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Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Iron Maiden: Invaders live
Why was Invaders never played live?
Here's 'Invasion' from the Iron Maiden Soundhouse tapes, just after Paul leads a call and response with 'eyo-yo-yo-yo-yo' like he's Sting doing 'Don't Stand so Close to Me'.
Song begins 29:12 - https://youtu.be/u9JndrzUbq0
The lyrics are around the same idea, though it sounds nothing like Invaders, but, notice one segment of the guitar solo is straight from Invaders, 30:32.
I'm guessing there must likely be an intellectual property conflict in the song writing, such that Iron Maiden never plays Invaders live.
The question was raised with Adrian Smith on 'That Metal Show' with Eddie Trunk, but he didn't answer directly, apart from acknowledging a remark that it was written by Dennis Stratton. 43 : 10 @ https://youtu.be/dy_G_b_iX94.
lyrics https://ironmaiden.fandom.com/wiki/Invasion.
The Dennis Stratton wiki states he is the only member not to have contributed to writing of any recorded material.
However, I found another site crediting Stratton on Invasion - https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/dennis-stratton/credits.
Was it that carry over solo that created the conflict? What part did Dennis claim that prevents 'Invaders' from being played live?
Rand Paul RE: Number of fiscal conservatives
Rand Paul RE: Number of fiscally conservative Republicans:
Senate: 4 - 5/100
House: 20 - 25/435
Democrat fiscal conservatives: 0 (possibly Tusli Gabbard?)
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Virtual performance problems and solutions
Blithering horse shit in progress...originally, I was wanting to think of a way to create an AI-driven audience that can provide feedback to a performer, but ultimately, I think it would require a semantic and sentiment engine tantamount to singularity.
Oh, well. Commence with other ideas attempting to solve virtual performance issues.
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I love stand up comedy, and one problem comedians are having is that they need audience feedback to develop their material. Virtual performances just aren't the same, and it's a unique problem compared to other performers like musicians. Even though musicians have audience feedback, comedians modify the material beat by beat. They need to be able to see and hear, make eye contact.
I saw an article a while back with some high profile comedians talking about this problem.
The article discusses virtual performances with comedians, and specifically addresses how just the audio alone is problematic because the audience needs to be muted to avoid one viewer ruining the audio for others by contributing unwanted noise.
Listening to other interviews with comedians talking about different venues, some places have a brick wall that gives them the strong feedback that echoes when the laughs really register. The audio is essential feedback.
I had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with one of my favorite comedians after a show, and he mentioned having the same problem - that the shows are too empty due to COVID, so he's having difficulty developing material because he relies on audience feedback.
So, if he's wanting to reach audiences en masse, he'll have to go virtual unless the venues return to capacity. Regardless, I'm sure virtual experiences will remain popular and standard, unfortunately.
Here's an idea I'm exploring about how to get auditory feedback during a virtual performance without unwanted audio disturbances sabotaging the event.
The general idea is to create a video library of individual people laughing, match the laughter audio libraries to the video expression libraries, then simulate real-time laughs based on video only.
I read that machine learning has proven more accurate than lip reading. I'm guessing it could be possible to simulate a person's voice based on video (no audio) of them talking.
Use facial recognition of audience video and machine learning libraries to generate a real-time laughter audio track.
1. Collect video of people laughing to create two separate libraries:
A) Video library of people laughing
B) Audio library of people laughing
2. Train the learning engine to recognize which facial expressions likely match with various laughter audio patterns. Allow this engine to serve as a foundation generation for generating laughter audio tracks to match laughter video.
A) From this specific library sample, the machine will be able to generate new voice-specific laughter audio to match a face-specific laughter video.
B) From this specific library sample, the machine will be able to generate non-specific laughter audio to match a non-specific laughter video. However, the generated laughter audio may match pitch based on gender recognition. For example, the machine should be able to create generic new audio to match any face.
Generate an audio track that represents the audience's laughter in real-time, driven by facial recognition captured from the camera of each audience member, such that a comedian has the auditory feedback needed to gauge audience response during a virtual performance without the interference created by actual audio from audience members.
