I don’t want people to think I’m a hater,  so I will try to be as objective as possible with my reasoning. Yes, I have done the research. Yes, I have driven a few hybrids. Yes, I have driven a plug-in electric automobile. Yes, I have driven non-hybrid versions of hybrid cars (eg. civic ex vs. civic hybrid)

Now that that is out of the way, let’s consider the facts; hybrid automobiles are designed to be marketed towards a nation of ever increasingly paranoid people. This is not without precedent, there is an underlying fear (ever since 9|11) of anything that comes from the middle east. That, coupled with the fact that there is currently a war going on with many of those nations does not help. Oil, ironically, is most vastly imported from these regions, so while you may hate the Arabians, the US government has decreed that they need them more than you can imagine. This creates a position of strength for the foreign oil conglomerates and a position of weakness for Joe Everybody.

What Joe doesn’t realize is that because of him, this position of strength is created. And thus creates the paradox that without the other, neither would be able to survive. You may think, you don’t need oil to live. Oh really? I challenge you to live a week without any form of oil, good bye electricity (most power is from oil power plants) good bye automobile, good bye oil heater. Life would be very tough for you. This creates a dependence, and this is where our story begins to pan out and rear its ugly wings…

Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc. all figured out a way to channel your hatred for the Arabians, and your desire to strip them from power into one very enticing package: a car that doesn’t use as much fuel as the car you currently drive. But not just any car, a car that burns less gasoline, emits less CO2 and is easy on the eyes…Joe Everybody is very intrigued…

On the surface, what’s not to love? But humor me for a few more lines, look one level deeper. Did you ever stop to think about the technology behind a hybrid? Everyone knows that yes it is a battery assisted gasoline engine. But what does that mean? It means there is a very large battery driving an electric motor that will propel the car at low speeds completely devoid of fuel! Wowsers, that is impressive. Now you may be thinking, how does the battery get power? Well the gasoline recharges it, and some help is given through regenerative braking. Regenerative, that’s an impressive word…it must be useful. Ok so that begs the question, how does this magical and revolutionary battery come to fruition? Ahh, that is where the cracks begin to show.

While many people believe that the battery is purely a Lithium Ion battery – or a very large cell phone battery for comparison – it is actually based heavily on Nickle. Ni is a great source of rechargable energy, it’s a great galvonic cell to say the least. But the problems come from how it is mined, to create a Hybrid battery, you need a lot of cells; a double A isn’t going to do the trick! That is sourced from a location in Ontario, Ca which is so barren because of the nickle polution that it has been classified as a dead zone by most environmental associations. Well that’s not very Green! While many hybrid companies are switching over, the overwhelming leader in hybrid cars sold, Toyota still uses this nickle technology. So the Prius, highlander, Hs250h, Rx400h, LS600h, Camry Hybrid, Rav 4 hybrid, and whatever new truck they will be releasing still depend on nickle.

This is unsettling with Joe Everybody, he doesn’t like hearing that the car he wants is causing increased production of nickle which is leading to increases in acid rainfall in the northern Ontario regions.  But still he’s thinking long term here, eventually hybrid tech will evolve and be better. more efficient. And then when he gets his new hybrid to replace the one he’s going to buy now, it’ll all be fine. But what of the battery? What happens when it is no longer fit to carry a charge, after all, every galvonic cell loses it’s ion potency eventually. The Hummer is often used as the counterpoint to the Prius. It seems fitting and Joe Everybody thinks it a good comparison, but then Joe E. finds out something very disturbing…Over the life of the vehicle (including its disposal) the Hummer H2 emits less CO2 than the Toyota Prius!

Joe is a little confused over this, but he figures if its good enough for celebrities and Al gore then he might as well go to the dealer and give it a drive. Mr. Everybody thinks he might as well get a toyota because afterall its common knowledge that they invented the hybrid with the 2nd Gen Prius. Joe looks at the Camry, he thinks it a bit bland, more of an appliance than an automobile. But hey, that’s what car’s are for! He drives the Hybrid; eh, it gets good mileaghe sacrifices driveability for the extra 5 mpg. Then he looks at the price, 7,000 more! Even environmentally conscious and socially conspicuous Joe doesn’t want to stomach that, why it’d take 100,000 miles to make up that price difference! The Highlander, Joe finds out to be even more outlandish at 10k more for the electric motor. Joe goes to other car manufactueres and other dealers and finds that the price difference is close to the same. Every car is atleast 5k dollars more than its non-hybrid counterpart. Joe realizes that this must be to offset the cost of research and development, and decides he should go to hybrid owners club and talk to them about what they think.

