Johnsky's Musings

UNR 9.04 ASPIRE ONE D150

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:13:00 +0000

Alright, if you're having issues getting the internal mic working on an Aspire 1 D150 using Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.04, then I've got the solution for you... at least, it works perfectly for me.

It should work for you, provided you've freshly installed UNR 9.04.

First, you will need to use this code in terminal.

wget ftp://ftp.alsa-project.org/pub/driver/alsa-driver-1.0.20.tar.bz2
tar xjvf alsa-driver-1.0.20.tar.bz2
cd alsa-driver-1.0.20
sudo apt-get install build-essential module-assistant
sudo m-a update
sudo m-a prepare
./configure --with-cards=all
make
sudo make install

Some of the above code may get cut off by the sidebar of this website.
If so, the first line reads :
wget ftp://ftp.alsa-project.org/pub/driver/alsa-driver-1.0.20.tar.bz2

The above code should take about 20 minutes to do... so have patience with the make commands.

Credit goes to user : Micdhack on Ubuntuforums.org for the code segment.

Don't bother trying to check what it did just yet, you will want to restart first.

After restarting, go to Preferences > Sound.
Change the sound capture option to : OSS (Open Sound System)
Close the sound options.

Now open your Volume Control settings by clicking on the speaker icon top right. Click Volume Control.
In the Device drop-down, select [Realtek ALC272 (OSS Mixer)]
Click on the Preferences button.
Place a check-mark next to In-Gain.
Close this small window.
Slide the newly available In-Gain slider to the top.
Close Volume Control.

Open sound recorder, hit record, viola! The interference from inside the room can't be eliminated as far as I can tell, the mic is a tiny mic and is very sensitive to higher frequency sounds.

You will also likely be wanting to make videos using Cheeze video recorder. This will also work, but first thing is first, change the resolution (edit > preferences) of the recording to a lower setting, the video will be incredibly choppy otherwise.

You will likely want to be using a flashed based video chat on the internet some time in the future if you're like me and enjoy contact with the world. (Adobe Flash is my recommendation if you haven't already installed flash.)

You may have noticed your camera doesnt appear, instead, you have a black screen. That's because flash on linux doesn't have the ability to ask you permission to use your webcam... I know, complain to Adobe, it's not the Ubuntu communities fault.

If you right click on the Flash Applet and select settings, you can always allow the website access to your webcam.
Alternatively, if you can't access settings from that applet (it happens), go to http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager06.html
Provided you have been to the video chat website, you can select it from that list, and put the dot in Allways Allow.

Once this is done, you should be able to use that flash based video chat website.

If you weren't using Adobe Flash, and you've noticed all videos play incredibly badly, you can uninstall SWFDEC or GNASH through synaptic package manager, and then go to youtube or another flash based site, and select Adobe instead when prompted to install a flash plugin this time.

Again, this is for the Aspire 1 D150, with Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.04 freshly installed.

Happy July 10th.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:41:00 +0000

Of course most of you won't know what July 10th means... but to me, it's a time of creative remembrance.

Yesterday, I went through what most would describe as their moment of doubt and pain, but I don't like to quantify such hard feelings. I had a tough time yesterday... the bureaucracy of our government got to me, and rightly so. But my issues are my own, and not that of the reader.

However, it seems fitting that the day after my moment of doubt and pain we should be celebrating July 10th.

What is July 10th? Nikola Tesla's birthday.

You might not be aware of who he was, or you might instead be aware of the mythical fables behind him... regardless, the man is my idol. He created everything that is responsible for the modern industrial age... and you probably didn't have a clue.

People speak of Edison, Einstein, etc... but they really fail in comparison to the awe inspiring genius that was Nikola Tesla (The Americans don't like to acknowledge him though, heh).

Radio, Remote Control, Transformers, AC electricity, Robotics... the list goes on. We owe it ALL to him... and to think the man died bankrupt. What sacrifice.
To give us everything we needed to revolutionise the world... and die without a penny in return.

Now THAT is a martyr.

You may not know who he was, but I urge you to give him a moment of silence out of respect for the work he toiled feverishly upon.

I guarantee you, you wouldn't be using the Internet, nor anything else that runs off household electricity if he hadn't.

Its gone! It's ALL GONE!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Well, the music I had online anyhow.

Not to fear though, I, like anyone with a functioning frontal lobe, planned for just such an event and kept copies of my music elsewhere.

Switchpod, the host that I was using to, well, host my music has closed down. Seems like they were bought out by another company.

So for a short time you won't be able to listen to my piano work as I make it... I've got tissues on hand.

If anyone has any decent music hosts they prescribe, please let me hear of them.

Outside of this, recently got back from a wonderful wedding. Christine and Don, I wish you the very best.
... and Don... I'm so very sorry for your loss of freedom. Heh.

RFID, what a wonderful tool they've given criminals.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 08:36:00 +0000

Some of you may have them, others might have yet to get them.

The new wave of consumer novelty convenience is taking off quite rapidly.
Have a look at your Credit Cards, Passport, Drivers License, etc. Depending on which country you're in, some of them may have RFID tags in them.

