The Dedly Blog

First Armistice Day Review

2010-01-29T12:54:00.002-05:00

An 8 out of 10 from the POD People! Read the full review here.

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My Music Library - 1972

2010-01-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

1972 didn’t pack the wallop that 1971 did. While it had its share of classic albums, the volume of greatness was diminished. At least, that’s how it looks from over here.

The cultural impact of the 60’s came to an end. The Summer of Love had long since faded away in the miasma of the ghettos and failed hippy communes. The Boomers realized that Peace and Love didn’t pay the bills, and thus had to get jobs.

The drugs carried on though. While they were said to expand the horizons of artistic expression in the 60’s, all they represented in the 70’s (and the 80’s) was the hedonism of rock stardom. Having already claimed the lives of Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin and many others, they would go on to wreck the careers of those they didn’t consume.

Black Sabbath was a case in point. Success made drugs and alcohol all too accessible for the band members. As they went into the studio to record their fourth album, Bill Ward’s drug use was so great, it’s a miracle he survived. “Snowblind” is a track on the album that makes the now obvious cocaine reference. It was also supposed to be the name of the album, but the record company chickened out and renamed it Volume 4. But as there was no Volume 1, 2 or 3, it really didn’t make sense. Maybe they were going for a Led Zeppelin 4 marketing riff.

Neil Young sang about “The Needle and the Damage Done” on Harvest. Songs like “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man” spurred the album’s sales but, for me, there really isn’t much else to listen to.

ZZ Top wallowed around with the Blues in Rio Grande Mud. David Bowie, when he wasn’t hanging with the Mott The Hoople crowd, became the cosmic glammer Ziggy Stardust and told of us of The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The Eagles, Styx and Blue Oyster Cult released their eponymous debuts. Steely Dan also got their start with Can’t Buy A Thrill.

Occasionally, I’ll pick up the greatest hits album from a band if all I know (and like) is their material from the radio. Then, if I really like it, I’ll go back and explore their catalog to see if I can find some hidden gems. Sometimes it works. Other times, it doesn’t.

I liked Steely Dan’s collection A Decade of Steely Dan. So when BMG followed Columbia House into oblivion, I picked up a few albums cheap. This exploration mission was a bust. I’ve discovered that I only like their singles. From Can’t Buy A Thrill, that means “Do It Again”, “Dirty Work” and “Reelin’ In The Years.” The other stuff is just run of the mill 70’s studio dreck.

I liked Jethro Tull’s compilation Living In The Past, but I haven’t really explored much of their catalog. Thick as a Brick also came out in 1972, but I don’t really have strong feelings for it. It’s one of those albums where Ian Anderson just sounds too smart for the rest of us and he’s letting us know it.

But back to bands making their debut.

The Scorpions (yes, them) released Lonesome Crow. Long before they were rocking us like hurricanes, they wandered around Germany trying to pick up on the beat vibe in their own way. By 1972, they found their way into the studio. What they came up with was a long way removed from the music that would help them fill arenas, but the foundation was there: solid guitar riffs and dynamic vocals.

Yes squeezed two albums out this year: Fragile and Close to the Edge. Fragile built upon the success and song stylings of The Yes Album, however, keyboardist Tony Kaye departed the group and was replaced by Rick Wakeman. Why? Well, the story goes that Kaye wasn’t a big fan of the Moog synthesizer and other modern keyboards. Wakeman was not only proficient at it but his technical chops were more advanced. As such, he was able to bring up the level of play of the bands keyboards to that of its bass and guitar players.

The opening track, “Roundabout”, was also the lead single. Coupled with “Long Distance Runaround”, the album brought in new fans that hadn’t jumped aboard the Yes train with their previous work. I don’t know why exactly. While Classic Rock Radio had fully embraced The Yes Album which had several songs that got airplay, maybe back in the day radio stations were slow to come around to it due to the length of the songs.

Besides the two singles, “South Side of the Sky” and “Heart of the Sunrise” round out the long tracks on the album and they are great. The band each had their solo pieces to highlight their skills. Even Jon Anderson experimented with the multi-track vocals on “We Have Heaven.”

Oh and Roger Dean did the album artwork, the first of many for Yes.

The band would take the long song concept to the next level on Close to the Edge. The title track is almost 19 minutes long (a whole album side) with the other two (“And You and I” and “Siberian Khartru”) clocking in at about 10 and 9 minutes. Being able to ignore the tyranny of radio, the band were afforded the opportunity to explore the bounds of progressive rock. Well, it still had to fit on a side of vinyl (or pause like Thick As A Brick).

While the music is exceptional, with twists and turns in dynamics and progression, the lyrics wander into obtuse mystical babble. If one thinks of Anderson’s vocals as just another instrument accompanying the medley rather than trying to decipher their meaning (without the aid of Eastern philosophy), then one can just enjoy an otherwise excellent album.

Deep Purple reached the pinnacle of the their career with Machine Head. It serves as one of the foundation stones for hard rock and metal. It's chock full of blistering riffs, driving beats and soaring vocals. And it's a great album to play along to (assuming you can keep up). "Smoke on the Water" has to be one of the most popular songs that aspiring guitarists cut their teeth on.

The album opens with "Highway Star". The listener is thrown into the back seat to cling for dear life as Blackmore's guitar and Lord's keyboards race down a wide open road trying to outrun the other. Ian Gillian's vocals scream in overhead while Glover and Paice bring the engines to life. It's all freedom, fast cars and faster women and what could be better than that.

After the breakneck pace of the opener, the listener gets to take a breather with "Maybe I'm a Leo", a bluesy number. "Pictures of Home" picks up the pace with soliloquy of some poor chap marooned in some distant, cold land. Blackmore and Lord take turns with some great solos. Glover is given a chance to show his skills while Paice adds in some nice fills here and there. After a funky intro, "Never Before" moves into an upbeat parlance though Gillan croons about how a woman stomped all over him, "She took my name, she took my body, then she threw away my soul."

Everyone knows "Smoke on the Water", a song telling the tale of how the album came to be made. For a song that barely made the cut, it's ironic that it became such a big hit. That opening guitar riff is a chunka chunka monster.

Jon Lord's shows off his keyboard chops at the opening of "Lazy". The rest of the band pick up the beat and the whole thing evolves into this great up tempo blues rock number. Vocals are minimal and don't show up until midway through the seven minute number, but Gillan uses the brief spot to shine, as well as lay down a harmonica solo.

The album closes with "Space Truckin'", a sci-fi romp through the heavens. While the lyrics weren't anything to trip to, they got the job done. The driving chorus with Gillan imploring the listener "Let's go space truckin'" while the music cascades down scale with a grinding sound that recalls rocket laden semis barreling their way through the solar system.

A live album, Made in Japan, followed. It's a must have for Deep Purple fans who either never got to see this lineup of the band or want to have something to remember them by. The tough part will be deciding which version to get: the 1, 2 or 3 CD version.

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The Doomsday Channel

2010-01-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

When The History Channel first started in the 90's, people joked that it was "The Hitler Channel" due to its perpetual broadcasts of documentaries about World War Two and the evil dictator. I don't know if that was due to the dearth of non-WW2 documentary programs (which I doubt) or more to do with our culture's fascination with the despot.

During this time period we saw the emergence of Hitler accusations in our political culture. The first Hitler reference that I can recall was Bush The Elder likening Saddam Hussein to him when the Bastard from Baghdad rolled over Kuwait. Ten years later, every politician and his (or her) favorite pundit was comparing someone to Hitler or his 1939 appeasers.

But now The History Channel (it likes to just be called History these days) has moved most of that stuff off to The Military History Channel, a channel I don't have. Except for the occasional run of Band of Brothers or a rundown of the presidents, history doesn't factor into much of its programming. Instead we have decidedly non-historical fare like Ax Men, Pawn Stars and Ice Road Truckers.

We also have MonsterQuest, a show about cryptozoology, and UFO Hunters, which you can figure out from the title. One can make the argument that both of these shows have a smidgen of history in them. MonsterQuest investigates whether mythical creatures ever existed and pores through historical records to find them. UFO Hunters kind of does the same thing except the targets are aliens. Yes, I know it's a stretch.

The network's saving graces are How The Earth Was Made and The Universe. These two shows deal with geological and cosmic history respectively. Neither is what I'd expect but they're still very good shows.

But what bugs me about The History Channel is its obsession with the end of history. The end of the world. Long before that 2012 movie came out, The History Channel was trumpeting our doom with documentaries about the end of the Mayan Calendar, Nostradamus, The Bible Code, and every other documentary about prophets and potential catastrophes. With the release of the movies, the frequency of these shows has only increased.

Now showing these shows on occasion would probably be ok. But the constant drumbeat of doom is too much. For instance, take Life After People. The premise of the show is this is what the world looks like if people suddenly disappear. They couple CGI with real world examples to make their case. But it's Ozymandias over and over again. You don't need to watch more than one show to get it, yet I believe that it's going into its third season.

Then there's the doomsday documentaries. The Mayan Calendar, the Bible, Nostradamus and a slew of others are trotted out before us to weigh in with their dire warnings. They even drag bona fide scientists in to describe the effects of say, an asteroid impact or a plague to lend credibility to the whole mess. But in no case does an asteroid impact, gamma ray burst, solar flare, magnetic pole reversal, or polar shift bring about our extinction in these prophecies. They all describe how humanity suffers terribly, but endures. That's not to say that were these things to occur, they'd be nothing short of extinction level events. But you can't mix prophecy with them because all the prophecies say that life goes on.

However, the producers of these extinction orgies cherry pick their prophecy pieces. While they're quick to point out that the fifth cycle of the Mayan Calendar comes to an end on the Winter Solstice of 2012, it's just the end of the cycle. The Mayans note that as each cycle ends, there's tremendous upheaval. But the calendar doesn't end: a new cycle begins.

As terrible as the Book of Revelations is in the Bible, it has a happy ending: Christ lives with us and wipes all our suffering away. Even Nostradamus's prediction of the rise of the third Antichrist and the oncoming third world war doesn't wipe out the planet or our species. He forecasts a happy ending with a thousand years of peace to follow the conclusion of those terrible times.

I wonder what's the point of these doomsayers anyway. If they're right, are they going to go around and gloat? "See? I was right! The world is ending!" Is that something you'd really want to brag about? In humanity's last hour, that's not going to make you all that popular. You might not even live to see the last moment. It must be short term gain.

I have to imagine that these shows are pulling in the viewers. Why else would they keep showing them? Our culture seems obsessed with its own demise, whether it's mere entertainment or paranoid bunker builder inspiration. So the doom and gloom producers get rich and/or famous in the short run and hide away in some cabana in the tropics hoping that their predictions don't come true.

So will the doomsday phenomenon grow, especially now with its own channel (books and movies aren't enough!) running the end of the world on a nightly basis? When 2012 runs around, will the hysteria about the end of the world become self-fulfilling? As long as the Doomsday Channel continues, I think the phenomenon will grow.

In the meantime, I'll change the channel. Adult Swim is more fun anyway.

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Two Short Stories

2010-01-08T12:20:00.002-05:00

I like short stories. I believe Stephen King once likened reading them to one night stands while novels were more being married. I think the analogy fits (especially in his case), if you don't look too hard at it. I can read a short story in an evening before bed while a novel will often take me months (lack of time, fatigue, other lame excuses).

Then again, maybe he was talking about writing them. Anyway, recommended stories for your snowed in weekend.

Do you remember the movie, The Thing, back in the 80's? It was John Carpenter's remake of a 50's flick and starred Kurt Russel. If you do, and you're a fan of it, read "The Things" by Peter Watts. It's the story from The Thing's perspective, as only a biologist turned writer could tell it. (TotH: Scalzi)

For a lighter look at Cthulu, try "I Cthulu" by Neil Gaiman. It's either an old favorite or hidden gem, depending on how much of a Gaiman fan you are. Thanks to Edward Morris for sending it my way.

And this is probably the coolest ski mask ever.

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Armistice Day is published

2009-12-03T10:30:00.005-05:00

My novel, Armistice Day, is now published.

