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Topic: * More Asphalt Aardvarks and Silly Questions
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Started by: Stavro Arrgolus
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Hmm...since I'm the only one besides Wayne who can alter the homepage, perhaps I can get off my ass (Or not. All this snow shoveling just demolishes me - and there's another storm tomorrow. In a month, I'll be laughing about this - if I don't have a heart attack from the shoveling first -, but for now, I'm too exhausted to make shows, though I can still sit here & edit) , adopt Tom Rockwell's FIDIM "Fine, I'll Do It Myself" philosophy and Google how to add HTML5 videos to webpages and add your video myself. Though we'll still need a YouTube channel. As the site owner, Wayne needs to make that. After he takes down the damn Xmas stream banner - it's practically Easter now... But this is something we really need. I have more friends [145] on my MadSpace page (perhaps we should change the name of that) than we have actual active members [99 - as of 7 pm EDT 3/21/2018]. "I think we can do better than that!" Update - 3/22, 1 am: Ok, I looked it up and it couldn't possibly be that easy. But I'll be ready to give it a shot when the time comes.
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Dave AuJus:
OK Stavro - I'll try to come up with a catchy promo for youtube when I get back on full time here. Since everyone dumped "Flash" for HTML5 I haven't been able to post any new banners here.
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OK Stavro - I'll try to come up with a catchy promo for youtube when I get back on full time here. Since everyone dumped "Flash" for HTML5 I haven't been able to post any new banners here.
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I agree with doing some sort of promo on YouTube. Also targeting facebook groups... Twitter even. Anyplace where a promo can be done. It has to be something crazy and something that will grab people's attention. Another thing is the "missing market" and that market is wide open and also on Instagram... Snapchat.... And of course youtube!
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Something silly has just happened. Another first. A bad one. Something I never thought would happen. But nothing's so bad that it can't get worse. Today, I saw an account that joined the site after me become an 'old timer', defined as the first 25 members to join and still maintain active status - and thus appear in red. Why is this bad? Because I joined a site that's more than a dozen years old just over 2½ months after it came online and now there are no longer 2 dozen actives who joined/stayed before that - and this blows goats. Though that could change at any time. Technically, my account should appear as red now. Not happening. I like my teal 'editor' color & it's staying teal. It appeals to the bastardly iconoclast in me. But meanwhile, we now have less than 100 active members. We need a YouTube Channel or something...perhaps just one good/clever/deranged video promoting the site for YouTube & our homepage. We have free shows, thousands of videos and all the info on more dementia tunes than anywhere else. What's not to like? ...Well, we used to have ease of use issues, but Wayne fixed those long ago. What more can be done? ...That wasn't a rhetorical question. I'm actually asking.
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Something silly has just happened. Another first. A bad one. Something I never thought would happen. But nothing's so bad that it can't get worse. Today, I saw an account that joined the site after me become an 'old timer', defined as the first 25 members to join and still maintain active status - and thus appear in red. Why is this bad? Because I joined a site that's more than a dozen years old just over 2½ months after it came online and now there are no longer 2 dozen actives who joined/stayed before that - and this blows goats. Though that could change at any time. Technically, my account should appear as red now. Not happening. I like my teal 'editor' color & it's staying teal. It appeals to the bastardly iconoclast in me. But meanwhile, we now have less than 100 active members. We need a YouTube Channel or something...perhaps just one good/clever/deranged video promoting the site for YouTube & our homepage. We have free shows, thousands of videos and all the info on more dementia tunes than anywhere else. What's not to like? ...Well, we used to have ease of use issues, but Wayne fixed those long ago. What more can be done? ...That wasn't a rhetorical question. I'm actually asking.
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Dementia Is...(or..Why The Hell Is There A Song Page For That?) • Holiday music, whether it's meant to be amusing or not, is the
most obvious example.
It's always separated from other types of music and seems to be
listenable only during the holiday it's made for and is verboten at all
other times.
• Parody - "A skit, spoof, jape or vignette" - whether the
writer's underrated or not. (Had to get a Python reference in here
somewhere). Any song that imitates the style or uses the lyrics of
another song & all other forms that one could describe this.
Parodies of parodies are popular. They're doing parodies of original
Weird Al songs now.
• Both works and artists that classify themselves as comedy outright.
Though often, something calling itself funny is very, very wrong.
It can be easy for artists to get typecast as 'comedy only', making it
more difficult if they want to do 'serious' work at some point.
Conversely, a hilarious song that the artist meant to be serious is also
dementia. Awful lot of those...
• Artists that the culture agrees to be dementia.
Here comes the subjective part. Dementia also includes certain artists
that we acknowledge to be part of it that could also be considered
mainstream. Many examples; Frank Zappa is the one I'll use for this
list. You already know who else...
• Everything Dr. Demento plays.
Of course, this site was originally a Demento fansite before Barry
demanded that it not be, so all the songs from his show are duly noted
here- whether they're dementia or not. I'm thinking of all that crap his
station made him play in the mid '80s. Certainly not dementia and
occasionally not even listenable, but it's here because Dr. D played it.
A technicality, to be sure. It applies only to what's in the playlists
and nothing else.
• Dementia by way of nostalgia.