RFID is a remotely scanned chip, essentially replacing the magnetic strip on your cards so that you can swipe them without actually having to stick them in a magnetic card reader.

At airports and other traffic heavy checkpoints, they're being used to "speed up" the boarding process.
This won't last for long though. The RFID tag in the new American passports and other varieties of pass cards in other countries have lately proven to be easily tampered with.
A few self proclaimed hackers around the world have proven quite clearly various ways in which you can manipulate the RFID tag in these cards and passports. In one case, showing how easy it is to steal the identity of other travellers... and then going on to prove that they wouldn't be caught when using those stolen identities. Clearing the security checkpoints as if nothing was amiss.
They also went on to show how to disable and alter other peoples RFID tags so that they appear as red-flagged individuals.
(You get red-flagged and detained, while the criminal walks through security with your identity.)

Basically, it won't be long before more security checkpoints catch on and abandon the new RFID system and go back to physically checking your credentials.

Now for the scary part.
Credit Cards.

A number of credit card companies have begun selling cards with RFID tags in them. Capital One is the first one that comes to mind. I've been getting their "demo" cards in the mail on an almost monthly basis.
You likely have one in your junk mail pile.

Go ahead and open it, look at the card... of course the demo card doesn't actually have a working RFID tag in it, but look for the square spiral with the solid square in the middle... that's where the RFID tag would normally be on an actual card.
You've seen that before. Many stores use those to tag merchandise.

Here's the scary part; if you have one of those cards, I can walk past you with a $10 card reader in my pocket... and I've got your credit card number, the card holders name, and yes, the expiry date.

That's it. All I had to do was walk past you.
Now I can make purchases at your expense. Not that I would, I'm not that kind of a person, but you can see what I'm getting at.

Those cards don't come with security features on their RFID. Then again, when have credit cards ever had security, everything needed for theft was always written on the face of the card. But now, it can be stolen remotely.

If you're a skeptic like myself, you're probably thinking to yourself; "Why would a credit card company do something as stupid as broadcast my information wirelessly?"
I don't have an answer for you, that's a good question for you to ask them yourself.
I suspect though, that they did it for the same reason you might have purchased the card... it's a neat novelty and convenience you didn't have before.

Just because the card makers are bumbling idiots when it comes to security doesn't mean you have to be.

There are options.

1: Don't buy RFID enabled cards... or anything RFID enabled for that matter.

2: If you have an RFID enabled card, ask if you can have it exchanged for the classic model without the tag in it. (It can't hurt to ask).

3: If all else fails, a hammer will solve your concerns. I'm not joking! (I'd check with the company first to make sure you aren't voiding agreements... for legal reasons). RFID tags are controlled by an IC... hitting the chip (in the center of the square spiral) will destroy the chip itself, while still leaving the magnetic strip on the card in good condition.
You won't be able to smack your wallet against the paypass node any more and hear the cool little beep, but your information and finances will be safe. And the card is still good for swiping in regular card readers.

4: If smashing the IC is against some agreement you signed, then you can buy wallets that shield RFID cards from being read. They usually come with stainless steel linings in the wallets walls... heck, might be worthwhile to get one just to stop bending your cards anyways.
These wallets make it impossible to read the cards while they're inside. It's called the Faraday effect.
However, even with an RF shielded wallet you must still be vigilant, just as you would be with your pin number. When you remove your card from your wallet, make sure nobody's standing around you... and make sure there is only ONE card reader near you... other readers can be planted near counters and terminals for the purpose of stealing your RFID information.

This is not an exaggeration or a joke.
It is very possible for me to walk past you, and walk away with your life.

Ask for none RFID enabled cards in the future.

Mental Decay

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:07:00 +0000

While I continue to search for compositional software to write music without having to record it via an analog connection, I've been doing more work on the piece "Mental Decay".

Here's what I've performed so far.

Mental Decay

Without a mixer or any means of correcting levels you may want to turn your audio player down and your speakers up, otherwise you may end up over-pre-amplifying the music. (Yeah, I made up a word.)

Once I have software I like, I'll be linking my digital piano to my computer digitally. I intend to submit some music to the people working on the Empires Mod, an incredibly entertaining game combining a command and conquer type command interface with a first person shooter.

Of course, this piece isn't what I've got in mind for them. It wouldn't fit a video game very well. This is just what I've been working on aside from that.

To Empires team, you'll see me online, unless I see you first.

Julia's Demo Reel

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:58:00 +0000

So, I completely forgot to post the concept for Julia's demo reel. I should probably do that before fate decides to smash this computer to tiny tiny bits, at which point I'd have to re-record everything.

That sounds like something fate would do.

So here it is.

Julia's Demo Reel Music.

It's intended to be simple, in a sort of, I'm about to do something really bad without thinking that it's wrong, kind of simple.

And yes, its intended to keep repeating the last few bars, I have no idea how long her demo reel is going to be, and I'll tailor the final composition to suit it when I know.

... Whatever, just listen.

To the office of the Governor General of Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:58:00 +0000

Yes, I added my voice, and you should too.

