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Interesting day yesterday. First discovered a nearby restaurant burnt down. Then went to The Friends of The Library book sale and after buying an Atlas found a bunch of fun donation cards in the back. Finally stumbled across another Día de los Muertos celebration around the corner.

Saw a Big Pussy large feline on the hill behind us this morning. That is a Bobcat. https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Bobcat Size & Weight: Typically weigh between 15 and 57 pounds, running roughly two to three times the size of a large house cat. Hence large feline.

After a tasty breakfast BLAT, went for a tour on the bayou. Where we saw plenty of wildlife, up close.

Occasionally, I'll listen to the big ones. I like to space them out to keep them somewhat fresh. SACD

Alan Parsons Project - in case anyone is wondering, the 2007 CD remasters sound fine to me. They might be a bit louder than the original CD pressings, but I don't hear any distortion or clipping. I got I Robot and Eye in the Sky (contemplating getting Pyramid, Eve, and The Turn of a Friendly Card as well).

Gratuitous Quad post.

Nice guy https://youtu.be/n4z098xxDCg?t=125

Today's kitchen foray yielded onion rings. Mostly to try making a dipping sauce I recently had at a new burger place. I've always found it wise to flower the onion rings before dipping in batter. I think it makes the batter cling better. My batter consist of 1/4 cup corn starch (browns better) 1 1/2 cups of Krusteaz pancake batter and I used 1 3/4 cup of Trader Joe's ginger beer. The carbonation makes the batter lighter and the ginger adds just a hint of something you couldn't really name. The sauce is super simple, but absolutely delicious. Duke's mayonnaise, malt vinegar and cracked pepper. My new young friend thinks I'm a Chef.

Turns out, I lied. Weather cleared out over night and the roads dried out enough to get in a quick 16 miles this afternoon.

Nice, Adam! Me - not going to get any biking in this weekend due to rain but did manage to get out twice last weekend, including a favorite out-and-back to the coast. PBaseIMG_1285.jpeg by Nathan Maher

I wasn't aware of Yu-Mex* (Yugoslav-Mexican) until today. *In the immediate post-war period, Yugoslavia did not have much of a film industry and the majority of films were imported from the Soviet Union. Following the Tito–Stalin split of 1948, Soviet films were no longer shown in the country. At the same time, due to ideological differences, Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito did not want his country to import American films. As a result, he turned to importing Mexican films. The fact that many Mexican films of the "Golden Age" glorified the Mexican Revolution and depicted ordinary Mexicans rising up against the oppressive Mexican state made Mexican films "revolutionary" enough to be shown in Yugoslavia. It was common for many young Yugoslavs to imitate the styles of Mexican film stars, who were seen as embodying everything that was "cool". Because many of the films shown in Yugoslavia in the 1950s–1960s were Mexican, everything Mexican became very popular in Yugoslavia and many musicians started to don sombreros to perform Mexican music, either singing in Serbo-Croatian or in the original Spanish. Doc on it...

So back when I built the Colossus I thought it sounded pretty good. But amazingly it wasn't all the Pete Riggle add ons, or even the SUT or preamp (DIY Pass Pearl) that made the largest improvement. The largest improvement was not long after I moved to Fairfax and built a heavy duty TT stand. Beefy Maple 4x4 legs, thick shelves and deep dato joinery really made a huge difference, especially in the bottom end. And I know bottom end!

Brunch at Bearcat (CBD) Worth the wait.

Going down a massive rabbit hole of cover songs by this band Nouvelle Vague. They are a bit kitsch a la The Mike Flowers Pops Orchestra (who did a GREAT cover of Wonderwall). These folks cover so many great and sometimes a bit obscure New Wave/Punk songs. Want Latin/Bossa Nova versions of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart? Check..... Want a light and playful version of the Dead Kennedy's Too Drunk To Fuck? Check.... If you can get past some monotony, these guys are fun, and their song selection is pretty cool! Some examples:

Trying to (slowly) close the gap to Nate!

Song title of the week?

