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Value of Math & Customer Service

Mar 12th, 2009 by motorbikematt

I went to the UPS Store #1536 in Winter Park, Fl today to drop off a Free Return ship box that needs to go back to Sony.  I ran out of tape at home, only putting on a smal stretch, so I figured I’d use a bit of theirs at the UPS store to finish sealing the box.

Of course, nothing is simple anymore. Apparently UPS Stores charge a one dollar ’sealing’ fee.

Yes. $1 for a piece of tape.

I did not react at first; the guy behind the counter was nice enough when he told me and I reached into my pocket without blinking.   Thing is, I did not have the cash in my pocket, I left it in the car. When he saw that I did not have it, I just got a blank stare and I turned to get it out of my cup holder.

Then it it hit me: I got out of line and hiked back to my car to hunt for $1 for a freaking piece of tape!!!!! WTF?

Suddenly mad, I walked several storefronts down to give Office Depot my money for tape.  I bought a roll of the good stuff, Scotch Packing Tape, 800 inches for $3.18, total.

I casually mentioned to the cashier my mission to avoid paying $1 for a piece of tape, when to my astonishment she replied, “It’s cheaper if you do it than buying a roll of tape”. Certainly if I were in rush she might be right, nonetheless; my heart sunk when she said that. I paid up and walked out, inspired to write this post.

This is exactly why this economy is in shambles; people don’t know the value of a dollar. No miss employee of Office Depot #0149, it is not cheaper to pay $1 for a piece of tape. Here’s why:

800 inches / 318 cents = .3975 cents/inch

I already had 3 inches, so UPS only needed to add 13 more inches to make for a secure package. But, let’s assume they did their due packing diligence and applied a full 16 inches of tape.

.3975 cents/inch * 16 inches = 6.36 cents.

Now, I’m no saint when it comes to math or saving money, but for crying out loud, this sealing fee is a rip off, this UPS store just lost a future customer, and corporate now has to deal with a negative blog post.

Update: UPS Corporate is watching.

I often check Google Analytics  to get an idea about this site’s traffic. Well apparently someone from UPS & Mailboxes Etc is reading from San Diego.

Google Analytics for 13-March-2009

Google Analytics for 13-March-2009

Since I have your ear….The UPS Store/Mailboxes Etc is supposed to be the local face to your giant multi-national and highly profitable corporation. You are providing a service that I ultimately paid for. In this case, I paid Sony for warranty repair service, and they paid YOU for a return sticker. Within those costs, you need to include the occasional cost of providing whiney customers like me with an extra length of tape.

Since I am a small business owner, let me tell you how I’d have done things differently. If I saw that my customer didn’t have the cash in his pocket, I’d have given him the piece of tape with a wink & a smile. Better yet, after I gave him some of my free tape, I’d then offer to sell the customer a whole roll for home.  If I worked at UPS corporate, I’d make a deal with Scotch and co-brand some tape with my franchisee’s phone number & address. This way, UPS Store customers could PAY to know exactly where the UPS store is every time they use packing tape.

Thanks for listening, and you’re welcome for the ideas. If you need additional ideas, and boy am I full of them…I’m a cheap consultant ;)

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Review of Phish’s 2nd Night (thru headphones)

Mar 9th, 2009 by motorbikematt

Reba

All Five Band Members

Once again, I tweeted & tweeted my experience of Phish’s Hampton concerts from afar, while enjoying the growing community of #Phishphans on Twitter.   I must confess I was a little burned out from staying up all night waiting,  then downloading, and finally listening to the full sets from Mr. Miner’s No Spoilers recordings. As you can tell from my Twittering, the adrenaline, excitement, and love of Phish was keeping me up to 6am the next day.

For the record, if Phish’s concerts are posted online like this, either by LivePhish.com or through official tapers, I will do this as long as I have ears to listen and hands to type. The internet was made for this.

