Anomie Train Studio Blog

Today is the 5th Anniversary of my Sudden Cardiac Arrest

2026-08-20T12:54:48.161-04:00

Five years ago today, I suffered sudden cardiac arrest. Yet here I am, feeling none the worse for wear. It's surprising to me how quickly five years have passed already, but I guess that is par for the course when you get older. It's just a reminder to me that the hourglass is running out, and that the years I have left is much shorter than the years I've already lived. It's also been eleven years since I retired early. Now, the longest time I've ever been at one job was eleven years, so retirement has now matched that.

Financially, I'm in a pretty good position. I just started social security, so that gives me even more protection to weather any financial storms as I can pretty much cover all my regular expenses with just social security. I can't imagine, though, how hard it must be for people who have to live only on social security. It brings back memories of my younger days when I was living paycheck to paycheck.

Last year, I finally dumped all my stock losers. I held onto these stocks for years--not because I was emotionally attached to them or anything--it's just that I never like to sell. But I finally realized there was no point in keeping these losers around. You should always cut out the losers in your life I guess, lol.

These stock picks were companies like Under Armour, 3D Systems Corp, Clean Energy Fuels Corp--these were Motley Fool picks that ended up being absolute dogs. Now, I'm not trashing Motley Fool. I subscribed to their Stock Advisor newsletter back in, oh, 2006? 2007? Anyway, they helped me build up a pretty good portfolio in my brokerage account. The trick is to make sure you build up a basket of 25, 30 diversified stocks. I've talked about this before. Too many people make the mistake of picking only three stocks, and when it turns out they are losers, they get mad.

So, I feel like I'm in a pretty decent position in my retirement. I get to do nothing all day, which to me, is a dream retirement. I know for a lot of people, they want to travel, but I got all of my traveling urges out of my system by my 50s. I don't even like to leave my home to run errands anymore!

Then what do I do all day? Well, I'm not sitting in a chair staring at the wall or TV all day. I do admit, I surf the Internet a lot, lol. I guess that's just as bad as being glued to the TV. I'm not even sure what I'm doing on the Internet all day long. A lot of times, I just get a thought in my head, such as, "Did all towns in the Old West really have that many saloons?" so I'll just get on the computer and ask AI about it. That's what I mainly use AI for--asking questions about history or science or whatever.

If I'm not mindless surfing the Internet, I'll watch anime. Right now, I'm watching From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman, season 2; Chainsmoker Cat; Sparks of Tomorrow; and The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System.

I'll also do some recording from time to time. Right now, I'm transitioning to the Luna DAW so I'm learning a new workflow. And it conjunction with that, I'm trying to develop a workflow for using AI to create music videos. I know people rag on AI all the time, but honestly, a lot of it feels like performative outrage. I personally think using AI to create "art" is stupid because to me it's not art at all. AI is never going to make pictures that I would want to look at for the sake of admiring the picture. The same with music--AI is never going to make music that I'd want to listen to as music.

But, I would like to make stupid animated videos just to look at something while my music is playing. Right now, a lot of times I'll just draw something stupid and just slap that on the video. But I'm beginning to wonder if I might as well just do that because trying to get AI to do what you want is like herding cats. I don't want to waste all day trying to get AI to do something. So I'm trying to see if I can develop a workflow for this that streamlines the process and makes something reasonably "okay."

Because I'm not about to waste money and sign up for a service like Google Flow only to watch all my credits evaporate from generating countless, useless iterations--I'm running AI locally on my machine using LM Studio and Pinokio. Oh, I'm still generating countless, useless iterations--but at least I'm not spending money on it. We'll see if eventually I can make it a useful thing.

As far as any "long term" goals are concerned--I only have one, and that is to make it to age 70. That's not really too far off. That will pass in a blink of an eye, just like the last eleven years have!

Why I Left Studio One for Luna (and It Has Nothing to Do With the Software)

2026-08-08T17:30:51.193-04:00

I've been using PreSonus's Studio One DAW for a long time. I moved over from Cakewalk Sonar because Studio One was intuitive, easy to use, had solid stock plugins, and just had a workflow I liked. I was on version 7 and perfectly happy there.

Then Fender bought PreSonus and rebranded it as Fender Studio Pro. That didn't bother me much — a few minor concerns, nothing major. I hadn't upgraded yet anyway, since I never jump on a new version right away; I usually wait a few releases. Version 7 was working fine for me, and upgrading to Fender Studio Pro eventually was still on the table.

That changed when Fender started sending cease-and-desist letters to guitar manufacturers over "copying" the Stratocaster design. I won't get into the whole history here, but the short version is that Fender lost this fight in the U.S. courts years ago, so they went and got a default judgment in Germany instead, against a Chinese manufacturer.

I can't support Fender after that. Nope. They're done as far as I'm concerned — on the guitar side, I've moved on to PRS, and for DAW software, I'm transitioning to Luna by Universal Audio (UAD).

Relearning Everything

Switching means relearning a lot, but I like Luna so far, frustrations and all — which is normal when you move to new software; it just takes time. Luna is built around emulating analog recording, and since I used to track to a 4-track cassette (a TASCAM Porta 05), that workflow appeals to me. I think there's real value in understanding how analog recording works.

Luna itself is completely free. It comes with some basic plugins to get you started, but you'll probably want to add VSTs to round out your setup — and if you're coming from another DAW, you likely already have a collection. I certainly did. That's where I hit my first snag: a few of my most-used VSTs are Waves plugins (Scheps Omni Console, Vocal Rider, Sibilance), and since I own them outright rather than through Waves' subscription model, I'm running the older versions. Those use a Waveshell DLL that seems to have real compatibility issues with Luna — my v10 installs kept crashing it.

Not a huge deal, though. There are plenty of alternatives. For a console emulation, I'm using a nice freebie from Plugin Alliance — the bx Focusrite Console SC. It's old-school, styled after an actual physical console covered in knobs, so it's taken some getting used to (my brain is a little too old for it, honestly). A YouTube tutorial helped.

Building Out the Plugin Bundle

I also picked up a plugin bundle from UAD during their big Summer Sale. I went back and forth on whether to buy the Luna Pro package or just build my own bundle — remember, Luna itself is free regardless. In the end, building my own bundle was more cost-effective, and it let me pick exactly which five plugins I wanted:

Electra 88 Vintage Keys
Ravel Grand Piano
Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb
Ampex ATR-102 Master Tape
Studer A800 Tape Recorder

I'd previously bought the Sound City Studios and Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp separately. The free plugins that come with UAD Explore rounded things out further:

UA 610 Tube Preamp and EQ
UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor
Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor
Vibe Analog Machines Essentials
Pure Plate Reverb
UAD Showtime '64 Tube Amp
Century Tube Channel Strip
PolyMAX Synth

And of course, I still have a ton of other third-party VSTs on top of all that.

The Mixing Learning Curve

As far as recording goes, Luna isn't dramatically different from any other DAW. Mixing is the real adjustment — not because it's harder, just different. Luna doesn't have an FX channel the way Studio One does; it uses busses instead. Small things, but they add up while you're relearning the workflow.

NOTE: I used Claude AI to clean up my writing. I see it's mostly still my writing but it cleaned up some grammar/syntax stuff. I'm glad to see it's still my writing--sometimes when you ask AI to rewrite something it completely changes your voice.

Some Old Guy Farted on Me at the Doctor's Office

2026-06-17T12:53:05.285-04:00

Like the title says, some old guy farted on me at the doctor's office a couple of weeks ago. I asked Claude to rewrite my account of it, one in Ernest Hemingway's style and the other in F. Scott Fitzgerald's style.

Hemingway

The waiting room was white and clean. I sat in a chair by the wall. An old man came in with his wife. They spoke German. He sat next to me and his wife sat next to him. They were old and they moved carefully the way old people do.

After a while the wife spoke to the receptionist. She asked where the bathroom was. The receptionist told her. They both stood up. When the old man stood, he farted. It was loud at first. Then he just stood there. He did not move toward the door. He stood and the fart continued. It went on for a long time. Fifteen seconds, maybe. I was sitting and he was standing and that was the geometry of it.

Then it was over. He and his wife went out through the door. The receptionist stood up from her chair and walked quickly to the back. From the back I could hear her laughing. I sat in the chair and waited.

Fitzgerald

It was the kind of waiting room that exists in every city — pale, fluorescent, smelling faintly of antiseptic and old magazines — and I had been sitting there long enough to feel the particular despair that such rooms inspire, when the old couple arrived. They were German, or perhaps Austrian; there is a difference, though in that moment it hardly seemed to matter. They moved with the tender, shuffling choreography of the very old, he settling into the chair beside me, she beside him, the two of them arranged like a pair of antique figurines placed gently on a shelf.

