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iPhone MMS Getting Closer…

iPhone OS 3.1 Beta was just released, and for those of you that are jonesing for MMS support, the 3.1 beta is giving hints. When you go into Messages, you'll see a small camera icon next to the text field. Upon tapping this icon, you are taken to a dialog where you can either take a photo, or choose an existing photo to add to your message.

You also have the option to send images from within Photos as MMS:

Posted at 10:41pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

What’s Up?

Another long post drought — sorry about that. So what's new...

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My wife and I are taking a ceramics class, and it's really fun and really frustrating! Getting the clay centered on the wheel is so dadgum hard, I can't begin to explain it — but everyone says that one day it'll just click and centering will happen with little effort. We'll see.

I think I like the ceramics so much because there's just something cool about taking a lump of clay and fashioning anything you want out it. Do I need some espresso cups? Slap down some clay and make one or two! Need a couple of custom cereal bowls? Not a problem. We're still only a couple weeks in, so we haven't gotten to glazing — but that will be really cool.

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We took a family vacation last week, spending several days in Coronado, California. It was absolutely GORGEOUS. It would be a great place to live, for sure. I've never too much of a beach fan, but that's because I hadn't ever actually sat out on a patio and let the sounds of the ocean hit me. It was just mesmerizing to sit out, enjoy the view and sounds, and soak in the sun and weather.

Now we're back in Texas, and while I love it here — I hate the heat. Ugh.

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I'm on a quest to lose weight, and I'm getting closer and closer to my goal of 215. I started at 234 (holy crap), and I'm now hovering around 221. I'm pretty happy with myself — especially since I managed to not lose weight while on vacation. I'll tell you, if you want to drop pounds and get some wicked cardio, go get an elliptical machine — the butt kicking is well worth it.

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D'oh! Ace of Cakes is on — gotta go!

Posted at 7:20pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Brawn

I'm 99% done amassing the hardware (the brawn) for my PA system, and here's what I have so far in all it's portable, potent, glory:

It includes the following, from top to bottom:

• Furman M-8Lx power strip/conditioner/light rack
• dbx 231 31-band Graphic Equalizer
• dbx 234XL Crossover
• Crown XLS 802 amp for mains
• Crown XLS 802 amp for subs

All that's left for this rack are the two grills to cover (while allowing ventilation) the open spaces you see. Nice! I'm also working on a smaller effects rack that will hold one compressor (for now), as well as mount the wireless in-ear systems that will be needed. I'll have 4U for rack space, so I'll plenty of room for whatever.

Posted at 7:30am CDT | Permalink | Comments (2)

Flying Time…

How is it that I'm more busy now, than when I had a 9–5 job? Man oh man. Anyway, here's a snapshot of what's been going on...

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Let's talk about punctuation for a second. Specifically, I'd like to remind everyone about the -, −, –, and — (hyphen, minus, en dash, and em dash, respectively).

First off, see that little line that most of you call a dash in the upper right-hand portion of your keyboard? The "minus" sign? That's actually a hyphen, and it's used to join words (as well as to separate syllables of a single word) as in, say, butt-munch. And that, my friends, is the ONLY time it is used.

Now let's talk about the minus sign (−), which is only used to indicate subtraction, as in 6−3=3 (as opposed to 6-3=3). However, the only way to properly type a minus sign is to use the Symbol font, then type a hyphen (I'm displaying it properly here because I'm using HTML encoding entities — but that's a whole other post). Since that's a pain in the butt, it's commonly acceptable to just pretend a hyphen is a minus symbol — but you'll notice above, that the two are obviously not the same.

Next up is the en dash (–), and it's used to show a range of some sort, like July 4–8. The en dash is also used when typing compound adjectives like "non–zombie proof armor," as well as expressing connections such as "New York–Houston flight." You can type this character on your Mac by pressing option-hyphen.

