So I finally found a decent DVD ripper that lets me do it for free (legally, I might add), but I’m not sure the audio is up to snuff. I ripped my skydiving video and am currently experimenting with different audio types on BT’s This Binary Universe videos (from the DVD) to see what sounds better. Kind of an interesting process, and I’ve only had DVD-ripping and burning possibilities for a year, so why not now?



I think I’m going to buy some more memory for this beast tomorrow. I am currently running at 2GB, but I’m thinking of pushing that up to 4, simply because I feel I strain it sometimes (I realized a few minutes ago I was running iTunes, photoshop, a DVD ripping program, and 2 video programs at once, plus AIM and Firefox. No wonder I need more RAM – especially with my plans for additional screen real estate!)



Well, lots has happened since my last entry. NIN released a free album – The Slip – online and for free. As if you needed me to tell you this. I think it’s a good album, a bit short, sure. But I like how each track has embedded artwork with it, something that Ghosts started and I think it’s evolved here. In the graphic below that I’ve compiled (crudely), it gives an idea of the overall feel of the album. I haven’t quite put it all together yet, but I’m pretty sure that it has more significance to future releases or projects, either that or the picture combinations creates something else entirely. I think this because of the red lines throughout, and leading up to the red background of the last track.



Good call on the MS Office, Kevin. But the only reason I’d support it (being a new version and the fact that I hate the .docx extension), I feel it’s time to start paying my dues for some of the stuff I’ve been using for years. I’ve only been using Office 2001 Pro for 5-6 years now.



I came across this blog entry a couple of days ago, summing up a man who, for 18 years, took Polaroid pictures until his death in 1997 on his 41st birthday. Kind of cool and sad at the same time. Very much chronicling the human condition, I think the project is very neat and I wish the site hosting the polaroids was up and running, but I assume the recent traffic has shut it down due to bandwidth constraints.

The DVD ripper is apparently taking 90 minutes to rip This Binary Universe. Yikes…I just hope the quality is better this time around. I mainly want it on my iPod/iPhone, since I think they’re cool little “music video” type of files. (And I’m pretty sure the audio isn’t better – damn!).

Speaking of audio, I’m looking for a good, free program (for Windows) that would allow me to mix multitracks. Any suggestions? I have Wavepad, but it’s grossly outdated and very limited as far as multitrack compilations goes.

I went skydiving last weekend, as a lot of people know. It was an exhilarating experience that can seldom be described in words. I was anxious while jumping from the plane, sure…but the thing about that was that you’re in this “soft” part of the air for a few seconds (and 12 until you reach terminal velocity); that is – your body is searching for something to “catch” as you fall. Eventually, this is the air. We ended up jumping from 12,500 above ground (keeping in mind the ground is over a mile high from sea level), and freefalling nearly 8,000 feet until our parachute was deployed at 4,700 feet. Our freefall averaged something like 127 MPH, but our top speed was 135 MPH. Even as the parachute was open, we were going a steady 20 MPH and descending at about 6-7 MPH. It was an experience I will never forget, with pictures and video to prove it!



video!

I suppose it’s getting late and I should head to bed pretty quick. I’m excited by the rush I’ve been feeling lately in my life, good things are always happening. And I’ve decided I’ve got to live it up while I still can – so at this point, I’m not going to stop for anything.

My tech wish list for 2008:



1. Time Capsule. I think this would be cool, if nothing else because my wireless router only supports 802.11b, from way back in the fall of 2003. I haven’t gotten it to work with Vista, but maybe I haven’t tried hard enough.

Still though, it would be nice to have true wireless networking (along with my iPhone), and an additional external HDD (for use with the 360 and as a backup), as I get more paranoid about backing things up with the more that I accrue.



2. Macbook. I have a laptop from June of 2001, that is currently extremely slow, outdated, and limps by. I figure as I travel more and more, it’s inevitable that I will probably want or need some laptop that actually stacks up to modern standards. Though the Macbook is probably out of my grasp (and maybe I don’t really need it with the iPhone), it still would be pretty cool.



