Basitar

If you've ever wondered what probably the oddest stringed instrument is, you might want to take a look at the basitar. It's a two-stringed guitar using heavy gauge strings and tuned to fifths. It was created by the Presidents of the United States of America (you know, that band from the 90s with the obnoxiously long name that did such catchy songs as Peaches, Lump, and Kitty) along with a 3 string version known as the guitbass.

With the power of eBay and Musician's Friend I've made one for less than $100.


More pictures

The basitar uses large gauge strings (.060 and .036) and is tuned to C# and G# (or Db and Ab if you like that kind of thing). The guitbass is tuned C#, G# (same as basitar), and C# an octave up. Both tunings have the useful effect that barring a fret produces or fits within nearly any chord. The tone is also great, a combination of gauge and tension. The guitar itself cost me only $75, including shipping. I then bought Ernie Ball custom gauge strings for $7.

It's a fun guitar to play, sounding like a low guitar but playing more like a bass. It can also handle walking lines and "chords" (more like double-stops) well. For more information, check out this page, which has instructions and background on both instruments.

New Ozma album!

Ozma "Pasadena" - May 15, 2007

1. No One Needs To Know
2. Barriers
3. Eponine
4. Fight The Darkness
5. Heartache Vs Heartbreak
6. Incarnation Blues
7. Lunchbreak (Cobras Theme)
8. Motorology 3:39
9. I Wonder
10. Underneath My Tree
11. Straight Flush

The first three tracks are interesting, because they've all been released before by the band (or by Yes Dear in the case of track 2). I love Barriers, but I'm supprised that they are revisiting No One Needs to Know, and it's only been one album since Eponine. Looking forward to it, and definitely going to try to get it the day it is released.

Placated

I was going to make a post about how much I hate "Fundamentalists". Then I found this video of Ozma with Star Wick playing a Keytar:



I have been thoroughly placted.

On finishing...

I went into the studio last week to record for RK's new album. From what I heard (still raw) it's sounding great. He's doing the final mixing and mastering this week, and the album should be out around Labor Day. I'm really excited to be a part of it and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'll let you know more when I get some info.

So some "Christians" think that without a preemptive strike by Israel against Iran, there will be no second coming. They actually want a war in Israel, because it lets them sell more books about their 'prophesy'. The best of these is Pat Robertson. It's pretty bad when your own webpage's biggest piece of news is that you appologized for claiming someone's stroke was divine.

What was it that Jesus said? I think it was "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God."

I'm sure he didn't mean it...

What's before 'work - slave - die'?

I'm pretty sure it's poor. People tell me that I should be thankful that I even have a job. Which I am. I still wish I actually worked, though.

Monday I worked 4 hours. I had to find a job of my own volition, because my supervisors failed to mention the clubhouse was closed for the day, although it made it a simple task to get some painting done.

Tuesday I worked 2 hours. Pretty usual stuff.

Yesterday I worked 2 hours. Once again I arrived at work at the time they asked me to come in, only to find that they had no idea what they wanted me to do. I ended up traveling out to a farm to get decorations for next week.

Today I worked 18 minutes. The work they wanted me to help do had already been done. I ended up helping to move a piano 30 ft and moved about 18 chairs 20 feet.

I may only need to work to provide myself with spending money, but it looks like I'm not going to have much. It's one thing to be frugal, but my monetary situation next year may require more drastic measures...

More on the topic of money...

So not only am I still not making that much money this summer (although it's still a bit more than last year), but tuition rates got a huge hike this year. 8.75%, which is 2% more than Ferris, the next highest state school in Michigan. Fortunately my family won't really be spending any more this year since Dan and I are living off campus next year.

Most of you know that I was never a fan of the Beatles, but that has changed. I recently acquired the entire Beatles discography and have begun listening to it. I definitely appreciate their work a lot more now, but I wouldn't quite call myself a fan yet. They're too hit and miss. "Revolution" - hit, "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!" - miss. "Yesterday" - hit, "Yellow Submarine" - miss. "Helter Skelter" - hit, "Magical Mystery Tour" - miss. I think I can safely say I like their earlier work better and more often, probably because the combination of eastern mysticism/recreation drug use/Yoko Ono/social activism caused too many ridiculous songs.
They have a lot to say about money, though. You have to after releasing so many songs.

So I got retested for my alergies yesterday. Turns out I'm now very alergic to grass pollen. My reaction to grass was 20 times larger than my reaction to histamine (one of the chemicals that causes the reactions). This explains why I break out in hives when I mow the lawn (which I haven't done in 3 years for that exact reason). Now I get to (have to?) start allergy vaccines to reduce my reaction. I'd rather not have my grass allergies get worse. I'd much rather simply need to avoid grass clippings than grass altogether.

"Mo' money, mo' problems" or 'more problems, less money'?

Economies of scale

120 Loratadine tablets in bottle: $0.25 each
40 Loratadine tablets in blister packaging: $0.50 each
1 Loratadine tablet in 4"x4" box: $2.50

So I was debating with several friends over what exactly constitutes a sport. Of course, it needs to be directly competetive and have a specific win condition. It also needs to be located in the physical realm. Anything digital is not a sport, just a cyber-sport. I think it also needs to be analog, so board and card games are out (they are boolean and integer based, respectively). It needs to be based primarily on player skills, so plinko and horse-racing are out (horse racing due to the primary factor determining success is horse genetics and the jockey is, strictly, unnecessary). Athletic ability is not necessary, but skill is. You don't need to be in fabulous shape to be an archer, yet it is still a sport. Also, conditions for competition must be variable, either by varying locations (home field advantage), playing area (Daytona and Infineon are very different race tracks), weather, team composition (to exploit an opponent's weakness), or player attributes (right/left handed, height, etc). Also, scoring and success should be primarily empirical (new figure skating scoring fits this criteria, old scoring didn't).

And I think that covers it. Feel free to try and correct me on anything I mentioned, but be prepared to prove it. That's the point of debate, you know, not just claiming to be right because you want to be.