This club seems like a great place to meet, chat and get to know people with common interests. When Joe asked why they all switched to hybrids, he got various reasoning: Gas mileage, environmentally friendly, driveability, saves money in the long run, better emissions, doing their part, etc. Joe thought long and hard and then asked a very simple, yet thoughtful and inciteful question: “How do you figure?” The owners began to rifle off defenses for their cars, this one does this, that figure claims that, what’re you talking about? This is clear to anyone with a brain, this is that, that is this, etc. Joe began to get a little intimidated.

The owners asked him what he drove, Joe told them he drives a V6 sedan. They began to berate him about every aspect of his car, hows the mileage, what of the emissions, what did it cost, how does he not care for the environment? Joe did not want to stand for this anymore, disregarded the man with an escalade hybrid (the nerve!) and left the club. The smugness around the owners was too much for Joe, this much he knew to be true.

Alas, he reached his big revelation regarding hybrid automobiles. The only winners in this entire debacle were the auto manufacturers. They could justify charging customers 10k more for a technology that wasn’t much more (remember, the engine size got smaller in hybrids to accomodate the electric engine) by pulling on the heartstrings of vulnerable hardworking individuals. That while hybrid technology has a great facade, it breaks down when Joe took a deeper look. That the smugness of hybrid owners, the antagonizing looks at anyone who drives an SUV, the vandalizing of Hummers, the aire of superiority when talking about the car, it all is too much. People may say rich snobs are terrible dinner guests, but don’t talk to a hybrid owner about their hybrid, they’ll berate you for hours. And companies know this, what other purpose does the “green meter” on new ford hybrids (leaves that grow thicker and fuller as gas mpgs do) serve other than to stroke the drivers ego? One does not need a firebreathing V-10, but must they be chastised for their choice?

Automobile drivers have always had schisms that separated factions but never has one caused more debate and hatred than the hybrid vs. non-hybrid groups.  People buy them for self satisfaction, to serve oneself into believing they are helping the environment by driving something that is good on gas. There aren’t many hybrids that are actually better drivers than the Gasoline counterparts, the only notable exception would be the 3rd gen RX400h (the new 3.5 V6 is indeed more powerful) and the LS60h. Hybrid has led to some crazy decisions on legislation, allowing them access to HOV lanes in Ca? That does nothing but help hybrid drivers prove a point. So much so that they are no longer allowing hybrids use of the HOV unless, like other cars they are occupied by many (this is in current legislation, not yet passed).

I hope that this shed some light on the issue, I try not to be a preachy person, but rather eeryone should know the facts. So next time you are looking for an automobile, chose one that fits your needs; don’t be a slave to fads. While we should all be a little more conservative with fuel, hybrid technology is not the answer but merely a stall until the next best thing.

MY REQUIREMENTS

I will preface my search by letting you know that I currently own an 8gb iPod nano with Video camera and an 8gb iPhone 3G that i use as a touch (the cellular modem fried out). In the past I have had (currently do but passed on to my sister, mother and father) 20gb 4th gen Click Wheel iPod (click wheel needs to be soldered, used as an external now), a 30gb 5th gen Video iPod, a 2nd gen 4gb iPod nano and an 8gb 3rd gen Video iPod nano.

Now while my mp3 experience is pretty limited to just apple products (yes I fit the stereotype) I will say that I only bought the click, 5th gen and iPhone. The nanos were obtained through various giveaways (free ipod with mac, keybank ipod with checking acct. and bingo, yes, bingo). So I’m not a huge apple snob, just these things tend to always be the prize at every establishment. And I’ve always been intrigued by the windows side of mp3 land.

Ok, so what I need:

1) Large Capacity – Atleast 30gb, but I’m more inclined for 60+

2) Napster To Go Compatibility – You might wonder how I’ve managed with an iPod if I have Napster, well there are ways

3) Long Battery – The world is dominated by iPod chargers, I’m going to use the player in my car 97% of the time, a good battery is a must.

Wants: Video Capability, Touch Screen, BT, Wi-Fi, DVR but none of this is necessary I want an mp3 player that just plays my tunes at a good quality.

