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Stavro Arrgolus's Blog

Topic: Editor's Blog- (1/5) What Is That In The Road? A Head?

 
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-21-12 04:26 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
January 5 - 2:45 am EST

O n the twelfth day of Christmas, Satan gave to me...12 Rubber Hamsters™...


Actually, she gave me crap health and no relatives. But that's as may be.

I've mixed feelings about not being able to send a bulk e-mail this year. Mainly because few showed up when we sent out one last year. Maybe interest in this genre of music really does come in cycles as it's been suggested. Membership maxed out at 479 and are now trickling away as they always do after Xmas.

Wayne needs to change the '7' on the homepage to an 8. Or allow me to. It looks like we never update the homepage text. Oh, wait... No, that needs to get fixed. Things can't look dated on 'teh internets' or people lose interest. It's bad enough we haven't updated the history page in 6 years. I've already forgotten the details I wanted to add to it. And I do my best work right now at 3 am.

Although my show making record's been crap, I've been doing other things besides merging song pages and stomping spammers. I've been adding news pieces to the site, so have a look at them occasionally. Does this type of news fit well with the site? Do you have your own bright ideas? Hmm? I'd like there to be more flexibility in the page structure. There could be an option for more than one picture and the ability to caption them.

Going to make a new blog stack starting next post. This one began with Thanksgiving and ends with the New Year. Maybe the next one can announce the completion of a show. Ha!..no, wasn't serious. I had a look, and it turns out that the hygiene-themed MMS was next on the list before the holidays. Script & playlist are done and it's ready to record. I'm currently in no condition to make it, but after recovering a bit and doing certain horrible chores, I'll get on with it.

I'll just stay in bed & edit the site for now. I need to save my energy to unclog the toilet. I'm going to need a shovel for that soon. It's piling up and it won't go down. This is one of those times that having no sense of smell is an advantage.


December 26 - 2:30 am EST

Sleep. Watch TV. Consume. Obey. Work. Sleep.
It's a good thing I don't listen to her these days.

As you are all too aware, my cunning plan for Xmas shows got stomped like a narc at a biker rally.

Here's the new plan. When I'm feeling better, my back lets me out of this bed and depending on how I feel, the Xmas shows will be reconfigured (their scripts were finished weeks ago) and recorded. "Viscount Vyslo" will take 161 and I'll do the rest. This is really just a test to see which voice style sounds better.

The shows will be quietly released one by one and, like all the others, will be available to listen to anytime. The 'guests online' page told me long ago that people listen to the stuff all year round.

Time for a random observation... Did you know that if you're not a kid, Xmas is an entirely group-driven holiday? All the obligations - toys, cards, decorations, etc., have to be seen to because there are those in your group that expect it of you.

But what if you no longer have a group? Suppose you outlive everyone and your last living relative died seven years ago. You find that Christmas - and holidays in general, mean precisely dick to you. Xmas ended just over 2 hours ago and I felt no "Christmas Spirit" the way I had for decades. Nothing, nada, bollocks. I've had the decorations up for weeks, but these days, they seem more and more meaningless to me. They're just a reminder of what time of year it is when I forget. Only the music makes it mean anything. I always liked the music.

If I can get through to Wayne soon, some fixes & alterations are long overdue. Like the podcast feed that's disabled and won't let the 'cast go out to iTunes. The banners on the homepage need updating and the radio feed needs to be switched back to the top 1000. That sort of thing.

Membership max.: 479


December 21 - 11:45 am EST

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction...
No Mayan apocalypse. At least it made the media happy for a while.

My breathing is weak & shallow, my back is killing me and it's severely interfering with my show plans for Xmas. Because of this, I've had to go to Plan B - Break up the Xmas shows into Mad Music Hours that are less taxing on me to make. The shows are relatively fun to make, but my incapability to focus for very long makes it difficult. Because shows were already assembled, I needed only to break them down, re-record a few spots and create many MMH instead of just two MMS. By the will of Cthulhu, I'm going to try to make one tomorrow...and a hour show each day until I run out of the material I've amassed for this. Wishful thinking. Gotta make the attempt.