Over time, songs can become dementia because the times and the pop
culture that go with it (or certain events) have evolved into something
that considers certain songs and artists from the past to be the sort of
thing that now belongs in this archive.
• Foreign languages
Foreigners are funny! They wear silly clothes, do ridiculous dances,
worship animal headed gods with odd numbers of arms and speak
incomprehensible gobbledygook! Sounds like dementia to me. Nø, realli!
..Actually, un PC as it is, certain songs in other languages have always
been considered novelty music and are still considered humorous- if
that Russian guy in the YouTube video's any indication. And that's as far as I've gotten. It's far from
complete. I'll add more to the list when I can think of
amusing/disturbing things to include. And if you've any bright ideas,
don't keep them to yourself. This is the "definition of dementia" list I made a few years ago. It's basically this list of rules I use when defining what's dementia and what isn't. If you've any question if a song belongs on this site or not, for the love of Cthulhu, check this post first.
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A-Log - give them a try now. I just went through the whole filename engine and rewrote much of it. The underscores are gone now, and I re-created all of the ones with an ampersand in them. Underscores have to remain on samples due to the flash version of the sample player. Someday I'll be able to change that (when 99% have an HTML5 browser).
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Noticed something with the mp3s that are annoying me. Other than the added underscores ("_"), there's a problem with the mp3s for artists with the "&" in the name (and I'm guessing in the songs as well?). The "&" is replaced by a "+" and when you try to play it... nothing happens! When you try to download it, nothing happens as well! Can you guys please fix this? I have artists with the ampersand in them, and I'm worried that no DJ would ever play them for air.
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New site function: Now DJs can toggle the 'explicit' rating on & off and it will appear below the title on any of your show pages. If you make those sort of shows, that is.
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fiogf49gjkf0d And now Fidel Castro's dead. I thought he'd never go. 2016 strikes again. And does some good for once.
At least Cuba got rid of their totalitarian maniac...
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fiogf49gjkf0d Ambien is a cruel mistress and nothing should be posted when under its effects - ever. But since when do I ever listen? Oh, yeah right. There's no one left to listen to...
Even so, with all the histrionics, is the answer really that simple/idiotic/fascist?
"There can't be NSFW shows because they can't be played at work or with the kids/wife?" The world is different now and this whole 'freedom of thought' crap has to stop because the '60s/'70s are over? Isn't this 'series of tubes' supposed to make things less oppressive? Maybe not.
I'm a bit out of touch...ok, I'm a lot out of touch.
Here's a sick idea. Sick to me, anyway. I'll give up completely for a while and let the imaginary vampires I made up take over, be silly and make a few way too SFW shows and then see what happens.
"Tyro" will host MMP-43 and it'll be far too SFW.
Count Aarhus Arrgula will host the next MMH, he'll find my take on the theme over the top and take umbrage at the notion that the episode has to be offensive in any way - just because - and make a SFW (but not blood-free) episode.
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fiogf49gjkf0d NSFW or SFW that is the question.
I like SFW because I can share them with my family (wife & kids) and play them at work (to share with my co-workers and not offend customers who happen to hear it). When I host a show, these are the same reasons I go with a SFW format.
Now with that being said, I do listen to NSFW shows including yours. I applaud your anti-censorship stance and your willingness to play all types of demented songs. It's your choice and I support your right to do it. As long as it's okay with Wayne, I say go for it!
Now get off your butt and get that podcast done!
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fiogf49gjkf0d NSFW or SFW
Now for the big question that I can't answer since there are no live people to ask around here.
Which shows work best - the NSFW or the 'clean' kind?
I do what I do because I'm old, cancerous & 70 and I don't care anymore. I don't expect you to understand. The shows I make are always NSFW because I use the entire archive to make my shows without regard to the needlessly young - Screw them! I have to die, but they don't?! They can go straight to hell!
It's my generation's instinct to make so-called 'dirty' shows and it's it's the twisted sickness of today's culture to think of what was fine 40 years ago as 'unclean' now. It's a big step back in our social evolution.
Tyro gets it, for reasons I'll never understand.
So I put the question to you... This thread was originally about silly questions, remember? No, of course you don't. There are only 150 active members left...sigh.
Which would you prefer to hear? NSFW or the squeaky clean.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Time's up. And when Xmas ends, so does our boost in active membership.
Just so I won't forget, the season's low point was 198 and the high point was on Xmas Day (as it is every year) with 306. Yet another new holiday low. In less than a month, it'll be around 200 again.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I know you, Ben, and Emi promote your shows on Facebook. Wayne could do more for the Mad Music Show and Podcasts if he posted regularly. I'll look into the others. Thanks.
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davidtanny:
Several shows are on facebook as groups or pages. Do a search on I Still Get Demented, Mad Music, Kahman's Comedy Corner, A-Log of the Airwaves, Mad Music Top 20, Ben's Wacky Radio, etc.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Several shows are on facebook as groups or pages. Do a search on I Still Get Demented, Mad Music, Kahman's Comedy Corner, A-Log of the Airwaves, Mad Music Top 20, Ben's Wacky Radio, etc.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I have noticed that Facebook will bring some people back here if we (Wayne and the other deejays) let them know when new shows are posted. Listing who is played on the show gets some of the artists to comment or even "like" a particular show. I got lots of feedback on my Halloween Podcast.