The Candidates

Apple iPod Classic 120gb – I’d be remiss if I didn’t atleast give this a shot. I’ve used Apple mp3 players for 6 years now, and I am very familiar with the scroll wheel and how to use it etc. It has a great bettery rated at higher than 10 hours for music, which is my bar, and it plays video. It has 120gb so it’d hold every song I own, BUT it doesn’t work with Napster To Go and Apple doesn’t have a competing subscription service that I could switch to. Score: 6/10

Microsoft Zune 30/80/120 – I like the zune alot, I don’t need an HD and the higher price that is associated with it (but I will indeed review it as well) but I’m fairly sure the zune could do almost everything I ask. in 80 or 120gb sizes it is plenty big, it has a nice large screen for watching a TV Show or Movie ocassionally and it has Zune Pass which is absolutely identical to NtG but you also get 10 free downloads a month (those are for keep downloads not subscription downloads). The Zune is a pretty great deal fetching in the mid 100s on amazon. I wouldn’t want to switch to a different service if I don’t have to, and the battery life isn’t rated as high as the others. Score: 7.5/10

Microsoft Zune HD 32/64 – This is something I could get down with. I’d totally switch to zune pass for this device purely because the device is awesome. There is wi-fi, touch screen, music, amazing screen for videos and some decent apps and whatnot. The Zune HD is a marked improvement over the regular Zune and because it is flash memory the battery lasts much longer. Though the Price reflects that as well. Score 8.5/10

Sony X-Series Walkman 32 – Sony DID make the original walkman. But man has time passed! While this is one sexy device (sony hasn’t forgotten how to do that), it STARTS at 300 so i’m looking at atleast400 because I need at minimum 30gb of storage. It isn’t practical, doesn’t play protected DRM and frankly apart from the excellent earbuds doesn’t serve my needs. Score 5/10

Creative Zen X-fi2 – I’m going to ignore the original X-fi which was terrible. and move to the X-Fi2. While the sound processors are all digital so I don’t put too much stock in those claims, the package itself is very nice. Touch screen, wi-fi, large capacity (32/64) and napster to go compatible. Its price is reasonable. BUT people say the battery is not as solid as it could be. Still its rated higher than 10 hours and that was my bar. It seems like a solid all around choice Score: 8/10

Archos 5 internet tablet 250 – Wow! this thing is feature packed! 5 in screen (remember I’m not trying to run with this thing, in the car and maybe sitting around). 250gb HDD – I’m not going to lie, that is pretty amazing. Can be used for a DVR (another plus because the 5 allows HD recording as well, though that would take a lot of space). A myraid of video and audio codecs including Playsforsure! so yay Napster to go will definitely work with it. 10+ music battery and USB charging a bonus for the automobile usb port I have. Available GPS, I won’t buy it but it is cool that it has it. Wi-Fi, BT stereo audio, and SD card expansion. This is a pretty exceptional device and amazon is selling the 250 (the biggest one btw) CHEAPER than all the other ones at 300 bucks. Score 9.5/10

Archos 605 Wi-Fi 160 – This is similar to the Archos 5, but it is last generation, has smaller HDD, has an older GUI, but otherwise is the same. For those reason I’ll dock it a bit. Score 8.5/10

Creative Zen Vision: M and W 30/60 – These things were really popular amongst the anti-apple crowd back in 2005/2006. They have aged gracefully and are still popular with audio enthusiasts because of how superb the DAC is in these little things. the W has a widescreen 4 in screen while the M is a more traditional screen orientation (iPod classic style). Both are good but my worry is about how well the battery has held up over the last 4/5 years. It was rated 10+ back then but if I got a used one I didn’t want to be left high and dry. Both are 100% Napster to Go compatible. Scrore 7.5/10

What I Found Out:

All of these audio players had some distinct feature that made them good, and some distinct feature that detracted from them. While the iPod has a great, simple interface; it isn’t playsforsure compatible and it doesn’t allow for any sort of editing of content on the device. The Zunes would require a switch to a different subscription (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) but they then lack a strong staff to make playlists (I like the napster staff always making new playlists, keeps things fresh). The Sony, while having an amazing screen was just way to expensive to justify buying it. The X-Fi2, while retaining its playsforsure certification, syncs only with Windows Media Playe, not the Napster client. So while songs still play, any playlists made in Napster (which I have alot of) don’t transfer over, which sucks. The device itself is a dream to use, but the touch isn’t as responsive as the Archos or the benchmark: iPhone (IMHO best touchscreen on any device). The Archos 5 is probably the best for my needs. It’s a little pricey but it does everything I ask for.

