Platypi Muse

Righteous Anger, Unrighteous Gas

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:33:00 +0000

So, you're probably asking yourself, what could have possibly ticked him off enough to pull him away from whatever he's been doing for 2 months to bring him back here. I mean, the blog is a little dusty. I really should tidy up. So what was it that caused a rant I can't hold back.

I got a case of bad gas.

Don't get me wrong, two bucks a pop is a LOT... LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT... better than 4 bucks a gallon for gas. Thank you God, OPEC, Bush, Obama and/or who ever was involved in bringing them prices down. But those... (Christian friends look away) ...those DIRTY RAT BASTARDS at the oil companies know we'll wear a 2 year old pair of Payless Shoes into the freaking ground and eat "2 for 99 cents" tacos at Jack's to keep gas in our cars. They KNOW we have money. And they want it.

I almost screamed out loud when I pulled into a Valero (which, depending on if the nut job talking is a right wing or left wing nut job, either is or isn't Hugo Chavez gas) and saw that it was going to cost me 10 cents a gallon to USE MY CREDIT CARD!!!! I mean, we used to do this back in the 70's, back when I knew exactly one human being that had a real honest-to-God magic plastic rectangle with the words "Diner's Club" on it, that let him buy stuff and pay for it later. These, however, are different days. Days in which you do not have to be a citizen, have a real address beyond a rented PO Box, or even HAVE AN ACTUAL JOB to get a credit card. Heck, a properly motivated (or improperly motivated if you will) person can even get a credit card with SOMEONE ELSE'S NAME! The plastic rectangle is more tragic than magic now. We stopped this barbaric practice of punishing card users years ago. Even Carl's Jr., who actively seeks to KILL US by piling ever more amounts of cheese, bacon, fried foods, chili, burbon and even PASTRAMI on our burgers, and charges you (!) a fee to use your ATM card (!!), doesn't charge to use a credit card. It's evil. It's wrong. Screw you guys, I won't pay it!

So, I took out my right out of my bank account, same as cash debit card to get gas. THERE IS A FORTY FIVE CENT TRANSACTION FEE TO USE MY ATM CARD. That's right boys an girls, unless you have a rectangle of greenish paper with a portrait of a dead president (or at least a dead inventor) on it, Valero is going to take money out of your pocket for no other reason than because they can.

All this fee crap was OK when we were building an electronic infrastructure to make these payments possible. That infrastructure has long been in place and this practice needs to stop. After earning our money, and after the Feds, State, City and now VENDOR take their share, we are starting to feel DAMN LUCKY to have 55 cents left to our dollar.

I'm sure Valero makes what I might call a "shload" of money doing this, but NOT OFF ME. Not only am I already in the habit of pulling out cash to buy my comic books through the time tunnel to the Stone Age where I get them, but I bank at B of A. Maybe a lousy bank, but if you tripped and fell off the International Space Station and plummeted to Earth, a Bank of America Automated Teller Machine is on the list of things you are most likely to hit; along with a Starbucks, a Walmart, a McDonald's and somebody "working the sign" on a freeway off ramp.

Yep, I'm that stubborn. Not only will I go pull out cash to get gas, after I do it, I might decide Valero really didn't need ANY of my money. Sadly, however, I must be a revolution of one, because I see now that Shell is pulling the same stunt with their gas. Now, this might seem trivial, so let's do the math. I fill up my standard 12 gallon tank once a week. I get decent gas mileage and, I DON'T COMMUTE. At 10 cents a gallon, that's $62.40 a year. Not a giant amount of money. But I can think a million things I'd rather do with 62 dollars than just give it to Valero for the privilege of buying their gas. If you just fill up for the day, that's $1.20, which is a 20 ounce soda, something off the value menu at a fast food place or, pretty much lunch at Costco.

A big chain like Valero MIGHT pay 25 cents plus 1 percent a transaction to take credit cards. I know much smaller places that pay even less than that. And, that charge is ALREADY priced into what they charge for gas. It has to be, because they have been taking credit cards without charging for about 20 years, if memory serves.