I wrote to the Governor General of Canada, as many Canadians are doing at this moment.
You can write to her by e-mail if you must.

I shal post here the transcript of my plead to the Governor General.

To: The office of the right honorable Governor General of Canada.
From: John Simpson.
Re: No to a Coalition Government.

I, John Simpson, am casting my voice into what must already be a rather loud onset of Canadian voices on this matter.

I have always held true to my word that I will obey and trust the will of a duly elected house of representatives.
However, a coalition government seizing power, especially after the right and just Canadian people have cast their votes for their representatives, simply does not meet the qualifications of a duly elected body of representatives.

I am not ashamed to admit that I did not vote for the Conservative party. However, it was the will of the people that the elected party hold power, as has always been our duty to uphold.

As such I cannot, under clear conscience, recognize a coalition government as being my representative body of peers.

Historically, in times of economic uncertainty, political parties who gain power without the vote of the people have almost always ended rather unpleasantly for the countries in question. In many cases, insurrection, violence, and political collapse have resulted.
I cannot call myself a patriotic Canadian if I do not voice my opinion on this matter. Unfortunately, without representation, voicing our opinions is all we will be able to do, and all opinions will go unheard.

The one thing Canada needs right now during an unstable economic situation is a government that we the people have elected into parliament.
Without trust in our government, we have nothing.

The right honorable Governor General has the final say in this matter.
I reach out to you, as do many patriotic and rational minded Canadians, to fulfill your duty to Canada and the Canadian people, and uphold the democratic process.

If need be, please allow the Canadian people to vote on the matter.
You need not shoulder the responsibility of a decision that we the people desire to make ourselves.

We can cover the cost of a vote, for there can be no price too high for free and unbiased democracy.

Thank you for your time.

John F. Simpson.

If you wish to write to the Governor General yourself, and I plead you to do so, NOW, she has to make her decision by the end of Saturday, here is how you can contact her and her office.
Governor General's Office of Canada.

Liberals, NDP's, and underhanded politics Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:59:00 +0000

I've just finished recording the soundtrack to Julia's demo reel... but I'm taking a moment away from that before posting it to bring up some current events. (Finally have a half a day to do some work on my music, heh).

According to CBC, and a number of other news sources, Liberal leader Stephan Dion is in negotiations with the NDP party to cast a vote of no confidence on Conservative leader Stephen Harper's team.

This is unacceptable.
We JUST FREAKING VOTED! The people have made it clear (incredibly clear) that they trust the Conservatives more than the Liberals.
Yet, here comes Stephan Dion, ignoring the votes of the people, and trying to cast a vote of no confidence.
In his mind, if he can't be voted into power... he'll just steal it.

THIS IS NOT BECOMING OF A DEMOCRATIC NATION.

The democratic process has spoken only a few months ago. The results? The conservatives gained almost twice the votes as the Liberals. The PEOPLE want the Conservatives in power.

Conservatives : 143 seats.
Liberals: 77 seats.

Basically, the Liberals will need to persuade both the NDP (with 37 seats) and la Bloc d'Quebecois (with 49 seats) in order to hold majority on the voting process... but they can't get it.

So instead, they're calling a vote of no confidence.

Really?

You just lost the election by an incredible margin... and you expect the public to support you siezing power through alternative means?

Screw that. The democratic process must be respected... if he can't handle the fact that we voted for the other guy... maybe, just maybe you shouldn't be in politics in the first place.

So, say it with me guys and gals... "MR. DION, WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE YOUR AUTHORITY"

That's enough...

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:46:00 +0000

I've been hearing an increased number of reports of Christian fundamentalists going against the gay community, further pushing their agenda to have gay rights pulled. And as a result, there have been a number of clashes between the two groups.

As an Atheist, I find this appalling.
And this is unbecoming of Christians. Most Christians I know understand why it's best to live and let live free... but alas... fundamentalists of any group are a headache to deal with.

I must urge my fellow Atheists and Agnostics to take a stand, and any like minded of other groups. We cannot allow these religious fundamentalists the right to dictate who is or is not entitled to the rights they enjoy.

I know, as Atheists, I cannot make you do anything. Your morals are made by you and you alone. And for this, we are destined to continue disagreeing with each other... but I must urge you... take a stand on this issue. Not for them, FOR US!

If we allow the fundamentalists the ability to act as an authority over who can and cannot marry, or many other rights they are pushing at lately... then we're next. As are all the other religions out there. Once these fascist ideals are pushed through and the gays are stripped of their rights, we're next in line.

We don't hold to a religion. Sure, you can fake it... but I feel that would be against my morals of honesty, as you likely feel the same.

I want the right to be allowed to marry just as much as any gay or lesbian... for the moment we Atheists have that right. But we don't belong to any religious organization, we are not represented as a religion, and as such, our right to marry is also dictated to us by these fundamentalists should their lobbying succeed.

This is fascism guys and gals, make no mistake about it. A group of people are pushing their personal ideals on us.

Don't make enemies of the religions, there are those in the religious groups who still stand with us on this... but there are unfortunately a much greater number of those who desire to push their concept of morality on us without an ounce of consideration for our rights or freedom to chose.