So without further ado, here is my review of Phish’s Set 1 & 2, from the Hampton venue! (a rhyme only my Mother could love :)

  • Back on the Train: Musically what a great opener, but personally I find that there is a great message in this song.  I know that Tom Marshall wrote the lyrics to Train years ago, I can help but think of how this song does apply to Trey’s life, and return back to good health and the realization of Phish’s real value. I’d thought about this months ago; consider substituting “Wagon” for “Train”:

    I left it all behind me and I’ve traveled far
    it took me a long time to get back on the train

    From the reaction of the crowed when you sang that line, I am sure we’re all giving thanks that you’re back on the wagon,  Trey! You have our love and support, forever. We’re all going to keep praying that you’ll never look back at all!

  • Runaway Jim: Ah, a great Phish concert standby….sounds like they are warming up a bit, perhaps last night’s excitement took a lot out of the guys. Or…maybe they’re being considerate of the returning audience from last night ;)
    Phish 3/7/09

    Yes, there are 5 band members.

  • Brian & Robert: The first time I remember hearing this song was watching Bittersweet Motel, though this solemn song came out 3 years earlier on Story of the Ghost. Hearing it makes me somber thinking of all the lonely folks out in the world that this song describes.  Is there a message to be heard by playing this so early tonight; are the guys trying to tell us something? Definitely not an energy builder, and from what their voices sounded like, I’m thinking they’re just taking it slow to warm up and be nice to the crowd.
  • Split Open & Melt: Okay, hearing how solid they hit the opening of this classic tells me one thing: either the music is in their DNA, or they’ve been playing this song in their spare time these past 4 years. Definitely a crowd mover, with a rehearsed entry into Phishland (if that makes any sense?) though I’m still going to say they’re holding back. Guess what, they’re allowed!
  • Heavy Things: Now I know they’re still a bit rusty. It sounded as if they were trying to decide which song to play next and settle their nerves.  I’m starting to think that maybe last night was just impossible to not ace, but now they’re working to get their/our groove on. Not sure if Trey was tweaking the lyric timing for a more lounge-y feel…or if he forgot how the song goes. Maybe I’m just spoiled having shouted CHEESCAKE! on national television ;)
  • Punch You in the Eye: HEY! NOW we’re talking! Listening to this and I’m going to say this is the official start of the concert! Trey had a few goofs, but HEY! Mike was solid as usual, and Page & Jon carried the song through. That’s what friends are for! HEY!
  • Gumbo: When at first you don’t succeed, Try, Try again. Gumbo is an awesome Fishman song, and it’s very clear that Page is the driving the evening until Trey feels more comfortable to take it on. This is why I love these people, not just the Band and their music.
  • Reba: NICE, now I’m starting to feel bad again for not being in Hampton! Page is TOTALLY egging Trey on through the piano…and Trey is aptly keeping up. Mike then steps it up right on cue, and the two guitars start serenading us into a much needed, and much missed Phishland. If you don’t have Goosebumps, you don’t get it! Hit replay until you do!
  • Mexican Cousin: One minute I’m floating in a twilight sky Phishland, then suddenly I’m thrown back into my couch with headphones on.  Some folks don’t like this song…I actually do because it’s my brand of silly…but guys, please let’s get some vocal practice before we hit these high notes…or try to anyway ;)
  • It’s Ice: Back into reality again with Page on vocals and Fishman consistently slapping a seemingly impossible drum set. Not my favorite set of the evening, but the complexity of this song plus those whorbaly electro-space sounds make it clear the warm up session is now behind us.
  • Halley’s Comet: Sitting in the house with my headphones on, when I Mike’s beat-box doo-wop, I shouted just like the rest of the audience. A fun classic that from the sound of it you know they’re happy and enjoying themselves. Note: listen to Mike…he’s playing the Bass AND doing his beat-box vocals with different timing. The guy is insane!
  • Beauty of a Broken Heart: I love the transition…and with Page singing again, my earlier assertion is clear: this is Page’s night with Trey accompanying. Mike’s bass is all over the place on this one too. I want to hear more of this music.
  • Guelah Papyrus: This is my beer run song, though I love the viral lyrics…
  • Lawn Boy: Yes. Page-Is-The-MAN. When I hear him sing this I’m always wondering, how’s his shirt looking tonight! Michael Gordon on the bass, btw ;) Ham it up Page!