This is free money for businesses. And the only way a business is going to turn down free money is if it costs them sales. So expect this trend to gather steam if we don't nip it in the bud. And after the FED taxes us, The state taxes us, the city taxes us, and all the vendors start taxing us, that 55 cents on the dollar will start to actually look pretty damn good.

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

You say you want a resolution...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:33:00 +0000

First, sit down, take a deep breath and sip some water. Yes, this is a new blog post. Relax. Now, down to business.

I don't really believe myself to be all that remarkable. Sure, I have lots of talents, and I'm pretty bright. But when your social sphere consists primarily of talented, intelligent people, you are allowed to rest in the normalcy of what has been given to you. Most people I know are either really smart, really talented or both. So this is how it is possible that someone so many people see as exceptional can have so little faith in his abilities.

On Christmas day, in my 16th year, my parents gave me a gift. It's sitting in the next room, although much the worse for wear, and probably in it's last functional days. I shall never forget the words inscribed on it. Kimberly VIP 4. What I know now that I didn't know then, it that a Kimberly VIP 4 is a cheap, short scale Japanese knock off of a Gibson EB-2 Electric Bass. But none of that mattered. What mattered back then is is was a REAL bass guitar. And,it was mine. I didn't know how to hold it, or how to tune it. But on that very first day, I made music. Really terrible, un-amplified, music wrought with tempo fluctuations, but I made music. What I didn't know then, that I know now was that the notes I chose were the foundation of rock and roll, the Root, the 4th, and the 5th. I IV V. The legendary three chords, that when coupled with the "truth", made some of the most significant music of the later half of the 20th century.

I got pretty good at playing bass, growing past the Kimberly (for the time being)and beginning what would become a life long love affair with Fender. And, since the concept was essentially the same, being a good bassist brought being a fair guitarist along with it. But, I distinctly remember the next milestone, as it was also a Christmas. In college, it seemed pianos were everywhere, and I was fascinated by them. I plunked at them (how awful those first sounds must have been) sometimes bringing a guitar with me, to translate the chords I could finger on guitar to this wonderful new... "thing" I was playing with. Having already been a geek for sometime, my music director asked me to take home the group's Yamaha SY77 to learn how to edit patches and program sounds. To accomplish this, I sequenced out a crude, rudimentary orchestration of "Agnus Dei" by Micheal W. Smith. This frustrating process, that after a month resulted in two and one half minutes of actual music, gave me a quick and dirty crash course in sequencing, melody, harmony, note choice and note duration, that continues to inform my efforts to this day.

And, maybe you guessed it, two years later at Christmas time, I laid the final piece of the foundation. For two weeks, I borrowed a Tascam 8 Track Porta-Studio. It recorded, miraculously, 8 separate tracks to a standard cassette tape. And I used every spare second of those two weeks, to record all manner of of things, layered A Capella voices, multiple tracks of bass and guitar, and various sounds from a friend's Korg N365. Now, I had by no means arrived. Rather, I was now a complete seed. And I spent the next few years germinating. Sometimes I tended the seed. Other times, I tended to other artistic expressions. But they all seemed to inform each other.

So, what's my point? My point is, I had been waiting all this time for "it" to happen. Then, I finally made peace that "it" never would. And yet, the desire was still there. And I took an inventory. And all of the pieces are there, as good as I will probably ever get them. I have a couple good guitars. I have a couple good basses. I have a couple good mics. I have Garageband on the Mac, and I have Cubase on the PC. And, I have songs, although I am too close to know for sure that they are "good" songs. I think the time has past to make a "real" record at a "real" studio. And yet, I believe I must do this thing. Not to make a definitive "statement", because there are people a lot better than me at everything I do, but rather, to enter into the conversation.

So, because I have a toddler and I am still somewhat sane, I am giving myself one year. And in one year (or less if all goes well) I will have in my hands, my record. It won't be perfect, I don't have the time or the tools (or perhaps the talent) for perfect. At this point, I don't know if I will be alone, or invite others in. I am no drummer, so there will be loops and samples which may sound cheesy. But, I will have it. And, since I have no desire any longer to be a rockstar, or leave my family for tours, or be subject to the self serving contracts of record labels, I suppose when I have it, I will simply give it away. That's my resolution for 2009. God help me, the clock starts.... now.