So ultimately, I ended up buying an Archos 605 that has had a 320GB HDD upgrade, along with the DVR cradle and multiple plugins. The only reason I got this instead of the 5, was purely because I got such a good deal, all of it for 75 bucks off craigslist!

Apart from the fact that Archos removed the TV guide support (I just get TV guide in the paper every week and schedule what I wanna watch manually and the cable box sends some data to it so I atleast get the titles of the shows) it has been everything I could ask for. I didn’t need to be able to watch video or anything, but the screen makes me want to everytime I take a look at it! And most importantly, it syncs with NtG and now my entire 92GB library, along with my nearly 100 playlists can easily be synced w/o any converting. The quality is rock solid as well and through USB in my car it sounds flawless.

Epilogue:

This search actually got me really sad. The Archos I chose was a rare barnfind, it doesn’t happen often. And to think most of these players are barely available in malls and big box retailers. The Apple monopoly on music (while a great boon to Apple) has really hurt the market. Apple sets the price, Apple tells us the norm, Apple makes a product and while there is no denying they make a good mp3 player, other companies don’t even try anymore. I mean honestly, while I like how thin my nano is, wasn’t the mini (2005) thin enough? Apple is like Ghengis Khan, or Xerxes, or Alexander the Great. The company dominated one segment of mobile music with the iPod, and is now sweeping another front by taking on personal video recorders like the flip. The 5th gen iPod nano is the same as the fourth gen, the only new thing is a video camera, not even a still cam!

Apple innovation in the mp3 field ended around the time the original nano came out, that was the last time they were actively competing with another company (creative) for the top mp3 player spot. Their complacency is starting to be ever present and honestly I wish some other companies would band together and start creating devices that could offer the same lust worthiness and desire that the stuff from Cupertino get. If that happened, maybe my search would have a whole lot more contenders because companies would actually have something to compete with the iPod Touch.

This is why I’m so glad that the Android OS is finally getting a full head of steam. My new Samsung Captivate (just picked it up today, will review soon) is amazing and I am so happy I finally got rid of the iPhone. Android gives me hope, purely because it shows me there is a company out there willing to stand up to Apple’s tyranny, it seemed like for a while that Apple would take over the smartphone category too but thankfully there are still plenty of other OS and brands out there.

I may sound a bit Anti-Apple….I’m not. As I told you before I have a lot of Apple things, but my blinders aren’t on. I know the limits of the stuff I own and sometimes I regret it. In 2007 when I bought my macbook, while it was cool then, do you think I wish I got a pro or some fast PC? You betcha. Do you think I regret buying Apple TV? Yep. I have an HTPC to fix that though. I just refuse to worship all Apple products like so many do, my perfect tech garden would have all sorts of brands and types of gadgets and lucky for me it’s started…I know have an Archos605 to plant, and I can’t wait to see what grows from it.

anyways, I’m restarting the blog. All the old articles will still be available, still categorized into their specific categories. It’ll be fun this time, I tried really hard to release an article every day and it was stressful and I was writing stuff that wasn’t top notch.

Now, i’d rather give an article every few days and actually have it mean something. So here it goes. welcome back to slapchopp. It’ll be fun

I don’t ever post.

But since i’ve been DJing for years, it feels worthy of a mention for me to pass on my knowledge.

First off, you need to figure out exactly what you want to do when you DJ. Rob Kramble, you haven’t picked a design yet (style) but rather you’re trying everything out. which is good. you should. but when you decide what you want to do then the hardware can come to you. If you wanna be a skratch artist, hooray! good for you haha. That’s when you need turntables. Sure, you could use tables for other types of DJing, but what’s the use if you’re just gonna let them spin? Secondly, I DO NOT recommend you go out and buy every vinyl you can find. sure it’s nice to listen to music on vinyl, but in today’s DJing world, portability and compactness is key. I would rather recommend either a set of virtual vinyl (timecoded vinyl records that interface with computer software, I use Virtual DJ) if you set them up properly, then you’ll have near perfect vinyl replication and IMHO Virtual DJ does the best when it comes to that.