DT: Letting your friends and co-workers know about shows couldn't hurt.
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Tim P. Ryan:
3 and a half years to to get 5,000 members, but none are hanging around? What are we not doing. They get some great shows to listen to. "What do you want for nothing? A Rubber Biscuit?".
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fiogf49gjkf0d No, you've got it right. These scumbags make 'sleeper accounts' or whatever they're called so they can spam all at once using multiple accounts. For a site like this, it's pointless. I'm going to get them all eventually - and who on a comedy music site is going to buy their crappy counterfeit shoes, anyway? One would have to be stupid AND have a shoe fetish...
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Dave AuJus:
I'd keep an eye out for this one also. Similar phony looking name and location. They were both on line around the same time. Maybe I'm just paranoid.
www.madmusic.com/madspace.aspx?id=65014
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Stavro Arrgolus:
I got the bastard- www.madmusic.com/madspace.aspx?id=65013
I just didn't put his Chinese ass on the usual thread. If there's more than one, point him out and then...you know.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I'd keep an eye out for this one also. Similar phony looking name and location. They were both on line around the same time. Maybe I'm just paranoid.
www.madmusic.com/madspace.aspx?id=65014
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Stavro Arrgolus:
I got the bastard- www.madmusic.com/madspace.aspx?id=65013
I just didn't put his Chinese ass on the usual thread. If there's more than one, point him out and then...you know.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I got the bastard- www.madmusic.com/madspace.aspx?id=65013
I just didn't put his Chinese ass on the usual thread. If there's more than one, point him out and then...you know.
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Dave AuJus:
Shoe Spammers are afoot! Be careful! One has been suspended and another is still lurking about.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
The next individual to join the site will be #65,000. Hope it's not a Chinese spammer I have to zap.
It took more than 3½ years to get from 60,000 to here.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I guess make 2x3 business cards and hand them out to your friends and workmates?
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fiogf49gjkf0d Shoe Spammers are afoot! Be careful! One has been suspended and another is still lurking about.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
The next individual to join the site will be #65,000. Hope it's not a Chinese spammer I have to zap.
It took more than 3½ years to get from 60,000 to here.
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fiogf49gjkf0d 3 and a half years to to get 5,000 members, but none are hanging around? What are we not doing. They get some great shows to listen to. "What do you want for nothing? A Rubber Biscuit?".
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fiogf49gjkf0d The next individual to join the site will be #65,000. Hope it's not a Chinese spammer I have to zap.
It took more than 3½ years to get from 60,000 to here.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I just watched it and thought they did a good job on the visuals, the music, and paying tribute to Carl Sagan.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Tonight, something very silly indeed will happen. A brand new series of 'Cosmos' will premiere...on Fox. An oxymoron if there ever was one. The network that preaches ignorance and tries to bring the nation closer to a true idiocracy so that the stupid masses won't notice as the rich bastards are running off with all the money is going to host (what was) the gold standard show of science - in the '70s, anyway.
I hope they don't dumb it down too much or pontificate about...certain liberal scientific sacred cows and just do what Carl Sagan did and bring the science of everything to us in a way we could all relate to.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Happy Thanksgiving Stavro!
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fiogf49gjkf0d I Am All Set Now
I Got My latkauskiene And My Dreidel This Time
Sitting On The Table
Happy Thanksgivukkah
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fiogf49gjkf0d Happy 150th anniversary of official Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgivukkah. At least we won't have to deal with it again for 70,000 years.
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fiogf49gjkf0d That's probably just as well. The update have become more insidious with more and more things you have to catch and uncheck before allowing the update so it doesn't hijack your homepage, add unwanted toolbars or worst of all, make it your default player for everything.
But that's not just Winamp. So many 'updates' for this or that do this now. You really have to pay attention to every little detail when you update something now. The bastards are counting on people to not read their sneaky hidden drivel and just click 'continue' or whatever.
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peterpuck9:
I don't think that I've updated Winamp in years anyway.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I don't think that I've updated Winamp in years anyway.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I remember when MusicMatch was a great free music player/cataloger, then they got sold to someone else. I had to switch to WinAmp because Microsoft sent out a software update that basically blocked the MusicMatch software from working any longer. Now that I own an iPod, I pretty much use iTunes for my music librarian but I still like WinAmp for playback as it is fast and lightweight.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Bugger all. Winamp is dead as of next month. Proving the uselessness of AOL once again.
Starting sometime early next year, we'll have to change the player recommendation on some of the pages. One more annoying fix to deal with. It's not like it's going anywhere. We'll still be able to use the player. There just won't be any more updates. This blows; it was very lightweight.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Bugger all. Winamp is dead as of next month. Proving the uselessness of AOL once again.
Starting sometime early next year, we'll have to change the player recommendation on some of the pages. One more annoying fix to deal with. It's not like it's going anywhere. We'll still be able to use the player. There just won't be any more updates. This blows; it was very lightweight.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I think we sorted that out recently be changing the wording of the now inaccurate message.
In other news, this is going to be quite a week for Dr. Who on BBC America. Just marathons of it all week until the special on Saturday. I'm going to sit here, make Xmas shows and watch it all.