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

nuff said.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:29:00 +0000

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Some practical advice for purchasing guitars on Craigslist.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Guitars. I love guitars and think everyone should own and play one. But before you buy one, I'd like to offer you some practical information.
Many manufacturers have 3 levels in their product line. Domestic, Import and Budget. Example; The Fender American series is it's top of the line pro series. Imports would be guitars from Mexico Japan and Korea bearing the Fender brand. Budgets would be the Squire line. This means the very best Squire has less resale value than the most basic Mexican Fender. The grim reality is that import Fenders lose about 50% of their value the minute you pay for them. Sounds harsh, but if your Mexican Strat was 400 dollars and you try to sell it for $300, many buyers are willing to pay the extra hundred dollars to have a new, in box guitar. Budget guitars lose about 60% of their value. And this is only the higher end Squires. Affinity Series Squires are almost not resalable. The New-in-box price is so low, very few people would be willing to settle for a used instrument.

Buyers, do not be fooled! Squires do not bear the Fender logo for a reason. If a guitar is listed as a Fender, it should say Fender on the Headstock. Insist on a clear picture of the headstock. Many sellers try to deceive buyers by using the Fender name to describe a Squire. Steer clear of these sellers.

Another brand frequently lied about is Takamine. A domestic Takamine is a fine, pro level guitar made in Japan. It is instantly recognizable by It's slim head stock. Fatter head stocks indicate a G Series import. They should sell for much less. A Jasmine is the least expensive of the line, and again, the new-in-box price is so low, these should be VERY cheap.

So, here are a few hierarchies to remember.

Fender Custom Shop > Fender American > Fender Import > Squire > Affinity Squire
Takamine > Takamine G Series > Jasmine
Adamas > Ovation Custom > Ovation > Ovation Celebrity > Applause
Gibson > Epiphone
Hamer USA > Hamer XT > Slammer
ESP > LTD
Warwick > Rockbass

And one more thing. If the guitar is strat copy made in China, in my opinion, these are pretty much the same guitar, whether they say Squire, Slammer, Dean, Peavey, Epiphone, Jay Turser, Arbor, Piece Of Crap or any of a hundreds of names. Don't pay a lot for a used Chinese strat, as these can usually be had new for less than 100 dollars.

And this whole post assumes the guitar is in like new condition. Demand discounts for scratches, dings, discolorations and missing accessories. If the strat doesn't have a whammy bar (it came with one) a replacement is about 10 bucks, plus your time and travel. Demand a discount. Same with pick guards on Gibson style instruments.

I also suggest Cash only transactions and meeting in a public place. I bought a small battery powered amp for testing guitars in the Starbucks parking lot.

Hope this helps. I'll add to this post as things occur to me.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Tolerance is a dirty word.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:40:00 +0000

Don't get me wrong. I wish we could all, to reference the philosopher Rodney King, "get along". I don't really hate anyone on a person to person level, though I can say I hate groups of people, say, freeway drivers, mall crowds, and most of the time, teenagers. I hate people who talk too loud on cell phones in public, and people who talk on cell phones and drive. I hate people who jay walk. And I REALLY REALLY hate with a passion, people who refuse to get out of line to scratch lottery tickets. (I know I should love EVERYONE, but that's another post) So, the fact that I tolerate these people should tip you off that tolerance is not and act of love, or really even an act of "like".

I'm sorry liberals the world over, LOVE is corrective, and instructive. Love forces you to refuse to tolerate your son's drug abuse. Love will not let you tolerate your brother abusing his wife. Love will not let you tolerate theft, or vandalism. Love will not let you tolerate laziness or ignorance. And when you do tolerate these things, it is an act of petty selfishness. Leave me alone, and go do what you want. I've felt that before. I've SAID that before. And it's not an attitude born of love.
In science, tolerance is how much something is allowed to deviate from the standard or norm. And it's a good thing to keep tolerances pretty tight. Interesting then that people who allegedly claim this same world view are the biggest proponents of keeping social tolerance as loose as possible.