If your trying to do a daft punk, benny benassi type gig (House, techno, etc.) it is much more useful to have a controller for your laptop (I can’t recommend the Hercules RMX enough for these kinds of things, and it can act as a mixer for when you want to expand to vinyl) than vinyl records purely because you can load in your loops (work it, make it, do it, makes us. etc. haha) and have everything on hand and ready for access as you’re living filling in your base track. At Alive, Daft punk has a base track with the main beat of the song (Cola Bottle Baby for HBFS for eg) and they fill in the rest of the song as they deem fit. It’s actually a lot harder than it seems. In terms of what’s easier skratch or loop-based, they’re two very different animals. So its best to chose one or the other.

If you’re interested in Skratch DJIng: Then, not to start a flame war or anything, if you are just starting out and don’t know if you really want to do this or just make it a hobby, I would get cheaper DIRECT drive turntables. Seriously, I have 1200s but I started on some POS stanton direct drives, you know why? DJ costs a shit ton of money. Mine’s a hobby but I do parties usually once a week and make enough to offset it, but if you’re starting out no one is going to notice the sound quality when it is at +30 dB anyways and should you chose not to stick with it (which is a very likely thing) or if you chose to just do it on the side for fun, you won’t have invested 2k into a system. I would also say that you shouldn’t buy a PA system right off the bat, find a music shop that rents them. save some cash till you can buy a nice set of speakers.

Skratch DJing (all DJing really) relies heavily on beatmatching. sure with software you can auto-beatmatch, but it doesn’t help you learn how to do it. you need an ear for this. This is why, just like playing the flute, not everyone can DJ. Anyone can be a Radio Jockey, but not everyone can DJ. when you get beats that are different tempos, you need to slow or speed a track to match (which is why one thing you absolutely need on your decks is a pitch adjustment knob and a fine adjustment would be nice too) it works like a microscope, get it close to focus and then fine adjust or “nudge” (yes, the actual vinyl itself) until it matches perfectly. Learning how to do this will take weeks in on itself, Learning how to do this while under the pressure of actually being on stage or in a booth, is an ongoing task. now that they are in sync, they will constantly try to get out of sync because they are not meant to be in sync with each other unless the bpm is the same (which is why most vinyls have the bpm for each track on the label).

I can get into technique if anyone is really interested, this is my buddies account so keep the pms to a minimum (I’m a bum yes lol) but i’ll tag the topic so i can come back to it.

oh, and here’s is a quick wiring diagram for anyone interested in analog or digital DJing

DIGITAL
computer
output to mixer (needs to be usb) OR output to sound card (soundblaster audigy works great)
From there sound card to mixer (skip if you have an integrated soundcard in your mixer, like with a RMX)
Turntables or CD Players plug into mixer, midi controller (i’ll get into that some other day) also can plug into here.
PA system plugs into mixer as well. Ta Da! broadcast baby!

Ok, so some terms you should know (because some of you are extreme nubs on this)

Mixer: audio processor which allows the input of “channels” and the output to speakers or recording devices. This is what lets you “mix” multiple audio sources. Most of them will have a “crossfader” for two channels and then two extra channels. Some nice ones let you choose which two channels you crossfade with

Channels: The inputs to the mixer, can be any audio device. iPod, TT, cd player, laptop. Anything that can generally be plugged in with RCA cables (Red and white) will work

Crossfade: a dial that you can freely move between two poles that is linked to two audio channels. in the center the audio from both channels is coming out the speakers, at either pole it is just one channel or the other, as you move pole to pole you get progressively more of one channel and progressively less of another. Get it?

PA System: Speakers.

Loops: sound bytes that can be “looped” together for an infinite amount of times. like “work it” from HBFS. you could play that look over and over again if you really wanted to.

Anything else you need to know?
Ok, so some hardware and software

Hardware:

Hercules RMX. I recommend this to anyone who is starting out or intermediate. It is 4 channel digital mixer that can synchro with any computer software. It has profiles for most of the more popular programs so it works right out of the box. it has jog dials and can load 12 (6 per active side) loops into its ROM. it also has inputs in so you can plug in turntables or anything else (timecoding anyone?) and actively switch between the analog input and the computer input. It isn’t too expensive (300ish on amazon) and it’ll last a long time. Plus it has a built in sound card so you can get your headphone output and major outputs all in one place.

Turntables: anything! so long as it is direct drive it’ll be fine. For now.

Software: virtualDJ. the best IMO. it’ll sync with virtual vinyl and the RMX and it is the best if you’re just using the computer and mouse for quick djing. nudging is easy in the system and autobeatmatch works pretty well. MAC and PC

Headphones: whatever cans (big over the ear phones) you are comfortable with (I personally like skullcandy because they are funky and sound decent) just please no iPod headphones.

