notes to self

music projects, photo hobby, study notes

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About Me

Hello and welcome to this remote outpost. I'm a software developer and a musician. I also have a couple of degrees in math and one in engineering too. I guess I like learning stuff. To reach out use the contact form.

  • rand-o-mat,  software

    Predicting File Size of MP3s (and others)

    / January 17, 2011 / 3 Comments

    How one calculates the filesize of an mp3/aac/etc given its bitrate and length.

  • logic,  studio-o-mat

    Logic Recording Sync Problem FIXED

    / January 8, 2011 / 1 Comment

    I’ve been vexed lately by a recording sync problem in Logic Studio. Namely, when recording audio tracks, the output prints several hundred milliseconds ahead of the beat. I’ve learned…

  • film

    True Grit: Contraction-Free Zone

    / January 4, 2011 / 3 Comments

    Diction was apparently important in the wild west, at least if you believe the Coen brothers whose latest film True Grit envisions a world in which people of every station enunciate like Shakespearian actors.…

  • steinway-hand
    jazz education

    The Battle with Time

    / October 13, 2010 / 12 Comments

    The study of rhythm has been sadly neglected in the world of music education. Unlike other musical concepts, developing rhythmic proficiency is a topic that lacks a clear pedagogical…

  • classical,  film,  music-o-mat

    Arvo Pärt’s Fratres

    / October 5, 2010 / 1 Comment

    An intensely haunting piece played to perfection. The bell-like piano chords that enter at 1:24 should remind everyone of the impact Pärt has had on the Hollywood film industry.…

  • glam,  music-o-mat

    A Most Interesting Voice

    / October 4, 2010 / No Comments

    I’m fairly certain that Antony and Johnsons–and singer Antony Hegarty in particular–will never need to worry about becoming pop superstars. Their songs opine melancholy without the slightest hint of…

  • music-o-mat,  Tribute

    Farewell Lhasa

    / September 22, 2010 / 1 Comment

    Either I’m really out of touch, or the music media is. But here it is September and I’m just learning that the great Lhasa de Sela died in January…

  • travel,  world

    Versailles and Les Puces

    / September 19, 2010 / 2 Comments

    To begin, Versailles was AWFUL. Oh so crowded, absurdly garish, and frankly, a bit weird. Sitting among the Louis XIV opulence were modern Japanese pop art pieces, displayed behind ropes, one in…

  • music-o-mat,  review-o-matic

    New Ambient

    / September 4, 2010 / 1 Comment

    I went on an expedition today to seek out new ambient music. It was a tricky hunt. Ambient is a misused, misunderstood genre. If you refer back to Eno’s…

  • food,  Tribute

    Goodnight, Mr. Charoenrat

    / August 30, 2010 / 2 Comments

    I was quite saddened to learn of Darawan Charoenrat’s passing, especially since I’m only now hearing about it, three months after the fact. His legendary Thai restaurant Kanomwan on…

  • music-o-mat

    New Zealand on the Tiny Desk

    / August 23, 2010 / No Comments

    NPR’s excellent music blog includes an ongoing feature called Tiny Desk Concert in which bands perform lo-fi sets from the station’s office (desks included). This week the site hosts…

  • glam,  travel,  world

    Montemartre, Anyone?

    / August 11, 2010 / 6 Comments

    Well kids, we finally did it. We finally booked our trip to Paris. This is particularly monumental being Steph’s first Euro vacay and all. But now that we have…

  • software

    Parking Integers

    / August 5, 2010 / No Comments

    There was a time when meaningful internet domain names remained widely available. This bygone era began in pre-web 1985*, if you can imagine, and ran until the gold rush for…

  • Featured,  The Others,  Tribute

    I Once Had A Bar in Texas

    / July 31, 2010 / 8 Comments

    The story of an urban couple's hasty exit to the middle of nowhere...

  • film,  in detail,  videos

    The Black Orpheus Mystery

    / June 23, 2010 / 5 Comments

     Black Orpheus  is a beautiful movie with an equally beautiful soundtrack. I recently found a copy of the original LP for $3, which is now in almost constant rotation.

  • Featured,  in detail,  Journal,  Tribute

    The Zachary Breaux Jazz Fest (Jazz Where Least Expected)

    / June 13, 2010 / 2 Comments

    Many years ago, guitarist Zachary Breaux took a vacation with his wife and three daughters to the sandy beaches of Florida. As they meandered along the shore the group…

  • in detail,  learning

    The Freakishly Smart President

    / May 20, 2010 / 2 Comments

    Which President earns the title Most Freakishly Smart?

  • Featured,  studio-o-mat,  Synthesizers

    “The Incredible Sounds of Synclavier II,” and other hits

    / May 14, 2010 / 1 Comment

    One of the most expensive synthesizers ever made and arguably one of the most beautiful too. On how the Synclavier captured our imaginations...

  • steinway-hand
    classical,  jazz,  jazz education,  videos

    The Perils of a Jazz Pianist’s Left-Hand

    / May 12, 2010 / No Comments

    For the modern jazz pianist, the risk of developing disparities between the right and left hand is well-known and rarely discussed. It’s our secret shame. To understand this, try…

  • in detail,  Journal,  rand-o-mat,  The Others

    The Bufos are Back

    / May 1, 2010 / 1 Comment

    It’s late spring and the toads have returned. Every April thousands of breeding-obsessed amphibians invade our neighborhood for an extended game of Where’s-the-tadpole? These fat little lumps, better known as the…

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