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zornwil

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Posts posted by zornwil

  4. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    All of them. Only trademarked names are off the table as far as public purchase' date=' but I'm sure even those will cost a pretty penny. So .herogames will cost $100k, .zornwil will cost $100k, .oldman will cost $100k. I think. Anyway I wish I owned GoDaddy stock before the announcement.[/quote']

    Oh, I didn't realize what you meant, I thought this was a new wave of specific ones, such as .name or such, not the "create your own" sort.

  6. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    And where have you been, Nemesis mine ?

     

    I was expecting you to visit England last year but no contact.

    Yeah, not sure, either, when it will be. We've intended to year-to-year but with my wife's business and other stuff it's become too difficult to schedule. Doing well, though. And you?

  8. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    Care to elaborate?

     

    Nah, not really, as I don't care much either way on the topic. :)

     

    You'll note I didn't say that Townshend was the first (ie invented) with deliberate use of audio feedback as a rock instrument or use including synthesizer as a rock instrument. I said Townshend pioneered the use of these as a rock instrument. One doesn't have to be the inventor to be a pioneer. My use here is to bring something into the mainstream as a new development.

     

    Sorry, fair point, I'm accustomed to those using "pioneer" in an arguing way between Beatles and Who, as opposed to complementary.

     

    Though one could argue the Kinks "completed" the rock sound well and truly before the Who or Led Zep. I'll leave it at "could" argue.... :)

     

    Eg: A Quick One While He's Away was billed as a mini-opera, and it is widly acknowledged that S.F. Sorrow is the first "rock-opera", Tommy was the first to be billed as a rock-opera and because it was more successful was most people's experience with this new form of rock music, ergo Tommy pioneered "rock-opera". Also, as a footnote, I'm A Boy was originally part of another rock-opera project of Pete's called Quads and Rael is a portent of the future Tommy album.

     

    (And apologies for the semi-strawman-ism. I use it as a illustrative example of pioneer.)

     

    Another early use of a similar instrument to the Moog would possibly be the Mellotron (?) and the Moodies would (could) be the first to use this instrument. Do you agree? (trying here so say that the use of the Moog and Melletron were similar developemnts on pop music of the time, just using different instruments)

     

    No, I would disagree, because the mellotron is an analogue sampler rather than synthesizer and the impacts on music of each were and are fundamentally different.

     

    As an aside, in fact, the playing on a Monkees song (I forget which one) of a "professional" musician of the Moog on the same album as Dolenz' untrained use is a good example of the original misuse of the synthesizer to merely replace-and-replicate analogue instruments' purpose in music indicates a sort of non-use of the Moog in terms of its actual strong points, whereas Dolenz' untrained use demonstrates more the instrument on its own terms. But I digress...

     

    This argument between the two doesn't surprise me at all. I recal that Paul wrote Back in the USSR as a heavy song after listening to a Who song (IIRC it is "I Can See for Miles"). Also the Beatles (and The Beach Boys) where truly inventive (Revolver, Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper's, Smile).

     

    *sigh* Some of it is surely rivalry between groups at the times, ie if someone released a psychedelic record the other bands at the time would try to emulate that, thus a new genre gets formed. Sort of the same with hard rock, I'm sure that started in a similar way. That is if you call that "thievery". But if you want to talk such, I'm surprised you didn't mention Bob Dylan. Dylan copies lots of different tunes, and wrote lyrics to other music (Masters of War comes to mind).

     

    But that is the "folk way". That is what folk artists did, they borrowed from each other, Dylan in this regard and at the time was no different. It only became an issue when copyright made it an issue. At a guess, the Blues artists would have also shared their music and tunes. One song I'm thinking of here is Crossroads. I'm out of my depth here: but I'm guessing that Robert Johnston didn't write the song, and that Crossroads was a common enough tune and performed by other musicians at the same time.

     

    I didn't mention Dylan because he wasn't brought up, that's all. I mentioned Led Zeppelin in particular only as they were brought up and are known to be among the worst among successful artists.

     

    However, there is no reason to believe the Blues artists would have so willingly shared their tunes. Remember, it was the blues artists who, like other such performers before them, turned their bodies so that other artists couldn't see how they were playing things, and blues artists had to especially-fiercely guard their secrets to protect their very-meager earnings. Without recompense, no doubt many if not the majority would have refused to share such. Informal and formal mentoring was one of the few paths through which older/senior artists shared their secrets with successors. There's some good story on this in the Robert Johnson liner notes encapsulating his work, if I recall correctly as to where I read one such thing of the blues professional rivalries and jealousies.

