Knuckledragger

Prey, the cult FPS with a colorful history is now on the Mac App Store for $3(!) It used to be on Steam, but Valve ran out of keys ...permanently. One of the other DDL sites had a stack of keys but those are gone as well. It is possible to get a Mac version of Prey DVD on the used market, but it is my understanding that the executable on the disk doesn't work with newer versions of OSX. The Mac App Store version has none of these problems.

Woo Audio Audio woo

"These are 3D renderings of each GOP candidate's vote-approval rating in this year's presidential campaign. They're also functional sex toys." Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman, respectively: Ron Paul still looks like the least painful choice. You can get a complete set for $350.

Still one of my favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvfDqF0-2yg

Reddit's /r/pics is basically 4chan these days.

The CS8412 arrived yesterday. Late last night I installed it and the first 12AX7 I could scrounge into the CAL Sigma DAC. The installation process was relatively painless. What I've observed is that the Sigma wants a good 45 seconds upon being powered up before it will do anything, but then it locks on to the SPDIF output from my Edirol USB interface with no drama at all. I've had it running most of the day today and I've observed a few things: First, the sound is quite good. In fact, other than having a slightly hotter output, I can't barely differentiate between it an my Quad 99 CDP-2. Not bad for a design originally from 1990. Of course, the similarity in sound might have more to do with me having tin ears. Secondly, it runs surprisingly cool. The 12AX7 kicks almost no heat at all. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the Sigma yet. Maybe I'll tuberoll (lie) or chip-roll (bigger lie) it. As of this writing I have ...six DACses in the house. I'm becoming Dinny writ small. In any event, this first blunder into DIY was relatively painless, even if it was essentially a training wheels session.

Oh, snap. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic AKA KOTOR and Jedi Outcast are now available for OSX on Steam. They're both 25% off now, but will doubtlessly receive a bigger discount during the Steam summer sale.

Monoprice for just about everything that's not analog audio, and Blue Jeans for that. EDIT: I should add that this eBay seller makes really good balanced cables, and is probably cheaper than BJC.

Dubya wanted to be the Baseball Commissioner. In the running for the most WTF thing I have ever posted here.

No problem. I'd go check it out and try to photograph it myself when I head out there next month, but I'm afraid it's on private property. Up Island has become the Hamptons of the Vineyard. Tangent: For about a decade now, I've wanted to run an web-based record label out of Chilmark, MA called "Chill*Mark" that specializes in downtempo. Unfortunately, Chilmark is the most expensive town on the Vineyard, for a host of reasons (not the least of which is that it has the only nude beach on the island.) Even getting a PO box is a Herculean task. Most of my MV relatives are either dead or have moved off island at this point, but when I asked one of the few remaining relations about getting a box there, she laughed at me.

Sup, Heads? My radio show is on the air right now for a special Bonus Beats session, in Case you wanted to listen.

When I posted this originally, I forgot to include my notes on it. It's Midtown Manhattan (durr) in 1939, taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt. It shows a profound knowledge of architectural photography as well as great skill in composition, exposure and printing. You can see just a tiny bit of shadow in the upper right corner which is the result of the image circle provided by the lens failing to cover the entirety of the film frame. This is a result of pretty substantial lens shifting in order to produce correct perspective. Notice how the skyscrapers appear to be standing bolt upright and not falling over backwards? That is the result of careful adjustment with a 1930s large format technical camera (or as it was known at the time, 'a camera.') Eisenstaedt had quite a career as a photographer, and he's really not known for his architectural work. He photographed the moment Hilter and Mussolini met for the first time: That historical moment would the make a name for any photographer, but it's still not Eisenstaedt's most famous frame. That'd be his iconic V-J Day photo: Even people who know nothing of history or photography recognize this shot. Old Alfred was born in the end of 1898 and lived until 1995, spending his later years in my stomping ground: Martha's Vineyard. Tisbury, MA, 1969. This is to say nothing of his glamour shots in the 50s (Marilyn Monroe, etc) and countless other works. His final photographic subject was the Clinton family, vacationing on the Vineyard in 1994: If I live to be twice as old as Alfred, I'll never been 1/10th the photographer he was, but it's good to have icons like him as a source for inspiration.

The main reason Lambo makes 4WD drive models is an attempt to control the insane amounts of torque that their V12s produce. Of course, no amount of engineering can counteract driver stupidity. As soon as something is made idiot proof, a better idiot comes along.