I have decided to write my blogs on a less than regular basis in comparison to my previous scrawlings, mainly because a lot of stuff I ramble about online usually appears either on my Twitter page, or my FaceBook status updates - the result being that replying to everyone's responses end up taking more time than it does to create a blog about them.
This is about to change however, due to the latest addition to FaceBook, which reared it's ugly head to me last Tuesday - hence the next section:
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FaceBook - Your Freedom, by Our Rules
I received a message from FB telling me that my status update section on my profile is not a chat client, despite there being a function where other readers can react to whatever it is that you may have posted...
So, this new addition to FaceBook (which incidentally appeared very shortly after the popularity of Twitter hit the headlines..) is something that's designed to keep up with the various trends which are doing the rounds on the internet.
Talk about online real-estate greed, I can just imagine the creative department at FB towers now:
MD: "Okay guys, Twitter's popular, we need to do something about this now.."
Exec: "Well, we've got status updates, which is basically twitter anyway, why don't we just re-word it and put something like 'What's on your mind' - It's a bit close to the bone, copyright wise, but hey, fuck it, we're FaceBook, we can do what we want""
MD: "Yeah, great idea - go for it, and while you're at it - make sure there's a character count similar to Twitter, but give em' more! - that's sure to make us more popular than Twitter!!.."
Fast forward a few weeks/months later and..
MD: "Er guys, we've got a problem - people are using the status updates more than the FB chat client.."
Exec: "Yeah, we know - that's cause people can say what's on their mind, and their friends can respond, with the addition of being able to leave their thoughts or debates open without having to save, or keep open a chat window, it's great is'nt it, in fact it's probably better than Twitter cause you don't have to 'retweet' - it's great is'nt it? - and it abolishes the need for forums, guestbooks and comments!!"
MD: "But that's what we've got the chat for! - stop them at once!!"
Exec: "But we thought that was the whole poin.. oh never mind!!"
MD: "And while we're at it, we should let people post YouTube links into their status updates too, and web pages - that'd be great!!"
Exec: But what about spamming, and er, isnt that what the Videos and Links section is for? - besides, don't we kinda OWN YouTube, can't we just put a YouTube section there inste.. oh never mind."
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DJ Gadgetry, and Live PAs
I've recently just bought one of these: Behringer BCD3000
I know it's only a MIDI controller, and DJ's have been using controllers to mix for a while, be it a simple MIDI mixer or something more advanced like the Allen & Heath Xone MIDI mixer, but for what I've done with it so far, it seems to be catching on.
The reason for this, I'm guessing, is that I'm not mixing dance music with it - I'm mixing chart music, or dare I say it 'party'
Now, when I originally came up with the idea a while ago (Flashback to August 2008: 'Y'know, everyone mixes dance music nowadays, what happened to all the chart mixes?') a lot of the reactions from my DJ colleagues was somewhat mixed (pardon the pun) Some were like 'yeah, that'd work' and others looked at me like I was start raving mad, but since my purchase of my magic black box, it seems the majority are well and truly convinced of it's usefulness.
Especially when I turn up for work with just one bag, two wires and I'm ready to roll..
There has been a few issues with it though - it took me about 8 days to get the damn thing working, and due to the amount of DJs who, after seeing what I can do with this thing, have now purchased one themselves - are running into similar issues, I offer this advice:
If you do use a laptop with Vista, you HAVE to set it up for Audio playback - Go to the Native Instruments website (they designed Traktor, which comes with the controller) - there's a page that lists how to do this step by step..
The main component to my trusty behringer, is not the software that comes with it - Traktor (LE or otherwise) is a nightmare, its beatmapping is atrocious and you can't leave it unattended for long or your timings will leave you high & dry.
Use PCDJ or in my case, Virtual DJ instead.
Do NOT use a PC with Vista on it, and make sure your PC/laptop is used only for your DJ work, so stick your Office stuff and downloads somewhere else. You have been warned.
Happy mixing!
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Ladies and Gentlemen, I Give You - The 'Punjack' or 'PennyDrop'
You have idea what I'm talking about do you? - well, let me explain...
Before the days of FaceNazi, Bebo and the like - surfers communicated via the use of forums, messageboards and guestbooks. These are, in todays world redesigned to fit in with the modern day equivalent which are the conline community sites.
Anyway, in the past, if there was a particular subject discussed in a forum, you got one of many typical responses, of which usually consisted of:
a:) A 'real' response, where the poster leaves something genuine, or a sensible post which reads well, and suits it's subject matter to the letter.
b:) A 'flame' - something offensive, either directed at the original threads author, subject matter or other users, mainly to either get a volatile response, or to cause' some kind of dispute.
c:) A 'threadjack' - where the poster would add something which moves the direction of the conversation from it's original subject, onto something completely different. (Say there's a post about Manchester United Football Club, someone posts about going to Manchester which then results in everyone else replying about Manchester as a city, night out or whatever..)
d:) A 'wallypost' ie: Someone who just puts 'FIRST!' just because they happened to be there at the time when the subject was raised..
Well, I've grown addicted to a new kind of post, something which I refer to as a 'PunJack' - it's not as frustrating as a thread jack, but the idea is thus:
A 'Punjack' is a reply to a thread in a forum or messageboard, that does'nt cause' any malicious harm, remains in context of the original subject, reads as a genuine post from a personal point of view, with the exeption of drawing the reader into the story until the very end, where the pun is placed - a joke of epically bad proportions in which the reader realises they've been had, thus 'the penny drops'
The best place to witness this online phenomenon, is on B3ta in the QOTW (question of the week) - see if you can spot them, as well as enjoyig some of the users posts, it really does make interesting readng.
In due time, I will actually posts some of my submissions that have been made in the past.
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