new year

New year.

One of my resolutions for 2007 is to make another CD. I think its been 2 years since I've made a serious effort to start and finish something. I was hoping to put out a CD of electronic music last fall, but getting married, home, work and school pretty much stopped that from happening. I managed to make some remix attempts of some songs that my friend Dan made- but anything original hasn't really happened in a long time. So this year is it.

Why haven't I made anything? Aside from the 30 second songs I make up to belittle my siblings and wife, I haven't had any interest in making a CD again. There's a serious amount of effort and commitment involved to make a great project a reality. I didn't really have the equipment either- (Where did my mixer go?? BRANDEN!!) and I'd honestly much rather contribute to a project that was almost finished anyway.

The moral of the story is that I was lazy or busy. Or both.

New music, new songs in 2007.

Christmas 2006

cell

I hate cell phones. I hate losing them, breaking them, and paying for them. Every year a new phone comes out that makes yours look obsolete, except it isn't. Phones were made to send and receive phone calls. Now phones can manage your emails, take pictures, play mp3's games and videos, organize your schedule, and fit in your pocket (sorta). Depending on how much you spend you could one that does all of these to a various degree. But it seems like there isn't a phone that can do all of them well.

I hate cell phones. Every time I go out to eat an apathetic teenager at the counter is texting away on a stupid cell phone. People swerve and lose focus while driving with a stupid phone hooked to their ear. Kids bring cell phones to elementary school. People snap pictures of celebrities and upload them to the internet. It seems like anyone can call anyone at any time of the day.

An electronic leash: what a great invention.

mp3

Is downloading music addictive? When millions of people used Napster to share mp3's it did something. It degraded the value of music. Even after Napster died, paying for mp3's seemed like a joke. Ripping a CD takes what? A few minutes? After the files had been encoded they barely take up any space at all. The downloading hysteria caused by Napster made people think that songs were worth next to nothing because of the ease of passing mp3's around. One song from a album isn't enough. Especially if the artist or group has a large catalog to pick from. Some groups like Metallica, Led Zepplin, and the Beatles have left their catalogs off the internet to preserve some control over what they've made. But even this is short lived , and eventually everyone gives in to the internet monster.