We have all seen the “Free unlimited access to millions of mp3 downloads” offers that pop up all over net. I never give them much attention, it’s all just spam to me. But I got to thinking about it the other day while going through my MP3 song collection. If this is real, and the offer stands, why the hell would anyone turn this down!?
I mean honestly, do you really need any more time than a week to download all the music you could possibly want? Seriously, I could probably fill my IPOD in like two hours with a decent connection, let alone an entire week. This has to be the best offer I’ve seen yet when it comes to accessing downloadable media.
Stop and think about it. Get the trial, download all the music you can for seven days, and then just cancel. It’s a complete no-brainer! Take a day off from work even. Is there a catch?
Ok, I’m not one to gawk over every ludicrous YouTube clip I get referred to, but this one is just too cool to resist. Someone built a fully-auto, motion-sensing, paintball sentry powered by a laptop. Obviously this person needs some sort of “most dangerous toy” award or something.
Developers continue to argue whether it’s really that important to publish everything using the “Strict DOCTYPE”, or if valid markup code is really even that important. While this is a discussion for another time, I try to publish every site I author in Valid, Strict xHTML. I believe standards are made for a reason, and if you wish to write good code - just follow the standards.
Occasionally I find the need for a page element that is not considered valid xHTML-Strict markup. Once big one that has come up is the good ole’ “iFrame” tag. Granted you can always change the DOCTYPE to “Transitional” and still have valid code, or you can use the “Object” tag to get the same results and be valid. In the past I’ve done both of these, but I’d rather use the Strict DOCTYPE and let’s face it; “Object” tags simply do not play nice across browsers. I’m sure there are other ways to display this sort of content, but I’ve yet to find any useful. Regardless, I found what I think is a MUCH better way to display iFrame content, both technically speaking and considering Search Engine Optimization (SEO; search bots don’t like iFrames). I wanted to share in case someone else finds himself or herself in the same situation.
Note: This outline is designed for people with at least a little or moderate developing experience. Also, this technique is a workaround that is SEO friendly for use when iFrame content is inevitable. It should be noted that iFrames are not valid elements for a reason and should be filtered out if possible.
So I was listening to music at the office today, as I always do, when it occurred to me that my musical preference seems to be changing again. I like all styles of music, so it’s not like it’s a big deal. I mean on any given day I could listen to John Denver, and then pop on Metallica or Static-X, before ending the day on Tori Amos. Put it this way, there is probably material in my ITunes that you really like AND really hate. I dig it all.
Anyways, for the past like five months or so I seem have been in a “mellow acoustic rock” phase. For example Jack Johnson, Howie Day, and Dave Matthews have been high on my play count. Now it looks like I’m leaning towards a little bit of a heavier style. I’m not talking death metal or anything, just heavier rock like Seether, Ra, and Godsmack.
I’ve wanted to set up a home recording studio for years. Nothing too fancy or expensive, just something I can use during those increasingly rare moments when I get time to sit down and play my guitar. I occasionally find myself playing something catchy, brainstorming up some lyrics, and writing at least the basics of a song. Unfortunately, because I don’t write music with any regularity, I usually completely forget the song by the next time I sit down to work on it. Or, if I scribble it down in a notebook, I find it hard to recall the melody or get the same feel I had when I first wrote it… bah…
Well, I decided to bite the bullet and get things rolling on this studio thing. I’m certainly not new to the concepts of multi-track recording. In fact, over the past 18 years of playing I’ve used a ton of systems including Tascam multi-track cassette recorders, reel-to-reel systems, and computer hardware/software interfaces. I pretty much know what I need get; I’m just a little out of date with the available technology and what falls within my price range.