So, liberally, who do I not tolerate? I guess they would say I do not tolerate other religions. And I guess they'd be technically right, but practically wrong. I can co-exist with people who do not believe as I do, even like and love them. But to tolerate them would be to abandon them to their fate, deny the truth of Christ, and cease to care whether they lived or died spiritually, and possibly even physically. Do I tolerate people? All the time. But it's to my shame and it's certainly no compliment. And I am sure I will have to give an account for it, and the thought makes me tremble.

So the liberal will say, "but they don't believe in Christ." Well, I do. I believe it is the truth, and I believe it is a truth with grave consequences. So what am I to do? Leave them be? That is NOT LOVE. True, Jihads and Fatwas are not love either, but vigorous debate and apologetics is absolutely in order. The Crusades, The Inquisition? Pure evil. But the evil of men does not taint the Love of God or the Redemption of Christ. I have enough physical and spiritual conviction that I MUST preach Christ crucified for the sins of Man and raised again to redeem him, or I am a liar and a villain! And to "let them be" tempting as it is, surrendering to the temptation as I often have, is NOT in any way an act of love, and is in fact an evil unto it's self.

Do we preach Christ with the sword and the stick? May it never be so!! There is no greater corruption of the truth than to suggest we make belief compulsory. But to not raise an objection to the evil that men do? It's not right, and I hope I never tolerate it.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Is Intellegence Enough?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:17:00 +0000

I'm a pretty bright guy (I've allegedly had that quantified, but I'm so distrustful of numbers these days). And I know a lot of bright people. I know a lot of extraordinarily bright people who do incredibly stupid things. (I also know some allegedly mundane people who make some startlingly insightful observations.) This being the political season, we are seeing one perfectly intelligent person sit down with another perfectly intelligent person and tear at each other like rabid dogs because each is absolutely convinced they are right, and that their counterpart is a total blathering idiot. Now, how is this possible?

Well, say we had a 5 horsepower circular saw. Since most saws of this type are about 2 1/2 hp, this is a pretty powerful saw. So, the carpenter takes the saw in hand approaches a piece of wood. He runs the saw the length of the wood only to discovery he has made a crooked cut.

Now, another man has a huge pile of bricks. He is a bricklayer, and he mortars the bricks together and builds and builds only to find he has built a crooked house.

In both of these cases, the power of the tool was part of the problem. The saw was so powerful, it exerted drift, causing a crooked cut. The brick and mortar were so strong, they could support the weight of the house even when not laid true. So it is with intellect. It's a tool, a raw material, and it's power is part of the problem. An intelligence bridled with imagination can create any number of interesting, internally logical things that have no basis in reality.

A carpenter puts a guide or fence on his saw. A bricklayer uses a level and plumb to lay bricks straight. But what does a thinker affix to his intelligence to keep it straight?

One thing might be wisdom. But what is wise? We can test for intelligence, but wisdom? It is a more ethereal thing. The premiere thinker Doogie Howser, M.D. once said to his father "I'd trade a whole lot of my intelligence for a little bit of your wisdom". I think a great place to look for wisdom is in the past.

One example is slavery. Intellectually, slavery looks great. What better way to build a nation than with free labor? You'd have to feed, house and clothe your slaves of course, but after that, all of the rest of your resources could be channeled into building great things.

But wisdom taps you on the shoulder. Human beings have done this before. This nation has done this before. And you realize, degrading human beings in to positions of slavery usually ends in violent revolt. Also, using slave labor doesn't produce the kind of growth and wealth you might think it would. In this country, the "free" North was always more prosperous than the South, even without slaves. And, although no one alive in this country was ever a slave or ever owned a slave, there is still a lot of anger a guilt over the issue, and rightfully so.

So, why aren't we questioning the wisdom of building a virtual slave labor class in the underpaid, under protected illegal alien work force? Are we building resentment? Are we displacing and disadvantaging low skilled workers from our own nation? Are we depressing wages? Are we justifying it economically? Are we sowing the seeds of our next revolution? Yes, I think we are. And I don't think saving 20 cents on a head of lettuce is worth it.

