=Getin' Darh!=
[http://ping.fm/HGvQi]._

Beatmatching 101

Ever wonder what the DJ up in the booth hears before sending the sound out to the floor? Well at least used to be. Nowadays, they just let a computer do all the work. But back in the old days of vinyl, putting together two tracks to make one seemless transition was a fine tuned skill.

So I've been buying some new vinyl lately, and starting playing them togther to create a new mix set. Here for your enjoyment is a small sample of what is the start of something beautiful. For the record, it's Funk Lab: Brothaforreal / Jimmy Rhodes: We Have a Problem / Funk Lab: Sither

Trainwreck, but will soon be back on track

The Strap

Every since I was a little boy, I've had some sort of attraction to the $2 bill. It's so underrated and is not given due respect. You know there's actually a slot in cash drawers for them, although the spot is usually taken up by rolled coins.

One day recently, I randomly asked for them at the bank counter, and the most I've ever gotten was seven or worse, none at all. Now I wasn't going to horde and stash them away when I did get them, money doesn't belong to you personally. It's meant to be returned to circulation. Naturally, there were never enough of them to use.

I also purchased an entire sheet (8x4) of them and got it framed double sided glass. Boy they look nice. You can see them hanging on the wall here on the right-hand side:

I lived with it for a little while. Soon I started going around to the banks to see if they could order a strap, which is 100 bills, for me directly from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Unfortunately, I'd have to order them in much more, like 2000 (½ brick), way too much. I eventually broke down and ended up paying a markup of 5%, so the total was $210 w/ shipping from an online vendor. I figured that $10 woulda been wasted trying to find a bank that would cooperate. The Woz used to get sheets and cut them on demand, he was paying 150% of their value.

Uncirculated virgins, consecutive serial numbers, with that fresh money smell, 100 of them. Feels like I robbed a bank and there should be much more. I'm planning on releasing them into the wild over the next thirty days. Click the picture to see them up close. Notice the anti-clockwise rotation.

Aerogel, the Coolest Solid!

Frozen smoke is really amazing. With the lowest density, highest thermal insulation, lowest refractive index, and highest surface area per unit volume of any solid, it exhibits a remarkable range of properties which are not encountered in any other kind of material.

Some of it's properties include:

• Density: 0.1g/cm³


• Surface Area: 600-1000 m²/g


• Percent Solid: 2-5

Here's some pics demonstrating it's transparent nature:




And a short video of what it sounds like:

Spared No Expense

I finally broke down and got something really nice, the new Nokia N95-3 aka known as the North American Edition. What a sweet phone! Actually, it's more of a computer than anything else.

Some features include:

• 240x320 LCD w/ 165M colors
• 5MP autofocus camera w/ flash, record 640x480 video @ 30FPS
• MicroSD slot
• Satilite GPS
• Music & video playback
• Flash Lite v3
• TV-Out
• Bluetooth connectivity (keyboards, headsets, file transfers)
• DOC & PDF support
• WiFi, email, calendar, full web browsing
• Plus much, much, more!

Still think the iPhone is cool? Sure it's got a wicked interface, but good luck installing anything on it. Plus no 3G support, no flash on the camera, no GPS, and no Flash Lite... yet.

Some Reviews:
Mobile Tech Review
The Nokia Blog

Welcome to the Swamp

Twice A Year, the lovebugs aka honeymoon fies hatch from their larval state into flying bugs. Lots of bugs, and it lasts for about a month.

A Nobel Dispute

This year Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Huh? I thought this award goes to a person who brings about pacification. Al Gore created a "documentary" demonstrating the the effects of human impact on global climate. Fine, I believe that we have impacted the environment due to pollution and disregard for the planet, but how does that warrant the Peace Prize? The British high court ruled nine inconsistancies in the film. Sounds like some good ol' propaganda. And what's with those cartoons?

He flies around the country in his private jet, while urging people to walk and ride a bicycle. His electric bill is $1,300 a month, while preaching incentives to converve power. Seems a little hypocritical to me.

What about the scientists who have been studying this phenomenon since the 80's? Where is their recognition? Did anyone know of Al Gore when he was vice president? I think not. Now he's a celebrity, and soaking it all up, loving all the new found attention.

The validity of the Peacce Prize has been watered down into a political decision. Think about it, the prize has gone to such people as Yasser Arafat (a terrorist), Kofi Annan (a corrupted UN Secretary General), and Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet dictator). What happened to Ronald Regean ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!")?