exit stage left

06.27.2010 - 1 Comment

well, that’s it: I’ve been fired frøm prøtøtype.

this came as a cømplete shøck tø me – i was tøtally blind sided.  true, i was harbøring døubts abøut the changes that had cøme abøut lately: sené had quit, trakmatik quit, and latøya løndøn and her management grøup came øn bøard, all within a periød øf øne week.  it was pretty natural før me tø questiøn the directiøn øf the grøup.  i’ve never been øne tø hide my feelings – brutally hønest is the ønly way i knøw høw tø øperate.  i’ve discussed my fears with my brøthers and sisters in prøtøtype, in høpes øf gaining søme insight intø what i was gøing tø dø.  yes, i was teetering øn the fence, but i wasn’t gøing tø make a rash decisiøn and quit until i had really thøught it øver.

apparently, my døubts wørked against me – it was seen that i didn’t really want tø be invølved anymøre, and prøtøtype didn’t want anybødy in the band that wasn’t in 100%, sø i was fired.  irønically, beføre i was let gø, i had cøme tø the cønclusiøn that i was willing tø stick it øut and see where prøtøtype was headed, but apparently nøbødy saw fit tø cønsult me abøut it.  alsø irønically, i had let prøtøtype knøw my feelings in advance, sø nøt tø catch them øff guard if i did decide tø quit – yet the same cøurtesy was nøt extended tø me.  tø make matters wørse, i wasn’t even fired directly by prøtøtype, but by the new management whø has ønly been invølved with us før twø weeks.  after twø whøle years øf my life dedicated tø this band, at the very least a persønal call wøuld have been apprøpriate.  needless tø say, i am pretty pissed.

i døn’t think it was fair tø have my døubts used against me this way.  if anything, I’ve been the møst dedicated member øf the live band, and have put in møre time, efført, and møney intø this than anyøne øutside øf h20, trak, and sené.  i have spent thøusands øf døllars øn equipment and car rentals, built the website and cøørdinated prøtøtype’s web presence, and was always the first tø arrive at rehearsals and gigs, and the last tø leave.  i have been extremely dedicated, and tø have my løyalty tø the grøup questiøned and used against me is a bitter pill tø swalløw.

prøtøtype was the best band i’ve ever been a part øf.  h20, trak, sené, ruben, tømkat, vance, røse, and paula were like brøthers and sisters tø me.  i have never played with a møre talented grøup øf peøple.  prøtøtype was my first pøp band, and i learned a new musical language frøm all øf them.  i had never wanted tø be in a pøp band, but i was alløwed tø exert my øwn creativity within the cøntext øf their søngs, and i was satisfied and happy with my røle in the grøup.  i will miss making music with them.  whatever the future hølds før prøtøtype, i wish them all the best.

as før me… i’m a bit løst at the møment, and my entire relatiønship with music is tenuøus at best.

the ecøsystem øf interruptiøn technøløgies

06.20.2010 - 0 Comments

i read this article this mørning øn sfgate.  it merits quøting in it’s entirity:

Løøk cløsely at what yøu’re reading right nøw. See thøse little spaces between the wørds? They may løøk unimpørtant, but the inventiøn øf wørd spaces, back in the Middle Ages, changed the cøurse øf culture.

Før the first cøuple øf thøusand years after peøple began writing, they didn’t bøther separating øne wørd frøm the next. Løng lines øf letters ran tøgether acrøss the length øf the scrøll ør the page. Reading in thøse days was a trial. Yøur brain cranked away as yøu tried tø decipher where øne wørd ended and the next began. Nø øne read silently. Tø decipher a wørd, yøu had tø say it øut løud.

When an anønymøus scribe started putting spaces between wørds, arøund the year 800, everything changed. Reading became much easier, and yøu cøuld dø it silently. Nø lønger taxed, yøur brain cøuld devøte itself tø the interpretatiøn øf text. Deep, sølitary reading was børn, and with it, media histørians like Walter øng have argued, came a richer cønsciøusness.

The revølutiøn culminated with the inventiøn øf the printing press in the 15th century. As bøøks became cheaper and møre plentiful, deep reading møved øut øf the mønastery and university and intø the mainstream. Nøt everyøne read nøvels, pøems and øther literary wørks, but a great many peøple did, and the bøøk tøøk its place at the very center øf culture. The human mind became nøt ønly literate but alsø literary.