But, this is only one example of the extremely bad decisions we are capable of when we make a god of human intellect. For one thing, intellect on it's own seems incapable of transcending human greed. Sure, I want my daughter to grow up intelligent. But I will teach her that intelligence may be necessary, but is certainly not sufficient for success. And, I guess I'll have to teach her there are various ways to gauge success, but that is another blog post entirely.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Fantastic Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Ok, Youtube reposts are kinda lame. But I LOVED this trailer for the new Hellboy movie.

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Massively Multi-Tasking Offline Real Playing Game

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:19:00 +0000

Well, it's indeed been a while. I can't apologize for that, as our band has been very busy the last couple months and I'm pretty happy about it. Adding a Beach Boys tribute to our repertoire, while not being the most exciting idea to me at first, has opened us up to a whole new group of paying customers. Throw in a little Jan & Dean, Ventures, Surfaris and Jimmy Buffet and we are THE band for your beach themed party.
It's payed well enough, that I got GAS (that's Gear Acquisition Syndrome, a serious medical disorder). I acquired a red Fender American Deluxe Strat with a flamed maple top. It has single coils in all positions and sound more "era appropriate" and "surfy" than my hot rodded, humbucker equipped MIM Black Strat (which may still be the more "fun" of the two guitars).
Then after weeks of agonizing and calling or talking to almost every guitarist I knew and playing through at least 20 All Tube and Hybrid amps, I went for the All Tube, 50 Watt Peavy Valve King 112. Now, I know. I've cracked many a Peavy joke over the years, mostly about their (still) ugly logo and their Bomb Shelter like construction. But I've also owned a Peavey or two, and I was comfortable with the brand (unlike the 3 or 4 Crate amps I looked at).
It was a process. I decided fairly quickly a Hybrid wasn't going to get it for me. I was looking to replace a Fender Twin Reverb I'd been borrowing. And with the new Strat being much quieter than the older one, I decided I probably needed 50 watts over the 30 watt amps I'd been looking at. At that point, it came down to bang for the buck. And the Peavey was channel switching, had reverb, and had a control to dial out one of the power tubes for a pseudo Class A circuit (which is quieter for smaller gigs). That and I turned it pretty much all the way up at Sam Ash and the clean channel stayed clean. Pretty impressive.
So, as I write this, I have another gig tonight in Diamond Bar. So, i better get going. Hope you are all doing well.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Another Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:13:00 +0000

I know, your saying "You gotta be freakin' kidding me, you hardly write for THIS blog." I know, and I'm not sure how it'll go. But, I eat out a lot. Too much really, but that's another issue. I eat out a lot, and sometimes it's great, and sometimes it's crap. I've often wanted to have a way to let people know what I was experiencing, to praise the good, and offer some criticism for the bad.
So, I've started "Eating I.E.", a place where I can offer up an informal review of the places I've been. If you aren't local, I don't know that it has anything to offer you, save you can see just how often I eat out. But I thought I'd announce it, since I've eaten out three times since last Thursday. This is no competition for West's great Caddywampus Cafe where West manages to cook for himself (and the family).
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

I wish I would have thought of it.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:44:00 +0000

Freakin' Awesome!!!!
Link To Orginal
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Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Bleh.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:33:00 +0000

So, I'm sick. Grandma has the baby. I should have lots of time to blog. But no. I'm feeling like death. I don't want to. But... now I have become sick of my bed. I need to DO something.

So, what's going on? I'll tell you what I just heard that makes me excited. There is a rumor going around that iTunes is going to introduce a subscription plan. All you can eat for something like 20 bucks a month.
Now, I can't say that I have always been so poor I could never buy music. But, I was always spending my cash on surfboards, strings, canvas, and other things that made it hard to keep up with my music purchases. In addition, having to buy the Metallica catalog 3 or 4 times, and still not have it today made acquiring new music problematic.
Well, my tastes have changed over the years, and there are literally stacks of music I'd love to have.
I fell in love with the music of Africa, from guys like Ayub Ogada and Papa Wemba. But I can't drop 12 bucks a CD for all of the stuff I want right now. But, if this rumor is true, I will literally fill an iPod with world music. And a lot of singular hits from bands whos cds I never bought. The Foo-Fighters "Everlong" comes to mind, a song I will probably play a dozen, maybe 20 times times and never listen to again. I'm like that. Certain songs are like stuffing a candybar in your face. It's great tasting, but after a while all that sugar makes you sick.
Now, this wouldn't be the first service to go "all you can eat", but I just happen to LIKE iTunes, and my iPod. I don't want a Zune, or a Sansa or a Nomad. Just give me a subscription service that works with my iPod, and I'll be happy.

