Archive for March, 2008Hey Humans....... Here are a couple pictures from the weekend..... Tiger cubs that were on display at the Home and Garden Show in Cape. Also Roxy, my brothers new puppy taking a break on my lap. ...just snapshots from my phone....... GV
Le potenzialità di GNU/Linux sono infinite, è proprio il caso di dirlo. Se fino a qualche anno fa ci trovavamo di fronte ad un sistema operativo ancora un po’ arretrato rispetto a quello dei concorrenti più agguerriti, al giorno d’oggi possiamo tranquillamente affermare che al sistema del pinguino non manca veramente nulla, o quasi. Oggi vi parlerò di GtkPod, un progetto libero e aperto ospitato da Sourceforge che fornisce un’interfaccia grafica semplice ed intuitiva agli utenti Linux e di altri sistemi operativi Unix per trasferire i file audio sul loro iPod, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod photo e iPod mini. C'è da dire che Ubuntu funziona molto bene con iPod, tranne con l'iPod Touch e con l'iPhone, e con qualsiasi altra futura generazione di dispositivi portatili di Apple, che non appaiono come un generico dispositivo di memorizzazione.
Per installare GtkPod basta scaricare il pacchetto .deb disponibile a indirizzo, facendo doppio click su di esso o dando il seguente comando da terminale:
Riferimenti:
Eric's Introduction
I’m a hypocrite. There, I said it. At home I’m a militant environmentalist - I recycle, turn my heat down when I can, unplug my phone and camera chargers, and turn lights off when I leave a room. But when I hit the road with a band, it’s party time. I see it in my band mates, too. We leave the familiarity and creature comforts of home and our conscientiousness disappears. “It’s just too hard to do,” we tell ourselves.
True enough, it’s hard. But it’s also true that the time has come where we have no choice but to reform our wild ways. Whether the cause is human or not, we now know Earth’s climate is changing in a way that threatens life on earth as we know it. We also know that it’s in our power to slow or stop this change.
From the civil rights movement, to the Vietnam War, to today’s conflict in the Middle East, musicians have always been the earliest, and clearest voices for needed change. My good friend, Adam Gardner, from the band Guster, along with his brilliant wife, Lauren, are among the loudest and wisest music-industry voices calling for increased awareness about how we can literally change the world.
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“Green” seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. Thanks to Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth, the Live Earth concerts, and tons of magazines’ green issues, concern for the environment has hit the mainstream. The question that immediately follows this concern is, “What can I do about it?” Many rock bands, students, and music fans alike who ask themselves this question are left with a feeling of wanting to be a part of the solution, but aren’t sure where to begin.
For me, I started looking at the effects I had on the environment while touring with my band, Guster. We were aware of the impact of riding on a fuel-guzzling tour bus around the country for years and were bummed about it—we had been nick-naming it the “Earth-Eater.” Garbage left behind by fans covered the floor after shows and very few venues had any sort of recycling program. We started to think about the merchandise we were selling to our fans and where we sourced it from—what was it made out of? How far did it get shipped? Were we actually eating all the food we asked for backstage on our contract rider? What changes could we make to have a more green, environmentally safe tour?
Fortunately for Guster I married an environmentalist, Lauren Sullivan. Lauren and I met in college shortly after I met my band mates. While I’ve been running around in a rock band for the past 16 years, she’s been fighting the good fight for the environment. Through her work on certain environmental campaigns that were backed by major artists like Bonnie Raitt and the Dave Matthews Band, Lauren saw first hand how valuable adding these musician’s voices were to the success of the campaigns.
In 2002, Bonnie Raitt launched an environmental awareness campaign on tour at her concerts called Green Highway. She combined eco-friendly practices on tour while also setting up a festival-like Eco-Village in the concourse area to raise awareness for the environment. This two-pronged approach to greening tours became the model for how Lauren and I would help other bands follow Bonnie’s incredible example. In 2004, Lauren and I formed (with much help from Bonnie Raitt and her manager Kathy Kane) the environmental non-profit, Reverb. Reverb’s mission is to help bands and their fans answer the question “What can I do about saving the environment?”
So far, Reverb has helped green over 50 major rock tours, over 700 events, kept over 30,000 tons of CO2 from the air, fueled touring fleets with over 300,000 gallons of biodiesel, partnered with over 1,200 environmental non-profit groups and have reached over 4.5 million concertgoers. The artists that have enlisted Reverb to help them go green include Dave Matthews Band, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, Jack Johnson, Barenaked Ladies, John Mayer, Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guster, and many more.