That’s really it, ask me if you have questions.

SECOND POST

Skratching and others:

Yeah feel free to hit me up over email because this is my roommates account that I just hijack until the next open registration.

stun210@nycap.rr.com

as for people interested in techniques, there are a few skratch tech that work well and some that take a lot of practice (but all of them do to be really good!)

first off, get to know your crossfader, hold it. caress it. jerk it like its your cock. the cross fader is a very useful tool that is sadly not appreciated like equalizers and gain knobs haha

the crossfader is the key to any good scratch, what’s the point of the scratch if it’s muddled by the main track? the scratch even if it is for a second needs to be independent and isolated. I recommend either buying skratch vinyls (a vinyl with just different skratch sounds on it) or getting skratch mp3s to load onto one of your virtual deck. you can scratch any song you want, but skratch vinyls actual have the pull and tug (no homo) that you need to get a satisfying sound.

Term you NEED to know: Leading edge. the leading edge is a piece of white tape that you place from the center of the vinyl to the edge of the label. this is CRUCIAL because it helps you visually beatmatch the two different tracks….if they’re passing the top in sync or in reverse sync, you’re good to go.

ok so try a few skratch techs out, the basic one is (these are my made up names for these sorry, i learned them when i was really little and just kinda went with what i felt sounded right)

the pullback: stopping the vinyl by using two fingers (or three) with enough force to stop it from spinning forward and simply pushing it backwards. easiest is to try it with the platter off that way you get a feel for what you are doing. ALWAYS scratch on the leading edge so that you can easily get back in sync (scratching gets rid of your hard beatmatching work, you’ll need to do it again after you’re done.) If you’re good, you’ll only be a little off and some nudging will get you back to where you wanna be. this type of scratch is the typical noise people make with their mouth. low pitch – > high pitch

forward scratch: just as it sounds, speed up the vinyl and then slow it down again. this is high pitch – > low pitch

this is pretty much the two basic scratches. next time i’ll get into more advanced ones haha

OK! the crossfader! did you get all happy feet with it? good! whenever you scratch, you will be sliding the crossfader to that deck to highlight the scratch. As you can imagine, this will take practice. before you start considering actually skratching a track, you should be able to AT THE MINIMUM be able to pullback and forward scratch while using the crossfader. remember being quick here is the key: so an example with a pull back would be pullback, and while pulling move crossfader to the appropriate deck. when pulling back, move it back to the center. get it? good.

that is skratching in a nutshell. email me if you have questions.

oh! and whoever mentioned DJ hero, that is actually a very accurate skratch/loop DJing sim when played on expert or hard. you might be thinking DJs don’t have buttons on their vinyls and this is true, but loop in/outs are just about the platter and thats what those buttons (plus the game aspect) are.

As for people who want to be Daft Punk: this is a lot harder to explain over text. but i’ll give it a shot. whenever you sample a track, you cannot just merely say it sounds good I’m gonna use it. NO! this is wrong. sampling a track requires a lot of studying of a track. whenever I make a beat or a track, I learn every nook and cranny or the song so that I know what works and what doesn’t. this is how I live set and this is how I can successfully make money doing what I do. never throw in a song (unless you’re in your room dicking around) unless you know exactly what part and what EQ setting you need. Ableton is good for this kind of stuff, because now you are going heavy into looping. and cutting loops is the basis of a loop dj. duh. if you ever see daft punk’s setup (I use them as a base because everyone knows their work and I personally love them) they have their EQs and each have two jazzmutant lemurs. that’s really it. they look all their loops into the jazzmutant and then they play with that. tapping to the beat and making beautiful electronic sounds. i mention all this because you need to understand what you’re getting into before you begin. broaden your horizons and search far and wide for musical inspirations. I won’t pretend I know a whole lot about Ableton apart from the basics so you’re better off googling it but I can help you with music ideas and one BIG piece of advice…Napster To Go is your best friend. at 15 bucks a month you can download unlimited songs, and the wmas work in both VDJ and Ableton. amazing.

sorry i tend to ramble when I type but I’m going to post all of this on my all but defunct blow (these two posts) if you need any advice or wanna ask any questions just go to

slapchopp.wordpress.com (yes, I named it after the on TV product) and look for the “So you want to DJ” post.

