, I was really frustrated with AT&T, but honestly, they couldn’t have handled it any better. I’m sold on the customer service and the product itself is good, if not very good. And when it comes down to it, if they can do half the things they are potentially able to do (and the future moves towards IPTV), then I am happy to be an early adopter. I recommend it.
Moving
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I am moving into my new house this weekend.
I moved into this so-called “Doghouse” in Campbell on 12/01/2006. When I first started living here, I was pretty confused. I had just quit my job at Guitar Center, without any other fall-back plans other than teaching a few students and obtaining a substitute teacher’s permit. I was still deconstructing what I used to believe about the Church, and had only begun to discover what being a part of Haven meant. I had no drive to write music. Or perhaps I had too much fear to express myself musically? The fabric of my college self was unravelling, and I felt like I was losing faith fast as more and more of my flaws were rising to the surface, making me more and more unacceptable in my own eyes, or in other words, unworthy of love. Add on top of that the burglary, and simply put, most memories in this house were, at best, raw.
Now, two and a half years later, I have a full roster of students, my house community has “multiplied,” I have a band for which I’ve finished 10 original songs with a 4-song EP on iTunes, and I am beginning to discover–beyond my wildest imagination–how deep the love of God really goes. I got many stolen items back from my neighbor via the Campbell PD’s detective work, and through prayer, I’ve been able to work up the courage and mercy to not only acknowledge him as we daily come and go, but actually talk to the guy.
I am still confused about my purpose or my calling, and overall, I don’t know if I am any closer to the teacher/minister/band leader/Christian I want to be or if I simply need to let go of these ideals (or the ones tied to my own insecurities, at least) in order to experience what is possible outside of my own merit… But I feel like I am more confident than when I came here that God has not left me on my own, to fight it out until I fall into despair.
So cheers to this new chapter of my life. May it be filled with deep relationships, deep joy, and a more pure faith. And may my home be a blessing to others as I draw closer to the God who is my shelter and my refuge.
AT&T U-Verse
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So I just ordered AT&T U-Verse. For those of you who are looking for internet and TV service right now, but I can let you know what I think of it after I try it for a while.*
The sales guy in the live chat window (for helping people with the online order process) offered me $100 cash back in addition to the $200 cash back for placing my order online before May 31st. I kind of thought out loud about the benefits and asked a bunch of questions, and I told him I’d sign up if I was convinced it was a good value. That’s when he offered the extra $100 reward available to me 4-6 weeks after installation.
The package I got has 220 channels, pretty much everything except movie channels (which air tempting softcore porn) and the crazy sports channels, but unfortunately, I have to pay an additional $10 for HD content every month. Free DVR and receiver and free installation.
I got Elite internet service too, which is 6mbps down. Didn’t get voice though, because I use my cell phone for everything there. I will probably get a hella cheap ass lifeline from whoever my local phone provider is.
All of that for $109/mo. and no service contract… Sounds like a free three month trial if I want to cancel after I collect my cash back + reward. No risk?! Weird.
*If you didn’t know, it is basically proprietary service for TV/Internet/Digital Voice all delivered over the internet. AT&T teamed up with Microsoft to make this the platform for lots of future development… While you’re watching TV you will be able to check picture messages, and while you go out the door, you can use your phone to continue following the sports game you couldn’t finish at home. All your Mobile/internet/TV will one day be under ONE service, or at least that’s the hope. 3rd party developers will make stuff for U-Verse too someday.
Awkward Internet Humor
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And I’d like to follow up that potentially society-changing post with this.
The Return to Tribes
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Cyrus got me started on these TED Talks… I have been fascinated by the few I’ve watched, as complex thinking and hours of research are distilled into these talks that use simple, everyday language. Great speakers with great ideas, and more importantly, meaningful and inspirational messages.
Here’s one on how ideas get spread, and how to change the status quo.
MUJI Online
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I remember loving this store in Japan when I visited in 2006… the place is hard to describe. It’s got everything from clothes to furniture to useful knick-knacks you would buy for your home. When I came back from Japan, I looked many times online to see if they would sell stuff online internationally… but NOPE. But now, finally, after three years of waiting/giving up… here it is. Trust me, the site cool enough… worth the load time.
And here is the US Store:
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