Ok everyone ready for a tech blog?
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MagicQ by ChamSys (short for Chameleon Systems and is pronounced “cam” “sis”) is a full featured lighting software package that can get you where you need to go for practically nothing in hopes you’ll buy their hardware.
four new albums I’m listening to:
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This is going to be my quick review of Love Wins by Rob Bell because I’ve got about half an hour to write it, and I don’t really want to take more than that because otherwise I might as well write a book. Continue reading
Alright my iphone ear buds finally gave up the ghost on the left side so I decided to get a new pair the other day. I needed something with a mic in it for those times i need to switch to a call. When you’re in a lift hanging lights its dang handy!
Anyway I’ve heard good things about skull candy so I decided to buy a relatively cheap pair of buds and give them a whirl. I’m an audiophile and have a very critical ear so that is the review that you’re going to get.
First of all I’m pretty sure this is the product I bought and I was not impressed with the packaging. Kind of on the cheap side, but for $30 in an AT&T store I don’t expect all that much so moving on. The actual head phones came with a neat little storage back akin to what new sunglasses come in. Don’t know if I’ll be using them for the buds or wiping forehead grease off my lenses. I did not like the type of plastic used to coat the cable. It is very stiff and the way it’s wrapped in packaging I am pretty sure the end of my headphone cable will always look like a curly pig tail.
The ear buds come with 3 sizes of plastic buds. None of which feel right in my ears. Comfortableness of wearing on a scale of 1-10 10 being I don’t notice them is about a 3. I totally notice them in my ear canal, they place a good amount of pressure in my ears and they kind of hurt if i put them in to far. (yes I’ve worn other in ears, the UM1′s are awesome) The buds do not like to stay in my ears either, I guess they’re not making a stellar seal. Packaging and looks receive a 2
Now on to sound quality.
This is the interesting part because depending on which way you wear the buds you get a totally different sound out of them. I’ll rate this on two levels on both sides. Voice conversations and audio listening. The two ways to wear them are. traditional style and over the ear.
This places the cone in two different directions, the traditional style of wearing them points the cone into the ear canal but I think towards the wall of the ear. The result is a sound that is slightly brittle without a ton of low end. This was not what I was expecting to hear from these buds when i put them in after talking to a few people about them. If there is low end it comes across as a pop rather than a boom or a thump. Ineligibility is decent.
The over the ear places the cone into a down firing position which opens up the way the sound waves reach your ear drum giving it a more booming low end sound. I was surprised how different the sound was coming from the ear buds, but it muddied the sound up significantly and intelligibility dropped (depending on the music style).
Sound quality 1-10 (same scale as before) about a 5, and when you add in wear-ability it drops it back to a 3.5.
For phone calls I’ve made two now with the head phones in the over the ear configuration. This puts the mic under the chin but I have not received any complaints that you cant understand what I’m saying. There is not much audio feed back into my ear which I like (I hate hearing myself talk). Again depending on who the person is you’re talking to, female the voice is bright enough that it sounds great, a male voice is a little muddy. For Calls I give these about a 6 and wear-ability takes them down to a 4.
Over all these headphones receive a solid 3. They’re utilitarian at best and not for the audiophile or person with sensitive ears.
I think Rework might be a book a lot of people would overlook simply because it was written by a small company that writes web based apps for other businesses. Who wants to read about ideas centered around web based apps or small business? Coding for me would be extremely boring, I’m not running my own business and even then wouldn’t I want to grow a big business?
Cover to cover it’s an extremely easy read because it is written in short format blog post style blips. So you can pick it up read a page or two, and when you put it down you’ve gathered one complete thought from the book.
Now on to content, it isn’t a tech book or a business leaders book, this isn’t John Maxwell you’re going to be reading here. This book was written with anyone that has a brain and is a working part of society in mind. Sure there are trade tips on how to run a small business but it’s also applicable to you who manage a couple people in any scenario. It speaks to creatives, those in customer service, marketing, communications, business executives and the list goes on.