    Phish Hampton 2009 night 2 044

    Page, Hamming it up with Lawnboy

  • Run Like an Antelope: Oh Phish, you tease.  NOW you start ripping it up? The first notes get my shoulders moving, my body telling me it’s time to get up and dance, if only these headphones were wireless! Everyone’s timing is perfect. Independent synchronous harmony–with me? If not…Listen in:
  • Rock & Roll: It’s Page’s night out with the boys, Set 2 opens up strong and refreshed, picking right up where they left off with Antelope.

    Rock and Roll, Limb By Limb 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.
  • Limb by Limb: One of my favorite team effort songs I love to hear live, Limb by Limb is a lyrically philosophical song that I personally can relate to as well.  There may be a back story for Trey’ and the gang, and the energy they picked up during the break is now being sustained by how fun it is to sing this song with friends. The standout here though is the guy with the sticks…did anyone catch the number of that drummer?

    Phish Hampton 2009 night 2 060

    Somewhere in there is the genius that is Jonathan Fishman

  • Story of the Ghost: Another seemingly fun song to play, Ghost is clearly going into Phishland from the start. Trey’s tweaking with his effects toys, Page is following along, and Fishman is screwing with our minds with his timing. This is the Phish that I missed experiencing live…can’t wait for my turn!
  • Piper: Not the greatest transition, but they pull it off. I’d have expected Piper to show up more in the middle of Ghost, but hey, THAT takes some practice. But Trey doesn’t disappoint as he takes a hard right and goes straight into…
  • Birds of  Feather: So now I’m really dancing in my seat. I’d say they keep playing new songs…but my god, this was released in 1998!!!
  • Wolfman’s Brother: Do I really need to say it again that this is Page’s night with a strong opening and those cool plucky synth effects? Mike steps up with some higher pitched smacks of the bass, but it’s Page’s voice that is right on key. IF there is anything we’ve learned tonight, Trey needs to get his voice back in shape. Just keep driving the bus with this one, it keeps getting better!
  • Prince Caspian: This is one of the earliest songs of Phish that I knew that I fell in love with. The funny part about that reality is that this was before I had gone to any shows, and because they did not play it that often live, nobody knew what song I was talking about, and was amazed that I knew all the lyrics to this rarity. This one and Wading on the Velvet Sea resonate with me for reasons I can’t really explain–maybe it has something to do with the chanting aspects, or maybe it’s the floating.  But listen to Trey lead this one…his guitar on each key, Mike’s little flourishes, and Page & Jon filling in right as things start to build up, and their voices work just fine too. OH to be Prince Caspian, floating off into my brand of Phishland….
  • Mike’s Song: Does anything really need to be said? It’s a bad ass song and the classic combo of Mike’s > Hydrogen> Weekapaug should be taught in every music class from now on. This is composition and free jamming at it’s best. Ever.

    Mike’s Song 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.
  • I Am Hydrogen: In my opinion, this is one of the most emotionally stirring pieces of music in the Phish catalog. It is an instrumental of pure Phishland, and it’s best to listen, and not take my word for it.
  • Weekapaug Groove: I’ve always said that I thought THIS should be Mike’s Song, but hey what can I say. In this rendition, listen in the beginning to Page & Mike keep up each other. I like to say that they are threading each other’s fingers like a four handed, musical cat’s cradle. ( I SWEAR I’ve never done drugs, I’m just sharing in the groove)
  • Character Zero: Another story of my life: This is one of those songs that I LOVE the studio version better than any live version, though I have to admit the visuals here were great!
    Character Zero 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.
  • A Day in the Life: Proof at the end of the evening that tonight, if not the soul of Phish 3.0, belongs to Page McConnell. His voice is strong, on key, and he’s got each of these Beatle’s lyrics down, even with a twinge of an accent. And he loves to turn Trey on, which he does right on cue with near perfect vocals after a great rendition of the Beatle’s psychedelic chords. The most heartwarming part of this song is the crowd raising their voices in unison. What a great way to end the 2nd night of Phish’s rebirth!