Currently available at Lulu in print and eBook formats. No word yet when it will appear on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I understand the desire to "try before you buy." Therefore, I'm offering the
first three chapters for free (PDF). I'd rather lose sales than have disgruntled buyers.

It is done. Now I can move on. :)

UPDATE 1/5/10: Armistice Day is now on Amazon.

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DED

The December 2009 Issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

2009-11-19T22:36:00.006-05:00

When I heard that the venerable Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction was offering free copies to bloggers to review their December 2009 issue, I jumped at the chance. However, I wasn’t expecting 258 pages (four novelettes and seven short stories) so I’ve been tardy in keeping up my end. For that, I apologize.

I admit that my expectations dimmed when I saw the cover. F&SF have had some great covers in the past. This one, meant to accompany the feature novelette, “Hell of a Fix”, didn’t work for me. It would be more relevant for a Halloween issue. Nor did it seem to have any relation to the story’s content.

The first story, “Dragon’s Teeth,” did nothing to improve my outlook. It seemed like it was going to be a formulaic sword and sorcery story: hero performs quest, gets desired woman, they live happily ever after. While I was relieved it didn’t follow that formula, it seemed to follow another formula: hero performs quest, falls in love with better woman than the one that inspired said quest, they live happily ever after. But that didn’t happen either. And I have to say that what we got I didn’t much care for either.

I don’t know if the author, Alex Irvine, was intentionally trying to shatter either formula, but what we got wasn’t so hot. Mr. Irvine set us up for several potential conflicts, but he denied satisfactory resolution. The one involving the titular dragon was seen through a hazy flashback. Others, involving a murder and a spirit who possesses the protagonist, seemed to be red herrings. And the ending reminded me of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” While technically not an accurate comparison, the main character’s inability to break out of social convention for a chance at love just seemed pathetic.

“Bad Matter,” by Alexandra Duncan, concerned a young woman with a doctorate in linguistics who receives a letter intended for her late father. As the story takes place in the distant future, she is surprised that the letter is written on actual paper. The letter is an invitation to come aboard a starship to see a woman named Ete. The letter is written in a dialect that comes across as Jamaican (to me) and thus makes its content cryptic.

The author’s suggestion that linguistic divergence is just as possible in cultural isolation as genetic drift is in isolated species here on Earth was an unanticipated treasure. While this, coupled with footnotes from future anthropology publications, made for a refreshing story, for all the built up tension felt by the protagonist, the climax of the story left me feeling let down. More precisely: “That’s it?” While the short story falls short, I find the universe that the author has conjured quite intriguing. I hope she revisits it someday in longer form.

The next two stories, “Farewell Atlantis” by Terry Bisson and “Hell of a Fix” by Matthew Hughes, lightened things up a bit. The former starts off with a man and a woman in a tiny movie theater who realize they can’t remember anything before they sat down to watch the movie. The author takes us on a humorous ride as the two characters slowly recover their memories thanks to a computer prone to boredom.

In “Hell of a Fix”, we meet Chesney Arnstruther, a rather dull fellow who spends his working hours as an actuary. He’s thrilled that he’s become a regular in his co-workers’ poker games, due to his penchant for always losing. It’s his turn to play host, but while setting up for the evening’s game, despite the improbable odds, he accidentally summons a demon. The two begin to argue over what the demon will grant to Chesney in exchange for his soul but our protagonist is steadfast in his refusal to enter into negotiations. His soul simply isn’t for sale.

Author Matthew Hughes writes a delightful tale taking Chesney’s argument for his innocence and extrapolates how this upsets the business of Hell.

Two of the next three stories deal with living on the Moon and how it might not be as glamorous as one might think. “Illusions of Tranquility,” by Brendan DuBois, sketches a Moon colony living by the seat of its pants with everyone required to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that wealthy tourists have a good time. The protagonist does her part to maintain the illusion and sell trinkets to a nostalgia afflicted visitor. Scruples be damned.

And if readers shudder at Mr. DuBois’ vision of a Moon colony, “The Economy of Vacuum,” by Sarah Thomas, will leave them feeling even awful. Virginia Rickles is the first person to live on the Moon. After the 24-hour news channels lose interest in the novelty and VIP’s no longer visit, she realizes she’s on her own.

“The Blight Family Singers,” by Kit Reed, is sandwiched between the two Moon stories. It’s about a musical family on a comeback tour playing at a college’s Winter Festival whose dark past and present are threatening to overtake them. The author tells the story from the viewpoint of several characters, each unique in personality and perspective. Each of them has bite and purpose. It’s a shame this story wasn’t longer.

“Iris,” by Nancy Springer, is a sad tale about an old woman surrounded by death on Christmas. While it could’ve been just a tear jerker with a sugary happy ending, it won’t let you get there without walking barefoot through a room of thumbtacks. If the author and F&SF will forgive me, here’s a line that I thought said a lot: “Lonely is when you buy postage stamps one at a time, so when there’s something to mail you can walk to the post office and talk to somebody.”

“Inside Time,” by Tim Sullivan, offers a unique look at time travel, but I’ve seen the plot too many times before.

Harvey Jacobs offers us a pair of good characters in “The Man Who Did Something About It.” Colin Cabe is the best mechanic on the planet but his reputation goes even further. The humorous tale he tells about his run in with a little lady named “Lullaby” with engine trouble is cute.

The issue ends with “I Needs Must Part, the Policeman Said” by Richard Bowes. While not autobiographical per se, it’s more of a fictionalized incident from his life. Terribly ill, he’s forced to check into St. Vincent’s hospital where he’s stalked by a policeman in his dreams. The policeman accuses Bowes of crimes that only take place in his dreams. As his dream world and hallucinogenic reality blend together, Bowes feels threatened that one day he’ll wake up and he won’t be the man he once was, assuming he wakes up at all. It’s a poignant story of a man coming to grips with his own mortality and sanity.

In summary, I’d have to say this was a good read. After a rough start, I was treated to some really good stories. As the magazine market struggles to deal with the Scylla and Charybdis of the costs of operating in the Great Recession and the wide availability of free quality content on the Internet, it isn’t certain that the 61-year old Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction will survive. But I certainly wouldn’t bet against them.

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DED

The New Space Opera

2009-11-12T22:43:00.003-05:00

The New Space Opera is an anthology of short stories by some of the best sci-fi writers today. I picked up the first issue of this series (released in 2007) earlier this year. It's a 515 page tome containing 18 stories, edited by the venerable Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan.

What is space opera? It's one of those things that you know it when you see it. In the "good old days" of science fiction, it characterized most of what was produced: fanciful, oftentimes melodramatic, stories with epic settings, heroic action and technology that may not be grounded in reality. The writers of Ancient Greece would be comfortable with space opera. Star Wars is certainly space opera, but Star Trek is not. The term was considered derogatory for some time as the genre wallowed in the toilet. But in recent years, it’s enjoyed a resurgence as quality has returned minus some of the absurdities.

Since I hold no illusions as to being current with the sci-fi book scene, I thought that this collection would expose me to new (to me) writers while getting to savor new treats from familiar favorites.

Rating System:
5 Excellent
4 Very Good
3 Good
2 Fair
1 Poor
0 Awful

“Saving Tiamaat” by Gwyneth Jones - 2
“Verthandi’s Ring” by Ian McDonald - 2
“Hatch” by Robert Reed - 4
“Winning Peace” by Paul J. McAuley - 3
“Glory” by Greg Egan - 3
“Maelstorm” by Kage Baker - 5
“Blessed by an Angel” by Peter F. Hamilton - 5
“Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359?” by Ken Macleod - 4
“The Valley of the Gardens” by Tony Daniel - 5
“Dividing the Sustain” by James Patrick Kelly - 4
“Minla’s Flowers” by Alastair Reynolds - 5
“Splinters of Glass” by Mary Rosenblum - 5
“Remembrance” by Stephen Baxter - 4
“The Emperor and the Maula” by Robert Silverberg - 4
“The Worm Turns” by Greg Benford - 4
“Send Them Flowers” by Walter Jon Williams - 4
“Art of War” by Nancy Kress - 4
“Muse of Fire” by Dan Simmons - 5

The first two stories, “Saving Tiamaat” and “Verthandi’s Ring”, left me cold. I really didn’t connect with them, though the former ended well. The latter was so far in the future with vast time scales and god like technology that it seemed like I was reading mythology. After going 0 for 2, I was afraid that I might’ve made a mistake in picking up this book.

But the third story, “Hatch” by Robert Reed, got me. The story is the latest in a series of tales which take place on an alien constructed, Jupiter-sized starship circumnavigating the galaxy. Humans, and many other aliens, are just along for the ride.

“Winning Peace” and “Glory” were solid stories. The former dealt with a post-interstellar war treasure hunt while the latter concerned an archaeological dig on an alien world in the midst of a cold war threatening to turn hot.

Things took a turn for the better after that.

“Maelstorm” is about the amusing misadventures of a production company on Mars performing a retro form of entertainment known as “plays.”

There’s nothing amusing about the diabolical exploits of the titular character in “Blessed by an Angel.” It brought the promise of immortality, but the price was one’s soul. And “no” really wasn’t an answer it wanted to hear.

“Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359?” takes the clever play on words and runs with it.

“The Valley of the Gardens”, one of a few stories in which humanity gets its ass handed to it, skillfully pits bioengineered humans versus an extra-universal lifeform that achieved sentience when the universe only contained subatomic particles.

“Dividing the Sustain” is another amusing tale in which humans re-engineer themselves with strange physical characteristics to avoid becoming stale.

“Minla’s Flowers” shows that no matter how hard you try to save a world from destruction, you inevitably wind up destroying it. Good intentions and roads to brimstone destinations and all that. It’s such a good story that it convinced me to go out and buy Alastair Reynolds’ novel Revelation Space.

“Splinters of Glass” is an excellent tale of intrigue and love beneath the ice on Europa.

“Remembrance” is another Earth’s ass gets brutally kicked story. The problem is, no one remembers it. Well, one guy does.

“The Emperor and the Maula” is a bit gentler in its ass kicking of Earth. Humor salves the wound though. In order to save our world, a woman seeks an audience with the Emperor. But as Earth is considered barbaric, barbarians are to be executed upon setting foot upon the capitol world.

Corporations will always be up to shenanigans. Hostile takeovers for competitors will go on, whether the prize is greater telecom market share or wormholes. In “The Worm Turns” a plucky woman is sent out to traverse a wormhole before someone else can snatch away the rights to it.

“Send Them Flowers” lets us know that the laws of physics may change from one to universe to the next but love triangles are still messy.

History shows us that you can learn a lot about a culture by studying its art. In “Art of War” the same holds true for aliens, but whoever heard of soldiers as artists?

“Muse of Fire” ends the book on a spectacular note. A Shakespearean production company is tasked with performing various works of the Great Bard for humanity’s alien overlords. The performance of the work will determine whether our species lives or dies.

All in all, this is a great collection of stories that will please most sci-fi fans. Hard sci-fi purists are the only group that I don’t see enjoying this anthology. I’ll have to pick up volume two and see what great tales Messrs Dozois and Strahan have gathered for us to read.

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DED

Old Man's War

2009-11-02T21:34:00.004-05:00

The first of three planned sci-fi book review posts.

When I first read the title, I thought rather cynically, "Aren't all wars old man wars? Who ever heard of twenty-year olds starting wars?" But I pressed on and read the back cover.

John Perry did two things on his seventy-fifth birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

That got my attention.

In turns out, the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF) want old people rather than young people so as to make use of their 75 years of life experience and skills. To work around the physical limitations of their septuagenarian bodies, the CDF downloads their consciousness into new, cloned bodies. You just have to commit to two years of service. After that, you can muster out and get the futuristic equivalent of 40 acres and a mule on one of Earth's new offworld colonies.

Unfortunately, most recruits don't survive the two years. The galaxy is a very dangerous place.

We follow John Perry as he befriends his fellow new recruits, becomes familiar with his new, enhanced body complete with BrainPal (think a wetware version of an iPod but ten times better), goes through basic training ("Nukes are for pussies!") and eventually his first taste of combat.

