07-19-10
Rixter makes a Vacation
I had a vacation. A lot of it wasn't much fun, consisting of lots of moving stuff from place to place and generally
trying to re-arrange things for the next stage of my life. Vacations are handy for that. But a few days of my time
were spent in Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts, with much grilling of seafood, drinking of good beer, kayaking of open salt
water, and marveling at sights such as you see pictured below. I am so jealous of the folks that live here. Click on
either picture for a full view.
07-15-10
Todays Letter is W for WhackJob
Yes, it is. You
probably won't recognize Shirley Ardell Mason, the woman on whom the book and movie "Sybil" was extremely loosely based. Later
analysis of her case has been hampered by sealed records even though both her and her doctor are long dead, but many
researchers think much of the case was faked by Doctor Cornelia Wilbur for gain and notoriety. This hasn't stopped
thousands of people since the book came out in 1973 from using this extremely rare disorder as a rationalization for all
sorts of ugly behavioral habits from minor deceptions to violence and sexual promiscuity. Those who imagine themselves
"afflicted" by this disorder sometimes seem to think it makes them somehow exotic and unique and wonderful, and seek out
others who will either feign the disorder with them or at the least buttress their imagined personalities by pretending
to interact with them.. sometimes even on a psychic level! Think what you can get away with and still look at yourself
in the mirror, when you can tell yourself "sure that was my body, but it wasn't really me doing/saying that." Combine
that with the ego boost a person with self-image issues such as a narcissist gets from having such an unusual
disorder... we have a Win/Win situation! That's my rant for today... and please, if someone reads this who actually
-does- suffer from the very rare disorder know as MPD... know that this rant is not aimed at you, but rather reflects my
impressions of some very specific people.
07-03-10
Dell Shows its Fading Stripes
I've long said that Dell Computers are not a wise choice in any environment, home or enterprise. There have been
arguments, and denials, and scoffing. I've never agreed with the operations model and the "do more with less" hardware
decisions you see when you open the case. I've felt that those few I've met who strove to emulate its "just in time"
inventory and parts management schemes were asking for trouble down the road. Well, our friends at Dell have apparently
not only proved me right by getting caught trying to conceal their problems, they are finding themselves roundly sued
and even foolishly pissing off their own lawyers by refusing to acknowledge hardware failures in 12 million Optiplex
systems sold over a two-year period.
Ars Nova provides an overview while the New York Times provides more details. It's nice to see this long string of poor dealing nearing a close. The suit itself looks to be about three years old already but the documents have been unsealed and hopefully Dells stock will react like a housefly hitting a bug zapper.
"After the math department at the University of Texas noticed some of its Dell computers failing, Dell examined the machines. The company came up with an unusual reason for the computers’ demise: the school had overtaxed the machines by making them perform difficult math calculations..."
"'The funny thing was that every one of them went bad at the same time', said Greg Barry, the president of PointSolve, a technology services company near Philadelphia..."
"In other documents about how to handle questions around the faulty OptiPlex systems, Dell salespeople were told, “Don’t bring this to customer’s attention proactively” and “Emphasize uncertainty.”"
So. What exactly -do- you do when 2 million Optiplex computers shipped to tens of thousands of private, institutional and enterprise users (including your -own lawyers- ) experiences a 97% failure rate over three years? Well, if you're Dell, apparently you deny there's a problem, train your support staff to try to up-sell the victims to more expensive systems to "fix" the problem, ship equally faulty replacements, cover up the problem, cook the books, lie to investors and the SEC (that one is going to cost them approx $100 mil), get caught and wind up getting sued by some of your biggest customers, and etc.
The Ars Technica article is overview, the NYT report has details but is still only two pages. Interesting reading that exposes where Dells "Just In Time" inventory system and cost-cutting strategies eventually led the company: another "winner" in the Race to The Bottom.
Ars Nova provides an overview while the New York Times provides more details. It's nice to see this long string of poor dealing nearing a close. The suit itself looks to be about three years old already but the documents have been unsealed and hopefully Dells stock will react like a housefly hitting a bug zapper.
"After the math department at the University of Texas noticed some of its Dell computers failing, Dell examined the machines. The company came up with an unusual reason for the computers’ demise: the school had overtaxed the machines by making them perform difficult math calculations..."
"'The funny thing was that every one of them went bad at the same time', said Greg Barry, the president of PointSolve, a technology services company near Philadelphia..."
"In other documents about how to handle questions around the faulty OptiPlex systems, Dell salespeople were told, “Don’t bring this to customer’s attention proactively” and “Emphasize uncertainty.”"
So. What exactly -do- you do when 2 million Optiplex computers shipped to tens of thousands of private, institutional and enterprise users (including your -own lawyers- ) experiences a 97% failure rate over three years? Well, if you're Dell, apparently you deny there's a problem, train your support staff to try to up-sell the victims to more expensive systems to "fix" the problem, ship equally faulty replacements, cover up the problem, cook the books, lie to investors and the SEC (that one is going to cost them approx $100 mil), get caught and wind up getting sued by some of your biggest customers, and etc.
The Ars Technica article is overview, the NYT report has details but is still only two pages. Interesting reading that exposes where Dells "Just In Time" inventory system and cost-cutting strategies eventually led the company: another "winner" in the Race to The Bottom.
05-10-10
Avatar Speaker Cabinets
The good folks at AvatarSpeakers.com have put together a beautiful 1x12 speaker cabinet in Black Tolex with black and gold grill and a Hellatone 30 speaker. For my part, I'll be redoubling my efforts to improve my playing, in order to deserve all this fun. The tone from the Hellatone 30 is warm, smooth, nicely responsive even at super-low volumes. The "Contemporary" 1x12 is built super solid, I'd recommend these to anyone.