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

A functional music model

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:46:00 +0000

I typed up a bit about the Crossroads concert I watched the other day. Well, I didn't pay for that, obviously. It was free, I tivoed it, and I skipped all the PBS pledgedrive stuff. In a way, it was as if I downloaded it off the bit torrent. So, what's my point?
John Mayer. I never listened to the guy before. he performed "Gravity", a song that surely must be a hit for him, because it has a great hook. I instantly went to his site, where I listened to most of the album, again for free. I loved it. So much so that I fired up iTunes and bought the special edition of "Continuum" with bonus live tracks. I never would have done this if I had not been exposed to most of the album for free. The RIAA needs to forget about theives. They will always find a way to steal. The industry needs to focus on exposing people like me to music they will gladly buy if given the chance. That is, they need to provide a good product, then let me check it out. I have an iPod. I don't listen to the radio any more. But if my buddy could have sent me "Gravity" to listen to, I would have bought John Mayer a long time ago. File sharing is not the enemy.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

An old flame...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:45:00 +0000

I DVRed Eric Clapton's Cross Roads Chicago concert on "Great Performances". So far, I've watched Sonny Landreth burn the place down, A very tasteful Robert Cray and now am watching a Texas favorite Jimmie Lee Vaughn with blues legend Hubert Sumlin. BB King is walking to the stage.
Why isn't there more stuff like this on tv?

Ok, not every note is perfect. And when I'm practicing, I can do a lot of this stuff. But there is something transcendent about a guy like BB bending the the hell out of a note. Something greater than the sum of a good guitar and a good amp on a good day. And there is something life affirming about watching people, musicians, of different colors and creeds blending so easily, so effortlessly.

What I like so much about American music like Blues, Jazz, and Country (although slightly less so these days) is that it is so profoundly respectful and mindful of it's own heritage. I'm pretty sure guys like Vaughn, Robert Cray, and certainly Jeff Beck and Derek Trucks could tear BB a new one any day, and twice on sunday. But, there is a very open acknowledgment that the only reason they can do that is the hours spent listening to and learning BB's licks early on. So, there is always respect for the likes of a BB, a Robert Johnson, a John Lee Hooker. By contrast, who has ever heard Yngwie give props to ANYONE?

Well, it's getting hard to type and watch, so I'm gonna go spend some time with the blues.

:::EDIT::: OMG!!!! Albert Lee!!!!!!!!
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Sayin' Hi (and a dumb product name)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:50:00 +0000

I know, I have been gone a while. Real life has taken over. We've been getting the band ready for our first real gig since a major personnel shake up. First Katie, then I and then Ann got sick. I've been working on some art work and shooting photos. (when I had the time and health).
So, I just watched a commercial for a new acid reflux product. I have acid reflux, so I watched the whole thing. And something I have always felt turns out to be true.

I firmly believe that when you are about to take a product to market you must, and I mean MUST consult a 13 year old boy (or me) to make sure your product name does not have any unintended interpretations.

AciPhex. What the HELL were they thinking?!?!?! If you don't see the problem, it's better that way.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Eddie Van Halen Shreds!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000

This guy, St. Sanders, has edited several excellent concert videos, my favorite by far being the Iron Maiden Shreds video, but for most of my audience here, the Eddie footage will be the best. Here is Eddie playing as you've never seen him before! Thanks to Sean Johnson for hooking me up.

Less 5150, more 10-51. If you know what I mean.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Pure Evil, NSFW, you been warned

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:14:00 +0000

This is evil. It's perverse. It is without merit. It is disturbing and wrong. I highly recommend you don't click this link. It's not safe for work. It's not something a Christian can condone. You have been warned.

