tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90034482024-03-07T23:04:00.293-05:00The Cantaloupe Machinea bluer kind of whitevbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-68221045087208187542010-03-12T01:53:00.005-05:002010-03-12T02:02:41.896-05:00Under (Re)ConstructionThanks to the recent unannounced sale of our old domain host (whose buyer then somehow lost all the hosted data in the transition), most of the older posts on The Cantalopue Machine are now outdated by dint of being completely bereft of imagery and/or working links to odd files (notice my absent avatar to the right of this post, for example).I am therefore taking this opportunity to put The vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-20322802106717779052010-01-22T01:41:00.006-05:002015-07-18T00:27:38.315-04:00America, Inc.Ah, the George W. Bush presidency: like herpes, it's the gift that keeps on giving.Forget "left" or "right": if there was any doubt left where the real power lies in this country, I think this news finally put it to rest once and for all.Really, what more is there to say right now? "I, for one, welcome our new corporate overlords"? Perhaps "meet the new boss /same as the old boss"?Between this vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-18122367970988029872009-12-28T18:44:00.003-05:002015-07-18T00:30:56.385-04:00Boom! There She WasOne of the nicer surprises I received this Christmas was a copy of A Quiet Revolution: 30 Years Of Windham Hill. I'd been on a bit of a rediscovery kick with the old Windham Hill catalog lately, and this box has certainly helped fire up some old memories of listening to WNWV ("The Wave") off and on from 1987-1990. Outside of George Winston's ubiquitous December, I'd never owned much in the way ofvbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-38880308277514751122009-12-21T21:59:00.007-05:002015-07-18T00:31:52.408-04:00Avatar By nature of its themes, characters and construct, Avatar feels like the culmination of James Cameron's career as a director. The exacting attention to detail, the fascination with (and disdain for) the military and corporate tactics and schools of thought, the struggles of man against foreign environments, the strong, warrior-like tendencies of the female leads; it's all on prominent display vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-38724103634383178202009-12-18T02:42:00.011-05:002015-07-18T01:07:49.741-04:00We Let In Light And We Banish ShadeYes, I still exist. It's been a busy month, with the biggest 2 weeks of the year kicking off later today. So, a quick and to-the-point update of what's been happening around here since you last listened to me whine, bitch and pontificate follows ...* Sarah bought a Wii, which is kind of our early 2009 Christmas present to each other (though I threw in a DVD of Inglorious Basterds, her new vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-13101878947235621012009-11-30T21:03:00.012-05:002015-07-18T01:13:11.781-04:00Blue Cyber MondayFor about ten minutes, today was a really good day.Things didn't start off very promising; I'd slept in past my intended target hour and was wondering as I checked e-mail if I was going to get any of the four things I needed to get accomplished that I'd listed out last night:1. Mail dropoff at the Post Office2. Fluid top-off/computer inquiry at Valvoline3. Return/exchange at Borders4. Cyber vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-369770711285799122009-11-23T05:00:00.005-05:002015-07-18T01:13:55.672-04:00A Concise History Of MTV (1989-Present)vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-88129862381960393022009-11-19T19:57:00.006-05:002015-07-18T01:14:26.201-04:00Google. Learn it, love it.I am sometimes forced to wonder how many people online right at this moment even know that Google exists (much less how to use it).It's staggering to me that I am still getting calls from people who are obviously looking for songs to download on their computer (the giveaway is when they ask you to spell out the name of the artist and/or the song).Worse, these people not only want me to provide vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-26988604594974701212009-11-03T01:21:00.014-05:002015-07-19T01:01:18.051-04:00Thoughts On Synth BritanniaIt isn't often that I come across a documentary that hits so close to home for me by zeroing in on a subject I was once truly passionate about, whether we're talking space exploration, oceanography, paleontology, cartography, or, in this particular case, the electronic pop music of the early 1980s.BBCFour's fascinating documentary Synth Britannia was, for me, a lot like watching a documentary vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-82965002829433357412009-11-01T15:30:00.008-05:002015-07-19T01:03:15.451-04:00E's List Of "People Who Have Been Kicked Out Of Marilyn Manson"This list is not from E! the cable network, but E the singer/songwriter and leader of Eels. The following was cribbed out of the liner notes for his Useless Trinkets rarities compilation:1. Fiona Hinckley2. Ladybird Bundy3. Baby Jessica Speck4. Alanis Mussolini5. Hilary Rodham Berkowitz6. JonBenet Hitler7. Lady Diana Dahmer8. UnaBarbara Bush9. Mother Theresa McVeigh10. Son Of Sally Jessy vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-85719495665088386392009-10-31T23:19:00.005-04:002015-09-21T22:48:16.430-04:00F.U.B.A.R. II: The QuickeningAs the much-hyped 9/9/09 street date for The Beatles box sets drew closer, our previously reported stock situation had not improved appreciably; our allotment for the mono box increased from 5 to 10 (after we had originally ordered 70), while our order for the stereo box (which we had also ordered 70 of) was going to be cut significantly. With this in mind, we started looking around for alternatevbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-72277294161769718142009-10-29T18:43:00.002-04:002015-07-19T01:03:51.718-04:00Too Long For A TweetThree teenagers are in the store, milling about at the front, picking out sticks of incense with some degree of difficulty (one repeatedly asks her boyfriend: "baby, help me?") . There might be a 100 IQ between the three of them."How much for incense?" one asks after a moment or so."