1. What would you sarcastically like to thank your local government for?
Thanks for the rail development and all the cost and increased taxes that I will have to pay for the rest of my life. Now it is not only the general excise tax, because thanks to stupid, socialist government policy that think rail is a solution to our transportation problems, you are all sentencing us to increased costs as both property owners and renters who live close to the rail line and all the gigantic expensive development that is springing up because of TOD (Transient Oriented Development)... As a property owner I HATE seeing my property taxes increased because of the new developments that will spring up in my area. And Scrivener you are not off the hook, because property taxes and the ugly rail development will impact your neighborhoods in Kalihi that will drive more people out and increase the gigantic homeless problem we already have. So we have the stupid GET surcharge tax and the increased rates for property tax. The rail keeps on costing more money and the stupid city wants to build more in the future to get to the University of Hawaii, yet one of the rail corridors in my area is already blocked because of TOD yet to occur near the convention center.
Fuck You City & County of Honolulu. Rail is the biggest mistake ever of the 21st century unleashed upon all of the taxpayers and tourists in Hawaii. (Currently costing at least $10 billion for 20 shitty miles)
"They paved paradise and are erecting an expensive, giant, ugly fixed rail train".
Ugh!
2. What would you sarcastically like to thank your body for?
For getting emotionally bent out of shape and having high anxiety every time I think or write about the friggin' rail. (See above). Thanks a lot Honolulu.
3. What would you sarcastically like to thank your neighbors for?
I would like to thank that one lady who lives in our building with her stupid pooch who seems to have an exemption from our "NO PETS" policy. Ugh!!!!! 4. What would you sarcastically like to thank the internet for?
Spam. Pop Up Ads. Auto Playing Video Ads that steal your cell phone bandwidth. Crap.
5. What would you sarcastically like to thank November for?
I'd like to thank this week's Friday 5 topic for helping put me in such a negative mood. Move on to December and November be totally fucking gone. I did not have Thanksgiving at home on the Big Island because, what the fuck... both my parents are dead and gone now and there is no reason other than to see my sister, to ever go back there for something that used to be celebrated but ain't no more.
Luckily Lisa and I had a nice simple turkey sandwich the day before even though Foodland screwed me and gave me a roast beef sandwich with a turkey sandwich label on it. Be Gone November, Be Gone!!!
From Scrivener's weekly Friday 5 blog comes these questions:
1. What skill seems like it would be really fun to learn?
Learning how to play the piano or guitar may be fun. I can read music on the treble clef side after I learned how to play the trumpet in high school. I'd probably have trouble figuring out the bass clef side. I'm also not very good a finger picking on a ukulele, so doing that on guitar may be difficult.
Other than that, perhaps learning how to fly an airplane may be fun, but could be very expensive.
2. Which of the winter Olympic sports would you love to compete in?
I really suck at all sports to a point that for most of my life I just avoided any kind of partipation in sports except for photographing some sporting events or watching a few on TV or in person.
That said I don't have any interest in winter sports and have never watched the winter Olympics on TV. We have no snow in 95% of the places here in Hawaii, which means there is no cultural connection that I know of to any winter sports.
However after going through a list of sports played in the Winter Olympics, the only one that I would be even remotely interested in is Curling. Why? Because I first saw it when I was a kid on The Beatles 1965 movie “Help!”
I thought that was one of the goofiest things I saw grown ups play…. sweeping some big kettle like stone on the ice from one place to another. Of course the scene in that Beatles movie was meant to be funny I think, hence my thought of the sport being one step up from silly.
And this is an Olympic sport? Who'd have known!
3. What fun craft did you make when you were a kid, in school or at camp or somewhere else?
In middle school I took a semester of woodworking class. This was way back in around 1971. I created a dog figurine door stop and a double horse napkin holder (see photo above).
