Project Updates & Staying Focused

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Redirections I’m gonna start some projects on my own while I’m on hiatus from work. This is in part to figure out what I really want to do as well as try an find some life focus. Its really missing in my head at this point. Seems like I feel like I’m mostly just being dragged around. So in an effort to figure out what’s really happening, I’m going to give a bit of a push and see what happens.CONTINUE

2023 Update

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So a bunch of updates for this year. I haven’t posted anything here for a very long time. I sold most of my guitars. I only kept the ones I actually play and have sentimental value. Been going through my camping equipment. Inventorying and fixing things. Gave a bunch of clothes away. Fixed my trailer, so I can start hauling away yard refuse. Ongoing upgrades to the Wrangler. Got rid of my Linode server.CONTINUE

Upgraded my Fender Strat with Fishman Fluence pickups

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Just upgraded my Strat with Fishman Fluence single space pickups. I wanted a no-hum pickup that still sounds like single-coils. I really liked the Fishmans I installed in the CT6M and bought a Strat kit. Here’s the result: I also upgraded the tuners to Fender staggered locking tuners. I also replaced the bridged with a Wilkinson/Gotoh VS-100N Tremolo. Everything together has been amazing.

Got the mother of all amplifiers

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I got a new amplifier. I wasn’t expecting it this quickly but Dan at Sweetwater gave me a call and they managed to get it sooner than expected. I present to you the Soldano SLO-30… And yes, it sounds like all the good parts of every other amp people praise. I’ve heard the original SLO-100 in person and its exactly like a small version. Soldano amps are like all the good parts of legendary hi-gain American amps in one unit.CONTINUE

Upgraded the Carvin CT6M with Fishman Fluence Pickups

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I upgraded my Carvin CT6M with some Fishman Fluence modern humbucker blacks. The original pickups where the Kiesel/Carvin Allan Holdsworth HH2 model. The new Fluences are the modern ceramic for the bridge and alnico for the neck. The bridge sound like a typical modern high-output humbucker. The alnico one sounds really interesting and very vocal. I enabled the second voicing using the push-pull tone knob. The volume push-pull controlls the coil-spit which enables the out-side cores on each pickup as single-coils.CONTINUE

New (kinda) Jeep Wrangler

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I bought another Jeep Wrangle. It’s been a while since I got it, but I haven’t put anything about it here. It’s a Gobi desert color Wrangler Rubicon. I used to have a 2-door forest green Wrangle. It was great, and I traded it in for the new Cherokee, almost immediately regretted it. The Cherokee had all the bells and whistles. I like the new one as soon as I sat in it.CONTINUE

Research in the Humanities vs the Sciences

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Quote From One of My College Course Responses The major difference between research done in the sciences and humanities is the kind of information being referenced and how an assertion’s veracity is measured. This is more obvious in the “hard” sciences associated with STEM degrees than in the “soft” disciplines. In the humanities, research is done to construct a consensus on the subject and assertion of the thesis. The veracity of a thesis is the degree and authority of references supporting it.CONTINUE

Currently Listening: LORN

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I’ve been listening to LORN for a long time now and this guys is the best electronic music composer right now. I’m currently have his newest dual-track release GUARDIAN in my play loop right now. The tracks are great. If your interested in electronic music, I think this is referred to as “IDM” music. If you like this kind of music, go check him out!

Taligent and The Software Golden Fleece

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I’ve always been fascinated by the software project Taligent created in the ’80s or early ’90s. It was started by IBM, HP, Microsoft, and Apple and the idea was to create an operating system foundation that all these platforms could use. Also immediately Microsoft exited the project, leaving only IBM, HP, and Apple. Many years ago I read a copy of the project documentation set in a book store chain I worked at.CONTINUE

About the Humanities and Other Controls

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I’m taking another humanities course. Its a little bizarre. The humanities and the academic system that’s grown up around it really seems to be a consensus machine. The people involved are systemizing how art and history is interpreted. I’m not sure its really not just propaganda designed to manipulate people’s opinions and values. There’s an overt demand for you to justify your opinion by explaining how it relates to your personal experience.CONTINUE

Managing Projects and Tools Update

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I’ve really been concentrating on learning Emacs in the SpacEmacs flavor. I’m not using it in vi mode. I’m liking it at this point. Now I need to commit to some kind of task and project management system. I’m tempted to use ClickUp but having only a web interface for the desktop might be too limited. I’m going to look for something that might be available for Emacs that could save to my cloud storage.CONTINUE