For a few minutes nothing happened, in the way that nothing happens in waiting rooms. Then the wife rose and spoke softly to the receptionist, and the geography of the room shifted as they both stood. That is when it happened — first a report, sudden and thunderous, like something from another age entirely, and then, as though the old man had simply decided to commit to the thing, a long, slow, almost meditative exhalation that went on and on, fifteen seconds at least, baroque in its duration, while he stood perfectly still beside my chair, gazing at nothing, sovereign and unhurried.

When it was finished, they shuffled out together, dignified as ever, as though nothing had occurred. The receptionist rose from her chair with great purpose and disappeared through a door in the back, and a moment later I could hear her laughing — the kind of laughing that a person cannot help, the kind that reminds you that life, for all its pretension, has never once taken itself seriously.

Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro Humanize Script

2026-03-30T00:27:00.001-04:00

I used to manually adjust notes in Synthesizer V just to make it more human because no human sings perfectly on the grid. But after a while, my laziness won over and I just have all the notes snap to the grid. At one point, I thought about dusting off my coding skills to write a script that does this humanizing, but who are we kidding? That was never going to happen.

But enter AI! Why not just ask AI to write it for me? So I asked Google Gemini to do this, and it suggested to have it leave the actual notes alone so that it remains locked to the grid. But rather, adjust the parameters of the note (note offset) so the notes remain clean looking. The parameters would control how early or late the selected notes would start and end. All this would be random with a range of, oh, -15 ms to +15 ms.

Well, the lua script worked great for Synthesizer V version 1, but they changed everything in Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro. Google Gemini, after many many attempts, could not get it working.

So I asked Microsoft Copilot and it encountered the same problem. But Copilot wrote all these debugging scripts for me to run and in the end, it concluded that the API (at least what is publicly known) just doesn't allow this in Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro.

So I asked it to just write me a script that would do what I would manually do--that is, adjust the start and end of the note, all the while making sure there were no overlaps and no gaps. Again, with the random plus or minus range of 15 ms.

And it works! I mean, it's a little thing--you might not really notice it, but it bugs me to have a "perfect" singer with timing snapped to the grid because no human can sing like that. Anyway, here's the lua script that Microsoft Copilot wrote. Just save it as a text file with the extension .lua in your Synthesizer V scripting folder. Just select the notes you want to run this on and run the script.


function getClientInfo()
    return {
        name = "Smart Humanize (Touching Notes, Start + End)",
        author = "Losertown + Copilot",
        category = "Timing",
        versionNumber = 2,
        minEditorVersion = 65537
    }
end

local MIN_OFFSET_MS = -15
local MAX_OFFSET_MS =  15

local function randRange(a, b)
    return a + math.random() * (b - a)
end

local function secondsToBlicks(seconds, timeAxis, blickPos)
    local tempo = timeAxis:getTempoMarkAt(blickPos)
    local bpm = tempo.bpm
    return seconds * (bpm * SV.QUARTER / 60.0)
end

function main()
    local project = SV:getProject()
    local timeAxis = project:getTimeAxis()
    local editor = SV:getMainEditor()
    local selection = editor:getSelection()
    local notes = selection:getSelectedNotes()

    if #notes == 0 then
        SV:showMessageBox("Smart Humanize", "No notes selected.")
        return
    end

    table.sort(notes, function(a, b)
        return a:getOnset() < b:getOnset()
    end)

    math.randomseed(os.time())

    local prevEffectiveEnd = nil
    local prevNominalEnd = nil

    for i, note in ipairs(notes) do
        local onset = note:getOnset()
        local duration = note:getDuration()
        local nominalStart = onset
        local nominalEnd = onset + duration

        -- Random start offset
        local startOffsetMs = randRange(MIN_OFFSET_MS, MAX_OFFSET_MS)
        local startOffsetSec = startOffsetMs / 1000.0
        local startOffsetBlicks = secondsToBlicks(startOffsetSec, timeAxis, onset)

        -- Random end offset
        local endOffsetMs = randRange(MIN_OFFSET_MS, MAX_OFFSET_MS)
        local endOffsetSec = endOffsetMs / 1000.0
        local endOffsetBlicks = secondsToBlicks(endOffsetSec, timeAxis, nominalEnd)

        -- Proposed new start and end
        local proposedStart = nominalStart + startOffsetBlicks
        local proposedEnd   = nominalEnd   + endOffsetBlicks

        local effectiveStart = proposedStart

        -- 1) Chain rule: no overlaps
        if prevEffectiveEnd ~= nil and effectiveStart < prevEffectiveEnd then
            effectiveStart = prevEffectiveEnd
        end

        -- 2) Touching rule: if notes originally touched, force touching
        if prevNominalEnd ~= nil and math.abs(nominalStart - prevNominalEnd) < 1 then
            -- They originally touched → force touching now
            effectiveStart = prevEffectiveEnd
        end

        -- Recompute duration based on new end
        local effectiveDuration = proposedEnd - nominalStart
        local effectiveEnd = effectiveStart + effectiveDuration

        -- Apply new timing
        note:setOnset(effectiveStart)
        note:setDuration(effectiveDuration)

        prevEffectiveEnd = effectiveEnd
        prevNominalEnd = nominalEnd
    end

SV:finish() end

Triads Over CAGED Positions on the Guitar Fretboard

2026-03-17T10:42:00.002-04:00

You know, there are probably a thousand ways to learn triads on the guitar, and there seem to be as many videos on Youtube teaching you triads. A lot of them teach you by showing you the different shapes, or they teach you by grouping them by strings (bottom 3, middle 3, top 3). Some teach you a triad, say C major, and then show you all the C majors on the guitar fret.

None of these really stuck with me. Then I saw one video--and I wish I could remember what Youtube channel it was--but he was showing the diatonic triads and grouping them together by their proximity. And I thought this was really helpful because when you're playing, you're not going to be playing C major triads all over the neck, then F major triads all over the neck, etc. I would be following a chord progression, C major, E minor, G major, F major, A minor, etc., the diatonic chords in the key of C major (or whatever major).

So I need to be able to move from one triad to another in that key pretty quick, so I would need to know where they are close by to each other. And what would really be helpful to me is to know where they are relative to the CAGED positions. Since, come on, let's all admit it--the CAGED positions are what just about every beginner guitar player learns first? Right? At least I did.

If you look up guitar triads on the Internet, again, you'd find charts showing triads on groups of stings, eg., on the G B E strings, or triads based on shapes. What I needed was an overlay of triads on the CAGED positions. Now, it would be tedious to do this manually (make up my own chart). But what if AI could help me?

I asked Google Gemini to create an app for me. I gave it all the parameters. It needs to show the guitar neck and frets. I want it to have a drop down box to pick the key, pick what triads to show, and the CAGED position it should overlay on top. It took like 8 iterations before it came up with what I wanted, but it works! I know basic to intermediate programming, but this would have take me forever to do on my own. Screw that! I think this is a genuine case where AI is really helpful.

So here is the webapp that Google Gemini created for me:

https://www.the3represents.com/p/triads-over-caged-positions.html

And what was cool is that there were stuff that Google Gemini knew to do without me saying. It knew to color the notes to point out the root note. And to number the notes. So it knew theory. Like I said, it took around 8 iterations for it to get it right, but still, that is much better than me taking several weeks trying to write this thing.

December Was Pretty Rough

2025-12-27T15:37:00.003-05:00

Well, what a way to end the year. My December started out pretty rough.

I have a history of getting kidney stones. I think my first one was in the mid 1990s. I didn't get another one until maybe 10 years(?) after that, but then I started getting them every five years or so. This year, I got one in February or March, and then got hit again this December which was a real doozy.

Now, all my previous kidney stones--I was able to pass them within 10 to 12 hours. And once they passed, the pain instantly goes to zero and it is completely over. So I was thinking that this one in December was going to be like all the other ones. I was wrong.

It took three days to pass. And even then, there was another three days of pain/spasms. It wasn't on the severe level, but it was around 5/10 in pain. It would do this for a few hours, then go down to like a level 2/10 in pain, and then ramp up to 5/10 again.

The first five days were just awful. Not just the pain, but everything tasted weird. Like rancid oil. What the hell was going on? On the sixth day, the pain spasms finally started subsiding, but I had a constant low level of pain around 2/10 for the next three days. All in all, I think it took a total of 10 days to completely heal.

In the meantime, I did go to Urgent Care because at one point I started to think something was wrong. Why wasn't I passing this like the others? They checked my urine and it had "moderate blood" in it but no indication of infection. Mind you, the blood they found is still microscopic even though they label it "moderate". And since I was there, they took x-rays, even though that's not really a good tool to see kidney stones unless they were really big. They did see a couple of things that could be stones in the right kidney, and one in the left kidney, but they couldn't be sure.

So I followed up with my primary care to get a referral to a urologist. They also prescribed me tamsulosin. At this point I passed the stone into my bladder already, but it helped me pee it out like a week later, so I actually managed to capture the stone.