While this could just be a military sci-fi story, it is not. The CDF is just a vehicle to carry Scalzi's story along. The real focus is on Perry and his small band of friends and how they adapt to their strange new surroundings. And just as Perry successfully acclimates to his new life, he receives a surprise from his old life that throws everything out of whack.

Scalzi's writing has been likened to Robert Heinlein. However, Scalzi's style is complementary rather than imitative. Fans of the old master will appreciate this new story. I loved it, finding it very hard to put it down each night. I finished it in no time at all. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

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DED

The Quiet Sun

2009-10-12T21:18:00.007-04:00

Climate skeptics have been crowing lately over the less than broiling summer we've had this year and last. It's true that this summer has been average to slightly under in temperatures, and it's continued over into the Fall (Miami's current record setting heat wave notwithstanding). But to say this summer's temperatures disprove global warming is short-sighted at best, foolish ignorance at worst.

To assume that temperatures are going to conform to nice predictable graphs is a mistake. Temperatures vary. Even average temperatures. There's a parallel here to the stock market. Any investor who has a clue knows that the stock market is up one day and down the next. The key is to know what the long term trends are. There are up days in a bear market just as there are down days in a bull market. Earth's average temperatures and climate work in the same way.

There is no denying that the number one factor for Earth's climate is the sun. Were the sun to be 5% hotter, we'd all be clamoring for real estate in Antarctica. If the reverse happened, they'd be selling snow blowers in Rio.

People tend to think of the sun's output as constant, but it isn't. The sun's output varies along an 11 year cycle, known as the solar cycle. Over this period the sun's output will vary by 0.1% from average. The telltale sign of solar activity is the number of sunspots visible on its surface. At its most vigorous, sunspot sightings are numerous and frequent. When the sun is quiet, sunspots are few and far between. Sometimes days will pass between sightings.

What does that mean for us? Well, during the years of high activity, the Earth receives more energy and is warmer than in years of little activity. And we can chart it with a roughly sinusoidal curve. If you guessed that we're currently in the quiet part of the cycle, you're a smart cookie.

That doesn't mean carbon dioxide levels don't matter. They do. We know from the fossil record that CO₂ levels have varied throughout history. When levels are high, average temperatures rise and when they fall so do temperatures. Combine this with the solar cycle and you can get some serious highs and lows. What high levels of carbon dioxide do is shift the temperature curve up.

Let's say that normal temperature variation is plus or minus 2 degrees over the span of a solar cycle. What high levels of carbon dioxide do is change that variation. Instead of being +2, you're now looking at +3. Instead of -2, you're looking at -1. And if those levels continue to rise, they shift upward again. +4 and 0.

Now those numbers aren't exact by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just trying to illustrate a principle here. There are plenty of other factors involved. Our atmosphere is awfully turbulent and complex. Volcanic eruptions, dust storms and pollution complicate things. What climate scientists are trying to accurately predict are the long term trends.

Being a Weather Channel junkie, I've noticed that a lot of record high temperatures took place in the late 50's. It just so happens that at this time we were going through a solar maximum. And we haven't had peaks quite that high since, though the late 90's came close.

As I mentioned above, we're currently in the quiet part of the solar cycle. The problem is, the sun seems to be stuck. The solar minimum has held sway for a couple of years now. The sun should've snapped out of it by now. Unfortunately, astronomers don't know why it hasn't.

While we don't have anything to worry about right now, if it continues for another year or two I'd be concerned. Why? Well, take a look at that chart again. Notice that section where the solar cycle all but flatlines? They call that the Maunder Minimum. It took place from 1645 to 1715, which coincides with the worst years of the Little Ice Age.

There's plenty of debate still going on as to the causes of the Little Ice Age. It could very well be the cumulative effect of several factors of which the Maunder Minimum is but one. But if we were to experience another one, I wonder how much CO₂ emissions would offset the diminished solar output.

If you're intrigued by our sun's quiet time, check out Solar Cycle 24 or NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). In the meantime, better bundle up. I think it's going to be cold this winter.

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DED

Ron Paul on The Daily Show

2009-09-30T13:57:00.002-04:00

The interview went very well. Ron Paul hit many high points and even conceded that nothing's perfect (thus demonstrating he's no fanatic). And I believe that Jon Stewart was swayed. It's a good, rational discussion (for the 8+ minutes allotted) and Stewart holds up his end. It's too bad they didn't get to spend more time on it.

If you didn't see it, watch it now.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Ron Paul

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

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DED

Beer In Review: Oktoberfest

2009-09-22T21:19:00.003-04:00

You can still get Oktoberfest beer so here's a couple reviews that may or may not influence your decision (while supplies last).

Blue Point Brewing's offering to this Bavarian holiday is very traditional. You get a good head on the pour and retention is fair. As you gaze into the copper concoction (the website says "amber"), your nose is greeted with a pronounced lagery bouquet. There's a crisp bite as the lager washes over your tongue. The website refers to it as being malty but I had a tough time really getting to the malt. It has a clean finish. 5.0% ABV.

Flying Dog Ales has put their own spin on the holiday with "Dogtoberfest." It's a German-style Marzen. There's a good head on the pour and retention is good. The color is a darker copper, though the website calls it "deep mahogany." I couldn't pick up much of an aroma, which I thought was surprising. However, the taste didn't disappoint. Malt takes the lead (Vienna and Munich for authenticity) while the Perle and Hursbucker hops provide support. There's a faint caramel flavor that nestles against your tongue before the clean finish. 5.3% ABV.

For me, Dogtoberfest is the better beer, but that's because I'm a malt guy. If you're the sort of person who prefers hoppy beers or even just lagers in general, then Bluepoint's Octoberfest is something you should search out. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Prosit!

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DED

My Music Library - 1971

2009-09-13T23:01:00.003-04:00

1971 was a godsend to what would later became Classic Rock Radio. So many great albums came out that year that DJ booths would be filled with the echoes of these songs for decades to come. Baby Boomers, ever hungry to relive the good ol' days, would make this an incredibly profitable format for corporations that made their livelihood from ad sales on the herd of radio stations in their corrals. There's no need to guess which songs to play. We already know what the hits are! New stuff? Bah!

And with that commercial radio died. If you wanted to hear new music you had to track down an independent station or college radio.

Occasionally a band would become so popular that corporate radio couldn't ignore them any longer. Nirvana springs to mind. I remember riding in my car with two of my friends and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came on the local college station. We agreed that it was a great song but they’d never go anywhere.

Man, were we ever wrong on that one.

While I hate the fact that classic rock stifled the airwaves, it was the fault of station programmers, not the bands themselves. Hell, most of them couldn't get their new albums played on the radio either. They only played the old stuff. Familiar. Safe.

But I digress.

Black Sabbath's third album, Master of Reality, repeats the same successful formula and thus completes what many fans consider to be the “holy trinity” of Black Sabbath albums. With such Sabbath classics as “After Forever”, “Children of the Grave”, “Lord of This World”, “Sweet Leaf” and “Into The Void.” However, the latter two fall short. “Sweet Leaf” is their ode to marijuana and is a plodding piece except for the solo break. “Into The Void” is a tale of astronauts but is musically grounded.

Of the two instrumentals on the album, “Orchid” is decent but “Embryo” is a throwaway. Both feel like filler rather than the “interludes” they were intended to be, something that wasn’t an issue on the previous albums. The big surprise is “Solitude.” This mellow piece is carried by flute and piano with only the occasional flutter of guitar (all Iommi). Ozzy’s voice is unrecognizable. I’m still not sure if I like it as it just doesn’t fit at all.

For me, this marks the end of the beginning of Sabbath. The initial spark of creativity that characterizes many a band at their start had begun to fade for them. From here on, the band fall prey to the hedonistic indulgences of the 70’s that so many others got caught up in.

Oh and if you don’t own a copy of it on cd yet, make sure you don’t get the Creative Sounds, Inc. pressing. It sounds like it was recorded from an 8-track tape that spent twenty years inside a Camaro parked in the sun and basted in bong water. Find a remastered issue instead.

Aqualung has to be Jethro Tull’s most well known album. Forget that Grammy stuff in the 80’s. None of that stuff gets any airplay. It’s all about the 70’s with Tull, and Aqualung is the one people know: the title track, “Cross-Eyed Mary”, “Hymn 43”, and “Locomotive Breath”. While side one is a series of seedy tales of contemporary life in England at the beginning of the 70’s, side two is dedicated to attacking the Church of England for what Ian Anderson sees as the twisting of Christ’s message to suit their own ends. But despite the preachiness, Anderson still manages to make a flute solo rock.

After two rather inaccessible albums (Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother), Pink Floyd released Meddle, a compromise between musical explorations and “normal” song structure.

The album’s rocker is the first track, “One of These Days…”, a near instrumental. It starts off with a fierce wind blowing in the distance. The bass kicks in with a steady gallop, punctuated by keyboard shots. Slide guitar comes in to drive the song with the pedal to the medal. Once the song comes to an end, the howling winds return and segue us into “A Pillow of Winds”, which is the exact opposite of the first track. It’s a mellow number, a love song in fact, that brandishes acoustic guitar and features Dave Gilmour on vocals. Gilmour would handle vocal duties for most of the album.

“Fearless” is another acoustic number and showcases a live recording of Liverpool football fans singing the team’s anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” “San Tropez” is Roger Waters’ tongue-in-cheek jazzy upbeat number that pokes fun at life in the south of France. “Seamus” is a sparse bluesy number about a dog, complete with said dog howling along with the music.

The second half of the album is the psychedelic song, “Echoes”. It starts out with a series of pings before the melody arises like a creepy aquatic beast that had been asleep for a century. It features lengthy instrumental passages and sound effects. In fact, during the middle of the track, the song fades out and we’re left with spooky graveyard howls and whistles. After a few minutes, it fades and the organ quietly returns, punctuated by that ping. The song builds back up in a crescendo before yielding to the last round of vocals. The music soars some more only to be boxed up and carried away. The sound is akin to ascending into the heavens with a scattering of pings falling away.

And to think I still don’t have this on cd yet. Shame on me.

After the unfavorable reception to their second album, Yes hit their stride with The Yes Album. The album defined their sound for the next decade: complex arrangements, soaring melodies, stream of consciousness lyrics, and an overall positive sound characterized by Jon Anderson’s vocals; all while ignoring FM radio song length limits. Steve Howe’s blistering fret work was equally matched by Chris Squire’s intricate bass lines. Tony Kaye (keyboards) and Bill Bruford (percussion) completed the band. “Yours Is No Disgrace”, “Starship Trooper”, and “I’ve Seen All Good People” became staples of classic rock radio. “Perpetual Change” closes the album. The song highlights the talents of each musician as each takes the lead in the song at some point. But rather than sound forced, the parts are all seamlessly intertwined.

If you were to ask rock fans what the #1 album of all time was, many of them would say Led Zeppelin 4. And they’d be justified in putting this album there.

Not me though.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a fantastic album, even if it has been overplayed to death. The track listing reads likes a set of “greatest hits” most bands would kill to have compiled over their careers. And Zep did it on one album: “Black Dog”, “Rock And Roll”, “Misty Mountain Hop”, “Going To California” (a song that proved ballads can be great), “When The Levee Breaks” and the all time classic “Stairway To Heaven”. “Battle of Evermore” and “Four Sticks” were lesser known tracks that I loved becoming familiar with. And if I had to choose a side, I’d take two over one. But as great as this collection is, there are albums I had a better connection with.

After dabbling in psychedelia, cover songs and orchestral arrangements, Deep Purple figured out that they wanted to be a hard rock band. Their 1970 album, Deep Purple In Rock, solidified their status as talented musicians. I remember not being all that into that album. Even the ten minute opus, “Child In Time”, wore on me after a while. I owe it another listen. However, I loved their next album, Fireball.