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fiogf49gjkf0d If recently left requestors will get an email that their song will be played, then maybe they will web-in again to MM.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Someone keeps requesting the half-hour long classic Firesign Theater bit, "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger". It last appeared in it's entirety in this show I put together for Wayne www.madmusic.com/playlist.aspx?Show=MMS-142 in 2011 if they really want to hear it.
I mention this because the requester is one of those Facebook joiners who I can't play requests for (well, I can and do play their requests, but I can't credit the requester) because they haven't added their names & hometowns to their accounts. It's not their fault. It's a coding glitch that needs repair like so much else around here. There's a lot of that these days, I hear.
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fiogf49gjkf0d So do these silly rules apply to the streaming shows here? Why do they exist anyway? Do they protect artists, record companies, or radio stations?
From being played too much?
Just curious.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Since I have a chart, sometimes playing more than one song in an row by a certain artist is unavoidable. (say, if an artist has back-to-back debuts)
One of my affiliates is on Live365 (On and Off the Wall), and KC Mikey has a script that runs to try to avoid such instances from showing up in the ID3 tags. 99% of the time, it works.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Re: Paul Anka I'm hoping that was a joke.....Otherwise we are doomed.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Then MMS-143 violated it already.
This would be that; it would just be one hour.
Paul Anka?! What was the motivation?
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fiogf49gjkf0d Then MMS-143 violated it already.
This would be that; it would just be one hour.
Paul Anka?! What was the motivation?
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fiogf49gjkf0d re: Peter
Yes, it's true. Can't play more than two songs by one artist in a row,
Can't play more than four tracks from a single album in a three-hour period,
Can't play songs by Paul Anka on a heavy metal rock station,
etc. etc. etc.
It's one of the reasons why I gave up programming a DFSX stream. Too much of a programmer's nightmare to deal with, such as my Johnny Cash tribute this weekend (I'll be playing a dozen tracks from him in a three-hour period).
Stupid RIAA regulators!
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fiogf49gjkf0d I had heard that there is some sort of regulation where you can't play too many things by one artist in a certain period of time on an Internet broadcast.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Maybe if you do an hour that would include an inheritor, like Louis CK. I know I would wait to listen to when I can pay attention to it all. Usually, tMMH/S is listened to while multi-tasking on this computer.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Time for another silly question. Having such a bad memory, I forget if I asked this before...
I wonder if a MMH dedicated only to the work of George Carlin would go over well. It's one thing to have a single artist's music featured, but too much stand-up has never seemed to have been tolerated. Is an hour too much? Even if it's Carlin?
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fiogf49gjkf0d What's next? No more CD cover art?
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Stavro Arrgolus:
No more adding pictures for the news if you add a story; the lawyers are after Wayne again. Every last use of anything has to be credited and permission isn't even enough these days.
This is why we can't have nice things.
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fiogf49gjkf0d No more adding pictures for the news if you add a story; the lawyers are after Wayne again. Every last use of anything has to be credited and permission isn't even enough these days.
This is why we can't have nice things.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Bread & Butter:
After asking for an update for the stats that typically end TMMS, Wayne tells me that we now have - 41,637 song samples, 2028 free streaming shows and 1999 videos.
I'll do the usual rounding for the upcoming show. Anyone else who uses these numbers should update accordingly also.
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fiogf49gjkf0d That's the worst part. I have Malwarebytes. I update it regularly and run it religiously. The same with my Spybot Search & Destroy, Spywareblaster, Windows Defender, Hijack This, Avast! Antivirus and for my browsers I have different versions of AdBlock & NoScript and a host of other browser-based security and I'm still ass deep in recurring trojans. I turn on FF, instant trojans. I'm using Chrome right now. Maybe they get through because of the overkill.
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Tim P. Ryan:
Visit Malwarebytes to get the free program. Actually a 2 week free trial, but a full scan helped to get rid of many things on this computer. I might have to spring for the $25 version, but it will find and kill many items that only get reported elsewhere.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
My FF is lousy with trojans.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Visit Malwarebytes to get the free program. Actually a 2 week free trial, but a full scan helped to get rid of many things on this computer. I might have to spring for the $25 version, but it will find and kill many items that only get reported elsewhere.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
My FF is lousy with trojans.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I've tried out the hosts idea. Gotta do something. My FF is lousy with trojans.
I use Ghostery with no problem on Chrome, but it screws things up on FF so badly I had to remove it on 2 separate occasions. AdBlockPlus works just fine on Chrome as well as FF. At least it does for me, anyway.
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jmanforever:
I still use FireFox, with the AdBlockPlus and Ghostery add-ons on both Windows and Linux. I do believe that both of those add-ons are available for Chrome, I just haven't tried it.
Also, on my windows machine, I use a regularly updated HOSTS file from:
winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
A note about Ghostery: It seems every time they update, they turn back ON certain tracker sites that pay them, or something... I just go re-activate blocking on everything, and don't get tracked. It is a simple matter of going to the Ghostery options, click on "Select All" then "Save" once every couple of weeks.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I still use FireFox, with the AdBlockPlus and Ghostery add-ons on both Windows and Linux. I do believe that both of those add-ons are available for Chrome, I just haven't tried it.