Luke Ski has asked me to post his Dementia Revolution Xmas Special for him and a FuMPcast. Wayne would have to approve of adding DR and the FuMPcast and make a show page for it - something I can't do. I don't have the access and thus, can't make pages. It'd solve a lot of problems if I could. Hmm... maybe I can just add all of it as a single special.

I've altered & updated the annual holiday bulk e-mail from last year and attempted to send it myself when I didn't hear from Wayne about it. The site's bulk e-mailer immediately errored out upon the attempt. No Xmas returning members for us, I suppose.

MMH-159 never appeared on the main show list and vanished when 160 was posted. You can still hear it; you just have to hunt around for it a bit. Here's a direct link - www.madmusic.com/playlist.aspx?Show=MMH-159

Since there's no Mayan apocalypse and there are lots of Xmas shows to hear with more to come, there's no reason not to have a drink (or whatever) and enjoy all the great Xmas tunes. Merry Christmas and all that.

Update 12/25: 475 members as of Xmas.


December 16 - 3 am EST

It's three in the morning and I can't sleep, so it's time for a site/show update.


Show 161 will be recorded this weekend and into Monday if necessary. I had another "no sleep" night last night and was a zombie all of Saturday. Can't record shows when you're a zombie, so I'll start later today. Expect it to be posted between Sunday & Tuesday.

The annual holiday bulk e-mail from last year has been updated by me to fit this year. I can't get through to Wayne to send it. I have admin power to send it myself - assuming it doesn't error like some of the other admin functions do. I'll attempt to send it myself if he continues not to respond.

The other thing that needs doing is the 70 x 125px logos on the homepage For TMMS and TMMP need to be altered to fit my name & logo - since I'm the one making the damn things. This, at least, I can see him not wanting to let go of, but it needs to be done. There should also be logos on the main show pages. The fixes can wait until after the holidays.

The more astute of you may have noticed the lack of snarky titles for my Xmas shows' segments. I'm still learning to make shows properly, so the titles will be held off on until the new year.

Lastly, in the off-chance that any new joiners are reading this, before you forget about the site after Xmas, look around a bit more. There are videos to be seen and forums & news articles to read. Lots of potential participation to get in on. So don't bail on it all too soon.


12/12/12 - 11:30 am EST

S o my ancient toilet is hopelessly clogged with no help from anywhere coming; spending hundreds on a plumber is a last resort. The best advice I've read is to pour boiling water in there and let it dissolve the clog. They even suggest using dishwashing liquid first to make the shit more slick.

I tried these things more than once and what did I get? Shit soup. Very aromatic. I'm sure it's a big hit in Bangladesh, but I could do without it at Xmas. After my medical adventures, I have virtually no sense of smell left, but I can smell shit soup. As a cancer patient on Social Security, I'd rather not pay a 'professional' some ludicrous amount (that I don't have anyway) to 'snake out the pile'. Imagine how much worse it would be if I had one of those useless low flow toilets that defeat the purpose by having to flush them twice to get anything to go down, let alone this mountain of Lincoln logs.


In cleaner news, MMS-160 is up and it isn't at all shitty (that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it). Unfortunately, show 159 never showed up on the main show list page and is now inaccessible by conventional means. I can't even get new show logos for the homepage since Wayne won't answer my mails (or Emi's). I can't even call him as the number he gave me was lost when my PC died last June. My backups didn't include the number.

Time to take matters into my own hands. The annual Holiday bulk e-mail hasn't been sent yet because I can't get through to him - but as an admin, I have access to the bulk e-mailer. I can't stagger the messages to stop everyone from appearing at once, slowing down the site, but I can do it. Maybe Dave AuJus can help me a bit with the look of the mail. He's getting really good at those banners. If Wayne won't respond to my mails, I'll send the damn bulk e-mail myself, thus saving (or destroying) Xmas.