This kidney stone that I passed

I rinsed it off and dried it off gently and put it in a plastic baggie to take to the urologist.

Okay, you know, I'm at the age where I've had plenty of doctors. Some are great, most are okay. And that's just fine. I think you'll find that this applies to any profession.

But this urologist that I saw is probably the worst doctor I've ever had. And I looked him up on the Internet and he has a lot of negative reviews. I mean, you're always going to get people who are going to leave negative reviews. They're never satisfied with anything. But this doctor had a lot of negative reviews. And these reviews were thoughtfully written.

The consult was over very quick. Maybe 10 minutes. All he did was talk about, "Well, when people get kidney stones, they either try to pass it at home or if the pain gets too much, what we can do is go into the ureter and blast it." He kept harping on this, basically implying that at this point, because I already passed the stone, there wasn't anything for him to do. This confused me. I told him that I started getting kidney stones back in the 1990s, and that this year I actually had two. Two stones in one year. But he did not seem to care at all about the fact that I kept getting recurrent kidney stones. He only seemed to care about doing surgical procedures.

He gave me generic advice about drinking plenty of water and avoiding certain foods that contain oxalates. I know the probability of that stone being calcium oxalate is high--but we don't know this for sure. No testing has been done!

At the end of the consult, he casually says, "Yeah, well send that to the lab for analysis and we'll let you know." And that was it. As I was leaving, I got this really bad feeling that somehow, nothing will be done with the stone and I'll end up losing it. I mean, it's pretty important to analyze that kidney stone!

So I was really confused as I was walking out, like, "What the hell just happened?" And by the time I got in my car, I started to get really angry. Because this doctor did nothing. Absolutely nothing. I did a little digging around, and from what I can gather, the standard clinical practice for treating someone with recurrent kidney stones would be to order up metabolic testing to help determine what is causing this, meaning a 24 hour urine collection. That's just the baseline to start.

It just pisses me off that this guy wasted my time. Once the holidays are over, I'm calling my primary care to get a referral to another urologist. And I'm also going to call up that office to see what happened to my kidney stone. They better have sent that off to the lab.

I Got My PRS 40th Anniversary CE24 Special From Sweetwater!

2025-10-24T15:10:00.002-04:00

PRS ~~40th Anniversary~~
CE24 Special Limited Edition

I got it! I picked it up yesterday. My new PRS ~~40th Anniversary~~* CE24 Special Limited Edition from Sweetwater. I bought it for a total of $2479.34. That's $400 off. PRS Guitars did this last year, too, I believe, when a bunch of their guitars went on sale.

I've mentioned this before, but I used to not like PRS Guitars. I thought they looked ugly. When they came out with the SE line, I bought the 2002 (2003? I keep forgetting the year) Santana SE. I thought the clean sound was good, especially the middle position, but the dirt sound was muddy. I loved the fact that it was lightweight. It was alright.

Last year, I bought the PRS Silver Sky SE. It was on sale, plus, I got an additional discount because it was a demo. It's a great guitar. I've always been a Strat guy, but I really believe that the Silver Sky is a better Strat than the Strat.

Was this guitar perfect? Nope. The pickup switch is flimsy. I should swap that out. It also had a bad case of fret sprout--I mean really bad. I had to take care of that with a beveling file. But the pickups sound great, I love the weight--7 lbs. It feels more comfortable than a Stratocaster because I believe the Silver Sky has the arm cut in the correct place. The rounded heel joint also makes it more comfortable.

I really thought this was going to be my last guitar. But after a while, I really, really wanted to get a USA made PRS. I wanted it! I needed it! I kept looking at all the models. I almost pulled the trigger when they came out with the S2 Special Semi-hollow body. Almost.

Then they came out with the 40th Anniversary CE24 Special. This was the one! So I pulled the trigger and ordered it.

It's the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen, LOL. I know that sounds hokey and stupid, but I really feel that way. Now, it comes it at 8 lbs. I wish it was 7 lbs, but that's okay. That's a normal Strat weight. I don't think I have to tell you that the fit and finish on this guitar is perfect. That's what you get with a USA made PRS guitar.

The neck is a pattern thin carve. It is very similar to my 2003 Fender Stratocaster. I believe the neck width at the nut is the same, but on my Strat, it feels wider. I believe it's because on the CE24, the fingerboard edges are really rolled nicely--better than on my Strat. The neck is so unbelievably comfortable. You feel it immediately when you first grab it. Again, this is what you get with a USA made PRS guitar.

Let me also say this--for every guitar I've own--and I admit, most of my guitars are mid range or cheap, but I do have a couple of "expensive" guitars. For every guitar I have, there is always a spot on the neck where it is not optimal. Maybe a slight buzz, maybe a slight dead spot. Something is not quite perfect.

On my new PRS CE24 Special though--every spot on the neck is perfect. Every fret. Perfect. Again, this is what you get with a USA made PRS guitar. The level of care and attention to the build is fantastic.

I did make some personal adjustments. Every player is different and likes his guitar a certain way. I lowered the action slightly and I lowered the bridge pickup slightly. Now it's perfect for me. I really think (well, I say this now but who knows) that this is the final guitar for me. It does everything I need and want. The coil tapped sounds are great. Very single coil-ish. The humbucker sounds are great. I love the sound of the middle single coil pickup. I've always been a middle pickup guy on the Stratocaster.

The big question people always ask is, is it worth the money to buy a USA made PRS guitar? Because people love to say that when you go from an entry level $200 to $300 guitar to a mid range guitar in the $800 to $1000 (yes, I know it's sad that $1000 is now mid range), the quality improvement is well worth the extra $500-$600 to shell out. But going from $1000 to $2500-$3000 is not worth it, because the mid range guitar gets you 85% of the way there. You're spending and extra $1500-$2000+ just to get an additional 15% in quality.

I can understand that argument and it's not wrong. BUT. That extra 15% matters. When you feel it in your hands and hear it, it matters. So, I say--if you have the money--buy the USA PRS. If you have the money, it doesn't make sense to say, "I'll just settle for the SE version." NO! Get the USA version. You will not regret it.

However, I just want to make this clear. Don't go into debt to get the USA version. Just get the SE guitar. They're great guitars. One day, when you have the money, treat yourself. But don't go into debt for a guitar.

*I think the correct name for this guitar is the PRS CE24 Special Limited Edition. That's what PRS has on their website. I think Sweetwater has it wrong, calling it the 40th Anniversary CE24 Special.

Countdown to Social Security!

2025-09-01T17:39:00.004-04:00

I made up my mind many years ago that I would take Social Security at age 62, and I am very excited now that very soon--early next year--I will put in my application for it!

I don't know why it makes me giddy. Honestly, it feels like I won the lottery because Social Security feels like free money. I don't need it, but I'm going to take it early anyway simply because I don't think I will end up living a long life, say, to the age of 95. Who knows, though, right? Other people who have had cardiac issues, they still live a pretty long life. Dick Cheney has had--what? 4 heart attacks? And he's still going at the age of 84 or something.

Getting to 80 would be awesome. I hope I make it to at least 72. But if I kick the bucket at age 65 or something, I will feel ripped off. So, I'm taking Social Security early just to make sure I get something out of it.

The other thing I am excited about is that I finally decided that it's time for me to buy a "Boomer / Lawyer / Dentist" guitar. I've been thinking about this for a while and I finally pulled the trigger. I put in a pre-order for the PRS CE24 Special.

It's funny because I used to not care for PRS guitars at all. I thought they were ugly. They looked like a bug to me. In 2001, when the SE model came out with the Santana SE, I bought it to try it out. I got it for around $565. They were made in Korea back then. It was alright. I liked the fact that it was really lightweight. The pickups sounded really good clean. I didn't care much for the dirt sound. The neck took some time getting used to. It's kind of a fat neck. At least compared to a Stratocaster.

A couple years ago, I pulled the trigger on a PRS Silver Sky SE. It was a demo model that was also part of a sale, so I got a really good deal on it. I've written before about getting this guitar. It had some issues, but overall, I really like it. It's my main guitar now.

But in the last year, I kept thinking how nice it would be to get a real USA PRS guitar. I kept looking at the models. At first I thought it would be the Mira. Then I was looking at S2 models. I nearly bought the S2 Semi-hollow Special. But then they came out with the 40th Anniversary CE24 Special and that was it--that was the guitar for me!

It should come in September. It's September now! Where is it?! LOL. I kept waffling when I was trying to pick the color. Back ~~Gold~~ Amber or Faded Blue Smokeburst. I mean, that Black ~~Gold~~ Amber color looks so beautiful. But in the end I went with the Faded Blue Smokeburst because it was different. Black ~~Gold~~ Amber is in the similar vein as the traditional tobacco colors. But it sure looks nice. I know, though, that if I had picked Black ~~Gold~~ Amber, I would keep thinking about the Faded Blue Smokeburst model. That's just the way it is.