And I for one, will not tolerate fascism.

To the gays and lesbians out there, I may not be one of you... but I'm most definitely with you.

Strange dream

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:05:00 +0000

It's not often that I dream, or at least remember it, but I had the most vivid dream last night, and feel compelled to remember it, if not for the quote in it at least.

The dream started off with me sitting in a stadium, a medium sized crowd, I can't remember what the event was.
A skydiving team parachuted in, in a pretty well organized display of aerobatics that seemed to please the crowd. (Of course, being a dream, they bent the laws of physics slightly). Then I noticed some of them were trailing banners behind them. I can't remember what the banners said, but from the reaction of the crowd, they were controversial.

Then they were promptly rounded up and arrested. I was mistaken for having participated, not sure how, and arrested with them.
Instead of being brought to a standard prison, I, and the skydivers were brought to what was clearly an interrogation center.
The cells we were placed in reminded me more of the tombs in the catacombs of France. About a foot high, two feet wide, and long enough to just get your feet in. Basically, like a side loaded coffin sized hole in the wall.
I remember, I was to serve 12 days straight in there in solitary confinement.
(Of course the dream fast forwarded from there...)

Then I was standing in a trial room. A body of 6 peers were to judge me, and a group of people who weren't exactly a jury... I'm not sure what they were there for... they were more of an angry audience. They shouted insults at me, I can only remember one insult though... a british guy, short blond hair, probably in his 20's was yelling "terrorist" at me, then said "Can you transform too?" ... (It's a dream, it's not all supposed to make sense.)
Regardless of how I pleaded with the body of 6 peers, they had their mind already made up that I was someone else. I even told them I wasn't religious at all, so how could I be an "Islamic Terrorist"?... they wouldn't hear me out. They clearly wanted to pin someone as a terrorist, innocent or not. Almost as if they had a quota to fill.

Then the part came that made me want to remember the dream... someone near me had a white pad of paper and a black marker... everything else written on the page was in red. She asked me what I wanted to write... I had her write in large letters, "Love is Tolerance."

... Love is Tolerance.
How true that is.

Anyhow, that's the dream, in all it's usual scrambled logic as dreams often are.

Another piano piece...

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:18:00 +0000

Alright, seeing as I'm having trouble getting my next contract in my field... I've been spending time again on the piano. Go figure.

I've got a concept I'm working on, that I'm pretty pleased with. It's simple to remember, and sounds pretty good... at least to me.

Mental Decay

The premise behind "Mental Decay" is, it's intended to represent a mind withering into madness, and then completely failing at the end.

I guess I know what's on my subconscious...

...anywhoo... hope everyone enjoys it.

I'll be working on it some more later on... but I really should get back to working on "Humbled" to finish it up. But that one's been on the go for ages... I may be lyrical in person, but damned if I can get words to flow in a song.

Archiving

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:40:00 +0000

Realizing that the recordings I made don't match up amplitude wise with other songs, I've amplified them to make it so one doesn't have to play with the volume knob quite so much between songs.

Note: The final version of the Duet is also amplified on the previous post now too. I simply replaced the file on the web host.
Dan and Lisa's Wedding Duet (Full version)
For my own purposes...
Piano One of the Duet
Piano Two of the Duet

I'll be playing "Julia" at the wedding live. Though, the lyrics have gone missing, and I needed an excuse to fix them up a bit anyhow, so I'll be re-writing the lyrics on the way to the wedding.
Julia (Full rough version)
For my own purposes...
Julia (Verse section repeating for lyrics assistance)

Dan and Lisa's Wedding Piano Duet

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Alright guys and gals, after how long of toiling? Weeks? I have completed my final performance of Dan and Lisa's Wedding Duet.

Writing this duet for you is my gift to you on your wedding day. I wish happiness to you for the rest of your days. I hope my gift to you can bring you a small portion of the warmth your friendship has given me.

Dan and Lisa's Wedding Duet.
Feel free to come up with a better name for it if you wish.

Of course, I never feel that anythings ever actually done, once I have some other musicians together, I intend to make a band version... but that's at another time... as for the duet, it brings a big smile to my face to announce I'm finished it.

Without alternative instruments or better recording equipment (or hyping myself up on a lethal dose of caffeine to get the timing perfect) , this is as good as it's going to get.

Feel free to download it, and pass it along if you so choose.
I wrote this to be listened to and enjoyed.

Johnny.

Dan and Lisa's Wedding Song... demo.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Alright, the work is long, and my fingers are red... but I'm getting very close to finishing this piece.

The piano duet dedicated to Dan and Lisa's wedding is in it's final concept stages... again, this is not a final recording. The final performance I'm going to match tempo a bit better, slow myself down ever so slightly, and I'm going to play an intro, and play a small bridge in the center using a previously abandoned concept that now fits surprisingly well into this latest rendition.

I'm to show this latest rendition of it to Dan and Lisa... thanks to allot of coaxing from my red haired ... sweetheart.