Though what I hope is that all this fuss will help get his attention. ...I've become too optimistic in my old age. I just had another birthday last week. I could swear I had one just last month. Time isn't just flying these days, it's vanishing entirely with no memory of where it went! CRAP! Crap, crap, crap, crap.....

In better news, show 161 is coming along and will be posted between Sunday & Tuesday (I hope). "Yule love it!" (groan...)


December 2 - 2 pm EST

N ew MMS on the way.


Final assembly of MMS-160 today. Playlist + script. After this, recording. Dave is making the MMP-20 Xmas podcast for this week giving me some breathing room to make this show. Some have made a fuss over their ability to wing it, but I still need a script. God help them when I get better at this (if I ever do) and don't need one any more.



Not that there's been much enthusiasm for it. The site has quite a few shows now and that's a good thing, but what's left of the membership is divided by all the choices. I'm finishing alterations to last year's bulk e-mail so Wayne can use it again this year. It may scare up a few more members. After last year's disaster, I'm not confident any more. We badly need new members to listen to all our shows. I'll send the finished mail to him tomorrow so he can send it out sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, there's a show to be made. I have some requests made with the song page request button to add to 160, so it'll be a more complete show. Got two more shows and lots of room, so punch part of the title into the search function to find the song page (search is quite fast now) and hit the request button for the Mad Music Show. I'll get your request immediately through the magic of 'teh internets'.


November 29 - 12:15 am EST

S o here's how it went. The very things that made me retired/disabled to begin with came for a painful visit and made show-making many degrees of 'not possible'. Good thing the episode was almost done.

Dave wants to make MMP-20. I thought it would be a good idea since it allowed me to catch up on MMS-160 and complete and post 159 though it's rather outdated now. There will still be four Xmas shows. They may just have to be in different forms. When I can get out of this bed, walk to the other end of the house where the quiet room I set up for all this is and get back to it, I will. Just need rest and pills. And pizza...Wait, what?!

When you take lots of painfully necessary meds, The Macy's parade often looks like this:



Now imagine trying to make a show when you're seeing things like that!


November 21 - 4:30 pm EST

Because it's Thanksgiving week, everything on TV is in reruns, so I think I'll join in and repeat here something I wrote elsewhere.

In an attempt to keep the site's flagship shows consistently posted, now that I have some idea in hell how to make them, one of four show types will be made, depending on which I feel up to making. They will be:

The Mad Music Podcast - A half-hour show that must be CC compatible.

The Mad Music Hour - As the name implies, an hour long show. (I'm making one of these now.)

The Mad Music Show - The full 2 hour show for when I'm feeling particularly not horrible, and....

The Mad Music Special - a rare show to be made when 2 hours just isn't enough to cover a theme. It might just have one extra segment; it might run 3 hours or more.

Since all this is tied to my crappy health, you'll never know which one is coming (that will be part of the fun - for me, anyway), though I'm going to make a valiant attempt to keep the upcoming Xmas shows 2 hours each. Though I've made banners for each, I can't get Wayne's attention long enough to have him change the homepage to accommodate all this, much less fix things or prepare the site for Xmas. I've been in contact with him recently and he still has too much to do.

The nasty logistics for the current show are complete and it's currently being recorded/mixed/subjected to unreasonable perfectionism and will be posted before the end of Thanksgiving weekend. Hopefully sooner since the first Xmas show comes right after.

Although there will be request threads for the shows, the best way to request songs for these shows will be to use the request button on the song pages. This sends an e-mail directly to me. I always check the request e-mail folder before I make a playlist. Because of annoying technical issues, if you joined with Facebook, you'll need to go to "My Account" and add a name and hometown (an address is not required, just the name of a place I can read on the show) if you want your request considered.


MadMusic.com wishes you and yours a Happy New Year

Member Comments:

Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  01-05-13 02:46 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
I mention that in the new post. I hope he sees it.

