Month: September 2014

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New Pedal: AdrenaLinn III

Got a new (to me) Roger Linn AdrenaLinn III pedal. For a while, I’ve been looking at pedals that will let me do several different things: Midi-synced tremolo (like a Gig-FX Pro-Chop), Midi-synced beat slicing (like a Boss SL-20), Midi-synced delay (like a Strymon Timeline), a pedal-operated Midi drum machine (like the Beat Buddy), an amplifier sim (like the Tech21 Character pedals), and a Midi step sequencer (like the Electro-Harmonix 8-Step Program).

And behold, the AdrenaLinn III does all of these things, and then some. So far, I’m extremely impressed for a single box that has all of these features in it. It’s got more tricks in its bag than you can shake a stick at. Continue reading “New Pedal: AdrenaLinn III”

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In All Seriousness

I just can’t be serious all the time. I guess after years of blogging here, I’ve become accustomed to only writing about things that really irritate me, or things I’m really passionate about. This might lead one to believe I’m an angry stuffed-shirt curmudgeon who disapproves of everything.

But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. I’m actually a very laid-back, chilled kind of guy. Anybody who’s met me in person knows that… if I were any more laid back, I wouldn’t have a pulse.

And yet in my day-to-day life, I don’t get to discuss things like theology, economics, politics, music theory, programming, and so on. They’re just not common topics of conversation. This is a large reason why I blog about that stuff here. And of course, anybody here is welcome to discuss anything civilly. I relish those opportunities to think and talk about things besides Sportsball and Hunting (the two national passtimes of southern Louisiana). I have absolutely nothing against those things, but I also don’t really care about them, either.

I don’t want to seem indifferent about everything though. I don’t really hate a lot of things. Driving while texting/calling, yes… I despise that with the burning fire of a thousand suns. But I don’t hate people as much as I hate seeing the effects of what people do. Sometimes it gets depressing, honestly.

But not to fear! I haven’t lost my sense of humor. Maybe I need to post funny cat pics, cause you can never have too many of those, right?

DOg chasing dog FAIL GIF

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Need Vs. Want

There are times when people (Christians specifically) need to seriously take a look at what they’re asking and whether or not it’s appropriate. There are, believe it or not, some times when you need to think about Jesus outside of church. I’m seeing a tendency for Christians today to go into “incognito mode” when they’re discussing anything not directly church-related. We compartmentalize Jesus and God, so that even mentioning them outside of a church building is seen as “inappropriate” or a “Jesus juke.”

But I’ve heard this so many times, I’m going to step on some toes. This just shows that we have superficial faith. In reality, God is involved in every area of our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. It would be foolish of us to pretend otherwise. I see this predominantly in Christian circles where people are asking recommendations on some sort of new expensive toy or luxury. We don’t ask if it’s wise to get something like that. We effectively suppress the teachings of Jesus in order to not offend anyone.

This is comparable to secular consumerism today. Is it okay to demand that our food be ethically treated before we kill and eat it, but not okay to ask if someone’s food choices are wise? Is it okay to demand our electricity be cleanly produced (because environment!), and yet pay no heed to ecology when we purchase disposable (and toxic) electronic devices, all designed with planned obsolescence? So it shouldn’t surprise me when I see people claim “Jesus is Lord!” and then proceed to pamper themselves with luxury. Continue reading “Need Vs. Want”

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Who Do You Want To Be?

Recently, I stumbled across a sermon series by Bill Hybels, called “Simplify.” I listened to it, thinking all the while it was going to be full of useful advice on how to simplify our lives… pretty obvious, right? He talks about simplifying finances, simplifying your schedule, simplifying your job, and so forth. For the most part, I was right.

Except that in one of the messages, he says something to the effect of “Don’t ask what you should do; ask who do I want to become? And when you schedule your life around that idea, the rest will fall into place.”

I can’t really explain why, but that little question made me stop and think. What is it that I want to become? Why am I wasting time on doing things that have nothing to do with what I need to be? Why do I do those things? Continue reading “Who Do You Want To Be?”

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Scrivener For Linux

As a creative-type person, I understand when people get picky about what tools they use to create their particular art form. Musicians will obsess over the tiniest things to get the sound “just right.” Photographers will spend hours waiting for just the right light.

But why are writers usually just the opposite? They use kludgy writing tools, and sometimes even physical “index card” information management. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a single program that could do everything a writer needed? Formatting, templates, organization, storyboarding, corkboards, revision management, links and information, pictures, exporting direct to publishing formats, and even a full-screen writing mode?

Well, there *is* such a program. It’s called Scrivener. It’s completely changed the way I write, for the better.