Dan and Lisa, I hope you like it... it's not the finished performance of it, I'll let you know when I've decided it's finished finished. It'll be done before your wedding... I'll bring a CD with it on it, so you can play it from there...
... this was going to be a surprise, but Julia demanded I have you listen to the work in progress, so you can decide if you want the finished piece played during your "recession"? (What an awful name for part of a wedding...)

Anywhoo, here it is...
Dan and Lisa's wedding Piano Duet : the latest performance.

... by the way, if anyone is hoping I'll do another duet in the near future... pffft, yeah right, I'm sticking to solos from now on.

Worst person to play a duet with, is yourself.
Let that be a life lesson for you.

The concept continues to evolve

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Still working at the wedding song concept when I get chances to, heres what it's become so far.

The concept.

Tried to slow down the main chorus... buuuuut... over did it. Oh well.
I'm recording it live each time, playing both parts separately, I refuse to piece it together like recording companies do, sounds so artificial when they do that.

Also...

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:24:00 +0000

I'm also in the process of trying to come up with ideas to improve upon "Julia" the song I wrote for, well, Julia. lol. Love you sweetheart!

I've only recorded a quick live run through of the concept of the song, so I can listen to it later and pick it apart. It's easier to think about it when you're not actually playing it.

Julia

To anyone listening, it should sound awful to you, cause it's not meant to be listened to for enjoyment in this style... this is just me getting the concepts in audio form for me to think about at another time.

I hate soundcards

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Okay, I'm still messing around with ideas for the piano duet I'm dedicating to Dan and Lisa's wedding...

The Concept Thus Far

It's nothing special yet. I haven't bothered to try to match the tempo at all, I'm just archiving the ideas so far. So it's not meant to be listened to and enjoyed... It's supposed to be listened to and have you say... what the heck were you thinking with that bit?

I'll start recording some of my finished works later on. Right now, I've made a project of this one.

The sound card on this PC is giving me hell. So much distortion on the line-in. I can clear most of it up nicely after the recording via software... but I'd really love to be recording direct Line out to Line in... unfortunately, the Line Out on my Digital Piano is too strong for the Line in on my PC... so I've got it connected through the Headphone jack instead, that way I can control the line level via the volume knob.

I know, anyone reading this who professionally records, or has, is likely cringing.
Duly noted, I am looking into a proper mixer + external sound card option.

Center of the universe.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Okay, so we know the speed of light.
We also assume that the universe is expanding.
(I'm going to assume for the moment that that assumption is fact.)

Given these two bits of information, it should be possible, through the observation of the speed of light in various directions, to determine not only our relative velocity traveling away from the mass center of the universe, but also to pinpoint the direction to the mass center of the universe.

If light speed is a constant. It would have to be using everything as a reference point. Everything, being the universe in total.

Hence, if you observe light traveling in a direction away from the center of the universe, while we are also traveling away from the center of the universe, the speed of light 'should' become the speed of light minus our velocity from the center of the universe.

In the opposing direction, you should observe that light traveling toward the center of the universes mass, would become the speed of light, plus our velocity as we travel from the center of the universe.

Hence, light speed should vary relative to earths velocity.

I have no means to test this of course. But it's worth pondering.

One would of course have to take into account earths rotation around the sun, our own spin, and any "wobble" that might be caused by the moon, and other objects.
But the resulting discrepancy in the speed of light in different directions after the fact, should be the velocity at which we (our solar system) is traveling away from the mass center of the universe. And the direction of observation that yields the greatest discrepancy should indicate to us which direction the mass center of the universe is.

Should it not?

--Update--

So, I didn't exactly think far enough into this. Essentially, after a few hours of scribbling out the details... turns out I came to the same realization as many other former theorists... light travels the same speed in all directions relative to the observer.

... well... crap.
If I had picked up some reading material, instead of trying to "re-invent the wheel" I could have saved myself allot of time.

My... head... is... flooded.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Alright, So I foolishly decided to take it upon myself to begin recording a piano duet for a couple of my friends. They're getting married soon... really hope I haven't told them about my blog yet, pretty sure I haven't, this is to be a surprise to them.

Anyhow, here's what it sounds like so far.
The Concept So Far
It's still very rough, there's a few seventh chords in there that really ought to be shot, stabbed, boiled, and otherwise mutilated. Cause thats what it sounds like they're doing to the rest of the piece.

I've been at it for a little too long today. Head is swimming. I stepped away from the piano and had trouble balancing. Too much coffee aswell methinks.

I haven't had time to really practice it, I only just wrote the original concept yesterday, and scribbled in some more today... so the timing is off... I can actually hear where I was thinking about the next bar.

Pirates off the starboard network hub!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:27:00 +0000

Ah Piracy. You wouldn't be listening to that crap you're playing right now without it.
You didn't pay for that crap did you?... Ok, good.

The topic of arresting people for piracy is becoming something of a joke. At least, that really is the way people ought to be treating it. Nothings going to be achieved in the end, other than tying up the courts and wasting your money.

Do they really expect to arrest entire nations? (I'm quite serious.)
Look around you, anyone else in the room with you? Have they downloaded music? How about movies? Video games? Ask them, they won't hesitate to tell you.