Without sacrificing any of their new found intensity, the Mark II lineup (Deep Purple, like Yes and Jethro Tull, would go through many lineup changes over the years) diversified their sound. Machinery cues up the title track which opens the album and relentlessly drives the point home that this is a group effort. “No No No” slows the pace down to mid tempo. Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord exchange solos with sparse accompaniment, the latter’s sounding a bit self-indulgent for several seconds before finding a better groove. “Strange Kind of Woman” picks the album up with it’s bluesy boogie. “Anyone’s Daughter” rounds out the first side with clever innuendo from Ian Gillan while Blackmore delivers country blues on his guitar. Lord sticks with straight up piano and it’s perfect.

“The Mule” opens up side two with a bit of a lyrical nod to Black Sabbath. Musically, it’s Deep Purple at their finest. Blackmore’s guitar soars. Ian Paice maintains a relentless pace on the drums. Roger Glover’s bass charges up and down the field with Jon Lord taking the whole thing skyward before the whole song plunges into the ground at the end.

“Fools” starts softly but cranks up the volume once Gillan starts singing. The song is a rather cynical look at the brutality of the human race (another Sabbath nod?). Blackmore’s guitar echoes the madness of Gillan’s lyrics before going silent just before the middle section. The middle section features a somber guitar solo accompanied by a stark drumbeat. When the song resumes, the protagonist has his vengeance as the guitar and organ carry the song to its conclusion.

“No One Came” chugs along a bit like a locomotive. Gillan’s self-deprecating semi-autobiographical lyrics were punctuated by chords from Lord. Blackmore and Lord exchange solos without letting the song get away from them. After a final round of verse the song chugs along out of sight, textured with warped, backwards music flitting about the top.

The original cover art featured the band in a comet-like fireball ascending into the heavens. It was the perfect metaphor for their career at this point.

Still high off the success of Tommy, The Who set out to make another concept album/film: Lifehouse. It was, in Townsend’s words, “a portentous science-fiction film with Utopian spiritual messages into which were to be grafted uplifting scenes from a real Who concert.” But Townsend had a nervous breakdown while in the early stages of recording the album forcing the group to shelve it (Wiki has more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifehouse_(rock_opera)), though many songs would appear on future albums.

And what did we get? A fantastic collection of songs! Rather than cut and paste scraps of demo songs together, the rest of the group rose to the occasion and made tremendous contributions to the replacement album: Who’s Next. Whereas Tommy was all Townsend with Daltrey, Moon and Entwistle playing their parts, Who’s Next is a band at their individual and collective best. The big hits were: “Baba O’Riley”, “Bargain”, “Going Mobile”, “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. “Getting In Tune” and “The Song Is Over”, two songs which start slow and gradually crescendo over the length of the song, even managed airplay. The one neglected track, “My Wife”, is a humorous tale written by Entwistle about the wrath of said spouse over his having “a bit too much to drink.”

Musically, it was so far evolved from Tommy as to be a completely different band. A lot of it has to do with the keyboards: whether traditional piano or VVCS3 organ or A.R.P. synthesizer. It gave the band a more mature sound. And rather than the simplistic, almost tinny sounding drums of old, Keith Moon’s drums sound richer. I don’t know what set he had for Tommy, but on Who’s Next it sounds four times as big. You can really hear him going off, adding fills and rolls, all without sacrificing the backbeat.

If you don’t own Who’s Next on cd yet, pick up the remastered version with the bonus tracks. If you’re a Who fan, you won’t be disappointed.

L.A. Woman was The Doors last album with Jim Morrison. Let’s not kid ourselves about the two albums that followed. I think I heard them once and thinking they were worse than Soft Parade. This guy can give you the lowdown. But let’s get back to L.A. Woman.

It was their bluesiest album and quite possibly their best. The opening track, “The Changeling” is an uptempo, rockin’ blues number. “Ya gotta see me change!” Morrison belts out, heralding that this isn’t the same old band (They hired a bass player!). In fact, Morrison’s transformation from sexy rock god to unglamorous blues shaman is complete. Just check out that album cover. The band’s portrait is done up in an unflattering yellow, as if it had been taken a century ago and sunlight had aged it. Morrison himself sports a bull beard and looks like he’s put on 20 or 30 lbs from his Lizard King days.

Krieger penned “Love Her Madly” and it turned into one of the Doors most successful singles. It’s followed up by two solid blues tracks: “Been Down So Long” and “Cars Hiss By My Window.” The former is more uptempo and rocks out by the end. Morrisson declares that he’s “been down so long it looks like up to me.” “Cars…” is very laid back. Densmore brushes the beat along while Krieger wanders along.

The first side of the album ends with the title track, an homage to the City of Angels. Krieger’s guitar evokes the sounds of a car accelerating down the highway. Jerry Schef drives the song forward with his bass, giving the song the familiar rumble of an automobile engine. As the band jams on, Morrison provides us with a guided tour of the L.A. he knows and, despite its faults, loves. By the end of the song, we’re right there in the convertible with them, speeding down the highway to who knows where and loving every minute of it.

Side two kicks off with “L’America”. It starts out ominously with Krieger’s guitar wringing out a few notes along the melody. The bass picks up the rhythm and Densmore adds a marching beat. The song could be sinister but Manzarek’s keyboards take a twisted turn back the Lizard King’s old days thus landing the listener in familiar psychedelic territory.

Thematically, “Hyacinth House” recalls “The Spy” from Morrisson Hotel. Morrison takes on the role of disheartened voyeur and laments that “I need a brand new friend that doesn’t trouble me/I need someone who doesn’t need me.” The song shuffles along with melodic chords from Manzarek and the occasional crying guitar. It’s a melancholic song. I could see The Cure covering it.

The album then returns to traditional blues with a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake”. Krieger has some interesting riffs in it and Morrison’s vocals are at their grittiest.

“The Wasp” invokes the spirit of The Doors early more mysterious works. While Morrison keeps up captivated with his story, the band’s music fires up a machine (the thumping beat is the engine springing to life) to transport us to an alternate reality. But unlike past LSD-influenced worlds, this one is stable. The music provides a solid footing and even Jim is coherent enough to guide us along, and bring us home.

“Riders on the Storm” concludes the album with a fretful tale about a “killer on the road” seeking shelter from the storm. Said storm is sampled in the background and adds to the chilling tale. The music is mellow and hovers around some nether point where jazz, blues, and psychedelia meet.

I love picking up the guitar and playing along with this album. And due to the structure, I’m free to improvise when I don’t feel like mimicking Krieger. That’s part of the connection I feel with it. I’m not just listening to the album; I’m part of the band. Anyone who’s been in a band understands that feeling. There’s a point where everything comes together and the music you’ve created is greater than the sum of its parts. It transcends.

Alas, Morrison died in Paris later that year; heroin being the likely culprit. He became a prisoner of the very drugs he used to open his mind years earlier. Unfortunately, there was never any indication he wanted to quit. He continued to rely on them for inspiration, erroneously believing that if a little did his muse some good, a lot would be great. It’s too bad. Like Hendrix before him, who knows where the future would’ve taken him.

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DED

Job's Garden

2009-07-26T21:45:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I built a garden box. I've wanted to start a garden for some time now. The thought of turning near useless lawn space into a productive space appeals to me. I'm not under any illusions that I can ever grow enough food to sustain us. It's strictly supplemental. Fresh fruits and vegeys right outside the door. Seeds are cheap!

The problem is finding a spot in my yard. Most of my acre is forested slope. Shade is plentiful. Flat terrain is reserved for lawn so the kids have someplace to play. I chose a useless spot of lawn on a slope that I thought got plenty of sunlight (it doesn't, even after tree branch trimming up on the roof).

In order to level it out, I had to build up one end. Fortunately, I have plenty of scrap lumber at my disposal so construction was virtually free. I did have to buy some galvanized screws. And topsoil. But dirt is.... well, dirt cheap. The advantage to bringing in the topsoil is that I'm able to provide a root free, nutrient rich foundation for the seedlings, which the kids and I started up in the early Spring.

It all sounds good, doesn't it?

The first problem I encountered was that not all of the seeds germinated. I guess some were too old. I've been buying seed packets for years, always intending to grow vegeys in pots on the deck, but never doing it.

But some took: cantelopes, zucchini, carrots, and sunflowers. I also went out and bought a cheap strawberry plant and tomato plant. I spent a little more and got a blueberry bush too.

The second problem I encountered, which everyone in the Northeast knows first hand, was all the rain we got. Too much rain, not enough sun, not that I had all that much to begin with (Not that I'm complaining about the cool temperatures. That's been great!). It was the second wettest June on record in New York City, which is close enough to hold true for us as well. Overcompensating for the lack of snow we got this winter.

All of the cantelopes shriveled up. The ranks of the zucchini dwindled. The sunflowers failed to thrive. But the carrots, tomato plant and blueberry bush were good.

And along came the slugs.

Those slimy fuckers have been a menace. Normally confined to evenings and cool, moist forest canopy, they've been out during the day! It's been so wet that they don't have to flee from the heat of the sun. While they left most of the edibles alone, they attacked the sunflowers, marigolds, pansies, and any other flowering plants they could reach. It's like a bad Sci-Fi Channel movie.

Desperate, I decided to try using an all natural pest repellent I'd bought from Agway back in May (they were all out of slug repellent). I mean, there's only so many slugs I can pick off the plants and toss in the road or step on. I suppose I could've tried salting a perimeter around my plants (I might try that next year), but with all the rain, it wouldn't last.

The product is called SupeRepellent and is made by a company called Country Fare. So I mixed up a batch from the concentrate as per the directions and gave everything a good soaking late one afternoon when it wasn't supposed to rain.

Big mistake.

The next morning, everything that got sprayed was burned. The blueberry bush was in shambles. One zucchini plant was fatally wounded while two others were battered. The tomato plant, which had been my success story for the year, took some damage down low, as did the strawberry plant. The carrots did ok. All the other flowering plants I sprayed were beat up.

I was furious. I couldn't believe that a product that contained all natural ingredients could do something like this. I hit the Web to find out what I could. Ironically, a couple of the ingredients (clove oil in particular) are herbicides in high enough concentrations. They're even used by organic farmers to eliminate weeds. The very compounds intended to keep pests away can actually kill the very plants the product's creator intended it to protect!

I waited a couple of days before going back to Agway. I really didn't want to chew them out. They didn't create the stuff. They just sell it. I explained what happened and they gave me my money back. The store manager suggested I call the manufacturer as they're right here in Connecticut.

I got an answering machine. I'd already gotten my money back so I didn't chew them out. I did emphasize that their product wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

I thought that was going to be the end of it, but the product's creator called me back the next day. He apologized profusely and asked if he could come out to check the damage. I said sure.

It was the worst damage he'd ever seen.

We talked at length about the product: why he made it, the ingredient choices, proper mixing, dilution, and application techniques, and so on. It was one of those rare times when I could put my old chemistry knowledge to use. He couldn't bs me, but then again, he didn't try. The oils are generally immiscible in the solution unless sufficiently agitated. In other words, shake vigorously and shake often. But I'd read that on the label and noticed it in the concentrate. So either I oversprayed (most likely) or it was a bad batch.

He apologized several times and offered me some free products: pre-diluted SupeRepellent and some vitamin additive meant to revive plants.

Two weeks went by and it seemed like the garden might recover. Carrots were still growing. The tomato plant was over six feet tall and producing plenty of quarter sized tomatoes. The blueberry bush wasn't going to product berries this year, but it had new growth. The one remaining good zucchini plant was even flowering again.

Then we got a hail storm.

The trees had their share of damage. If the leaves weren't green, one might be inclined to think it was Fall. No limbs lost though.

As for the garden, the zucchini's leaves were punctured and the flower was smushed. Several branches on the tomato plant were broken and a dozen green tomatoes were knocked to the ground. The sunflowers were snapped in half. The carrots appear to have been too small to suffer much and the blueberry bush was already a skeleton so it was hard to hit.

The garden is recovering, again. I've still got my tiny tomatoes. One of the fallen green ones is turning red on the window sill. The strawberry plant is flowering. I suspect the carrots are ok, but very small. I have no idea when I'm supposed to pull them out. I'm waiting as long as possible in hopes that they're actually growing into something big enough to eat.