So, what a fantastic 2nd evening with Phish. I found myself listening to these two sets repeatedly for hours, almost too distracted to listen than I was to write this blog. But I am finding writing these up to be the perfect therapy for not having made the effort to go to Virginia. How fun!

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Senator Patrick Leahy Celebrates Phish

Mar 8th, 2009 by motorbikematt

I’ve been using Twitterfall to check out the Phish scene at Hampton and across the globe and this one caught my eye

Twitter: @RickOn finds Patrick Leahy quote

Twitter: @RickOn finds Patrick Leahy quote

Although I disagree with much of Senator Leahy’s politics, I do respect the guy and appreciate his love of Batman. The TinyURL above redirects to pages S2865& S2866 of the 2009 Senate Congressional Record website, but I’ve provided the PDF file here and the text, below:

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS REUNION OF THE MUSICAL GROUP PHISH

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to give recognition to an event taking  place in Hampton, VA, beginning tonight, March 6. This weekend, Vermont’s own musical group, Phish, will celebrate a reunion not far from our Nation’s Capitol, following their retirement in August of 2004. Phish’s fans, and all Vermonters, wish a warm welcome back to Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Page McConnell, and the very best on their renewed musical journey.

In the summer of 2004, the band said farewell to thousands of fans who had persevered through torrential rain and knee-deep mud-some having walked many miles to see the band’s final concerts in a farm field in Coventry, VT. For so many of the band’s followers, it was a bittersweet moment, historic and mournful at once and the end of a singular era in American rock and roll. True to the band’s roots, and despite the rain, it was fitting that the farewell took place in the middle of the glorious Vermont countryside.

Much to the joy of many Vermonters and people across the United States, the band could not resist the desire to perform once again, and this weekend marks their return to the stage in what Phish’s fans hope will be the beginning of a sustainable period of happiness and creativity for the band. What began at the University of Vermont in Burlington, and was nurtured at Goddard College in Plainfield, flourished into an enormous creative musical force that delighted fans from across the world for many years. They spread their music throughout Europe and Japan, from coast to coast in the United States, and rang in the millennium in front of 85,000 people on the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in Florida, playing that concert’s final notes as the sun rose over the horizon at the dawn of a new century.

Theirs has been a remarkable journey of musical exploration, improvisation and risk-taking much akin to the early era of the Grateful Dead. From outdoor summer festivals to Halloween celebrations that found the band donning musical ”costumes” by playing an album of another musical group from beginning to end, Phish carved a niche in the musical world that was left conspicuously empty with their retirement.

As Americans stand at a crossroads and contemplate the way forward during a difficult time, artistic expression will play an important role in reminding us all that despite the difficulties we face, we should not forget those things in life that bring us happiness and that connect us to one another. Whether we find solace in a good film, a great novel, making art through photography, writing, or painting, or experiencing a musical performance, I want to acknowledge the ability of Americans to keep the creative spirit alive even when we face our most daunting challenges. And I find reason for optimism in the fact that the announcement of Phish’s reunion was met with such overwhelming enthusiasm from their fans. So as thousands of people welcome Phish back to the stage at the Hampton Coliseum this weekend, I am proud to say as a Vermonter: Phish, it is good to have you back. I know you have been missed.

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Phish Hampton March 7 2009

Mar 8th, 2009 by motorbikematt

Hampton 3/7

© 2009 Phish. Jeff Kravitz. You rock Man, Thanks for sharing your work

Phish inspires me.