Chances are the majority of the people you know, are criminals. (Unless you're perhaps Amish.)

If the government were to catch every person downloading copyrighted material, and lock them away... the only people left would be infant children and the elderly retired and dying.

What does the government seriously hope to achieve here?
What CAN they achieve?

They can't scare internet users into obeying the law. They simply can't catch enough people to really cause anyone to notice them being caught.

They can't stop you from getting at those files... you would literally have to trash the entire internet to stop the file sharing (which would also be trashing all other forms of electronic communication, they're one and the same.)

This of course, is not new. (History repeats itself and all that.)

Cassettes.
Ah yes, those plastic things you used to have to spend half an hour re-feeding the tape back into because the cassette player just chewed it up.

What was so wonderful about cassettes? Both audio and video?
Piracy.

Thats right, blank tapes were so common in stores everywhere, because people were pirating songs and movies.
... what, you didn't think there were actually 100 home movies a day being made from the tapes sold at one wall-mart do you?

The practice of copying music, and copying movies became so common, cassette players were being sold with two cassette bays so you could clone cassettes.
More notably, it became such a common occurrence that the government had no option but to cave in and let it happen.

Of course, out of kindness (and a desire not to get sued) the tape manufacturers paid the record companies a certain toll. Lets face it, you're not going to pay for it... but you are paying for the tapes.

Essentially in comparison... the tapes are now your hard drive. The radio and cable TV is now the internet.

And they're trying to sue the DJ.

Creationism, the self destructive project.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:26:00 +0000

The creationist proponents have always been entitled to their opinion, but lately they've been trying to throw out bits of the education system so that their beliefs might fit.

For one, Religious beliefs will always clash with science, it always has... this isn't going to change... no matter how much they tear apart the classroom. The whole point to faith is that it cannot function on evidence... the whole point to science is that it cannot function without evidence.

There's something the creationists didnt consider before pushing for creationism to be taught in classrooms...
Now that it's on it's way through, and to be implemented into the US education system, I will tell you what that mistake was...

When formulating a lesson plan, a teacher/professor will typically only teach children that which they don't already know. Teaching kids what is already obvious to them, is a waste of time, and good teachers avoid this at all costs.

With that being said... you didn't specify WHICH religion to follow when teaching creationism.

So, the Christian kids, YOUR kids (I address this to Christians), having already been taught about Christianity by YOU and your church, will not be taught Christianity in schools. As I mentioned, they already know about it, they've already been taught the Christian version of creationism, by you... so the teachers will have nothing else to teach but another religions version of creationism.

This is a BIG woops.

The teachers and professors will be left no option but to teach your children about religions other than Christianity. They will essentially be backed into a corner, and will find the only option is to teach Islam, Hindu, or any other religion on the planet OTHER than Christianity.

At first, I tried to warn some of the Creationism proponents that they are making a decision that will harm their religion... but as usual, I wasn't listened to because I'm Atheist... supposively I worship the devil or some such nonsense and aren't to be trusted.

So I've saved it for later... and here it is.

They pushed for it...
... and I told them so.

I wonder what you'll say when your kids come home asking about allah.

Life, Liberty, and the Persuit of Happiness.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:19:00 +0000

Lately, as in, over the last 7 years. I have seen a trend.

This trend is not of economic value, nor is it of religious value, yet it directly violates the freedoms of which a free nation holds to.

I speak of none other than fascism.

It has been a long time since fascism has taken root in the minds of a nation. Fascism, like a slowly heated kettle, takes time to be noticed. Small and seemingly innocent steps toward the security of the people, often end up to amount to the slave like ownership of the people by a select few; the government.

We spent a great number of resources and lives to combat fascism many decades ago. Who would have conceived it would be right here, in the free nations, that fascism would seek to infect a host?

When the people of a nation live in fear of being confused with the enemy of their government, those people are silenced from having a valid opinion. Neighbors will allow neighbors, family will allow family, and friends will allow friends, to be taken by their government in the dead of night, without hesitation, nor question as to why. The government need only declare them traitors or terrorists to justify their actions.

The next time you hear of someone being declared a traitor or a terrorist, ask those who declare them so, Why?
You will be surprised to find they haven't a single answer.

The United States are comprised of good people, like you and I. They do not deserve this fascist treatment any more than we do.
So why then, is it that we the people who reside out of the United States stand by and watch as their rights and freedoms are revoked? Do we seriously believe this infection cannot plant roots where we live?

We have all heard the drone like repetition of the governments wishes through the people of the United States. Suggestions that revoking the rights and freedoms of the people are done for security, and will be re-instated. Anyone who has even briefly read their history knows; those rights and freedoms will never be restored willingly.

And it is to those who reside in the United States, I remind you of your own foundation. A single paragraph, scribed through beauty, that once was used to define your nation. Lets pray you take heed once more.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

I write this, not just for the sake of my future, but for the sake of yours.

Nations belong to the people, not the few who seek to control them.

Lest we forget.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:52:00 +0000

It was in 1961, in President Dwight D. Eisenhowers farewell address to the nation, he attempted to warn the public of the United States of America of the "Military Industrial Complex".