     

    PS - and aside from copyright, the artists often made "borrowing" an issue. Just because they lacked the financial resources to sue, don't confuse that with ongoing arguments and controversies publicly played out by older generations of artists who weren't hooked into a mass music machine that now has the resources and reasons to sue.

  9. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    You been watching Amazing Journey DVD? Very good documentary that.

     

    You can "never their names"? ;)

     

    And a brilliant one once he found his voice for the band.

     

    How many bands beside The Who played lead? I'm guessing none. They were unique. Moon showed the rest of the world how to destroy a hotel room, a tradition rock bands to this day follow in his footsteps. Entwistle and Townshend invented the Marshall Stack; and Entwistle produced the first bass solo in a rock hit. Daltery along with his contemporaries (Plant, Rodgers come to mind) invented the hard rock 'look' and 'sound'. Townshend also pioneered the synthesizer an feedback as a "rock instrument" with Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again.

     

    Who for me. From Sell Out to Who are You all classic albums. As is Endless Wire. As far as LZ, I like the first 4 the best and individual songs on the other albums.

     

    For me Townshend's writing is what made The Who and the themes within the rock operas, and his other writing is what still makes the band relevant to today. "However Much I Booze" showed that a (rock star) mid-life crisis at 30 is not life ending. Pete is now 63. ;) Pete also pre-empted the Idol franchise with "Empty Glass"

     

    Teenage wasteland, its only teenage wasteland...they're all wasted.

    I don't feel there's much similarity between Led Zeppelin and the Who, though I really dislike Led Zeppelin and I do like most of the earlier Who works and a number of later ones, so that may be interfering. Would have to think about it.

     

    We can't say that the Who's use of the synth or feedback is necessarily the first, nor necessarily instructive to the many other rock (and other) professional (as opposed to amateur/teenager/garage band) musicians experimenting around the same time. The Monkees actually used the Moog first on "Daily/Nightly" (in what I would call a much more innovative use of the synthesizer, using its unique qualities in a way not resembling conventional woodwinds or keyboards as other early synthesizer users did) and another song which I forget prior to other (if you prefer, remove the word "other" to discount the Monkees as such, but either way...) rock bands. Lennon and Townsend have, or I should say had, an ongoing argument about which was first in using feedback directly as some Beatles song recorded around the same time included such, and some debate either way as to whether the use of such as purely ornamentation and possibly as "merely" random, uncalculated sound as opposed to subsequent more deliberate uses "count" (and I meant to be clearer here, considerable debate as to the intentions of both Townsend and Lennon with some arguments that one or neither understood what they were doing as specifically or deliberately musical). And of course, the avant-guard did all this stuff before, anyway, and both the Beatles and the Who were rampant "thieves" (in terms of uncredited reuse of others' ideas or where they got their inspirations, though of course Led Zeppelin was far worse with more sleazy theft of others' songs, including such as not only old blues artists but in the case of "Dazed and Confused" a contemporary); although this "thievery" was a common - one could well argue even virtually accepted - practice among musicians going back decades in popular music and arguably centuries, although the musical context of reuse of earlier centuries was a bit different in some ways.

  13. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    I think "power corrupts" is a fair generalization, given the exercise of power requires ongoing compromise along with, necessarily, being the broker in the according of resources, such that the practicioner of power generally cannot attain the same level of idealism one typically desires. Such attrition of ideological position typically seems to yield an erosion of purity in other areas.

  16. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    I like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. All steamed and with either cheese sauce for butter.

     

     

     

    Me too, but add hot and steamy as well (but without the bitterness).

     

    According to Wikipedia about Brussel Sprouts:

    What, so they're overcooked in nature? I mean, they smell fairly bad uncooked, too...

  17. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    Which is clearly different from the smell of the Northern variety of fried @$$. :P

    Northern fried @ss is a result less of lard and more of artificial sweeteners and, until just recently, trans fat, compared to southern fried @ss (which is more lard).

  19. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    I'll find out tomorrow how my coworker is doing, but she was pretty sick for the last couple weeks before they went "Hey! I think it's the gallbladder!"

     

    She sent her husband on an adoption run just to get him out of the house since he's been taking care of her during this.

    Alesia was sick for something like 2-3 months, off and on, before they figured it out. She also had what I assume your coworker had, a laproscopy (sp), and recovery was quite good aside from some very short-term post-procedure sickness (as in just the first 24 hours).

  22. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    Well, I have to say aside from the odd feeling of not going to sleep because I have nothing to do in the morning, I'm getting better.

     

    Shock is gone, I've spoken to everyone important in my life and gotten their input.

     

    I'm making a list of desirable job openings and being cautiously optimistic. I even think I can still make GenGon! We shall see.

