Sinnoveg is a French tree nursery and horticulture research center with a concept based on the planting of a hedge of thorny plants, weaved into each other and into metallic elements of reinforcement.
Pruned: Tactical Horticulture According to Agence France-Presse, the company has planted “vegetation barriers around a nuclear research centre outside Paris, a juvenile detention centre, train stations and airports.” And now, they want to take their patented shrubs to Baghdad’s Green Zone and replacing its “vast network of concrete blast walls with terrorist-proof trees and bushes.”
To make the vege-walls more secure, “traditional barbed wire, tyre spikes, sensors and even metal barriers can be placed within the hedges – an invisible back-up layer of security sure to surprise any potential suicide bomber.”
To think that in my youth we would just squeeze through hedges without imagining them ever containing barbed wire or spikes…
All I need is a laptop, the DAC2, and a headphone amp or a power amp plus speakers…
I traded in a D/A converter I wasn’t using in the studio for the Weiss DAC2, which arrived while I was away and which I just listened to for the first time. Oh my, what wonderful sound, rich and silky. I listened to “This Spring Release 10,000 Butterflies” (24/96kHz), because the file was already on my laptop – and can be found here. During the next few days/weeks I want to do some serious comparing of different sound files.
I also decided that I will record my next project at 24/88.2kHz as the conversion to CD quality is very simple (((just divide 96,000 by 44,100 and then divide 88,200 by 44,100 and you will see what I mean!))) and the qualitative difference between recording at 88.2kHz and 96kHz should be negligible.
When my next album is finished (((and that will take a while as I haven’t even started…))) I will release 24/88.2kHz audio files for Ottmar-Friends. Hm, maybe I won’t wait until I am finished and will show some of the pieces in the rough.
These images are from Norfolk, Connecticut. We had a wonderful time in Infinity Hall. The sound in this theater from 1883 was marvelous, even luxurious, and the audience supportive and enthusiastic. The whole band smiled from ear to ear. A nice backstage area and good meal with wine also helped.
Upon leaving both Alan and I mused whether the theater would be merely run of the mill three years from now… after the usual cost-cutting and profit-maximizing. (((less advertising, no repair or upgrading of the sound equipment, no longer feeding the musicians well and so on)))
We will hope that Infinity Hall, the discovery of this tour, remains as is and look forward to returning.
Here is what I wrote last week:
Saturday we woke up in Norfolk. Infinity Hall turned out to be a wonderful old theater built in 1883 and Mark Twain once stood on its stage, we were told. Recently restored to its old glory, while preserving 75% of the old wood, the place charmed us all immediately and we fanned out to take photographs. Since Rusty uses analog film cameras I had gifted him my old Asahi Pentax ESII when he arrived for rehearsals – I bought the camera when I was 15 or 16 years old. So, we all took photos of the beautiful building.
After soundcheck we discovered a nearby waterfall, which caused further photographic exploration. Here is a photo I took, and the photo Stevo took of me taking the photo:
The performance was greatly enjoyed by the band as the acoustics were lovely and the audience enthusiastic.
Sunday we were in Westhampton Beach on Long Island. It was a sunny day, but a bitter wind cut to the bone. We all thought the first set was excellent and Alan confirmed that it had been recorded.
We arrived in Manhattan by bus and were dropped off at our hotel around 11:30.
