Looks like the recent economic turmoil is hitting the recording industry pretty hard as well.
Sound Kitchen went down yesterday. And another interesting studio went up for sale on music row. Will there be any buyers?
Turned on the radio today and I heard Jack Layton say the following:
“Pensions are at risk, your savings are at risk, even your mortgages and housing are at risk and your jobs are risk. And everybody knows it and we all can feel it.”
Good thing the election ends in a week. I’m not sure what benefit is achieved by stoking such fear in people.
Looking at my investment portfolio has become a very, very painful experience. But my friends at BMO Investorline are trying to make amends:
With the market volatility we’re currently experiencing, we understand you may be anxious about your investments. Although it’s difficult not to be concerned, it’s important to remember to focus on the long-term potential and keep the big picture in mind while waiting out this temporary turmoil.
This temporary turmoil has set the value of my portfolio back about 6 years. But hey. I am focused on the long-term potential and I am keeping the big picture in mind.
Rob Enderle on the future of the desktop PC:
Change is the only thing you can depend on in this life, and nothing in the IT world appears on the verge of a bigger change than desktop technology. This impending transformation will likely bring about a shift in industry power and influence away from Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. and toward companies that provide connectivity or content. It will alter our offices and the way we work by replacing the large, application-crammed, unreliable PC with a simple full-function device that puts the complexity where it belongs—in the back office, not on the desktop.
Why is this happening, and why is it happening now? The forces driving the change are coming from several quarters, and they are all converging on the desktop.
Indeed. Big change ahead. Only problem is that Rob Enderle wrote about this change 10 years ago. And we still have a lot of large, application-crammed, unreliable PCs. Most of them still running Windows XP — an operating system introduced in 2001. And most of these PCs run on Intel chips.
Amazing how little the desktop has really changed in a decade.
Digidesign recently released a software plugin for electric guitar called Eleven. I brought down the demo this evening. I had a few minutes to play around with it and I laid down the following instrumental track:
The track is a bit rough as it was a series of quick passes — no edits just straight playing like the good old days. I used an existing session for the multi-track drums. I played the Fender Jazz bass for the bass track, I played a Korg Triton Synth for the three synth tracks and I played my Fender Strat for the three electric guitar tracks. All of the instruments went direct into Radial JDI boxes and through Millenia Media preamps straight into Pro Tools.
I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the sounds from the software plug-in.
It was a nice evening to take a stroll around our house. A shot of the front and back yard.
A few folks have asked to see the new line array that fronts the home theater. Here it is:
To give a bit of a sense of scale, the screen is 10 feet diagonal as compared to a 50″ inch flat panel which is just over 4 feet diagonal. The B&Ws line the front array. The centre speaker is on blocks for now as I am still waiting for the speaker stand to come in. Obviously a significantly better line array than the 6-inch diameter ceiling speakers it replaced.
The subwoofer on the far right is a pretty large unit. It weighs somewhere north of 150 pounds. Here is a closeup of the sub:
It draws a lot of power and requires specialized cooling. This is what I had to install in the utility room to make sure the sub did not overheat:
Alas a feeble attempt at humor. The sub requires no specialized cooling technology.
Aside from the front three speakers — which I had to buy new — I brought the sub and two surrounds with me from our previous house. Very pleased with the sound quality of the system.
Finally had a chance to do some hiking and photography. My wife and I went to Frontenac Provincial Park which is located roughly 30 kilometres from our home.
The fall colours are looking good.
I decided to watch the two debates last night. I started with the U.S. Vice-presidential debates secretly hoping to witness a train wreck. Although she lacked any real substance, Sarah Palin was more confident and “folksy”. After 30 minutes or so, once it became obvious that she would not crash and burn, I decided to turn my attention to the Canadian debate.
4 on 1. It actually became tiring after a while. Whine. Attack. Whine. Attack. I’m sure Harper is relieved that these debates are over.
The only chuckle I had was when someone asked the panel what they would do on day one if they became prime minister. Gilles Duceppe had the line of the night. Stating the obvious, Gilles Duceppe acknowledged that he won’t be prime minister. Looking at Dion, Layton and May, he went further: “And three of you won’t be prime minister either.”