4. If everyone in the world is the best in the world at some very specific thing, what are you most likely the best at?
I was very good at setting type copy on the Itek Quadritek1200 to 2400 series of phototypesetting machines. It was a computerized system that the operator had to use codes to set all kinds of parameters to get copy out. I was very good in creating forms on this expensive device without having the benefit of having a WYSIWYG graphical user interface. It was all green screen text with codes to set attributes to each action of copy or graphics that the end user wanted to create. Granted for its time this system was complicated to use if you dived into the deep end. The tagging system was a precursor to mark-up languages we have today, such as HTML.
After personal computers became popular, namely the Macintosh platform, publishers and everyone else including myself moved on to these which were far superior in their capabilities and whole lot cheaper than the old stuff from the 1970s and early 1980s.
5. What’s something you own that was handmade by someone you know?
I have a handful of examples of crochet pieces that my grandmother, Mary Pawela Ah Ching created when she was alive. (1901 - 1987)
1. Of all the spaces in your residence, which is most powerfully your space?
All of it. I own and live in my small studio apartment which is essentially just one room combined with all the amenities except the bathroom and closet which are separate. That said, the living area is the most immediate of the “powerful”.
2. What’s the most spacious space in your everyday life?
The great, urban outdoors and once in a blue moon the outdoors in the countryside or on another island if I choose to travel.
3. What’s a good song about space?
There’s plenty and here are my top 10:
Space Oddity - David Bowie - one of the most iconic “space” songs out there.
Main Theme From ‘Star Wars’ - John Williams / London Symphony Orchestra
Rocket Man - Elton John
Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns - One of the few remakes I like better than the original.
Theme From ‘Babylon 5’ (Season 5) - Christopher Franke
Across the Universe - The Beatles
Space Cowboy - Steve Miller Band
Theme From ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ - Alexander Courage / Jerry Goldsmith
Man on the Moon - R.E.M.
Blue Danube Waltz - Strauss / MGM Orchestra from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
If you haven’t heard the above songs before, just search YouTube. There are videos and audios of every one of these. I would link them to this post, but unfortunately my main internet is down and I am posting this using my cell phone data stream.
4. What’s under your bed?
I have 2 flat storage bins containing various computer cables with add on accessories, and another with my old iBook G3 laptop and a small PC Notebook. Both have issues, both may be fixable. There is another small container with audio cables.
5. What are your thoughts on typing one space or two spaces after sentences.
When I first learned how to type on manual typewriters it was two spaces at the end of a sentence before the start of a new sentence. This works today only if you are using a TYPEWRITER with monospaced fonts. Other than that, NO NO NO!
In 1977 at my college’s publications department I was taught that on our then new, state of the art Itek Quadritek 1200 photo typesetting computer, that it was only a single space at the end of the sentence because of the use of proportional fonts even in those very early days of computerized typesetting. From that point on, I ingrained that mantra to all electronic, computerized keyboards I have used throughout my life. SINGLE SPACE AT THE END OF A SENTENCE BEFORE THE START OF THE NEXT.... works all the time with Macs, PCs, Chromebooks, smartphones, tablets and anything else that uses proportional fonts (which is just about everything). It is the mantra! Get with the program you double space Luddites!
And while I’m at it, do not underline text. That is what italics are for.
1. When did you last raise your hand to be called upon, to get someones attention, or in response to a how many of you question? Or heck, for any reason at all?
Last Friday, October 6. We had a building meeting to address issues with the pipe re-construction project. Raised my hand several times to ask questions.
2. When did you last have to do anything akin to homework?
Currently looking into how to use Constant Contact email software. Also trying to figure out Live POS computer system closing details.
3. When did you and your friends last go outside to play?
I occasionally go on walks with my friend Lisa.
4. How’s your penmanship nowadays?
It is basically good. What do you think?