It's still July. The forecast for the week is scattered thunder showers. Every day. I have to wonder what's coming next. Crushing heat wave? Raccoon rampage? Mole invasion? Return of the slugs? My cats are good at catching mice. I wonder if I can train them to go after slugs. In the meantime, maybe I'll stock up on some salt.

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DED

Going Turtle

2009-07-07T16:34:00.004-04:00

Like my good friend the turtle, I've pretty much been in my shell as of late. Blogging and reading blogs has taken not just a back seat but pretty much the third row seat of late. I've been so disheartened by what's been going on in the political arena that I've crawled inside to wait until the danger's past and everyone's gone away.

Obviously that hasn't happened, but I'm peeking out anyway.

We didn't get much snow this Winter so Mother Nature decided to give it back to us late Spring. Anyone who lives in the Northeast knows that we've been getting plenty of rain from the second half of May on through June. To give everyone an idea, our area has received 50% more rain than what we average in June. I think NYC had it's second rainiest June on record.

So you can say we've been soggy. I think that's why we had a rare turtle sighting in June. And he was a big one too. I'd say his shell was a foot long. Anyway, he was about 500 feet away from the local pond and uphill. I have no idea why he wandered away from it. I guess that since things were so wet he decided to have a look around the neighborhood.

I'm not a fan of using product on my lawn (or my hair). I don't want a monochromatic lawn made up of monolithic grass. I prefer diversity. Sure the dandelions are annoying, but they go away. And all the variety of grasses means that if part of the lawn starts to go, some other strain will move in.

But more importantly, I've got well water. What doesn't get metabolized by the plants trickles down to the aquifer. "Hey kids! Have a glass of 1,2,3 methylhexylchlorobutyldi-isocyanate." Well, not really, but you get my point.

As a result, seeds drift in on the wind (or out some critter's butt) and germinate in my herbicide free yard. Those berries in the picture are wild strawberries. They're spreading throughout my yard and have really thrived this year. If I'd gotten off my butt and sent out the picture sooner to my friends (thanks again Bob and Matt), I probably would've been able to harvest enough to make a jam (they sell kits now in my local hardware store) or make some kind of dessert.

Better luck next year, I suppose. In the meantime, the lawn mower makes a detour and competitors gets weeded out.

There's a small creek that runs behind my house. It's usually only wet in the Spring, when the snow melts. So, with all the rain, it hasn't gone dry yet. The frogs are loving it. They had orgies every night.

My son has gone crazy with bugs. Only entomologists (and little boys) show total fascination with every creepy crawly and buzzing annoyance out there. I think my wife anticipated this and thus bought me Kaufman's "Field Guide to Insects of North America." Thanks to Alex, and this book, I know more about insects than I ever cared to know.

But it's helped me to not panic at the sight of this underneath my deck:

Why not panic at the sight of a melon-sized hornet's nest? Oh because if you leave them alone, they won't waste their stingers on you. They'd much rather use it on prey (various caterpillars).

Still, the wife wants it gone. I'll see if I can postpone it until Fall or Winter. The book says that nests are only used for one season. The Queen moves on and everyone else dies. Hmmmmm, there's a message hidden in that factoid.

Other projects: I've built a garden box (more on that in a future post) and I'm in the midst of turning our bedroom closet into a walk in.

Well, there's another thunderstorm in the area. I better post this before a lightning bolt fries something (phone line got hit last month). Be seeing you.

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DED

P.S.: For those of you wondering about 1971, I haven't forgotten. It was a tough year to figure out but I think it's set now. Hope to get to it soon.

2009 Connecticut Craft Brewers Beer Festival

2009-05-22T21:41:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday was the 15th Annual Connecticut Craft Brewers' Beer Festival outside Jesse Camille's restaurant in Naugatuck, CT. It was a bit of a gloomy day. Although the much needed rain held off (we're down 7 inches), the cloud cover remained solidly in place.

Besides myself, this year's group consisted of Cooper, Bob and his brother, Ethan. I covered the malt end. Cooper had the hops. Bob is all about Belgians and Ethan loves Colorado brewers. He lived out in Colorado for a while so he had some favorites he wanted to revisit.

With Spring here, I thought a mai bock was in order so I went over to Smuttynose to try their Maibock. It's part of their big bottle series and weighs in at a hefty 6.2% ABV. I liked it a lot. It was medium bodied with a hint of a floral bouquet and a fruity finish. I'll have to look for this one in the store.

I decided to go for another maibock. This one came from Willimantic Brewing. Their Mail Carrier Maybock came across as hoppier than Smuttynose's. It too was really good. When I asked the brewer why he spelled it differently, he said it was because he used American ale yeast instead of lager yeast. I'd say it worked.

I spotted Bluepoint Brewery and decided I needed a palette cleanser before moving on to a different style of beer. They were also selling cobalt blue pint glasses. Since the free sample cups just don't cut it for an adequate tasting sample, and I'd left my other brewfest cup at home, I bought one. Rewarding me for my purchase, the Bluepoint rep filled my glass with their Blueberry Ale. It's a refreshing little beer that stands up to summer heat and won't leave you parched at a picnic.

Cooper recommended Brooklyn's Intensified Coffee Stout as he knows I'm a stout fan. Well, this beer certainly lives up to its name. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was drinking coffee. Really, the taste is that strong (as is the alcohol content: 8.0%). Unfortunately, I hate coffee. I don't drink the stuff. In years past, the smell alone would make me nauseous. Fortunately, that didn't happen here. Still, I didn't like it. But if you like coffee and stouts maybe this is the beer for you.

Silly me. I went and tried the Coffeehouse Porter from Berkshire Brewing. While it wasn't as strong as Brooklyn's offering, it was more of the same. I don't know why I did it. I shouldn't have.

In dire need of a good dark beer, I went to the Hartford Better Beer Company to grab some of their Praying Mantis Porter. Still good and I only get to have it at brewfests.

With my tastebuds back on track, I went over to Olde Burnside to try their Ten Penny Ale Reserve. Since they're stubbornly sticking with their growlers, I don't get to buy them too often. The Reserve is different. It's 10% ABV and mercifully sold in swingline bottles. But unlike some high alcohol beers, it doesn't knock you on your ass. Instead, it gently helps you down to the ground to sit on your ass. In other words, a great tasting ale.

I wandered over to Otter Creek to find out if their beers of the world series was going to come back. Indeed it is so if you're a fan of that line. Keep your eyes open. Anyway, I had their Russian Imperial Stout which was another high alcohol (10% ABV) concoction. Really good.

I was on a roll at this point. I went with another Imperial, Sam Adams' Double Bock. I could get this 9.5% ABV any ol' time but it's expensive and I shy away from expensive beer unless I know it's good. Wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a beer that would make me cringe, right? That's where beer fests come in handy. Well, fear not. Sam Adams Double Bock comes through.

I finally broke out of the Imperials. I went over to the homebrew supply store, Maltose Express to try their Smoked Maple Wheat. It was like drinking smoky pancakes. That's meant as a compliment.

Ethan pointed out that Rogue's Mom Hefeweizen was good, but I didn't get around to trying it.

Instead I had Trout River's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Very good. More my kind of stout as opposed to the coffee flavored kind.

Bru Rm @ Bar has always come through with good beer in the past so I gave their BruMaster's Rye a shot. Cooper had this one early in the day and I was intrigued by it. It was good.

By now, my taste buds were no longer reliable. My notes say that I had Farmington River's Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada's Porter (all good of course), River Horse's Triple Horse Belgian Tripel (Bob must've talked me into that one), and SBC's English Brown Ale (Notes say "sucks" but no explanation).

Don't worry. It sounds like I drank more than I did. Bluepoint was the only pint I drank. The others were smaller samples. However, I was beered out by the end of the night. In fact, I didn't have a beer all week (until tonight, but it was just one).

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DED

My Music Library - 1970

2009-05-01T16:00:00.002-04:00

1970 marked the end of the Sixties in more ways than one.

The Beatles released Let It Be and announced that they were breaking up.

Hendrix's new group, Band of Gypsies, crumbled just after it began. Hendrix stopped a show two songs in and apologized, "I'm sorry we just can't get it together." His drug use escalated and impaired his performances. He ultimately died of a barbiturate overdose.

Joplin follows suit with heroin just a couple of weeks later.

The Who took a break from touring to record Live At Leeds. I have the original 1970 version on cd, but it's full of clicks and crackles. I may as well be listening to a worn out vinyl copy. I understand that the 1995 remastered and extended version is better as is the 2001 double cd. I should probably pick up a copy of one or the other as I find the 1970 version is lacking. While it's a good album, I've always come away from it feeling that it lacked cohesion.

Jim Morrisson further retreated from his rock god persona, seeking to re-invent himself as a blues shaman. Morrison Hotel marked the return of The Doors from suckiness.

"Roadhouse Blues" kicked off the album with a blues rock stomp. "Waiting For The Sun" followed with an emphatic call to join the Lizard King's rebellion. Morrisson drew on elements from his own life with "Peace Frog" over a funky beat. The song segues into "Blue Sunday," a mellow love song that only Morrisson could get away with. "Indian Summer" complements it.

The happy jazzy beat in "Ship of Fools" belies Morrisson's lyrics:

"The human race was dying out
No one left to scream and shout
People walking on the Moon
Smog will get you pretty soon."
"Land Ho!" continues the happy beat and it sounds like a sea shanty. "The Spy" is a sinister slow burn blues number. The album isn't perfect, however, as "You Make Me Real," "Queen of the Highway," and "Maggie M'Gill" seem lacking. Overall though, it symbolized a return of the band.

Led Zeppelin, who were already living in the rock god self-indulgence of the 70's, released their third album, Led Zeppelin III. The album took a lot of flak for its varied musical direction, but I think it's unfair. Zep were trying to expand their sound and I think III is a precursor to Physical Graffiti. "Immigrant Song" is still my favorite (I learned the words from this video) though later versions of "Gallows Pole" really captured the full potential of the song.

But nothing quite said the Sixties were done than the rise of Black Sabbath. Although they looked like all the other hippies out there, their sound thundered across the sky threatening to bring hail and brimstone down on the flower people. They were the anti-hippies. Their music proclaimed doom and gloom with war machines, insanity, horror and mysticism. Heavy Metal was born.

They arose from the industrial wastelands of Birmingham, UK, and could easily have lived dead end lives. Ozzy dabbled in burglary while Iommi lost the tips of two fingers in a machinery accident. But Ozzy's brief stint in prison scared him into finding another avenue of escape from the drudgery (music) and Iommi fabricated two thimble-like extensions for his fingers so that he could properly hit the frets.

Their self-titled debut opens with their eponymous song. A church bell rings in the distance as a thunderstorm rages. The next thunderclap is Tony Iommi's guitar, Geezer Butler's bass and Bill Ward's drums. The song carries on with a menacing diminished fifth chord progression while Ozzy reels in terror as a "figure in black" stalks him (though apparently it was Geezer Butler). The song crescendos towards the end as the protagonist meets his fate. While some might interpret this song to be the band's love of the occult, it's rather a warning not to mess with it.

Harmonica announces the arrival of "The Wizard," a rocking homage to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. "Behind The Wall of Sleep" is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's "Beyond The Wall of Sleep." "Bassically" is Geezer's bass solo intro to "N.I.B.", a song written from Lucifer's point-of-view on deceiving humans to follow him.

Bill Ward opens "Wicked World" with an up tempo beat. The rest of the band follow suit with some rocking blues only to abandon it for a more serious rhythm change in time for Ozzy's dire vocals. The guitar solo towards the end of the song is odd in that the rest of the band has stopped playing.

"A Bit of Finger," "Sleeping Village," and "Warning" are merged together as one track as part of a grand 14 minute suite. "Warning" is a blues cover about loving someone a bit too much. There's all sorts of jamming going on. There's a part where it's just Iommi noodling around showing everyone what he can do. It's just him. No other instruments. It's like they took a cigarette break or something. But they come crashing back to continue with the jam and close out the song.

Amazingly enough, the band recorded this album live in one day. They only had two days in the studio and needed one day for mixing and pre-production.

