An Eye for An Eye

A large percentage of our species may not make it through the next hundred years due to the ravages of the mindless, pitiless greed of our enemies. Our children education is very important and their children may inherit a world in which safe drinking water is not only as precious as gold - which it is now, if only we would see it as such - but also just as scarce and that’s just water. Then there’s food. Not to mention the awakening of superviruses and the threat of global pandemics. To say nothing of the inevitable breakdown of a society utterly dependent upon a technological resource that is due to run out.

We may be able to put the brakes on, but we can’t stop the crash. All we can do for them is arm them with knowledge. We must tell them the truth about what has happened. we must proclaim with true humility every mistake and misstep and misjudgment; we must catalog every single lie. and then we must tell them, “please learn to be wise from our foolishness”. We can’t stop the crash, but we might - just - be able to give them the tools to walk away from the flaming wreckage of this empire, bloodied but unbowed. oh, let us pray it be so.

Stupidity

Pest Repellents

It is well known that pests like mice or rats are repelled by ultrasonic frequency in the range of 30kHz to 50kHz. Human being can’t  hear these high-frequency spunds and unfortunately all pests do not react at the same ultrasonic frequency. While some pests get repelled at 35kHz, some others get repelled at 38 to 40kHz. Electroschematics.com invites you to discover our electronic repellent circuits and projects. Let’s see what you can find here. Electronic mosquito repellent circuit, an easy to build circuit but kind of difficult to adjust on the exact sound frequency which will reppel the mosquitoes. You can find all the information you need regarding this project, including mosquitoes repellent circuit diagram that will help you understand perfectly how the circuit works. Even if there are many ultrasonic pest repellent devices available on the market, a major drawback is that their power output is low and their effectiveness suffers. 

We present you an electronic pest repellent that generates powerful ultrasonic signals to repel pests. You can find here all the specification you need and of course the electronic pest repellent circuit diagram. The project, solar powered animal scarer, is a solar powered flasher to scare away the nocturnal animals like bats and cats from the farm yard or premises of the house. It is fully automatic, turns on in the evening and turns off in the morning. You can find complete details in the project itself http://www.electroschematics.com/tag/repellent-circuits/. You can also discover electronic dog repeller circuit, mouse or pest repellent circuits. You can easily browse through all categoryes, by clicking on our site. We invite you to be a part of our dedicated community, where you have got the chance to accumulate great information regarding electronics and to be a great, innovative engineer in the future.

Top Ten of 2007

"Hair metal" is my favorite musical genre. But it is not the only kind of music I listen to. I enjoy some classic country (Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard), 80s pop (Young MC, Tone Loc), and several other types of music (Buckcherry, Fergie, Violent Femmes). Each has its own qualities and I have to be in the mood to listen to any one of them, but they are all a part of my life. In 2007, there was quite a revival of hard rock. I am going to limit my top ten list to rock releases (though not necessarily always "hard" rock), so you won't find Rihanna popping up here (regardless of how much I love the disc). And keep in mind that this is only my opinion, and I'm probably forgetting something somewhere. Honorable Mention: Sebastian Bach - Angel Down. The solo album from one of rock's greatest voices misses the top ten because of my own laziness. I just haven't taken the time to listen to it as much as the other discs, but the few times I did I thought it was really good. Had the former Skid Row singer released it earlier in the year, I probably would have listened more and it may have made the top ten.

10. Scorpions - Humanity Hour 1. These German rockers have had an up-and-down career. There are classics like "Rock You Like A Hurricane" and "Still Loving You," and then there are not-so-classics like "Winds of Change." Humanity Hour 1 is a continuation of the return to their hard rock sound that they started with 2004's Unbreakable. Best track: "321."9. Ted Nugent - Love Grenade. The Motor City Madman would have made the top ten if all he released was the single "Love Grenade." The rest of the album is not as strong as the title track, but it is still a raucous, politically incorrect hard rock fest. Best track: "Love Grenade."8. Crachdiet - The Unattractive Revolution. Mick Mars from Motley Crue stepped in to help out these Swedish boys on their second release, which is notably heavier than their debut. New singer H. Oliver Twisted stepped in and did well on the vocals, but he definitely has a different style than the late Dave Lepard. Best track: "Falling Rain." 7. Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain. I'm not a huge fan of Ozzy's solo work with Zakk Wylde on guitar, but this CD sounds more like a Black Label Society album with Ozzy on vocals. That is why I like it. It is heavier than any album Ozzy has ever done, and Zakk's fretwork is amazing. Best track: "I Don't Wanna Stop."