Dave Matthews Band’s 2007 summer tour is a great example of how a huge touring entity can go green while getting their fans to take simple actions to make a big difference. As a result, the tour reduced over 3,300,000 pounds of CO2 – equivalent to removing 190 homes from the power grid for an entire year. Over one third of this carbon reduction is a direct result of fans participating in the Reverb Fan Carbon Offset Program, where concertgoers neutralized the CO2 from over 1,200,000 miles of driving to and from shows. For more details on the tour results and efforts go to: .
Another example on a smaller level is with my own band, Guster. Guster and Reverb finished their second annual Campus Consciousness Tour—a national music/environmental tour of colleges and universities that includes daytime activities such as the “Pimp My Clean Ride” tour of the band’s biodiesel-powered tour bus and a “Town Hall Forum” with students, faculty, members of the band, and administrators to discuss sustainability on campus.
Going green isn’t an “all-or-nothing” proposition. You don’t have to change your entire world all at once. Do what you can to get started and see where it takes you. Each time Guster goes out on tour we add a new element. Once you start looking through the environmental lens, you’ll be amazed at how many simple, commonsense changes you can make.
Below are some ideas and resources to help you get started, whether you are about to go on a national arena tour, are playing a few gigs around town, or just want to make some changes around the house:
For more ideas and to check out what other bands are doing to go green, go to: .
Adam Gardner is the guitarist/vocalist for the rock band Guster and Co-Founder (along with his wife, environmentalist Lauren Sullivan) of the non-profit environmental organization . Operating from deep within the music industry and the environmental world, Reverb “greens” artists’ tours and the music business at large while educating and inspiring music fans to take action.
Let's Sing a New Song
by Pastor Marvin Wamble
“Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him." Psalm98:1 – 39
Last Thursday in one of the local newspapers I saw that 1970s R&B duet Peaches and Herb would be performing at a small community center near my home. I thought, “Wow, Peaches and Herb, are they still singing?” Three days later when I passed the community center the sign on the marquee indicated that the group had sold out both its performances. I guess people still love to reminisce about those back-in-the-day “Reunited” moments when life was good and problem free.
It is so easy to drift into those back-in-the-day moments. A song of old brings back those great memories and whatever is happening in our present is washed away with a little “Joy and Pain” or “ABC.” The same thing can happen for those who listen to gospel and Christian music. Anytime “O Happy Day” comes on the radio I’m thrust back to my days in California when I could wake up in the morning with no pain in my body – “O Happy Day.” My mom freezes and gets a glazed look in her eye anytime she hears, “Rough Side of the Mountain.” Anytime First Lady Anita hears “Riding through the Storm” or “For Every Mountain” she stops what she’s doing and just says “thank you.”
Recalling those good old songs and the memories they conjure up is great, but we cannot spend all of our brain power or time thinking about the good ole times in our past. As Christians, we often talk about that awesome day when Jesus found us, picked us up, cleaned us off, and started us on a new journey toward our destiny in Him. But the word of God tells us in Psalm 98 that we need to keep our mind focused on the present. It reads: “sing a new song.” A new song is one that hasn’t been sung before. The word “new” in Hebrew is chadash (khaw-dawsh'), which means fresh, a new thing. It is a song that deals with how the Lord blessed us just yesterday or how He is blessing us right now. We serve a right now God who is active in our lives with every breath that we take. If we just considered how He blessed us in the last week, we could undoubtedly come up with a “new song.” I am on an airplane right now and as long as this large metal can with wings stays in the air, I know God is blessing me. The word doesn’t say the song has to rhyme or wax poetic. It doesn’t tell us we need to hire an orchestra to drop a background track.
Song, “shir” in Hebrew, is lyrics of joy used on occasions of thanksgiving and triumph marked by strong religious feelings. I don’t know about you, but I am thankful every morning that the Lord wakes me up. I know there are plenty of songs in our hymnal and a bunch more on our MP3 player, iPod, CD player, cassette deck or 8-track, but my unique experience of thankfulness is indeed worthy of a “new song.” And my victories; I reign victorious every day, if only because Jesus is with me and is fighting my battles. In Psalms 98 when it says “His holy arm has worked salvation” salvation means victory. Once again, our victories are worthy of a special song with lyrics that only I can write and sing to a God who is worthy of a fresh, new song from my heart.
We are reminded in Lamentations 3:22-23, that the compassion and faithfulness of the Lord are “new every morning.” We are told in Zephaniah 3:5, “Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail …” You see the Lord is working on our behalf every single day. Each morning we can find newness and strength (Isaiah 33:2) in our awesome God. Our praise and thanksgiving should be new and fresh each day because God has done something new and fresh in our lives. There should be a freshness seal on our praise with a new song in our heart.