---
Tim P. Ryan:

Only a few more days before Wayne needs to change the ballon on thehome page to 8 years. Happy 8th Anniv MadMusicArchive aka MadMusic.com
Tim P. Ryan   Offline  -  Participant, MP3  -  12-29-12 07:54 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Only a few more days before Wayne needs to change the ballon on thehome page to 8 years. Happy 8th Anniv MadMusicArchive aka MadMusic.com
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  12-26-12 10:59 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Fun Fact: Anime can be therapeutic. I watched some of the new season of Hidamari Sketch last night to get in a restful mood to sleep.
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  12-21-12 02:58 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
You don't need DJ status to upload; I'd have it if it did.

I just woke up when I saw the request, so it got misinterpreted a bit. I changed it in the blog - should be ok now. I uploaded the segments just in case, but they have no show page to connect a playlist to and I can't make a page. Maybe a page for holiday specials can be made. That's what so many join for anyway.
If Wayne would answer my mails, we could sort it out...

---
Tim P. Ryan:

I hate to sound hard nosed about it, but if LukeSki as artist does not have the time to post his shows, then we might not have the time to listen to them. Particulary since his shows are very of the week they are recorded in. Does he need DJ status to be a show poster. The presence of the main FUMPers here is nearly invisible, the only evidence being the regular LukeSpam.
Tim P. Ryan   Offline  -  Participant, MP3  -  12-21-12 02:00 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
I hate to sound hard nosed about it, but if LukeSki as artist does not have the time to post his shows, then we might not have the time to listen to them. Particulary since his shows are very of the week they are recorded in. Does he need DJ status to be a show poster. The presence of the main FUMPers here is nearly invisible, the only evidence being the regular LukeSpam.
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  12-21-12 11:37 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
And it's still clogged. A brown mountain of rabbit pellets. Good thing I have such a weak sense of smell. I may need a plumber after all.
Dave AuJus   Offline  -  Artist & D.J.  -  12-12-12 09:41 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  12-09-12 12:58 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
The bulk e-mail hasn't been sent out yet. I redid last year's mail to fit this year better for him and sent it back a week ago, but I haven't heard from him and he hasn't sent it out.

I have admin access to this function, so, theoretically, I could send something out myself, but I don't have the replacement pictures for the mail and I don't know how to stagger the sendouts so they don't all go out at once and the site doesn't get swamped and slowed by everyone turning up at once like 3 years ago.

Wayne needs to find a bit of time for the site to do this one thing. I'm still recording MMS-160 at the moment. It'll be out by Tuesday or before.
Tim P. Ryan   Offline  -  Participant, MP3  -  12-09-12 12:48 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Membership is crawling up to near 400. And currently the last 100 members to log-in is near 2 and half days. Many visits by many regulars, not so many visits by the irregulars.
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  12-03-12 01:12 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Good. My playlist is complete, but my script isn't snide enough. I'll finish it later today.

I have to burn up the afternoon trimming the bushes in front of the windows behind me here in the living room or the snow will pile up against the windows and you risk breakage when there's a layer of ice on them. This is likely the last warm-ish day I'll have to do this. And the toilet's backed up. Home ownership with no help is interesting...but it beats the alternative.

"Gardening" finished...tiring...

---
Dave AuJus:

MMP-20 "Wreck The Malls" playlist revised, scripted and ready to record. Should be ready in a day or two.
Dave AuJus   Offline  -  Artist & D.J.  -  12-03-12 12:56 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
MMP-20 "Wreck The Malls" playlist revised, scripted and ready to record. Should be ready in a day or two.
jmanforever   Offline  -  Member  -  12-02-12 10:30 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Santa's Coming! "Won't The Carpet Get Awfully Sticky?"

There is a T-Shirt about that subject: www.bustedtees.com/santa

Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  12-01-12 10:07 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
I had to get 159 out ASAP so I would have a bit more time for 3 - 2 hour shows in a row. I've already got on with it and I'm assembling them now. You can post yours as soon as you finish also. Your voice is better than mine...maybe you can make the shows and I can write the scripts and playlists. We'll have to see how it goes.

