Sunday, December 30, 2012

the DAR.FM service is down :-(

This is the web site I use to record netcast radio stations and is my favorite source of music.  I wonder if this is for maintenance or if it has gone out of business?

12/30/12 10PM PST update: rumour that the site will return on Jan 1
New Year's Day: it's back up!

Another Rosenfeld hits the mark

Seth Rosenfeld's Subversives is a tremendous book about the rise of radicalism at Berkeley in the early Sixties, the history of the FBI and the rise of Reagan.  I'm about half-way through the book and could not recommend it more for anyone who wants to understand how J. Edgar Hoover manipulated our history, how Reagan rose to power, and where student radicalism originated.  This Rosenfeld is a friend of a friend and comes highly recommended.

listening to solo piano by Craig Taborn

Avenging Angel is a superb, although austere, release - highly recommended!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Art Rosenfeld adds another top prize to his list

President Obama honors Berkeley scientist (and my former boss) with top award for spear-heading energy conservation research.  It can be legitimately argued that Art reduced US business and family spending on energy by $1 trillion over the last forty years.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

birthday concert

Considering going to Hopmonk in Sebastopol to listen to Charlie Hunter , he of the custom 8 string guitar, and Scott Amendola, an awesome drummer!

Friday, December 14, 2012

The A Team

I'm taking lessons in the Alexander technique.  This came about because I became aware of postural and tension issues in the course of meditating and as contributors to frequent headaches.  Its a good way to learn a more natural way of moving and sitting and I highly recommend it!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

TV--

I have reduced my TV viewing time each week recently in order to do more things that are more valuable to me.   As of this week I am ditching The Good Wife and Parenthood.  I think both have been dumbed down this season and aren't worth watching any more...  Still interesting to me are Homeland, Bill Moyers and Democracy Now - go figure :-)

Image is what matters

Reading further in Aaron's blog I found some cool things about QR codes and vCards.  Let me say right off the bat this is really nerdy and mostly for sadams.uk and co :-)

I plan to use the ZFS file system on Linux some day

When I do, I will reference this series of how tos by Aaron Topence.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Will Bernard Trio

Will Bernard and his trio are playing December 13 at the Sweet Water in Mill Valley.  I bought a ticket!

Update: fun show, great venue!  Tip: they are playing a long late-night set tonight in San Francisco, augmented by the Jazz Mafia Horns, which should make for a great night of greasy, funky soul-jazz!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Kelly ends swing classes at Al Monte after 25 years

Sara and I plan to attend the celebration tonight

Dreams

Last night I dreamed I visited a high tech research lab. Most of the dream was about my attempts to turn off the systems by voice control and face recognition.  At the end I noticed a pre-release version of a secret new line of Vaxen.

I woke with the song "Someone That I Used to Know" running through my brain... :-)

Saturday, December 1, 2012

cozy rainy day

On a grey and rainy day, Sara and cuddle up and watch more of the transcendently expressive US Open Swing Dance Championships - lyrical, musical, sophisticated, beyond any West Coast Swing dancing we've ever seen!  Ordered the DVD and plan to show it to friends - it can be appreciated without a background in dance!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Rick Phillips and Styx in Oroville, Feb 9

Rick is a lifelong friend and the bass player in Styx.  Ross said the show he saw was very entertaining! GO PROG-ROCK!  Gold Country Casino show

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Time waits for no one.

"The tantalizingly almost relevant is the enemy of excellence."  - Buckminster Fuller

"You won't get anything important done if you read magazines."  - Gregory Bateson

"Kill your television."  - Jerry Mander

Smart Glass reduces energy consumption

View, Inc.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

updates to recent posts

Reality creeps up on Dan Suarez's Kill Decision:
NPR's Fresh Air on drones includes discussion of swarming drones
- news reports have China testing drones

I was too busy to make it to the LBL energy symposium and therefore did not see my old colleagues :-(

Post-surgery is going very well!

Other music radio shows I listen to:
- Music From Other Minds on KALW-FM: contemporary classical and experimental
- Sara Cahill's classical and contemporary show Here and Now on KALW-FM

"*Gates": the absurdity of McCain continues on Libya and I just finished the definitive debunking of the so-called Climategate: The Hockey Stick and Climate Wars, a superb book!

I recommend the David Geffen episode of American Masters

I found it very interesting, especially the history of relationships with musicians:
American Masters at PBS

solar photovoltaic prices are dropping steadily

Lawrence Berkeley Lab report

Sunday, November 25, 2012

US Open Swing Dance Championships online

We're watching it on http://www.globaldance.tv/ ($35 for two weeks viewing)

Berkeley Energy and Environment meeting

Tomorrow at 7PM Lawrence Berkeley Lab is hosting an event at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre with solar refrigerators for the Third World and personal power grids; colleagues from my previous career will be there, as will I.