But in case people didn't get the message the first time, Black Sabbath followed up with Paranoid.

"War Pigs" opens the album with a slow progression as air raid sirens build. It all comes to an abrupt halt. Staccato notes punctuate Ozzy's anti-war lyrics like mortar fire eventually crashing into another theme to carry the song into the jam. The outro, "Luke's Wall," is more melodic and elevates the song into a musical triumph.

I never get tired of "Paranoid." Everything about it kicks ass. It's got the now classic chunka-chunka-chunka rhythm punctuated with the quick Iommi riff and the solo wails. Ozzy's vocals stay within a fixed range as if he's straining to hold it together but at times completely loses it. And the lyrics are all about alienation and isolation and knowing that he's messed up and can't do a thing about it.

And the funny thing is, the song was an afterthought. The record label thought the album was too short and insisted Sabbath go back into the studio and record one more track.

"Planet Caravan" is one of those hidden gems. It's a mellow, psychedelic trip through space. The song also gives the listener a chance to rest after the first two tracks.

Then comes "Iron Man." Everyone knows this song. It had nothing to do with the comic book character (though the movie would reverse this). It's a sci-fi tale about a man who travels into the future and sees unbelievable carnage. When he returns to his own time, something goes wrong and he's turned into "iron man" by the "great magnetic field." He's unable to explain what he saw and people turn their backs on him. Furious, he exacts revenge upon mankind and unleashes the very carnage he tried to warn them about.

And the song rocks! Once Ozzy's vocals are done, the rest of the band stampede along to convene to the listener images of Iron Man's destruction.

"Electric Funeral" plods along with it's tale of nuclear war. It picks up the pace in the middle of the song with a brief funky rhythm and guitar solo. It then slows back down to its original pace and fades away.

"Hand of Doom" is about the dangers of heroin abuse. It starts slow as the Geezer's bass walks along with Ward's quiet backbeat. The chorus brings a swell of volume along with reverberating riffs. Two minutes in the guys rock out while Ozzy sings his warnings. "Your mind is full of pleasure. Your body's looking ill." A stomp kicks in, simulating a heart pounding in the user's chest. "You're having a good time baby, but that won't last. Your mind's all full of things. You're living too fast." The last two minutes of the song document the demise and death of the heroin user. "Now you know the scene. Your skin starts turning green."

"Rat Salad" is downright happy compared to the previous track. It's a short instrumental that showcases the musical prowess of each of the band members. Drum solo!

"Jack The Stripper" is the name of the instrumental introduction to "Fairies Wear Boots." It's slower in tempo than "Rat Salad" and serves as a warm up for "Fairies..." There seems to be some disagreement as to the origin of the song. Even the band is split on it. Some say it was reference to skinheads who were harassing the band others that it was a hallucination. Irregardless, the song is primarily a heavy blues jam that is just fun to listen to until it fades away.

These two albums from Black Sabbath cemented the foundation of Heavy Metal. They would serve as the inspiration for a flood of bands, especially in the next generation.

From this point on, hard rock and metal were defined by two bands: Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Successive bands in these genres could trace their lineage back to either one or the other. Sub-genres would arise that enhanced the listening sphere, taking the music into incredible new territory. Others would be detrimental, leading to fads that blew up fast, crowding out everything else and (like all fads) died, threatening to take the parent genre along with it.

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DED

Beer In Review - Left Handed Irishman

2009-04-07T17:25:00.002-04:00

When St. Patrick's Day rolls around, some beer drinkers turn to the Irish, which typically means Guinness. Well, Saranac decided to grab some of that market with their Irish Red Ale. While it certainly won't compete with a Guinness Stout, it is an alternate choice for people who aren't big on that style.

Saranac's Irish Red Ale offers a good amount of near white head on the pour. It has good retention too. The body is a clear reddish amber (Saranac describes it as "deep garnet"). There's a decent amount of hops (Vanguard) which greet your nose on the bouquet. The maltiness is on the light side of medium. I didn't really pick up on the "caramel and toffee notes" that Saranac says are there. I suppose after all the stouts and porters I've been drinking, my palate needs more than a couple "notes." Overall, it had a lager-like mouthfeel to it. I did a bit of research on Vanguard hops and found that they're an American offshoot of Hallertau, the preeminent German hop used in lagers for centuries. 4.5% ABV

It was ok, but it didn't wow me. But that's because lagers aren't my style. Still, it would probably go well with steak and I'd order it out in a restaurant.

The other two brews I'm reviewing this month come from the Left Hand Brewing Company. Situated out in Colorado, they offer to make real beer from the snowy Rockies.

The Black Jack Porter pours out of the bottle with a decent amount of cream-colored head and forms the typical dark brown body with light ruby hues of the style. This is a robust porter with roasted malt dominant, but chocolate is quite evident too. Although it clings to your tongue while it's in your mouth, once you swallow it has a clean finish. 6.5% ABV

Checking with the website, Left Hand Brewing used Magnum hops for bittering. As its name implies, this is a very bitter hop (10.0 - 12.6 a/a). I suspect that's what why the taste really clung to my tongue. US Golding hops were there for flavor, because where would a porter be without the Golding? ;)

I also got to try the Milk Stout but I think I got an old bottle. In many ways it resembles the Porter in appearance, but there wasn't a lot of head and it died quickly. Although it uses the same hops as the Porter, I really didn't get a sense that they were present. There was a faint bouquet of chocolate and espresso which were evident on the tongue as well. 5.9% ABV

The website states that it's a cream stout with actual milk sugar added to "mellow the intense roastiness" and provide "the most incredible creamy mouthfeel." And Left Hand isn't shy about posting the accolades this beer has received. However, my one sample didn't live up to the praise. I'll have to try this one again to figure out where things went wrong. It may be some time though as Left Hand isn't available in CT.

In other brew news, CT now wants all the unclaimed bottle deposits to cover state budget shortfalls. It used to be that all those nickels went to the breweries and, in turn, it would subsidize beer prices. According to Beer Guy at my local store, only 1/3 of all cans are ever returned (he didn't mention bottles) so a lot of nickels were going to the brewers. Once the state took over, beer prices went up.

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DED

My Music Library - 1969

2009-03-25T22:27:00.003-04:00

1969. It was the year that not only marked the end of the 60's in a literal sense, but heralded the cultural end as well. The Summer of Love seemed a distant memory as the Manson "family" went on the rampage in California. While there was Woodstock, there was also Altamont.

Events that happened this year would affect the world for years to come.

Nixon declared the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States expected its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. In essence, it heralded a long, slow, bloody fade to our involvement in Vietnam.

Yasser Arafat was elected the leader of the PLO. Muammar al-Gaddafi, a captain in the Libyan Army, staged a coup and ousted Libya's King. Rupert Murdoch expanded his media empire by purchasing the largest selling British Sunday newspaper, The News of the World. Serious border clashes occurred between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, raising the specter of a Sino-Soviet War.

These events weren't all bad. The first message was sent over ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet. UNIX, the language of computer servers for decades was born. It would later give rise to Mac OS and Linux.

Monty Python's Flying Circus and Sesame Street premiered and gave people a reason to watch PBS.

My favorite part was Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. For a moment, the world held its collective breath as Neil Armstrong took his "giant leap for mankind."

In the music world, Noel Redding finally had enough of Jimi Hendrix and the hysteria surrounding the scene and quit the band.

Creedence Clearwater Revival, known henceforth as CCR, released not 1, not 2, but 3 albums! They even played Woodstock, but they didn't go on until 3 AM because The Grateful Dead had jammed far past their scheduled set time. By this time, most of the audience had passed out from exhaustion.

The Beatles released Abbey Road, their last great album. In fact, it was the last album they recorded as 1970's Let It Be was recorded several months before the Abbey Road sessions. Their last live performance was on the rooftop of Apple HQ in January, before it was broken up by police (U2 would do something similar for the "Where The Streets Have No Name" video). The Beatles had already begun to go their separate ways as business decisions, personal lives, and creative differences drove the Fab 4 into the Mad 4.

The Doors hit bottom with The Soft Parade. For some reason, they thought it would be a good idea to add horns and aim for a more commercial sound. Morrisson was pretty much drunk all the time at this point. Except for the single, “Touch Me,” and the title track, a transcript of an acid trip if there ever was one, the album sucks (well, “Shaman’s Blues” was ok). In fact, it was painful to go back and listen to it for this post.

Morrisson's drinking and rock god status had finally taken its toll artistically and turned him into a piece of crap. It all culminated in the Miami Incident. Something must've clicked in his head at this point. In the few shows the band did several months later, Morrisson ditched the rock god persona for a more laid back performer. The wild shaman antics were replaced by a sober man on a bar stool. Leather pants were ditched for jeans, t-shirt, and a beard.

Pink Floyd released the two record Ummagumma? Yeah. WTF? The first record was live material while the second record was “experimental” studio material. Each band member wrote material to comprise 1/4 of the record and, except for Gilmour’s piece, performed it by themselves. Waters’ “Grantchester Meadows” is a nice acoustic piece while “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict” is funny. Gilmour’s “The Narrow Way” is a good psychedelic rock song. But “Sysyphus” (Wright) and “The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party” (Mason) come across as self-indulgent dreck.

Led Zeppelin heralded the coming of the 70's with their eponymous debut. It all started with the first track off the album, "Good Times Bad Times."

"In the days of my youth I was told what it means to be a man.
Now I've reached that age I try to do all those things the best I can."

That bit of verse became the battle cry of every teenage male and set the tone for the next decade to come.

The album and it's follow up, II, was a mix of blues covers and hard rock numbers with even the occasional ballad (before 80's metal bands made them suck) thrown in for good measure.

While hard rock had its foundation in the Blues, where musicians went with it from there was another matter. While Hendrix was cooking out on the astral plane, Led Zeppelin was firmly rooted, digging in the dirt here on Earth. In fact, Led Zeppelin's sound was forging something heretofore unheard of: Heavy Metal.

Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones. You know them and what they delivered. I won't go on about them any further right now.

But my favorite album of the year was Tommy by The Who. You've know the story. No need to rehash it, right? It was more than "that deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball." Then again, pinball? We journey with Tommy from his traumatized upbringing to his eventual spiritual awakening. It was ambitious in its undertaking and, somehow, the band pulls it off. The album launched the band into greatness. The fact that they didn't rely on an orchestra to back them probably helped. Audiences were amazed that four musicians could make so much music on stage.

1969 revealed that the rock world was now in transition. The 60's were fading and the 70's were coming. Some bands adapted. Others didn't and faded away.

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DED

Non-Profit Newspapers

2009-03-24T17:26:00.004-04:00

Senate Bill Would Make Papers Nonprofits

A new Senate bill could grant nonprofit status to newspaper companies, many of which are currently struggling to survive in a worsening economic environment.

Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D., Md.) has introduced what he calls the Newspaper Revitalization Act, which would grant newspaper companies nonprofit status under the same U.S. Internal Revenue Service code reserved for religious, educational and other charitable organizations.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Sen. Cardin said in a statement. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.

Because newspaper profits have been falling in recent years, no substantial loss of federal revenue is expected, Cardin said.

If the bill were approved, newspapers would not be allowed to make political endorsements, but would be allowed to freely report on all issues, including political campaigns. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt and contributions to support coverage or operations could be tax deductible.

While a transformation to a nonprofit organization may not be the first choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains, Cardin said "it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat."

A number of published newspapers have run aground recently, including the 149-year-old Rocky Mountain News in Denver, The New York Sun and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which is now only on the Internet. Meanwhile, the Ann Arbor News has announced it would stop publishing later this year, and the Hearst Corp. has threatened to shut down The San Francisco Chronicle if a buyer cannot be found.

A number of other publications have gone through dramatic changes, including newspapers owned by the Tribune Company, while filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News will curtail the home delivery schedule for their print editions to the three days.

Gannett, the owner of USA Today and more than 80 daily newspapers, wants virtually all of its U.S. employees to stay at home and forgo at least one week's pay before July. The Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper, also ordered pay cuts of 8% and 10-day furloughs for nonunion employees.

