So next month is National Poetry Month across the US and Canada. As a result, I thought to myself, "Well...this is a random blog full of random things...why not?" And so, I will be partaking in a month of poetry themed posts, some of them personally written, others just pieces of poetry I find really good, others might perhaps be guest pieces. Who knows what'll happen? It's a good 30 days and there are a lot of updates in the coming month so look forward to it.
--CsMiREK
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Underappreciated Instruments - Melodica
Let's go! Under appreciated instruments time. This time I was going to cover the harmonica but that's boring. Let's go with an instrument you're unlikely to have even heard of. Therefore, this post is on the melodica, an instrument that my spell check is saying might not even be a word. For clarity's sake, the melodica is also sometimes called the pianica.
Why the melodica? Well I was recently at a concert hosted by my University's performing arts and technology department and they used one. Aptly, one of my friends that came with me asked what the hell that instrument was. As an instrument, the melodica looks very much like a keyboard but...with a tube sticking out. The idea of it is quite similar to an accordion actually. You provide an airflow, with accordions this is done with the bellows, and play the keys to form pitches. Unlike the accordion however, since you are the one providing the airflow by means of blowing air into a tube, the accordion is sometimes classified as a woodwind instrument.
The thing about the melodica is that pretty much no one uses it. The sound is similar to the accordion and is actually a rather simple instrument to play that can be played in multiple different ways while still being mobile. It's actually quite common to play the melodica with a hose attached, which frees up the location of where the instrument is without sacrificing sound. To be honest, it looks a bit strange but let's be completely frank, most instruments look kinda weird when you first encounter them.
Why the melodica? Well I was recently at a concert hosted by my University's performing arts and technology department and they used one. Aptly, one of my friends that came with me asked what the hell that instrument was. As an instrument, the melodica looks very much like a keyboard but...with a tube sticking out. The idea of it is quite similar to an accordion actually. You provide an airflow, with accordions this is done with the bellows, and play the keys to form pitches. Unlike the accordion however, since you are the one providing the airflow by means of blowing air into a tube, the accordion is sometimes classified as a woodwind instrument.
The thing about the melodica is that pretty much no one uses it. The sound is similar to the accordion and is actually a rather simple instrument to play that can be played in multiple different ways while still being mobile. It's actually quite common to play the melodica with a hose attached, which frees up the location of where the instrument is without sacrificing sound. To be honest, it looks a bit strange but let's be completely frank, most instruments look kinda weird when you first encounter them.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Musicians and Programmers Pt. 3
Here we stand, at part 3 in this series about musicians and programmers. You must have questions. Is this the last part? Am I seriously reading this? Why the hell are these posts being posted at 2AM central time? Well...I imagine you have such questions. Much more likely I'm deluding myself into thinking what I'm writing is read much at all. Whatever, don't care too much.
Let's get back to the topic. In this post I'm going to recall most of my college career and the kinds of thoughts I gathered about both topics. Let's begin with programming since it's what I spent most of my college career actively trying to learn. As I said earlier, I think that anyone can code, oh and you should too. My reasoning for that is that I honestly believe that coding is a way of viewing the world. It requires one to break things down to small discrete steps, but let's be honest, we all do that everyday. A computer program in that sense is no different from a personal schedule. Each event on your planner or calendar or what have you, is a function that you do because, through your experience, you have learned what to do on those occasions. So, why am I talking about this? Well, I think what I just said is actually wrong. It's a perception of coding that makes people think that it's about a micro-scale. However, it's more similar to language, where after you learn the vocabulary and syntax, it's about the composing of said vocabulary and syntax into comprehensible and meaningful stuff. Yea, I used the word 'stuff' in an otherwise didactic post, get over it. Anyways, barring the aside, my point is that coding is both about the micro scale which is often the bane of new programmers and the macro scale which is the need to see the big picture in regards to the programs we write.
