Moonage Webdream

Looking at things that probably don’t need to be looked at

Archive for August, 2005

Aug-31-05

Save CBGB! ( Nevermind… )

posted by Moonage

In the late 70’s to early 80’s CBGB’s in New York introduced young, pretty much unknown acts to the US that would come to dominate our youth culture for through the next century.  ACDC, Blondie, The Talking Heads, The Ramones, The Police.  Name any trend other than disco or urban rap, and CBGB is a major part of that trend for 20 years.

Now, due to a corporation taking over the Bowery Street location that houses CBGB, and their total non-desire to capitalize on a US landmark being in their building, they are basically evicting CBGB.  This is nuts.  Mayor Bloomberg needs to declare CBGB a historic landmark and protect one of the most visible displays of New York culture over the last 30 years that’s left.  There’s not much time left according to the website.  And, there’s definitely more critical events happening at this time.  But, if you can spare a few minutes and harass Mayor Bloomberg, it certainly would be worth it.  All of those pictures above were taken at CBGB.  Think for one second which show you wish you had been at.  That is true rock.  That is real rock.  There’s not enough left of that.  I have had desires to take my son to something like CBGB when I visit New York next.  It would really discourage me from wanting to visit New York if they keep tearing down their heritage.  Don’t allow that to happen.  Save CBGB!

Well, nevermind.  CBGB’s is toast. Here’s some memories:

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Aug-30-05

Katrina Relief Fund

posted by Moonage

You can donate to the Red Cross to assist specifically in aide for the victims of Katrina.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE!

I already have donated.  They take contributions as little as $5, so there’s no excuse for anyone who can afford to connect to the internet and read this page not to donate something.

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Aug-30-05

Bush approves Medicare payments for Starbucks

posted by Moonage

In the wake of a new study showing that coffee is the largest source of healthful in the American diet, the Bush administration today announced that Medicare will soon cover visits to Starbucks coffee clinics for "antioxidant treatments."

Now, as I noted in a previous post, I have known that coffee is good for you a long time.  Some people still think it’s bad tho.  That’s not the point tho.  Why single out Starbucks?  They load their coffee with all the bad stuff ( creams, sugars, etc.. ).  Pure coffee in it’s purest form is what’s good for you.  Therefore, any visit to any "clinic" for the purpose of pure coffee consumption should be billable.  We don’t have a Starbucks here, but we do have a couple of little privately owned cafes.  Next time I go, I’m sending my bill to Medicare.  I encourage everyone to do the same.

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Aug-29-05

David Byrnes’s Journal

posted by Moonage
Aug-29-05

The Upside of Katrina?

posted by Moonage

I just couldn’t help but notice this:

New Orleans is devastated, Mississippi’s getting pounded with heavy and damaging flooding on the coast at the very least.  The oil rigs have all been abandoned, cutting off potentially 25% of the nation’s oil supply guaranteeing prices that surged past $70 a barrel will only go even higher in a few days.  The President is talking of releasing some of the strategic reserves.  And, even more damage is promised as Katrina moves inland.

OK, now look at the very bottom of that pic I posted again.  All financial indicators are up.

Surreal.

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Aug-28-05

Men’s ( and some ladies ) Eye Exam

posted by Moonage

This link is somewhat serious, and mostly funny.  If you ever think you have problems seeing very well, this thing is pretty good at telling you what the problem.  My problem more often than not is the last one.

( And do remember, this is not being posted on the Spacedream. )

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Aug-24-05

Operating on Children

posted by Moonage

I read this post today by Lorie Byrd:

My daughter is undergoing her third surgery to treat cholesteatoma in her ear (and hopefully to replace a hearing bone, if all goes well) this morning at 7:15. This is actually her fourth surgery in 13 months (three for cholesteatoma and one for ear tubes) and is her ninth in her five-year-old life. We will need to leave the house at 5:30 to get to the hospital on time, so this will be the last post from me for a while. I should be home Thursday, but probably won’t be blogging again until Friday morning.

I am writing this not only to explain my absence, but to ask for your prayers and well wishes. I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me to know that so many of you were praying for my family over the past 13 months when this latest ordeal began. You would think that after so many times, this would get easier, but trust me, it doesn’t. Thank you for the support you have provided through your prayers and kind comments and emails.

Lorie Byrd

For her daughter’s previous operation, I sent her an email, I think it was, wishing her the best of luck. I also discussed exactly how she felt as my son had a very similar operation planned at about the same time.  He was born with branchio-oto syndrome.  As the fates would have it, he is scheduled for prepping for his second operation Friday.  Kinda weird how my boy and Lorie’s girl are sort of running in sync.  But, that’s not what this post is about.  Lorie points out that it doesn’t get any easier.  And, trust me, it doesn’t.  It totally sucks seeing your child laying unconscious on an operating table with tubes and bandages.  It really does.  Even though you know you’re doing it to make their life better, you feel a deep sense of guilt for putting them through it, even though they don’t feel a thing.  It just sucks.  My heart’s with Lorie.  I know hers is with me whether she reads this or not.