Rodrigo y Gabriela, OurHome -- just beautiful music Probably next I will listen to 11:11 -- I didn't realize the concept behind it, so I will probably "follow along" with this. I am especially interested in the Piazzolla and Pink Floyd tracks. But LOL, it hallucinated, this is wrong, there's no "Master & Margarita", and they omitted "Triveni", which is a tribute to Le Trio Joubran: On 11:11, Rodrigo y Gabriela crafted each track as a direct sonic thank-you note to an artist who deeply shaped their musical DNA. Instead of standard cover songs, they composed original pieces designed to mirror the rhythms, scales, and spirits of their influences. Here is the breakdown of the 11 artists paid tribute to on the album, along with the musical style and background context of each track: 1. "Hanuman" — Tributed to Carlos Santana The Vibe: High-energy, joyful, and heavily rhythmic. The Tribute: This track captures Santana's signature Latin-rock fusion. Gabriela uses rapid-fire percussive slaps to mimic a driving conga beat, while Rodrigo plays melodic, biting lead lines that mirror Santana’s fluid, sustained electric guitar phrasing. 2. "Buster Voodoo" — Tributed to Jimi Hendrix The Vibe: Psychedelic, funk-driven acoustic rock. The Tribute: An intentional nod to Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." Rodrigo mimics iconic wah-wah pedal effects, string bends, and aggressive blues-rock double-stops entirely on a nylon-string acoustic guitar, showcasing Hendrix's raw, improvisational energy. 3. "Savitri" — Tributed to John McLaughlin The Vibe: Complex Indo-jazz fusion and blistering speed. The Tribute: McLaughlin is a pioneer of jazz fusion (Mahavishnu Orchestra) and acoustic world music (Shakti). The track uses intricate, lightning-fast alternate picking patterns and syncopated time signatures that pay homage to McLaughlin’s technical virtuosity and Eastern spiritual influences. 4. "Hora Zero" — Tributed to Ástor Piazzolla The Vibe: Dark, dramatic, and intensely rhythmic. The Tribute: Named after a concept frequent in Piazzolla's work (Nuevo Tango), this track captures the tension, sudden dynamic shifts, and brooding romanticism of traditional Argentine tango mixed with modern classical structures. 5. "Chac Mool" — Tributed to Jorge Reyes The Vibe: Ambient, atmospheric, and deeply tribal. The Tribute: Reyes was a Mexican progressive rock and ambient musician famous for blending pre-Hispanic indigenous instruments (like clay flutes and rainsticks) with modern electronics. The duo creates an eerie, echoing soundscape using acoustic guitar resonance and harmonics to capture this indigenous, ancient Mexican spirit. 6. "Atman" — Tributed to Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) The Vibe: Pure acoustic thrash metal. The Tribute: Darrell Abbott's heavy groove-metal riffs were a massive influence on the duo's early metal days. The track features a relentless, heavy acoustic rhythm track and features a blistering, shred-heavy guest guitar solo by Alex Skolnick of the thrash metal band Testament. 7. "Master Maqui" — Tributed to Paco de Lucía The Vibe: Pure flamenco virtuosity and emotional depth. The Tribute: As the absolute master of modern flamenco guitar, de Lucía is the foundation of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s playing style. This track emphasizes highly traditional, blindingly fast picado (index and middle finger picking) and complex compás (flamenco rhythmic cycles). 8. "Logos" — Tributed to Al Di Meola The Vibe: Precision jazz-rock fusion with Latin flair. The Tribute: Known for his ultra-precise, rapid alternate picking on both acoustic and electric guitars (famously heard on Friday Night in San Francisco), Di Meola's influence is clear in the track's tight unison lines and complex, shifting harmonic progressions. 9. "Santo Domingo" — Tributed to Michel Camilo The Vibe: Bright, syncopated Caribbean jazz piano rhythms. The Tribute: Camilo is a brilliant Dominican jazz pianist. To capture a piano's percussive nature on strings, Gabriela uses incredibly complex, syncopated strumming techniques to simulate a montuno piano rhythm, driving the bright, upbeat melody forward. 10. "Master & Margarita" — Tributed to Mikhail Bulgakov The Vibe: Narrative, dramatic, and theatrical. The Tribute: The only non-musician on the album, Bulgakov was the Soviet author of the magical realist masterpiece The Master and Margarita. The song mimics a literary narrative structure, transitioning through dark, oppressive sections into soaring, fantastical movements that match the book's satirical and mystical themes. 11. "11:11" — Tributed to Pink Floyd The Vibe: Expansive, progressive, and psychedelic space-rock. The Tribute: The title track closes the album by channeling the grand scale of Pink Floyd. It features a guest appearance by the alternative rock duo Strunz & Farah and uses layered acoustic textures, ambient slides, and epic arrangements to mirror the sonic journeys found on albums like Wish You Were Here.

