Will Anyone Still Love Doc When He is Sixty-Four

Well, we don't rightly know but he will tomorrow.  Yah, Halloween is his birthday.

He never seemed to really get off on that too much but, whoa, what a fantastic day for a birthday.  Every year is a party, no matter what.  Even if you don't show up, they will do it anyway and you can watch it on TV.


For yesterday, I did not know what to say.  The birthday reminder came up and I knew the day comes anyway but that was just a calendar reminder like I need to change tires or something.  Silence seemed the best observance and remains so.


The time is solemn but that doesn't strike as a good observation overall.  The object isn't to compartmentalize it but rather get a grip on something not understandable.

It's probably not so solemn for Doc as sixty-four is the year of the song from The Beatles.  Sixty-five is, holy shit ... fucking Medicare.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me
Will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?

Read more: Beatles - When I'm Sixty-four Lyrics | MetroLyrics

It's not a matter of getting old as there's ample evidence my corpus is somewhat busted but rather there's the betrayal of it.  Sure, you can have Medicare ... but you can't afford the copays.  The first betrayal was with military and discovering for real that everything the government says is bullshit.  This one is of the same order in which there was already not enough income to live on it and they reduced that to give me a Medicare insurance card.

There's nothing wrong with Medicare, so long as you can afford it.  I can't.


So, we're sending Doc some happy birthday wishes but we don't think 'happy' really means all that much.  Cat and I spoke of it yesterday and this was emotional stuff because no-one wants that kind of discussion but it's still necessary.

From that I made it clear I'm not living in fear of death.  Every day I wake up is a gift even when my circumstance sucks.  I still believe I haven't played my best but if I keep working then I will.  I'm not at all waiting for death and I am definitely living life as much as my abilities permit.

Happy?  For me, I'm happy to be breathing, albeit not very well.  I'm not exaggerating my circumstance in any way and it's likely worse than you imagine, assuming you imagine it, for a number of reasons.  Happy doesn't mean anything in that context but it means a lot for what you will do to break out of it.  For me it's obvious.  If I'm playing is good, if I am not ... well.


Doc loves cars and I mean really loves cars to the point of making them so over-powered they're practically not legal anywhere but a drag strip.  Unless I miss my guess, he still thinks of the ultimate kick-ass trash car he can build.

Note:  the origin of 'trash car' is not clear to me and the definition isn't so clear either but the general program seems to find some vintage car and clean it up with a pretty restoration on the body ... but ... trick the living hell out of its performance.  These were called 'sleeper' cars at one time.  Maybe some kid wants to race you out of a light because he thinks you're some old goober in a waxed-up Sunday garage car and you say, oh sure.  And then leave him in the dust with the kid having no idea of what just happened.  Va-rooooomm....


Happiness is not practice but rather happiness is the fact that you can.


(Ed:  is this about his birthday or yours?)

Both.  Mine is the following on (cough) All Saint's Day.

(Ed:  bullllllshit!)

Fo' real, matey.

Harmful to Children

The following article will upload to Facebook and it will probably display the 'offensive' image along with it.  Whether my timeline gets deleted by it remains to be seen.  I have not uploaded any significant resources to Facebook so it doesn't matter if they kill it but it would be a drag to lose contact with some of the people.

The blog has

- opposed narcotics abuse, prescription or street

- opposed irresponsible gun sales and ownership

- opposed anything which interferes with the care of children


We aren't defensive but rather we observe it's complete bullshit we are harmful to children and, with 65 coming in a couple of days, it's a safe bet we won't get harmful to them any time soon.

So, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, Facebook does.  I believe but don't know such things are driven by user complaints.  I shouldn't have any shortage of people to willing to roast my ass so we shall see.


(Ed:  you just fuck with people)

Not really.  I fuck with their mores but they're plasticine and irrelevant.

Say Yes to Nipples and No to Turks

Or maybe that's Say No to Nipples and Yes to Turks ... or ...

The text on the cardboard sign reads 'Do Not Buy from Turks' (I gather the German word used for Turks is offensive even beyond the xenophobic aspect).