Also, on my windows machine, I use a regularly updated HOSTS file from:
winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
A note about Ghostery: It seems every time they update, they turn back ON certain tracker sites that pay them, or something... I just go re-activate blocking on everything, and don't get tracked. It is a simple matter of going to the Ghostery options, click on "Select All" then "Save" once every couple of weeks.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Something silly is happening with the site. Certain functions are now working better with Chrome than with Firefox. I think Wayne switched to Chrome from FF at some point. Wish he'd told me. Or maybe it's just my imagination....
So it's time once again to use this thread for the purpose I originally intended - to ask silly questions. And here it is:
Have you switched from FF to Chrome in the last year or so?
Or- have you abandoned PCs entirely and switched to smartphones & tablets and such? I have Chrome, but even with security add-ons, it lets trackers through, so I don't use it often. Maybe I just don't have the right add-ons, but that's as may be.
Have you switched to Chrome and if so, what's so great about it that I haven't discovered yet?
Hope that's silly enough for you.
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fiogf49gjkf0d 350 now... I guess you're right. I'm taking this all a little too seriously. Though theoretically, if I can get the podcast function working again and it starts going out to iTunes once more, the potential audience rises just a tad.
But I'm still never joining Facebook. Don't want my private info sold to every company or clandestine govt. agency out there. I get enough spam. And it's not lovely or wonderful.
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Tim P. Ryan:
No, not excessive ego. You have to have extra ego to make a show that potentcilaly can only be heard by current members. Right now that is around 400, eh?
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fiogf49gjkf0d No, not excessive ego. You have to have extra ego to make a show that potentcilaly can only be heard by current members. Right now that is around 400, eh?
Wayne found me on Facebook a few days ago, maybe even within 24 hours of me joining. Guess he has time for that.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Aye!
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Here's another silly question.
If you'd be so kind, have a look at the MMS main show page www.madmusic.com/madmusicshow.aspx
Did you notice? In the days before I began writing the script & assembling the playlist myself, the show was called "Captain Wayne's Mad Music Show". When I started helping with the show, it simply became "The Mad Music Show" (that was nice of him).
So, logically (and somewhat egotistically), since I make the show alone now, shouldn't it be called "Commodore Stavro's Mad Music Show" or is that simply too much vanity on my part? I make the show (when possible) through pain, blackouts, questionable equipment and a thoroughly uncooperative brain. All things considered, it's not an excessive request. I can't ask Wayne; he's not answering my mails...and I'd consider it impolite. So what do you think?
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fiogf49gjkf0d Here's another silly question.
If you'd be so kind, have a look at the MMS main show page www.madmusic.com/madmusicshow.aspx
Did you notice? In the days before I began writing the script & assembling the playlist myself, the show was called "Captain Wayne's Mad Music Show". When I started helping with the show, it simply became "The Mad Music Show" (that was nice of him).
So, logically (and somewhat egotistically), since I make the show alone now, shouldn't it be called "Commodore Stavro's Mad Music Show" or is that simply too much vanity on my part? I make the show (when possible) through pain, blackouts, questionable equipment and a thoroughly uncooperative brain. All things considered, it's not an excessive request. I can't ask Wayne; he's not answering my mails...and I'd consider it impolite. So what do you think?
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fiogf49gjkf0d The PC Police are not welcome here......
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Time for another silly question.
Are 'artists' like ICP and Shirley Q. Liquor verboten in this political environment? Tell me if they make you crazy. I've got shows to make and I want to know where the line is this week.
I just may take a picture or 2 before the season ends.
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Dave AuJus:
I would love to see your decorations Stavro. Use that fancy digital camera of yours and share some pictures with us. If decorating gives you pleasure or is therapeutic, or even reminds you of family and friends long gone, then it's probably a good thing.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Shirley Q. Liquor cracks me up!
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Time for another silly question.
Are 'artists' like ICP and Shirley Q. Liquor verboten in this political environment? Tell me if they make you crazy. I've got shows to make and I want to know where the line is this week.
I just may take a picture or 2 before the season ends.
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Dave AuJus:
I would love to see your decorations Stavro. Use that fancy digital camera of yours and share some pictures with us. If decorating gives you pleasure or is therapeutic, or even reminds you of family and friends long gone, then it's probably a good thing.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Time for another silly question.
Are 'artists' like ICP and Shirley Q. Liquor verboten in this political environment? Tell me if they make you crazy. I've got shows to make and I want to know where the line is this week.
I just may take a picture or 2 before the season ends.
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Dave AuJus:
I would love to see your decorations Stavro. Use that fancy digital camera of yours and share some pictures with us. If decorating gives you pleasure or is therapeutic, or even reminds you of family and friends long gone, then it's probably a good thing.
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fiogf49gjkf0d I would love to see your decorations Stavro. Use that fancy digital camera of yours and share some pictures with us. If decorating gives you pleasure or is therapeutic, or even reminds you of family and friends long gone, then it's probably a good thing.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
But I've the feeling that decorating is silly now that there's no one left to see the Xmas atmos except me. I don't put up a tree. The ornaments do just fine. And no one sees them but me. So, is it silly to continue to decorate?
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fiogf49gjkf0d Ok, this is a really silly question. I'm sitting here watching Craig Ferguson and putting up Xmas decs. For 60+ years, my mother collected Xmas trinkets and tchotchkes and all manner of ornaments and I've been putting them all up around now.