Wouldn’t it be awesome one Sunday if everyone stood up in church and began to sing or recite their special song to the Lord? I know it may not be aesthetically pleasing to the ear, but what praise! The minister probably wouldn’t even have to preach on that day.
REFUEL ASSIGNMENT So this week to refuel yourself, write a special song for Jesus. A new song that comes from your heart based on your love, your blessings and your intimate time with the Lord. And sing it so that He might know how much you love Him. Remember, the word says make a joyful “noise” (Psalms 98:4). Craft a new song for the marvelous things he has done!!!
For those who wish to share their praise, please send me the song that you write so we can put it on our web page. You don’t have to include your name, but we need to show that God is working in a special way in each of our lives. Please send your songs to: marvelousworksministries@verizon.net.
Be Blessed, Be Thankful, Be Joyful in Song
Your Pastor,
Marvin R. Wamble
Don’t forget to tune into the “Shiloh Hour of Pray Power" on PrayLive each Sunday night from 10-11 p.m. by calling 443-921-0098 or going to www.praylive.com.
Also, First Lady Anita Wamble teaches a dynamic Bible Study on PrayLive each Sunday night from 9-10 p.m.
David Byrne - Miss America
I hope this video doesn't strain the delicate sensibilities of our wingnut friends too much.
The first week of the hasn't gone bad at all. I did miss Wednesday, but I made up for it on Thursday and just shifted Friday's run to Saturday. Still three times a week, still feeling pretty good about it. has made it convenient to show off my progress: just to see a handy graph of my runs. Runners may not find these numbers all that impressive, but I say they're not half bad for a guy weighing well over two bills and who likes running about as much as salmon like long walks in the park. The plan this week calls for eight one-minute runs spread across 20 minutes, each separated by a minute and a half of walking. The first few of those runs didn't seem so bad, but during the last few I found myself watching the timer on the iPod a lot closer. Fortunately the PowerSong (Pantera's "Cowboys from Hell" in my case) concept really does work, and I'm able to pick up the pace a bit for the last run rather than letting it spiral down out of control because I'm feeling wiped out. The other good news is I felt better about the third night's overall run than I did the first. It's probably mental, but I felt a little more able to keep up with each of the runs than I did the first time. Is it legit or am I just getting used to being out there on the track. It's hard to say, but I guess I'll find out next week when I bump things up to 90-second runs separated by two minutes of walking. Another 30 seconds never killed anyone, right?
iPod Hi-Fi [© Apple, Inc.] . Incompreso e sfortunato come il PowerMac G4 Cube, forse. Oggi stavo facendo il solito giretto alla FNAC, e passando per la sezione dedicata a lettori MP3, iPod e accessori audio, ho notato la gran quantità di sistemi di diffusione stereo a cui attaccare gli iPod. Da un punto di vista estetico, la scala di valori andava dall'obbrobrioso, al futuristico dei poveri, al già visto / niente di che / passiamo oltre. E così ho ripensato al povero iPod Hi-Fi. Fu introdotto il 28 febbraio 2006, e queste due righe dalla (malgrado l'articolo non raggiunga gli standard della Wikipedia) riassumono bene il clima del momento e si capisce come l'iPod Hi-Fi sia partito subito male:
Le critiche principali rivolte all'iPod Hi-Fi riguardavano la qualità audio, buona ma non 'da audiofilo' (come aveva un po' azzardato la campagna marketing di Apple -- ricordate lo slogan? ), e il prezzo, piuttosto alto (379 Euro) rispetto ad altri prodotti della concorrenza, alcuni dei quali offrivano una qualità audio migliore. Ho potuto vedere e ascoltare un iPod Hi-Fi, non tanto nella dimensione transitoria e nell'inquinamento acustico di un negozio, ma a casa di mio cognato, dato che gli fu regalato l'aprile dello scorso anno. Ho potuto ascoltarlo a lungo e soprattutto nell'habitat ideale: in un appartamento, ben posizionato (mio cognato non è un audiofilo paranoico, ma è un amante e gran consumatore di musica, di conseguenza a lui piace ascoltarla bene), e senza rumori di sottofondo, se non quello di una normale conversazione. L'iPod Hi-Fi si difende bene, anche oggi. Toccandolo e soppesandolo, dà prova di buona costruzione, buon design e solidità. Oggi alla FNAC ascoltavo, toccavo e soppesavo 'la concorrenza': c'era un aggeggio, mi pare prodotto da JBL, una specie di ruota al cui centro infilare l'iPod, dall'aspetto fragilino e 'plasticoso' (sensazione confermata al tatto), che costava circa un centinaio di Euro in