The Oakland A's are trying to build a new ballpark in Oakland. While I'm pretty excited about the possibility, something really bothers me about the proposed new design. Check it out below:
Notice anything missing? I do: sunshine. Compare the rendering above with the picture from my last visit to the coliseum. Sunny, warm, relaxing open skies. And Oakland. Where's Oakland in this new Oakland A's ballpark?
The proposed hotel in the outfield is a ridiculous idea. Just watch a game in Toronto to see what I mean. Hey Lew Wolff, why not give us back the picturesque view of the Oakland Hills we lost with the construction of Mount Davis?
The A's have a chance to build something unique and fun with the new ballpark. The City of Oakland is so enamored with the idea that they'll probably approve any design carte blanche. I really hope all involved don't bury the opportunity in shade, brick walls, and hotel buildings.
I can never remember where to use an apostrophe in the word "its". This entry is to remind me of the rules.
It's is a contraction for it is.
ex: It's nice to write a blog entry.
Its is a possessive pronoun.
ex: A webcam is interesting in its own way.
I was listening to KCSM Jazz Radio in the car when I heard a deliciously funky song called Funkaroma by Eddie Harris. I knew instantly that I had to buy a copy. But wait a second - what was a funk song doing on jazz radio? Because, according to Down Beat, Eddie was "…one of the most creative and imaginative musicians..." in jazz and beyond, who played several instruments and collaborated with many of the jazz greats. Not to mention that he practically invented the electric Sax. I can't begin to do justice to his legacy, but I can easily recommend buying The Eddie Harris Anthology ![[B000003359]](http://www.mikeyp.com/css/external.gif)
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For a couple of reasons, The Eddie Harris Anthology is a unique two disk set. First, it is a truly eclectic collection of everything Eddie played, including Jazz, Funk, R&B, and more. Second, all of the songs in the collection were chosen by Eddie himself. How do you describe a collection of mixed tunes from one of music's most underrated players? Simple: It's good stuff...
My friend Brian alerted me to a really interesting multi-format media player from IO Data called the AVeL LinkPlayer. This thing has some very cool features, such as support for several A/V codecs, Ethernet playback (including server software), and attached USB drives. And it only costs about $250.
If the AVeL LinkPlayer can a) play WMA Lossless audio files, and b) connect to server software running on a Linux box, I'm sold.
Sure wish it could connect to iTunes and mt-daapd...
Update: Looks like StickyC got one!
Follow-up on a previous post about the poorly conceived RSS feeds from the San Jose Mercury News: Looks like they finally provide individual feeds per "blog channel". 'bout time…
To enable searching of past posts, I finally got around to adding the Find plugin to this blog. You can see it in the lower right column.
"Find" is yet another simple and elegant plugin for Blosxom. I love this software.
There are seemingly millions of cool audio gadgets available now, but it's nearly impossible to find reviews of sound quality that say more than "it sounds real good!" (poor grammar intentional)
Outside of Sound & Vision Magazine columnist Ken Pohlman, the only other mainstream reviewer who does true in-depth reviews of sound quality is PC Magazine columnist Bill Machrone.
Bill just launched a new blog called Serious Personal Audio, where he writes detailed reviews and analysis of digital audio players and headphones. Excellent stuff so far; he even reviewed my favorite headphones and ear buds!
Primer is one heckuva cool movie. Two engineers who dabble with physics experiments in their garage make a mind-bending discovery after finding fungus growth on a weeble. Seriously. As many critics have pointed out, Primer is the most reality-grounded SciFi film since Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey .
The coolest thing about Primer, however, is that is was made by a real software engineer named Shane Carruth. It was his first film, and his budget was a mere $7,000. It took Carruth nearly 2 years to edit the film, but the resulting story and cinematography (especially the excellent lighting) make him look like a seasoned pro. He discusses everything in detail (himself!) on the official Primer Movie message board.
I should note that the DVD I initially purchased had a defect that prevented the movie from playing past chapter 4. After I filed out the exchange form on amazon.com, I received a prompt reply and apology. They shipped me a brand new copy via 2-day air, and that disk plays without error. I'm very pleased with amazon's customer service.
I have two acoustic guitars, a Martin Backpacker and a Takamine G330 dreadnought. I like both guitars a lot, but I'm looking for something a little easier to play, and more versatile and durable as an "everyday guitar."
The Martin Backpacker is a cool little guitar. It even sounds little (but very nice). It has 15 frets and a decent action, but the rosewood fingerboard is somewhat sticky, even after a lemon oil polish. I wonder if I screwed it up over the years somehow. The tiny body is comfortable, but it takes some practice to keep the little thing steady while playing. This a great guitar to use for practicing fundamentals.
The Takamine dreadnought was a gift from a beautiful lady. As you would hope with a giant guitar like this, it has a fantastic big, rumbly, yet warm tone. The guitar, including the back of the solid neck, has a thick gloss finish which I find a little sticky to slide my hands on. (Maybe I should use some talcum powder like Adrian Legg.) The guitar's size is somewhat of an issue for me - trying to play this Takamine while sitting on the couch is a little like holding a Volkswagen in your lap.
So what guitar should I buy for everyday casual playing? At the moment, I've got my eyes on an Ovation...
I picked up a new baseball hat at the company store last week. Rather than having an adjustable fit, the hat has spandex band around the base. One size fits all, and it seems to fit my head fine.
Upon reading the label inside the hat, I noticed that the brand is called FlexFit, and get this: the design is patented by a company called Yupoong. Amazing that you can patent something so simple and obvious.
I like the hat, but something about the spandex band makes it feel a little like you're wearing your underwear on your head.