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Dave AuJus:

Okay. As I said before, I intend to have MMS - Star Trek And Star Wars ready to upload this coming Sunday also. I hope two new shows in the same week is not too confusing to our listeners. I'd like to post my show after you post yours so it will show up on the home page for a week. Then you will have December for the holiday shows. Does this make sense?
Dave AuJus   Offline  -  Artist & D.J.  -  11-29-12 01:23 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Okay.
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-29-12 01:20 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Do you have a theme for the songs? There are so many, that's what I did last year. Usually what I do is take a snide line from a song or just a title that would sound odd (best kind) and use those. Sometimes, one song defines the whole set, so I use that as a title - that's usually just for segment names.

If you need it, I can come up with one. I try to tie it into the playlist so if you want to send me that, it'd be easier.
Dave AuJus   Offline  -  Artist & D.J.  -  11-29-12 01:13 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
I'm working on the podcast playlist right now. What I really need is one of your catchy titles for the show. I have a few songs about shopping. Any ideas?
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-29-12 12:11 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
I hate being ill. It makes it look like I'm lazy and can't do anything. I'm stuck in bed and can't do anything but this. I can finish show 159 but I have to get to the main computer out in the living room to do it. Not happening. Not for a while. Need some rest first.
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-24-12 12:01 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
The playlist for the first Xmas show is complete - it just wrote itself.

Pounded out the details for 159 and recorded them. Mix needs finishing. All this for a one hour show...
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-23-12 01:55 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
The only confusing part will be why there's no show 157. To everyone else, anyway. That "lost" Halloween show will turn up unexpectedly - next spring most likely.

Other than that, it won't be too much longer. Mucho pain today. I may just choose to settle for what I have since every extra moment takes away from making the Xmas shows. It's just an hour long show for a reason.

But it's still only Friday. Lots of time. The Xmas shows practically write themselves. Everyone knows what they want to hear and I won't disappoint.
Dave AuJus   Offline  -  Artist & D.J.  -  11-23-12 01:41 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Okay. As I said before, I intend to have MMS - Star Trek And Star Wars ready to upload this coming Sunday also. I hope two new shows in the same week is not too confusing to our listeners. I'd like to post my show after you post yours so it will show up on the home page for a week. Then you will have December for the holiday shows. Does this make sense?
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-23-12 01:31 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
It's not that much of a turkey. Technically, it's been done for a couple of days, but I'm not satisfied with the mix or all the breathlessness in some of my parts, so I've been adjusting this and replacing that. If I had (live) parrots instead of aardvarks, they'd all be saying, "Christ! This sounds like crap!" having learned it from hearing it so often. I said it would be posted before the end of Thanksgiving weekend. And it will.

As for the content, I knew the others would play every turkey related song there was, so this show is more about meals and eating with the holiday theme thrown in here and there. And it all ends with Arlo Guthrie's 'Massacree Revisited'. Can't be bad.

---
Dave AuJus:

So where is this Turkey show you promised us?
Dave AuJus   Offline  -  Artist & D.J.  -  11-23-12 01:00 PM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Variety IS the spice of life! Sound effects and movie clips can add extra silliness to any show. I'd say go for it.
So where is this Turkey show you promised us?
Tim P. Ryan   Offline  -  Participant, MP3  -  11-23-12 10:43 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Sure, why not? (Can't think of a Monthy Phython related response).

---
Stavro Arrgolus:

Are too many sound effects tacky? Or do you get a pass on a holiday built around steroid filled fowl? Does the seasonal silliness justify audio silliness?
Stavro Arrgolus   Offline  -  Editor, MP3  -  11-23-12 01:34 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
Just the mixing now. After the first show, I became more obsessed with the tracks sounding not too loud or too quiet and fitting in with the DJ part. They got better on the second show.

Are too many sound effects tacky? Or do you get a pass on a holiday built around steroid filled fowl? Does the seasonal silliness justify audio silliness?
peterpuck9   Offline  -  Participant  -  11-23-12 12:18 AM  -  11 years ago
fiogf49gjkf0d
I hope everyone had a happy turkey day!

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