Another consideration should include physical interaction.
Though the primary, priority consideration might be on the turning and direction of the head of the performer, as well as eye gaze, in relation to audience members, another aspect may include motion.
Possibly, audience would be using VR headsets/glasses for orientation to a volumetric video.
Perhaps the audience could be virtually 'seated', i.e. digitally arranged in such a way that they appear to pivot in, and advance or recede on one screen as the performer walks in front of the monitor - left or right, forward or backward - such that he can appear to approach audience members and actually engage in eye contact.
Or, perhaps a wrap around screen surrounds the performer, assuming the performer prefers to remain unencumbered by glasses or headset.
Eventually, haptic feedback might be part of the interaction, depending on the nature of the performance.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
A Very Long Epilogue
This entry is an addendum to my previous and very long post,
'Vaccine Coercion by Disenfranchisement', which explores the suspicious alignment of politics and media surrounding the handling of COVID, the 2020 U.S. election, and the riots led by BLM.
A word of reason on behalf of the misunderstood. These days, unless we are willing to join in and vehemently preach this homogenous, mainstream media-driven narrative to the choir, we find ourselves at risk of being othered as some ultimate enemy and arch nemesis.
I will not be silent! Stop Bullying! the 99%, #metoo, etc.
Sigh. And it's wrong to krush kittens. Death to the Kitten-Krushers!
As if those who refuse to join in on these virtuous causes are opposed to kindness or humanity.
These gullible, narcissistic simpletons with their constant grandstanding, it's as obnoxious as posting duck-faced gym selfies. What a bunch of would-be rebels and revolutionaries. There's nothing edgy about any of you, except maybe when you Hulu instead of Netflix, or if you Roku, then you're practically off the grid, you bunch of radical, anarchist lunatics.
We're not living in the sixties anymore. Civil rights, women's suffrage, Vietnam, birth control, psychedelics...the kids today missed out on the big, meaningful grass roots social revolutions. They didn't have smart phones and social media back then. They had sex, drugs and rock and roll, and they had conviction!
Instead, today we have these phony, corporate and media-sponsored, staged events with paid protestors, then we have the looters, and then we have all the spectators on social media. And then, there's the police who just have to stand there and take it, even if they're black. And then the world joins in, which is extra fun because they get to be a part of the American reality show.
If you didn't vote for Obama, you're a racist. Then, if you voted for Trump, you're a racist and a fascist, and if you don't support BLM, you deserve to be physically attacked.
By the transitive property, if you don't wear a mask, you're also a Nazi? What if we don't wanna take the vaccine? I'll bet a lot more of us can reach across the aisle on this one. I sure hope so.
Funny about the name, Black Lives Matter; it can get very 'who's on first' routine in a hurry without specifying context. Do I what? Support Black lives? Are you talking about the people?...the organization?...errr the movement?...
Then came the retorts of 'All Lives Matter', and 'Blue Lives Matter' which were quickly dismissed.
No, Black Lives Matter! Say it, or else.
They demand such brand loyalty! If Martin Luther King, Jr. himself were alive today and questioned or condemned BLM, they would probably call him an Uncle Tom and kick him right square in his Dream.
If you aren't a global citizen, you're a xenophobe and probably anti-semitic. Connect the dots on that one, you guys. You can't very well Occupy Wallstreet and stand with these giant corporations.
And, once the big companies support BLM, you're still down with their reliance on Chinese slave labor? Was it such a victory, sticking it to the man, that they paid a sponsorship and put up a BLM badge? As long as these big companies help opiate the masses, they can do what they want.
This same kind of othering has been employed in the past towards those who don't fit neatly in the box.
'I support the troops but not the war'. Fine, that's nice and neat.
In religious circles, it's 'hate the sin, not the sinner'. Very clever and helpful for avoiding hypocrisy, a constant hazard for zealots.
'I didn't vote for either side'. Not so fine, because if one votes third party then it's either 'You're throwing your vote away', or 'If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything'. For example, if you didn't vote for John Kerry or George W (I voted for neither), you'd hear 'You have to vote for the lesser of two evils'.