$1.75 for a pack of ten" I reply.The teen hands me a packet of sticks. "OK, I think this is ten."I count the sticksvbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-80202040531300040192009-10-15T23:06:00.011-04:002015-09-21T22:31:48.807-04:00(Youtube): Synth Brittania PreviewOh. Oh my ...The following Youtube clips are all excerpts (or previews) of the forthcoming BBCFour production of Synth Brittania, airing October 16.Phil Oakey (reminding me weirdly of Christian Bale) illustrates how ex-Human League synthesist Ian Craig Marsh came up with the drum sound of "Being Boiled."Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure) shows off a very primitive sampling drum vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-26024591611110064122009-10-05T01:33:00.011-04:002015-09-21T22:27:13.181-04:00SugarIt bears mentioning early on that despite the apparent promise of another rags-to-riches baseball epic offered by the promotional artwork, Sugar is not really what it appears to be. Yes, there is a lot of baseball going on here, though all of the action takes place either deep down in the small-town level of single-A ball or in offshore baseball academies, which is where we first meet Miguel vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-7371512668872570132009-09-27T02:51:00.006-04:002015-09-21T22:48:30.827-04:00The Accidental DietAt the end of February, I stepped onto the scale in the bathroom for the first time in forever and discovered that I weighed 195 pounds: about twenty pounds heavier than I had ever been in my life. A bit horrified at my recent surge towards 200 (likely an unpleasant side effect of quitting smoking, perhaps) and battling with a minor recurrence of Chuck-like symptoms, I decided to change a couple vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-63234501714819978212009-09-20T02:19:00.004-04:002015-09-21T22:48:03.711-04:00RIVERBOTTOM NIGHTMARE BAND!While this has never been a family blog per se, I still almost feel the need to apologize for the truly vulgar and tastelessly named band in the Youtube link below. If you can somehow get around their name, dig on this hilariously faithful (if you squint your ears) grindcore cover of an old chestnut from that gentle 1977 Christmas special Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas.For the sake of vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-34936777090092269822009-08-31T01:01:00.006-04:002015-07-19T01:06:05.400-04:00People Of Wal-MartHere's a new photo blog that should appeal to those of you seeking more visual proof of just how doomed we are as a species.Lords and saints preserve us.vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-23070292559144695792009-08-30T02:02:00.006-04:002015-07-19T01:07:11.595-04:00WORST. SUMMER. EVER.Expected local weather over next few days, courtesy of our friends at Weather Underground:OvernightMostly cloudy. Scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.SundayShowers and thunderstorms likely in the morning. Partly cloudy in the afternoon with a chance of a lingering shower. Cooler with highs in the mid 60s. West vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-47897014709555406572009-08-26T23:49:00.005-04:002015-09-21T22:48:40.060-04:00F.U.B.A.R."If this isn't the biggest bag-over-the-head, punch-in-the-face I ever got ... GOD DAMN IT!" - Clark GriswaldReally bad day at work today.The most infuriating part of this whole mess was that we knew this was going to happen and we did everything we could to think ahead and attempt to circumvent this problem before it ever came up, yet we wound up getting screwed anyway. Unbelievably vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-49753880152987886792009-08-10T18:16:00.012-04:002015-11-11T22:40:53.745-05:00That's Just The Way It Is, BabyLooks like a few of my recent twenty questions were answered over the last couple of weeks, eh?Despite a few misgivings I had with the idea going into last weekend (all of them to do with the present state of the team), my brother and I took in a Tribe game this past Thursday, and it was a corker: the Cleveland Indians held the slap-hitting Minnesota Twins to 1 run while managing to score just 2 vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-56525269565702703282009-08-10T02:54:00.005-04:002015-07-19T01:08:27.286-04:00The Midnight Heat81 degrees at 2 AM. Cruising down empty thoroughfares in shorts and a tee with the windows down, some appropriately scenic music pulsing from the speakers, sipping at a sweaty can of Pepsi, basking in the nighttime warmth and soaking up the thickened, sultry atmosphere.This, my friends, is true summer. So nice that it decided to show up at last on the final days of my vacation. ;pvbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-15497891234741538682009-08-03T18:10:00.006-04:002015-11-11T22:28:05.862-05:00(Youtube): Why Everything Sucksvbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-25059715162892422112009-08-02T03:17:00.005-04:002015-11-11T22:28:05.100-05:00Staycation '09My 2009 vacation, such as it is, kicked off today in suitably relaxed fashion: we went off to MicroCenter to pick up a couple of USB/PS2 adaptors for the computer as I am maxed out on available ports, got the Saturn's fluids topped off and serpentine belt replaced and then spent the evening hanging out and watching DVDs (and listening to a few cuts from 5.1-enchanced classic albums) with our vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-15507917834548199792009-07-20T18:17:00.008-04:002015-11-11T22:40:51.017-05:00Drifting, FallingTook in an Indians game on Sunday with Sarah, my brother, and my niece. On the plus side, it was a beautiful (if unseasonably mild) summer day with a very welcome cool breeze that kept us cool as we sat in direct sunlight for the entirety of the proceedings.On the minus side, I forgot my camera (oops), and this was perhaps the most uninspiring game I've seen yet from this team, who managed to vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003448.post-78460341203689309592009-07-14T00:40:00.009-04:002015-11-11T22:30:21.175-05:00(guardian.co.uk): My Moon-Landing Jam SessionWith the 40th anniversary of the first manned moon landing approaching this Monday, there are going to be many interesting reminiscences and re-visitations of this historic occasion all over the airwaves. Perhaps fortunately for you, reader, I can offer no historical or sociological input of my own as I was just about to turn a month old as this event unfolded. I'm sure I was duly impressed. vbc3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13264992970958197000noreply@blogger.com0