    Huh, what, who? What happened? I take it you lost your job? I'm very sorry to hear that.

     

    Please don't worry about me, though I certainly very much would enjoy your company, I won't be fiscally damaged if you need to bow out. But I certainly hope you make it, of course.

  23. A Thread for Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: A Thread for Random Musings

     

    "You fought all the way, Johnny Reb" - Johnny Horton

     

    "A union that could be and should be perfected over time...

    To protest, to struggle, in the streets and in the courts,

    through a civil war, and civil disobedience" - Barack Obama

     

    "I heard your teeth chatter in the cold outside

    I saw the bullets open up the wound in your side

    I saw the young boys as they began to fall

    I saw the tears in your eyes as you couldn't help at all" - Johnny Horton

     

    "We cannot solve the challenges of our times unless we solve them together...

    By understanding we may have different stories but we hold common hopes...

    This nation is more than the sum of its parts...

    That out of many, we are truly one" -

     

    "Race is an issue this nation can afford to ignore right now...

    The complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through...

    a part of our union we have not yet made perfect" - Barack Obama

     

    "When Honest Abe heard the news about your fall

    Folks thought he'd call a big victory ball

    But he told the band 'you better play Dixie'

    For you Johnny Reb, what you did for family" - Johnny Horton (except I changed the last line)

     

    "If we walk away now

    If we simply retreat into our respective corners

    We will never be able to come together and solve challenges...

    As William Falkner once wrote, 'the past isn't dead and buried; in fact, it isn't even past'" - Barack Obama

     

     

    (the above are in a song together * is finishing up)

  24. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    Heh, I have no "objective" or passionate objection to your "adjectives" or either yours or Cancer's descriptions, especially not being a huge fan of hers. :)

     

    Though I should "admit" for the record, I like a substantial portion of her work and vocal style.

    Wall Street Journal did an article on the Finnish education system.

     

    No discussion of differences in pedagogy. No discussion of differences in curriculum. Minimal discussion of the difference made by better qualified teachers and more dedicated students.

     

    A mention of teacher's salaries and spending per student that was totally crap reporting.

     

    Yes, teachers in Finland aren't much better paid, in terms of salary, than American teachers. On the other hand, their college educations and graduate school were publicly funded, they have national health insurance, and they can rely on all the other social services Finland provides for its citizens. Even the additional professional training they'll need throughout their careers is publicly funded. In real terms, teachers are starting their professions with zero debt, their expenses are lower, and they can look forward to a more comfortable retirement than their American colleagues. With those incentives, no wonder Finnish schools can pick and choose the best teachers (40 applicants for every opening according to the Journal article).

     

    Talk about an apples and oranges comparison. I expect that some WSJ editor honestly believed that Finns were doing more with less and therefore didn't bother asking the reporter to look at the broader context; the alternative is to believe that the WSJ intentionally posted a misleading story.

     

    I have seen this sort of sloppiness in lots of mainstream media reporting on the nominating campaigns in the last several months, especially as I've been particularly active this year more than any other in following it (witness http://www.zorn.name/Wilson/politicaleconomy/blog/). The NYT is really bad rather often (and that isn't at all a reflection on the McCain story), just as an example of a paper generally considered to be good, but the issue here is (as I'm sure you've also experienced) that at the same time the NYT does have extensive and good reporting on many fronts, so I don't like to throw out the baby for the bathwater, cut off my nose to spite my face, etc.. It is really vexing though. I noticed the British papers, I suppose because they are once removed so to speak, include amazingly bad inaccuracies/outright falsehoods, way more than I would have imagined, and I'm speaking here of the London Times and other credible organizations. I don't recall which of the British online papers it was, but I recall one pointing poll figures incorrectly, using numbers I recognized as valid for one particular set of questions but they misapplied those numbers to an entirely different set of questions (for which the results were quite different) to create something completely wrong, whether by atrociously careless accident or conniving deceit (who can say?),

     

    Anyway, it is indeed vexing.

  25. Musings on Random Musings

    in Non-Gaming Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Musings on Random Musings

     

    I will agree most musicians, particularly those who write/produce/create/perform work, harder than the public (in this case, me) give them credit. That doesn't change my opinion that Madonna annoys me, nor does it change my opinion that she's a bad actress and a writer/performer of songs I generally don't care for, or that she's craved attention her entire career and often looks silly as a result.

     

    I will strive to use more accurate adjectives in the future :D

    Heh, I have no "objective" or passionate objection to your "adjectives" or either yours or Cancer's descriptions, especially not being a huge fan of hers. :)

     

    Though I should "admit" for the record, I like a substantial portion of her work and vocal style.

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