Let's get back to the topic. In this post I'm going to recall most of my college career and the kinds of thoughts I gathered about both topics. Let's begin with programming since it's what I spent most of my college career actively trying to learn. As I said earlier, I think that anyone can code, oh and you should too. My reasoning for that is that I honestly believe that coding is a way of viewing the world. It requires one to break things down to small discrete steps, but let's be honest, we all do that everyday. A computer program in that sense is no different from a personal schedule. Each event on your planner or calendar or what have you, is a function that you do because, through your experience, you have learned what to do on those occasions. So, why am I talking about this? Well, I think what I just said is actually wrong. It's a perception of coding that makes people think that it's about a micro-scale. However, it's more similar to language, where after you learn the vocabulary and syntax, it's about the composing of said vocabulary and syntax into comprehensible and meaningful stuff. Yea, I used the word 'stuff' in an otherwise didactic post, get over it. Anyways, barring the aside, my point is that coding is both about the micro scale which is often the bane of new programmers and the macro scale which is the need to see the big picture in regards to the programs we write.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Musical Discovery - Alexander Rybak
More European music! This time I'll be covering Alexander Rybak. Alexander Rybak is a Norwegian singer best known for his song 'Fairytale', a common title to be sure. Alexander Rybak came to the limelight as the winner of Eurovision 2009 as the Norway representative, think American Idol kind of. As a musician, Alexander Rybak makes prominent use of his ability to play the violin in a virtuosic manner. Other than that, it's kind of generic pop, not to say that's a bad thing. Personally I like the violin in his first album along with the kinda corny lyrics, all of which are in English. On that note, I didn't actually like his second album but I might just have to go listen to it again. After all, musical tastes change over time and things you once hated you might find you love now for no real reason. Anyways enough preachy pseudo-wise nonsense. Sorry this post was short and late, although I wonder if the post will still have the 2:00 AM timestamp...(I actually posted this around 5) Who knows anyways take care and see ya soon.
--CsMiREK
--CsMiREK
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Top Tracks - Path of Repentance
Time for another top track. This time I am featuring the piece 'Path of Repentance' by Nobuo Uematsu. A little bit older than the previous top tracks, this one comes from way back in...2001. So it's not really that old but definitely older than most of the stuff I've posted on so far.
For those of you unaware, Nobuo Uematsu is the composer behind most of the Final Fantasy game soundtracks. The only game where he wasn't the main composer was Final Fantasy XII. To be sure, Nobuo Uematsu has composed a massive host of incredibly great pieces of music for Final Fantasy. From 'One Winged Angel' featured in Final Fantasy VII to the 'Prelude' from Final Fantasy I, it's obvious that the man knows many styles and facets of music.
So, why did I pick 'Path of Repentance' over the many other pieces that he has written? Well, to me it has some particular intrigue. As a piece it's really clean and simple sounding. There's this incredible tension created when shifting from a 3 beat to a 2 beat in the treble line while the bass line maintains a generally static 3 beat until later in the piece. When it all comes together and both the treble and bass lines are in sync rhythmically, you get really strong beats and a piece that while repetitive, is almost hypnotic in nature. Needless to say I find the piece fascinating both aurally and musically.
Additionally, 'Path of Repentance' is from Final Fantasy X which interestingly enough was the first Final Fantasy game I played in its entirety. Overall the game had an interesting, albeit overused, 'save the world' type plot. However, it made up for it with likable characters and very good music. I actually don't remember the section where 'Path of Repentance' plays all that much but I just remember the music and to think that I can remember the music of a part of a game more than the actual game just is a testament to just how much I enjoy this piece. Well, I hope you enjoyed this little trip to the slightly distant past and until next time.
--CsMiREK
For those of you unaware, Nobuo Uematsu is the composer behind most of the Final Fantasy game soundtracks. The only game where he wasn't the main composer was Final Fantasy XII. To be sure, Nobuo Uematsu has composed a massive host of incredibly great pieces of music for Final Fantasy. From 'One Winged Angel' featured in Final Fantasy VII to the 'Prelude' from Final Fantasy I, it's obvious that the man knows many styles and facets of music.