"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience ... In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic process."
-D. Eisenhower, 1961, Farewell speech to the nation.

It was later on in March of 1963, that John F. Kennedy, the successor to the seat of Presidency, attempted to heed Eisenhowers warnings. He proposed a budget cut on spending toward the Industrial Military Complex.
The cut included 52 military installations within the states, and 21 installations overseas. Including equipment which would normally be allocated toward these installations.

November 22, 1963, Dallas, Texas.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated. While the media points to a Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone assassin, it has been repeatedly proven that J.F.Kennedy had been hit by two seperate shots from two different locations. The second shooter had not been caught.

What is the Military Industrial Complex?
The Military Industrial Complex is the organization of monetary funds which flow from government institutions, funded by taxpayers and federal debt, to the Industrial sectors responsible for manufacturing equipment and weapons for warfare.

While in essence the Military Industrial Complex is a regular occurance of economics, it becomes a very dangerous institution when those in political power hold investments in it.

Over the years since Eisenhowers warning (and moving on to the 21st Century), many key political figures have emerged who have had investments in the manufacturing of weapons, and the procurement of fuel (currently crude oil). Some also have had ties to the FCC, a regulatory committe, intended to censor the main stream media of the nation.
It was not a stretch of the imagination to understand that it was in the best interest of these key political figures to ensure that access to oil goes unhindered, and weapons manufacturers continued to manufacture weapons.
Combined with control over the main stream media, the general public remained uneducated as to the cause of warfare proposed by the Federal Government. The actual causes were commonly re-written to suit the desires of the general public, and to match the geo-political situation of the world at the time. More notably, these causes were re-written multiple times during the war in question.

During George W. Bush's presidency, the cause for invading Afghanistan was just, although, later it was proposed to have been slightly misguided.
On September 11th of 2001, the World Trade Center Towers were brought down by two Boeing 737 aircraft. A third aircraft struck the Pentagon, and a fourth was brought down before reaching it's intended target. Over 3000 people died on that day.
Though the government had declared an organization known as Al-Qaeda to have been the assailant. No direct conclusive evidence had been found. Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden took responsibility for the attack, however, so did a few other minor groups with interests against the United States.
Nevertheless, the justification for warfare had been seeded, and military operations in Afghanistan against members of Al-Qaeda began.

In march of 2003, the United States opened up a second front, waging war with Iraq. The justifications for this war were not only misguided, but later proven to be completely false.
The initial justification for the invasion of Iraq, involved the accusation that Iraq had not discontinued it's Weapons of Mass Distruction program as agreed upon in 1991. The United Nations had been sent in prior to the invasion to find these weapons. No weapons were found, consequently the United Nations refused to give the United States of America permission to launch a pre-emptive invasion.
Disobeying U.N rules, the United States went ahead with the invasion, arguing that Iraq was in greater defiance of the UN by continuing it's weapons program.
No weapons were found. It was discovered that the Weapons program had indeed been dismantled in 1991 as per the agreement.

The secondary justification for invasion was the removal of Saddam Hussein for his oppression of his own people. This became more widely used once it was apparrent Mr. Hussein had complied with the U.N in 1991.
After the removal of Saddam Hussein, new justification for the war was required, the cause was again shifted. This time, Saddam was portrayed as an ally of Al-Qaueda. However, Saddam was repeatedly noted throughout his time in office as an avid opponent of Al-Qaeda, and repeatedly made hateful remarks about Al-Qaeda and it's supporters.
After the invasion, Al-Qaeda then sent troops into Iraq to fight the U.S Military, which is why they are there now. The ensuing war between Al-Qaeda, the U.S Military, and Nationalist Insurgents has cost hundreds of thousands of Civillian lives in its wake.
This justification remains the one currently used at the time of this writing.

With both Afghanistan and Iraq involved in warfare with the United States, Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden remains uncaptured.

At the time of this documents writing, allegations against another country in the Middle East, Iran, are being made.
The United States government alleged that Iran was involved with manufacturing weapons for the use in Iraq, for the purpose of attacking U.S Military personnel and interests. However, in May of 2008, U.S intelligence quietly withdrew the proposed evidence, declaring the weapons to have been issued from somewhere else. That 'somewhere else' has yet to be disclosed.
Regardless of this retraction, the allegations were still pushed that Iran is arming Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
No evidence of such an exchange has been found.

(Authors note: Current technology is really astounding. The ability to find, track, and closely watch a target from afar is incredibly simple with the satellites, unmanned drones, and lens capabilities currently in service.
If one cannot find evidence of an exchange taking place between two countries, then it is safe to say it simply does not exist.
And the inability to find one person, Osama Bin Laden, would suggest one of two things. A baffling level of incompetence, or other priorities that interfere with his discovery and capture. Neither of these are very settling.)

It was largely thanks to the U.S Military's unintended introduction of the World Wide Web to the general public, and its evolution since then, that the reporting done by the mainstream news came under question.
The vast network of internet users, speaking directly to one-another regarding world events, repeatedly raises red flags toward the news stories published by the main stream media, and to the justifications given by governments around the world for their actions.
It also serves as a means to record history, and remind one-another to the reality of the world, when others might seek to manipulate the truth.

In the early 21st century, and slightly prior, governments began turning to the internet to discover and locate potential political opponents, and potential threats. The key here is in "potential".
It was after the attacks on the World Trade Centers in 2001 that the internet community saw some of it's first arrests made based on oppinions shared.
Changes to United States law over the course of the war on terrorism, permitted the Federal Government to detain anyone indefinitely without cause, warrant, and without permission for the detainee to alert family, friends, or a lawyer to his detainment.
No trials were required to take place, and no release dates were to be set.

It was under this new fear of being detained for their beliefs, that the voice of the American public against the war quickly fell silent.
Users outside of the United States continue to openly share their beliefs regarding present day warfare in the open, however, the U.S Government has been taking measures to gain access to these people aswell.

The wars that will ensue in the 21st century will be based on maintaining the investments made in the Industrial Military Complex, and maintaining the investments made in the procurement of Oil. I, the writer, do not propose there can't be a war based on an alternative cause, however, it is highly unlikely.
The mainstream news is henceforth, under scrutiny of the government, and unfortunately cannot be trusted to deliver news that may hinder the governments reputation, or interests.
The internet, has become a hunting ground, to seek out, and silence political opponents.
You the reader, if you are reading this close to the time of posting, need to be careful. Remember, you must never be afraid of having a differing opinion, regardless of what you may have to say to appear "patriotic".
Getting yourself killed over their corruption is not an option. You, and those like you, will be needed when this is all over with. Violence is for the weak, stand tall, be brave, and wait this out.

It is with great regret, that we may soon be unable to express our views on political matters openly. With hopes that when this is over with, may we be able to look back on our recordings of events, and know the truth.
Never allow history to be re-written. No matter how subtle the change, no matter how persuasive the reason, or how forceful the writers may be.
In this regard, we have been complacent.

Whatever the repercussions for this may be, we must ensure those in the future never permit our mistakes to be made again. And for our own sakes, let us pray this corruption ends peacefully.

Johnsky.

Stellarium

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:56:00 +0000

Ahh... what to do with all this time... Oh yeah, I can stargaze... but it's day time. Stellarium to the rescue!

STELLARUIM

I'm an avid supporter of all that is open source, and I came across Stellarium in my search for a non-Microsoft version of their new WWT.

(Even though WWT can be downloaded from Microsoft for free, they didn't see fit to give the rest of us the ability to use it.)

First, I must say, Stellarium is incredible! It very accurately lines up everything you'd normally be able to see with a high powered telescope, and even further.

I plugged in where I live, it took that, and the time of day, and presto! I can explore the sky as it is at this very second without a telescope. Of course, to see anything during the day, you have to turn off the atmosphere. Heh.

No need to go mucking about trying to figure out what that damn bright star is, just look at Stellarium, it will tell you what it is, and even give you a much better view than your telescope could hope to achieve... so that's what I was looking at.

When I started the program, and entered my location, behold, exactly what I see on my balcony, minus the neighboring apartments of course.

But.... but... I want to go stargazing... I don't want to see sky... oh... whats this button do?

Oooooooh. Hey... whats that spec? Lets have a look... that looks familiar...

Okay. Now if you want to know what all those robed people thousands of years ago were yammerin' about... here's the constellations.

.... ah yes. The things you see when you're stoned... er... ancient.

...anyhow. If you're sort of into stargazing... but sorta-not-really... don't go buying a telescope! Get Stellarium!

If you use a debian form of linux (Ubuntu included) just get it from your synaptic package manager... no need to go searching download sites like those windows users.
(Those guys scare me.)

Electrified Police Shields

noreply@blogger.com (Johnsky) — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Okay, more "wonderful" news on the Populace Control front.

'Peel and Stick' Tasers Electrify Riot Control

As I read the above article, I had to chuckle to myself. Not because I'm rooting for the riot police, but because they have just unknowingly handed protesters a method of revenge.

Introducing the all new: SALT WATER.

Yes, salt water, the same stuff you find in those awful oceans we're trying to destroy.

Simply spray the electric shield bearer with this product, and the bearer instantly becomes the victim of his own electrified weapon.

Okay, back to being serious.

The film placed on the riot shield is comprised of perforated contacts. When the victim is contacted, the victim becomes part of the circuit, and hence, through completing the circuit, gets electrocuted.

What the creators have seemingly not realized, is that salt water has a remarkably similar resistance value as people do. Which means there would be no way to differentiate between salt water being sprayed on the shield, and a victim coming in contact with it. The shield will send a current regardless.

Essentially, when hosed with salt water, the shield will merely short out.
In the worst case scenario, the shield could pass stray current into the bearers hands, electrocuting the person holding the shield.

Lets hope they're not strapped onto the bearers arms.

I'm not entirely sure if I want to write to them to alert them to the dangers of this product... or if I want to see it get used, and have another good chuckle... nah, it's up to the product manufacturer to ensure it's safety, not me... just make sure the video gets to YouTube for me, K?

I wouldn't want to be holding one.