You’ve probably seen the real tribute video to Don LaFontaine, the ubiquitous voice talent that we all grew up with. Now, check out this brilliant stand-up routine by Pablo Fanscisco specifically about Don, “The Preview Man.”
It is… in a world… where things… are… awesome.
I recently recorded a a voice track for a an original musical composition called “Ode to Bacon” by Rob from The Schnauzer Radio Orchestra for Len Peralta’s Jawbone Radio. Rob posted a brief story about how the project came together, and also posted the finished audio files for you to hear.
“I grabbed a funky drumloop I sampled a long time ago from some obscure orchestra-album, played a 2 bar bass loop and started to spread out Scott’s voice over the track.”
Rob is amazing. See the rest of the story and listen to the end result here.�
My wife attended a training session at her work for a new ’super-duper computerized system’ that is replacing an old paper-based system. Things are not going as well as they had hoped.
So, the new computerized system looks pretty, but time and time again the trainers had to say things like:
AAACCCKKK!
Love you!
I have delevered a couple of ‘version 1′ products in my lifetime, so I understand the challenges of that first roll-out. That’s why we “grizzled ancients” cost so much to hire. We might not get it perfect the first time, but we track ALL of our problems, keep the process as transparent as possible for the customers, and we know how to answer the damn phone when customers call.
Delivering a v1 product is not about delivering perfect software and then watching the money roll in; it’s about delivering a product that mostly works and answers 90% of their needs, providing confidence to the customers that you are deeply comitted to their hopes and desires for the other 10%, and that you will not quit on them and disappear. (Ironically, that is exactly what happened to our customers when my last company closed its doors, so you can imagine that I have some deep-seated feelings about comittment, as well as some unresolved disappointment in my last company’s owners. Never again.)
I am a die hard Microsoft guy. Vista really is a complex masterpiece offering countless features that are not visible to the users. I’ve been running Vista Ultimate for two years without a hitch. I just installed the (1 hour) Service Pack 1, so I hope that doesn’t screw the pooch.
While Vista is evolving to be a rock-solid and secure operating system… I find that I don’t need much of it. Needing Vista’s security architecture is a bit like needing Kevlar body armor. Sure I would be safer walking around downtown wearing full battle gear, but wow it’s heavy and slow. I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of safety for convenience. I personally believe that Microsoft has overcompensated in Vista for the years and years of abuse, and the latest operating system is now a paranoid “end-of-the-world” nut that never leaves the apartment without a well-armed security force.
Meanwhile, Ubuntu and Google Chrome are skipping la-dee-da through the streets naked. I am jealous of their trust and freedom. Those bastards.
So, I am downloading Ubuntu now so that I can try it. They’ve offered me a hit off of their huka, and I’m going to inhale.
I can’t go entirely Linux-crazy; I am a software developer with large knowledge investments in the .NET and MS SQL spaces, so I will have to stay close to Windows for the near future. Only time will tell…
UPDATE (2 hours later): The Ubuntu experience is inferior. No thanks. I’ll stick with Vista, thank you.
My laptop has restless Leg Syndrome. It’s not running anything special, but it wiggles around every so many seconds. No SQL Server, no “programs” running, nothing special. Yet, look at the Task Manager:
Jeez. I wish my laptop would settle down and relax.
Be sure to subscribe to his “Personal Netcast” podcast over at www.thedavidlawrenceshow.com to hear him talk about his Heroes gig (after the episodes have aired).