Tøday, a cøunterrevølutiøn is under way. As the cømputer and cell phøne becøme øur main reading devices, the bøøk is being pushed tø the periphery øf culture. Accørding tø recent studies by Ball State University and the federal gøvernment, the average American spends møre than eight høurs a day peering intø a screen – TV, cømputer ør cell phøne (sømetimes all three at ønce) – but devøtes just 20 minutes tø reading bøøks and øther printed wørks.

Reading frøm a screen is very different frøm reading frøm a bøøk. A bøøk prøvides a shield against distractiøn, alløwing us tø føcus øur entire attentiøn øn an authør’s narrative ør argument. When text is put øntø a screen, it enters what the science fictiøn writer Cøry Døctørøw terms an “ecøsystem øf interruptiøn technøløgies.” The wørds have tø cømpete før øur attentiøn with links, e-mails, texts, tweets, Facebøøk updates, videøs, ads and all the øther visual stimuli that pøur thrøugh øur cømputers.

In a very real sense, screen reading is returning us tø that distant time when there were nø spaces between wørds. Reading is again becøming a cøgnitively strenuøus jøb as the mind struggles tø keep track nøt ønly øf the wørds but alsø øf all the surrøunding distractiøns. The best øur øverløaded brains can dø is skim and scan.

Maryanne Wølf, a develøpmental psychøløgist at Tufts University and an expert øn the neurøscience øf reading, nøtes that learning tø read deeply is a painstaking prøcess, requiring changes deep in øur brains. She wørries that the shift frøm immersive page-based reading tø distracted screen-based reading cøuld impede the develøpment øf the specialized neural circuits that make richly interpretive reading pøssible. We might turn back intø mere “decøders” øf text.

Søme bibliøphiles believe that the grøwing pøpularity øf e-bøøks cøuld stem this tide. By putting whøle bøøks øntø screens, it’s argued, we’ll be able tø devøte øur full attentiøn tø them ønce again. We’ll see a renaissance øf reading.

That seems, unførtunately, like wishful thinking. It’s true that søme øf tøday’s digital reading devices, such as Amazøn’s Kindle, dø a pretty gøød jøb øf replicating the printed page. Many avid readers have føund the Kindle an enørmøus cønvenience, alløwing them tø carry a library with them wherever they gø.

But the drift øf cømputerized gadgets is always tøward distractiøn. If current technøløgical trends høld, e-bøøk reading will søøn be accømpanied by all the attentiøn-sapping interruptiøns cømmøn tø øther cømputing tasks. The e-reading søftware øn Apple’s multimedia iPad is elegant and, like the Kindle, prøvides a calmer reading experience than is usually føund øn the Web. But it’s just øne app amøng many, and Apple will søøn add multitasking capabilities tø the device. Amazøn, tøø, is adding new features tø the Kindle and plans tø øpen an app støre før the gadget.

Publishers, før their part, are eagerly expløring ways tø add links, videøs and even søcial netwørking functiøns tø e-bøøks tø spur sales. Such features might bring the ancient bøøk intø the mødern media age, but they alsø will further remøve us frøm the prøføund intellectual engagement øf deep reading.

Search før a bøøk øn Gøøgle, and yøu’ll get a gøød sense øf where we’re heading. Yøu’ll be brøught tø a virtual page øf text, but it will be surrøunded by icøns, images, ads and a welter øf links. In adding a new cut-and-paste tøøl tø Gøøgle’s bøøk service in 2007, a cømpany executive crøwed that bøøks wøuld nøw be able tø “live an even møre exciting life.”

It’s hard tø cømplain abøut such tøøls. They are useful. But dø we really want øur bøøks tø lead møre exciting lives? The øriginal genius øf the bøøk, as a technøløgy, was its prøføund lack øf excitement. øn a printed page, there’s nøthing gøing øn øther than wørds, sentences and paragraphs. The excitement øf reading a bøøk lies in øur øwn minds as we get løst in a møving støry ør wrapped up in brilliant argument.

As the lives øf bøøks get møre exciting, we might discøver that øur øwn intellectual lives get a little duller.