Lastly, the venerable em dash (—) — my personal favorite punctuation mark of all time. The em dash is used to designate a parenthetical thought — like I'm doing now — as well as to express an interruption in though, like when you —

Ha, see what I did there? It's also worth pointing out that the proper use of the em dash is to pad it with a space before and after, thus amplifying the mark's meaning and importance. You can type the em dash by pressing shift-option-hyphen on your keyboard.

And there you have it. Even though they aren't the same in width or ascent, the hyphen and minus symbol are interchangeable, the en dash should be used when typing a date or comparison, and the em dash should come into play when you need to add a parenthetical thought — and you should pad the dash with spaces before and after.

One last thing regarding punctuation: you should never type two spaces after a period (or any other punctuation) unless you are using a manual typewriter. I don't care what school you went to, how many degrees you have in English and/or Writing, what book said otherwise, or what Great Teacher taught you — there are NEVER two spaces after a period. STOP DOING IT. It is INCORRECT. You don't type can't as cant' because it's wrong to do so — and it's just as wrong to add spaces after periods. The ONLY exception is when you're using a monospaced, manual typewriter. I know you think it doesn't matter, and that only nitwits like me make a big deal out of it — but trust me, people notice.

Next time I'll address the proper use of the semicolon (the bane of all punctuation). In the mean time, go forth and type properly!

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My dual channel 31-band graphic equalizer (a dbx 231) came in today, and it's looking mighty fine in my rack space. I'm still waiting on the crossover and my power strip/light combo to arrive, though, before I can really put the rig through the wringers. Hopefully I'll be able to do that next week.

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I'm trying to decide what all I want on my next tattoo, and I'm ready to have my mind made up. I'm going to get the Latin phrase "dum spiro spero" on my left forearm — but I'm somewhat torn as to what embellishments I may want. About 99% of me says to just get the text, so that's probably what I'll end up doing. I may also be able to get Hannah Aitchison to tattoo this little piece for me, too, which would be totally cool!

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I really wish I could sing higher.

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I have two Trident Maples coming to me from sunny California at the end of the month, and I totally can't wait to get the little guys. This is my all-time favorite tree for bonsai, and I'm looking forward to having them in my little collection. Hopefully I won't kill them. =/

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And that is all.

Posted at 10:03pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

Late Night Stuff

Can't sleep tonight because I drank too much espresso right before bed — so here I am. It's been a while, so now's as good a time as any to play catch-up again.

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I've been missing Dad quite a bit the last week. I think part of it is that I have a nephew graduating and a niece with a big birthday-bash coming up, and we all wish Pop was here to be part of things. I bought myself a weight-lifting station the other day, and it took me 7 hours to get it all put together — and a year ago, Dad would have been out there with me, helping me get it all done. He would have advice and opinions on the shed I want to get built in our back yard, as well as the tree removal and enclosed patio I'm thinking of doing. I also put some chemicals in my parents' pool, and the last time I did that, Dad was able to go with me to the pool store, walk himself in (with his portable oxygen), and then sit outside while I loaded the water with the goods we bought. We cooked-out at my sister's the other day, and Dad always went outside to "help" my brother-in-law — so it was awkward for Dad not to be out there on the patio. We're planning a little family vacation on the beach, and it will totally stink for Pop not to be there, walking with Mom along the water's edge.

I could go on and on like this — but the main thing that makes all of the seemingly sad stuff above so cool is that all of them are great memories of how much Dad was a part of our lives. I'm blessed to have nothing but wonderful memories of a great Dad and great friend. It's hard because we miss him so much, and because the center of the McCown Life is no longer here — but his love for all of us continues on, and so do the awesome memories.

I love you, Pop.

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A friend and I are putting together a band, and it's pretty exciting. We both just want to do local stuff; small-scale, just for fun, and just for the sake of playing. We've brought a mutual buddy of ours, Phillip, into the fold, and we've sort of hoisted a drummer on board.

I'm looking forward to it because I've always loved being in bands and playing for a live audience — outside of what I've done at church over the years. Bunker (the guy I'm starting the band with) appointed me Lead Vocals, which I'm still unsure about — but it'll be a nice challenge to learn new material from scratch and have to learn the melody, too. There's just something really cool about seeing people get energized while you perform, and I've been itching to get out there again — and so have the other guys.

As for what we'll play, we're just going to start off with a handful of covers, from metal to folk — we're going to be shooting for a pretty dadgum eclectic mix. We'll also have to come up with a name one of these days, too...

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Speaking of band stuff, I'm gathering my dream PA system: one that will cover any indoor venue, as well as outdoor shows with an audience 100+ feet deep. The power will come from two Crown XLS 802 amps: one for the mains, and one for the subs. A dbx 223XL crossover will split the signals, all of which will be equalized with a dbx 231 31-band graphic EQ. For speakers, I'm leaning toward using JBL MRX525s for the mains, and JBL MRX518s or 528s for the subs.

Using those speakers, I'll be pushing the mains amp at 4 ohms, giving me 800 watts per channel. Depending on which sub cabinet, I'll get either 500 or 800 watts per channel. That will be a LOT of sound, man — 2600 or 3200 watts — and every base we'd ever need should be more than covered.

SWEET!

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And continuing the sound discussion, I've taken some crash-courses in sound engineering over the last week, too, and I'm totally ready to try out my new knowledge in the real world. All the things I know to do, but just don't know how to go about doing them — they've all clicked. From proper cabling, to setting up EQs, to finding feedback problems and correcting them, proper gear hookups, etc., etc., etc. It's like a light has been turned on in my head. Now I just need to find somewhere to try it out on...

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We bought an elliptical machine a couple of weeks ago, and I'm amazed at how well it helps you lose weight. I'm down to 227 now (I'm 6'4" and a big-framed guy that floated around 235, just FYI), but I still have the ol' McCown Gut Gene trying to take over. My goal is to get down to 212 and see how that works for me — and between the elliptical machine and weight training, and what they've already done so far, I'm confident I'll meet my goals in a couple of months without having to do anything too drastic. We shall see!

Posted at 12:33am CDT | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saturday, With Variety

Could you ask for better weather down here in South Texas? Dadgum, it's PERFECT! Working outside is quite enjoyable right now, which is one thing I've been doing loads of. Yesterday started out as cleaning the garage — the bane of my existence. I now have 26 40-gallon bags of junk to haul to the road on Monday. What's worse, is that I'm only about halfway through the cleaning process! So today will be another day of throwing out old fertilizer, soils, and getting all my yard tools organized so that I can really clean-up the floor. The best solution is going to be to buy a little storage shed we can hide in our back yard, and that's where I'll keep all the lawn gear — and that will really open-up some space in the garage. We pay to have people maintain our yard, so the equipment hasn't been touched in a few years — but I just can't fathom parting with all my good ol' John Deer wares. I figure the price of a storage shed is less than the amount it would cost me to replace my mower, blowers, edger, and line trimmer if I ever started doing the work myself again. But, we don't want to spend loot on a building just yet, so I have to be more diligent about keeping things organized and clean out there.

After doing that, I spent a good while spraying Cutter's Backyard Bug Control (formally known as "Bug Free Backyard") all over every living thing in our front and back yard. Let me tell you: this smack works, and it works GREAT. I've been using it for 5+ years, and it always does an excellent job of getting us through mosquito season. If you haven't applied this product on your yard — and you'd like to be able to stand outside without being bled dry — go to Lowe's now and buy a couple of bottles!

Next up was tree-trimming, which I still need to finish today.

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As mentioned in my previous post, I'm starting back into my bonsai hobby now that I have a better place to support the trees. When I first got started, we were living in an apartment while our previous house was being built, and I just wasn't able to maintain the trees properly (and I didn't really know what I was doing all that much). Since then, I've spent loads of time reading books and online articles, visiting forums, gathering knowledge, etc., etc., and now I feel better prepared. At our current house, we have an attached, enclosed patio that works perfectly for bonsai, so I've been straightening it up and making the whole room more pleasant to be in — it's really "cute" out there now. It has floor to ceiling windows (with screens) on 3 of the sides, so it gets plenty of air flow and sun without getting too hot.

I'm still letting the trees get acclimated to Texas weather and wind, so I haven't done anything as far as shaping or pruning just yet. Shock is a bad thing for bonsai. Here are the 2 I'm currently working on, a Fukien Tea (ehretia microphylla) and a Baby Jade (portulacaria afra):

This is right after I got them, and since this picture, I have removed all the annoying little pebbles, and the Fukien has begun blooming flowers. These trees are what bonsaists typically call "mallsai" (as in bought from a mall or your local garden center) because they are mass-produced and not really properly trained trees. Sure, they're little plants, but they aren't grown to be true to the art form of bonsai. And so it is with my trees, though they aren't quite as bad as the Target Specials you see during the summer. Mine mainly have technical and artistic training and soil problems — but I intend to change that over the next several years.

I have also begun propagating schefflera and crepe myrtle from cuttings, so it'll be cool to see what I can grow those little dudes into.

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I miss my Dad not being around to talk to. I would love to tell him about the people across the street and down a couple of houses, and how they had all the grass in their front yard pulled off to resod. He would also have some advice on the building I want to put in the back yard, as well as our proposed screen enclosure and big ol' patio we're thinking of having built. I miss not seeing him in his rocking chair when I go over, and I miss him asking how church went. I miss not bringing him breakfast every morning. BUT — I love the memories and how real he is all around me, in everything I see. I love you, Pop.

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We traded-up our treadmill for an elliptical machine, the NordicTrack Audiostrider 990. Sweet fancy Moses, this thing is MUCH better than a treadmill! After not running or walking while Dad was sick, my 6'4" and 230 pound frame just wasn't too hip with running — my old back starting hurting too much! Wanting to make sure we keep up with exercising, though, we tried out half a dozen ellipticals before deciding on this one — and we love it. While it takes time for your quads to get used to it, once they do, you can totally get a better workout without it taking such a toll on your body. I have 15 some-odd pounds I want to lose, and I have a feeling this'll do it better than the treadmill, easy (plus dieting, of course).

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A bird just flew into my office window.

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I'm looking forward to playing my Gold Tone Banjitar (I had them use a white head, not clear) this weekend, even if it's only for one song. He's been asking to get out of the house for months now, as you can imagine.

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That's it for now. I'm hoping to find time this weekend to install a new pickup into my Reverend Daredevil, so keep your eyes peeled...

Posted at 8:05am CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another Random Post To Play Catchup…

Wow, what a hiatus! It's been good though — but I'm ready to be back to posting. So, as with many of my older posts, this will be random — but I hope to cover loads of bases and let everyone play catchup with everything I've been up to.

Let's talk about the "elephant in the room" first: the passing of my Dad. I posted here a handful of times, requesting prayers and "good vibes" with the hope of Dad getting better, getting healed, getting back to normal. That didn't happen. As a Christ Follower, I prayed that God would restore Dad's body, and that God would restore vitality to Dad's lungs. That didn't happen, either. While this may seem like evidence that there is no God (or maybe one that didn't care), I see it as more evidence we have a Just God, and One that stands firm in His Creation and Authority.

You see, I believe God intended for Man to "live forever" in harmony with Him and the world He created for us (in the Garden). Mankind got greedy and screwed-up the plan, though, and Mankind and the world had to deal with the consequences we were told we would face: separation from God's Original Plan, or as I call it, the Origin. So what was God to do? Being a just God, He had no other choice, really, than to stick to His word — so that's what He did. The long and short of it is that He set Nature in motion, and Mankind would become yet another part of Nature in this "fallen" world, or screwed-up Origin.

The detail I'll pull out of all the millions available is this: Mankind now gets sick and dies.

Bringing it back to my Dad, we all knew he — and everyone else in the world — would die someday. Yet we weren't ready for him to go so soon because we love him so, so very much. The thought of his physical presence no longer being here with us was — and still is — hard to grasp. My brain still has a hard time fully processing that Dad is not here any longer. Sure, I haven't seen him in over a month, but he was such a huge part of my life (and everyone else's in the family), that the void left seems far too misshapen to allow into reality at some basic, brain level. I know he's gone, but the void is just hard to get right now.