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| Cartoon by the brilliant B. Kliban |
People just love these quippy memes, and they spread like wildfire on social media. Like Myers-Briggs and those incessant Love Languages people cling to for match making, a memorable labelling system provides a place for people to belong, so that in a pinch they can be identified and put on a team, learn a secret hand shake and all play pat-a-cake.
The only ones that ever stuck with me were Dad's existentialist 'Shit, shave and shower' and Gary Larson's 'Pants first, then shoes'.
Sometimes, one must summon the courage, honesty and intestinal fortitude to simply say 'I don't have an answer, but I smell bullshit'. If faced with a choice of getting F'd in the ass or poked in the eye, I'm going with neither of the above.
Such is the slippery slope of standing in the honest and lonely purgatory of remaining agnostic, suspending judgement for the sake of attempting rational objectivity with a heavy dose of analysis and skepticism, faithful only to a search for answers, or at least as an attempt to purge any lies and misconceptions by process of elimination. Yet, it is a thankless virtue, as no credit will be given, and the skeptic who stands solemnly in the gray shadows of no man's land is summarily dismissed and then fast tracked into damnation.
What are you? A Fascist or a Communist? Shove! Punch! Square peg in round hole. You're welcome.
Whether one questions wearing a mask, taking a vaccine, who to vote for, supporting Black Lives Matter, or believing the news, there are a lot of really good people who are just trying to make sense of the world around them, and because they care, it is important to question.
Not believing the narrative isn't the same as embracing the offense.
I don't believe in Bigfoot, but that doesn't mean I'm hiding a secret hatred of Bigfoot. And, if Bigfoot actually exists, but I don't have enough evidence to honestly say I believe in Bigfoot, it simply means I'm being honest, and I would feel silly fist bumping with Bigfoot enthusiasts at conventions. No, fuck you AND Bigfoot. And the Tooth Fairy.
Of course, like many people, I would be outraged if I believed the police were racially targeting black people en masse. Rather, I genuinely find the premise to be untrue and contrived, and I am outraged that such a sensitive subject would be deliberately employed to further some political outcome.
Here's an interview by Ben Shapiro speaking with Larry Elder, who offers some facts and statistics about "the Black Lives Matter movement and whether or not black Americans are being systematically hunted down by police in the United States".
I especially support the Black personalities on YouTube who have the courage to call bullshit on these police shootings and subsequent riots. They have the bravery, self respect and self worth to use their voice and speak up, to distinguish themselves and isolate the unfortunate criminal element associated with the culture to preserve the individual dignity and of honor of Black people. It is their's to claim and share as a unique cornerstone of true American culture. Such integrity inspires supportive solutions. Yet, if I were to question or criticize aloud the mainstream approach to addressing the ailments of this disenfranchised culture, I would be condemned and attacked by both Black and White for being a racist.
Good, conscientious people are being silenced or ruined for expressing their concerns, and those who demand all forms of tolerance have become unconscionably intolerant.
The truth is that most people probably share a lot of the same values, but the narratives surrounding us are driving division.
Tragically, it seems as if those we've known and loved for years are suddenly exposing such philosophical differences that our most valued and long standing relationships risk being severed.
Some propose that we adopt the mantra of 'agree to disagree' for the sake of suspending judgement and avoiding absurd disconnects, not only with those we know, but as a society. But, it's not enough to simply agree to disagree. Rather than attempt to dominate each other at a point of disagreement from the top-down, we can fast-track agreement from the bottom-up, by establishing the most basic elements of common values. Though easier said than done.
It's not important to win an argument, to convince each other who is right, as though we have enough information to draw a conclusion or judge with a litany of details surrounding any given situation from which we are all many times removed.
Can't we establish up front that regardless of the facts or outcomes, whether a story is true or not, it is most likely we share the same concerns?