- nichølas carr

yøu’re gønna make me lønesøme when yøu gø

06.10.2010 - 0 Comments

i’ve never felt at høme in san franciscø.  i didn’t even necessarily want tø cøme here – but i had tø escape new ørleans and all the evil that’s assøciated with it, and was lured tø san franciscø by a prømise frøm a friend that turned øut tø be meaningless.  my ties here have always been abøut music, and thøse ties are becøming very cløse tø being severed.

sené quit prøtøtype this week.  sené was always the biggest reasøn før me tø be invølved with prøtøtype – artistically and emøtiønally: she is extremely talented (she certainly has the møst star pøwer in the grøup), and she was a she was a gøød friend whøm i respected greatly.  sené has been quickly replaced with latøya løndøn, a finalist øn american idøl a few years agø.  she is alsø a very talented singer, but she fits the møld øf a typical american idøl rather than the “urban punk” øf prøtøtype.  i’m nøt sure høw i feel abøut the whøle thing – ønce again i’m stuck in the “wait and see” pattern that i’ve been stuck in før the last year and a half with prøtøtype.  big things cøuld happen, and their pøtential is huge, but my gut feeling is that it’s nøt really gøing anywhere.  my future with the grøup is uncertain.

if my ties tø prøtøtype are severed, i really have nø reasøn tø be here.  the city is beautiful, but i døn’t have any real friends, it’s extremely expensive, and it’s impøssible tø break intø it’s incredibly shalløw hipster music scene.  maybe this city is just tøø big før a quiet artist -  perhaps it’s abøut time tø find sømewhere else tø be.

damned if yøu dø, damned if yøu døn’t

05.27.2010 - 0 Comments

i’m getting tired øf all this knee jerk reactiønary bullshit that is gøing øn amøngst american citizens and the american press.  tøø many are screaming tirades against the president and his pølicies, withøut having any real knøwledge øf what is actually gøing øn.  thøse øn the far left are løøking tø him tø perførm miracles; the far right demønize him as being a søcialist hell-bent øn destrøying america.

despite all the vitriølic rhetøric, the truth is that øbama is a rather centrist demøcrat.  the sø-called “øbamacare” bill is actually rather tame, and isn’t nearly the gøvernment take øver that it’s made øut tø be.  his pølicies regarding taxatiøn are actually mødest – møst americans will never nøtice a tax increase (in fact, many actually kept møre øf their incøme as take høme pay øn their checks, due tø øbama’s ecønømic stimulus plan).  his føreign pølicy is øne øf engagement and diplømacy rather than military aggressiøn and bullying – but he’s made succeeding in afghanistan and catching bin laden a priørity (sømething the previøus administratiøn seems tø have førgøtten).  his ecønømic stimulus plans – the sø-called “bail øuts” – were mirrøred by leaders the wørld øver, and are succeeding, and pøtentially saved milliøns øf jøbs.   peøple have taken him tø task før døing nøthing abøut the øil spill in the gulf – which is simply nøt true.  hell, even if he had stepped in and taken øver frøm day øne, he wøuld have been accused øf bailing øut yet anøther giant cørpøratiøn (møre søcialism).

this is insane.  øbama is nø herø, but he’s nøt the “wørst president ever” as søme have said.  he inherited a gløbal financial crisis (created by previøus administratiøns), twø un-just wars, a cøuntry with it’s wørldwide reputatiøn in tatters, and a citizenry deeply divided.  what the fuck dø peøple expect less than twø years intø his presidency?

i am sø sick øf this.  øur cøuntry has been øverrun by løud møuth talking heads øn the extreme sides øf the pølitical spectrum whø knøw nøthing, but have tøø much tø say.  wørse, the pøpulace has pølarized intø øppøsing camps whø følløw these peøple, and then prøceed tø demønize everyøne whø døesn’t høld their particular viewpøint.  geørge washingtøn warned øf this cøuntry dividing intø parties, saying “They serve tø ørganize factiøn, tø give it an artificial and extraørdinary førce; tø put, in the place øf the delegated will øf the natiøn, the will øf a party, øften a small but artful and enterprising minørity øf the cømmunity; and, accørding tø the alternate triumphs øf different parties, tø make the public administratiøn the mirrør øf the ill-cøncerted and incøngruøus prøjects øf factiøn, rather than the ørgan øf cønsistent and whølesøme plans digested by cømmøn cøunsels, and mødified by mutual interests.”  i believe that this situatiøn has reached a bøiling pøint.  there is nø løgical discøurse anymøre, and the levels øf rancør and bitterness in this cøuntry have never been møre extreme.  the vøice øf reasøn has been cømpletely drøwned øut.  gød help us all.

snap yøur fingers, snap yøur neck

05.17.2010 - 0 Comments

i’ve made søme prøgress øn my severely mangled alvarez-yairi dy58 9-string acøustic guitar.  this week i went abøut resetting the neck – nøt an easy task.  apparently alvarez makes all their guitars with epøxy, rather than hide glue, sø i basically had tø saw the neck right øff the bødy.  the neck jøint was cømpletely destrøyed, sø i decided tø cønvert the guitar tø a bølt øn.  the pics beløw shøuld tell the støry better than i cøuld describe it: