Recent Posts

101

Living Room / Re: wierd mouse click problem

« Last post by Vurbal on February 08, 2015, 08:46 PM »

I don't use the software either, but I've got 3 kids who use my computer on a regular basis. That's bound to at least cut any device's lifespan in half.

102

Living Room / Re: The banality of the darknet developer

« Last post by Vurbal on February 06, 2015, 12:03 PM »

Whether it's online scammers or just garden variety Congress critters, it usually just comes down to Dunbar's number. It's the difference between  hurting real people or the idea of people.

103

Living Room / Re: What are the consequences of an FCC Internet "utility"?

« Last post by Vurbal on February 06, 2015, 11:30 AM »

In what way, exactly, is this treating internet providers as a utility?

Are mobile phone providers regulated like utilities? Because this is weaker than their Title II rules.

It looks more like a platypus to me. 

104

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox won't play videos unless I keep moving the mouse! Ugh!

« Last post by Vurbal on February 05, 2015, 07:53 PM »

Doesn't Chrome use its own, built-in version of Flash instead of the one installed in Windows?

105

Living Room / Re: wierd mouse click problem

« Last post by Vurbal on February 05, 2015, 03:09 PM »

I'd be willing to bet it's more of a problem with ergonomic mice than any other kind. In fact, I'm not sure I've had the problem with anything else. While that narrows it down to Logitech mice for me, I've never seen it with any of the plain OEM Logitech units I've used - some for long periods of time.

After performing autopsies on a number of mice, mostly after fatal button problems, here's my hypothesis about why that is. The moving parts in a high end ergonomic mouse are not significantly higher quality than the ones on basic mice. In fact, in the case of the electronic moving parts like buttons, I'd say they're generally identical. However, the physics involved as significantly more stressful because of the distances and angles involved. That would explain why these physical problems primarily affect the main buttons, as well as more advanced features like tilting scroll wheels.

106

Living Room / Re: wierd mouse click problem

« Last post by Vurbal on February 05, 2015, 10:25 AM »

Sounds like a common problem I've experienced with Logitech mice. Eventually the clicker wears out and starts double-clicking occasionally when you only click once.

-Deozaan (February 05, 2015, 12:25 AM)

That was my first thought too, but I don't think it's just Logitech that is susceptible to this behavior. I've had several different brands of mice (granted mostly MS, but there were others), and all of them died the exact same - ^this - way. While I don't click that hard, or that fast...I can't help but think - given the history - that it just might be something that I'm doing.

-Stoic Joker (February 05, 2015, 07:12 AM)

That's been my experience as well, and not just with Logitech mice. I suspect it has something to do with the fact I tend to lay my fingers across the button, even when I'm clicking, which is kind of the point of having an ergonomic mouse for me. It seems to put odd stress on both the plastic parts that make up the button on the outside and the mechanical part of the actual button inside.

It also may just be that I have a heavy finger.

107

Living Room / Re: Memory lane for motorists

« Last post by Vurbal on February 02, 2015, 06:15 PM »

(not a fan of the Beetle or Mini remakes FWIW)

-tomos (February 02, 2015, 02:05 PM)

My wife had a fully restored 1972 Super Beatle a 'few' years back. That was a seriously fun car to drive Surprisingly quick, and everybody loved it.

-Stoic Joker (February 02, 2015, 03:21 PM)

I learned to drive a stick in a '72 Super Beetle Sun Bug. The great thing about that is it forces you to get a good feel for clutching and shifting from day 1. I've driven several manual transmission vehicles since then where the owner told me it was touchy or tricky and never had a problem.

The most fun part was driving it on snow and ice. Since I was working an evening shift, the roads were basically empty when I drove home. The (lack of) weight, and weight distribution lets you get away with some stupid driving in it.

The sunroof was an odd bonus. I once hauled some cheap assembly-required furniture home by sticking the box through the top. It stuck out almost 2 feet. Now I wish someone had taken a picture of me standing on the roof pulling it back out.

108

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on February 01, 2015, 02:04 PM »

Here's another tidbit for what to listen to when you're learning an instrument. For harmonica, I'd start with horn players, primarily trumpet and saxophone. That's an integral part of Magic Dick's sound with the J Geils Band.

109

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on February 01, 2015, 01:26 PM »

The key to the ease of building this particular power supply is an unusual transformer sold by a company called Weber Magnetics. It takes 120VAC-in and provides eight separate isolated 11VAC @ 300ma pairs - plus one with 9VAC @2A.

