I just read Linux Music Workflow: Switching from Mac OS X to Ubuntu with Kim Cascone, and I have to say I’m shocked, especially after reading Kim Cascone’s Wikipedia entry. Kim is a serious musician, not just some schmoe dinking around in his basement. I’ve been a full-time Ubuntu user for a little over four… Continue reading A professional musician switches from Mac to Ubuntu Linux?
Category: Music I Like
Building community around free stuff
Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows I’m a fan of Ubuntu Linux, a free operating system. While many of its users celebrate the freedom in licensing Ubuntu (as is typical of Linux distributions) comes with, a lot of folks just like the fact that it’s cost-free. Quite an online community has… Continue reading Building community around free stuff
The lone dissenter on Susan Boyle
Okay, everyone I know is crazy about Susan Boyle. I see Facebook postings about how great she is and how people are amazed by how good she is. I see news stories about how mean people are for laughing at her. I see feminist critiques citing her as a champion for how women especially should… Continue reading The lone dissenter on Susan Boyle
I miss Acoustic Shack
I don’t really listen to much contemporary Christian music these days. I’m still in love with some Christian bands from the 90s (Dakoda Motor Co., PFR, Caedmon’s Call). As a matter of fact, even with non-Christian stuff, I’m still in love with the mid-90s (Poe, Portishead, Toad the Wet Sprocket, the Fugees). I still remember… Continue reading I miss Acoustic Shack
Misheard lyrics – I never beat anyone, though
I’m more or less a non-violent individual. I’m generally a turn-the-other-cheek kind of Christian. I punched a friend of mine once in high school by accident when I thought I was chucking him on the shoulder. I also threatened a bully in middle school, and he scared me a bit, because I thought he was… Continue reading Misheard lyrics – I never beat anyone, though
The Songbird has hatched
When Songbird first appeared on the scene (I think it was version 0.1 or something), I remember the Ubuntu Forums community getting really excited about it. It was supposed to be like the Firefox of music players, the iTunes-“killer.” It seems as if it’s been years, and people have been hyping it up all along… Continue reading The Songbird has hatched
On consumption and censorship
The recent news about Wikipedia being blocked in the UK (not totally but mostly) because of album cover art in an article about a 70s band being possibly child pornography got me thinking about censorship and consumption. Generally, the debates I’ve heard about censorship are polarized. On the one hand, I hear the “decency” folks… Continue reading On consumption and censorship
How my own stupidity killed my Sansa Clip
So my last MP3 player (the much-lauded but ultimately disappointing Cowon iAudio 7) died because of a manufacturer error (even though Cowon claimed the repair was not under warranty). This time, I killed my MP3 player (my 2 GB Sansa Clip) with my own stupidity. The long story I love Ubuntu, and I keep coming… Continue reading How my own stupidity killed my Sansa Clip
Gender in bands
It doesn’t really surprise me when I see this in Christian churches, but the phenomenon also spills out into secular society as well, and that does surprise me. I’ve seen a lot of bands with a woman lead singer who sings and plays no instrument (except maybe a tamborine) supported by men playing bass, guitar,… Continue reading Gender in bands
Celebrity Performers
I’ve been to a few rock/pop concerts over the years, and I find the celebrity performer phenomenon intriguing. The word celebrity I’m using rather loosely here to refer to anyone the audience is a big fan of. So, for example, at a Dance Hall Crashers or Hoi Polloi concert, the performers are “celebrities”—even though most… Continue reading Celebrity Performers