See, I’ve been around video game my entire life. I played some NES as a little kid and yes I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was something of a dream just getting to know video games, how they work, the dynamics, the whole concept of a game on the TV controlled by me using a gamepad. It was surreal, and it’s an experience I try to emulate everytime I play a game. Video Games evolved as time went on, the original games were just dots that moved around. Then came the 8-Bit era and all the new advents in plots and story lines. By the time 16-Bit came along, It was time for a upgrade and Super Mario World delivered. But when I play NSMBW, I just think that “Yeah the maps are new” but I saw this exact game a few years ago on the DS.” That’s where games now and games from the 90s differ. It is true, that I graduated to Street Fighter and really haven’t looked back, but there’s some thing about Mario games that really just makes me happy.

The Super Nintendo was my very first console that I owned. The pack in game, as many of you know, was Super Mario World. It later changed to Donkey Kong Country and Mario All Stars and the likes of Street Fighter and Yoshi’s Island. But Super Mario World was THE game. For starters, now a days not a single company would include a game like Super Mario World as a pack-in. It’s just not in there best interest. The game is the equivalent of Super Mario Galaxy, would Nintendo EVER put that in with the Wii? Nope.

Now that I’ve set the stage, The game itself. 96 possible exits. Hundreds of bosses to battle. A new companion character. New power-ups and the Ability to store a power-up. The game redefined everything we ever new about video games: how big could a game be? how hard could the levels be? what risks could be taken? Battery Back-up made sure that the fun never ended (mine still has juice left in the battery and I still have my 96 score game on it!). Though future SNES games may ultimately end up being called better (Cough. Street Fighter 2. Cough.)  this game has to be the called the best not only because it was exceptionally good, but it also brought all those new features to the Video Game table. Oh, and let’s be honest. Without Super Mario World, all those other SNES games simply would not have existed.

Super Mario World is one of those games that defines a generation. Whereas games now a days are extremely complex, SMW showed its difficulty through solid game design, excellent mechanics, and thoughtful layouts. Every map not only served a purpose, but was stimulating enough that it engaged you regardless of how you think. Hell, even top secret place fits into that equation.

I could go on and on about individual levels and how amazingly important they are, but I’ll leave this on one solitary note. Super Mario World was an excellent game, but to me it’s something much more. For starters it reminds me of a time when we were all very much innocent, and being a kid meant being a kid. I didn’t have the internet when I was little, I played SNES and rode a bike. I didn’t really have the internet until I was a pre-teen.  I used to ride my bike to the arcade, or the bowling alley, or the park. Kids now a days sit on the internet, and play tortuously hard and complex (and mature) video games. Does anyone remember when Doom was the pinnacle of video game violence? Super Mario World represents the proper evolution of video games, what I would consider it’s golden age. That’s why I just wasn’t as excited about New Super Mario Bros. Wii, while Nintendo certainly hasn’t lost it’s touch it is definitely running out of ideas. True, the game is much better on Wii than Nintendo DS; but that’s like saying a man looks better in a Ferrari vs. a Pinto. Video Games are hitting a wall as to what they can still innovate, most video games now focus on being a media hub rather than a game console. The PS3 (which I love) is my blu-ray player, my media streamer, my quick internet browser and my new game console. The SNES (Which I love) is my… game console. I’m not knocking on new technologies (I’m a techie after all) but video games have hit the proverbial wall. The 90′s gave us platformers and RPGs. The 00′s gave us FPS. What’s really changed since then? Which leads me to believe that there really is only one genre left to expand…fighting games :-p

Refer to My Previous Post on the Ridiculously Named “iPad” (iPaq anyone?)

The iPad is a glorified iPhone/iPod Touch without any multitasking, any camera, a lack of a true operating system, and no true use.

Apple said that everything it’s ever known was put into this device… If that’s true then that’s sad.

OS X is a great operating system, the latest iteration is a prime example of Apple’s “Amazingness”. The iPad (horrible name too. Apple Tablet or Apple Slate, so much better and so much more professional) is an attempt on cashing in on the public perception that we “Have” to own every new Apple product. I own an iPhone yes, and I will agree that it is a great PHONE with great software. Blowing up the iPhone to make a tablet is ridiculous.