I'm still digesting the implications of this.

Free Market proponents might argue that since people are getting their news from the Internet then the newspapers should just die. But Internet news sites don't make money, except from banner ads. Subscription models have failed. So then what happens? Journalists have to get paid too. Less journalists means an already narrowly focused newsmedia becomes even more enslaved to the 24 hour news networks, where ratings rule the day. Haven't we heard enough about the Octumom or the Pop Tart-of-the-Month's run in with the Paparazzi? Local news? Gone. You're not going to find out about your town's budget hearing on CNN.

I don't believe that this should be misconstrued as a bailout. Less tax revenue? Is tax revenue even relevant with trillion dollar deficits? At least, if we get newspapers to stop worrying about the bottom line and start focusing instead on journalism, there's a chance that the quality will improve. Ok, maybe not. But at least it'll give small cities a chance to keep receiving newspapers instead of being at the mercy of national corporations who are beholden to Wall Street.

Eventually, the newspaper industry will figure out how to make the transformation from print to bytes a profitable one. Once everyone owns a PDA and has electronic banking, then some form of micropayment system will probably be established. As much as the digital gadget crowd claim they're ready for it now, Small Town, USA isn't. Read the Sunday paper online? At least if one of my kids spill their milk on the newspaper, it won't cost me $500 to replace it.

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DED

The White Death

2009-03-19T22:12:00.008-04:00

Little brown bat infected with a new species of Geomyces fungus that has coated its muzzle, ears and wings white. Credit: Al Hicks, NY DEC.

Lost amid all the AIG outrage this week was the report that White Nose Syndrome has killed off 90% of Connecticut's bat population this winter. This is nothing short of catastrophic. By way of comparison, even the Black Death killed no more than 60% of Europe's population. And it's not just Connecticut. Reports are coming in from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York where casualty rates in the bats' caves are 90%, 95% and even 100%! The death toll has already surpassed one million!

And it's spreading. New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia all reported cases this year. It has crossed bat species lines.

The reason why this is such a big deal is that bats eat bugs. LOTS of them. Bats are Nature's bug zappers. Depending on the species, a bat will eat anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 mosquitoes and other insects every night during the warmer months here in the northeast. Think about it: one million less bats means 1 to 3 billion more mosquitoes and other bugs get to live each and every summer night. That means an increased likelihood of West Nile virus, though that's the least of our problems.

Think about what some of those other insects eat. If you guessed "plants," you're right. If the fungus spreads to the really big agricultural states, then it's going to mean more insects free to attack our crops. Farmers will be forced to counter the attack by using more pesticides, which carry their own health risk. Yes, there are farms here in the Northeast, but they certainly don't compare in size to other parts of the country.

Fortunately, the fungus seems content with cold climate dwelling bats, so far. But it's a new species (While the fungus is genetically a member of the genus Geomyces, it looks different from the known Geomyces species, according to microbiologist David Blehert of the U.S. Geological Survey - source), so I don't know if it's certain that there aren't more surprises in store. And biologists aren't sure yet if the fungus is what's causing the die off or an opportunistic invader of an already weakened host. "Bats with white-nose burn through their fat stores before spring, driving some to rouse early from hibernation in a futile search for food. Many die as they hunt fruitlessly for insects." (source) "Once beneath the outer layer of skin covering a bat's wing, the fungus multiplies, sometimes causing the wing to bulge to five to 10 times its original thickness." Researchers are working on a fungicide to treat the scourge.

Right now, polar bears are getting most of the attention in the MSM. They're used in the political arena to draw attention to melting ice caps and climate change. As much as I hate seeing any non-parasitic species threatened with extinction, polar bears are nowhere near as important as bats, bees or frogs. They're top-of-the-food chain predators. Humans have already displaced them in their role in Nature. Their extinction would be tragic, but not catastrophic. We NEED bats. While they lack the cuteness factor (Coke has made people forget that polar bears are carnivores who eat even cuter baby seals), it's important that people are aware of this. Not only is there a dire need for a cure, but we need to find out why this new species of fungus came into existence now. If it's a random mutation, then so be it. But if there's a man-made reason, then it needs to be eradicated.

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DED

Beer In Review - Marching On

2009-03-13T21:09:00.004-04:00

While I've always been a fan of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I really haven't had a chance to sample their other wares. It's been an availability issue. But that's changed. I finally got to try their Porter and it lives up to the brand.

A glass treats you to an ample quantity of rich, brown, long lasting head that floats on top of a dark brown body. Very little light gets through the pint glass, what little does reveals a faint ruby hue. There's a slight, roasted malt bouquet. Chocolate and roasted malt dance with your tongue. Caramel tones tap your taste buds, hoping to cut in. A tingle of hops arrives just before the savory finish. 5.6 ABV

The website informs us that they used Goldings hops for bittering with Williamette used for flavoring. I find this surprising. Normally the reverse is how I've seen it done. Not that you can't. I mean, I've done it with my homebrews. It's just that you don't normally see it done that way. Kent Golding is typically mellow on the alpha acids while Williamette is stronger.

* * *
Next up is the Storm King Stout from Victory Brewing. This is an Imperial Stout, clocking in at a hefty 9.1% ABV. They brew it in Downintown, Pennsylvania, which is a couple dozen miles west of Philly.

This dark brown elixir is nearly black as it flies out of the bottle. The color even seeps into the head, forewarning the imbiber that a potent concoction is on the way. No light gets through the pint glass at all. And if you're brave enough to drink it, it sticks with you the whole way down. Pacific Northwest hops provide the initial tingle on your tongue which yields to a rich, complex malt character that warms your spirit like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day.

* * *
We'll take a break from all of the scary dark beers for something lighter: Berry Weiss from Leinenkugel Brewery. Over the summer, I went to an Iron Maiden concert down in New Jersey. The amphitheater served Leinenkugel, which I'd never heard of. I had their Sunset Wheat which was really nice to have on a summer day. Back home, I spotted the Berry Weiss and picked some up.

There's ample white head on the pour. As this is a wheat beer, there's a bit of haze to the amber (you could call it peach) body. There's no denying that this is a fruity beer. The website says that there's a mix of blackberries, elderberries and loganberries (I've never heard of the latter and elderberries always reminds me of Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail). It's a very sweet berry beer but it didn't overwhelm me. I can't say that everyone that tries it will feel the same. The beer had a very lambic mouthfeel to it so if you're into lambics this would be a good beer for you. 4.7% ABV.

* * *
And now, back to the dark stuff. North Coast Brewing provides us with the Old #38 Stout. Named after a retired steam engine, this beer has all the charm of an old locomotive. A light brown head rides atop a dark brown body. It's opaque, like the finish, but instead of burning coal (fortunately) we get a faint, roasted malt aroma. It's smooth with alternating bits of chocolate and cappuccino notes. There's a hint of hops and a nice smooth finish, like your riding the rails. 5.5% ABV.

* * *
Finally, we have the Steelhead Scotch Porter from Mad River Brewing. "Steelhead" is the name given to ocean bound rainbow trout. Just as this species of trout goes by two different names, this beer has two different styles blended together. They took elements of scotch ales and blended them with a traditional porter. The result is an intriguing mix of both styles.

This beer has an ample brown head and a dark brown body. It's quite dark. No light gets through the pint glass. There's a faint roasted malt aroma. When you drink it, bits of chocolate and roasted malts dominate but give way to the Scotch ale character. Since it shares your tastebuds with the porter elements, it doesn't get a chance to be too sweet. The addition of German Rauch malts lends a bit of smoky character to it as well. Hops are mild as the malt profile of both styles is what identifies this beer. 6.7% ABV.

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DED

Short Watchmen Movie Review

2009-03-10T19:53:00.003-04:00

Four of us went out Saturday night to watch the Watchmen movie and all four of us liked it. It was a really good movie, though I'm not sure if I can call it great. It's always hard for a movie to live up to a book. While the illustrations in a graphic novel make it easier, there's still only so much book you can cram onto film.

All in all, it was pretty faithful to the book. A plot device used to bring about the ending of the story was changed, but it didn't affect the outcome of the story. The same effect was achieved. And the plot device substitution was related to something that was already being worked on in the original story. The swap enabled them to eliminate a lot of minutiae, subtle hints and side stories. Though purists are complaining about that, it works fine for the movie. It's already 2 hours and 45 minutes. While the time flew by for me plenty of whiners out there have complained that it was too long.

The violence was amped up a bit, but that's Hollywood. I'd expect nothing less with Zack Snyder (300) at the helm. The sex scenes were on target, though the last one lasted a little longer than it had to be so if someone wanted to call it gratuitous, well, so be it. Oh, if you're phobic of glowing blue penises, you might not want to see the movie. ;)

As for the acting, the actors that played The Comedian, Rorschach and Dreiberg/Nite Owl 2 were great. The voice for the guy who played Dr. Manhattan seemed odd. It wasn't what I envisioned. In the group I went with, the consensus was that the actress that played Laurie/Silk Spectre 2 was weak. I thought she was ok. The guy who played Veidt/Ozymandias came across as watered down Bowie eurotrash when he should've been Brad Pitt or Robert Redford when he was in his prime.

And the makeup used to transform actors into Nixon, Koppel, Cavett and other historical figures seemed cartoony. I don't know if that was intentional or not.

Do I sound like I'm nitpicking? I hope not because I think it's a good movie, probably a 7.5 out of 10. I already covered the story in my review of the book and since the movie is faithful to the book, I didn't feel the need to rehash it. I'd still recommend the book over the movie, but that's just me.

\_/
DED

Move Over Nigeria

2009-03-03T22:27:00.004-05:00

By now, people should know better than to reply to any of those Nigerian phishing emails offering millions of dollars to any kind soul willing to help them cash a bank check. All they need is your bank account number. :)

Well, now there's a new scam out there that's up-to-date with current events. The poor grammar, among other things, should be a dead giveaway.

From: FEDERAL RESERVE BANK, NEW YORK
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:23 PM
Subject: YOUR FUND PAYMENT IS READY - RESPOND WITH YOUR DETAILS FOR CONFIRMATION

From the Corporate Department
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York , NY 10045

Attention; Beneficiary

The fund and its interest accrued to it amounting to US$ 4.5 Million United States Dollars is ready to be released to you as the beneficiary of the Fund and its Interest Fund upon the confirmation of your personal details. This Fund and Interest Fund is on your name. This Fund has been long over-due payment and has been officially approved for payment by the G8 Government, United Nations and the United States Government.

This is based on encouraging quick inflow of cash/liquidity into the world economy as a means of boosting the economy already ailing and bad. Based on this, we have been authorized by the various authorities and governments to urgently process and release these funds to the respective beneficiaries, all outstanding payments including With-held Lottery Funds, Unpaid Inheritance Funds, Unpaid Contract Funds and all other Funds that have not been paid till date that are enlisted in the unpaid funds files with us.

Most of these Unpaid Funds were with-held due to improper and un-official payment documentations, lack of proper verification documents to ascertain the legality, source/origin and authenticity of these funds. As a means of boosting the ailing world economy, these funds have now been properly documented and verified officially and we have been asked by the various government authorities involved together with the United Nations authority to urgently contact the recipients of these funds and get them released to them without delay. This is the reason why you are being contacted to enable you contact us urgently without delay because these funds are due for payment to the respective beneficiaries as indicated.

You are therefore required to cease or stop any further communication, contact or response to any office, person or group pf persons with regards to the release of your payment. You are instructed in your best interest to "only" contact us for the immediate confirmation of your personal details, processing and release of this fund to you. Contact us now as we have been authorized and mandated to confirm details, process this payment and get the payment released to the various beneficiaries.

We are required to re-confirm your personal details to ascertain and ensure that you are the rightful beneficiary of this Fund and its Interest Amount that has accrued to the fund which is due for payment.

The Government has therefore given us time limit within which to confirm your details and release the Fund and its Interest Amount to you. Failure to hear from you with your timely and urgently, your fund payment will automatically be cancelled.

You are here-by required to urgently contact us with your details as follows;
Your Full Name
Your Contact address
Your telephone numbers
Your sex
Your age
Your occupation
Let us know if you were expecting to receive any payment

You are required to quickly respond urgently without delay.

