August 6, 2014

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 6, 2013, on-line dating words.
Five years ago today: August 6, 2009, music talk.
Ten years ago today: August 6, 2004, Colorado drought.

           N’yuck, n’yuck. The band does it again with “Sweet Caroline”. Whilst I thought their taste in music was improving (silly me) it turns out this tune is used as a crowd cheer for some sportscast or other. No, despite the fact there are, on average, only five days per year when there is NOT a major league game on TV, I have no idea where you’d find this one. Anyway, you guys, that's one strange criteria to pick a song. I have completely dissected the bass line and put it back together right. Another coup d’etat for the stage darling. Keep it up, and I'll be calling them "my backup band".

           I have always been a fan, but let me tell you a few things about old Neil. First, he’s not that much older than me, so don’t be calling him old. Here he is last year, and you can’t beat that for 73. He sure don’t look like the crowd at the VFW, is what I’m saying. Mind you, I do detect a few parts of this photo that are not quite as old as old Neil himself.
           Neil has the right idea. If you can sing, forget trying to hold a band together, you don’t need the headache. Find one musician willing to go out and get the right people for the job when you need them and turn the chore over to him. The good musicians are out there and have the same idea. If you are going to record, no titanic studio sessions, instead treat it like dating a lady over thirty. In and out, then disappear the hell lost before anybody sees a thing that might wreck your chances with a real babe.
           Thus, I have been a Neil Diamond fan since I was around twelve years old, but did not identify with his style (solo studio vocalists) because I was trying to form my own band at the time. He didn’t have a band. It was mostly the radio and with my first girlfriend, a Norwegian natural redhead (wow what I would not give to have that again) listening to 8-track tapes in her older sister’s Mustang in the driveway. Neil is famous for consistently sold-out concerts since 1971. Got that, Grateful Dead, s.o.l.d. o.u.t.*
           What I did this time, since the bass line is mainly single repeated notes, was reduce it even more behind the vocals, making the rare transition runs stand out somewhat emphatically. The objective is to make the tune sound weaker (or too weak) if this new bass line is left out. Just don’t overdo it which is oh so tempting on this song. But where I cash in is the repeated measures. It is well-known most bassists have a stark inability to stay on a note without droning. This flaw is completely absent when I play, so of course I push it to the limit. There are also some clashing disharmonies that too many bassists leave out.
           Overall, the band has once more left me an opening to show off by simply not showing off. Hey, it’s what I do best, okay. If you don't like it, go write your own blog. This one ain't for liberal sissies.

           Another day with no camera, but hey, the original of this blog went fifteen years without those. If you see any, it is your lucky day. Diagrams don’t count. I was up early and I’ll tell you why that is important enough to write. When I grew up, I was infused by the completely false advice that there was some virtue to waking before sunrise. I now know the number of idiots who say that. One should rise at the optimal time that suits ones physiology. I then endured a career ruled by the alarm clock.

           So I figured by retirement, I’d sleep in all the time. However, by retirement, your time is running out. Sleep wastes that time. This isn’t my motive right now, but I can see how important it will become in the short run for me. Early means I biked to Senor Café again for desayunos. I ordered quietly but these two table-loads of nearby Latinos spoke up. One was really old people (calling me “seer” as in “sir”) who said I had a “perfecto” classical Venezuelan accent. Since this has happened once before, long ago, I take it at face value.
           The other was a group of burley construction laborers. “You’re working it, man”. They were nearly laughing saying I would “never go hungry in this town”. If, they said, you can order breakfast like that, I’m going to get the best. Nearly laughing as in suppressed chuckles. They also mentioned I spoke “old” Spanish, “farónico”. If you are new, I learned my Spanish in the early 90s from a coloring book. Why, I still have three of the crayons that I've not eaten yet.

ADDENDUM
           Maker Faire still has no events scheduled in Florida. They do Africa, but Florida remains too primitive for them. They have an exhibit in New York on September 20, but I’m squinting at the $60 admission fee. What’s with that? The nearest show I’d care to see is in Tennessee in the middle of September. It is billed as a mini-Faire, so does that mean a small show or small exhibits? One I’ll pay to see, but not the other.

           Meanwhile, I’m looking at how others get the high electric motor speeds down to the robot standard which appears, I say appears, to be six inches of forward movement per second. Gears are pretty much out since I can’t manufacture them, although I’m watching the 3D printer people. The next best alternative seems to be pulleys, in particular double pulleys which are two diameters on a single shaft.
           I’ve allocated eight hours to study this option. The recommended knot for tying the pulley string (these are small pulleys) is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone recommend a granny knot. As for power, the most common is a pack of 1.2V nickel metal hydride (NiMH) cells, of which I of course do not own any. They appear to be encased in green plastic but otherwise the same dimensions as standard dry cells.
           These batteries require a special charger, think fifty dollars. The cells must be discharged before recharging and “balanced”, probably something to do with the cells being rigged in parallel. Remember? We just learned that y’day.
           I have not ruled out gearboxes but I have an aversion to store-bought. I’ve found a good starter model, the Polulu 89918 which can be configured to four different ratios. I have to start somewhere. Anyway, take a look at these links to see the results of my research today.

* This is totally suppressed information, but if you are wondering why the Grateful Dead did so many "free" concerts it is because that is how they repackaged and re-billed their failed concerts. When you give away free stuff, you soon get popular, maybe even develop a mindless cult following. Right, Barack?