Often lauded as the shameful walk back to ones dorm room after an unexpected (usually drunk) hook up, it generally riles negative connotations. It’s funny because the walk of shame is two very distinct things for females and males. Not being a female, I can’t accurately comment on it but from what I have been told of it by my female friends it’s an enlightening, yet highly embarrassing experience heightened if it should happen on a morning of classes when students are milling about campus. It teaches you how to be discreet, how to leave in the night, and most importantly how to sleep in late. While we are all aware that the walk of shame generally happens early to avoid the awkward moment in the morning, ladies I ask why not just wait? If you can stay asleep for an hour or two past the usual morning time and if you can make a quick attempt at the bathroom I’m willing to bet that apart from your party clothes, no one will really be able to tell that it has happened. Just a thought no?

Men, the walk of shame, in my opinion really should be renamed the walk of fame. On a whole, when we go out, we wear close to the same types of clothes we wear during the day so it’s extremely hard to tell that a man is making the trip. Now humor me this, what is more satisfying than knowing that not only did you get with this girl, you did so under your terms; her room? It is interesting because getting laid is a great feeling and one that you should be congratulated for (sorry ladies if you are disgusted) it, but also you got to do it in her comfy sheets (and let’s be honest, unless you’re gay, girls have much comfier beds) and you didn’t have to dick over your roommates by making them leave AND you have a fun story to tell your mates when they ask where you went last night. I dunno, seems like a win-win to me…

So I pose this question to you: Men, if the walk of shame truly shameful? or is it something a bit more appreciable? The world may never know…

Anyways, sop story over.

In the 90′s, I had a 27in tube tv as my family’s main TV, I had a Super Nintendo and a Play Station, My family had a crappy Windows 3.1 computer (and later that decade a Windows 98 machine), cell phones weren’t really around, and I had a GameBoy. That was my serious digital revolution, I could play pokemon wherever I went, I could blast baddies on my console at home, TV was TV and the coolest thing to have was a second line in your room or a pager.

Technology certainly existed in the 90′s, but it was a part of life. Not, our life. 90′s technology was very complimentary to society, in the new millennium we’ve become dependent on some of our technologies. What would we do without our cell phones? What would we do without email? or electronic locks, GPS, etc. What’s next? machines that think for us so we don’t have to?

The world is going more and more paperless and that too is an issue. Sure, it’s better for the environment but what about the feel of a good old book? Turning a digital page is no where near as satisfying as turning an actual page made of tree gut. Imagine how much eyestrain it must cause to read something on an LCD screen for prolonged periods of time. I bought a book for class once in e-book format, it was the worst decision of my life. I didn’t read it because I couldn’t stand staring at my screen for hours on end. Holding a flashlight and reading under the covers still holds a place in my heart and it won’t soon be forgotten.

I guess I’m being nostalgic, I don’t want technology to consume my favorite things. I’m glad for the vinyl records that are still produced even though technology has all but consumed the music industry. I don’t want print text to disappear even if it is more convenient to carry an e-reader with all my books on it. I LOVE HDTV, but I don’t want over the air antennae broadcasts to go by the way of the dodo (even though hardly anyone uses it, it is pretty awesome getting free HD). And I most certainly do not want the enviro-freaks to mess with automobiles. I’ll take my petrol engines with massive HP ratings thank you very much . I’m in a very happy place with technology. I firmly think that anymore convergence and I won’t be able to take it. What are your thoughts? Do we need more convergence? Have we gone too far? Are we happy with what is transpiring? I want to know!

For me though, I’m still hung up on the E39 based M5. For those of you who don’t know what the E39 is, it was the 5-series before the radical Bangle Redesign (1998-2003). It still tops the list as my favorite BMW and it’s up there on greatest car ever list of mine. I’ll let you in on a secret, 400hp + manual 6 speed + intuitive non-invasive controls + full luxury = greatest combination for a car ever. While 400hp is plenty of grunt, adding the Dinan S2 package gives you anywhere from 450-700hp and beats most of those ridiculous current-gen M5s on the streets. I’ve driven a Dinan Tuned M5 pulling about 500hp and I got rubber in both first and second!

Seriously though, I love the way it looks. I love the way it drives, and I love the “sleeper” factor. To the untrained eye, it looks like a pretty bog-standard 5 series. But when you open it up they sit there stunned. The only tell-tale signs are the understated body styling and the little M5 badge on the trunklid. On ebay now a days you can get one with 50-100k miles between about $15-35k, something in the low 20s just seems like a steal especially with a clean carfax report. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a strong automobile that’ll last for ages and hold it’s looks well into the new decade.

Don’t you worry internet, I will own one of these in due time…