Okay so……yeah…..I am sort of a closet gamer, or at least I used to be. A few years ago I had a boyfriend who was really into Everquest II, a Sony online game.  He got me interested enough to try it out and I had a great time!  By the time I stopped playing I had 2 fairly well developed characters and 4 other alternates.  I used to make fun of my ex when he would get so involved in his game, but I realized quickly what the appeal was.  Just like Prince said in one of his posts there is a really strong social aspect in online gaming. There was a lot of team work involved with fulfilling many of the quests I took on. In fact, I made several friends that I would play with using our virtual selves and we ended up becoming friends in real life.  I would look forward to logging on and spending time with my virtual friends being imaginative in our make believe world.   

Everquest II screenshot (from accesgame.com)

Sadly, I don’t have time to play anymore, but I still have my account sitting frozen, just in case!  In the couple of years I was playing the game there were many improvements made.  One of the things I like most is that the game is always evolving and changing as time goes on and technology changes.  Kind of makes me wonder what will happen a few years down the road with the whole online gaming industry.  I keep thinking that the game I was playing might end, but it keeps on going year after year.

Do you have what it takes to be a blogger?

I had never really thought of blogging before it was an assignment in my Advanced Photography class…and that blog sat stagnant until just recently when we were required to do one for Web Design.   

Sure I knew what blogging was, and I even followed a couple of friends who blog, but never thought of following strangers – though I know people who do.  It’s crazy how many people out there are blogging these days.  There are so many methods for people to share their feelings and have their voices heard by friends, family and even people they don’t know.  I can see how it is a great tool for business or self promotion if the person blogging writes well and keeps it interesting for the readers.  Some people are truly gifted at this.  I have a friend who loves to cook and she shares her recipes and tasty looking photos, but also has a talent for writing clever and entertaining text.  In case you feel like checking it out it’s http://chisfood.blogspot.com/

Me, not so much….sure I have moments, but most of the time I just feel like I would rather be experiencing something rather than writing about my experience.  Maybe having to blog will help me to overcome this….or it could go the other way and make me resist more when it is no longer required of me.  Not sure what has changed for me.  When I was younger – pre teen, teenaged – I was very diligent about keeping a journal and writing all the time.  Over the last few years I have bought really beautiful journals and pens and tried to write about all of the experiences and thoughts I have, but after a few entries…the book just sits and collects dust.  Finally, I just gave up trying – after all it was supposed to be an enjoyable activity.  I guess time will tell…..but as I said blogging does have some great advantages for personal promotion, so hopefully it will become less tortuous and more fun to do. 

Livescribe Pen

When I first saw the Livescribe pen commercial I thought it would be very cool to have for school.  It’s writes like a regular ball point pen on a special notepad that is coded with dots and as you record it links the audio recording to the words written.  When previewing the audio more writing can be inserted and will link to the point in the audio being played.  The notes are also searchable even though they are handwritten.   

After two lecture classes for Modern Art I realized that it was a life saver!  It’s so convenient to be able to go back in my notes and by just clicking on a section in my notebook the audio that correlates with it plays.  It saved my ass in Modern Art when compiling flash cards to study for the test.  Of course, then a friend pointed out that the same thing can be done on Microsoft One Note, but since I don’t like to carry my laptop to school every day – I still enjoy having my pen. 

In Ear Monitors - Saving my Hearing, Saving my Voice

When I first started gigging it was ridiculously hard to hear myself on stage.  It’s something you don’t think about until you find yourself in the situation, but imagine a bass player who turns up his amp because the keyboard player turned up his because the drummer is hitting hard….and we all know guitar player always kicks up his amp!  The noise on stage can get deafening!  In that environment the floor monitors don’t do shit!  They might as well be unplugged sometimes as much good as they do….then came the invention of in ear monitors!   In ear monitors look like ear bud headphones (except they are usually custom fit to the shape of your ear - mine are) and plug into a little box clipped discretely onto your clothes.  They work just like floor monitors – mix the sound the way you want it to sound and control the volume from the little box.  Mere words cannot express how much I appreciate my in ears.  The ones I own act as earplugs (which has saved quite a bit of my hearing) and also allow me to hear the band and MYSELF!  I know it comes as a surprise, but the lead singer really can sing better when she can hear her own voice!  I just have a middle of the road pair made by Shure, but they have served me well and along with my wireless mic they are a must when I do a gig! It’s pretty amazing to see all of the technological advances in gear for musicians and since it advances so quickly it’s not reserved for celebrity musicians anymore!

 

A montage of video clips in which I am using my in ear monitors from a Cruise gig in 2007.   Beware:  it's pretty cheesy!...okay, you've been warned, we can move on now.

I have no idea what the future will bring in the way of gear, but I do know that I would get in a lot of trouble keeping up on it right now because that’s one of my biggest temptations!  Someday soon I hope to rebuild my home studio with all new equipment, but until I am ready I will be happy to know the tech keeps moving forward.

3D Movies

I have a lot of friends who are annoyed with the popularity of 3D movies these days.  I, on the other hand, am really diggin’ on the 3D movies.  I remember seeing the really bad 3D movies as a kid – the ones where you where the blue and red glasses and there wasn’t much of a story to the movie just lots of things coming at you.  The 3D back then was more about the special effects than trying to add depth to what we see on screen.  It is a drag that it makes movie viewing so much more expensive, but since I don’t go to the movie theater very often, it’s not that bad.  I do find that I end up only going to see 3D movies since I can’t have the same experience at home.

Technology for the 3D viewing experience is now being brought to the home – though not as affordable as it will be in a few years.    I wonder how far the 3D craze will go….will television start to be filmed in 3D?   At some point will the technology advance enough to find a way to eliminate the glasses?  It seems the logical next step since that is one of the things I hear most people complain about.