We find ourselves carrying the burden of having to reason out a conclusion, without sufficient information or context, creating an anxious sense of competitive urgency to return to society with some stance, and we are not necessarily able to arrive at anything that allows us to engage and discuss. It creates a competition, a self righteous contest, only to find ourselves disappointed, criticizing, accusing and rejecting each other for being gullible or even stupid in our response to stories about events we did not witness.
We have surpassed the point where a joke that makes one person laugh, but makes another person cry, is no longer allowed. Because, as they say of gender-inclusive language - words matter. Take a look at the guidelines on language at Mount Sinai's Adolescent Health Center.
Be careful about fashioning too sharp a stick out of this axiom - words matter - such that free speech becomes too great a liability.
And especially be mindful of deliberately taking words out of their original context to manipulate their meaning and mischaracterize the speaker.
Remember, words and language, though marvelous tools for interfacing, are merely crude approximations of thought. Perhaps words are better at evoking imagery to carry recipients somewhere in the general vicinity of meaning rather than relying on such brute force as to hand deliver meaning to an exact address.
Ironically, those on the Left who have begun policing words are as intolerant as the far-right fundamentalists who insist and rely upon literal interpretations of what were intended as parables and metaphors, such that those who take license or dare to emphasize the fluid and transient nature of language and thought are deemed infidels and heretics. Heads will roll and souls will suffer!
Case in point - don't dare let anyone catch you saying 'He' after he becomes a 'She,' because, like language, gender is now also considered fluid and transient, but it is to be regarded literally, even if it's just a strap-on. Apparently, a metaphorical vagina or parable penis is just as legit as a home grown one. Regardless of X and Y chromosomes, a person's beliefs are to be respected - their faith is what counts. Unless someone starts talking about God or Jesus. Then, it's all bullshit.
Going forward, if anyone talks too much about Christ returning to save mankind, it's probably a schizophrenic and you should give them a quarter and be on your way. But if they announce they're planning on chopping their dick off and installing PVC pipe, you should probably take notes during the lecture and turn in your homework on time because they are your professor and there might be a quiz later.
Are we in such a rush to the checkout that we are bypassing the grocery aisles and just grabbing candy and tabloids at the register? No wonder we're moody, we're spiking our blood sugar and bound to crash. Who needs real sustenance when we have a bounty of dopamine rewards from the social media vending machine, dispensed in the safety and comfort (privacy not included) of our homes in this touchless society.
What the hell am I talking about? Relax, it's just an impression. An expression of the soul. Well, I'll be damned.
One last line from my anonymous, twelve-year-old, outdated, unresponsive blog.
Salvage and reconnect those singed and burnt out wires. You just might yet establish a signal.
See also: 'Vaccine Coercion by Disenfranchisement'.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Alicia Keys Masterclass ad makes me cringe
Have you seen the Alicia Keys Master Class ad?
There's a name for this, it's called the 'millennial whoop'. Is this something that needs to be taught and passed on? I was hoping after more than a decade it would be put out to pasture.
I've already been way annoyed with the whoop, but then it's her goofy, horrible acting when she starts bobbing back and forth and clinching up her facial expression like she's loving it with all her might, my eyeballs are slamming hard up into my sockets just as much as when that poor bastard Joe Biden played Descpacito. Plus, it's isolated vocals without any backing track, so they're taking something that already stinks and serving it up like a shit hors d'oeuvre.
And then, she laughs (all the way to the bank) because it's an embarrassing formula and she knows it, and now she's getting paid to teach it in a class, and it's almost 2021. How do you do that, Alicia? Show us how. It was your idea? Maria Bamford says Alicia Keys is a silly goose.
Equally annoying as the damn whistling trend, it's reassuring to search and find others who want the whooping to stop. Sadly, both of these articles are from 2016.
It was after the dotcom bubble burst and everything digital killed our culture including music, news, books, movies, fashion, it's like the devil grabbed our entire culture by the ass and said bend over.
That's the one thing about YouTube, whatever ad they run, it gets drilled in pretty relentlessly.
Lately, it's Alicia, Patrick Stewart and Mark Hamill for UberEats, Jon Ossoff and Reverend Warnock. Mercy.