I think what is most incredible about this book is that it totally blows up traditional concepts that most industry is built on. If you’re looking for a game changer in the way that you view work, your industry, how you approach leading people or running a business pick it up. Another game changer is Linch Pin by Seth Godin. Yeah these books are geared towards the business and were not written specifically with churches in mind but 9.9 times out of 10 the way you manage people and run a church is the way you run a business and leadership practices and structure ideals are something we should be reading too.
Pick it up, it’s not expensive and if you don’t have time it’s a great read in short bursts!
I haven’t done a music post in a while so here is what I’ve downloaded and listened to, loved and hated. These are my personal views, and may not reflect your thinking. If everyone thought like you the world would probably be a pretty boring place.
I enjoy Paramore like a fat kid enjoys ho-hos. Seriously. I love Hayley’s vocals. I love the way the band rocks. I love the spiritual aspects of their music while keeping it mainstream. Yeah it’s poppy, but it’s not your moms soda pop either. To each their own, this album may not be entirely catchy like their last two but if you give it some time it will grow on you. There are some sick melodic strains and some amazing acoustic pieces.
The Black Eyed Peas….I don’t like to like this. I’m white…I don’t dance, but this makes me want to. yeah there is a gross over usage of auto tune. Thank you Kanye for ruining music this year. Regardless it’s a killer fun album for something different. More of a guilty pleasure than anything, and not every track on here is stellar, but most of them just have that cool way over produced value.
Friendly Fires. This is just a great pump you up but still chillaxed album. Something I work to often. If you like chilled out semi electronic music with plenty of ambient space check this out.
Alright John Mayer…first off…on this album artwork you look like you had a nose job. It just makes me laugh. Easy listening is an understatement. This album is so easy to listen to it’s ridiculous.
Phil Wickham has a way with words, and music. There is nothing particularly churchy about this whole album but when you’re done with it you feel like you’ve been to church. I love being able to feel the intent and worshipfullness of an album. If you’ve never listened to Phil Wickham do it right now. You won’t be disappointed. Vocally inspiring and lyrically challenging.
I think the first time I was introduced to this band was in a Cadillac commercial. Blown away. This is one of those funky ambient albums that you just can’t help but get into. Just something a little out of the ordinary to make your work day go by smooth.
I enjoyed the Bravery. Fun, energetic band with tons of catchy hooks for all the kids on the dance floor. This album isn’t that. The vocals are tense, and over produced. To much reverb to the point where you can’t understand most of what’s sung.
Thirty Seconds to Mars…Same album different name. People complain that this doesn’t sound like Jared Leto…ummm this album is the spitting image of the last…in fact I think they borrowed some hooks from their hits. What was new is that on almost every song you have a huge chorus of fans (or whatever you want to call them) chanting and singing in the background. It actually sounds like a Hillsong album with all of the WOAH OH OHHHH’s. It’s actually a little aggravating to listen to. So if you don’t like the crowd chant/sing deal…don’t buy this.
I downloaded Seabird’s new album today and have yet to listen to it, but the first two seconds of the first song and I’m already in love. Listen to Seabird, they’re from my home area in the midwest.
I bought the new Mute Math album.
I find it kind of funny…I find it kind of sad…the first album I heard from them was the best they ever had. I guess you could chalk it up to the sophomore slump, or that they’re solidly on Warner’s label now. Don’t get me wrong this is a solid piece of music, but that seems to be it, one piece of music. The album doesn’t have much get up and go considering their first release was all over the place musically. There is no drive or energy in 90% of the songs and the songs that have potential energy never see it released.
Armistice’s dynamics don’t actually exist, it seems like Paul Meany and the band wrote this during a massive relationship break up and forgot to let everyone else know why they’re crying. My first inclination during some of the songs was, if I was going to go cut myself I’d do it to this song.
Pieces that made the first album so enjoyable was the energy, the techno elements and the massive builds and drum break downs. The drums on this album are solid, but they’re predictable. The techno elements are minimal and the builds just aren’t there. As far as energy, it’s got energy if you’re melancholy. I’m not impressed, but im not disgusted either. Have you lost your way? because most of your songs kind of lean towards that on this album, and it would make sense.