9/20/2025 Edit: The date has changed to October. I saw on another music stores website that they will ship it around October 21, so I'm guess Sweetwater will be similar. It's making me so antsy!

The Tool Is Not the Talent: Reclaiming Skill in the Age of Software (An Essay by ChatGPT)

2025-04-30T14:35:00.002-04:00

In today’s digital world, the first question aspiring creators often ask is, “What program should I get?” Whether one dreams of becoming a digital artist, a programmer, or a musician, the impulse to seek the right tool before cultivating the actual skill has become common. This reflects a deeper shift in how society views creativity and technical ability—not as personal crafts honed through practice, but as tasks mediated through software. While modern tools undeniably expand what is possible, they can also obscure a fundamental truth: no software can replace the foundational skills, creativity, and understanding that underpin true artistry, programming, or musicianship.

In earlier eras, the barrier to entry was skill itself. Artists needed to understand perspective, light, and form to sketch on paper. Programmers had to grasp algorithms, logic, and syntax to write code in rudimentary text editors or even punch cards. Musicians learned theory, timing, and ear training, often spending countless hours practicing instruments before even entering a recording studio. The tools were simple, even crude—but this very limitation forced creators to develop a deep mastery of their craft. It was this mastery, not the tool, that enabled creativity.

Today, digital tools are incredibly powerful. Artists can manipulate pixels with surgical precision in Photoshop or Procreate. Programmers use integrated development environments (IDEs) that offer autocomplete, debugging, and project management. Musicians produce entire albums with virtual instruments and digital audio workstations (DAWs), layering, looping, and pitch-correcting with ease. These tools are not inherently bad—they are, in fact, marvels. But the danger lies in mistaking the tool for the talent.

When someone starts with the question of what program to use, they imply that the software will somehow imbue them with the skill. This mindset is akin to someone assuming that owning a Stradivarius will make them a violin virtuoso. It reflects a consumer-driven perspective, where creativity is a product of purchasing the right app rather than practicing the right discipline.

The irony is that the very tools meant to empower can also stunt growth if misused. A young artist who relies entirely on Photoshop filters may never learn composition. A novice programmer who depends on autocomplete might struggle to write clean, efficient code without it. A DAW can let a beginner make a beat, but without an ear for rhythm, harmony, and structure, the music will lack soul. In each case, the tool has become a crutch, not a canvas.

What needs to be reclaimed is an appreciation for skill first, tool second. It is essential to understand that tools are amplifiers—they extend what the user already knows how to do. A skilled painter can create beauty with a stick of charcoal; a skilled coder can write elegant programs in a text editor; a trained musician can bring a melody to life with just a voice or an acoustic instrument. These abilities are transferable across tools, platforms, and eras. They are rooted in understanding, not in interface.

This is not to argue against using modern technology. On the contrary, these tools have democratized creation and opened new frontiers. But their power should be harnessed in service of knowledge, not as a substitute for it. Young creators should be taught to ask better first questions: What do I want to express? What skills do I need to learn to make that happen? Only then should the follow-up be, What tool will help me best bring this to life?

In a culture increasingly shaped by software, remembering that creativity and competence reside in the creator—not the program—is vital. The future will belong to those who understand their tools, yes, but more importantly, to those who understand their craft. After all, even the best program cannot create—it can only respond to the hands and minds that guide it.

************************

I asked ChatGPT to write this. I think about this topic a lot because I constantly see people on Reddit asking how to get started doing this and that, seemingly bypassing the obvious solution--"well, you just learn it." You want to be an artist? Learn to draw. You want to make music? Learn how to play an instrument. You want to be a programmer? Learn to program.

People seem to be getting stuck on the "learning" part. My position is, what do you mean, how do you go about "learning" something? What the hell did you do in school all these years? You read books, do research, practice, study--you learn it. Where's the confusion?

Anyway, I'm too lazy to write my own essay, so I guess I cheated and used AI. I feel kind of bad because I think ChatGPT did a much better job at writing it than I ever could. I have a degree in English but I can't write an essay anymore. That's sad. My writing skills have really deteriorated over the years.

I mean, I guess I could build that skill up again. I could practice writing. Nah!

How Has Your 2025 Been Going?

2025-03-11T17:02:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I've last posted, and now it's 2025. In fact, we're already in March, so I thought I should say something.

Although, there's really no reason to post anything. I'm just living my retirement life, which is basically goofing off all day long, every day! I know for some people, that's boring, but for me, that was always an early goal. I've always been a "I wish I could just goof off all day long" kind of guy.

Don't get me wrong--I've also needed to work as well. I needed to get up in the morning, put on a suit, hop on the subway, and go to work. I always felt like I was missing something if I wasn't doing that. Until, that is, I was ready to retire. By the time I hit 50, I think I got the need to work out of my system.

Anyhow, we are about a week and a half away from the arrival of Synthesizer V 2. I've already pre-ordered it, and I've also pre-ordered the v2 upgrades for my Dreamtonics voicebanks (Felicia, Qing Su, Xuan Yu, and Cong Zheng) as well as my Solaria voicebank from Eclipsed Sounds.

I'll have to think about whether or not I need a v2 upgrade for my other voicebanks or just leave them as v1 but upgraded to the compatible version for the v2 editor. I would definitely like a version 2 of Gumi and Teto.

I have also pre-ordered a new voicebank: HXVOC from Eclipsed Sounds. This is a bank especially made for hard rock and metal or any genre where screaming is used. You got to hand it to Eclipsed Sounds for making these voicebanks. We don't need yet another Asian based voicebank for pop. After a while, they all sound the same.

The existence of HXVOC demonstrates quite clearly that any kind of independent "growl" mode is pretty much a complete failure. It just doesn't work. You have to record someone who sings with a growl, who is giving a high volume effort. All these manipulations after the fact are just cheap Vocaloid style gimmicks which sound fake.

So, I'm really eager to start playing around with Synthesizer V 2. I especially want to write some kind of Bleach era sounding song using HXVOC. That genre isn't really in my wheelhouse but I want to try. So far, my previous attempts at doing something like that haven't been great.

Oh, by the way, I'm going to rant for a little bit here. Kobe Bryant once made a criticism of the current play level of basketball (this was in 2018) as being "accidental basketball." And I feel it's an apt criticism regarding the state of music--mainly with amateurs learning how to create songs. Accidental songwriting is what it is, I suppose.

I hate to sound like an old man yelling at clouds, but when I was growing up, people decided to learn how to play an actual musical instrument, usually the guitar or keyboards. We'd listen to a song from an album or cassette and rewind and rewind to learn how to play it.

I went to the library and checked out books on How to Play Guitar. I'd learn my open chords, I'd learn basic music theory about how chords are constructed, what are musical keys, scales, etc. Just basic stuff. After a while, I wanted to write my own songs. I listened to the songs I liked. I used my very rudimentary knowledge of music to construct songs.

That's all common sense, right? You would think. But today, I constantly see posts like, "I have all these great songs in my head but I don't know how to get it out of me." And they almost always are just referring to words they've thought up or written down. It's like they haven't even considered the "music" part of it. Well, that's kind of important, right? A song isn't just a bunch of words scribble on a notepad.

The obvious solution to me if you want to write songs is to learn music. Learn to play music. Learning to create music naturally follows from learning to play music.

But people nowadays seem to think that all you need is some kind of computer program to create a song. If you want to write a novel, you don't need a pen and paper, you can use a computer. But you still have to do the writing! The same with a song. You still have to create--along with your lyrics--the melody of your song and the arrangement of the song. YOU have to do that. It's not going to happen by just buying some software like Synthesizer V and pushing some buttons and out pops a song.

I guess the closest you can get to that is Suno or some other AI service, and believe me, if you use those services (and I actually have nothing against AI, well, pretty much), you didn't write jack shit. You did not create jack shit. I know a lot of people think they do because they "thought about what prompts to use," but no, sorry, you did not create jack shit.

You can learn music on a computer. I think it's better if you learn on something like a guitar or keys, but your computer can be your "instrument." You have to learn music though. You have to think of it as learning how to use a musical instrument. Learn your basic music theory. Because if all you're doing is just using loops and samples from Splice that SOMEONE ELSE CREATED, just dragging and dropping things into some software without any purpose, all you're doing is Accidental Music.

I Asked ChatGPT to Write a Scene in My Own Writing Style

2024-11-05T17:36:00.001-05:00

A while back, I uploaded something like 100,000 words of my own writing to Nvidia's ChatRTX to train it to write in my style. I don't think it did a very good job.

So I wondered if ChatGPT could do better. I uploaded my very first Nanowrimo effort (it was the edited version where I trimmed out all the excess junk that I put in to push it over 50,000 words. The final edited version was something like 43,000 words). It seems to be very quick--almost instantaneously--to "read it." It makes me question whether or not it actually did read and analyze the whole thing.