On the up side, my brother was born with very similar issues as Lorie’s little girl.  He had the bones replaced in his ears through surgery that was considered a miracle in it’s day, and just amazing today.  My boy isn’t quite in the same boat, but the total judgement is still out.  Regardless, I know technology can fix his problems, and his parents will do whatever it takes to see that it happens.  Even if they have deal with suckiness of seeing their child laying on an operation table.

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Aug-23-05

Coeds With Colds

posted by Moonage

I have found possibly the dumbest thing on the internet.  Maybe.  I know the bar is incredibly high, but I’m pretty sure I have a candidate here.  Coeds With Colds.  I kid you not.  You get to witness young men and women sniffling and generally feeling pretty miserable.  You get to go to the store with them in search of cold medicine.  Pretty amazing concept.  This truly is one of those dropped-wide-open-mouth pages where you really do utter WTF loud enough for the small children to hear, but you know it’s justified.  As far as I can tell, it’s rated G.  Although I would still strongly recommend you visit this site in privacy.

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Aug-22-05

Moog

posted by Moonage

When I was a kid, about 10 or 11 years old, my cousin Tim, who was a hippie at the time, showed me his latest toy.  It was the most intriguing, fascinating, totally captivating thing I had ever seen.  Ever.  I didn’t know what it was, or what it did.  But, it had wires sticking out of it in every imaginable direction.  At that time, I loved wires.  It didn’t really matter what they did, I just loved the wires.  So, we turned it on, it did nothing.  He then explained to me that it was a synthesizer.  It made sounds.  However, since he couldn’t afford the real thing, he had made this one himself.  It was the first purely electronic musical device.  Instead of playing beautiful notes like an organ would, this thing sounded like rockets going off, guns shooting, slingshots, bells, just about any imaginable sound except what you would expect to hear coming out of a keyboard.  What made it really cool was those sounds could change pitch just like a musical note would.  You could play a melody of gunshots going off.  You could play a rocket lifting off.  You could create sounds no man had ever heard before.  It was cool.  I was totally in awe of this electronic device that combined my love of wires with my love of music.

Some time later Tim came to visit and informed me that he had gotten the real thing and didn’t need his generic any more.  I took it.  For a year or so I wore that thing out, literally.  When I was 14 or 15 or so, some friends and I formed a band and I played that thing as best I could.  Since it didn’t really play music, I had to backup and play a Fun Machine for the music.  But, whenever possible, I would add some strings or something via the homemade synthesizer.  However, it kept bombing out on me and I soon realized why Tim had spent the money to get the real thing.  I soon had to abandon my synthesizer for a more reliable instrument.  I just as quickly abandoned the band entirely because "their" music didn’t suit my tastes in expanded possibilities of music.  It would be many, many, many years later that I would rekindle that same flame via computerized midis.  However, what computerized midis did was allow me the same options I had using Tim’s homemade version of this:

The Moog synthesizer.  Now, whoever’s playing this one isn’t pushing it for all it’s worth.  You could have twice as many wires running.  What made the old Moogs fun to watch was to see how quickly the performer could re-program their keyboard in mid-song.  The early masters included who I consider the all-time rock and roll greatest keyboard player of them all, Rick Wakeman:

Now, Rick didn’t really use the Moog for much other than effect.  But, not only did he have about five keyboards going at all times, but he was re-wiring his Moog in mid-song as well.  His hands would just be flying everywhere making these far-out spacey hippie songs.  Given his druthers, he would just play piano.  Another candidate for all time greatest keyboardist would have been Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.  They did some pretty far-out sounds as well.  Here’s Keith with his Moog and the topic of this post:

That guy on the left is Bob Moog.  The guy who invented the Moog synthesizer.  The ultimate geek.  The man who actually thought you could take the soul and heart of music and apply it with nothing but electricity.  And, he did it.  And, it worked.  Today, most all music is electronically created.  Whether it’s the over-synthed guitar sounds, the enhanced vocals of Britney Spears or any of the "alternative" bands, the ripping of old songs by rappers, or whatever.  That’s all just electronically enhanced music.  The thing I enjoy doing most when I am completely alone late at night is electronically remixing songs I grew up with.   Doing it totally electronically on my PC. 

Doing it purely as the brainchild and concept of Robert Moog. 

Robert Moog died yesterday of a brain tumor.  He was barely 71.

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Aug-19-05

A REAL Land Cruiser

posted by Moonage

I’m also with the Instapundit guys in that I think I would enjoy one of these more:

The JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank.  Now, my favorite car growing up was the 1974 Buick Electra 225.  Actually, it was a close second to my 1974 Gremlin.  But, the reason I liked it was because it was what I thought of as a tank.  I DO stand corrected at this time.  Although that tank is not on my wish list, anyone who wants to buy me one just email me!

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