01.29.09
Posted in Music at 12:05 am by Steve
I have spent the evening going through my old recordings (those that have been digitized, at least) and I was surprised to be rediscovering many of these songs. As with most creative types I try to move on and not revel on past achievements, but it has been very encouraging to go back and listen to a lot of old music that I had dismissed as “not as good” as what I wrote later on. That is not the necessarily the case. It has been an eye opening experience.
I think the biggest epiphany has been the reminder of some of the arranging & production techniques I used to use quite heavily. These are things I don’t do much, if at all, anymore. I’m trying to remember when I stopped using these techniques and why.
So, the lesson here seems to be: it’s good to remember.
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01.21.09
Posted in technology at 10:20 pm by Steve
With all the recent speculation on Steve Jobs, his health, Apple, it’s validity without Jobs and all that is the cult of Macintosh I was pondering the possibility that we may already be experiencing an Apple without Jobs at the helm.
What? Jobs already gone! Well, it’s no secret that he has stepped down for the next 6 months as CEO to focus on his health problems, but I say that he “unofficially” stepped down even months ago. And my proof (or suspicion) is the last round of Apple product releases. Particularly the new Aluminum MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
Here is my reasoning. The biggest disappointment in product releases came from the most recent MacBook. Sure, the one piece aluminum case is really sleek and the upgraded video is a welcome (albeit strategically necessary) upgrade. So, why was it that it was as if a million voices cried out and were suddenly silenced? Simple. No FireWire. A ridiculous choice that had everything to do with forcing users to buy the more expensive MacBook Pros to continue to use their FireWire peripherals.
This was no decision by the man who singlehandedly brought non-linear digital video editing to the average home. Those video cameras all rely on FireWire to transfer the video to iMovie (which oddly still ships with these systems). And to remove FireWire from Apple’s best selling portable product is insane…unless you are pushing the more expensive “Pro” line. This has every mark of a “suit” looking at up-sell tactics and completely not understanding the Apple user’s mindset. This was not a decision by Steve Jobs. This was a decision made possible by Steve’s sabbatical.
Follow that up with the New MacBook Pros. Once again, nice upgrades overall. But what about a 17″, top of the line, laptop that does not have a removable/replaceable battery? Did they even get statistics of how the average laptop user deals with extensive battery only work sessions. We swap out our battery for a fully charged fresh one when it gets low. A technique no longer possible with their flagship portable product. Someone from the iPod division got their chance to manage the portable division and royally screwed.
Sure, an internal battery is okay for an iPod, but it makes a laptop rather pointless. Even if the battery is expected to last 8 hours, which is a claim I will have to experience to believe. What happens when we find out Sony (or whomever is producing them) delivered another batch of spontaneously combusting batteries? Oh, you need to be without your laptop for a week (or longer) while Apple opens it up to swap out the bad battery for a (hopefully) good one. This could also be the case if the battery begins to stop holding a charge after being used frequently. I mean, this is cutting edge battery technology…and there are bound to be issues.
Yes. I think it’s clear that we are seeing the first fruits of an Apple without Jobs obsessing over every minute detail of every project. I won’t say Apple is doomed, but I do believe the new management team will have to take their lumps before they truly “get it”. I also believe that Jobs will not be returning to Apple and his “temporary leave” will become permanent. Calling it a temporary leave was necessary amid the doom & gloom predictions of an Apple without Jobs. In 6 months when the new management team has had time make their mistakes and move on to make better decisions we will get the news that Steve Jobs has stepped down.
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01.19.09
Posted in Friends & Family at 10:39 pm by Steve
So, my 21 month old son likes to wear my shoes. Tonight he was walking around in my boots (which I only wear when I get the snow blower out to clear the driveway), and I decided I would call him Caligula.
For those that don’t know, ‘Caligula’ is latin for ‘little boots’…well ‘little soldier’s boots’ to be literal…but it still works. It was the nickname given to the 3rd Roman Emperor by the soldiers who server under his father while he was a boy. And, my son is almost half Italian.
Anyway…I thought it was amusing.
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01.01.09
Posted in General at 9:32 pm by Steve
As I enter this new year I made no new year’s resolutions. I didn’t expect everything to be suddenly better or different in any way. I just look at the passage of time as one moment moving to the next moment. As each moment is lost we let go of what was (or what could have been) and embrace what is.
I think we, as a culture, spend too much time in anticipation of the good that will come and become completely oblivious to what is happening around us in the present. We are effectively squandering time in an attempt to get to that “someday soon”.
Nothing has become clearer to me as I live my life than this simple truth: now is all I have. There is no guarantee of a tomorrow. If I keep putting off those things that are really important I may never have the opportunity to get back to them.
So, more so than Happy New Year I want to say to everyone “carpe diem!”
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