My Kaossilator is trying to Kill Me.

Korg KAOSSILATOR
Originally uploaded by skratchworx

I like gadgets of all sorts. The gadget you see here is known as a Korg Kaossilator, and I have a theory that this thing will kill me. Granted I don’t think it will kill me in any active way. I am not suggesting that it will sprout arms and legs, and strangle me in my sleep. It's plan is far more seductive.

You see, the Kaossilator is a little digital synthesizer, that sounds ok(it's digital, not analog), but it is horribly fun. It loops up to 8 bars of sounds which you trigger via its touch screen. This AA battery consuming Yellow Demon can make electronic music on the fly, and with very little practice, this can be accomplished using only one hand.

I love this thing, but its homicidal nature comes in the form of a headphone jack. You see, my car has an Audio-In Jack (Thank You iPod). This means I can create cute sonic tunes, or oppressive noise soundscapes with one hand, and operate a 3000 lb. box of death (known as the Scion Xb) with the other.

Is this Dangerous? Yes. Is this Stupid? Most certainly, but god help me it is fun. I hope I am a good enough driver to be able to handle this odd form of multi-tasking. If not, there is one comforting thought that helps me sleep. If I meet my maker with a Kaossilator in my hand, at least I will go to the great beyond with my own personally crafted soundtrack. It's not much, but it helps.

Flickr Apps

I looked at a few of the different apps that used Flickr, and there were some interesting things, though nothing that made me giggle like a school boy. There were some online photo-manipulation tools I looked into ( http://www.flauntr.com/ ), but nothing that would steer me away from the tried and true software options (Paint Shop Pro & Photoshop).

The most intriguing apps for me were the random generated films using static photos. Most of these utilized techniques such as zooming in, film flicker, panning, and fade in/outs to give the illusion of movement. See http://incubator.quasimondo.com/flash/flickeur.php or http://incubator.quasimondo.com/flash/islands_of_consciousness.php for examples.

None of these were things I would run out a buy on DVD, but they were interesting and creative.

I Should Learn to Knit.

Day 83: Pensive Cthulhu
Originally uploaded by Here Be Dragons

Here is the beloved Flickr post. It is a knit version of Lovecraft’s dreaded Cthulhu. I wonder how Lovecraft would feel knowing that his creation has turned into a cute, adorable handcrafted toy. Personally, I think it’s wonderful. If I ever learn to knit, everyone I know would be forced to adopt a Tim Knit Cthulhu. What a wonderful world that would be. No Violence, No Screaming, No Library Fines, only Baby Cthulhus knitted with tender love. I can dream.

7 1/2 Habits

The easiest habit for me is too Begin with the End in Mind. I am always focused on the end goal. I am a big fan of cost benefit analysis, and I think I am pretty good at looking at the goal, and seeing the most practical way of getting where I want to be. The hardest for me is having confidence in being a competent learner. I think I am a fairly competent person, but I am easily frustrated and/or discouraged. There is a part in the Documentary “Meeting People is Easy” where Thom Yorke says (Paraphrase) that he can read 100 positive reviews, and 1 negative review, and the negetive one always seems to make more sense. I can relate to this sentiment. When I am attempting to do something on a serious level (aka trying to make something good), I find I am my own harshest critic.

My First Post

I am not new to the world of blogs, but it has been awhile. I am employee of the Columbus Metropolitan Library , whose Learn & Play program has prompted this new blog. My original blog, which took place years ago in the world of myspace, had a slightly different intent. Mostly the posts were inspired by the non-fiction essays of Jonathan Ames(Think David Sedaris with more bite), but here I will attempt to keep the self depreciation to a minimum.

I work for the library because I enjoy it. I believe helping people have access to information they may not have otherwise is accomplishing something positive within society. Plus, working this close to people helps keep the dogs of anomie at bay. There are frustrating situations that arise when working with the public, but at the end of the week, it is worth it.

On my off time I find myself doing the usual things. My major interests are Reading, Writing (Preferred Genre’s being Horror & Science Fiction), Music (both listening and creating), Movies, Photo Manipulation, and the occasional Video Game. I like doing creative things. If working for the Library allows me to feel like I am part of society, my dabbling in fiction and music allows me to feel creatively fulfilled. Everyone needs their hobbies, mine tend to have a creative edge to them.

I am curious to see how CML utilizes this employee blog idea. I think it could lead to some interesting insights on the further regions of Customer Service. We’ll see how it all works out.