Whatever Floats to the Surface

testing

2011-03-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

Blah blah blah

law blag blag blag

This freakin web thing

2008-02-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

There is so much to learn. I sometimes get discouraged by the sheer volume of things I have no idea how to do. I want to make hayeshelp more into the blog format. To make it easier to post new items to and easier for the users to navigate. But having just the slightest idea what I'm doing frustrates me to no end. I'll figure it out.

Giants Win

2008-02-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty good Super Bowl. It was definitely not the average, "wait for the commercials" game. Don't like the Pats so I'm glad that the Giants won.

Harvey

2007-06-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

I did a play!

I was Dr. Lyman Sanderson in the Bedford Players performance of "Harvey." It was an enormous amount of fun. We had a three night run at the Fly Center. The last two nights were sell outs.

I was really afraid that being gone for a week right before would screw with me and the others in the cast but all went well.

Pictures next week I hope.

Vacation

2007-06-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long time since I posted anything. Mainly because I have been very busy and also no one reads this thing anyway. A lot has happened, though I can't think of a lot to talk about. I have traveled a bunch. Took Coble to Atlanta to see Clapton last October. He had a blast, I am so glad that he has taken my taste in music though it will probably make less sense to his friends than it does to mine. Christmas was hectic but good for all. I have traveled a bunch for work. I just got back from California a couple of weeks ago. It is so pretty. I was in the SF area, Livermore to be specific. The rolling hills are gorgeous. I also just got through acting in the first play I have done in 6 years, but more about that later. We are on a much needed vacation in Orange Beach, AL. It is been very nice, but I would have gone nuts without an internet connection, and the one here at the condo is FAST!!1! they must have a T1 line. That's all for now I'll think of some more later. I intend to start back blogging more regularly.

Glitches plague Boeing's GPS satellites for U.S. Air Force

2006-08-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

Technical issues have caused a delay of more than a year in a Boeing Co. program to build 12 Global Positioning System (GPS IIF) satellites for the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force said on Tuesday.

read more | digg story

The Insanity Test

2006-08-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Find out what percent crazy you are.

read more | digg story

Boot Camp help site

2006-07-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Nice site dedicated to all things dual boot/boot camp on the Intel macs. It answered a lot of my questions!

read more | digg story

My new toy

2006-04-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

So I finally got a new computer. Whe Apple announced the Intel swich I said as soon as you can play Half-Life 2 on one I gonna buy it. When Boot Camp was announced and I saw the results, I was giddy as a school girl. I'm not sure how giddy school girls get but whatever. I ordered a new copy of Windows XP Media Center edition so I could connect to my xbox360 and went to Nashville to pick up my new Mac. I went for the Macbook Pro 2.0Ghz model. XP arrived the next day(Neweg.com rocks) and I got busy turning my new Mac into my new gaming rig. It took three trys to get XP to install correctly, the first time it crashed before it got started good. No problem, I booted back into OS X and blitzed the partition and started over. The second try resulted in what looked like a complete install but it turned out that the mechanisim to log into windows did not install properly. I thought something was funky with the install but it didn't register what it was until I blitzed the partition again and ran through the install one last time. This time it loaded fine and I recognized the screens that did not show up the ~~first~~ second time. Incedentally though it is stated that boot camp does not support Media Center it installed just fine when I copied the contents of both cd's onto a dvd. I have played HL2 through once and I must say that I am thoroghly pleased with the performance. I am already getting used to OS X and I really am liking it. Overall I would recomend to anyone who is holding on to pc boxes solely for gaming but would like to move to Mac the time is here.

been a while

2006-04-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while.

yup.

2005-10-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Cream

2005-10-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Cross at Ground Zero

Cream MSG 10/24/2005

2005-10-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

It is 768.5 miles from my front door to Madison Square Garden. It cost a lot of money to get there, stay there, eat there and buy stuff there. It was the best money I have spent in my entire life. I would do it again in a heartbeat

Back Home

2005-09-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

I am posting this on my blog instead of the digest. I figure that if any one wants to read another opinion on the new Clapton album they are willing to leave the digest for a few minutes.

First off, I have been an EC fan for better than 15 years. The song that started my appreciation was "Tears in Heaven" I knew the story behind the song and it touched me in a way that is rare.

Fast forward to 15 years later. The release of Back Home has created, if not a firestorm of controversy, a glowing ember storm of controversy. I decided to listen to it for a couple of weeks before adding my volume of hot air. So here goes...