3. Another LCD monitor. I switched departments at my job recently, and have been given the luxury of having 2 monitors. I thought the idea was stupid (and always have), until I’ve found that it’s so practical to have 2 running at the same time. I’m surprised I didn’t attempt to do this years ago, like super nerds that you see in the movies. I’m convinced this will happen sooner rather than later.



4. Xbox 360 Elite. Okay, fair enough – I don’t need another Xbox 360 as I bought mine in December 2005, and it’s worked more than its fair share of counterparts. Still though, I can’t help but imagine that mine will someday (soon?) run out of juice and sputter and die, giving me the dreaded “Red Ring of Death.”

The 3 upgrades then on the Elite (vs. my own Premium): 1. More storage. Because pack rats like myself can never have too much space. 2. HDMI ports – for true HD compatibility. This is less of an issue for me to own one, as I think component works just fine on my 27” HDTV. 3. BLACK. It’s badass.



5. Playstation 3. I think it’s inevitable that good games are coming for the PS3 (MGS4 and GT5), plus the fact that Blu-Ray has now won is good for consumers to not have a choice. Or is it? I still think Blu-Ray was in the spotlight too soon, and will be replaced in a few years by something more efficient (digital downloads?), but who knows?

The funny thing is that I’m such a nerd and would love to go out and grab all of this stuff, but most times I research the hell out of a product (especially electronic) before even thinking about buying it. And then I research the hell out of the price, and most times talk myself out of it, until a huge need arises (ie the previous one breaking or being completely useless).



So yeah, my Compaq Presario 1700T doesn’t seem so bad. At least, compared to a $1,500 drop in the bucket for a Powerbook. Especially when I don’t need it. But most things I’ve bought I’ve never truly needed.

But maybe it is time to buy a copy of Office 2007.

I take back everything I ever said about giving Trent Reznor one more chance (read here). This redeems him fully.

Talk about sticking it to the RIAA. He posts on his website on February 16th "2 weeks." Earlier tonight, he posts "2 hours." 2 hours later: BLAM! New NIN album, available NOW.



http://ghosts.nin.com/

No marketing. No hype. Not a freaking clue this was coming, and 36 tracks of creative commons licensed, completely independent, 100% lyrical free music.


Can we say The Fragile 2.0? Okay, maybe not so blatantly, but I've been waiting for a similar follow-up to that album ever since it came out. Sign me up. It's only been 9 years since The Fragile was released...and a lull of 6 years after that between NIN albums. It could even be argued (by me especially) that The Fragile was his last great album.

3 albums since Spring of 2005 is a record for Trent Reznor. I think he pushed those last 2 out just so that he could be off his label, do Ghosts and have it be completely free from the mind-numbing ties to the RIAA.

Not only that, but the whole packaging of it is just awesome. Cheap, high-quality music that helps Trent out more than Interscope ever could have, and sticking to the record industry is a major bonus. The concept, being a "soundtrack to daydreams" seems to be more along the lines of BT's This Binary Universe also. Which I obviously have praised many times. I listen to that album, as well as The Fragile, often.

One thing's certain: the ground's shaking. I can't believe what's coming from some artists these days. What an exciting time, as the record labels shatter to pieces and artists like Trent Reznor and BT release the stuff they want to, how they want to.

I bought the $10 one, even though I'm thinking the $75 one would probably have been worth it. So I get 2 CD's in April in the mail, with a booklet, and have the privilege of downloading the entire album (plus extras) for that amount. DRM is dead. The RIAA is a joke. NIN is paving new ground.

Rock on, Trent. More power to you.

Inspired by Kevin's website, I decided to finally give mine an overhaul. I finally came to the realization that I wanted to try a new coloring scheme and feel that the one picked out works well.

I figured since Kevin's page about our book reveals what the definitive title is, I might as well take it one step further to reveal a little bit about the book in preparation for its finish.

The title - "I" - is a simple one. That's it. And believe it or not, a lot of thought and time went into it, but I felt that nothing else would better suit this collection of writing that is being presented with Kevin's graphical skills.