Faithfully yours,

Edward F. Murphy
Head, Corporate Department
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045

If you reply, your email is addressed to: interestfund.fedreserrvbnk@live.com
...which doesn't seem quite right of course since this email is supposedly from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Looking further into the header I discover that the email originated overseas and that an Australian mail server was used. That wouldn't happen with an email that originated from within the continental US.

Consider yourself warned.
\_/
DED

My Music Library - 1968

2009-02-23T22:37:00.005-05:00

Ahhhh 1968. Hot Wheels and 60 Minutes make their debut. The former would prove to be invaluable to my parents in their attempts to get me potty trained. The latter would prove to be invaluable to investigative journalism. Pierre Trudeau becomes Prime Minister of Canada. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back U.S. currency. The Civil Rights Movement threatens to derail as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is assassinated. Perseverance gets The Civil Rights Act of 1968 passed.

The Soviets steamroll into Czechoslovakia to ensure freedom there stayed in a coma.

It was the year that Vietnam got downright in-your-face ugly. There was the Tet Offensive. This execution is photographed for all to see and then there's the My Lai Massacre. Attitudes towards the war change in a big way. It's no longer some fringe group of hippies against the war. It's mainstream. It threatens to tear apart the Democratic Party. Three weeks after barely edging out McCarthy in the NH primary, LBJ announced he wouldn't seek re-election. RFK enters the race only to be assassinated months later.

Nixon is elected president and the presidency is forever changed.

Oh yeah. And I was born.

While many a musician has gone on to have an acting career, the reverse hasn't been true. Case in point: William Shatner. While I don't own a copy of his 1968 album, The Transformed Man, I've heard bits of it and it is so awful it's hilarious.

More weirdness this year came in the form of Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. While side one is largely forgettable, side two's 17 minute title track is a superb mix of proto-heavy metal and psychedelia. You don't have to be stoned to enjoy it, but it certainly adds a certain element to the listening experience.

The Beatles released their magnum opus: The White Album. While some would argue that it was their best, I only thought that half of it was good. While Side 1 is great from start to finish, Side 2 leaves me flat. With a couple exceptions, Sides 3 & 4 follow the same pattern. If they only released half the album, containing the songs I like of course, I think that it would've been a much tighter package. But I know millions disagree. :)

Once again, for me, the top three albums, in ascending order, were from Pink Floyd, The Doors, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

1968 was a painful transition year for Pink Floyd. The pervasive use of psychedelics upon a fragile mental health ruined Syd Barrett. David Gilmour was brought on board in hopes that he would fulfill Barrett's duties live but Syd proved to be too erratic to work with. By April of that year, the band gave up on Barrett and he was set free.

As the band entered the studio to record their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, there was an obvious vacuum that needed to be filled. The band did what they could Roger Waters and Richard Wright rose to the occasion and offered the band (and their fans) two different styles.

Waters wrote the space rock songs “Let There Be More Light” and “Set the Controls for The Heart of the Sun,” the latter being a beautifully moody piece with the bass guitar carrying the melody as the keyboards and guitar flit in and out. Nick Mason accentuates the piece with xylophone and kettle drums. He also penned, “Corporal Clegg,” an anti-war song that paints an unflattering portrait of a WWII veteran. And to add weight to the ironic lyrics, we’re served up with a dissonant chord progression and kazoos.

Richard Wright’s offerings, “Remember A Day” and “See Saw”, were more moody psychedelic affairs. The former was actually recorded the year before and featured Barrett on slide guitar. Both songs come across as forlorn longings for a childhood that will never return.

All four remaining band members collaborated on the title track. As an instrumental, each member gets to explore his instrument to bring forth mysterious and sinister elements. But it’s Mason and Wright who own this song. The percussion and keyboards are what draw the listener in and hypnotize them. After the guitar has had its way with their brains, it is Wright’s keyboard that restores tranquility to the listener’s mind.

“Jugband Blues” closes the album. It’s the last Barrett song to be included on a Pink Floyd album. The lyrics call attention to his deteriorating condition while the music strives to be joyful, in a drunken way.

“It’s awfully considerate of you to think of me here
And I’m almost obliged to you for making it clear that I’m not here”
...
“And I’m wondering who could be writing this song”

* * *
The Doors were riding high off the success of their first two albums. But all that success fueled Morrisson’s excessive drinking. In December of 67, Morrison was arrested after an obscenity laced tirade on stage in New Haven. Angry audience members rioted.

Morrison’s drinking made recording Waiting for the Sun difficult. Envisioning himself a pagan god, Morrison wanted his 17 minute, “Celebration of the Lizard,” to be this album’s monumental opus (as “The End” and “When The Music’s Over” were on the previous two albums”) but it was alleged that the band couldn’t perform it well enough for Morrison’s liking. In the end, only the section entitled “Not to Touch the Earth” was used. To make up for it, a couple of older demo songs were pulled out of the closet, “Hello, I Love You” and “Love Street.” The mix of old and new material marks “Waiting For The Sun” as a transitional album for the band.

“Hello, I Love You” starts off funky with the song’s groovy (sorry) melody held down on the keyboards. It’s all about scoring with a hot chick and it’s great. The song builds and builds and by the end it crescendos in a cacophony of fuzz box distortion with Morrison shouting “Hello!”

“Not To Touch The Earth” starts with dissonant chord progression and dizzying chords on the keyboards. The song is reigned in for the chorus as Morrison pleads, “Run with me.” But after the second chorus the song crescendos into chaos and madness ending in crash of keyboards and Morrison stating that he is the Lizard King.

“Love Street”, “Summer’s Almost Gone”, and “Wintertime Love” serve as counterbalance to the mania of those two. “Love Street” is a happy hippy song that only The Doors can do. “Summer’s Almost Gone” sounds almost mournful with its bluesy guitar bidding adieu to the Summer of Love. The harpsichord evokes a waltz in “Wintertime Love”. There’s a certain sweetness to it.

“The Unknown Soldier” opens with a haunting keyboard whistle and then Morrison sets the stage telling the tragic fate of the song’s namesake. In the middle of the song, a military style execution takes place. During live performances, the band would act this part out on stage. The haunting keyboard whistle cues up the last section as Morrison re-sings the first verse ending with “the war is over.” Bells ring out. Crowds cheer.

“Spanish Caravan” is a real gem. The flamenco guitar intro alone would carry the song (Krieger credits Albeniz) but it becomes a keyboard carnival caught up in a tornado. Morrison doesn’t overplay his part (for once) letting the guitar and keyboards work their magic.

But with all that’s good on this album, not all of the experimentation works. “My Wild Love” builds slowly but comes across as lethargic. It’s all vocal chant over a simple beat. It’s an experiment gone awry. “We Could Be So Good Together” sounds like leftover material from one of their previous two albums. “Yes, The River Knows” is a vocal over piano with Densmore providing a soft jazz backbeat. The guitar is sparse, coming across as desperate not to impede upon the song.

“Five To One” ends the album on a defiant note. Morrison drunkenly pleads his case for revolution and the band is eager to lend a hand. Krieger’s guitar work trumpets, perhaps signaling the end of this phase of The Doors’ career.

* * *
Unfortunately, Morrison wasn’t the only rock star with a drinking problem. Jimi Hendrix found that parties could be had at any time so long as he was around. And when he drank too much, he became a mean drunk. He hit his girlfriends. He even trashed a hotel room and got into a fight with bassist Noel Redding in Stockholm.

Jimi wanted to mix business with pleasure while recording Electric Ladyland, so he invited his friends over to watch and listen. This didn’t sit well with either Redding or producer Chas Chandler. The latter eventually got fed up with Hendrix’s perfectionist approach (“Gypsy Eyes” took 43 takes, 20 takes for the acoustic guitar part in “…Watchtower”, and playing the bass tracks on six tracks) and drug use and quit. He even sold his stake in the management company that handled the Experience.

“…And the Gods Made Love” is disposable noise. It may have been inventive in its day, but it feels like a cheapened rip off of “Third Stone from the Sun”. It doesn’t so much introduce the listener to the album so much as distract from it.

“Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)” is the proper introduction to the album. The song invites you to come along for what promises to be an event. Hendrix sings "I want to show you..." in falsetto as the track winds down. Indeed he does.

You know “Crosstown Traffic”. It grabs your attention and lends itself to radio airplay. 1968 must’ve been the year of the kazoo because Hendrix used it here too.

“Voodoo Chile” is a 15 minute blues number that was recorded live in the studio. Redding got upset with Hendrix over the crowded conditions in the studio and took the night off. Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) filled in for him and Steve Winwood (back when he was cool) plays keyboards.

“Little Miss Strange” is the sole track where Noel Redding gets the spotlight. He wrote the track, plays acoustic guitar and sang it with Mitch Mitchell. It’s the one track that Hendrix let Redding call the shots and not interfere. As for the song itself, musically its tight, although the lyrics a bit simple and innocent. It’s a nice little number though.

“Long Hot Summer Night” starts funky then rocks out, even with the piano. “Come On” is a rockin’ cover of Earl King’s blues number. “Gypsy Eyes” is another blues rocker, but for all the effort put into it, it’s only about average.

In “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” Hendrix got the idea to use electric harpsichord from the Beatles and the wah-wah pedal from Frank Zappa. Arethra Franklin’s backing singers provide the harmony vocals. Amazingly the whole thing works and the song soars into the stratosphere.

“Rainy Day, Dream Away” was another one of those spontaneous slow burn blues jams. Organ and tenor sax show up and Buddy Miles filled in on drums.

There’s a lot of speculation about what “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)” is all about. I'm not hung up on it. It's just a fantastic song full of sonic invention with feedback, phasers (no, not the Star Trek kind), reverb and delay. Mitchell goes insane on a drum solo in the middle but reins himself in. The one weak point in the song is when Hendrix just noodles on the bass and there’s nothing else to hear. That small bit sounds amateurish. "Moon, Turn the Tides... Gently Gently Away" is the coda to that song.

“Still Raining, Still Dreaming” picks up where “Rainy Day…” leaves off. Literally.

“House Burning Down” is a furious blues rock number

The band’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower” is phenomenal. You know it. You've heard Classic Rock Radio play it a billion times. Even Bob Dylan changed the way he performs his song to match the Hendrix version.

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” sounds nothing like the 15 minute number, and that's a good thing. As good as the other track, this one is awesome. Hendrix sings, "I stand up next to a mountain and chop it down with the edge of my hand" while his guitar is doing exactly that.

Electric Ladyland would be Hendrix’s masterpiece but it would also signal the beginning of the end of the Experience. Recording was no longer a band effort. If you didn’t live up to Jimi’s standards, or just do things his way, he did it himself. All one could do was hop on and enjoy the ride or get the hell out of the way. It's a tragedy that the Hendrix train would derail two years later.

\_/
DED

The United States of Insolvency

2009-02-17T11:49:00.003-05:00

For years, Republicans accused Democrats of being the party of "tax and spend." The GOP was the guardian of taxpayers. Fiscal responsibility was their credo. While present day Republicans worship Reagan conservatism, he convinced the Democratically controlled Congress to rack up huge deficits to outspend the Soviets in order to win the Cold War.

It worked.

When the Republicans took Congress in the 90's, they restored some semblance of fiscal conservatism and moved Clinton into a brief budget surplus. It was supposed to be the first step towards a fiscally responsible government.

It wasn't.

Before we could hope to whittle down the National Debt, W was elected. With a Republican controlled government, fiscal conservatism was abandoned. Instead, it was time for the Neoconservative political agenda and Machiavellian manipulation from Karl Rove. Tax cuts and wild spending doubled the National Debt in just a few years. It seemed as though the Republicans had bested Democrats at government excess.

Until now.

The ante has been upped by the Democrats in an effort to save us all from GD2. At least, that's what's implied. But one has to wonder if our efforts to escape the frying pan will only lead us into the fire. Seems that way to me.

\_/
DED

(TotH to Edwardo for unknowingly pointing me to dailybail.com)