-40hz (January 31, 2015, 03:59 PM)

That's pure awesome. Currently my only pedal is a tuner, but I've been running it off a battery until I could find an acceptable quality power supply. The only universal PS I own currently was designed for laptops, so the lowest output is 14V. It's certainly nowhere close to the quality of that design.

110

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 30, 2015, 07:54 PM »

stoic bassists...lol.  Yeah, that is a thing.  It's true about the listening thing, maybe that's why it seems the bassists are better at explaining stuff to the other members, because they listen better?  I also struggle with any kind of extra ornaments when I play because it's hard enough for me to listen to everything and process it all.  Maybe when I'm more of a pro I can let that go and do more intentionally interactive things.

-superboyac (January 30, 2015, 01:07 PM)

See that's why I tell people that the first time you play with other people, you learn more than everything you've learned up to that point. A close second is the first time you do it on stage in front of an audience.

You shouldn't be too hard on yourself though. Here's a secret most guitarists and bassists don't even admit to themselves. Our instruments are designed to do a lot of the thinking for us. I don't just mean all the obvious advantages it gives us, like the ability to transpose between keys by shifting a hand up or down the neck. The guitar can even teach you how to write a song.

Don't believe me? Here's a Rolling Stones song my bass taught me when I was 17. Not the words obviously, but within a note of the exact riff and rhythm. Keep in mind, when I "wrote" it, I had been playing for about a month, had never taken a lesson, and never heard the song before.

Sit down with a guitar or bass and try it yourself. Pick any position on the fretboard and keep your hand there. In fact you don't even need to use your pinky. Just for fun, try the same thing with Jumping Jack Flash. You have to use your pinky, but only 2 strings instead of 3. For Satisfaction it's even down to just 1 string.

Nothing against Keith. He's a phenomenal rhythm guitarist, something almost as underrated as a good bassist. But a great songwriter? Hardly.

Back in the 90s I saw one of the best pieces of advice for guitar solos - from an 80s speed metal shredder no less. He said if you want to learn how to solo, don't listen to other guitarists. Listen to keyboard players because their solos are composed melodically instead of by finger patterns.

There's just a lot more thinking involved on piano than guitar, and that's without getting past the basics of 3 chord blues progressions. On bass I can even lose 3 strings and still be fine. I've never lost 3 at once, but I have lost my A string in mid-song, which is arguably the hardest one to do without. All I had to do was play chord roots - 1 4 5 - through the rest of the song (and set) and nobody besides the band even noticed.

111

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 30, 2015, 04:27 PM »

Jeff doesn't need anything to bolster his (somewhat unjustified IMO) fame or place in the history books of rock & roll.

-40hz (January 30, 2015, 10:47 AM)

Yeah, he's definitely way overrated. My problem with his playing is he's exclusively a lead guitarist. It reminds me of something I remember Lindsey Buckingham saying about Van Halen, which I completely agree with. He said his problem with their music is that Eddie's solos are like a completely different song.

Beck is arguably worse that way since, even on most of his studio recordings, he leaves the actual song for the rest of the band and just noodles over top of it from beginning to end. Going Down is a perfect example:

Beck is the only guy on that track whose playing needs the rest of arrangement to sound like anything but noise. Somehow he manages to step on every other part with almost every note.

Compare that to Randy Bachman on Taking Care Of Business. Once the solo starts, Bachman's lead only stops for the drum/vocal break, but always within the song and arrangement instead of on top of it. In fact, it fits so well most people don't even notice it.

112

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 30, 2015, 12:47 PM »

She also has the best bass face in the business.

-Vurbal (January 30, 2015, 07:57 AM)

LOL! Is that what they call that grimace so many bass players do?

Learn something new every day!

-40hz (January 30, 2015, 08:36 AM)

It was a new one on me too. From the references I've found, it seems like something that became a meme after she appeared on SNL.

For the record: I'm more the Joe-Gore-vacant-deadpan type myself. Or at least when I'm not glaring at a fellow band member who is screwing up the beat - or is doing the: "Wow! I'm really blowing everybody away with THIS extended solo!!!..." thing. You can almost see the thought balloon go up when they decide to pull that nonsense. And just before they start, they invariably look over at their bass player with 'that look' that screams - "Gimmee a lot of BASS!!!"
Nice to know we bassists are considered 'just the thing' when it comes time to cover up a guitarist's sins.

And people wonder why I'm so clumsy on a crowded stage that I accidentally bop bandmates on the side of their skulls (with the head of my bass - oops!) as often as I do?

Yeah...I definitely need to be more careful.  

I'm just the opposite. I pull all kinds of bizarre faces when I'm playing, except when I'm too focused on covering up for a wanking guitarist or, worse yet, a drummer who can't lock into the proper beat. I do have clumsy down pat though.

I also have a theory about why there are so many stoic bassists. There are only so many things the human brain can focus on (or switch between technically) and you have to do a lot more listening to play bass well. As torturous as that can make it when you're covering for sloppy musicianship, it's also an essential part of what makes the bass interesting to me. A guitarist usually plays the same part every time, no matter who he's working with. I get to change it up to fill in whatever the song needs.

----------------------------------
@V - re: the Haim ladies. Agree 100%. Anything done in an attempt to improve Mustang Sally can hardly be a bad thing in my book. I personally can't stand that song. (Same thing goes for Sweet Jane.)  I swear next time I get asked to play either of those two I'm gonna plug into a looper and record about a minute's worth, hit repeat, and then go get a fresh draft over at the bar... Cheers guys! Carry on.  

11 out of 10 bassists agree with this sentiment. If you want to clear out a room full of musicians in a minute or less, Mustang Sally will generally do the trick. If there's anybody left at the end of the song, you can follow it up with Johnny B Goode. If they're not gone when that's done, it's time to call an ambulance.

113

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 30, 2015, 07:57 AM »

I'm always looking for female musicians because I think it's good for my daughters who play bass. Tal Wilkenfeld is definitely one of the best. I'm also a big fan of the Haim sisters, particularly Este Haim. It's not just because she's a bassist either. Anybody who can make Mustang Sally sound fresh and interesting is a top notch player in my book. Their parents are no slouches either.

She also has the best bass face in the business.

114

General Software Discussion / Re: Diffference between Switces and Parameters in Batch file?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 29, 2015, 04:28 PM »

That's understandable. Had I used the level of detail required to give anything resembling a "complete" answer, I'd still be typing.

115

General Software Discussion / Re: Diffference between Switces and Parameters in Batch file?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 29, 2015, 03:07 PM »

Although they're often used interchangeably, switch and parameter don't really mean the same thing. Or perhaps more accurately, the common usage of switch has rendered its definition nebulous at best, and meaningless at worst.

The tricky part, or at least the first one, is understanding the context of parsing arguments. All switches are arguments, but not all arguments are switches. Instead of focusing on batch files, it may be easier to get a handle on the concepts by looking at basic built in Windows commands. Let's say you type in the following:

dir /x /q

Windows (specifically cmd.exe) parses it, based on whitespace characters (including some special characters like commas and colons) to find parameters. Each group of consecutive whitespace characters is considered equal to a single space character for this purpose. The string of characters after the first space and before the second are assigned to %1. The string after the second space and before the third are assigned to %2. These are parameters. In this case we obviously have 2 parameters - /x and /q.

The dir command then parses each one individually to see what they mean. In this case, each parameter is interpreted as a switch that specifies what information and formatting to display the directory listing.

But you could type it like this instead:

dir /x/q

Using the same sequence as before, cmd.exe parses it, but since there are no whitespace characters between /x and /q, there is only 1 parameter. The dir command, on the other hand, recognizes that the single parameter contains the / character and separates it into 2 different switches.

Going back to my point about how the word switch is used, consider using the copy command:

copy file1.foo file2.bar

Based on how the command line is parsed, there are definitely 2 parameters. However, depending on who you ask there are either 0 or 2 switches. Personally I prefer the strict technical definition which says there are none. A switch does exactly what the name suggests. Essentially, a switch turns a predefined operation or feature on or off.

I believe, technically speaking, the batch file (or command) name is also considered a parameter (it's certainly treated like one) and it's not an argument at all. It certainly isn't a switch.

116

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 27, 2015, 03:19 PM »

Speaking of which, have you seen the prices of Tokai and Samick instruments lately?  Some folks got wind of the fact that some big name manufacturers have at some points in time secretly been using those guys to build their "limited-edition" and even some fill-in production runs, so now there's bidding wars on what used to be seen as cheap asian knockoffs. 
So it goes... 

-Edvard (January 26, 2015, 09:18 PM)

My understanding is that the price hike is actually coming almost entirely from Japan. Some time in the last couple decades a major collector's market developed and speculators started buying them as investments. It probably did start with the pre-Fender lawsuit Tokais, which were somewhat collectible already in the US.

If I'm not mistaken, when Tokai began building Fender instruments for the Japanese markets, they dropped their copies altogether. That would likely have driven prices for their pre-Fender instruments through the roof and sent people who couldn't get their hands on one looking for other "classic" Japanese brands.

117

Living Room / Re: wireless networking and wifi printer help

« Last post by Vurbal on January 23, 2015, 04:47 PM »

IIRC that was the conclusion I reached after some research, but it never got high enough on my list to try it out. Knowing how things worked there, they would have kept demanding a new printer anyway. Wasting money was sort of a culture, at least among the privileged few who were favorites of the president.

The president was also behind the fraud. Big surprise.

That does remind me of another reason I love HP's enterprise products so much. When you have a problem, you can usually find the solution online in a few minutes.

118

Living Room / Re: wireless networking and wifi printer help

« Last post by Vurbal on January 23, 2015, 09:25 AM »

I've currently got an HP LaserJet 4050dn here in IT, and a standing threat to shoot anybody that tries to wander off with it.

-Stoic Joker (January 22, 2015, 03:58 PM)

That is my main workhorse too. Got it used from a client with 65K pages worth of use on it for $50. It's still going strong. The 4xxx series was one of the best HP ever produced IMO. I also had a LaserjetIII (with Postscript cartridge!) that I bought new when it first came out. That "boat anchor" performed yeoman’s service right up until the day a client's 3-year old kid (an out of control little brat if there ever was one!) yanked the PS cartridge out and then rapidly plugged it back in three or four times in a row while the unit was running. After that, it would only print two pages at a time before a print job timed out. It got replaced by a Laserjet 4 the following week.

-40hz (January 22, 2015, 08:45 PM)

When I ran (or rather was) the IT department for a rural water utility, I spent more than a few hours arguing with the people who used our 4050 because they wanted a new printer. It started life as the billing printer and got handed off to their department after being replaced by a 9150. They eventually  managed to get their way just because they needed to be able to run 2 print jobs at a time. IIRC I got them a pair of 4250s for that.

Since I couldn't stand to let it go to waste, I shuffled it over to the woman responsible for the members' monthly newsletter. In reality, the only reason everybody hated it was the noise. I guess hated the noise too, but it was the one coming out of their mouths.

Personally, I would have traded the lot of them for another 4050. It was more productive than all of them combined. It also never helped defraud the FDA out of $45 million dollars.

119

Living Room / Re: wireless networking and wifi printer help

« Last post by Vurbal on January 22, 2015, 02:57 PM »

My experience with HP is to stick to the real business class products and you'll be fine. T'was a time when that was all they sold, so it was a no-brainer going with HP. The old Laserjets (II/3/4/5/81xx/85xx, etc.) were built like tanks and un-killable. And they were repairable (often even field repairable) if anything did go wrong.

Then HP (of necessity) got into home/consumer-grade products...and the results are what we live with today.

But I don't completely blame HP's engineers. It's hard to take engineering teams, who were used to designing and building what was often the Rolls-Royce of office and computer equipment, and suddenly expect them to start making "good enough" inexpensive pieces of plastic crap for the masses - most of whom were utterly "price motivated" when out shopping.

"Fast, cheap, reliable - pick any two," as the saying goes.

-40hz (January 22, 2015, 02:21 PM)

Since HP got serious in the low end business market in the early 2000s, they've done a pretty good job of addressing the cheap part too. If nothing else, you can buy some fantastic HP computers (from server to laptop), and sometimes printers too, for dirt cheap from a lot of electronics recyclers. When it comes to desktops, laptops, and, to a certain extent, printers, you can save a lot of money just because they don't have all the bells and whistles used to justify the price of most consumer hardware.

120

Living Room / Re: wireless networking and wifi printer help

« Last post by Vurbal on January 22, 2015, 02:29 PM »

I'll show my ignorance here and ask what's probably a stupid question.

If I can create an adhoc wired 'network' so easily, then why is a wireless solution so much different.  The comm's should be the same, so we're only talking about the means of transmission (is landline v mobile telephony is an appropriate analogy?)

-Target (January 21, 2015, 09:08 PM)

Since others have already covered the basic technical aspects, I'll just add this. While it would be possible to overcome the technical hurdles, it would require an R&D investment which doesn't make sense financially because there isn't enough of a market for it.

Most people who would buy a wireless printer already have some sort of Wi-Fi enabled router or switch installed. Adding the dumb Wi-Fi interfaces used today costs very little because the technology is already commoditized so the cost per unit is minimal but it will sell a lot more printers. They're only going to improve those interfaces if they expect to recoup those costs in revenue growth.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying the results couldn't justify the cost, but I guarantee the manufacturers are.

121

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by Vurbal on January 22, 2015, 01:05 PM »

^In my case, the chief inspirations in my formative years were: Paul McCartney, Jonathan Lodge, Andy Kulburg, Greg Lake, and Dave Paton. I'm pretty much UK inspired with the exception of Andy Kulberg. Hmm...roots in Motown but heavily influenced by that melodic UK vibe. No wonder I don't sound like anybody else according to people I've played with. I don't know what I am!!!!

-40hz (January 21, 2015, 04:33 PM)

Yet another interesting coincidence. Once I hit my late teens, and started really expanding my musical palette, that UK sound was a huge influence on me too. I feel like the Brits had some real advantages for a couple reasons. The first is the regional folk music, which provided both the melodic element you mentioned, but also made their compositions less formulaic and pattern oriented.

Once the blues really exploded in London, there was an influx of jazz drummers and bassists recruited to provide the foundation for people like Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Add in the formally trained classical and jazz talent in the recording studios, both among the producers and session musicians, and you have a sort of perfect musical storm to produce a wide array of sounds.

I guess I technically discovered Greg Lake when a prog rock nut friend of mine gave me a copy of pictures at an exhibition. He seems to get dismissed as a bassist by a lot of prog rock fanboys because he's less about technical virtuosity than sitting back in the pocket. For me, of course, that's part of his appeal. What's even cooler, though, is how he throws in all kinds of harmonies you wouldn't expect, but he can still bring the funk.

What really changed my playing was when I picked up a stack of old Jethro Tull albums at a second hand record shop and discovered Glen Cornick. His bass lines from Stand Up, Benefit, and Living In The Past created the blueprint for their future arrangements, long after he was fired. Their version of Bach's Bouree is like a master class in how to glue a song together on bass. He starts out right up front, harmonizing with the flute, then slides back between the drums and guitar before throwing down a brilliant solo without a single wasted note, and then leads the whole band back in for the big finish.

What's really cool to me is how he integrates the low harmonies from the Bach original in the walking lines at the beginning and end. Even the first part of the solo evokes a baroque feel without ever losing that amazing groove.

122

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by Vurbal on January 21, 2015, 03:15 PM »

The guys who first made me want to play bass were Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, and Steve Harris, but Jamerson, Dunn, and Tommy Shannon taught me how to get there.

Okay, I can't really play any Steve Harris bass lines, but my fingers aren't built to glide across the strings like that. A guitarist friend of mine refers to them as hammers.

123

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by Vurbal on January 21, 2015, 01:23 PM »

^ That's one of the reasons I'm making sure my son gets a good foundation in Motown as he learns drums. Nobody ever made more music out of fewer notes than James Jamerson and Benny Benjamin.

124

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 as an Internet service?

« Last post by Vurbal on January 21, 2015, 12:11 PM »

Well that's good news! As long as the problem is getting people to the app store, the solution will never be fixing (as in replacing) Windows.

What could possibly go wrong? 

125

Living Room / Re: wireless networking and wifi printer help

« Last post by Vurbal on January 21, 2015, 08:25 AM »

Complexity sucks.

-Stoic Joker (January 20, 2015, 06:04 PM)

This essentially sums up the entire conversation. As with most problems, the trick is to make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. Past that point, you actually make things more complex.

Ad hoc networking is not a solution so much as a kludge. Like any "good" kludge, there's a steep decline in usefulness and useability outside of the specific problem it was designed to address. In this case that means quick and dirty one off connections between wireless devices. What we're really talking about is using the printer's ad hoc capabilities to do the job of a WAP and router. To paraphrase Chris Rock, you can do it, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

Connecting a router is the most obvious way to simplify things. You wouldn't be adding a network. In reality you would be replacing numerous unreliable networks with a single (mostly) reliable network.