...But, it's one of the funniest damn things I ever saw. "Why Daddy shouldn't buy baby clothes. You've really, really been warned.
Link.

I can't believe I started the New year with this.
....but I'm still laughing.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

My friend Flickr

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:15:00 +0000

I've been shooting a lot the last few days and have something like 120 new images up on Flickr. My personal photostream can be found here. Platypibri's Photos. Riverside actually has it's moments where it is quite beautiful. I did a couple camera safaris to Fairmount Park and The Hidden Valley Wildlife Reserve which runs under and along Van Buren out towards Mira Loma. Here's a panoram I shot there.

If you get a chance to check them out, let me know.

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Tangle of Lights

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:30:00 +0000

Before you get to trim the tree, you start with this. I think next year I will be a capitalist consumer pig and just buy all new lights. Still, it has it's own kind of beauty.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Christmas time is here...

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:32:00 +0000

"Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year"
- Vince Guaraldi

Kevin over at Massivetruth has a good series of articles going on various Christmas traditions, specifically the tree, the ornaments, and candy canes. They're pretty good reads. While you are there, add it to your RSS reader of choice, as you don't want to miss "Fantastic Fridays".

And in the spirit of the writers strike, I'm offering up a couple re-runs.
First, last year I did a write up of "Secret Santa", the now late philanthropist Larry Stewart. He was the embodiment of the Christmas spirit for 20 years. His story moved me deeply, and I hope it continues to spread despite his passing.
And here is a run down of my favorite Christmas Songs. Just a note on #1. I am not suggesting Bing Crosby and Bob Seeger did a duet. I'm referring to to different recordings. And incidentally, I HATE David Bowie's singing over Bing on their Drummer boy/Peace on Earth "duet".

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Where have I been?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:06:00 +0000

I realize posting has been a bit slow lately. I've had a lot going on. Some of it I'm not ready to talk about. One thing that has sucked gigantic amounts of time, but not in a bad way, is that I've picked up a little portrait work for the holidays. The image pictured here is a respectable 17x25 inch portrait of the five grandchildren of a woman my wife works with. It's true what they say about art. You are never done, you simply run out of time. Over all, I'm pleased with how it turned out, still I see little things and think, If I had another week, I'd rub that out and do it again better.

Rubbing out is actually part of the process. Drawing, followed by vigorous erasing and sometimes even a bit of very fine grit sandpaper only improves the surface of a good quality paper. This one was a nice piece of Bristol Board, which I choose for it's brightness. You give up a bit of tooth for that slick white surface, but I find I much prefer it. ...like most of you care.
Anyway, I have two more to do, at a much more reasonable 8x10 inch size, and rumors abound of another large piece with 4 children. That one had better hurry up and decide if they want it by christmas.

This, coupled with editing a band video, updating a few websites, mashing out my christmas cards, and trying so very hard to get to the gym, all with the omnipresent infant daughter, has made getting a regular post out excruciating. I hope all 3 of you faithful readers had a great thanksgiving, and my sincerest prayers and good wishes for this Holiday Season. Let us remember in all the hustle and bustle that we celebrate because Jesus Christ came as a gift to us.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Kodak Z712 is

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:07:00 +0000

I'm really falling in love with photography. I find myself wanting to shoot all the time. And I am fascinated by cameras and I'm always looking for the right one for me. I'm not to worried about the megapixel race, as I could easily do what I do with with a 4 or 5 MP camera. Thing is, from The Wild Animal Park and Sea World to Point Lobos and Monterey Bay, I tend to be far from what I am shooting. Black Friday let me get a little closer to being a serious shooter. Best Buy had the Kodak Z712is on sale for $168. It features a staggering 12x optical zoom. Bad time for me to buy, but such a good deal. So, I am unloading some gear as we speak to pay the bill. (Adding a 2 GB SD card and a 15 minute NiMH AA battery charger took it a little out of my budget) Thanks again to my wonderful wife for letting me be a little irresponsible (within reason). I've only had it for a day, but I really think I've finally found the camera I'll have for a few years. I've attached a few of my early experiments. I like the image quality.