New vs. old. vs. miau.

I somehow missed that Hiromi did a collaboration with Rodrigo y Gabriela

^ Thanks much. I've probably heard half of them, but so far preferred the earlier round than the later. This morning, election day, starting with Sun Ra Arkestra's Living Sky Full playlist

Valentyne Suite by Colosseum (1969) https://open.qobuz.com/album/jlrv0tner404c Example: '69 fusion (jazz/rock/prog/etc.) The title track is the highlight, but very enjoyable album.

Usual to start, (not shown) Latte with the (off the menu), seasonal pancake special. We're not savages.

^ I defer to the expert. In 1983, after graduating college and returning to Alaska, I needed cheap meals that could be portioned and frozen. I came up with a recipe I called Batchelor Stovetop Casserole. As many of my recipes do, it has evolved throughout the years. I no longer cook it on the stove top. I discovered that rustic chopping and roasting in the oven made for a less mushy texture and better flavor profile overall. This will be for dinner and future lunches. One large yellow onion, two bell peppers (Red & Orange), baby bellow mushrooms, corn on the cobletts, Yukon gold potatoes (5 small), Polska Keilbasa, 5 cloves sliced garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and EVOO. Roast in the oven at 400 for about 90 minutes. Prior to roasting...

Mushroom, red bell pepper, tomato, avacado and cheese omelet. Hashbrowns, bacon and English muffins (crumpets?).

new Steven Wilson Music on TIDALSteven Wilson - Requiem for a VillageListen to Requiem for a Village on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of service

I love big pussies. Maine Coons, Savannahs, Siberians, Norwegian Forest Cats...

The Information Age doesn't have to suck (it just usually does.) All India Radio is an Australian space rock/downtempo/ambient/call-it-what-you-will band based in Tasmania. I've been an of them since I first heard a track off their remix album 20 years ago. last.fm tells me I have scrobbled them over six thousand fricken times(!) I'm Facebook friends with Martin L Kennedy (the main man behind AIR) because (A) I'm a nerd and (B) 15 years ago I really cared about FB enough to seek out the personal profiles of a bunch of electronic musicians I liked. For the most part, the people who make the music I've been obsessing over for most of my life are a group of interesting, thoughtful, worldly individuals. One or two have turned out to be cretins Mark Archer is a total jackass, who knew? MLK is certainly in that first category. He's a remarkably humble, down to earth man whose primary interest is making the music that it's in his head and we're all better off because of it. Today (well, technically yesterday, Tasmanian Standard Time) marks the the 20th anniversary of the release of AIR's excellent Echo Other album. It's one of my favorites by them. I saw MLK make a post about it with vintage photos of the recording process: Very neat, in a 2006 digicam kind of way. I jokingly commented on Martin's FB post "Need a picture of the Speak N Spell that's on the title track. 🤖" It's very audible throughout the song, starting around the 3:20 mark. I logged into FB this evening to check the local MV FB group and had a notification. MLK posted this photo(!) Coolest thing I've seen all ..year. This has been your "Knuckles has a genuine fanboy moment."

I didn't realize they made a follow-up a year ago...