So, why did I pick 'Path of Repentance' over the many other pieces that he has written? Well, to me it has some particular intrigue. As a piece it's really clean and simple sounding. There's this incredible tension created when shifting from a 3 beat to a 2 beat in the treble line while the bass line maintains a generally static 3 beat until later in the piece. When it all comes together and both the treble and bass lines are in sync rhythmically, you get really strong beats and a piece that while repetitive, is almost hypnotic in nature. Needless to say I find the piece fascinating both aurally and musically.
Additionally, 'Path of Repentance' is from Final Fantasy X which interestingly enough was the first Final Fantasy game I played in its entirety. Overall the game had an interesting, albeit overused, 'save the world' type plot. However, it made up for it with likable characters and very good music. I actually don't remember the section where 'Path of Repentance' plays all that much but I just remember the music and to think that I can remember the music of a part of a game more than the actual game just is a testament to just how much I enjoy this piece. Well, I hope you enjoyed this little trip to the slightly distant past and until next time.
--CsMiREK
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Musical Discovery - In-Grid
Let's take a trip to Europe for a bit before diving into the bulk of my music which, for your information, is Japanese. To begin this brief stint in Europe I'm going to cover a relatively new addition to my collection, In-Grid.
In-Grid is an Italian singer-songwriter. Interestingly enough she is more well known for her songs in French than Italian. Her real name is Ingrid Emiliana Alberini. Her most famous song is titled 'Tu es foutu'. However, I came to know In-Grid through the track 'Vive Le Swing' which is featured in a mix by tallulahgoodtimes on SoundCloud entitled 'swangyothang2'. The mix itself is really good if you're into swing music with a twinge of electro. I might get into how I found that mix in the future but suffice to say, that was my introduction to In-Grid.
With her really bright and energetic sound, her music makes for a good pick-me-up while not being grating on the ears. Since her music is a relatively new addition to my collection I don't really have a huge amount to say. Definitely check it out and I hope you enjoy it. As always look forward to more in upcoming posts.
--CsMiREK
In-Grid is an Italian singer-songwriter. Interestingly enough she is more well known for her songs in French than Italian. Her real name is Ingrid Emiliana Alberini. Her most famous song is titled 'Tu es foutu'. However, I came to know In-Grid through the track 'Vive Le Swing' which is featured in a mix by tallulahgoodtimes on SoundCloud entitled 'swangyothang2'. The mix itself is really good if you're into swing music with a twinge of electro. I might get into how I found that mix in the future but suffice to say, that was my introduction to In-Grid.
With her really bright and energetic sound, her music makes for a good pick-me-up while not being grating on the ears. Since her music is a relatively new addition to my collection I don't really have a huge amount to say. Definitely check it out and I hope you enjoy it. As always look forward to more in upcoming posts.
--CsMiREK
Monday, March 11, 2013
Service Announcement - The Number 24
This is a public service announcement for the number 24. Although everyone knows that it is the number of hours in a day, the number 24 is much more interesting than just that. Posts labeled 'PSA' or 'Service Announcement' are here to symbolize all those silly things that you will never think about unless you take the time out of your day to think about them. Ain't that a contrived sentence?
Anyways continuing onwards. The number 24 is the basis of a young children's game to better arithmetic skills. Often played with 4 numbers you use various arithmetic sequences to yield 24. For example, (5+7) * (6/3) = 24. In music, there are 24 total scales, major and minor meaning. By that I mean that there are 12 major and 12 minor scales for a total of 24 scales. Disregard Dorian, Lydian and the like for that number.