6. Sixx A.M. - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. Nikki Sixx's side project with DJ Ashba (Beautiful Creatures) is a hit-and-miss affair, but still solid despite the misses. Don't buy this if you are expecting a Motley Crue album. There is more of a modern rock feel to it, and very little outright glam. Best track: "Van Nuys." 5. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. I hate Nirvana. Everything that band did is total rubbish to me. On the other hand, I love Foo Fighters. I don't recall ever hearing a Foo Fighters song and thinking, "I don't like that." Dave Grohl is a genious, and is to be commended for his emergence from Kurt Cobain's shadow. Now, the 2007 CD is not as good as some of their past work, but it's still great. It is standard Foo, no real surprises. Best track: "The Pretender." 4. White Stripes - Icky Thump. I was surprised how much I liked this CD, because I'm not a big fan of the White Stripes' previous work. But Jack's guitar work here just grabbed me and wouldn't let go, and his songwriting is amazing. You've probably heard some of these songs on the radio by now, so I won't go into any more detail than to say it is a great alternative rock album with a classic rock feel on many of the tracks.

Best tracks: "I'm Slowly Turning Into You" and "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)." 3. Airbourne - Runnin' Wild. The best AC/DC album since The Razor's Edge is by a band called Airbourne. These Aussies rock it just like their predecessors, and they make no apologies for that fact. Currently it is only available as an import from Australia, but will be released in the rest of the world in January of 2008. If you decide to wait for the worldwide release, you can search for their videos on YouTube and check out some of their tunes that way. Best tracks: "Diamond in the Rough" and "Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast." 2. ZO2 - Ain't It Beautiful. Brooklyn-based ZO2 got a spot on the 2004 Kiss/Poison tour based on their independent release of Tuesdays & Thursdays, but Ain't It Beautiful blows that CD out of the water. There are shades of Audioslave, classic Aerosmith, and Kiss throughout the entire album. Paulie Z's vocal style is very similar to Paul Stanley's, and the band's chemistry is undeniable. Plus they put on a killer live show. Best track: "If You See Kay".

1. Endeverafter - Kiss or Kill. Hands-down, the best album of the year. Already in the top five of the decade. Endeverafter opened for the Poison/Cinderella tour in 2006, and finally released their debut album in October of this year. It was well worth the wait. The guys have a classic glam metal sound, and this disc is every bit as good as (if not better than) anything Poison put out. Shredding abounds, and you can't resist but bang your head to these songs. Best tracks: "Baby, Baby, Baby" and "All Night." Biggest Disappointment: Poison - Poison'd. Poison is my all-time favorite band, but this disc of cover songs is a travesty. "Dead Flowers" was awful, and the overall song selection was poor. They did a decent job with the Romantics' "What I Like About You" and Alice Cooper's "I'll Never Cry," but for the most part the disc is a throw-away. Add to that the fact that only 8 of the songs were new; the other 5 were previously released remakes. Poison needs to get back into the studio and record some new good materials.

Finding The Top Weight Loss Diet Product

Weight loss diet review: Finding the best weight loss diet product. Year after year people spend millions of dollars in search of that one diet product that will change their life. Truth is, there is no magic formula. What it takes is commitment, dedication, a well balanced diet and exercise. But, instead we still endlessly search for that holly grail of diet products that will make us thin over night. We want to believe in a magic pill now, I am not knocking weight loss diet products. In fact I believe there are a number of great diet programs on the market today. The problem is when a product is offering you miracles without any type of support system (blog or forum). A weight loss diet plan for men or for women has to be just that, a program. It has to be a complete system in order to work. You can’t just take a magic pill before bed and wake up thin. Although there are diet supplements, taken along with proper exercise and a healthy diet, that will help you in achieving your weight loss goals.

Shopping for weight loss products The best and worst place to buy diet and weight loss products is online. It is the worst place because, if you do not do your homework you will get burned. It is the best place because, you can find unlimited information on the internet. You can find diet reviews, expert advice, statistical info. You can join a dieting forum. You can comparison shop. The list is endless. You can not find that kind of advice at the local drug store. With a few click of the mouse, a world of information will open up to you. Use this information wisely. If it is a diet supplement you are checking out., compare the ingredients. Check what are the main compounds are and compare them to similar products. And remember you can always ask on the forums. If it is a complete dieting system, make sure it offers support and feedback. Remember, a product that leaves you to figure out what to do next, will never get you towards your goals. Dieting and weight loss are hard. Having the right support to keep you motivated and help you out through the difficult times is what you are looking for in a top weight loss diet product. Losing weight can be a difficult challenge. Proper guidance and a strong commitment are key to a successful weight loss diet plan.