Scrivener was made *by* authors, *for* authors. It’s like a tool that plugs directly into your brain and lets you focus on writing. There are plenty of testimonials praising the OSX and Windows versions, but I run the Linux-specific version, which is technically still in beta. It still has more features than a regular word processor, and I’ve found it has become integral to my writing process.

For those of you familiar with Scrivener, the Linux version is available as a free (for now) Beta. For the rest of you, here’s the overview: Continue reading “Scrivener For Linux”

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The First Rule Of Fight Club

For the last few months, I’ve been really torn about the exceedingly hostile culture towards Christians, specifically in Geeky circles. At first, I pretended to not notice it. The random, unrelated references to “Science” as a proper noun. The occasional comment about despising church. And then, I started seeing actual vitriol flung at people for simply asking questions. It progressed to the point where some people I respected were joining in the fray, participating in character assassination based solely on one facet of someone’s faith.

I thought rational people were supposed to ask questions! I was raised to question authority, and more and more, I’m seeing this being frowned upon by the very people who are supposed to be tolerant and open-minded. What this tells me is they’re not arguing for atheism because they want to prove it correct; they’re not even trying to disprove the existance of God. They’re arguing it for their own personal reasons. They are, quite simply, trying to get us to shut up so their own conscience can be quiet.

Atheism has become the very thing it despises… an authoritarian, prejudiced, intolerant religion. Continue reading “The First Rule Of Fight Club”

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The Death Of The Gentleman

Sadly, modern Feminism is destroying the gentleman. Instead of encouraging women to become more, since the 50’s it has mostly slid into the practice of dragging men down. It is becoming difficult to teach boys to be gentlemen when girls are constantly being told they don’t need gentlemen. Or men.

Being a gentleman is a lost social grace… when technically they’re not needed. If a man serves as a gentleman at all times, when the need arises he will be ready and trained to think of others outside himself.

We have to break the cycle. It has to start somewhere. We must continue to teach and expect our boys to be gentlemen, regardless of what society tells them. That way when things finally (hopefully!) level out and reason comes back into fashion, they will be poised and ready to fill that role in society. They refuse to be victims, and insist on true “correctness” even when nobody is looking.

What is the purpose of a Gentleman? Why are they in short supply, and are they even really needed? The Fierce Gentleman Manifesto breaks a Gentleman down into twenty-one basics, which does an excellent job of explaining. So much so, that I’m not going to try to recreate what they’ve already done so well. I’ll touch on a few of these that are near and dear to my life, however. Continue reading “The Death Of The Gentleman”

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Rural Commuting: Gear Talk

As a result of Rural Bike Commuting: It’s Not The City, I’ve had a few people ask me to clarify some of the equipment choices I’ve made to accommodate the longer distances. My choices certainly don’t reflect everybody’s, and there will always be bike commuters who do things a bit differently, even if their routes look very similar to mine. But with that in mind, here’s a few things I’ve learned.

Bike:

If you’re commuting long distances, you’re going to want a bike that’s efficient, sturdy, flexible, and comfortable. It doesn’t have to be a race bike (in fact, there’s plenty of reasons why race bikes make terrible commuting rigs) but as long as it’s strong and comfortable, it’ll work. The more braze-ons it has, the more things you can do with it, and the more versatile your bike will be.

For commutes of 10+ miles each way, on rural (rough) roads, you will want to consider a bike made for long-distance riding, like a touring or randonneur bike. (*NOTE: in some cases, bikes labeled as “cyclocross” or “gravel” bikes will work, but sometimes they won’t. More on this later.) Most touring/rando bikes have drop bars for more comfortable hand positions, but you also want to balance that with a somewhat upright riding position to be able to function in traffic without losing visibility. Drop bars give you the best of both worlds; you can ride low in the drops for long windy stretches, or ride on the tops/hoods for in town.

Some great bikes are out there that are trouble-free, solid, and relatively efficient. The Surly CrossCheck is a universal favorite, for obvious reasons… it’s adaptable, comfortable, durable, and reasonably fast. Despite being labeled as a “cyclocross bike” it’s more suited to light touring and commuting, which is exactly what we’re looking for. The Straggler is basically a disk-brake version of the same bike, if you’re more comfortable with disks. There are plenty of others, also, but be warned!! Some bikes marketed “go-anywhere, do-anything” are really racing bikes, not true utility road bikes. They are made for recreational weekend warriors, not commuters who ride to work with racks and fenders. If it doesn’t have eyelets or bosses for a rear rack, it’s probably not meant to be used as a commuter. Caveat Emptor. Some good examples of bikes for long-distance commuting: Continue reading “Rural Commuting: Gear Talk”