The image was posted on Facebook and their censors deleted the entire timeline for the artist ... without having any idea of the point.  The basis for the deletion was 'pornographic content' and you may ask which part.

So did the artist, Olli Waldhauer (Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Das Ding ist außer Kontrolle geraten")

Note:  the article is in German but my skills are not sufficient for easy reading of newspaper articles.  Cat and I talked of it this morning and she remarked specifically about the absurdity of this nipple fear in a country which rants about feminism on an almost daily basis.


Herr Waldhauer uploaded the image again only this time with stars over the girl's nipples.  This time Facebook did not censor it.  Barefaced blazing racist xenophobia is not, ostensibly, offensive where as bare-nipple bosoms represent a trauma to all ... according to Facebook.

Facebook lives in the fucking 19th Century and should be a place to plan Indian raids to wipe out the pesky redskins.  People in the rest of the world look at America and Facebook like the TSA and the only interesting thing is how much stuff can be smuggled past them.


It doesn't seem to matter that all of Europe laughs over this ludicrous posturing.  Süddeutsche Zeitung is a highly-regarded newspaper in southern Germany (i.e. Bavaria) which has leftist leanings but, according to Cat, delivers reasoned content.  This image did not appear in some tabloid rubbish such as the the Mail, etc but rather in a prestigious paper in a full feature with an interview with the artist.

So, that's how America represents ... sexually paranoid and rabidly xenophobic.

I'm not bashing America; they're fucking laughing at the country ... in leading newspapers.

America is bashing America ... from Washington.

When Democrats AND Republicans Hate You -- Then You're on the Right Path

Both primary parties are wrong and even the people in them know it but they don't want to admit it.  Everything has become such a P.T. Barnum cesspool of pandering and poodling with politics lost in the far distance.

Bernie Sanders is telling it straight and people know that too but still there's more politicking than anyone needs because if you have to talk someone into your vote, you weren't worth anything in the first place.

The GOP poodle show is one of the most absurd political fiascos in memory and it's a shame Kurt Vonnegut is not here to see it.  We doubt he would be amused ... but ... he's beautiful when he swims.

We doubt any of the GOP poodles are beautiful when they swim, with or without Halloween masks.

We think Bernie Sanders is probably beautiful when he swims also.  He's a fit old coot so we don't think we will be seeing him swimming with Vonnegut anytime soon and, damn good, we need him down here.


The firm adherents to the primary parties have become pitbull poodles and they bite hard and often but it doesn't mean much.  It's like the current girl fights between competing journos in media.  They have no news, only who is the most woman.  Hear me ... purr.

Kee-rist.  Helen Reddy, where the hell did you go!


Doesn't matter much either because they won't swing the election anyway.  It's the malcontents who make elections but, Americans want to be on the winning team, regardless of the politics.  The more people perceive Bernie Sanders, the more they will back him as we see the phenomenon repeatedly.

There are loads of malcontents in the miscellaneous gun nuts, disassociated wankers, and those who think the GOP will make them rich but never did.  The GOPoodles have been courting them assiduously but they don't have enough to carry it or the Tea Party might have actually accomplished something on its destructive agenda.


So, out here on the Socialist Left, we sit here patiently waiting.  Someday America will realize it's time to pay some bills.  Maybe it's this time or maybe they keep drilling it until people steal food from markets as currently takes place in Edinburgh due to their austerity programs.  I've seen it when some poor bugger has stolen a few items in the market and has made a break to run for it to try to get away.  Often they do, sometimes they don't.

Jean Valjean was originally sent to jail for stealing a loaf of bread.  Now they would do it in England too.  Help the RINOs or the DINOs make that happen if you like but the result is the same either way.  Poll-driven puppets don't pay the freight, you and I do.

If you don't think people are stealing food out of markets from desperation in two of the leading countries in the world, you're living in a fantasy land.  I've seen it and multiple times.


As to which Democrat has now got American troops on the ground in Syria ... well, go ahead and hate me.  I'm not the one who rolled over for GOP warhawks and the Pentagon.

One thing any one of you knows already:  Bernie Sanders won't roll over for anyone, no matter how big the check.  Any man in Washington who is not on the take after his time and years is never going to get that way.

CNN PlasticJourno Whines She is Offended as a Journo and as a Woman - Very Funny

"The View" shredded Carly Fiorina and dared to say she looked 'demented' which is precisely what anyone else in America saw ... but, nope, PlastiCNNWoman is offended because, you guessed it, this is all about her.  (CNN: CNN anchor to 'The View' hosts: 'Double standard much?')

And CNN has the unmitigated gall to accuse the women of "The View" of having a double standard when CNN has been flogging the success of Clinton in the last PlastiDebate and they lauded over her like the Queen of Sheba landed in a spaceship.  Double standard, my ass.  They have no latitude for judgment of anyone.

"The View" does because they're so damn funny at it.  Of course they say Fiorina looks demented as what else would you look like after you put tens of thousands of people out of work.  Fiorina is the best argument against marriage I've ever seen.  "The View" doesn't think much of her either ... and ain't that a bitch.


The beauty part is the Tea People don't know who to hate this time.  They already hate "The View" because they are female Commie pinkos but so is CNN as the only men on it anymore are Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer.

Audio Video Sync in Final Cut

The problem of audio sync between an audio track captured as an audio file and video tracks captured by a couple of cameras has been an ongoing problem.  After about eight minutes, the sync is noticeably degraded even after starting out tight.

The sync is not perfect for "Hey Baby - Lasers" and it's not far off, it's just not precisely tight.  That aspect is not my biggest concern because the problem is whether the audio and the video end at the same time.

Changing the frame rate for the Final Cut project to 29.97 fps for importing the audio track made the difference as subsequent import of multiple video clips synced tight for total duration of the track.

It's the tight sync to the primary audio track which is the objective.  You can see my fingers moving but the audio from the guitar is not coming from the camera.  However, my fingers move in sync with that audio.  Therefore, the primary audio track must be synced with the audio for the video track and the best way I've found for doing it is matching the audio waveforms.  Depending on the magnification, the patterns in the waveforms will make it clear what was happening.  Lining up peaks will get an excellently tight sync.

After you get the sync between those two audio tracks, detach the audio from the video and then chuck it, unless you use it for ambience or some such.

Load in your next clip and repeat.

Do the above before you blade anything as you will never in an Ice Age of trying achieve any audio sync after you start editing.  If you get non-linear, so will the audio.  In this you have to take the steps.

Once you have the audio synced, you can slash the video to whatever level tickles yer cockles or so.  There's still one concern, tho:  if you blade a clip, now you have to be meticulous to blade all of them at once or you will throw out your audio sync again.


Nailing that problem is huge.  Maybe you saw previously in which I said the audio is synced and the problem is solved.  Then maybe you watch the video and think, hey, that isn't solved.  In fact, it is, tho, as the primary problem was getting the duration right and I'm positive that's nailed.


Some may question the nature of the audio insofar as it should be studio clean ... but I ain't a studio musician.  I've been (mostly) a garage band jammer forever and I've loved it.  The stage is a grand feeling and you get god-like powers but there's nothing to touch being all blowed-out with the band at three in the morning in the garage and playing whatever comes, all the while hoping it's not cops.

That's why I never called the cops about the guys across the street.  It's a wussy thing to do but more than that it's because cops have so many times been called because of me.  I know it was poetic justice but, man, you don't know how loud they got that kit cranked.  Who knows what kind of boost they have on that bass but it easily shakes every window in the house.  Everything's been very cool since our little powwow and, whew, I'm sure glad of the quiet.  Noise is grand but that was an artillery bombardment.

So, noise is part of it.  The garage band signal will never be perfect as somewhere there's a bitch of a ground loop (i.e. low buzz) and no-one can find it.  Stuff like that makes it real ... at least, for me.

Maybe that sounds nostalgic but I don't see that.  What I see is the rawness of music coming from that period.  It's never perfect because these are boys who will try anything to find that sound.  If that means using a peanut butter jar for a click track, they will do it ... and they will make it work.  What's more, they will make it cool.

I keep threatening to bring in the cowbell but (sob) I never did it ... not yet, anyway.  It could actually be cool in a "Mississippi Queen" kind of way:

"Burning Down the House" - Talking Heads (video)

Don't look now but the House in Washington already burned.  Pfft.  They never did anything anyway.  Lazy bastards leave it to the President to start the wars all the time.

Burning down the house ...

No visible means of support and you have not seen nothin' yet
Everything's stuck together
I don't know what you expect staring into the TV set
Fightin' fire with fire, huah

Yea
Burning down the house
Burning down the house
Burning down the house

Read more: Talking Heads - Burning Down The House Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Nothing Recorded Tonight

What the hell, if CNN and FOX can fill the news with nothing every day then a report about not making a video tonight is news.

And, of course, it was Obama's fault.


The fire effect in Motion FX is triggered (gasp) by motion so I have GOT to try this.  I have used it in a more general way but it doesn't run as a post-process filter in Final Cut but rather it's real-time.

The thinking is using two cameras means I could turn and later in Final Cut use that as a switch point to go to the other video track which shows Silas in flames.  Dunno how cool that will look in daylight so that will be something to try tomorrow.

America Has Terrorist Dolphins ... But ... Australia Has Terrorist Kangaroos

An Australian terrorist kangaroo was loose in Waxahachie, TX, today and was subsequently captured by local authorities.  The District Attorney has not yet announced whether any ordnance was found in the kangaroo's pouch.  (7News: Kangaroo filmed dodging traffic)

Yes, we're aware that story is from Adelaide in Australia.  However, this is an example of the subversion of the media to suppress the actual story from Waxahachie where the terrorist kangaroo was reported on local radio to be loose.

And, what the hell, if you don't believe it, just pretend I'm Carly Fiorina.


You see, Australia has their own version of DARPA but instead of working with implanting computer chips in the brains of humans, the Australian military research scientists have been working with kangaroos.  The result was a creature which turns into a deadly killing machine when it hears the keyword, "Miranda."


The applications for the U.S. Navy terrorist dolphins is limited as the best they can do is blow up oil rigs ... but ... if it's a BP rig, it will blow up anyway.


However, the Australian terrorist kangaroos are unstoppable.  If Donald Trump builds a wall, they will simply jump over it ... and then explode ... hideously.


Radical Muslims have courted the research scientists to determine whether the kangaroos could survive in the Middle East, at least for the few weeks they will need each one.  They were rejected because the Australians don't like Muslims, Australians don't like anyone.

(Oz Boy:  oy, mate.  Oz isn't the most racist country in the world)

Maybe so, Crocodile Dundee, but you're in a foot race with the U.S. for the title.


(Yankee Boy:  America isn't the most racist country in the world)

Tell you what, Yankee Doodle, we will chip in to buy you a newspaper.

Beware the Satanic Holidays

"The Burning Times" are coming in only a few more shopping days.

Maybe someone in England or Australia did it ... but ... (gasp) ... they don't celebrate Halloween.  They do have education, however.  Must be the witches, we're guessing.

So, keep in mind:  'Keep a close eye on you children'

We don't know what 'coipious' means but we assume there's a lot of it.

Laura Marcus Gives the Guaranteed Worst Review of Phil Collins You Will Ever Hear

Phil Collins said recently, "The horse is out of the stable and raring to go."

It's grand to see him coming back out of retirement.


The Guardian's Laura Marcus gave us her thinking about why some people do not like Phil Collins.

But I think that the Phil-hating stems from something more sinister. Phil Collins appeals to women. Men aren’t supposed to write heart-on-sleeve confessional songs; they’re especially not supposed to write about how a woman broke their heart by going off with someone else. It’s supposed to be all power messages – “She’s under my thumb” and “Stay away from Runaround Sue”. It was fine for Elvis Costello on his first solo album to write breakup songs declaring that he wasn’t angry when he plainly was. Costello was cool and appealed to a niche audience; he still does. Collins is mass market, though. Popular. And what could be less cool than a popular recording artist admitting he is heartbroken?

- Laura Marcus, The Guardian

Yep, you guessed it.  If you're not a Phil Collins fan then you must be some form of a Psychology Today reject about whom Ms Laura dreams in her dreary way.  She shows such a morass of misplaced musical sensibilities and an almost complete lack of knowledge of the breadth of what Phil Collins has done.  In much of the article she only writes about herself.  Fascinating.  (cough)

Yah, and she's likely thinking Genesis only had three lead performers (i.e. Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, and Tony Banks).

Gabriel??  Who is Peter Gabriel?

It was only a few days ago there was an article here about Phil Collins and check out his kick-ass drumming with Brand X.  (Blog:  "Malaga Virgen" - Brand X (video) - Somewhere Between Prog Rock and Fusion)

So, Ms Laura, have you ever even heard of Brand X?  (cough)


At the end of her rubbishy bit, Ms Laura thanks Phil Collins for the music he has given ... and she doesn't even know what it was.  Pfft.

And, yah, Ms Laura ... thanks for the fish.  We live for bathos.


Yah, this burns my ass.  Phil Collins has been in some of the best bands in prog rock and evolved from there into ballads which featured his singing.  To blow off all that with some kind of half-baked idea of internal male insecurities is a masterpiece of making any damn thing somehow about you.

Sorry as it does fry me as to regard Phil Collins as ... well, he was a ballad singer, right?

Kee-rist.

What's Hot on the Blog 10/29

Entry	Pageviews
"Hey Baby - Lasers" - Silas Scarborough (video) - ... Oct 28, 2015	30
Ben Fields, Imitation Cop Should Be Even More Asha... Oct 29, 2015	30
Kensington TrackBallWorks Software Causes Problem ... Oct 29, 2015	28
If We Did Not Love You, We Would Not Do It Oct 29, 2015, 2 comments	22
CNN Says 'Moderators Skewered' Regarding GOP Debat... Oct 29, 2015	21
Is He Gay? (historical record) Oct 28, 2015	18
"Lights in the Night" - Flash and the Pan (video) Oct 29, 2015	17
"Stuttering" - Fefe Dobson (video) Oct 28, 2015	17
"Hey Baby - Lasers" - Silas Scarborough - Uploadin... Oct 28, 2015	14
How to Make Lasers Shoot Our of Your Head Oct 29, 2015	13

Hey Baby - recorded last night in the Rockhouse - Silas playing and recorded with multiple cams with full-boat insane visuals.  None were added in post-processing.  This is what it really looks like.

Ben Fields - he's the cop who threw the high school girl to the floor in South Carolina.  It gets worse as the kid is a recent orphan.

Kensington - bugs with cursor placement which started in Safari with errors in using Blogger text editing and also in bizarre behavior under Facebook.  Newer on that is Facebook may actually have done what I suggested in implementing some sort of gangster chat and it needs more review.  The problem with that is I haven't the faintest interest in review what silly bug drives the problem.  So, maybe something useful to you in the article if you experience the same thing.

If We Did - why we (i.e. Silas and I) do it

CNN - a perfectly ludicrous review of the dog & pony show on CSPAN last night.

Is He Gay? - you may find it amusing.  One reaction was, oh yeah, good ol' days.

Lights in the Night - a captivating song from Flash and the Pan.  Unknown vintage.

Stuttering - Fefe Dobson is the singer and she is not mocking people who stutter but rather she fires on a lover who stutters and shows the deceit.  The song works the same for cheating boyfriends or betrayal of the country by stiffs in suits making false promises.

"Hey Baby" - part of the prep for shooting the video

How to Make - it's getting the visual effect of shooting lasers out of your head but the article goes into the existential aspect of the intentionally overwhelming video experience.