I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far, and can't wait to reveal the final product when it's ready.

Without further ado, you can check out the redesigned website here (or via link on the navigation menu):

travisprange.com

Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone enjoyed the latter part of 2007 and going into 2008. I know I did, even though I'm a little bit foggy on what happened just after midnight. Something having to do with drinking, "Jump on it," and excessive chasing of animals.

In the days following I've been catching up on Lost, since Season 4 returns January 31st. In all honesty it's my favorite show at this point (ever) and I feel there are good reasons for this.

Lost represents, in my opinion, the third (major mainstream) attempt at capturing a major audience for network television. As defined by wikipedia: "serial drama's typically follow main plot arcs that span entire seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from traditional episodic television."

According to wikipedia, shows like "Buffy" and "Angel" and "Babylon 5" are among the first ones. Certainly I've never watched any of those shows, but the real beginning was with "The X-Files." Although most of its episodes were more along the lines of "monster-a-week" episodes (that didn't need to be viewed in order), most of the substance of the series focused on the government's involvement with aliens/cover-ups and such. It was a pioneer and spawned many shows that would follow.


Fast forward to 2001. September 11th just happened, and "24" was supposed to air within weeks. The first episode deals with a passenger airplane that gets bombed by a female assassin. Due to the circumstances of the plot, the pilot was pushed back to November. 24 went on to be a smash hit, with every episode dealing with one hour in time, and a whole season taking place within 24 hours (hence the title - duh). The great and monumental part of this show was that it was an addictive thriller that was like crack for the normal deprivations of television: it required a consistent fan-basis, tuning in every week to find out what happens next.


Continue to 2004. "Lost" airs on September 22. It deals with the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 on an island that is "magical." The writing (and detail) to the show is absolutely astounding, as every season just dives deeper and deeper into the mythology of the island and its strange characteristics. I find myself watching it again right now, because frankly after 3 seasons, it's amazing to go through all of them from the beginning and realize what I missed and just how deep the mythology goes. It also has some classic science-fiction writing which I absolutely love.


In 2006, "Heroes" does more of the same. It follows a group of people who are destined to use their everyday likeness (but superpowers within) to save humanity and preventing catastrophe. I haven't watched the show simply because I refuse to keep up with the 3 major serial dramas and the usual shows I enjoy (The Office, and South Park when time permits). It was enough of a struggle getting past my addiction to 24 (as I have normally loathed television), but I will watch Heroes when Lost and/or 24 are off the air.


John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) - Lost

Lost seems to be the most unique (that I know of), as watching the show from the beginning, a viewer can get the sense of a show that knows where it's going from the first couple of episodes. The pilot episode retains characteristics that resound throughout the entire series (so far), and that formula is maintained somewhat strictly. The fact that ABC and the producer's of Lost determined that the series will end after just 48 episodes more (though split up into 3 seasons of 16 episodes apiece), just goes to prove that this is a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Unlike 24, whose plot has waffled and (in my opinion) has struggled to find its purpose since its 4th season.


Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) - 24

The amazing thing here is that it shows that television audiences are hungry for something other than the usual crappy television that we grew up with in the 80's and 90's and are ready for our minds to run rampant with ideas, theories, and connections. 24 started a modern version of this with an adrenaline-filled Die Hard-esque plot. Lost extends this notion to a science fiction thriller that deals with science, faith and our humanity (and the connections as a result of this humanity). Heroes certainly takes it in another direction, apparently emulating the style of comic books with characters who are everyday Joe's with extraordinary powers.

(I've only been a fan of Batman for the very notion that his story is the most believable of any superhero.)

Sadly, the writer's strike seems to have shorted (or altogether stopped up) production/airing of these shows. Heroes third season aired 7 out of 24 episodes, 24's Season 7 won't start until the producers are certain it can run in its entirety (which I like), and Lost will air 8 out of its 16 episodes for Season 4 beginning 1/31.

It amazes me though how far television has come and it makes me excited to see how it will evolve in the future. One thing's for sure: The X-Files started something big.

And the audience proves its ability to handle even more.