Its summary of my writing style was this:

I’ve read the beginning and can already get a sense of your style: it’s direct and conversational, with a focus on character introspection, realistic dialogue, and a grounded sense of humor. Your characters’ everyday observations and subtle frustrations give the narrative a relatable, almost slice-of-life feel, while hints of dry wit bring out the quirks of office culture and relationships.

And then I asked it to write a scene in my writing style with this prompt:

Please write a short scene in my writing style. Here is the scene. Matthew is on the subway. He notices an old woman--she appears to be homeless. She starts to sing. Everybody in the subway car ignores her.

And this was the result:

The train car jolted forward, and Matthew held onto the metal pole, swaying with the motion. His back ached from the long day, and he tried to let his mind go blank as he watched the station blur by through the dirty window. Then he noticed her—a woman, hunched and wrapped in layers of woolen scarves and old jackets, perched in the corner of the car. He couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep, until she started humming, a soft, raspy sound, barely rising above the noise of the train.
It wasn't long before the humming turned into something else. She began to sing, in a voice cracked and tired, but not without a strange grace. It was a song he didn’t recognize, maybe something from long before his time, or maybe from a different place entirely. Her words were more like sounds, drawn out and quivering, half lost in the rattling of the subway car.
Around him, people barely glanced her way. One or two shifted uncomfortably, looked down, or buried their faces deeper in their phones. A young woman across the aisle put her earbuds in and scrolled faster through her feed. Nobody looked at the old woman, who continued to sing, her eyes somewhere else, focused on something invisible to the rest of them.
Matthew shifted on his feet, feeling that peculiar urge to turn away himself, to ignore her like everyone else, but he found he couldn’t. There was something vulnerable and unwavering in her voice, even as it wavered and cracked. It was an uncomfortable sound—not pleasant, not beautiful, but somehow true.
As the train slowed for the next stop, she finished her song, her final note fading into silence as the doors opened. She looked around, blinking at the indifferent faces, and then she looked at him. Just for a second, her eyes met his, sharp and bright beneath the wrinkles and wear. He thought she might smile or nod, but she didn’t. She just looked, as if daring him to acknowledge her existence, to step outside the quiet contract everyone else on the train was upholding.
Then she pulled her scarves tighter around her shoulders, her gaze shifting back to some private place, and she fell silent once again.

My first reaction was--it's very plausible that I wrote this back in my 30s. It's very similar to how I wrote back then. But it seems better. So, again, I'm thinking it's not only my writing style but with other writers mixed in. So I don't think I can trust ChatGPT to write a novel or something in my style because in my gut, it feels like other peoples' styles are being used. If I had absolute confidence that it is writing only in my style from its analysis of my writing style, then I think it would be a fun project to try--having ChatGPT write a novel, trained on my writings, and based on the prompts I give it for all the scenes. Yeah, because I am that lazy.

What I find fascinating is that I was not explicit in how I wanted the scene to go. But in my mind, everybody ignored the woman except Matthew couldn't. He was drawn to her singing. I didn't say that, but ChatGPT went there anyway. Or maybe that is a tired cliche? That's what everybody would have written?

One particular line:

She just looked, as if daring him to acknowledge her existence, to step outside the quiet contract everyone else on the train was upholding.

I really like this line, but I don't think I would have ever written this line. I wish I could write a line like this, but I doubt that I could. It would have been my attempt at imitating Fitzgerald. Which, again, makes me think ChatGPT went outside my own writing for it.

More Fun with Google Gemini AI: I Farted! A New Card Game

2024-09-23T22:24:00.001-04:00

Well, I will say this about AI--it helps with tedious details. I asked Google Gemini to create a game called "I Farted!" using this prompt:

I want to create a card game. Each person gets 3 cards. If one person gets 3 of a kind, he yells "I farted!" and wins. Can you write me the manual?

I Farted!

A Simple Card Game

Objective:

The objective of I Farted! is to be the first player to draw three cards of the same rank. Once you have three of a kind, you yell "I farted!" and win the game.

Materials:

A standard deck of 52 playing cards

Setup:

Shuffle: Thoroughly shuffle the deck of cards.
Deal: Deal three cards to each player.

Gameplay:

Draw: Players take turns drawing a card from the top of the deck and discarding a card from their hand.
Check for Three of a Kind: After each draw, check your hand for three cards of the same rank.
Yell "I Farted!": If you have three of a kind, yell "I farted!" as loudly as you can.
Victory: The first player to successfully yell "I farted!" with three of a kind wins the game.

Variations:

Wild Cards: Designate one or more cards as wild cards. These cards can be used to represent any rank.
Multiple Rounds: Play multiple rounds, with a different player starting each round.
Penalties: Introduce penalties for incorrect calls of "I farted!" or for drawing too slowly.

Enjoy your game of I Farted!

The interesting thing is that even though I specifically told Google Gemini the name of my game is called "I Farted," it called it simply "Farted!" I fixed that, of course.

But I can imagine using AI to flesh out stuff you want to make or created. It's really useful for lazy people like me. I would not, however, just simply let it create something entirely on its own. I don't think it's anywhere near prime time for something like that.

A New Religion called Fartism based on Farting

2024-09-18T01:39:00.003-04:00

I told ChatGPT that I wanted to create a new religion called Fartism. I gave it four basic tenets:

It is good to fart
Farting is happiness
People should be free to fart whenever and whereever.
To fart is to live

I then asked it to help me construct this religion and this is what it came up with.

Fartism sounds like a lighthearted yet liberating belief system! Here’s a fleshed-out structure for your religion:

Core Beliefs (The Four Tenets of Fartism):

**It is Good to Fart** – Farting is a natural, healthy bodily function that should be embraced, not suppressed.
**Farting is Happiness** – Farts are a source of joy, humor, and relief. Releasing one’s farts is akin to releasing one's burdens.
**Freedom to Fart** – All people are free to fart whenever and wherever they feel the need, without shame or judgment.
**To Fart is to Live** – Farting is a vital expression of life’s natural rhythms. Suppression of this impulse is akin to suppression of one’s spirit.

Rituals and Practices:

**The Daily Fart** – Every follower should honor the first fart of the day as a sign of vitality.

**Group Fart Ceremonies** – Followers gather to collectively release farts as a symbol of unity and shared joy.

**Silent Meditation Farting** – Quiet contemplation where participants focus on internal release, finding peace through their bodies’ natural rhythms.

Symbols:

**The Cloud of Release** – A stylized, playful cloud representing freedom, release, and joy.

The Cloud of Release

Sacred Text:

**"The Winds of Freedom"** – A compilation of humorous, poetic, and philosophical reflections on the nature of farts and their place in human existence.

I Finally Got Covid!

2024-08-18T01:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. After avoiding it for the last four and a half years, my good luck finally ran out. I had not been sick since March 2020.

It started out as a normal Monday. I decided to take a walk, but ten minutes in, I was already feeling exhausted. I thought that was really strange. Why is this walk wiping me out? I ended my walk early and went home. Other than that, I had no other symptoms. I figured I just needed a good night's rest.

On Tuesday, I woke up with achiness all over. I knew right then I was coming down with something. I thought about using one of those home covid tests I had stored away but never got to use but I thought if I tested too early, it might not show anything. So I decided to wait. By the afternoon, I also developed a headache and a low fever (101.2 F). Things were beginning to taste off and my appetite was disappearing.

That night I had one of the worst nights of sleep ever. I couldn't manage to sleep more than 90 minutes at a time. When you're suffering from body aches all over, it's just so uncomfortable. It was a miserable night.

On Wednesday, the body achiness lessened, although now I was feeling joint paint (knees, elbows, back). That might really be more due to me lying in bed a lot trying to get some rest. I decided to use one of my covid tests. It had expired two years ago, but that's all I had. Well, expired or not, I tested positive really quick. And it was quite a strong response. I was probably shedding a lot of virus.

Covid Test. Got a strong positive
even though test was expired by 2 yrs

I'd say Tuesday and Wednesday were the peak. I would categorize it as a mild to moderate episode. I've had bouts of the flu that were much worse--it's horrible when you get that really heavy nausea and end up vomiting.

But with this covid, I had no nausea. Still, it felt very uncomfortable and I didn't like it. At the end of Wednesday, I started to develop a slight cough. I could tell, though, that I was feeling better. The virus seemed to be moving at a rapid pace.

On Thursday, my covid test was still positive, but I could tell the line was getting fainter. And I continued to feel better. My appetite was improving a bit, but things still tasted awful.

On Friday, I feeling pretty good. Not quite normal, but getting there. I get this urge to eat meat. I'd lost a couple of pounds from just eating soup the last few days, so I fried up a pork chop. It was good. I had to slather it with ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to make it taste like something, but it was good. Covid test was still positive.

By Saturday, the line on the covid test was getting noticeably faint. My gut reaction was that soon I would test negative.

Covid test on Saturday Aug 18.
Line is getting pretty faint.

I ordered some fresh covid tests (these expire Oct 2025) to make sure that when I test negative, I can make sure I'm really negative.

So, what did I learn from this? I don't like getting sick. I just don't. I'll always take a vaccine if it can give me better odds at not getting sick. Or if I get sick, it won't be too bad and it will be over sooner rather than later.

Oh, and I also continued my habit of taking zinc gluconate lozenges. I don't know if it's all in my head, but I started taking these any time I was coming down with a cold or flu. This was back in 2000 (?) I think.

It just feels like it helps shortens the flu. It may help prevent the virus from replicating. Or may not. Who knows? It doesn't hurt so I'll continue using them when I get sick.

Trying to Install OpenMMD on my PC in 2024

2024-08-10T20:55:00.002-04:00

I saw this application called OpenMMD that would allow you to basically do motion tracking without the suit. It would take plain old video of people moving and create motion files--namely, vmd files, which you can use in MMD (Miku Miku Dance). How cool is that?

So I wanted to try it out. I downloaded it from Github:

https://github.com/peterljq/OpenMMD

At first I was trying to install all the old versions of Python/Anaconda because it was using version 3.6 of Python and I felt it was going to break if I installed the newest version. Well, I had so much trouble with trying to retrieve old packages that just aren't there anymore, I just said forget it and installed the newest version of Anaconda.

I followed the instructions on the Github page (as well as did some of the suggestions regarding renaming the OpenMMD directory as well as editing one of the files--check out the video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/uZcR1iTPNPs?si=kSW65c4wc8hCdD1o

But otherwise I just followed the instructions on the Github page.

I made a stupid video of me doing goofy moves. I then ran the OpenposeVideo.bat file. A window opened, and it looked like it was doing something, but it was blank (all black) and then it closed. There was an error message:

ERROR: Check failed: error == cudaSuccess (8 vs. 0) invalid device function

This didn't surprise me. My computer is fairly new and my Nvidia card is the RTX 3070. I had a similar problem when I was installing Stable Diffusion. For that particular circumstance (if I remember correctly), I was able to edit a file to change something, so I thought something similar would be the answer here. I could not find anything on the Internet. People had the same issue but nobody answered the question.

I then went back to the Github page to see if they have comments. Under pull request, there was one person who had the same exact issue. Further down on the page, he wrote:

So I managed to fix it by replacing OpenPose 1.5.1 into OpenMMD folder.

That led me to the right path. I looked up OpenPose and grabbed the current binaries (version 1.7). I unzipped it and copied all the directories over to my OpenMMD folder. Grab them here:

https://github.com/CMU-Perceptual-Computing-Lab/openpose/releases

I then had to grab the models because the program tries to get them, but the site where it goes is gone. Luckily, several people have archived them. I got mine from here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1USEdy_7uvwO4PIqsQJq8kT0sX4H4f7nn

I copied all the files to the /models folder in OpenMMD.

I then ran OpenposeVideo.bat again and this time it was working! A window opened up and the video popped up. It created the avi file successfully and the .json folder.

Ran OpenMMD on my
video and it created the
skeleton frame

I was happy! I thought it was going to work and that I could make my own goofy MMD videos without having to buy a motion tracking suit or learn how to actually create MMD videos (believe me, I've tried but I'm too stupid to be able to do it.)

On to the next step. Go to 3d-pose-baseline-vmd folder and run

OpenposeTo3D.bat

I got a bunch of errors. Some of them were easy fixes dealing with deprecated syntax in Python 3.12. I don't know any Python, but a quick inquiry in Claude AI told me that you couldn't have:

int(re.findall("(\d{12})"

it needs to be fixed to:

int(re.findall(r"(\d{12})"

Okay, so I can do that with simple edits. But the big problem I have now is this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "D:\Programs\OpenMMD\3d-pose-baseline-vmd\src\openpose_3dpose_sandbox_vmd.py", line 10, in <module>
import data_utils
File "D:\Programs\OpenMMD\3d-pose-baseline-vmd\src\data_utils.py", line 10, in <module>
import cameras
File "D:\Programs\OpenMMD\3d-pose-baseline-vmd\src\cameras.py", line 6, in <module>
import h5py
File "C:\Users\fred\anaconda3\envs\tensorflow\Lib\site-packages\h5py\__init__.py", line 25, in <module>
from . import _errors
ImportError: DLL load failed while importing _errors: The specified procedure could not be found.
(tensorflow) D:\Programs\OpenMMD\3d-pose-baseline-vmd>

So I'm working on trying to resolve this.

I Used Nvidia ChatWithRTX to Train a Model Based on My Own Writing

2024-06-04T12:56:00.001-04:00

Okay, I freely admit, I'm really lazy. I wanted to train an AI model based on my own writing to help me write songs. AI is fun to play around with to see what it can create, but for it to be useful to me, it has to be me writing the stuff.

I cobbled together all the stuff I had--a couple of novellas for NanoWrimo, lyrics to the songs that I've written, some instructional guides I created from my last job, some short stories I wrote long ago, blog entries--anything I could dig up that I've written. I think put together something like 110k to 120k of words. That's not a lot, but that's all I have.

So I used Nvidia's ChatWithRTX to train a model based on this, and then I asked it to write a story about a boy who loved to fart. This is what it came up with.

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Tim who loved to fart. He would spend hours every day practicing his farting techniques, trying to perfect the sound and the smell. He would often fart in public, much to the amusement of those around him.
One day, Tim's parents took him to the doctor because he was having trouble with his bowel movements. The doctor diagnosed him with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can cause frequent and painful bowel movements. Tim was devastated, as he had always loved his bowel movements and the feeling of relief he got after a good fart.
But Tim was determined to manage his IBS and keep farting. He started keeping a fart diary, where he would record the time, location, and sound of every fart he had. He also started trying different foods and drinks to see what would make him fart the most.
As time went on, Tim became more and more obsessed with farting. He would spend hours every day practicing his farting techniques, trying to perfect the sound and the smell. He would often fart in public, much to the amusement of those around him.
One day, Tim's parents took him to the doctor again because he was having trouble with his bowel movements. The doctor diagnosed him with a more severe form of IBS, which can cause even more frequent and painful bowel movements. Tim was devastated, as he had always loved his bowel movements and the feeling of relief he got after a good fart.
But Tim was determined to manage his IBS and keep farting. He started keeping a fart diary, where he would record the time, location, and sound of every fart he had. He also started trying different foods and drinks to see what would make him fart the most.

There's actually a lot more, but it couldn't end the story. In fact, it just kept looping with minor variations. Yeah, I get it. Tim loved to fart. He kept practicing. He kept a journal. Then his parents took him to the doctor because he had IBS. Tim was disappointed because he loved farting so much. So he was determined to keep doing it.

And it just kept repeating this over and over until it stopped in mid sentence. I wonder why it couldn't end the story?

The songs I asked it to write was even more disappointing. They were horrible and had a lot of repeating lines. I guess 100k words is just nowhere near enough to train a decent model. How sad! I was really hoping to have an AI model based on me that I could use to write lyrics.

Birthday Week - I'm Turning 60!

2024-05-20T17:55:00.000-04:00

This week, I'll be turning 60! Woo hoo! Actually, it's not really a big deal to me. It feels like it should be a big deal, but it's not. I've never felt that way about birthdays. It was not a big deal to me when I turned 18, it wasn't when I turned 21, nor was it a big deal when I turned 30, 40, and 50, either. So, I guess I shouldn't have expected to feel differently now that I'm about to turn 60.

I'll tell you this, though--the age that really matters to me is when I turn 62 because that's when I'm taking social security! I've mentioned this before--social security feels like free money to me. Why put off taking it? What good is it to have more money later when you might be dead later?

Seeing how it will be my birthday soon, I will take advantage of some free stuff being offered by businesses. I already redeemed my free birthday gift from Lidl. I got a free Three Musketeers bar. I've got a coupon for a free charburger from Habit Burger. I think McDonalds will give me something. And Starbucks should as well.

Is that kind of sad? When I see it written out like that, it does seem kind of pathetic, LOL. I'm just some old guy about to turn sixty, and I'm celebrating with coupons for free stuff.

2nd Colonoscopy Done!

2024-03-31T01:08:00.003-04:00

Well, I have now done my second colonoscopy. Actually, I was supposed to have had it done a few years ago. In the first one, they removed a polyp so they said I should do this again in five years. But the pandemic hit, and then I got stents, and then I suffered that sudden cardiac arrest. After things finally settled down, my doctor told me that I should really get this done.

So, I scheduled it--nine years after the first one. Yeah, I'm late. You know what, though? This time, the procedure cost me a pretty penny. First, it's no longer a "diagnostic" procedure because they found a polyp the first time around. It's kind of a loophole, I think, to get around the ACA requirement of free preventive colonoscopy screenings.

Plus the fact that because of my ICD, I have to get it done at the hospital--so that adds to the cost. So I had to pay my deductible and co-payment for this. My deductible is not really that bad. It's $1750. My co-payment is $400. So that's $2150 out of my pocket already. And who knows what other bills are going to come in. All those doctors there during the procedure, they're all going to ding you for something with separate bills.

It's nicer to get it done at an actual hospital, though. All the doctors and nurses and assistants to take care of you. And they don't rush you out. They let me sleep a bit after the procedure whereas before in the outpatient center, they really want to move it along.

The prep is--well, not enjoyable. I can tolerate drinking all that stuff though. What really is annoying is that if your procedure is scheduled in the morning, you have to wake up at around 3:00 am to start your second dose. So you only get a few hours of sleep.

They found two polyps this time around. The doctor said I should get another colonoscopy done in three to five years. Honestly though, I'm not doing this again in only three years. It's going to be five. The doctor put in an endoclip to close up where they removed the polyp.

I had to stop taking clopidogrel (Plavix) for five days before the procedure. There was no bleeding afterwards, so I'm starting the regimen up again. To tell you the truth, it made me kind of nervous being off of it. I'm paranoid about getting a blood clot.

I'm basically resigned to the fact that I'm at that age where I'm going to have a lot of medical procedures for the rest of my life. I have "a lot of problems." That's what one doctor told me once. And it's true. When they list them out and you hear it when they go over your medical history, it really hits you. "Man, I really do have a lot of problems!"

I guess some people are more susceptible than others to problems as they get older. I take after my mother's side of the family, and most of the men on that side did not live a long life. But I'm sure as hell going to try!

Update: Oh, I forgot to add this update. It turns out my insurance paid for this. Did I compute the time wrong? Was it ten years? Anyway, that was a nice surprise.

New Release for The 3Represents, "vtuber"

2024-01-22T01:14:00.001-05:00

I'm getting ready to put out new music for the 3Represents. This will be the third album of music using synthesized vocals (Synthesizer V, to be exact) from me.

The last release was in October 2022. So this is just a little over a year. That's pretty good. Normally, I am such a slow writer. Like, releasing something after five years kind of slow. But in the last several years, I feel my productivity has really gone into high gear.

It really started when I did Patreon in 2019. That really got me into the habit of writing on a regular basis because I felt I had to do something every month. And that, in turn, really supercharged my production for things like FAWM and 50 Songs in 90 Days.

It really makes me feel like I accomplished something when I'm able to churn out stuff at this rate. I mean, half of it is throwaway stuff, but I'm really happy with the stuff I can keep. The more I think about it, I think having Synthesizer V provides and incentive to write as well. If only that technology was available back when I first started writing!

If feel like I'm hitting my most productive creative period as I slide into my senior citizen phase, LOL.

Looking backing to my first Anomie Train songs--I wonder how many songs I've written over the years? I feel like I've built up a nice catalog. Of course, it's a catalog that will just disappear in the course of time. Actually, you can make the argument that it's already "disappeared!"

When you think about it, it's pretty rare for music to last for years. Of the classical composers, how many do people recognize by name? A handful at the most, I think. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach. Who else does the average people know? Chopin maybe?

As for pop music, what will happen when my generation all die out? Will people remember The Beatles? The Rolling Stones? Will people even listen to someone like Justin Timberlake 50 years from now? That's why I don't care that my music is pretty much unknown. 99% of all music will be forgotten anyway. We'll all meet the same fate.

Is ChatGPT a Decent Fiction Writer?

2023-12-07T18:09:00.001-05:00

I was an English major. At one point--probably like a lot of other English majors, I thought I could write the Great American Novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald was my hero. There were a couple of problems. One, I'm not that great of a writer. And, two--I'm really lazy. Writing is tortuous for me. Just the idea of sitting down and writing something out... Ugh.

But now we have ChatGPT! Would this be a good tool to help writers write fiction? I think it could help lazy writers, that's for sure. You'd still have to really think and plot out your story, though. Write a detailed outline and then let ChatGPT flesh out the writing. I don't think it would work if you tried to have ChatGPT create most of the plot. It would be too simplistic and stupid.

I wanted ChatGPT to write out a scene for me. Here's the prompt I used:

Can you write this scene for me? The main character is a mage named Goombus. He has a reputation for being a horrible mage with little battle experience. But in secret, he is a really powerful mage because of his use of nonconventional spells. In this scene, he is facing an evil mage named Krillus. In this battle, Krillus seems to have the upper hand, bombarding Goombus with attack spells like Fire Lance and Ice Dart one after the other. Goombus is lying on the ground, seemingly defeated. Just as Krillus is about to land the killing blow, Goombus grabs a handful of dirt and throws it at Krillus. Goombus casts the spell, "Size of an Elephant's Dick!" And the tiny particles of dirt all become giant boulders the size of an elephant's penis and crushes Krillus.

Here is what ChatGPT wrote:

The battlefield was ablaze with the fury of magical incantations, casting a chaotic dance of flames and ice. Goombus, the supposedly inept mage, found himself sprawled on the ground, panting and battered from Krillus's relentless barrage of spells.

Krillus, a sinister figure with dark robes billowing in the magical storm he had unleashed, sneered down at Goombus. "You thought you could challenge me, Goombus? Your reputation as a pitiful mage is well-deserved!"

Goombus smirked weakly, his eyes narrowing as he assessed his dire situation. The onslaught continued as Fire Lances and Ice Darts rained down upon him. Each spell seemed to be the final blow, but Goombus clung to consciousness.

As Krillus prepared for the decisive strike, Goombus, with a desperate gleam in his eyes, reached out and grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground. With a sudden, unexpected motion, he hurled the soil at Krillus.

The evil mage, momentarily taken aback, scoffed at the feeble attempt. But Goombus was far from defeated. In the midst of the chaos, he chanted the incantation, "Size of an Elephant's Dick!"

The tiny particles of dirt, mid-air, began to transform. In a surreal spectacle, they swelled and expanded, growing into monstrous boulders the size of an elephant's genitalia. Krillus, caught off guard, had no time to react as the colossal stones crashed down upon him.

The ground shook with the force of the impact, and a cloud of dust obscured the battlefield. As the dust settled, Krillus lay beneath the enormous boulders, defeated and humiliated.

Goombus, battered and bruised but triumphant, struggled to his feet. He dusted off his robes with a self-satisfied grin. "Looks like size does matter, after all."

The onlookers, who had witnessed the unexpected turn of events, erupted in a mixture of shock and amusement. Goombus had defied his reputation and bested Krillus with a spell that no one saw coming. The tale of the mage who used unconventional magic to overcome his adversaries would surely become a legend in the magical realm.

At the end, ChatGPT gave me this warning:

This content may violate our content policy. If you believe this to be in error, please submit your feedback — your input will aid our research in this area.

This line surprised me: The evil mage, momentarily taken aback, scoffed at the feeble attempt.

I mean, that's exactly what I intended, that throwing dirt at someone would be treated as a pathetic last attempt to fight. I did not specifically say that, but ChatGPT knew that that was what I was thinking. That's kind of impressive.

I Bought the PRS Silver Sky SE Maple (Overland Gray)!

2023-11-03T13:50:00.001-04:00

PRS Silver Sky SE
Maple (Overland Gray)

Five years ago, I bought that cheapy Squier Affinity Telecaster because I really wanted a Telecaster but I didn't want to buy an expensive one. I swore to myself that this time, this was really the absolute last guitar I'll ever buy because I don't need another one. I only play two or three on a regular basis, so what is the point of buying more guitars?

So that was five years ago. But that Squier has a maple fretboard, and I discovered that I really, really like the maple fretboard. It just looks better. And I started to think, maybe I should buy a Stratocaster with a maple fretboard.

But no! I resisted! No matter how much I kept thinking, maybe I'll just get the cheaper Classic Vibe...but nope! I kept up my willpower.

Then PRS came out with the Silver Sky and I thought, wow, I would really like that! But again, I kept my vow and did not buy another guitar. Even when they came out with the cheaper Silver Sky SE. EVEN when they came out with the SE version with a maple fretboard!

But this past week, my resistance broke. Why? The PRS Silver Sky is on sale. I don't know if they just have a ton of overstock because of overproduction during the pandemic or what, or maybe they're just clearing out this year's models for something new year--I don't know. All I know is that the PRS Silver Sky is only $679 right now. That is a 20% discount from the regular $849 price.

However, even that did not break my resistance. What finally tipped it over was that Sweetwater had a demo model of the PRS Silver Sky Maple (Overland Gray) that was only $611. I kept looking at it. Should I? One person had it in their cart. I looked at it the next day and now there were four people who had it in their carts! My mind snapped. I grabbed my wallet and I bought it, LOL. Suckers, you snooze, you lose!