Current Development Setup

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I’ve completely updated my software development platform. In some respect I’m trying to make it as portable as possible so I can develop on a remote machine through SSH. I’m maintaining my web site using Hugo. I now use SpacEmacs to do all of the coding for that. I need to re-learn all the emacs semantics. I’ve changed to using a laptop as my primary hardware. It has a docking station with a 4K monitor attached.CONTINUE

Update After a Hiatus

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I’ve been on hiatus for a while. Mostly because I lost the newest version of the source code for my site. I figured out where it was so I can update stuff without loosing the stuff currently on the page. During that interval a bunch of things happened that also stopped me from updating my page. Things should be coming at regular intervals now. Not sure I have a lot to say but I’m going to try and keep writing things.CONTINUE

Kiesel Vader V6 Pickup Upgrade

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I upgraded the pickups in my Kiesel Vader V6. Originally it had the stock Lithium pickups. I switched them out for a set of Dimarzio Evolution pickups. They are a set of the bridge and neck six string pickups. These are the same as the ones on my Jem, but with out the single coil. I was told by a tech from Kiesel said the Lithiums had the same wire polarity as Dimarzio.CONTINUE

Using the Massdrop CTRL Keyboard

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I’m currently using the Massdrop CTRL keyboard with Halo True switches. I installed the Massdrop x MiTo XDA Canvas Custom keycap set with the wolfgang alphas. The keyboard is great and once you figure out how to program the firmware and flash it, there are a bunch of options and RGB LED settings you can use. I don’t usually care about the LED thing, but I did put in a couple of patterns that pulse red like KITT from Knightrider.CONTINUE

The New Look

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Just updated things to a new look. I’m using the Hugo web site building framework. The template is custom. I like it looking like a terminal. Also it looks good in elinks. I realize most people don’t use a console based browser, but I like the idea. If you can be readable on a console then I figure its effective at presenting content. I don’t plan on putting a log of visual content on here when there are better free platforms for that.CONTINUE

Currently Listening: Bathory – Bathory

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4/5 – Interesting to hear this again. It’s been a while.

Keyboard Test: The KDB75

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Installed the Hako True switches and MiTo canvas keycaps on this keyboard. Still getting used to it.

New keyboards to test

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Got some other keyboards I’m going to be checking out. The Vortex Race 3: I really like this and will probably be my backup/QWERTY keyboard. The Input Club K-Type: With Halo True switches, which I really wanted to try out. Like them so much I got in on the stand-alone switch group buy. The back light is preposterously bright.

Currently Listening: Gojira – Magma

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4/5 – Great guitar without the DJENT.

Currently testing the Ergodox Infinity

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This is my current daily driver keyboard. I’m still learning where the keys are with the new layout. Typing speed has gone up, but I find I’m overlapping keypresses and getting letters out of order. So I need to pace my typing. I have two of them, one for home (which is backlit) and office. My home unit has different keycaps for each half. The right one has custom DSA sublimated caps.CONTINUE

Behold! The Apple a1048 Keyboard

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I’m trying this thing: If it works out, I might try and convert the keycaps to cherry MX to put in one of my mechanical keyboards. Its got membrane dome switches and it already seems harder to type with. Its better than the chiclet Apple keyboards though.

Caran d’Ache 849 Review

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Current daily writer is the Caran d’Ache 849 fountain pen. Its very good. The fine tip is a little more like a medium when compared to Pilot and Lamy. Everything is nice and smooth. I like all the colors. I purchased the darker green color. The lacquering is amazing, and exactly the kind of quality you expect with a Swiss made pen. Nice and smooth surface and the hexagonally shape is great.CONTINUE

Currently Listening: Veil of Maya – False Idol

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3/5 – Not bad, some of the tracks have some pretty good hooks. The non-cookiemonster vocals are great.

So why is this site here anyhow?…

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I got this domain, so I figured I should be using it for something. Most of the time I think I’ll be posting article sized commentary and activity updates. Music commentary and stuff about any music related projects I do. I’m going to be trying to create open source and public software projects and will put project status and maybe some commentary on how they are going. At some point it became apparent that most of the work I do, even on “open-source” projects are hidden behind a corporate wall.CONTINUE