Mathematically, the number 24 is extremely interesting. It is the first number that can be formed by the sums of 3 different pairs of prime numbers, 7 and 17, 5 and 19, and 11 and 13. It is also 4! = 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 = 24. To sum up the rest of these mathematical wonders I leave you with this. Sorry if this post wasn't as interesting as some of the others. But if you want to know some new things, Wikipedia is pretty awesome as long as you have a starting place. Hopefully something there helps you down the line, if not, take pride in learning more about a pretty intense number. I hope that even if you didn't enjoy the post, you'll at least take a look and learn a bit.
--CsMiREK
Anyways continuing onwards. The number 24 is the basis of a young children's game to better arithmetic skills. Often played with 4 numbers you use various arithmetic sequences to yield 24. For example, (5+7) * (6/3) = 24. In music, there are 24 total scales, major and minor meaning. By that I mean that there are 12 major and 12 minor scales for a total of 24 scales. Disregard Dorian, Lydian and the like for that number.
Mathematically, the number 24 is extremely interesting. It is the first number that can be formed by the sums of 3 different pairs of prime numbers, 7 and 17, 5 and 19, and 11 and 13. It is also 4! = 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 = 24. To sum up the rest of these mathematical wonders I leave you with this. Sorry if this post wasn't as interesting as some of the others. But if you want to know some new things, Wikipedia is pretty awesome as long as you have a starting place. Hopefully something there helps you down the line, if not, take pride in learning more about a pretty intense number. I hope that even if you didn't enjoy the post, you'll at least take a look and learn a bit.
--CsMiREK
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Rant Corner - Online Game Launches
So, I'm imagining you might think this post should've been something music related or coding related. If so, maybe you have the wrong impression of why I started this site. This site is almost purely the actualization of random thoughts that come to me. Now while most of these are indeed about music or coding, not everything is. For example, I am a relatively avid gamer. If you give me a bunch of time to do nothing you can pretty well bet I'm gonna spend a good chunk of it playing games.
Now onto this post in particular. I'm not aware if you know but EA has released with Maxis a new SimCity game. Now while I have many things against EA, for example this, I said to myself, "I like SimCity more than I hate EA". Well...EA if you look at the article beat out AT&T, Comcast, and Bank of America to be the worst company in America last year. With the release of SimCity, we might be looking at a repeat winner for worst company in America.
Now onto this post in particular. I'm not aware if you know but EA has released with Maxis a new SimCity game. Now while I have many things against EA, for example this, I said to myself, "I like SimCity more than I hate EA". Well...EA if you look at the article beat out AT&T, Comcast, and Bank of America to be the worst company in America last year. With the release of SimCity, we might be looking at a repeat winner for worst company in America.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Top Tracks - Setting Sail, Coming Home
Top tracks, home to many a good tune. This time I come bearing the track 'Setting Sail, Coming Home' by Darren Korb. To be honest I would love to do a musical discovery feature on Darren Korb but I only know one album that he's composed for. Instead you get this post which is more than just about 'Setting Sail, Coming Home' but is about the entire album it comes from.
'Setting Sail, Coming Home' is the second to last track from the 2010 game Bastion. In relation to the game, it is the ending theme for when you complete the game. However, back to the music. The male singer is Darren Korb while the female singer is Ashley Barrett. If you previously listened to the rest of the soundtrack, you'd know that the track 'Mother, I'm Here' features Darren Korb's vocals as well and that 'Build that Wall' also features Ashley Barrett. As a song, 'Setting Sail, Coming Home' is composed as a mixture of both of those songs along with a unique intro and percussion that is unique to the other tracks. That fact is actually what I find really interesting as each theme is separate and distinct and yet they mesh very well with each other to create a completely different song from the individual parts.