DJ gig at Redwood Empire Swing Dance Club

It was fun and not an excessive amount of work to DJ at the club.
I have not done this since the Nineties!  Noticed that VLC no longer
allows single-digit speed percentage adjustments...

Sunday, November 18, 2012

radio music shows I listen to

I use dar.fm (Digital Audio Recorder) to record several radio shows that are netcast.  My favorites are Tangents (Tangents Radio) on Saturday nights 8-midnight Pacific time on KALW-FM, the four hours of jazz on KPFA-FM on Saturday afternoons, and Thursday nights' eclectic/Americana on KPFA-FM.

On Naps

The first step of recovery from crazy-making ways back in 2001 was sleep.  I had been sleeping only four to five hours per night while under very high stress. I instituted full night sleeping and that was instrumental in mental and emotional stability.  For the last few years I have been sleeping about six to seven hours plus a one to two hour nap.  Recommend it!

Post-surgery pain

ouch!

I like this organization

Metaintegral

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

"*Gates"

Comparisons of the embassy attack and other events to Watergate and Iran Contra are so far fetched that the speakers seem out of touch with reality...

the distribution of political influence in the USA

Obama won the popular vote and the electoral vote.  The Republicans won the House.  Ryan now complains that the urban vote is the reason Romney lost.  While I could focus on the racial elements of that comment, I can also take it on literally.   Is it fair that more votes were cast for Democratic House members, but the House is controlled by the Republicans?  Is it fair that the rural states with low population, which voted for Romney, have two Senators, the same as states like California and New York?   Is it fair that the top 1% of the economy can contribute unlimited funds, which vastly exceed what the lower rungs contribute?

Friday, November 9, 2012

Odd election results

Speaker John Boehner on Friday pressured President Barack Obama to take the lead on a deal to avert tax increases, saying “this is an opportunity for the president to lead. This is his moment to work on a solution that can pass both chambers.”  - Politico

it is odd to respond to the election by asking the president to lead by adopting Republican talking points...

Also, the Charlie Rose show from election day was re-broadcast last night and is inconsistent with the election as well..

backing up Galaxy phones

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/11/05/how-to-back-up-your-samsung-android-phone-to-pc/

open hardware and software extends your car!

http://openxcplatform.com/

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Teahadists

All these years we've thought that the likes of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh damaged democracy with their refusal to give air-time any opinion that challenged their own. Instead, it seems that, by conducting their debates in an hermetically sealed echo chamber, the Teahadists have marched off into the electoral wilderness.  - Billy Bragg

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Peet's sold

I bought Peet's when it when public for about $8 more than ten years ago;
I sold it for a small profit.  Now the company has been taken private at $75!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Friday, October 19, 2012

GoodReads web site

goodreads.com is a service I recommend for recording your reading habits and sharing them.  You can maintain "shelves" of books, such as read and to-read; you can write and read reviews and see recommendations.  Users can share their ideas with others - join me there!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Friday, October 12, 2012

Friend search

Looking for Jackie Jarvis and Les Pembroke and Tom Alexander (saxophone/Berkeley)

Monday, October 8, 2012

Kids These Days

via Gregory:

"I remember a few years back, when my son was about 7, he asked me "did you watch Cartoon Network when you were my age, dad?"
I replied "When I was your age, we had a black and white TV, with 3 channels. There was nothing to watch in the morning or daytime. There was about 2 hours of children's TV in the late afternoon". He thought about this for a bit, then said "you must have spent a lot of time on the net, then".

Sunday

Nice day of meditation.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

bi-e-reader ;-)

How to install Nook app on Kindle Fire

do Bal dancers go rock step hold step walk walk

when they hear Dylan's new tune "Duquesne Whistle"?  Well, it's at least a toe-tapper...

apt quote

The Buddha did not formulate his teaching for spectators.

Return to blogging after 11 year hiatus

In the Seventies and Eighties I participated in UseNet and various email lists.  In the Nineties I published an email newsletter called Metaphorage/Metaforage.   For about three years from 1999 to 2001 I published a blog by the same name.  I then went off-line for a year or so and returned in read-only mode for ten years.  For the last year or so I have participated in Facebook and Google+.  Now I have revived my blog as Metaphorage2.  I will reduce my Facebook posting and move over here more general, political and philosophical topics.    More to follow...
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