Dialogue Recording

Michael Barrier had a post today about Hayao Mizyazaki and his preference of recording the dialogue for films after the animation is finished (which of course goes against common practice in most commercial animation). Michael ended his post with this: "If post-recording has now become attractive to some, perhaps that's because today's cartoons tend to be so dialogue-heavy, and their dialogue is so often driven by the desire to thrust forward not the character itself, but the star speaking the lines". The post brings up some good arguments on both sides but this final sentence got me thinking about the amount of dialogue or talking not only in animation but in live action films, television, and life in general. Dialogue heavy cartoons are generally cheaper to produce but in my mind are also generally less interesting to watch. The majority of today's cartoons are glorified radio shows. 

Close your eyes the next time the Simpsons or Family Guy or most Saturday morning fare is on and see if you laugh just as much (perhaps even more?... or you may not find them that funny or engaging in the first place). The drawings are there simply as a vehicle for the writing. Of course these are hugely popular shows thanks to our "talk heavy" society. Every town has 24 hour talk radio and there has never been more talk shows on TV. I watch a lot of sports and it's not unusual to have three commentators yakking over the action followed by another yakking in between down at field or ice level followed by 5 minute commercial breaks followed by intermission breaks with 3-4 "experts" yakking away talking over one another. How can a solid opinion be discussed and supported like this? Even action films have taken to adding dialogue during the action. (Save The Bourne films, did Matt Damon say much in those films? no witty one-liners but I can remember the intricate story vividly).

Walk down any street and count the people talking on their cellphones. I guess my point is this - why so much talking? What happened to silence? Some of the best animation ever produced has little to no dialogue, Road Runner Cartoons? Silly Symphonies? Fantasia? Popeye only talked when needed. A picture says a thousand words they say. A thousand voices sounds like white noise. The upcoming film "There Will Be Blood" apparently has a 15 minute prologue with no dialogue. Almost every review I've read has made a point of noting this - in some cases as a gamble as if having only moving pictures and music may alienate the audience. I'm not saying a return to silent films is in order and I'm not down playing the importance of writing or that I don't enjoy a good "talkie" but I do feel a little quiet can go a long way.

SDCC and IlluxCon Comparison

SDCC it's a huge media event. It's loud and very crowded. Artist Alley is stuck off to the side of the immense hall and the tables are pretty much freestanding. It's hard to be seen and make a statement when the crowd is high. Unless you have a banner stand, the banner hanging from your table will be nearly invisible. The majority of the artists are comic based. The attendees are cartoon coloring pages lovers, but are increasingly more interested in the lifestyle entertainment companies. Artists in attendance range from aspiring to the rock stars in the industry, the rocks stars tend to have booths rather than tables in the alley though. Prints and portfolio books are the principle sellers. There are a decent number of art directors on hand, and the companies are quite varied, from publishers to digital game companies.

IlluxCon it's a small, intimate event that features the best fantasy and sci-fi artists. It is very low key and sedate and offers lots of face time with the attendees and the artists. The entire event is focused on the artists. 99% of the space is dedicated to the artists. The attendees are a mix of f/sf art fans and collectors. Artists attending fall into three categories. The top 50 are in the main hall. This is a veritable who's who list of s/sf art. The show case is a mix of working artists, up and coming artists and a sprinkle of high caliber students. Sales tend to fall into two categories: Collectors are usually looking for high quality originals. Fans are looking for prints, portfolio books, lower cost originals and sketches. While there are no companies in attendance, there are a growing list of top tier art directors from publishing and digital game companies (Blizzard, Rock Star, Naughty Dog, Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, and more). As you can see these two events are really different, and you'd be sitting on the sidelines wondering why other tables are killing you in sales (even by lesser artists) if you don't tailor your presentation and offerings for the different crowds.

Steven Baris Studio Visit

I found out about Steven Baris and his work through an exhibition of his that I saw at Pentimenti Gallery about six or seven years ago, I think. His use of plexiglas and mylar as supports for his oil and acrylic paintings along with the sense of space he was able to achieve, controlled use of high-keyed colors and intricate compositions drew me to see more of his work at later shows. At some point, we met at either one of my shows or his here in Philly and have stayed in touch ever since. Steven often has a couple of projects going on at once. One such project is Exurban Archipelago, where Baris makes use of Google satellite images to map out and manipulate architectural forms that are similar to those used in his paintings. In addition to the roll-over images that you can explore, there is a fictitioius (and funny) interview where Baris delves into his theories about exurban spatial relationships. Steven Baris's Exurban Archipelago was also recently mentioned on The Artblog.