'Setting Sail, Coming Home' is the second to last track from the 2010 game Bastion. In relation to the game, it is the ending theme for when you complete the game. However, back to the music. The male singer is Darren Korb while the female singer is Ashley Barrett. If you previously listened to the rest of the soundtrack, you'd know that the track 'Mother, I'm Here' features Darren Korb's vocals as well and that 'Build that Wall' also features Ashley Barrett. As a song, 'Setting Sail, Coming Home' is composed as a mixture of both of those songs along with a unique intro and percussion that is unique to the other tracks. That fact is actually what I find really interesting as each theme is separate and distinct and yet they mesh very well with each other to create a completely different song from the individual parts.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Rant Corner - Time to Start Coding
I'm not sure whether this is particularly unique to me or whether it's a common occurrence with everyone, but I'm a huge fan of starting projects. Now this doesn't mean that I get a lot done. On the contrary, most of the people you talk to about me would say that I am quite lazy. However, I enjoy starting things without any regard as to necessarily finishing them.
To that end I am starting up yet another feature called "Rant Corner". This one's mainly just for me to voice my various opinions on any number of things. So, the intro isn't completely useless. I'm not so scatterbrained to begin writing and suddenly change my thoughts... Anyways, this episode of "Rant Corner" is about coding, a topic close to my heart.
It is my opinion that computer programming, coding, hacking, or whatever you want to call it is not that hard. People make coding out to be difficult and cumbersome. However, I think that that's a misconception. While it isn't necessarily easy, coding, like anything worth doing, is about the work you put into it. Of course there are people better than you, but that goes for everything else as well. My thought is that through whatever experience, people get this notion that coding is hard and that there's no way that they can get better or understand it. This obviously doesn't apply solely to coding, but it is definitely a factor in how people react to coding. Of course I'm biased but I really do think that anyone can learn how to code and others do too.
To that end I am starting up yet another feature called "Rant Corner". This one's mainly just for me to voice my various opinions on any number of things. So, the intro isn't completely useless. I'm not so scatterbrained to begin writing and suddenly change my thoughts... Anyways, this episode of "Rant Corner" is about coding, a topic close to my heart.
It is my opinion that computer programming, coding, hacking, or whatever you want to call it is not that hard. People make coding out to be difficult and cumbersome. However, I think that that's a misconception. While it isn't necessarily easy, coding, like anything worth doing, is about the work you put into it. Of course there are people better than you, but that goes for everything else as well. My thought is that through whatever experience, people get this notion that coding is hard and that there's no way that they can get better or understand it. This obviously doesn't apply solely to coding, but it is definitely a factor in how people react to coding. Of course I'm biased but I really do think that anyone can learn how to code and others do too.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Double Feature - Pretty Lights - Finally Moving
As I was compiling my lists of musical discoveries and top tracks, it just so happened that the next musical discovery is Pretty Lights and the next top track is his track, 'Finally Moving'. Whether by accident or on purpose, it doesn't seem right that I should separate the two from each other. For that reason we have our first double feature.
Pretty Lights is the stage name of Derek Vincent Smith. As an artist he produces electronic music with an emphasis on sampled sounds and really chill beats. As for how I got into Pretty Lights, I actually was introduced to his music through a friend of mine. He's a big fan of electronic music and at the time I was still kinda warming up to electronic music and the sounds of the entire genre. To be honest I don't particularly follow artists so I guess there isn't too much more I can say about him as a person. However, what is really cool is that all of his albums and tracks are freely downloadable and distributable from his site. There's also an option to donate so if you really enjoy his music, be proactive and support his music and his decision to freely distribute his music.
Pretty Lights is the stage name of Derek Vincent Smith. As an artist he produces electronic music with an emphasis on sampled sounds and really chill beats. As for how I got into Pretty Lights, I actually was introduced to his music through a friend of mine. He's a big fan of electronic music and at the time I was still kinda warming up to electronic music and the sounds of the entire genre. To be honest I don't particularly follow artists so I guess there isn't too much more I can say about him as a person. However, what is really cool is that all of his albums and tracks are freely downloadable and distributable from his site. There's also an option to donate so if you really enjoy his music, be proactive and support his music and his decision to freely distribute his music.
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