1. Tom Cruise, Scientologist

    Too kooky.

    CRUISE: I’m a helper. For instance, I myself have helped hundreds of people get off drugs. In Scientology, we have the only successful drug rehabilitation program in the world. It’s called Narconon.

    SPIEGEL: That’s not correct. Yours is never mentioned among the recognized detox programs. Independent experts warn against it because it is rooted in pseudo science.

    CRUISE: You don’t understand what I am saying. It’s a statistically proven fact that there is only one successful drug rehabilitation program in the world. Period.

    SPIEGEL: With all due respect, we doubt that. Mr. Cruise, you made studio executives, for example from Paramount, tour Scientology’s “Celebrity Center” in Hollywood. Are you trying to extend Scientology’s influence in Hollywood?

    CRUISE: I just want to help people. I want everyone to do well.

    Interview back and forth I’ve never seen in the American press. 😦

  2. Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization

    Does this have enough internally defined terms to challenge scientology or is my music theory rusty?

    Brief modal explanation:
    Doh Re Mi Fa So La Ti Doh

    In western music, it is so universal, it is called the “Major Scale”. Written music uses it to define ‘key signatures’, chord names are derived from how the notes deviate from a standard “1st note, third note, fifth note of the Major Scale” triad sequence, for some reason, and going from the fifth note to the first note sounds so fucking good that all music, anywhere, ever, does it over and over again.

    On a piano, from C to C, these are the white keys.

    Some are right next to each-other, others have a black key (sharp or flat) in the middle. Like this:

    Doh | Re | Mi Fa | So | La | Ti Doh

    So take that radical concept which western music has been using since Bach or earlier, and start a scale on the Re, instead of the Doh, of the keyboard.

    The black keys move! :monocle:

    Do this for every note in the major scale and you end up with seven scales, long ago given Greek names and called in modern theory, Church Modes, or just Modes.
    Ionian: C D E F G A B (C) Dorian: D E F G A B C (D) Phrygian: E F G A B C D (E) Lydian: F G A B C D E (F) Mixolydian: G A B C D E F (G) Aeolian: A B C D E F G (A) Locrian: B C D E F G A (B)
    The crazy idea here, is that western music is wrong, and that the Lydian scale is actually the one everyone should think about. The way it rotates away, the Lydian scale is one note away from our generic Doh, Re, Me… But when you move that one note, you make a scale, that you can re-arrange into repeated five-one intervals. Remember how I said western music loves the five-one interval? So does eastern music. So does all music for that matter. In the west, a five-one is called a Perfect Fifth. The first note is the Tonic, the fifth is the Dominant. Er, wait, Lydian-chromatic says that this is based on Gravity.

    Gravity. Fields.

    I like V-I movement enough to take it with a grain of salt.

  3. Elvis

    Hello, I’m Grant, and I’m a big Elvis Costello fan. On a whim I download his first album to see what all the fuss about. Amazing.

    I wasn’t worried back when I decided last year that Let It Be was the my favorite album of all time very much especially The End, after all, it’s a classic. I didn’t notice getting into Echo & the Bunnymen, starting to take Bowie seriously, or my recent penchant for ‘majory-stuff’ (Wilco and their ilk).

    Elvis Costello?

    WTF. I was into Minor Threat and NIN and RATM and Ministry, man. I was angry about, shit, and stuff, or something…

    The next time I roll my eye’s at Mom going to a Yanni show after growing up playing Hendrix albums, I’ll remember that she was also a Steely Dan fan, and be a bit more introspective.

  4. C's Get Degrees

    Amanda just got her congratulations letter from the State of Maryland on passing her Engineer in Training certification, making her an EIT.

    A 70 is required to pass.

    She got a 70.

    :eng101:

  5. Hiring again...

    GURU, Inc. has an immediate opening for a full-time Senior Network Engineer, who will be involved in all aspects of information technology including: user support, PC hardware/software, server hardware/software, network security and infrastructure, backup and recovery systems, and corporate messaging systems. This consulting position will also be responsible for performing upgrades, maintenance of hardware and software systems, providing technical documentation and working with our client’s management regarding IT issues, strategy and solutions. He or she must be an excellent communicator and leader who can nurture strong customer relationships. Our ideal candidate will possess at least 5+ years experience as a Network Administrator or Network Engineer, and have a rounded scope of hands-on knowledge with corporate information systems, including products from Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, Dell and HP. BA and MCSE certification are preferred, but not required.

