Podcasting feedburn

OK. I'm trying to get a rudimentary podcasting feed operational. I think if you use this one: http://feeds.feedburner.com/turksheadreview, you should be in good shape. With the new version of iTunes, for example, you can go to the Advanced menu and select "Subscribe to Podcast", paste the URL above, and it should find any new linked mp3 files. Looks like the server I'm on isn't configured for recognizing m4a files, so I'll probably use mp3 for podcasting. I'm new to this, so patience would be the order of the day....

Testing the podcasting waters...

Don't worry about this. I'm just tweaking blogger. test mp3.

Feels Like Home

The informal series of garageband covers continues, this time out it's Randy Newman's Feels Like Home (m4a format). This one I did freestyle (without overdubbing to the studio version). It's more of a song for a female, and it's been covered well by Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt. I'm tinkering with the Kurzweil's KB3 organ mode, which offers a lot of good B3 drawbar action for the money. Too bad I don't really know what I'm doing on organ! The version here has a almost creepy gospel church thing happening. Vocal could be better, as usual.

What's the fuss?

Father Daniel doesn't know what the fuss is all about. All he and four of his black-clad helpers did was fatally crucify one of the other nuns.

"God has performed a miracle for her, finally Irina is delivered from evil," AFP quoted the priest as saying.

"I don't understand why journalists are making such a fuss about this. Exorcism is a common practice in the heart of the Romanian Orthodox church and my methods are not at all unknown to other priests," Father Daniel added.

Panhandling for Big Bird

The people's house wants to halve public funding for NPR and PBS. MoveOn.org: has an online petition drive opposing the cuts. Takes a minute to sign on....

Reader's Guide to Balzac's World

Jon Fernquest's Balzac's World is a preliminary attempt to drill and data mine the Comedy Humaine.

Haiku whimsy

Yoda tries to read Plato's Apology

difficult it is

hearing REO Speedwagon,

while Socrates himself defends

Whatever Makes You Happy

Fresh from the garage, yet another infamous cover song: Whatever Makes You Happy by Paul Westerberg (m4a file, 3.1 megs). This was the first time I tried recording live drums, real electric guitar, and real bass into garageband. I've always connected with the basic feel of this song. It's from Westerberg's Suicaine Gratification album.

The End of Europe's Middle Ages - An Online Tutorial

The End of Europe's Middle Ages - Home Page is an excellent online tutorial "designed to assist those students engaged in Renaissnace, Reformation and Early Modern studies who lack a background in medieval European history. Intended to provide a brief overview of the conditions at the end of Europe's Middle Ages, the tutorial is presented in a series of chapters that summarize the economic, political, religious and intellectual environment of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The main objective of the tutorial is to furnish a baseline against which the vast changes of the following centuries may be measured."

Debt Cancellation for African Nations (and a Few Others)

The world's richest countries have agreed to cancel the debt for 18 of the poorest nations--most of them are in Africa. Here's the news and here's some analysis. This is a huge step. It carries with it a $40B price tag. How Africa, a continent with some of the world's richest resources, ended up in this position is another story. But suffice to say, this is a small price to pay for having carved up a continent, pilfered its resources, and left its people to twist in the wind. The next thing that needs to be addressed are the unfair trade practices. And since Bono has been at the forefront of this entire effort... a nod toward data.org seems in order. Don't believe that Rock 'n' Roll can really change the world?

Free Press : Defending Local Access

Join FreePress.net in their fight to keep local access in the hands of the people and their government, not private cable and telecom companies. HR 2726 would let the telcos squeeze out municipalities from offering free broadband to their citizens. Insane...and it must be fought. To the email barricades, comrades!.

More fun with covers

My audio recording experiments with garageband continue. This time I've attempted to channel Elton John: Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters - (4,838,772 KB m4a file). I couldn't replicate the mandolin part from the original version, unfortunately, since I don't have a mandolin. I hope you enjoy it. UPDATE: Tonight I uploaded a new mix retaining a previous vocal take which, upon second and third listens, seems to me to be less strained. That's the nice thing about digital multitracking: you can save those old takes.

The NYT and Darfur

Another column about Darfur in this morning's New York Times. Again, this one is by Nicholas Kristof.

Mr. Bush values a frozen embryo. But he hasn't mustered much compassion for an entire population of terrorized widows and orphans. And he is cementing in place the very hopelessness he dreads, by continuing to avert his eyes from the first genocide of the 21st century.

Also in this morning's edition: How to Help in Darfur.

Steely Dan Sounds

Got this link via robotwisdom: a treasure trove of obscure Steely Dan tracks (mp3s).