Far From Home

WebOS SDK Frustrations

Another (not so) quick post from the Pre here, which I am still enamored with, I must say... Unfortunately, I am not enamored with Palm themselves at the moment. Why? I still can't install the WebOS SDK.

At first, the focus was on Windows 7, as similar problems were most prevalent for developers trying to install the SDK on Microsoft's newest incarnation of Windows. However, it has come to be apparent that the same problems (or similar ones...) are present for users of XP and Vista as well.

What's the problem, exactly? Well, for lack of a better word, it's pretty stupid. The SDK installer runs, proceeds to the point that it is seemingly complete, and then suddenly begins rolling back the installation, finally stating that the installation was interrupted before it could complete. At least in my case, no error message is ever displayed, although my understanding is that there are quite a few variations on this theme. Regardless, the end result is always the same-- install finishes, install uninstalls.

I Got A Palm Pre!!

I got a palm pre, and I love it. The fact that I can just jump into the webbrowser and easily post without having to deal with the lameness of the mobile browsers that I'm used to dealing with might just revitalize my blogging! The Pre is very new, but I am a fan of going the early-adopter route, and also a long-term fan of Palm itself, so this phone is perfect for me, and I am positively delighted to see Palm get back into the smartphone industry with such an incredibly competitive product. I hope to keep up and continue posting my impressions of the device as I become increasingly familiar with it.

Good times.

OMG Drool @ Photo of Geek Heaven

...And I thought I had a lot of monitors.  This puts me to shame in a major way.

One can never have too much screen real estate.  Period. :)

Not much else to say here except goddamn!  If only they were widescreen.  And 24" each. :D  I wonder how many video cards this guy is using... or if they're hooked up to multiple machines.  I'd want them all on the same one.

Read the actual lifehacker article for more info.  I haven't even gotten that far yet. :)

[via lifehacker.com]

The Quest for the Korg DS-10 : part II

Home at last.

I have succesfully acquired a Nintendo DS and the Korg DS-10 software!  All of the items remain unopened on the couch next to me.  It was quite a journey (not really) to get this stuff (maybe for a Sunday morning)... follow me on twitter to see the play-by-play as I open this stuff up and give my first impressions uncut. :)  I'll be back to summarize in a post in a bit.

First Impressions.

Quick update.  This could be the best ~$200 I have spent on my musical career in over a decade.  The interface is extremely intuitive, and I was able to sit down and create a tight little groove with incredible control over the sound of the elements.  The touchscreen is implemented brilliantly.   Now, for the first of my gripes-  I wish the pattern length could be greater than 16 beats.  It will take some getting used to breaking up musical ideas into 16 beat chunks mentally without getting distracted by this thing's bells and whistles.  Second major gripe - you have to stop the audio to tweak the settings on the drum patches... and you can only use up to 4 drum patches per pattern.

But, the DS-10 isn't intended as a full-blown production studio, obviously, and given how much you can do, and how quickly you can do it, I am blown away, I must say.  I'll post some recordings of what I've thrown together later tonight.

Links.

http://korgds-10.blogspot.com/ - This blog seems to be devoted to describing the various features of the Korg DS-10 software.  They are explained very well so far... Check it out for an idea of what this thing can do!

Series: The Quest for the Korg DS-10 : part I

My mission is to acquire a Korg DS-10 cartridge for a Nintendo DS that I do not yet have. This is going to be fantastic.

The more portable I can make my production process, the better, as I am quite scatterbrained in general, and even more so musically.  The faster I can get an idea down after it pops into my head, the less likely it is to end up doomed to obscurity in my mental recycling bin.  And seriously, five minutes can be all the difference in the world.

So, it turns out, interestingly, that Gamestop has an exclusive deal with Korg to initially be the only in-store retailer that sells the DS-10 package.  I have identified a Gamestop location in Bailey's Crossroads that opens in 20 minutes that clames to have the DS-10 in stock.  I'm all over it.

I will report back with more news soon!

Natalie Dylan Update : Bidding Reaches $3.8m

This chick seems to be quite a saavy businesswoman, albeit one of clearly quite unorthodox methods.  Turns out she is actually organizing this deal through the famous Nevada Bunny Ranch... and has even landed a book contract?

I certainly haven't the slightest bit of moral objection to what she's doing, but I see it as like y having an indefinite impact on her professionally, which is a bit ironic considering her intentions to use the money for her education... but she seems to be a resourceful young woman.  

As for the individual willing to spend millions of dollars on Miss Dylan, particularly in times of such financial disaster...  I think you should make some contributions to my retirement fund, while you're at it.  You clearly can afford it. :)

So, if anyone is curious about the legal side of the story, this is interesting:

22-Year-Old Sells Virginity Online -- and Feds Can't Do a Thing to Stop Her (foxnews)

Or, perhaps, her hopes of Kim Kardashian making a bid?

"Natalie Dylan, the 22-year-old who’s selling her virginity online, says there’s just one celebrity she’d want to deflower her: Kim Kardashian.

“She’s really beautiful,” Dylan told The News’ Nancy Dillon, before adding, “but ... I’m heterosexual. I just admire her beauty.”  [from nydailynews.com]

When times get tough, sell your virginity.

You can bet my virginity wouldn't have gone for this much money.

Natalie Dylan: 22/f: Virginity selling for over 2.5m

Mandelbrot the Fractal Bear

I would definitely like one of these... or at least the option to buy one.  This should definitely be marketed and mass produced. Or maybe I'm just a dork.

Actually, that's definitely the case, but really has no bearing on this bear (argh, brutal).

A goofy Sunday afternoon finding:

Mandelbrot the Fractal Bear!