But I've the feeling that decorating is silly now that there's no one left to see the Xmas atmos except me. I don't put up a tree. The ornaments do just fine. And no one sees them but me. So, is it silly to continue to decorate?
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fiogf49gjkf0d Ah, yes. That's the second 'Arcadia' design. I'm sure there's lots of Leiji Matsumoto inspired wallpaper out there to hunt for. I should remember that when 3 am rolls around...
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fiogf49gjkf0d I like having wallpaper on my desktop. It helps to cover up the Blue Screen Of Death that comes with every version of Windows™.
;-)
This is my current wallpaper.
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fiogf49gjkf0d on my PC I use this-->1.bp.blogspot.com/_qg0qAwZ_-N8/TA2uCsNnpzI/AAAAAAAAAIo/dDt2IoF2dNU/s1600/warty-final-ubuntu.png
on my iPod Touch it varies with the seasons.
Terri M.
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fiogf49gjkf0d Time for a very silly question indeed.
Wallpaper. For PCs & devices. Is it still valid in these days of mobile devices and Windows 8, which seems to eliminate it entirely? Is/was it merely functional or something to be looked at?
I've always thought the latter. This is what's on my PC now...
One could think of this as an example of "election results", depending on how things go. What sort of wallpaper, if any, do you use?
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d the plumage don't enter into it, it's stone dead.
(nice picture,though)
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Good work Stavro. Beautiful plumage!
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Nice job Stavro. At least your pirate face is not jaundiced looking like the Captain's face. A little too much yellow I think.
;-) Dave
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Here is one of the drawings made by Chris Pallace for Wayne 6 years ago that were supposed to depict "Dread Pirate Wayne" shortly after Dr. D. called him a pirate. The other drawing, of course, is in the site's header above this post. I added some color to this drawing today and Wayne made my crappy attempt look considerably better. The final result is what you see here. Notice the Norwegian Blue on "retired Commodore Stavro's" shoulder. Yes, it's nailed there. I'm sure you all know why by now.
This proves two things. That I suck at Photoshop and that Photoshop 2.0 works with Windows 7 - but you have to fight with the program a bit.
Fun Fact: Although the name implies it, Stavro Arrgolus is not Greek. The progenitor of the Arrgolus line, Ancient Vampire (Consul Pious) Augustus Arrgolus [circa 600 BC] is, though. His title is Roman, but that's another story. That account isn't used on this site. Only Tyro and Stavro are. Proving one more thing. Making sh*t up = fun.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Announcer: Well, Stavro will be back with more of Wasp Club when he is all better. Meanwhile, here is Jeremy Burke with a new series of Tiger Club.
(intro music)
Announcer (Michael Palin): "Tiger Club" introduced by Jeremy Burke.
Burke (John Cleese): Good evening. One of the main problems in keeping a Siberian tiger in an ordinary suburban..ahhh hooo… (yells) Oh, Christ! There's a wasp in here!
(people running around trying to swat the wasp)
Burke: Quick, before he gets on the tiger! ....Oh, shit!
(yelling, general panic)
Announcer (Eric Idle): Well, "Tiger Club" was introduced by (lion roars, Eric screams)
Announcer (Michael Palin): Before the next joke, there will be a short raspberry
(a short raspberry)
Announcer: And you will be able to hear that again... (wasp sound) OH!!!..oh!!... (running and yelling)
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d I faced the peril, threw the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, and rescued the package without the sort of pain I'm going to experience later in the month. Yay!
I have to drive to the hospital, so I hope the damn wasps stay in the trunk and don't get into the car. Though technically...
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d What the hell happened? Did I edit someone's post at the precise moment it was being posted? That's the sort of day this is bee-coming.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d I'm sure the Iranians are on the phone to Russia & China to try to buy a virus to get revenge on us for Stuxnet. It's long past time we turned that place into a glass parking lot. Vince Vance had the right idea in 1980. Maybe they'll take the wrong people hostage at some point, the bombs will fall and ayatollahs will become extinct. Along with beekeeper suits for women.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Quandary
Today, I bought some meds in preparation for all the upcoming fun of getting my guts ripped open again. I threw them in my trunk and as I did, dozens of wasps poured out. They built a nest in my trunk. I managed to escape, but the meds are still in there. Do I open the trunk and face the peril or not open the trunk and face the peril? Either way it's going to be really painful.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d it's cyberterrorism!!!
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d If this requires logging on the site and getting a message then no nothing happened to my computer. But to be honest I have no idea what is going on.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d With the number of computers currently set up in my house, I may very well could have been affected but don't know it yet. At least this one seems to work.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d I know. It was a trick question. Endlessly amusing, those.