meno di iPod Hi-Fi. Chissà, magari in condizioni di ascolto ottimali si rivela incredibilmente buono, ma io un coso del genere nel mio soggiorno non ce lo metto, per dire. Nello stesso scaffale, sotto all'aggeggio già menzionato, c'era un accessorio del tutto simile all'iPod Hi-Fi: stesso tipo di parallelepipedo, stesso colore latteo con frontale nero; unica differenza la posizione del dock per l'iPod: frontale, in modo che l'iPod una volta inserito risulti al centro delle casse e non appollaiato in cima come sull'iPod Hi-Fi. Il prezzo: 300 Euro. Due esempi a casaccio, anche se potrei farne altri (i prodotti della concorrenza sono tanti, vari e variegati), ma il succo dell'impressione che ho avuto oggi di fronte a tale spettacolo è questo: l'iPod Hi-Fi sarà anche stato caro, ma la concorrenza (a parte le doverose eccezioni) non è che sia esattamente a buon mercato. In altre parole: in commercio esistono altoparlanti e mini-stereo per iPod davvero a basso prezzo (sul centinaio di Euro), ma fanno pietà per design, solidità e probabilmente per qualità sonora. Oggi ho visto un obbrobrio a 90 Euro così leggero che al minimo urto cadrebbe per terra trascinando con sé l'incolpevole iPod. Oppure rientrano in una fascia di prezzo del tutto simile a quella di iPod Hi-Fi (che fu leggermente ribassato prima del suo ritiro dal mercato), senza però trasudare la medesima qualità costruttiva o brillare particolarmente per il design. Uno si aspetta almeno che la qualità audio sia all'altezza del costo, e immagino che qualcuno di questi cosi offra davvero una buona esperienza sonora. Nota en passant sul design di iPod Hi-Fi. Ricordo come alcuni criticavano la scelta di posizionare l'iPod in cima all'iPod Hi-Fi; dicevano che quella combinazione rendeva sgraziato il sistema, che l'iPod Hi-Fi preso da solo aveva quel bel design anni Sessanta/Settanta, ma che l'iPod infilato in cima era una scelta estetica discutibile, eccetera. Può essere. Dal vivo, è estremamente pratico. L'iPod si collega e scollega senza impicci, a differenza di altri prodotti analoghi, dove per esempio l'iPod deve essere fatto scivolare fra i due altoparlanti ed essere spinto fuori usando due mani quando lo si vuole staccare. Insomma, avrà avuto i suoi difetti, ma oggi l'iPod Hi-Fi un po' mi è mancato. E vista la velocità con cui è stato gettato nel dimenticatoio (ritirato in sordina il 5 settembre 2007), mi sembrava giusto chiacchierarne un pochetto. Forse anche Apple ha nostalgia, o forse è un lapsus freudiano, ma per concludere è interessante notare come sul sito Apple sia rimasta una pagina in cui l'iPod Hi-Fi fa ancora bella mostra di sé. E non è nemmeno una paginetta semi-nascosta in qualche vecchia sezione: si tratta della . [Da lì ho preso in prestito l'immagine per il mio articolo.]
Con esta camiseta queda claro que la única y verdadera pasión de Cristo es la música. Los señores de Apple lo han conseguido. La pregunta es: ¿Queda algo más para seguir jugando con la "i" ? Está disponible en dos colores: rojo y gris, y su precio es 25 euros. Via:
Parodiando la famosa escena, pero en esta ocasión el lado oscuro representado por la vieja y entrañable cassette. 'iPod, yo soy tu padre'. Genial.
Apple seeks engineers well versed in pattern recognition. The iPhone's popularity shows no signs of dying down. When the device was , it took the world by storm and sparked a buying frenzy when it . The iPhone was clearly designed with consumers in mind, focusing on phone, music and video operations. Later updates even provided mobile access to Apple's . The only people seemingly left out of the iPhone equation were business users. Apple announced its plans to rectify that issue earlier this month with the rollout of the . The 2.0 firmware brings a wealth of business-oriented features to the iPhone including push email support, Cisco IPsec VPN, WPA2/802.11x and support for Microsoft Exchange/ActiveSync. A on Apple's website reveals yet more technology that could be coming to OS X as well as the iPhone. The listing seeks a Handwriting Recognition Engineer that is well versed in pattern recognition, C/C++ coding, Cocoa programming and neural net algorithms. Apple notes that the main area of focus will be handwriting technology for Mac OS X and that development/design "may extend beyond Mac OS X to other applications and the iPhone." The handwriting technology could make for an interesting alternative input option for the iPhone. The iPhone has been oft-criticized for its on-screen keyboard, so any form of handwriting may be welcome by iPhone/iPod touch users. Usage could also extend to the rumored tablet-based MacBook which has yet to materialize and the which use's Apple's existing .
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