I remember seeing Mute Math release their music at the GMA’s a number of years ago with such passion and energy it put everyone else to shame. Paul Meany talked about how he had come back to music with a renewed passion for God. Some of their music even related to Christianity (not that music has to, that is a debate for another day). Now with the attitudes seen in interviews and music taking a turn for the dark you begin to wonder where is that bright eyed band that told everyone they were back?
Can I have my mute math with a side of awesome sauce again?
Last night I was driving back from the gym and Anberlin’s The Feel Good Drag came on. This wasn’t the same song I remembered liking the band for. It was kind of thin, cold and didn’t connect. Tempo was awkward and the drums seemed to be playing catch up with the vocals and guitars. So I let the song play out on the radio and then i popped in my iphone and brought up the original version from their 2005 release: Never Take Friendship Personal. Yes, this band has been around a while, and for all of you rockers out there who don’t listen to “Christian” music Anberlin isn’t new, and The Feel Good Drag definitely isn’t their newest stuff.
So on to the song. I played back the original and it had a fullness and warmth that the radio re-mix didn’t have. While the radio version “rocked” it made me feel like there was an ice pick being shoved through my temple every time the drummer hit the snare. Way too much snap. The guitars didn’t have much of a presence either. Over all it lacked the body of the original. No fullness, no spirit, no energy. Not that this is the best anberlin song, or that anberlin is my favorite band and I feel wronged. Far from any of that, it just bothers me that a band jumps to a major record label and all of the sudden the have to jump into the cookie cutter.
I don’t have a big problem with cross overs. I don’t think that there should be such a split between “christian” music and “secular” music anyways. They’re not music genre’s they’re lyric descriptors. No one else sees a split except the Christians, they want to have sanctified music so they can feel ok about listening to something with a beat. I do have a problem with bands who compromise their sound or their values once they cross over. A lot of bands that get started in the “christian” circle today end up doing so because they need a start somewhere, not because they’re Christians. The once the band ‘crosses over’ they sell out and lose their original sound that made them good.
Anyways lets get away from that and lets leave you with something you can listen to and not feel like you’ve sold out or want to go jump off a bridge.
Silversun Pickups: Swoon. A spectacular driving album. All of the songs sound like one another and kind of mesh into one really long song. I say perfect for driving because half of the time it’s just background noise and it’s kind of nice to have one really long song playing as you go. Solid instrumentation and vocals are a bit like coheed’s. So if you don’t like the guy’s voice then you might not want to pick this up off the shelf.
1000 Robota: Du nicht er nicht sie nicht. Yeah this band isn’t from around here. German vocals with this kind of new wave pop music. Great for creative inspiration whilst you work. Mainly because you can’t get distracted while you work because you don’t know and can’t sing the lyrics!
Patty Griffin: Flaming Red. A folk rock bliss. Some country influence but not enough to make me run away. Clean vocals with a nice grunge behind her. It kind of makes you want to sit out on the back porch and sip some lemonade.
other notables, and not so noteworthy.
War Tapes: The Continental Divide. A grooving rock album that grooves along the lines of The Killers or the Koooks.
Young Love: One of Us. An electronica pump fest. They remind me a lot of Brandston which I like. If you like some odd electronica you’ll like this.
Explosions in the Sky: The earth is not a cold dead place. Great background music! Seriously! Same concept as This Will Destroy You or Unwed Sailor.
Dredge: The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion. Meh. This is all kind of sleepy music. No drive, no energy and nothing to really keep your interest.
Mat Kearney: City of Black and White. This album was a sad follow up to Kearney’s first release. First off there is no white man rap. That was what made his stuff in my opinion, the spoken word stuff was just rich with character. This CD is just bland.
Taking Back Sunday: New Again. What made their last album listenable makes this one just as easy going down. Grungy vocals and music with good energy and drive.
Emery: In Shallow Seas. What can I say, scream in, scream out. Their melody’s are great, still haunting vocals and catchy licks.
Paper Route: Absence. If you like Postal Service, Cold Play, U2 etc. you’ll enjoy the melodic strains of Paper Route. Just good easy listening.
Other Albums worth giving a spin:
Copeland: You are my Sunshine.
Lovedrug: The Sucker Punch Show
House of Heroes: The End is Not the End
Robbie Seay Band: Give Yourself Away
The Classic Crime: The Silver Cord