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danny d:
hmmm maybe the proper question should be who wasn't affected. those who were can't answer. so for me,no i wasn't.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
So... was anyone affected by the latest virus that came through the series of tubes from Estonia or wherever? All my firewalls and virus protection are free as I need to buy, you know, food - and oil in winter and other such things. I imagine you guys can actually buy protection from the ravages of 'teh internets'.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d hmmm maybe the proper question should be who wasn't affected. those who were can't answer. so for me,no i wasn't.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
So... was anyone affected by the latest virus that came through the series of tubes from Estonia or wherever? All my firewalls and virus protection are free as I need to buy, you know, food - and oil in winter and other such things. I imagine you guys can actually buy protection from the ravages of 'teh internets'.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d So... was anyone affected by the latest virus that came through the series of tubes from Estonia or wherever? All my firewalls and virus protection are free as I need to buy, you know, food - and oil in winter and other such things. I imagine you guys can actually buy protection from the ravages of 'teh internets'.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d I always wondered where that bus went to. Why would people go there to see a bunch of bastards? ;-)
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Battle's over. E-mail is working again - no thanks to the bastards at Charter who were lots of no help whatsoever.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d And now, a stupid photography trick.
Here is a picture of a car I found on the net-
and here's a picture of my 15 year old 1997 Ford Crown Victoria taken an hour ago -
The difference? Mud flaps. But you have to look closely. Proving once again that people who get new cameras after decades without one just have to take pictures of everything. How ridiculous.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Battle's over. E-mail is working again - no thanks to the bastards at Charter who were lots of no help whatsoever.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d If you have your old computer backed up on an external drive that can be attached to your new computer, you should be able to import your address book and messages. It's a weird path to get to them, but you can get to them.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
Oh yes, almost forgot. Because of the new PC installation, my email has been demolished and I'll be unreachable until I figure out how to set it up again.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Oh yes, almost forgot. Because of the new PC installation, my email has been demolished and I'll be unreachable until I figure out how to set it up again.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d This is more of a stupid observation than a silly question. On Friday, I solved my fried PC power supply problem by replacing the offending PC and planning to replace its power supply when I damn well feel up to it.
The purchase drove home Moore's Law to me again. This machine cost a third of what I paid in 2004 and has 8G of RAM and a 1TB HDD. With the 2TB external drive I already have, that's...um...carry the nine... three freaking TB of memory! Dozens of times more than I had at the beginning of the millennium.
Yes, the slave children at Foxconn have really outdone themselves. They should get an extra bowl of gruel for all this and only be run over by rubber tanks this week.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Congratulations on your insomnia! Woo-hoo!
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Stavro Arrgolus:
And now, post #5000.
Proving conclusively that I'm either very dedicated or have no life; possibly both.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d And now, post #5000.
Proving conclusively that I'm either very dedicated or have no life; possibly both.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d My computer an all its equipment is in a tall and compact cabinet I bought specifically to keep my cat from chewing on the cables. I don't hear the fans - though that may be the tinnitus.
I see this as an opportunity to move the whole rig into a room with more natural light and less ambient noise.
I'd insist on BGM anyway. Unless your show is meant to be spontaneous, it sounds strange and/or incomplete without it. At least that's the sense I get.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d One the shows I did, I had a couch pillow in front of the computer to help quiet it's sound, as I was reading from my computer monitor to do the voice tracks. Then mixed in the background music to help cover up other noises. Other tricks might have been running the voice tracks through graphic EQ to try to get rid of low frequency stuff not needed in the mix.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d One final thought: as Bob stated the better the mic, the more sensitive it can be to background noise. My mic will actually pick up the sound of the fan in my computer if I have it to close. Good Luck!
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Good to know there's nothing else to buy.
I'd want BGM to take the edge off my horrible vocal tone anyway. Even I cringed when I heard it as I did this the other day. The cliché held true - "Is that really how I sound?"
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Dave AuJus:
No you don't need the external mixer. That is mainly for musicians to record different instruments into the computer.
(1) You should be able to plug the mic into the computer and record your voice.
(2) Line up your songs and your voice tracks in Audacity and mix the whole thing down to an .mp3 file.
The only time it needs to be quiet is when you record your voice. So you could do it when the refrigerator is not running (cooling cycle).
There's a noisy fridge 20 feet away and a noisy heat register behind me, both of which I can hear though the tinnitus, so it would seem recording where I am now would be right out.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d No you don't need the external mixer. That is mainly for musicians to record different instruments into the computer.
(1) You should be able to plug the mic into the computer and record your voice tracks in Audacity.
(2) Line up your songs and your voice tracks in Audacity and mix the whole thing down to an .mp3 file. (actually 6 segments) Add effects as needed during your mix.
The only time it needs to be quiet is when you record your voice. So you could do it when the refrigerator is not running (cooling cycle). Also if the mic has a really long cable, you could move as far from the noisy appliances as the cord will let you.
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Stavro Arrgolus:
So if I wanted to make my own ersatz MMS, I'd need a reasonably decent mixer as well. I stupidly though I could just adjust the levels using Audacity or tweak some of the redundant graphic equalizers in my stereo (which all this goes through) and in the software. ...I used to be so good at all this. The tech has long since passed me by. All the things you learn when you ask silly questions.
There's a noisy fridge 20 feet away and a noisy heat register behind me, both of which I can hear though the tinnitus, so it would seem recording where I am now would be right out.
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Dave AuJus:
...It does require a 48 volt power supply but my mixer has that built in.
...You need a good quiet place to record.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d So if I wanted to make my own ersatz MMS, I'd need a reasonably decent mixer as well. I stupidly though I could just adjust the levels using Audacity or tweak some of the redundant graphic equalizers in my stereo (which all this goes through) and in the software. ...I used to be so good at all this. The tech has long since passed me by. All the things you learn when you ask silly questions.