	This is Chani, one of my cats. She gets into moods where she likes to be photographed, and today was one such day.
	This is, of course, my daughter Katie. If you don't know her by now you should read my Dad Blog.
	The night before a full moon and a 12x zoom got me pretty close to our closest celestial neighbor.

I love the night sky. Some day I'd love to shoot long exposures through a telescope to watch the distant stars come out. Anyway, I'll try not to bore you all too often with this kind of stuff (and I'm sure I won't be buying any more cameras anytime soon), but snapping pics is my current obsession. And isn't that what a blog is for?
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

My New Photographer Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:45:00 +0000

I thought about putting this on the dad blog, but settled on here. I've been shooting a lot of pictures and trying to really get better at photography. I don't always have 10 or 12 hours to spend on a piece, but I am still interested in making images. So I've been checking out blogs and sites of photographers. I came across this guy on digg. Jan Von Holleben has some of the most creative photographs I've seen recently. I particularly like this set I'm linking to called "Dreams of Flying", but I encourage you to check out the whole site. It's good stuff. He's not a hero for technical reasons, like say, Scott Kelby, but he really has a unique way of looking at the world. I found it very inspiring.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

You're Pre-Disaproved #2

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:09:00 +0000

More shreddin'. I'm serious about this carp.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

New Term: You're Pre-Dis-approved.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:03:00 +0000

I don't want yer stinkin' card!!!!
Common folks. Let's all make one.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Justice League

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Norwood) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:49:00 +0000

So, there is the persistent rumor of a Justice League movie in the works. Being the comic nerd I am, and having bought at least the last 10 years of JLA, I thought I'd try my hand at casting the film. I realize this is harder than it looks, but I like my choices. I also get to assemble my own JLA, which may or may not be the film roster. Blogger can't seem to format a table, which is like early 90's HTML, so bare with me.

	Clark Kent/Kal El/Superman -Tom Welling. Why Tom wasn't Superman in the feature film, I'll never know. He's ready to put on the cape.
	Bruce Wayne/Batman - Christian Bale. The Best Batman EVER!!! Don't mess with perfection.
	Princess Diana of the Amazons/Wonder Woman - Alicia Coppola. Under utilized, beautiful, and has the right physique. She looks like she can really fight.
	Wally West/The Flash - Jerry O'Connell. Super-heroic, yet casual and funny. Jerry has been a hero too, in the 80's "My Secret identity".
Who knows what Green Lantern Warner Bros. will put on the big screen? I pick one of each.
	Green Lantern/Kyle Rayner- Joe Flanigan. He just makes Stargate: Atlantis for me. The dark haired pretty boy/tough guy, Joe can do anguish, which is what makes Kyle tick.
	Green Lantern/John Stewart - Michael Dorn. John Stewart has a military background and tough exterior. Who better than the ultimate Klingon, Worf?
	Green Lantern/Hal Jordan - Eric Johnson. Currently starring as Flash Gordon on Sci/Fi. The lighter pretty boy/hot dog test pilot, Hal does not know fear. Cocky, even arrogant. Eric IS Hal.
	J'onn J'onzz/The Martian Manhunter - Christopher Judge. Yes, I am taking liberty with established ethnicity, but J'onn is a shape shifting Martian, green in his natural form. I think Chris played the benevolent alien to perfection as T'ealc on Stargate SG1.
	Shayera Hol/Hawk Girl - Lexa Doig. She played the embodiment of of the High Guard Battleship Andromeda Ascendant on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. Hawk Girl can be a little less imposing than Wonder Woman, as her power comes from her wings.
	"Eel" O'Brien/Plastic Man - Scott Cohen. Can do the hero thing, but can be very silly, as when he played The Wolf in the mini series "The 10th Kingdom". Silly is Plastic Man's thing. I'd also take Jim Carey, but he's a bit old for the rest of the cast.
	Professor Ray Palmer/The Atom- Kyle McLauglin. Ray Palmer prefers academia over super heroic daring-do. Kyle has aged a bit since "Dune" and can probably do the cranky professor.

Well, that's how I'd do it, anyway. Comments? Don't Care? Anyone?
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal