8 Already!

Reid,
My how you have grown! We are all so proud of you. You are such a big boy now. Happy Birthday!
Love,
Your Older Brothers

What's Going On?

Does anybody know what happened to my survey results post? There is some ghost in the machine thing going on here. I have made posts before that show up, but later, disappear.

3D Sound from Princeton

I went to a fancy lecture last night by this guy, Edgar Choueiri, who is working on a 3d audio technology he called BACCH, which is essentially a filter with some crazy math applied to stereo recordings that is supposed to give the listener a realistic experience.  I'm not quite sold on it.  I only heard it used with weird sound effects, like flies buzzing around the head.  I'd like to try it on recordings with sounds I am familiar with, like music.

Here's a video that explains it, and has a few examples that are designed to employ your laptop speakers to experience the effect.


Here is what Princeton says about it, from http://www.princeton.edu/engineering/video/player/?id=3990:

Edgar Choueiri, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has developed a way to play true three-dimensional sound recordings over regular loudspeakers, such as those found in televisions and computer laptops.

The technique may one day be used to allow 3D televisions to produce lifelike sound and to help people with certain types of hearing impairments locate noises. Segments of the video above incorporate Choueri's 3D filter to demonstrate the phenomenon.

The filter is designed to work with loudspeakers - not headphones - and can be experienced through standard computer speakers. (Make sure the right and left speakers are on the correct sides.)

Note: If you are using a recent Apple MacBook to view this video you may not be able to hear the demos in 3D due to a known problem in the MacBook design, related to the location of the internal "subwoofer," which creates a strong left-right imbalance in the audio. This could not be compensated for while creating the 3D audio for this video.

Video by Michael E. Wood

Statistics of Opinion-MBM#1 Survey Results

With all respondents to the survey checked in I thought I would share the stats. I hope you weren't expecting anonymity...using my heightened sense of deduction I figured out who voted for what and matched these masked thugs, exposing them to the justice entitled them.

1. Rate the songs
I'll list the top three and bottom three. Of course, these were all over the map but thanks to the survey tools it gives them a numerical point ranking.

Highest Rating
1. Book T: Exodus by the Secret Chiefs 3 - 4.25 stars
2. Raccoon Eyes by Priestess - 3.75 stars
3. Back In Judy's Jungle by Brian Eno - 3.75 stars

Lowest Rating
20. Mysterium by Liturgy - 1.75 stars
19. Grohnal Pod Edin Dub by Svarrogh - 2 stars
18. Gelly Roll Gum Drop by Sic Alps - 2 stars

3&4. Favorite and Most Disliked
I'll just put each person's pick and their explanation.
Favorite
Neal - Vintage Clothes by Paul McCartney

Just can't stop singing it in my head. Good, catchy lyrics. Cool guitar tricks.

Reid - In Service of Time by Abysmal Dawn

Lyrics about the unstoppable power of time are epic. Musically tight, heavy, and over-all, COLOSSAL!

Joel - Book T: Exodus by Secret Chiefs 3

It was weird, but it didn't sound like it crawled out of a hole. Good thinking music.

Pierce - Agony Of The Damned by Toxic Holocaust

Because it's awesome!

Most Disliked
Neal - Mysterium by Liturgy

It went from the build up start to the end that never finished. There is no middle. Is the growling lyrics?

Reid - Winter Winds by Amber Asylum

Of course, I like all the songs I chose for this mix, it's just this one is my least favorite. I threw it in there mainly for something different.

Joel - Grohnal Pod Edin Dub by Svarrogh

It sounds like goblin rock. Seriously, if Lord of the Rings had a rock soundtrack, this would be when the goblins attack in Moria. Only slightly more annoying than Coltrane's elevator music. Gun in mouth!

Pierce - Mysterium by Liturgy

C'mon, you call that music?!?

5. Race
Only one white person, the rest like walkabouts.

6. Age
Pretty sure everybody got that right.

7. Future Git'n
Three people were going to get new jeans and a drink of water soon.
Two were going to get a haircut and get the new Mars Volta CD
Only one person was going to get an old beat-up car, a life, and/or arrested.

8. Thanked?
Only one person didn't feel thanked. Ungrateful bastard! After all I went through to make this a pleasurable experience and this all I get in return! Here is a suggestion that I hear a lot nowadays...GO DIE IN A FIRE!!!