    GURU, Inc. is a growing Information Technology consulting firm located in Gaithersburg, MD that services the Washington DC metropolitan area. We have built our reputation and success on providing excellent customer service to our quickly expanding client list. If you possess the talents and the desire to be a part of a dynamic team of professionals who hold the bar high on customer satisfaction, then we would like to talk to you. We offer competitive compensation and benefits, as well as an environment that will challenge you daily. Please note that our candidate must also be able to travel extensively within the Washington DC metropolitan area.

    We’ve hired two tech’s and an engineer since my last post. I think there is also mild interest in having an intern/lackey at the office for the summer – if you know anyone appropriate for the position, pass them my way.

  6. Sad face

    :laugh: Smoking ban in DC eh?

    It’s like watching a thread on abortion or atheism.

  7. Home Broadband upgrade

    Broadband included in every unit!

    I’ve been putting up w/ the shared USLEC T1 in my apartment for months now. I don’t mind the latency, the 1.5/1.5 line split 40 ways was unbearable most weekends and OK most other times, provided I didn’t want to steal from the **AA’s, haha, or uh, download anything else. The building LAN is VLAN’d in such a way that I get a pretty garaunteed 12K down most of the time. Lately the DNS has turned to shit, and I’ve been annoyed at the double-dialup speeds having had cable for the past five years in every other apartment.

    The Solution.

    8 static IP’s, 6M/768k, 150 hours a month nationwide dial-up service (for Amanda).

  8. Primer

    See it a few times. Really.

  9. Vox

    Vox AD15VT Valvetronix 15W Guitar Amp

    Kevin raved. I read reviews.

    Last weekend playing guitar w/ my Stage 112SE 180Watt 12" amp turned up to 4/10 on the clean channel through my multi-effects pedal turned to 6 out of 100. Something jiggles the cable connecting the pedal to the amp.

    _CCCCHH RRRRRR KKKKPP TTTTTTTSSHHHHHMM MMMMPPP TT* *__ KKKKKRR RRRRPT !!**ZZZZ ZHHRRRR RRRRRTTKK XXZZZZ!!!"

    Maybe it’s the stone-cone I’m jamming in but anxiety that the neighbors are trying to hide from World War III over in 5F is enough for me to stop playing.

    To the rescue:

    • 15W
    • 8" speaker
    • Real tube-power sound from Vox Valve Reactor circuit
    • Real 12AX7 triode tube and low-wattage tube power circuit
    • 11 amp models
    • 11 high-quality effects
    • User programs
    • Preset mode for quick model access
    • Knob-based interface for easy editing
    • Manual mode for real time adjustments
    • Headphone/line out jack

    Now I just have to wait the 2-5 business days for it to ship to the office.

    :dance:

  10. Ryan's citation

    Pretty cool news from my cousin Ryan:

    So today RADM Stevenson, the American Admiral running this show stopped by the ship to switch from a helicopter to a Sweedish assult boat to go ashore Bornholm (my favorite Danish port to be anchored 5 NM outside of AND NO CLOSER).

    The CO decided to swing a semi surprise on me and have the RDML pin a Navy Acheivement Medal on me (my third) - he passed a few out the morining after the (non)incident, but not being included, I thought that I was going to get missed.

    Anyhow, the citation reads as follows:

    PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AS NAVIGATOR IN USS TORTUGA (LSD 46) ON 1 JUNE 2005. LIEUTENANT STAVELY DISPLAYED EXCEPTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, PERSEVERANCE, AND FORTITUDE AS HE SUPERVISED A PERILOUS RESTRICTED WATERS TRANSIT IN WHICH THE PILOT AND TUGS PROVED USELESS. LIEUTENANT STAVELY’S FIERCE DETERMINATIONS IN SUPERVISING ALL ASPECTS OF MANEUVERING TORTUGA IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SHOALS ENSURED TORTUGA WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON HER MISSION IN SUPPORT OF BALTOPS 2005. BY HIS NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, PERSEVERANCE, AND DEVOTION TO DUTY, LIEUTENANT STAVELY REFLECTED CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND UPHELD THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.

    Ryan and the Admiral
    Figure 1. Ryan and the Admiral.

    I’ve got to get to bed, as RDML Stevenson is coming back tomorrow and bringing the media onboard for “BALTOPS MEDIA DAY” - it should be a blast

Pizza Slow (high quality)

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