01-17-10
Strange Sounds
I love my guitars, and since I went electric a few years ago, getting to actually hear what they can sound like at their
best is a problem. I live in a building with other tenants, and have done so most of my life. It's no fun sitting here
with hundreds of watts of power that I dare not use and looking for quiet ways to hear screaming overdrive, roaring
power chords and sweet, singing blues sustain.
Simplest but least-effective solution: My Vox DA-5 is actually not a bad little amp, on the clean channel. Lately I use it more as a computer speaker than anything else. The .5 watt setting can really be your friend. The effects that it tries to pack onboard are a little dull, to my ears... but the clean channel is really quite nice for such a tiny thing, and I can imagine busking with it. But I often feel a bit cheated when using it.... there are better amps in the room!
I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE my Digitech RP-1000. It might not be quite the thing for a tube or stompbox purist, but I feel I could pipe it into almost anything and find some good tone: a small monitor speaker, PA, headphones, whatever. Usually I send it into my Tech-21 Trademark 60 or Power Engine 60 and keep it turned way down. This device is expensive ($400 lately) but has LOADS of depth and versatility. Running through its hundreds of pedal, amp and cabinet combinations is like going to your filthy rich rockstar friends house. When he's not there to make sure you stay out of his collection!
And now to the reason I'm writing this. I don't have either of these, but damn I wish I did. Put one of these together with a 1x12 or 2x12 cabinet and you could have sonic heaven in an apartment or condo.
http://zvexamps.com/amp_view.html 1/2 watt. Listen to the sound samples.
You can buy them for $499 at a bunch of places, click their dealer links or
http://www.musictoyz.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=ZVEXAMP&Category_Code=Zvex+Amps
Unfortunately it doesn't come as a kit, and of course seems more than a bit overpriced. (Editors note: Now that I've researched the issue more throughly it's a completely indefensible price. Stay the hell away from it, but I leave the mention of it here as reference.)
Then there's this thing, the "BAR/OLC Tube Cricket". The kit is only $135 !!! I don't know what the hell it sounds like but it sure is affordable, 1/2 watt. I might just give this thing a try as a first project.
http://www.olcircuits.com/olc_tubecricket.html
Let me know if you buy either of these: I'd be curious to hear about it.
Simplest but least-effective solution: My Vox DA-5 is actually not a bad little amp, on the clean channel. Lately I use it more as a computer speaker than anything else. The .5 watt setting can really be your friend. The effects that it tries to pack onboard are a little dull, to my ears... but the clean channel is really quite nice for such a tiny thing, and I can imagine busking with it. But I often feel a bit cheated when using it.... there are better amps in the room!
I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE my Digitech RP-1000. It might not be quite the thing for a tube or stompbox purist, but I feel I could pipe it into almost anything and find some good tone: a small monitor speaker, PA, headphones, whatever. Usually I send it into my Tech-21 Trademark 60 or Power Engine 60 and keep it turned way down. This device is expensive ($400 lately) but has LOADS of depth and versatility. Running through its hundreds of pedal, amp and cabinet combinations is like going to your filthy rich rockstar friends house. When he's not there to make sure you stay out of his collection!
And now to the reason I'm writing this. I don't have either of these, but damn I wish I did. Put one of these together with a 1x12 or 2x12 cabinet and you could have sonic heaven in an apartment or condo.
http://zvexamps.com/amp_view.html 1/2 watt. Listen to the sound samples.
You can buy them for $499 at a bunch of places, click their dealer links or
http://www.musictoyz.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=ZVEXAMP&Category_Code=Zvex+Amps
Unfortunately it doesn't come as a kit, and of course seems more than a bit overpriced. (Editors note: Now that I've researched the issue more throughly it's a completely indefensible price. Stay the hell away from it, but I leave the mention of it here as reference.)
Then there's this thing, the "BAR/OLC Tube Cricket". The kit is only $135 !!! I don't know what the hell it sounds like but it sure is affordable, 1/2 watt. I might just give this thing a try as a first project.
http://www.olcircuits.com/olc_tubecricket.html
Let me know if you buy either of these: I'd be curious to hear about it.
01-02-10
Strange Rides
12-10-09
Mai Cramer's Top 20 Blues CDs
Mai was the host of 'Blues After Hours' at Bostons WGBH for 24 years until her death of breast cancer in 2002. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of the blues, and this is her list of the 20 greatest blues CD's compiled on the occasion of her 20th anniversary at WGBH. What a great start for a collection this would be! Feel free to just send a few right over here.
T-Bone Blues, T-Bone Walker (Atlantic)
Sufferin' Mind, Guitar Slim (Specialty)
Miss Rhythm, Greatest Hits and More, Ruth Brown (Atlantic)
West Side Soul, Magic Sam (Delmark)
Black Magic, Magic Sam (Delmark)
Live at Cook County Jail, B.B. King (MCA)
Live at the Regal, B.B. King (MCA)
The Excello Singles, Slim Harpo (AVI)
His Best, Howlin' Wolf (Chess)
His Best, 1947–1955, Muddy Waters (Chess)
His Best, 1956–1964, Muddy Waters (Chess)
Fear No Evil, Robert Ward (Black Top)
The Complete Chess Masters, Lowell Fulson (Chess)
The Essential Little Walter, Little Walter (Chess)
Messin' with the Kid, Junior Wells (Paula)
The Complete Chess Masters, Jimmy Rogers (Chess)
So Many Roads, Otis Rush (Delmark)
Let's Cut It, Elmore James (Flair)
Freddie King Sings, Freddie King (Modern)
His Best, Sonny Boy Williamson (Chess)
The Blues, a Real Summit Meeting: Newport in New York (Charly)
