9 Firefighters die in "tornado of flames"

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Whenever I see a story like this it reminds me of when I was teenager and witnessed my first REAL fire. I sat on the street and watched a 5-Alarm blaze gut the historic YMCA in downtown Newburyport. I remember the heat coming off the building, the flames shooting a hundred feet above the four-story roof, the smells, and the sounds of the building buckling under the heat.

A local man died in that fire. I watched from a few hundred feet away and the power of the fire was simply terrifying. While this enormous structure was burning in front of me like a newly lit bonfire, there were firefighters actually running into the building to look for people. It’s hard to convey in words, it was like they were entering into hell. I could see them walk into the flames and vanish.

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Home Recording and Windows Media Edition? Not So Much…

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I’ve wanted to set up a home recording studio for years. Nothing too fancy or expensive, just something I can use during those increasingly rare moments when I get time to sit down and play my guitar. I occasionally find myself playing something catchy, brainstorming up some lyrics, and writing at least the basics of a song. Unfortunately, because I don’t write music with any regularity, I usually completely forget the song by the next time I sit down to work on it. Or, if I scribble it down in a notebook, I find it hard to recall the melody or get the same feel I had when I first wrote it… bah…

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and get things rolling on this studio thing. I’m certainly not new to the concepts of multi-track recording. In fact, over the past 18 years of playing I’ve used a ton of systems including Tascam multi-track cassette recorders, reel-to-reel systems, and computer hardware/software interfaces. I pretty much know what I need get; I’m just a little out of date with the available technology and what falls within my price range.

After talking to a lot of people, reading a bunch of articles, and doing what I can to bring myself up to speed, it became obvious that a computer-based system was the way to go. This was no shock, but I have to say…

I hate recording music with a computer.

I know computers fairly well. I’ve worked as a Web Developer for more than 8 years and can find my way around a machine better than most of the people I know. The issue I have is that sitting at a monitor, using a mouse to adjust virtual sliders, praying that the computer runs smoothly, and dealing with drivers and codecs makes me crazy. It just takes something away from the “playing music” part of recording when you need to deal with the computer at the same time. I prefer using “stand-alone” systems with real knobs and buttons, but it’s no secret a computer based system offers more possibilities. I accept that, I just hate using them.

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Mad River Tavern, Amesbury Ma

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Amesbury Ma has never been known for its nightlife. We have a few decent pubs like “The Barn” and the “Barking Dog” in town, but nothing particularly active. Well, I guess The Barking Dog can get a little jumping, but it’s nothing that would draw people in from other towns to experience. If you live in Amesbury, and want to go out for a night with some friends, you usually have to drive to Newburyport or Portsmouth to find something fun.

A few months ago a new placed opened up in town that seems to throwing everyone into a fury, the “Mad River Tavern”. I had someone tell me that is was hands down the best place to have some beers, watch a game and chill out. Someone even went as far as to say that it’s the best bar north of Boston. So, needless to say I had to scope this place out…

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Hypothermia – As close as I’d like to get.

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Someone recently asked me “What’s the most terrifying thing has happened while hiking?” I thought about that for a bit and there is one instance that clearly stands out as the most frightening, but I was camping, not hiking. I thought I’d share.

Five or so years ago I drove down to Pocono Pennsylvania to watch the NASCAR Pocono 500. We had camped about six or seven miles from the track at a little campground that seemed to cater to race fans. (Actually, everything within ten miles of the track, or any track for that matter, caters to race fans)

It was Sunday night and we were partying at the campsite following the race. Our plan was to stay there Sunday night and drive home Monday morning. That way we would beat the race-day traffic. If you have never been to a NASCAR race, the traffic leaving the track can be simply incredible. It’s not uncommon to sit in traffic for three or four hours if you stay until the checkers and not duck-out early.

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Shaun of the Dead, Absolutely Brilliant!

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Ok, lets get a bunch of flesh eating gory dead people, pints of beer, guns and blood and wrap them all around an hour and forty minutes of British comedy. Hellz YEAH!

I absolutely loved this movie. The main character (Shaun) is a befuddled English guy who just can’t seem to get his life going in any real direction at all. His girlfriend, who may I add is incredible hot, is tired of spending every night in the same pub with Shaun and his half-evolved, filthy roommate Ed. She finally breaks it off, leaving him lost, hopeless, and drunk. Ed by the way, keeps telling Shaun that he’s better off without her, and that he should probably spend the rest of his life drinking in the Winchester (pub).

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Best Web Developer Tools

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I’ve been a developer for nearly ten years. I’ve used a ton of developer tools for code authoring, editing, statistics and debugging. I’ve come to realize that some of the best programs for web developers are not that expensive, in fact – they’re FREE! I wanted to make a quick post and list some of these tools. Hopefully it will help out some of you developers out there.

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Kickass Hard-Rock Songs (that everyone should own)

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So I was listening to music at the office today, as I always do, when it occurred to me that my musical preference seems to be changing again. I like all styles of music, so it’s not like it’s a big deal. I mean on any given day I could listen to John Denver, and then pop on Metallica or Static-X, before ending the day on Tori Amos. Put it this way; there is probably material in my ITunes that you really like AND really hate. I dig it all.

Anyways, for like the past five months or so I seem to have been in a “mellow acoustic rock” phase. For example Jack Johnson, Howie Day, and Dave Matthews have been high on my play count. Now it looks like I’m leaning towards a little bit of a heavier style again. I’m not talking death metal or anything, just heavier rock like Seether, Ra, and Godsmack.

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