5. Among stuff you periodically eat, what reminds you most of your lunches in the school cafeteria?
Curry hamburger stew and rice (haven't eaten this in a long time since it has a high salt content). This is the only dish other than certain types of pizza and hamburger sandwiches that may come to mind in comparison to what we had for school lunch back in the day. I also don't eat these foods on a regular basis due to high salt and fat content. Gotta keep that blood pressure in check! :D
1. What’s a good movie for October that has nothing to do with monsters or Halloween?
For me anytime of the month is great for watching classic science fiction movies such as "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and legions of others. Of course several do have monsters. So to not include anything remotely connected to monsters or sci-fi, I consulted this list (http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/reviews/g844/classic-fall-movies/) for a few suggestions. Two that come to mind that fit the fall / October season for me that I like are "Rudy" (the football movie) and one of your favorites, "The Breakfast Club". 2. What’s a good couple of songs for October that have nothing to do with monsters or Halloween?
At the top of my stack would be John Lennon's "Imagine". Why? Lennon was born on October 9, 1940. The song also hit its peak on the charts and radio airplay in the fall of 1971. Other songs that I associate with October that are non-Halloween include:
* Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family (1971)
* Everything is Coming Our Way - Santana (1972)
* Straight On - Heart (1978)
* Magic - The Cars (1984)
* Desert Moon - Dennis DeYoung (1984)
* Like The Weather - 10,000 Maniacs (1987)
3. What are some reasons to love October?
Generally I don't "love" a month over any other. Whatever comes around in a given month, goes around, only to come back next year. Perhaps the thing I like the most about October which is not unique to that month alone, is that it is one of 7 months that have 31 days in it. So it gives you a slightly longer time before you have to pay next month's bills.
4. Radio stations sometimes call this month Rocktober, doing special playlists or giveaways in celebration of rock music. What would be a better rhyming name for this month, and how might it be celebrated?
How about "Cartober", a month to celebrate the automobile! The obvious way to celebrate is to have car shows all around the nation on a specific day and a national weekend to go out and drive your car for a leisurely ride.
5. What would be a good holiday to establish in October for those U.S. states not commemorating Columbus Day?
From the National Day Calendar website here are suggested October holidays that I would consider adopting for states not commemorating Columbus Day.
1. From whom did you receive your first real paycheck?
Village Pharmacy in 1976. So very long ago. Store no longer exists.
2. Among board games involving the exchange of money, which have you enjoyed most?
Monopoly
3. PayDay is the name of a candy bar consisting of salted peanuts rolled in caramel surrounding a firm, nougat-like center. How does it sound to you if you haven’t tried it, and how do you like it if you have? Is there a similar candy bar you like better?
Never had one. Can't eat too much sweets, borderline diabetic.
4. When did you last do something nice for yourself just because it was pay day?
Nothing recently. Paycheck is too small. Have to use that for living expenses.
Beside the two mentioned on the linked list (Daniel Day Lewis, Sandra Day O'Conner) I know no one personally with the surname Day. The other celebrity that I know with a name sounding exactly like "Day" is Susan Dey, actress who was in the TV series, The Partridge Family in the 1970s and L.A. Law in the 1980s - early 1990s.
1. Twitch is an enormously popular livestreaming platform mostly for watching people play video games. It has more than 1.5 million broadcasters and more than one million visitors per month, and Amazon acquired it for nearly a billion dollars in 2014. Which of your computer activities would you livestream if there were a way to make some money doing it?
I was almost going to answer this as totally “none” but after thinking about the EDM answer below, why not stream the creation of a real time EDM mix? I don’t know if there’d be money in this, but barring the RIAA, it could be tried I guess.
2. EDM (electronic dance music) is usually performed by DJs on stage in front of audiences, playing tracks they’ve mixed, right off their laptops. If you were a push-button DJ playing your tunes in a club, what would be your opening and closing songs, assuming everyone’s there because they’re into whatever sounds you’re into?
I’d probably start out with “Hello” by Martin Sloveig & Dragonette and finish with some kind of EDM mash up of The Doors’ and The Beatles’ “The End” with a whole pile of stuff in-between.
How’s that? I’ve messed with this stuff on my Mac using Virtual DJ Home and “songs” off of Soundcloud, Jamendo and my own tracks on iTunes. Been awhile since I done one. There are way too many EDM songs and mixes out there to keep up with the stuff. Plus you kind of have to be in the mood and make time to do a mix… not to mention be confident enough that you are not going to mess it up!
3. What’s a good Adele song, and why is Adele so popular?
I have no idea why she is so popular, but I have to guess her music appeals to a wide demographic. Teen and college age girls, middle aged and older people like myself. Her music gets played on “top 40 CHR” radio as well as “Adult Contemporary”, “Soft Rock” and even some “Alternative” formats. So her appeal must be wide enough to cut across the age and demo barrier. Furthermore I think the critics and her peers love her. She’s got a bunch of Grammy Awards. Plus her three albums are just like numbers corresponding to her age I think…. 19….. 21….. 25. I have 2 of 3 albums.
That all said my top 5 Adele songs:
1. Hello
2. Rumour Has It
3. Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
4. Rolling in the Deep
5. Water Under the Bridge
Don’t ask me why I like the songs. They’re pretty good IMO and I have played them many times. 4. The Walking Dead?
Oh I was a “Walking Dead” on the morning I had my heart attack. I was in pain, walked back to the car and called an ambulance. Help!
Never watched the TV show, cut my cable cord years ago.
5. Every generation seems to arrive at a “They don’t write ’em like that anymore” attitude. Why does it seem like most middle-aged people lose interest in new music?
A verse right out of the Greg Kihn Band’s “The Break-up Song”... heh… Why do middle age people lose interest in new music? Well since I am a bit beyond middle age I think, and was part of the walking dead (in the question above) I may be able to offer this speculative answer:
It’s generational. The succeeding generations are seeking their own type of music and would rather disassociate themselves from the music their parents liked, especially during the teen and college aged years. They found their own music. They are going to stick to it, nurture it and cherish it in the years to come.
Funny thing about that, as they age, they hold on dearly to the music they grew up with and when their kids start listening to weird crap, the former youngsters who are now the parents and near retirement, hold on to the music that they associate with memories of their life just as dearly as the generation before.
It gets to a point that “hey I don’t want to listen to that rap crap you’re into” and they stick to familiar stuff like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Imagine this: A lot of senior citizens have now grown up on rock n roll.
Their ranks will get larger as The Rolling Stones generation of baby boomers age and stay in rest homes, still trying to rock out to Mick Jagger but excluding modern artists like Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and others. Am I making any sense here?
I kind of consider myself sort of the exception as I have incorporated some of the newer artists into my music collection and playlists I often create on my iTunes and Google Play Music.
Perhaps older people just don’t want to “discover” new music, because the way we used to do music discovery was mainly through the radio. Today radio is targeted for younger people and skews heavily toward the “Urban Contemporary” format meaning that you will get way too much hip hop music… which to people of my generation is like, no dice… not for long stretches of the broadcast day.
So we turn to more melodic formats such as “adult contemporary” (which lately is skewing more towards a CHR 1990s plus demo), “classic rock” and “oldies”. One thing about “oldies” is that oldies radio doesn’t play much 1950s and 1960s rock n roll since a lot of people in those demos are not listening to the radio. Stations can still make some money on 70s and 80s music though not as big as before.
Younger people are more foolish spenders so advertisers rather reach them than the reserved adults who don’t spend as much. Hence more hip hop music.
Variety is still the spice of life. I jump from format to format with streaming services such as the free Accuradio site just to listen to music that is different. They have a wide selection of music formats and eras you can listen to. Check it out.
I’ve rambled on too much here… Bottom line is that old fuddy duddies will mostly stick to the music they grew up with to the exclusion of trying something new. It probably gets to the point where the new music of today is just “noise”.
