J Larsen

On the flip side, I live within walking distance of at least a dozen record stores, including Other Music and Downtown Music Gallery, and that costs me a lot more than four bucks a day!

It's probably already been addressed, but a cat that still has real hunting instincts will ward off or consume any mouse problem. However, a cat is useless against rats. Cats recognize that rats are too big for them to attack, and frequently you'll even see stray cats and rats eating side by side in the city. House cats are often seriously injured by rats. (However, if you spring for a Savannah or a Chausie, that just might take care of a rat problem...)

Happy birthday! I just noticed that your Wikipedia entry makes special note of your message board contributions, btw...

It wouldn't be particularly wise to release a virus that spreads uncontrollably, has no cure (being a virus), and is resistant to vaccine. That's very likely to come back and bite you in the ass. I'm not guaranteeing that no one would ever do something this stupid, but it has to be a far less attractive means of attacking an enemy than detonating a bomb (nuclear or otherwise) or contaminating local warter supplies, just for example.

Sadly, it appears that we're in the minority. Most Americans could care less about putting 1000+ CDs on their ipod, and I think the main reason is that most Americans have fewer than 100 CDs, to say nothing of 1000. ← But you'd be surprised at how many iPod users have thousands (even tens of thousands) of hours worth of dowloaded MP3's - a lot of people out there could easily fill a 100GB (or larger) iPod. I was really surprised that they didn't do an 80GB model this time around, especially since this thing does video. The only reason I was excited about a video iPod in the first place was that the concept seemed to imply a larger drive. Toshiba has had 80GB microdrives for over a year now - they will make their way into iPods eventually.

It comes out tomorrow (10/18) - the reviews in the NYT and on the All Music site are very strong. Anyone heard it yet/picking it up?

Kalo gave a good description. The reason I brought up Feldman wasn't exactly that I find him dark (though he's hardly bright and bubbly), but because I've spun Music for Rothko Chapel for a couple of different avant-jazz freaks at my place and they both bought it afterwards. Regardless of what you think of Gorecki, he can certainly be dark and brooding! Come to think of it, Bach's Mass in B Minor is pretty dark in spots. I have the Klemperer version. I rarely listen to it, but every time I do I'm blown away. But then, I know even less about classical than I do about jazz, so I'm probably not one to be handing out advice...

Does Morton Feldman count as a "major composer"? How about Gorecki?

This album came out right around the time I was born. My dad says he used to play it to calm me down and help me sleep. I listened to it again a few years ago and remember thinking it was a little too "slick" and "pretty" for me, but that was when I was heavy in a avant-jazz/noise trip. It may be time to pull out the record again.

Somebody will have to check, but I think the OUOD solo (which runs for 26-28 minutes, depending on whether you include the brief melody statements at the beginning and the end) is longer than any of the solos on Live in Japan, even if you include the duets with Pharoah as part of Trane's solo. It might even be longer than any other Coltrane solo on record, though I am not sure about that. Guy ← Obviously you don't have the extended dance mix of Live in Japan.

That is one of my favorite albums, bar none.

The liner notes seemed pretty flakey to me - I just sort of skimmed over them.

Oddly enough, Coltrane's solos have an organizing effect on me. I find it very easy to stay focused on what he is playing, even those solos from Live in Japan that push the hour mark. On the other hand, I have a very difficult time focusing on anyone speaking for more than a few minutes at a time, even if the subject is very interesting to me (I rarely attended my classes in grad school for that very reason - just stayed home and studied the books). I also have a hard time paying attention to TV, and especially those movies out of hollywood that seem specifically designed for the short attention span MTV generation. My mind just wanders. But Trane really locks me in.

Besides the fact that the umpire appeared to initially call AJ out which should have ended the inning regardless of whether the ball was trapped, another point I haven't seen addressed is that AJ took a couple steps towards the dugout before he started running to first. After he steps out of the box and away from the basepath, isn't he out? It seems to me that he was out twice before he was safe.

Not if you take the possibility of split pots into account.

I think the biggest problem isn't whether the ball hit the dirt or not, but whether the ump called the third out after AJ K'ed. I think he clearly did.

I don't think I ever managed to track that one down. Is it floating around in any form at the moment?

If you don't have the LaserLight version, I think this is a must buy. If you do have the LaserLight version, I'd hold out for a used copy (or a really good sale).

I've never had a problem with 512MB. I mostly run OpenOffice, Mathematica and the Apple Developers' Tools package.

I don't think they'll do a powerbook or powermac revision until the first-generation Intel machines. No one wants to pay that kind of money for a machine that will be borderline obsolete in a year.

Any of you guys seen these guitars before: http://www.zacharyguitars.com/ These are the most playable guitars I've ever tried. Too expensive for me, though.

I use a Fender Vibro-Champ from the mid-70s that would be the first thing after the cat to be saved from a fire. You see them used all the time, but they are getting stupidly expensive. The Blues Jr. is in the ballpark, but it is a bit louder (I couldn't play it in my apartment). It has the advantage of having reverb, though.

I love every Pavement record, starting with Demolition Plot J7, which was one of the first 7" records I ever bought. Generally, I think the older the album, the better it is, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I heard them as they came out. (Thinking about it now, "love" is probably going a bit far for the last record, but it's still worthwhile.) It's always been obvious to everyone that Pavement was influenced by the Fall, but honestly I've always found the Fall to be a bit tedious - even their most classic records. I guess it's probably breaking some law of rock to say it, but I think Pavement were a far more engaging and all-round better band. I don't really care how derivitave they were. A lot of crappy groups influenced a lot of groups that I like.

Thanks, Lon. Man, I really hated that first song (to the point where I almost didn't give the rest of the disc a chance), but from track two on that album smokes! Maybe track one will grow on me eventually. I picked up just about all of the recent LPRs and a few of the conns at J&R yesterday. So far I've only made it through the Gato, White and Lateef. All choice material. It's great to finally see reissues of this caliber from the Impulse catalog. The wait has been way too long.

Just walked down to J&R and picked up a bunch of these today. My copy of Alive in NY had no booklet in the pocket of the digipack. Should it have come with one? It's sort of rubbing me the wrong way and I might want to trade it in at Other Music, but without the notes that probably won't happen... Hang on - just got to track two and this is starting to sound like a keeper...