There's a noisy fridge 20 feet away and a noisy heat register behind me, both of which I can hear though the tinnitus, so it would seem recording where I am now would be right out.
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Dave AuJus:
...It does require a 48 volt power supply but my mixer has that built in.
...You need a good quiet place to record.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Yes, having a weak power supply is the reason I can't add a better graphics card to this one. There's a reason cheap PCs are cheap. With the startup problems I'm having plus the comparative pittance I paid for it to begin with, I thought it best to replace it completely this time.
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jmanforever:
...and go with Intel chipsets, and a BIG power supply, not the $15 one.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d I have a couple Shure dynamic mics that I've had for almost 30 years... so I guess they're probably classics too. They are designed for stage work, but also do well in many recording applications. They are perfect for podcasting and can usually be found for a reasonable price.
I also have a Behringer condenser mic. They are made for the studio and reproduce vocals and accoustic instrumentals quite well. For podcasting work, they are very good, but can be troublesome to use, due to the fact that they are quite sensitive and pick up everything... including any vibrations below the mic stand. They also require power to operate, which is supplied through the mixing board.
If I can get away with it, I usually go simple and try the dynamic mics first.
I agree though that the input to your computer is the most important. Sound card inputs generally lack the highs and lows and make the music sound muddy. Some of my earlier recordings are perfect examples of what not to do. I now have USB and Firewire audio adapters (depending on which computer I use) for all my recording needs.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d PDX-DJ1 and I use a Studio Projects B1 Condenser Microphone.
I got it used for around $100. It does require a 48 volt power supply but my mixer has that built in. It's really way more microphone than you need to do a podcast or internet radio show, but I use it for recording music also.
The mic is not as important as the sound card in your computer and the room you actually record in. You need a good quiet place to record. It sounds like the mic you already have should work okay. The tricky part is balancing your voice levels with those of the music. Every song is different.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Thanks guys. All that will be kept in mind when this POS dies. I'm mistrustingly (is that a word?) backing everything up regularly just in case - a good idea at any time.
Now for the next silly question.
The other day, I dug out of my basement a crappy Miura DX-118 microphone from 30+ years ago. I googled it; they call it 'vintage' - ha! I don't even remember why I have it or what I used it for. I plugged it into this craptastic PC (I was shocked that this could even be done), fired up Audacity and by Christ, it worked! My horrifying voice came through the massive ancient speakers here in the living room with disgusting clarity.
This means that, in theory, anyway, I am now in a position to help Wayne with the shows if I can figure out how it all works. Was there a silly question in here somewhere? Oh, yes....
What sort of microphones do you guys use? Must they be expensive to make a decent show?
I can continue to figure out the mysteries of Audacity on my own...
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d If you want to buy a ready-to-go unit, then I would buy a Lenovo. (That's the PC company formerly known as IBM) IBM sold off its personal computer division to the Chinese company that had been manufacturing them for IBM for many years anyway.
If you want to roll-your-own machine, or build one from a bare-bones shell box, then the best deals on parts can usually be found at: www.newegg.com
...and go with Intel chipsets, and a BIG power supply, not the $15 one.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Funny you should mention that. The reason I can't solve the graphics card problem by simply buying a decent card is that I'd need a more powerful power supply to run it. All this sounds very expensive for a cheap PC that's so inferior to what I see in the stores these days. It might cost as much as I paid for the whole thing and still be crap.
But what to replace it with....
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aduerksen3:
Have you thought of replacing the power unit. I had a pc die and although I got a new different one - did a power unit replacement on the old one. They are not hard to swap out. But best to get one that is the same model or similar so it fits in the box and has the right number of connections etc.
Of course if the power unit is going out on the POS - nevermind.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Have you thought of replacing the power unit. I had a pc die and although I got a new different one - did a power unit replacement on the old one. They are not hard to swap out. But best to get one that is the same model or similar so it fits in the box and has the right number of connections etc.
Of course if the power unit is going out on the POS - nevermind.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Price + limited games.
I thought gaming wouldn't be an issue when I bought this POS I'm using now. My games ground to a halt or crashed and I discovered the importance of a decent graphics card. Amazingly, sometime you really do get what you pay for. After all that, the last thing I want is to limit the games or software I can have on a new machine. Gonna bite the bullet & buy quality...if it even exists these days. Hence the silly question.
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Why unwilling to get a Mac?
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fjrigjwwe9r2threads:MessageText fiogf49gjkf0d Three years ago, my PC failed (got it working again recently; it's like a trip back through time) and I eventually replaced it with a crap PC so I could edit the site without having to go to the town library every time I wanted to keep in contact. It's now having power problems and I want to buy one that's not crap - i.e, one with a decent graphics card. I've no need for a laptop or tablet since I never go anywhere.
Here's the silly question: Is there a decent PC (I'm unwilling to get a Mac) brand that's better than the others? I've searched the net and the results were inconclusive at best. Is it no longer economical to build your own?
And if you're wondering, yes, this is (at least partly) a stunt to generate more forum traffic. Oooh, aren't we devious, then?
If you have a silly question, this is where it goes.
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