30yo

I had some leftover pork chop and a small amount of new potatoes (1.5 small potatoes to be exact) and I wanted to make pizza with it. I caramelized onions, made an olive oil, garlic and shallot spread for the sauce and added mozzarella and Hungarian goatherd peppers. Came out great.

Just a few things (Not shown, warm Muffuletta) @ The Napoleon House

Still got it.

Hot, fresh, Beignets, from the source.

I will never get tired of posting Kardi videos. Sorry/not sorry (Also, some really nice cinematography of Busan.)

Soda & pancakes? 🤔

Hope you've popped a great birthday malt and are enjoying your day! Cheers!

Great video! It's like Land of Confusion updated.

Bagels & Lox At on old school hole in the wall Delideli

^^ I do appreciate the row of Altec binders.

I love the mad scientist part of the internet. I'm pretty sure his dwelling is wired up for more power than my entire neighbourhood.

I figured it was worth its own thread to look at these aftermarket cables that have popped up. Now I don't really want to be a part of the whole cable mess but with electrostatics it is rather simple... the main component is capacitance. The cable will always add some and it determines how hard the entire system is to drive. So TLDR, more capacitance... everything is worse. The amp has to work much harder to try and push current into the top and bottom end. As a baseline, I tested a spare SR-X1 driver I had here and between the +/- inputs it is right on 40pF. We want to keep this as low as possible to keep the load low. So first off we have this ebay find, staight out of China: I was roughly 130$ shipped for the 2.5M version but I've seen them go for a lot more than that. It has the off the shelf Stax connectors on either end and they are nice enough quality. The wire is the cheapest, thinnest crap possible though. As a comparison the plan was to use a SR-X1/007S/009D cable but I only found a SRE-725 extension cable. Same length at 2.5m but is might be a tiny bit worse as the flat ribbon needs to connect to the Stax socket on the other end with wires will cross a bit doing that. Should be a small one but worth noting. I tested between the L+ and L- (I also compared against the R+ and R- but it should read the same) using a basic Uni-T capacitance meter at 1kHz. Both cables strewn out as long as they go on a wooden floor so minimal impact from that. So first off, here is the Stax SRE-725: That is 0.061nF or 61pF. Not bad and what I'd expect from the Wide PC-OCC cables. Now here we have the ebay cable... That is 0.46nF or 460pF. Yeah... that is not great is it. So as a comparison, the whole system capacitance with the Stax cable is 101pF, with the ebay cable it is 500pF. Yeah... this is utterly terrible and will make the headphones sound terrible. Now a second possible issue is how much voltage can the cable withstand. Again here we are hooked up to the L+ and L- simply because those pins are the easiest to get to with the large clips. This cable passes at 1500V with flying colors, almost 30 seconds and at almost 6 gigaohms so no issues there. I'm guessing this is actually double insulated as there is not a whole lot of wire in there.

Porta Pro Wireless (Bluetooth)I actually saw someone in the wild with a these the other day

Last lowrider show of the season, this time Día de los Muertos themed. Went with one camera, one lens/focal length, one aperture - Leica SL2-S, Zeiss Otus APO 28mm, f/1.4.

Not to many of these being built anymore, I built this from Mjorin kit, parts are getting difficult to find. Works and sounds great . Bill

80s electro-funk compilation... some real bangers:

Palo Alto snagged a Hauser & Wirth and it opened today with its inaugural exhibition ‘Calder | O’Keeffe.’ So long lines, sun, mobiles, “flowers” and wine.

Long but wonderful day yesterday. Left the house at ~7:30, got back almost midnight. Visited a dear friend in CT for a day-late birthday celebration. She was so supportive to me as I went through so much with Karen, and she has had her tough issues and hardships as well. But we had a wonderful day just checking out some small towns near her, and having a nice lunch and dinner. Happy Birthday Nancy!

so you need about 4 times the current just to drive the cable. so say 100ma bias. only the D&G can do this. or a 150+ watt speaker amp and a really large boost transformer. say a pair of transformers from a mc2300.