The packaging: I went for the dual disk mainly for the DVD audio, though I did watch the interview portion once. It is the first multi-channel audio disk I have owned or listened to and I think it was executed well. It is immersing and the placement of instruments makes sense to me. The 4 picks were a neat extra, but the booklet left a lot to be desired, no artist per track breakdown or lyrics.

The music
1.)"So Tired" Pop. I like this as the choice for first track. It is catchy and light hearted. There is a definite nod to The Band with the horn arrangement behind the little vocal "scatting." There is some very nice dobro work and at times the song is very reminiscent of the Journeyman era tunes. Overall the track suffers from overproduction and is too slick to be "So Tired"

2.)"Say What You Will" The music is tight and the horns lend to the reggea feel but the words get in the way of some well crafted music. The lyrics tend to be cliched and hokey.

3.)"I'm Going Left" I love Stevie Wonder, so does Eric. This is the first stand-out track great arrangement and tight vocals. I'm usually not a fan of backup singers but they areindispensablee on this one. They give it the gospel sound needed for the tune. To the guy who complained about the dated reference tocommunismm, it is a C-O-V-E-R. Should "Terraplane Blues" have been changed to "PT Cruiser Blues" on M&MJ?

4.)"Love Don't Love Nobody" I believe this was EC's tribute to Brother Ray though it isn't a Ray tune. The singing is incredibly soulful and strong. Eric's singing is getting stronger every album. He is obviously confident and comfortable as heard with thead-libss before the solo. This is one that grew on me I didn't care for it that much to begin with. It is still a "mood" song, a song that I skip unless I am really in the mood to hear that style song.

5.)"Revolution" It ain't Boby Marley but it is reggea and is another tune that would be wrong without backup singers. I bought this when it came up on iTunes and like it but it seems slightly out of place with the rest of the songs on the album. I don't think it was the best choice for single but I'm not a publisher so what do I know?

6.)"Love Comes To Everyone" I miss George. Eric misses him too. I am glad he picked this type of song, I think even a slightlymelancholyy one would have been unbearably heartbreaking for those who get misty when they think about the Quiet Beatle. It's great to hear Steve Winwood on the track. This is a great rendition of a great song.

7.)"Lost and Found" I have to admit that while I am a supporter of Doyle's musical abilities I think he is still developing in the lyrics department. The opening feels like Generic Bluesy Tune 7 though it does get more interesting as you get into it. The outro guitar work isdefinitelyy not autopilot material. Usually a skipper unless in the right mood.

8.)"Piece of My Heart" Wow EC doing Janis Joplin! Not quite. It's better than the Doyle tune that precedes it and has John Mayer(I think) doing a good job of guest guitaring(I think).

9.)"One Day" Cool, Brother Vince and EC together,definitelyy an interestingcollaborationn. Vince Gill is probably my favorite country artist and this is a classic Vince pop song and his guitar parts are a nice contrast to EC. I never noticed how similar Vince's tone is similar to pre-mid-boosted strat Clapton.Thee solos took me bysurprisee with their aggressive attack and big bends.

10.)"One Track Mind" Another great guest artist, this time Robert Randolph on dobro. I could probably stand a little less production on this one but I like it anyway. RR adds a really nice feel and swing to the tune.

11.)"Run Home To Me" My favorite track by far. Slightly reminiscent of "River of Tears" in the groove. This represents some of his best lyrics; sweet but not sappy, introspective without beingvoyeuristicc to thelistenerr. The sentiment is very familiar to this father of three, two of whom are young girls. I can see saying the same thing to my girls at some point. I have had that heartache of looking at your little girl and knowing that one day she will grow up to be a woman and there is precious little you can do to keep the pains of growing up and being an adult at bay. I can't wait to hear this one live. There are some real guitar moments to mine.

12.)"Back Home" nice way to end the album. EC reflects on his life and realizes he has a home, something that had been missing and assumed lost for a long time. The realization that his family is good almost soundssurprisingg to him. The simple nature of the song lends to the image of the simple pleasures of being home and surrounded by those you love and who love you.

Overall I add this to the good album column. I know many people have had very harsh criticisms directed toward this effort, but Ibelievee that this is if not a great album, a good onecertainlyy. Some people won't be happy till LOALS II is released and/or the strat/tweed combo is retired for Les Paul/Marshall cranked to 11. The plain truth is it ain't gonna happen. Clapton simply does not want to make the same album twice. At this point in his career he has so much to draw from that he is going to explore what suits him rather than rehashing the same concepts every 12 months. I think we would all be ratherdisappointedd if he were to start making records that he thinks we want to hear rather than what he ultimately must create to make himself happy. Here's to looking forward to what the future holds rather than living in the past.