I originally had my eye on that purple one because it was such a cool color. But the more I looked at it, I felt that after a while, that purple would become an eyesore to me. It would just stick out too much. So I was glad the overland gray had a demo available. I don't care about dings and scratches on demos because eventually I will put those on the guitar myself anyway. I looked closely at the pictures they put up of the supposed "blemishes," and I really couldn't see anything.

The guitar arrived yesterday. I had it delivered to a Fedex outpost so I could pick it up at my leisure. When I went to get it, I was surprised that the box they put it in was so huge (but that's good--it had a ton of foam padding in it). It couldn't fit in my back seat. Luckily, I have a hatchback. I had to put down the back seats and slide it in from the back. I also had to move up my front passenger seat all the way, but it fit!

The box had the big sticker saying, "Please, please wait 24 hours to let the guitar acclimate to the temperature!" I mean, it's getting colder, but it's not real cold yet. So I waited four hours. Then I opened it. First thing I did was eat the free candy Sweetwater always put in.

My first impression--it looks beautiful. Those Indonesian factories really can build guitars. I could not find any blemishes. Even looking at the photos where they marked the spots and comparing it to my guitar in hand, I could not see them. For a demo, it looks pristine to me (not that I really care that much about that).

I love the weight. It's 7 lbs. It just feels better than an 8+ lb guitar strapped on. I know some people like to feel the weight on them, but I don't. The neck is a slightly chunkier C shape, I think. You don't really think about it unless you are switching guitars. When I tried my 1986 Squier MIJ Stratocaster, I thought, whoa, this neck feels really thin! But you get used to the difference pretty quick. Overall, it's a very comfortable neck. Because it's deeper, the edges feel softer. Compared to the Squier Telecaster which has a similar width neck but much more shallow C carve--that feels like grabbing a table edge since the fretboard is not rolled. I don't know if the Silver Sky SE actually has rolled fretboard edges, but it feels slightly rolled because the neck is thicker.

The tuners are okay. They are not great. I don't mind the plastic buttons at all. I know that bothers a lot of people but it doesn't bother me one bit. I've seen cheap buttons with those lines and bits sticking out like it was a plastic model part, but these Silver Sky SE buttons look perfectly molded. The tuners themselves aren't the smoothest though. They are not bad--they're just not buttery smooth like on my American Strat.

They put 10s for the strings. I am a lifelong 9s guy. The 10s feel really stiff to me. I was thinking about changing them to 9s, but I will give it time. I may come to like 10s. They certainly sound "meatier." That may be my imagination though because that could all be from the pickups. The pickups are loud. They are a lot hotter than the ones on my Strat. They sound a bit warmer though. Not so harsh. But they sound very "Stratty." I mean, it's basically a Strat copy. Call it a Strat+.

I haven't tried out the tremolo bar yet. I'm not a big tremolo guy anyway. On the Silver Sky, they set it up decked (the way John Mayer likes it). I tend to like it floating because I'll pull on it rather that use the bar. But we'll see.

I will also say this about the pickup selector switch. On mine, it feels a little soft. I prefer a stronger "click" when moving from one position to another. It's kind of easy to accidentally move it to an in between position (like between 5 and 4). Again, this may just be on mine.

All in all, I am really happy with this purchase. Especially at that $611 price. Even at the full sale price of $679, it's well worth it. If you need a guitar and you want a Strat, get the PRS Silver Sky SE. Don't bother with the MIM Fender Player. Even if they were the regular price of $849, I say get the PRS. Only get the Fender if you're going for the American made Professional II series.

I Have Now Deleted Reddit

2023-08-02T13:54:00.001-04:00

I deleted Reddit. Not really so much because of the controversy surrounding it recently, but because basically I'm just fed up with the stupidity of the users.

I guess eventually all social media (comments, forums, etc) become toxic and stupid. Little things that didn't bother me at first--they eventually just irritate the hell out of me. People who ask the same dumb questions over and over even though you see the same posts every day.

At first, I get it--people ask these simple beginner questions that can easily be answered with a Google search because they just want that human interaction/confirmation. It's different when the answer comes from an actual human compared to reading the answer in an article. But eventually you get sick of seeing these same beginner questions over and over and over again. Even though you know you can just skip it--just don't read it.

The other thing about Reddit that I just got fed up with is these moderators who have a giant stick up their butts. It's like living in an HOA where they fine you for having flowers on your porch or something.

Back in April, I quit Twitter, mainly because I think its new owner is a complete idiot who runs the company like, well, a Reddit moderator who has a giant stick up his butt.

So, I'm mainly on Mastodon where I actually like the smaller community. I pretty much like to post things just to post something I'm thinking about. I don't really care about the size of the audience or engagement. I know that sounds weird because why else would you participate in social media, right?

I also signed up with Threads. I'm not really using that for posting. I think I've made three posts. I'm just not feeling it. I prefer posting on Mastodon. I'm mainly using Threads for reading news. I've blocked and muted so many accounts on it so far. I hate meme posts. I just hate them so much. I think they are stupid and are almost never funny. So any account that does that, I mute.

In the beginning, every once in a while, some racist idiot comes up, and then I just block them and anybody who responds affirmatively to them, I block as well. That has quickly weeded out my feed. Like everyone else, I am waiting for a desktop version as well as the ability to search. I just like reading news, looking at food pictures, and maybe look at stuff involving anime. I hope that it gets to be big enough so that vtubers use it. Since I don't use Twitter, I don't see Hololive postings regarding schedule.

I Forgot to Install the New SSL Certificate for Losertown.org

2023-06-07T21:32:00.002-04:00

Oops. I forgot to install the new SSL certificate on losertown.org. I got an email about a month ago from my hosting service saying it was ready and that I should install it. Of course, I put it off and eventually forgot about it until now. How did I notice? Traffic dropped like a rock. It took a few days of this for my feeble brain to put two and two together.

It's all good now. I apologize to anyone using the Losertown Calculator for getting those warnings about an unsecured connection.

Everytime I forget to do something, it makes me wonder--how much of it is because I'm just getting older and how much of it was aggravated by my cardiac arrest in 2021? I try to do things like write notes and use my Amazon Alexa for reminders, but still, I keep doing these things!

Synthesizer V Kasane Teto AI

2023-05-27T16:39:00.002-04:00

Okay, I did it. I honestly didn't have any intention of buying Synthesizer V Kasane Teto AI, but I did!

Here's why. I kept listening to songs with people using her now that her Synthesizer V voicebank it out, and the more I listened, the more I realized--she has a really good voice! It's a really unique tone. I like it. It reminds me a lot of certain anime characters, like Komari from Non Non Biyori.

However, what put me over the edge is the fact that the Japanese Yen is SO cheap to the U.S. dollar right now. One dollar will get you 140 Yen! That's just crazy. The last time I was in Japan back in--was it 2017? I was getting 106 yen to the dollar.

So buying Teto from the AH Soft website was only about $70, and I couldn't pass that up.

The first thing I did was make a cover of Mogu Mogu YUMMY! I think Teto kind of sounds like Hololive Nekomato Okayu.

Adding to My Synthesizer Voicebank Library

2023-03-09T20:03:00.001-05:00

So far, I have these Synthesizer V voicebanks:

Solaria (native English female)
Koharu Rikka (native Japanese female)
Mai (native Japanese female)
Tsurumaki Maki (English female)
Eleanor Forte (native English female)
Xuan Yu (native Mandarin Chinese male)
Qing Su (native Mandarin Chinese female)

I have pre-ordered Jun from Audiologie. He is a native English speaker. The great thing about all of these voicebanks is that they are AI voicebanks and can make use of Synthesizer V Pro's cross-lingual ability to sing in English, Japanese, and Chinese.

Solaria is my top English voicebank as she is a very powerful singer and has the nuances of a professional singer since she is modeled after a professional singer.

I really like using Koharu Rikka and Tsurumaki Maki for J-pop/Anime influenced songs since their voices have that tonal quality.

Eleanor Forte is very good for soft pop songs. She doesn't quite have those professional nuances in her singing, but she is quite useful in specific situations.

Xuan Yu is a pretty good singer and can sing pretty well in English although his English will have a noticeable accent at times. Which is why I am getting Jun, a native English voicebank.

Qing Su is probably my most versatile voicebank. She sings very well in English. Solaria is my best English voicebank but I would not use her for Chinese or Japanese.

I want to start playing around to see which voicebanks sound best with each other. Basically, I want to start creating "bands" with them. I already think Solaria pairs well with Xuan Yu because they sound so different. I don't want to group voicebanks that sound similar because you might as well use the same voicebanks for all the parts. You can just tweak the parameters (gender, tone, airiness, etc) to make them sound a little different.

Oh, and did you see the little preview of Synthesizer V singing in Cantonese and also rapping? I'll probably never make use of rapping, but it's great that Dreamtonics keeps moving forward with vocal synthesis. How will Cantonese input work, though? There's no one standard method, is there, like there is with Mandarin pinyin? I guess we'll see.