Whaddayaknow - even more new toys...

Last weekend, I installed ProTools with the little 2-track Mbox. It is Mike's old rig, and we used it up untill a month ago or so when we were practicing with the band. But Mike has bought a 16 track Mbox in order to be able to split out the drums on more tracks. All good, and the new rig is sweet. But more important - me having a similar (but smaller) rig means that since we're recording our practice session, I can bring it all home on a USB-key, and work with it here at home, which is absolutely brilliant. It's like practicing in a recording studio, and then continuing in a smaller studio at home. I can now replace my guitar tracks and edit the music as I see fit here at home, when it suits me. How fab is that?
- I guess it's because of technology like this becoming more "publicly available and affordable" that more and more professional recording studios are having a hard time - after all, we're using the same tools the studios are.

It was no easy task installing software and hardware.Oh no. The Mbox is an external soundcard, connected through USB og firewire I believe - and it IS a little more advanced than the Line6 Guitar Port which I'm also running (on another computer), but oh my god the ProTools is being picky about PC-systems...
First I tried to install it on my little MSI Wind laptop - no luck. I got what appeared to be some kind of buffer error, and there was no way to adjust my way out of it within ProTools. So I tried instaling it on my work machine here at home - which is an old, but powerfull machine which should be more than capable of running ProTools. But I had the same problems on this machine as on the laptop. So I started reading forums and stuff, and found that many other users were experiencing the same problems. And the solution was a rather lenghty optimization guide for Windows XP, created by the good ProTools developers. The guide included some pretty standard stuff like uninstalling useless applications and software, defragmenting the harddrive(s) and harmless stuff like that. But also tampering with firewall, antivirus, various system services and disabling network etc. But worst of all - tampering with the BIOS. Not really an option for me, when I also have to use the computer for work and games and of course ze interwebs...
- luckily I have an older machine, and I ended up installing the rig on this machine, and go through parts of the optimization guide, and luckily I got it working without having to tamper with tje BIOS and other vital system stuff.
- but I DO think it is a little harsh having to go through such a process. But then again - it IS a piece of professional equipment and software, and you'd usually buy dedicated systems for something like this.

But I got it working, and that all that matters :)

More new toys...

Well - Blackie obviously needed a wireless network, so today I actually bought an Apple product - no not a green/red chewy thingy - but a white Airport Express... because wireless access points are just so goddamn hideous. It was nice and easy to set up - took me less than ten minutes and it works like a charm. Wonderful.
I also got me a wireless phone for my stationary line. How very modern...

New toy :)

Meet Blackie :)



- ain't she cute? It's a MSI wind - very portable. 10" screen, 1gb ram, Intel atom 1.6 Ghz processor and 120Gb HD. Weighs no more than a kilo. And it runs Quake3 hehe.
I'm gonna try at some point to get my music-setup running on it - maybe I'm lucky and even ProTools will run on it. That'd be sweet.
Right now I'm just really pleased to have a laptop, and not be tied to the desktop pc's in my office.

- other nice features include Wifi, Bluetooth, Card reader, built-in webcam and loads more. Runs Win XP and so far it's been a pleasure.

Noticed something different?

Thats right. The appartment for sale ad is gone. What could this possibly mean? Well - we (that is Liv and I) have sold our appartment, which means that hopefully our individual financial situations will start to improve. When your entire salory has been going to pay rent in two appartments... for more than half a year, you're pretty much left with something the LHC has not yet been able to provide - a black hole... a money-sucking black hole.

We're both happy to not have this extra expense, even though we had to cut a little chunk of the price - and we're very happy on behalf of the new buyers (whom we know personally) - and hope they'll grow to love the appartment like we did. Congratulations to the both of you :)

- it IS however also a bit sad. Even though it is more than a year ago we split up, and even though we've both moved on and managed to stay good friends still - it feels a bit weird. So definitive. Hard to explain in words - but hey, the money issue which will no longer be an issue kinda steals the focus ;)

Things NOT to think about in an airplane...

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe
sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The
mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and
then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it
be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots
(marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by
maintenance engineers.

By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had
an accident.


P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to: straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.


- I don't wan't to board a plane, sit back and think that the service crew has a sense of humor like this. But it's cool as long as I have both feet on the ground ;)

*thanks to Niels Tybjerg for this one

Agurketid...

Mjaeeh - jeg får ikke lige posted afsindigt meget... Så her er lige et par fede udenlandske musikvideoer, med tekstning - for JERES skyld, kære gæster.

Falafsangen


Oldemor


Kold Bims


AI AI AI (NU bli'r det fjollet)


- så får i ikke mere for den 25-øre.

Opfordring til DR

Når nu i er så hårdt ramt af nedskæringer i forbindelse med jeres uhørt skandaløse byggeprojekt, og når nu i har valgt at sende regningen videre til os på den anden side af skærmen, i form af en udvandet programflade med utallige genudsendelser - kunne i så ikke genudsende de fede ting istedet? Eksempelvis "Crash - truslen fra det sorte hul" eller verdens bedste julekalender :
Jul og grønne skove


Og hvad med Vitek?


- for ikke at nævne Mellem himmel og Jord, Flid, fedt eller snyd, Dus med dyrene og ZigZag - for blot at nævne nogle stykker...

Giv mig min TV-ungdom tilbage, røvhuller! Gi' mig noget for mine licenspenge, lapsede lusepustere! Jeg kan IKKE spises af med udvalgte klip på Bonanza i ussel billed-og lydkvalitet! Røvsnaps!