Yes, I really wanted to be in Virginia, but I’m coming to accept my fate that it wasn’t meant to be. I won’t complain anymore, but if I could do it all over again…. But since I can’t, I’ll tweet and blog to my heart’s content.

It’s interesting because I started tweeting last night’s show on a lark…there was no plan to do it, but I just did it instinctively. I’ve since started to realize that Twitter is serving a very fundamental purpose for me…it’s connecting me to a wider community that I’m separated from. It’s been good therapy, and I’m inspired to continue doing this as long as I can.

So I just wrapped up listening & tweeting the first set of tonight’s show, thanks to Mr. Miner. Musically, very good, not as energetic as last night and a few technical slips, but with how they closed out Set 1 with Run Like an Antelope (and having previewed a few tweets) I suspect that I’m going to be jammin to Set 2 first thing tomorrow.

As I did before, I am mirroring the files found on Mr. Miner’s No Spoilers page for my friends. The LivePhish.com downloads have been CRAWLING, but I will post them up too (but only for as long as they are freely available from Phish). Here we go:

Set 1  *  Original Torrent here   *   Official MP3s here
Set 2  *  Original Torrent here   *   Official MP3s here

Once I have finished tweeting the 2nd set of the No Spoiler’s copy, I will then start over with the Official MP3 releases and create another blog review just like I did for the first sets last night. Enjoy

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Review of Phish’s 1st Night Back (From Afar)

Mar 8th, 2009 by motorbikematt

Line Up

Page, Trey, Mike, Jon

Ouside Mothership

The Mothership

So, I tweeted all night and into the morning my mostly emotional reactions to hearing the first taper releases and seeing the flickr images from Phish’s reunion concert at The Mothership.  Twitter turned into my emotional channel given that it was hard to dance, alone, with headphones. This blog post is gonna have to substitute for my post concert song breakdown that would normally happen backstage among friends with cheesballs & beers in hand:

  • Fluffhead: I means, seriously, for real, guys you played, you OPENED with Fluffhead and I wasn’t there?!  Next time just throw salt, some rubbing alcohol, and add some extra glass…it’ll hurt less. Excellent choice, and holy crap, you’re sooooo back! I’m proud to be a Phish phan!
  • ChalkDust Torture: WOW, Page nailed that slide across the keys, and Trey’s guitar is strung real tight. Appropriately named Torture…that I’m NOT THERE!
    Chalkdust Torture from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.
  • Sample in a Jar: Okay, did these guys lie to us and keep practicing the entire time they were broke up? Page & Trey’s voices are harmonizing great, Jon is flourishing his beats and both Trey & Mike’s guitars are doing their thangs!
  • Stash: One of the best overall songs (and most quotable)…playing this song right was a key indicator for me on deciding whether Phish is back…that Trey is with the program.  Trey: YES, IT IS FOR THIS YOUR LIFE YOU SOUGHT
  • I Didn’t Know: You can hear them, FEEL them smiling, happy to be there, sharing it with all of us. Jon of course busts out with the vacuum…thank god they did not give it away at Coventry! And that ending, with their voices hitting the high notes! My minds eye could see the lights getting brighter!
  • Oh Kee Pa: Pay close attention, Page and Trey nail their notes right on que….as if they never quit.
  • Suzy Greenberg: Page is ON FIRE…I swear tonight he has a third hand or something. This is usually one of my beer/bathroom run songs, but Page would have kept my ass on the floor!Phish Returns at Hampton Coliseum - Day 1 - Concert
  • Farmhouse: By the nature of this song, it is difficult to have a smooth transition into this song, though they get a passing grade for this effort. It’s a great song, but the high octaves strain  Trey’s voice especially after such a wordy song like Suzy Greenberg. I like Trey’s flourishs there mid-way through.
  • NICU: Play it Leo! (and he does) Among my most favorite songs of all time, Phish or anyone else. I know this song like I know my heartbeat; I know where Trey’s guitar missed two notes, but that’s not the point. They make it clear to me that they HAVE rehearsed tomorrow’s verse and sing perfectly in their key–Mike too!
  • Horn: A song I’m torn about. It’s a wonderful Anastasio composition and I hate to disrespect it, but this is where I’d hit the head in lieu of Suzy Greenberg. If I got back in time, I might just sit back and enjoy the lights through my eyelids. That said, I did listen intently to the whole thing on my headphones :)
  • Rift: I like Rift primarily because it is so god damn difficult to play. Listen to what Trey’s doing. Listen to the timing between these guys.  I have NEVER heard a cover-band pull this song off.
  • Train Song: One of my oldies but goodie favorites. Mike’s bass was up a bit high here, but I’ll take it. I’d love to hear Train incorporated into another song.
  • Water in the Sky: why I know I don’t need drugs. Hearing this instantly transported me back to Big Cypress…to my Everglades with the evening dew. I can still smell it…9 years later.
  • The Squirming Coil: Another one of those songs where you know the guys are talking to each other without speaking a word. In past sessions, Coil for me sometimes sounded rote, as if they’re phoning it in. Not this time. Their instruments are playing off each other, as if Trey is bouncing between Mike & Page, and Page is keeping up with Jon. Page closes this song as if he has an extra etset of hands, screaming to tell us, he loves this, he LOVES Phish, and he’s here to stay. (Don’t fuck it up Trey.)
  • David Bowie: Solid, tight, on point. Can I just say I want to be the love-child of Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman when I grow up? DAVID BOWIE!
    David Bowie 03.06.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.
  • Backwards Down the Number line: I love this song, and I can’t wait to hear the studio edition. Page’s voice was a little faded and it’s clear that the soundboard was trying to compensate during the song, so it’s a bit distracting. That said, Press that Disc guys….this is good stuff my broke ass will pay for.
  • Tweezer: The repetitive songs aren’t always my favorite, but I’ll attend any Tweezer dance party. Jon duffed a beat or two, but Page tears it up, and oh my when Mike gets his turn in the 2nd half….he takes it. Can I be the love child of Mike and Page when I grow up too?
    Funky Tweezer Balloons

    Funky Tweezer Balloons

  • Taste: Awesome transition….they needed more like these tonight, but this does require real practice. Instrumentally, tight, and Mr. Fishman, how do you keep that cowbell so tight! Will admit that Page & Trey strained their voices  harmonizing at first (a bit winded), but they recovered a bit. Also…whomever’s at the soundboard, settle down with the knobs next time.
  • Possum: More like Ape, for APE SHIT! Gonna be quick here. Perfection. Now excuse me I’ve gotta go dance.
  • Theme from the Bottom: I almost tear up a bit when I heard this song.  They did not play this song for us, for the audience. This song was played for themselves, it sounds like comfort food. But more importantly, read the lyrics:

    So toss away stuff you dont need in the end
    But keep whats important and know who’s your friend.

  • First Tube: Instantaneous transport. 10 years ago, Sagamore bridge, crossing over the canal in a beat up chevy van ready to deliver hundreds of flowers, listening to a tape borrowed from Fishman, having my mind blown at the incredible, most impressive advancement of this band. So what if Trey duffed a few notes…the time machine works just fine ;)
  • Harry Hood: Soul-stirring, I will never forgive myself for not going. If you were there, you are the luckiest bastard in the world. If not, step away from the computer and go listen on a good soundsystem. Right Now.
  • Waste: want to make Matt cry? Play Hood, then Waste. This is just one of those songs.
  • You Enjoy Myself: So I’m lost in a somber, sad, reflective Hood>Waste Phishland, when YEM kicks in and the regret pangs really start up, then BAM… They FUCK IT UP! Hahaha! What a wonderful reset switch! YEM is pure joy to me; A Live One, on loop, sitting outside a car in a cold clear, starry night, distantly surrounded by complete strangers sharing the experience,  looking up at a meteor shower. This one, makes me want to get up out of the chair and fly. Boy. Man. God. Shit. And that ending almost resurrected Stanley Kubrick! Awesome.

