Stephen Batchelor writes about the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape from India in Tricycle Magazine. Good article. On newsstands now.
Still, I wonder whether New Mexico is a good example. New Mexicans are quite happy with their culture, which is a unique mix of Hispanic, Native American and Anglo cultures (((Anglo is New Mexico-speak for everyone who is neither Hispanic nor Native American))) Some people say that New Mexico is neither Mexico nor the USA, which is confirmed by many tourists, including Americans, arriving here and wanting to change dollars for the local currency, or wondering how much international calls are to the States.
Maybe eventually New Tibet will emerge, a culture that might be neither the old Tibet nor the old China. It sure looks like that might be the best one can hope for at present.
This post is entirely too long… you might want to make a fresh cup of coffee or tea to get through the whole thing. :-)
Got up early yesterday and made my way to the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve to record some critters on the lake.
Unfortunately, although across the lake, two runners were conversing loudly and I had to stop recording – it’s amazing how well sound carries in the thin air at altitude! A little while later a frontloader was started up in the distance and I gave up. I did find a little protected corner, where I was able to record the river.
I took a few photographs and then I returned home. A little while later I rode the Mariachi Bullitt to Counter Culture for breakfast. Among other things Jon and I talked about recording, how many bits make a byte, 88.2 versus 96kHz and so on.
24bits x 96kHz = 2.304 megabits/second = 0.288 megabytes/second
0.288MB/second x 2 (stereo) = 0.576MB/second
0.576MB/second x 60 = 34.56MB/minute
34.56MB/minute x 60 = 2,073MB/hour
for 24/88.2 that means:
952.6 MB/hr (MB/hour) x 2 = 1,905.2 MB/hour
which is just about three times the information that we record for CDs:
16bits x 44.1kHz = 0.705 megabits/second = 0.0882 MB/second
317.5MB/hour x 2 (stereo) = 635MB/hour
Incidentally, I think LPs used to be about 15 minutes per side… that means a regular CD should be able to hold about 20-25 minutes of music at 24/88.2. And, if one were to use FLAC or Apple Lossless compression, one should be able to fit about 40-50 minutes of high quality music on a regular CD!!! Forget surround sound, the next step is to build quality D/A converters right into computers. Forget about CD players, use the CD only as a delivery system (((and backup))).
Here is some news from the always interesting Trent Raznor – I posted this in the Diary this morning and am including it here in case you want to comment:
Reznor is very forthright about the kind of idiots he has in mind. For him, they have ruined the beauty of eschewing record companies in favor of direct contact with real people out there.
Sounds like this saying: I love humanity, it’s people I can’t stand… Raznor has done better than most in dealing with his fans, but one could argue that artists who can make direct contact – instead of working through a large record company are a minority. Being a creative artist and communicating with people are two entrirely different lines of development.
In the NIN forum Raznor also wrote:
Online communities, etc. I had thought a while ago about attempting to start a mainstream public forum that required real verification of it’s participants for purposes of context. The idea was to have a place where you can actually discuss whatever and have some idea of who you’re conversing with.
Of course The Well has been doing this for a long long time:
The WELL – Join Us You know who you’re talking with: As a WELL member, you use your real name. This leads to real conversations and relationships. It’s the individual people here who determine the experience and create the community. This highly collaborative work in progress has been rolling since 1985.
Have you asked yourself how one should transport a goat on a bicycle? Here is your answer.
Other bike news. Bullitt Karaoke!
Copenhagenize.com – Bullitt Karaoke im Berlin So there’s this guy in Berlin. He has a Bullitt cargo bike from Larry vs Harry. He equipped it with speakers, a karaoke system with microphone and a laptop. He started showing up in Mauerpark in Berlin and got some people to sing. It’s now become a cult classic in the city. On nice days you’ll get 1000 people sitting there in the amphitheatre, staring down at the Bullitt and listening to crap karaoke.
Unfortunately the Karaoke Bullitt and the Drinks Bullitt are not in the same city!!
Copenhagenize.com – Probably the Most Sensible Use of a Cargo Bike in History You, like 95% of the nation, are equipped with a mobile phone. You write an SMS that reads:
2x1L.Frozen Mojito
2x1L.Daiquiri
You send the text to a number.
At an arranged time this Bullitt from Larry vs. Harry shows up at the corner entrance to the King’s Gardens. You collect your two litres of Frozen Mojitos and your 2 litres of Daiquiris, pay the man with your credit card and head back to your friends
The cargo bike category was won by a Dane, Nils Jakob „Kvante“ Mørkbak on a Belingy. (((does he mean Bilenky?))) In the top 5 there were four Bullitts from Larry vs Harry. Andreas, from Stockholm, who finished 5th was riding a Bullitt fixie. He’s mad. Hans came in 7th, by the way.
I love the programme wherein you can read this text in the intro:
“Non-messengers are as always tolerated at this event, although leave the excessive posing to the professionals, thanks”.
Reznor is very forthright about the kind of idiots he has in mind. For him, they have ruined the beauty of eschewing record companies in favor of direct contact with real people out there.
In the NIN forum Raznor also wrote:
Online communities, etc. I had thought a while ago about attempting to start a mainstream public forum that required real verification of it’s participants for purposes of context. The idea was to have a place where you can actually discuss whatever and have some idea of who you’re conversing with.
Of course The Well has been doing this for a long long time:
The WELL – Join Us You know who you’re talking with: As a WELL member, you use your real name. This leads to real conversations and relationships. It’s the individual people here who determine the experience and create the community. This highly collaborative work in progress has been rolling since 1985.
I received a request for more live stuff, warts and all. With that in mind I found this live recording from 1993. It was recorded at Rockefellers West in Houston on October 27th. The band is the same group that recorded ¡Viva! in California the following year. Straight off the board.
Copenhagenize.com – Get Yer Torches! It’s a Bike Helmet Witchhunt! In a perfect world, an individual who chooses to promote everyday cycling, and who has dedicated a great deal of time, energy and personal resources to do so, would be set high atop a pedestral to be respected by the local and global community.
Instead, Matthew Modine, actor and founder of Bicycle for a Day, is subject to a cyber witchhunt these days.
Instead of focusing on the good this guy is doing, all the focus is on his personal choice of whether he wishes to wear a helmet or not. Which he doesn’t.
Ironically, the man is more well-informed about helmets than the pundits who seek to hunt him down.
