Cheap Thoughts: Acoustics

I have good hearing. I guess I come by it naturally, since my mom (at least) has good hearing, too. One of the reasons I never snuck out of the house as a kid like my brothers (and sister, so far as I know) did was knowledge of my mom’s hawk-like hearing. Then again, my hearing could also be a product of my former employment, once as a recording engineer and again as a code-copier in the Navy.

Yesterday, I commented to my office mate how the air conditioning sounded like one of those annoying cars with a thumping bass amplifier. I could hear the blower units above my head resonating, producing a deep bass beat frequency. “Wow, you must have sensitive ears,” he commented. Apparently he didn’t hear it as well as I (and I wished I didn’t!)
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In Ephrata: Amish Paradise

I just arrived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania: the heart of Amish country. In honor of that and Weird Al coming to Raleigh, its appropriate that I bust it (fool):

Amish Paradise
Weird Al Yankovic

As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain
I take a look at my wife and realize she’s very plain
But that’s just perfect for an Amish like me
You know, I shun fancy things like electricity
At 4:30 in the morning I’m milkin’ cows
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows… fool
And I’ve been milkin’ and plowin’ so long that
Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone
I’m a man of the land, I’m into discipline
Got a Bible in my hand and a beard on my chin
But if I finish all of my chores and you finish thine
Then tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1699
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Money And Politics

Having just read how North Carolina’s “Bottle Bill” that would put a refundable deposit on canned or bottled drinks was shelved due to intense corporate lobbying in spite of its popularity with the public, I’m brought back to my idea of making some political television and radio advertising free.

Corporate interests are calling the shots in today’s political landscape. Legislators fear the stink that corporations might raise should these corporations not get their way.

Who can blame them? When it comes to politics, money talks. Money means speech. If a bill’s opponent has a large bank account, that opponent is formidable. Joe Public doesn’t stand a chance of receiving the same attention from his representative in the face of such resources. Ergo, Joe Public’s interests do not matter in the politician’s mind.

Somehow, money needs to be removed from the equation if our governments are ever going to serve the needs of their citizens and not just their corporate “citizens.” How can this playing field be effectively leveled? Is the dubious Santa Clara vs. The Southern Pacific Railroad case to blame for this mess?

Sharing Is Good

I’m considering starting a non-profit dedicated to reminding people of the wonders of sharing. As kids, we’re taught to share, and kids seem to understand the power of sharing. Yet there are many industries today trying their hardest to make sharing out to be a bad thing. I hope my non-profit might remind people of the amazing power of sharing.

Of course, I don’t know the first thing about running a non-profit, and only some idea of what I hope it might accomplish. It just seems like the right message at the right time, I guess. I figure things will solidify more as I progress.

Want to help? Share your thoughts!

On The Road

I’m in Annapolis tonight and tomorrow, by the way, on the front end of a week on the road. Wednesday through Friday I’ll be in Brownstown, Pennsylvania outside of Lancaster in the heart (or so I assume) of Pennsylvania Dutch country. If the install there goes well, I could be headed home on Thursday, but I’ve got Friday scheduled just in case.

Next week I return to Annapolis to attend a training session and then to do another installation. Two travel weeks back-to-back is unusual, but I’ll make the best of it. Working directly with customers is one of my favorite parts of my job.

Weird Al Coming to Raleigh

My buddy rarousse alerts me to Weird Al Yankovic’s upcoming show in Raleigh August 5th. Alas, I can’t go, as we’ll still be in Washington state, wrapping up our vacation.

I was sixteen when I last saw Weird Al in concert. It was 1985 and I was working at Carowinds, where he and his band played at the Paladium. Al puts on a pretty good show: just the kind of kookiness you’d expect from him.

I see from the above link that Al is playing the Paladium again this tour. I wonder if he’ll look around and notice I’m not there?

Alcohol

Alcohol
Barenaked Ladies
Words & Music by Stephen Duffy & Steven Page

Alcohol, my permanent accessory
Alcohol, a party-time necessity
Alcohol, alternative to feeling like yourself
Oh alcohol, I still drink to your health

I love you more than I did the week before
I discovered alcohol

Forget the cafe latte, screw the raspberry iced tea
A Malibu and Coke for you, a G&T for me
Alcohol, your songs resolve like
my life never will
When someone else is picking up the bill
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The Last Run of the Norfolk and Western 611

When the kids see me at the computer, they like to ask to see a train video. Today I decided to find a video of a steam train. That’s when I found clips from the last steam run Norfolk Southern ever made: the Norfolk and Western 611 excursion train making its last run to its final resting place in Roanoke, Virginia in 1994. I wish I had known about it then.

Take a look at these clips on YouTube. Hear that steam whistle? Haunting, isn’t it? I can imagine what it must have been like in the 1950’s, lying awake on a rainy night and hearing that lonely whistle sounding across the dark landscape. That whistle has soul. No diesel’s air horn will ever sound like that.

The 611 was well-prepared for its retirement by its Norfolk Southern crews. It is now on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Just last month it was rolled out of the roundhouse, still looking ready to go.

I’ve got to visit the 611 the next time I’m in Roanoke!

Intrepid Earth

Every time I fire up Google Earth I marvel at how much fun it is to zoom around the Earth from the comfort of my easy chair. The other night, a friend sent a Google Maps link to India’s Alang shipyard: the place where supertankers and other ships go to die.

Zooming around the imagery of Alang, I spotted an aircraft carrier waiting to be dismantled. That lead to a Google search of its identity, revealing it to be the former British Royal Navy HMS Vengeance. While the story of Alang is fascinating in itself (and worth a read, or a look on Google Earth), I happily discovered a site that documents these Google Earth finds:
Intrepid Earth.

Intrepid Earth scours the world through Google Earth, bringing you the good stuff. As a former “spook,” I was pleased to see the all the military and defense-related images, such as Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base or Russia’s behemoth Typhoon-class submarine. Intrepid Earth makes for a great tour guide.

MT.Net says check it out!