    Grind

    Getting Ready to sing Grind

  • Grind: Again, you can hear the love among these friends. I love their a capella. Note: Page: 16,730, Jon: 16,086, Trey 16,228, Mike 15,982, 65,026 days
  • Bouncing Around the Room: When I hear the guys laugh, I laugh. What a great, powerful spell they’ve cast over me. Not the best “Bouncing”, but it is among my favorite songs that I’d give anything to hear then play it again.  Always wanted to get them to fly in microgravity with me, see if they’d think of this song or if they’d be inspired to write something new!
  • Loving Cup: an old Stones standby that never gets old, but I must confess isn’t always my favorite. Well played, that’s for sure…but it didn’t really fit in with where I was in Phishland, but perhaps that’s my fault. Perhaps I just had to be there…

Overall the sound was amazing and the folks at Hampton got a real experience. A few other things to note:  Right before they get into Coil, there are some chords Trey’s goofing off with that sounded amazing….I know it’s just a ‘doodle’, but it sticks in my mind. At the end of YEM, there is someone screaming SHUT-UP & SIT DOWN” (at 21:14). I’m gonna have to snip that out using Audacity. If it was jarring for me, it must have sucked for whomever was there. The soundboard had a few issues that I hope they resolve tonight.

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Phish Hampton March 6 2009

Mar 7th, 2009 by motorbikematt

Pain. Pleasure mixed with Pain.

That is me right now, this very late night in Florida, when I should be in Virginia. I am trying very hard to take it in stride…be proud in fact that I had the opportunity to see Phish come back together in the Mothership, but acted as a so-called ‘grown-up’.  Reality dictated a harsh choice, however, and the only responsible decision was to not spend the little money I have right now on the travel to get to the Hampton Colosseum.

So I sit here alone, desperate for the Phellowship that I’m missing out on,  scouring the web for updates, tweeting away lyrics, responding to #phish tweets,  and torrenting the music from tapers that caught a aurally different perspective than the official MP3s which have just been released for free at LivePhish.com. For friends whom have had trouble accessing the LivePhish site, I’ll make available their MP3s off my server:

1st 9 songs
2nd 11 songs
3rd last 8 songs

Additionally, I provide MP3s and Torrent links of excellent taper recordings made by friends of Mr. Miner at Phishthoughts.com

I make these available off my server as a contribution to the community I’m so sadly missing. It’s already 5am, and I’m not sleeping until I’m done!

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Bookmarks for February 14th through February 15th

Feb 15th, 2009 by admin

These are my links for February 14th through February 15th:

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The Evolution of Motorbikematt.com

Feb 15th, 2009 by motorbikematt

The primary reason why I have created this website isn’t so much for me to publish content for the world to see, but to organize my content in a rational and permanent way that supplements the memories in my head.  Certainly I’ll post  photos, videos, and write posts (like this one) as part of a conversation with my friends, but the goal is to backup my brain when it fails in its recall duties. This site is the culmination of years of planning and many fruitless efforts.

As a kid, I linked my Commodore 64 to my Dad’s 386 PC clone by connecting 2400 baud modems through the 2nd pair of the home phone line. Using Kermit, I stored my video games and my original & transcribed, hand-typed BASIC programs onto my Dad’s enormous, 60 MEGAbyte hard drive: HUGE! Between this and being a frequent visitor of the 305 area code BBS’s, I learned very early on the importance of proper digital data storage and organization.

My first website site was in 1994 on UF’s Grove network, where I had a simple FTP system that relied on complicated directory tree structures and pre-formatted HTML templates. It looked very similar to a newsgroup threads, but it was boring, inefficient and required some labor to get right. Subsequent attempts were on other UF servers, an Mindspring site, a Vector.net site, and various free hosting services.  Since the early 2000’s, I’ve relied upon the generosity of my friend, Guido Garcia to host this site on PreventiveITGroup servers at Terremark’s NAP of the Americas.

