Apr 20, 2020Behind-the-Scenes of the Virtual BandIn the first month of shelter-in-place I, Natasha, and other musicians recorded parts for a Virtual Band performance. I received the recordings to combine into the aggregate result. The procedure to create a virtual band (or virtual choir) includes four steps. (1) Create a reference recording for the participants to…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Apr 11, 2020Behind-the-scenes of Facebook Live streamOn Sunday, April 5 Natasha, Eliott, and I performed a song on Facebook Live. Shelter-in-place was in effect, so we were limited to the members of our family and the equipment already in our house. Here are behind-the-scenes photos.Music2 min readMusic2 min read
Jun 25, 2017Expression PedalsI’ve been testing expression pedals for my Kemper Profiling Amp. I already have a Mission Engineering EP1-KP (the green/black pedal on the right) that I really like. It feels like a Dunlop Cry Baby which is appropriate because I use it primarily for wah. It works well as a controller…Electric Guitar2 min readElectric Guitar2 min read
Sep 3, 2013Raspberry Pi computers in Natasha’s kindergarten classroomNatasha moving from fifth grade down to kindergarten provided me the opportunity to re-architect her classroom’s computers. For a while I entertained the idea of buying a small set of tablets (iPad Minis or Nexus 7s). Thinking about how Natasha would have to maintain (i.e., charge) the tablets, the risk…Raspberry Pi3 min readRaspberry Pi3 min read
Mar 7, 2013My first Bombfell clothing shipment (Bombfell review)Like many people, I am a reluctant shopper. Well, not exactly. I enjoy shopping in general. I dislike clothing shopping. I think it’s because I don’t like making fashion decisions. And since I’m a problem solver, I was excited to learn of several websites that will make fashion decisions for…Fashion4 min readFashion4 min read
Feb 19, 2013Razor Blade Shave-Off Round 3 Results and Overall WinnerThird round of the Razor Blade Shave-Off completed. Since the three Round 2 finalists performed similarly from an objective closeness/nick perspective, Round 3 was about subjective experience. Basically I picked the blade that I liked the most. Only one made the “cut”: Derby Extra Super Stainless. Big Ben and Crown…Razor2 min readRazor2 min read
Feb 11, 2013Electric guitar equipment rackWhile prototyping a pedalboard, two events prompted me to reconsider the pedal board idea. (1) My Boss GT-8’s input exhibited some noise (probably a loose solder joint); and (2) I realized most of the equipment on my prototype pedal board wasn’t designed to be touched while playing (power supplies, direct…Music2 min readMusic2 min read
Jan 28, 2013Razor Blade Shave-Off Round 2 ResultsSecond round of the Razor Blade Shave-Off completed. One blind-tested razor blade a week for seventeen weeks. 119 post-shaving forms filled. 114 cuts. After analyzing the data looking for the fewest nicks and closest shave, three blades rose to the top. In no particular order: Big Ben Super Stainless Derby…Razor2 min readRazor2 min read
Aug 20, 2012Prototype PedalboardI’m prototyping a pedalboard for my electric guitar effects gear. The first phase was stabilizing the gear I need. The second phase (pictured) was building a prototype from Home Depot pegboard. I intended to make a larger pegboard and place the GT-8 (big black thing in the front) on it…Music1 min readMusic1 min read
Jul 10, 2012Razor Blade Shave-Off Round 2First round of the Razor Blade Shave-Off completed. Last year I bought a razor blade sampler. After many months of using a new blade a week I can declare a set of losers and a set of winners. Or more specifically, a set of losers and set of maybes: since…Shaving1 min readShaving1 min read
