Thursday, May 28, 2009

trompe l'oeil



"Even that woman peering into the ruin above is not real."

Virginia DMV bans smiling

Virginia bans smiling.  

"As part of the DMV's effort to develop supersecure driver's licenses and foolproof ID cards, the agency has issued a smile ban, directing people to use a "neutral expression" in their portraits, thereby eliminating one of the few reasons to grin after waiting for one's number to be called"

- und zere vill be no smiling !!!

Hot dogs

Dinner time...


From Hot Dogs




News from Bizarro World - Northern Edition


Woman to fight $420 fine for not holding subway handrail :
"MONTREAL - The Montreal woman who was handcuffed and fined $420 for not holding a subway station escalator handrail is planning to fight the tickets, saying she was treated like a "criminal" for trying to avoid germs."
und you vill hold ze handrails !!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

News from Bizarro World

Ohio Patrol Cruisers Go Solar
"To conserve fuel and battery life, the fleet of nearly 1,200 Ford Crown Victorias is being equipped with 5-watt solar panels"
5 watts ? Did you say 5 watts ?
""If you look at all the buildings and if you make the roofs white and if you make the pavement more of a concrete type of colour rather than a black type of colour and if you do that uniformally, that would be the equivalent of... reducing the carbon emissions due to all the cars in the world by 11 years – just taking them off the road for 11 years," he said."
A bucket of paint is all it takes...who knew ?

Monday, May 25, 2009

Jersey barrier

Q. How do you move jersey barriers ? With a zipper machine.

From Roads to the Future :
"The "Zipper Machine" is rather impressive; it's a huge truck-like device that lifts the movable concrete median barrier about 6 inches off of the roadway, shifts it over, and then places it back down onto the roadway." "Jersey-type median barriers weigh 500 pounds per linear foot or more, so it takes a large powerful machine to perform this task, and it moves at 3 to 4 miles per hour."

Did you see this deer ?


Columbus Dispatch : Ohio trying harder to steer deer off roads. There were 26,000 deer-vehicle crashes in 2007.

Boston Globe : Deer struck and killed on pike. From the same article : "Did you see this deer ? Send us your photos."

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Strange signs

from : "Sign Language: strange signs and bizarre English"





Swiss Cheese



I knew it was called rat cheese for a reason...

Bob Dylan birthday


In order to escape the sounds coming from Crew Stadium last night, I went to the Rumba Cafe, which was celebrating Bob Dylan's birthday...
"A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walkin by the arcade.
As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin up,
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate."
-Bob Dylan - Simple Twist Of Fate

The Big Picture - boston.com

Great (big) pictures at The Big Picture


Saturday, May 23, 2009

Volume Wars and Contra Band (featuring Oliver North)

I have a rare day off, and I am having volume wars with Kenny Chesney. In my backyard, I can hear : my stereo, occasional trains, traffic on 71, and a concert at Crew Stadium. The latter has become the most annoying, as this is my day off and I do not wish to hear: a) country music, b) concerts (that I am not mixing), c) Kenny Chesney...

Speaking of Crew Stadium, from their FAQ page :
"Q: What items are prohibited at Crew Stadium?"
"Please review Crew Stadium's Contra Band Control Policy under Stadium Policies to identify items prohibited at the stadium. Security parameters are subject to change at any time."
Contra Band : featuring Oliver North on lead guitar..
Wikipedia : "The English word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," derived via Italian contrabbando from Latin contra"against" + Middle Latin bannum (from Frankish root ban "a command", as in Italian bando 'law'; also the root of 'banishment'), denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed, sold et cetera.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Robert Randolph - 2009 Memorial charity benefit concert


We will be providing production for : "National recording artist, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, will perform at the 2009 Memorial charity benefit concert. Having toured as a supporting act for Eric Clapton and the Dave Matthews Band, Robert Randolph carries a crowd pleasing soul and funk sound. The concert has raised over $120,000 in just two years." Nationwide Children's Hospital

Sunday, May 17, 2009

The week that was...


Shows this past week :

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

New Digidesign Console

A new Live Sound console from Digidesign - I want.

"VENUE SC48 is a fully integrated live sound system that combines all I/O, digital signal processing, and tactile control into a single console..."  more

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Elephant painting video

Watch the entire video, and tell me - Is this real ??? 

funniest.thing.ever.

Martin Short : "Did you just have a stroke ?"

Wasabi spray to warn the hearing impaired

Manufacturer donates alarms releasing wasabi spray to warn the hearing impaired

"The developer of a fire alarm that can wake people with hearing difficulties by releasing the smell of wasabi horseradishes in addition to the usual noise has donated nine of the devices to a school" ....more from The Mainichi Daily News

have podium mic... will be busy


'have podium mic' has a busy weekend :
  • We brought in a semi's worth of production to the Schottenstein Center for the Ohio Education Association.
  • We set up 2 systems (one outside, and one indoors, in case of rain) for the Ohio Wesleyan University (165th) graduation ceremony.
  • Set up PA (in the rain) for "US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Governor Ted Strickland and other special guests at a rally for education reform in Ohio". ( After the sound check Governor Strickland was helping someone duct tape the sign to the podium...)
  • and Monday we will be setting up a show for "Directions for youth and families"

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Unity Gain : Yamaha Consoles

From the Yamaha guys (Trainers on The Road) who do the the  PM5D/M7 Classes :

" So where is the unity point on my digital meters? "

" The unity point on your digital console will vary by manufacturer. However, on almost all of the newer Yamaha digital consoles, the unity point is found at -20dBFS. The only exceptions are the DM2000, and 02R. On these units, the unity point is found at -14dBFS

The unity point we are talking here is the 
internal signal level of consoles when the consoles output +4dBu (0VU). This is the reference level of most equipment we use. Which means, when you see -20dBFS on your output meter of your M7CL, the console outputs signal of +4dBu."


cables: good and bad...(mostly bad)



"... perplexing photos from all over the world, showing unceasing struggle of sysadmins, electricians and sound technicians against the sinister Doom of Second Law of Thermodynamics - the one of increasing entropy

Monday, May 4, 2009

Thiruvananthapuram

According to sitemeter someone visited 'have podium mic' from 
Thiruvananthapuram (also known as Trivandrum), India....



Wikipedia : "Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient city with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BC. It is believed that the ships of King Solomon landed in a port called Ophir (now Poovar) in Thiruvananthapuram in 1036 BC. The city was the trading post of spices,sandalwood and ivory."

Fun with Translations : The Yankees in German, or Die Yankees in Deutsch

• First I typed : Tonight, I will try to find a TV that will show Boston defeating the Yankees... Just because I like the way that looks in german, especially if you say "the Yankees"...

• Google Translated it as : Heute Abend werde ich versuchen, einen Fernseher, die zeigen, Boston Sieg der Yankees ... ich ebenso wie die Art und Weise, sieht in den Sprachen Deutsch, vor allem, wenn Sie sagen, dass "die Yankees"...

• I then copied the German and translated it back to English and got this : Tonight I will try and a TV that show the Boston Yankees victory ... I like the way that looks into the languages German, especially if you say that "the Yankees" ...

 via (Kicken Sie hier) Google Translate


Chris Botti

We brought in PA ( 10 EV XLC per side ) and monitors to the Ohio Theater for jazz trumpeter Chris Botti with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Although it was loong, exhausting day, the actual show was very good. 

The orchestra shell was in, which put monitor world ( and me ) on stage, which meant I had a great seat to see and hear the band. And Chris Botti's band is incredible. I was closest to drummer Billy Kilson , who is a monster, and puts on a great show, as does guitarist Mark Whitfield, and the Grammy Award winning pianist Billy Childs.

This video is "Chris Botti and violinist Lucia Micarelli performing the moving "Emmanuel" in Botti's new PBS special CHRIS BOTTI IN BOSTON" , which they also performed at the Ohio Theater..

Chris Botti ... part 2

Some of the people in the orchestra were complaining about the volume, and it reminded me of the time I was doing monitors for the band Boris (one of the loudest bands I have ever heard - and a lot louder than a Jazz band !!). 

Anyway, we were in the middle of soundcheck, and I was dialing up the bands monitor mixes, which was made somewhat difficult by the fact that I do not speak Japanese, and they did not speak that much English, and I brought up some guitar in the drummers mix, and he got up, walked over the monitor console, and said (in thick Japanese accent), "... too loud.." 

I can only imagine what the orchestra would have thought about the volume of that show....

Boris From Wexner Center

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Doc, I can’t stop singing...

“Doc, I can’t stop singing The Green, Green Grass of Home.”
“That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.”
“Is it common?”
“Well, It’s Not Unusual.”