I’m not bad when it comes to graphic design, but I’ve never had time to become proficient at HTML, CSS, and the other coding skills required to develop a good website. I experimented with online blogging services such as  Slashdot, Blogspot, and Wordpress.com, etc, but wanted to insure that my data was on my own machine, not somewhere in the aether.

Mike Anello’s excellent implementation of DRUPAL for the Microgravity Research and Education Center website awakened me to SQL based content management systems.  His work, plus NASA CoLab’s impressive site and module development convinced me to go with DRUPAL.  PreventiveTech hosts their websites on Windows IIS, so I quickly found myself mired in configuration problems and other issues. After two years of efforts, DRUPAL proved too immature of a platform for a simpleton like me.

Ariel Waldman re-awakened me to Wordpress when she pointed out that it could be installed locally. In my hard-headed insistence on making DRUPAL work, I failed to realize the difference between Wordpress.COM and Wordpress.ORG. (Even today Wordpress.com does not adequately inform the user of the .org alternative).  I painlessly installed & set it upand I have finally been able to focus on delivering content instead of wasting time deciphering code.

And with that, the real fun can begin!

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Finally things are starting to come together.

Feb 10th, 2009 by motorbikematt

Hello world.

Or not really world, but you the individual. I want to thank you for checking out what I may have to offer. You may not agree with it all, but hey…this isn’t for you now is it? ;)

This site is the product of over 9 years worth of effort. Apparently, I’m not that good with web coding, but I am persistent (and very neurotic). After much trial and error I’ve decided to go with the WordPress platform because, well…it’s easy.

One thing you’re going to notice as the days go on is that I have written many ‘blogs’ that pre-date the existence of this site. It may seem weird, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve been writing stuff down now for, well…9 years. Chronological order is important…even if it takes me a longer time to catch back up. Remember, I’m a little neurotic.

Stay tuned, you might find something interesting.

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Lesson Learned: Respect & Instant Textual Communications

Feb 8th, 2009 by motorbikematt

I recently had an IM chat session with a long distance friend with whom things had been tense.  The chat was one-way from the start: their answers to my questions were short & trite and they expressed no interest in how I was doing.  The tension was still evident, and the episode made me think of my own IM etiquette and chat behavior.

Unlike face-to-face or even telephone conversations, text based communications obviously have fewer channels to convey emotive and non-linguistic cues. Emoticons :) , SHOUTING, and typefaces for example, have evolved as non-verbal modes of adding meaning to plain text. Silence and otherwise non-responsiveness conveys a confusing range of emotional states: from distraction, disinterest, or even disdain. Respectful, friendly instant textual communications requires awareness of these alternate channels and their implications. I don’t always get it right myself, but I do try.

Irrationally, I occasionally find myself annoyed when a friend innocently pops up to chat, typically when I am in the middle of reading, or dare I say–thinking.  I catch my silliness, of course:  I’d change my status or simply not log in if I wanted to avoid this non-issue.  I will invariably reply to a quick hello, answer a quick question, or gently inform the other party that I simply am not free at the moment. Honest, respectful communications are key, keeping in mind I’m just as apt to unknowingly interrupt in return.

In this case, I was trying to break the ice by expressing some curiosities to catch up on what I missed. After no real reciprocation, it was time to cut my losses and call it a night. I hadn’t put much thought into the it until I checked my Twitter stream. My friend decided to tweet about my chat with amusement, and in the process apparently mis-read my question. The most annoying part was that they expended more energy–typed more words–to their followers than in replying to me.

In the end, I want to chalk this up this up to immaturity instead of arrogance, but I fear it’s a little of both. Perhaps I’m overreacting, but I’m going to scale back efforts to be this person’s friend. That said, I’ve learned a lesson here, a reminder of the Golden Rule where I will strive to communicate better with my friends in this digital age.

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