Daniel

First Digg post from a v2.0 PSP browser?

2005-07-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

My own shrink

2005-07-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

I find it frustraiting that I am undable to have a blind delusion. Instead, I analyze it, figure out the root, and do exactly crap about it.

That's the trouble with being both smart and lazy.

Seeing is believing...

2005-07-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Remarkable 2-step Flash optical illusion - (hat tip to Robot Wisdom)

...
It is not one of those things that get you concentrating then screams at you.

read more | digg story

Mouse gestures for Windows

2005-07-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Do you like the mouse gestures available in such fine programs as Firefox and Opera? This neat little program gives you mouse gesture functionality in Windows.

read more | digg story

The Actual size of a ps3 controller!

2005-06-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

A new picture of the PS3 controller has surfaced, the picture shows the actual size of the controller.

Sweet

read more | digg story

Dual monitor manager

2005-06-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

I am looking for a good multiple monitor manager program. I have a setup where I am running two monitors, one on my desk and one on my workbench. I would like to be able to run certain programs only on the 2nd monitor. The Hydravision program that runs my Radeon 9600 Pro is ok but doesn't quite fit the bill. Any suggestions?

read more | digg story

Being a Father

2005-06-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Being a father means that your little girl is the prettiest ballerina on the stage.

Firefox in higher demand among video gamers

2005-06-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

"A new recent statistic has shown that most video gamers and technical enthusiasts prefer Firefox over Internet Explorer."

Shocked... I am shocked at this revelation

read more | digg story

Vanderbilt Children's Hospital

2005-06-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last week our son needed an appendectomy. Both of the surgeons who service the small town in which we live were out of town so we were sent to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for the surgical consult. I would like to commend the staff who were kind and courteous at all times and did their absolute best to care for a very brave eight year old.

Camp4u

2005-04-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Camp4u

Been a while

2005-04-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yeah well, you're not reading anyway

In 25 words or less

2005-02-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

in no particular order...
world peace, Tickets to the Cream reunion at the RAH, a nice back rub, a new strat, and some ice cream.

Girls, Girls, Girls

2005-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

I bet if every other post was pictures of nude chicks then you would come visit, I bet.

Exerpt from the yet untitled and unwritten novel... pg. 185-187

2005-02-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

the cat had eaten the whole thing. Steve then began to question whether he had made a mistake. "It's not like I asked for the ability to make tasty scones using only my mind. I mean, who would want them every single day? I don't even like them that much! Now if I could only make buttermilk biscuits telepathically, that would really be something!" Hillary told him to quit complaining, "Granted, It isn't much of a super power but it has come in handy occasionally."

XIIV

Six hours later, the cat had finally agreed that he needed help. "Which is the first step." Hillary said with the understandling flowing in her voice. Steve was still silently wondering what she had meant by that.

Wizbang

2005-02-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Wizbang
Again

Why iPod?

2005-02-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

Why iPod?

Double digits

2005-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo I hit double digits on my views.
Of course 8 of them are me checking to see if anyone is looking.
Where's my ice cream?

Netgear wireless routers

2005-01-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

So I bought a netgear 802.11g wireless router to clear up some of the clutter around my pc. I don't have a phone line near my desk so I have the dsl on a 25 foot line running along the floor, which my wife is none to pleased about. The crazy thing is the router set itself up and is working great, hence the ability to post this message. However I cannot connect to the router's config utility and it is driving me insane, knowing that I might be "vulnerable" to the malicious attacks of the evil "People Who Are Smarter Than Me" (PWASTM)

We'll see what the response from the outsorcerer is.

Introducing...

2005-01-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

Playing the part of the "Guy who writes this Blog" is Daniel.

You: "So what. Another blog where someone with more time than sense strokes his ego."

Me: "That's true. But how many blogs are written by 28 year old tech heads with conservative leanings and delusions of grandeur?"

You: "About a mil..."

Me(Interrupting): "Don't answer that!"

Anyway, I am 28, a husband, and a father of 3. I have lived in middle Tennessee for my entire life, except for a brief and unmentionable stint at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. I work in the Land Surveying industry as a GPS Specialist. I have played guitar since 1990ish and am a rabid Eric Clapton fan(atic). My interests are music, politics (occasionally), tech, and stuff that makes me giggle.

If you have bothered to read this far, please affirm me by posting a comment. I hope to create a place where you can come and find something humorous or at least something that is an enormous waste of time.