Rand Paul: The 2020 election was stolen, mishandling of COVID
Here's what Rand Paul has to say about Joe and Hunter Biden, and the problem with election fraud in Georgia, where 10,000 dead people were registered as voters. In another video, Rand confirms that Georgia and Nevada voting included dead voters, immigrants, and double counts.
Go to 6:25 in this other video to hear Rand's statement about the fraudulent election, and that it was stolen.
Rand's alternative perspective on handling of COVID.
Saturday, December 12, 2020
U.S. Supreme Court: Goldman securities class action appeal, Texas vs election results
U.S. Supreme Court throws out Texas lawsuit contesting 2020 election results in four battleground states
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/11/texas-lawsuit-supreme-court-election-results/
AND...
U.S. Supreme Court takes up Goldman securities class action appeal
from the article:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s appeal in a securities fraud case that could redefine the ability of shareholders to pursue class actions against public companies whose stock prices fall.
Goldman is appealing an April decision from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan allowing a class action accusing the bank of hiding conflicts of interest when creating risky subprime securities before the 2008 financial crisis.
Goldman described its appeal as “the most important securities case” before the Supreme Court in several years, and drew support for it from business and financial industry groups.
The bank also won support from the Society for Corporate Governance, which said a Goldman loss could prompt companies to clam up on social issues such as diversity and racial justice, “out of fear that even generalized or aspirational statements” could prompt securities fraud claims.
Silicon Valley moving to Texas
Oracle is moving to Texas, as is Elon Musk.
Made me wonder if this is the beginning of a mass exodus due to the handling of corona and other problems out of CA. Not to mention, all the surrounding politics, including BLM, and the tax advantages in Texas versus the oncoming major tax hike in California.
Searching 'Elon Musk Texas', looks like I'm onto something.
After some poking around, I also found that Oracle employs 3.7% black employees, and there is a controversy - attorneys are pushing to replace Oracle and Facebook board members with black and minority leaders. Can't help but wonder how all of this ties together, or whether it does.
Again, these companies who jump on board the bandwagon with disingenuous claims of valuing diversity and inclusion may be shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to forcibly reshaping their organization at the core for the sake of satisfying what amounts to a quota, in which case the notion of judging by the content of character rather than the color of skin gets flipped on its head.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Kaepernick puts the Fro in fro-yo
Hey, kids! Who wants ice cream and furballs!
These social justice warriors might just be Crouching Socialists, Hidden Capitalists after all.
Colin couldn't play football, so he played the spotlight instead. And the race card.
God Bless America, right Colin? You sure about that knee?
Defund the police to defend black communities?
Change the Whirled? More like Whirled Star!!!
Who is going to defend black communities from...the black community?
Remember the courage and wisdom of Charles Barkley when he defended police after Ferguson.
If anyone is keeping score, there have been 727 homicides in Chicago in 2020, mostly from gun violence.
In Atlanta, violent crime has increased by 70%, with 136 homicides in '20, and car theft is up by 95% since the blu flu.
If Colin Kaepernick's dream of no more prisons or police comes true, these black communities are all going to be leaving in droves for higher ground. They might want to consider relocating to Ben & Jerry's Burlington, Vermont, where the population is 85.7% white, and 4.9% black.
Mighty brave to cheer on defunding the police in black communities when you don't live in one.
Oh, well. Have a scoop.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Friday, December 4, 2020
Thursday, December 3, 2020
China controlling the weather and more
I've read about China controlling weather in the past, but it sounds like they're really pumping up the volume.
Paris Agreement and climate change be damned, instead of cleaning up their rather generous share of pollution, they'll just blow it around and add a little seasoning.
And who in the West is going to step in and say something? Nah, just take all the blame, self flagellate and clean up the mess, like a good submissive ball-gagged gimp. Bye Bye, Orange Man-Bad. We have John Kerry and the usual gang of idiots to do China's bidding.
While they're busy playing God, they can also modify our genes to breed a super race, and continue to weed out the chafe with their clever viruses.
https://news.trust.org/item/20201202232840-oiyqx
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
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