So what about my prayers and petitions to God? God didn't act on them. Am I mad at God for this? Have I lost Faith? Of course not — because God is a just God, and He has to stick to the rules He set in motion oh so very long ago. Because we know of times when God stepped out of His Nature and performed miracles of healing to edify who He was/is/will be — we prayed that He would consider doing the same for Dad. But God was to be most edified, and Dad was to be most honored, if Dad was "called home." Like I've been telling everyone here, as much as we fought for Dad to get well and stay alive with us, God's heart ached for Dad to come home and be where he belongs, back at his Origin.

I feel that God had the foresight and plan to never fully heal and restore Dad, and that's why our family had the path we had as we fought this sickness. From the very beginning, God opened doors for us to get the best care on Earth, and through all the medicines and fighting, Dad dealt with none of the circumstances people normally face with chemo. He never had the nausea, vomiting, pain, aching, massive tiredness, etc. So many things could have gone so badly, but Dad never had any issues. While it's true that the chemo exacerbated his lung condition, he still fought that like a trooper. In the end, Dad was able to tell us everything he needed to tell us, and prepare us in every way we needed to be prepared — and I truly feel he stayed on with us so long, simply because he had just a bit more to tell us. Everyone thinks their Dad is a hero, but I really do believe a "normal" man would have died days or weeks before Dad — but Pop was just a tough ol' dude. He wasn't leaving until he was ready and it absolutely necessary — and that's what he did.

That said, God was merciful and kind in Dad's illness. He helped us get through things in ways that make our familial jaw drop. God was hugely compassionate, and if there was a "Way To Die," God made it horribly easy for us when you get right down to it. So in the end, the Victory of Dad being back at his Origin is so awesome, it far outweighs the pain of not having him here. Dad is truly healed, dad is truly well. We don't have to wonder if he'll get sick again in 3 months, 12 months, or ever again. And because of the Dad he was (and my Mom is equally awesome), we all see Dad everywhere. His hand is on everything, from the drill press in my garage, to his hammer, to the patio door we hung, to the clear coat on our cabinets, to the paint on our ceiling, to the crown moulding we hung together, to the woodwork on Mom and Dad's cabinets, to so, so, so very much. Nothing around us is without his handprint — and that's because he was a Dad in truest sense of the word: always there for us, always a friend, always the center of the familial life. Seeing him everywhere is such a blessing, and that's also what makes his passing easier to swallow: the legacy and memories he left are so, so wonderful. Couple that with his spirit and character, it's an honor to carry his family name.

And there you have it. I could go on, but I won't. It's still rough, and it's still tough — but the good and great outweigh his sickness by so much, the joy of his Victory over death is becoming more and more the focus. God is merciful, compassionate, and just — and Dad is healed more than we could have ever asked for here on Earth.

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Total shift now, and into to music mode. I bought a new guitar, though I haven't had a chance to take a pic just yet. It's a Reverend Daredevil HB in wine red (here's a pic from Reverend's site):

This is my third Reverend, the second being the P290 version of this same guitar, but I can't stand the 290 sound. I'm not 100% sold on the pickups in this guitar either, but my plan is to toss a WCR Iron Man into the bridge. It should be freakin' ridiculously awesome then!

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Since I can never have too many hobbies for myself, I decided to go back to one I experimented with (unsuccessfully) several years ago: bonsai. Now that I have more free time thanks to working from home, I can devote more time to sticking to a proper routine with the trees — or that's the plan, at least. So I got myself a Fukien Tea (again) and a Baby Jade, 9 and 5 years old, respectively. We'll also be taking some classes and stuff like that, and we're hoping that will really pay off for these little guys. Like the guitar above, I haven't had a chance to snap any pics — but I will soon (and I'm sure you can't wait!).

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RAILhead Effects is doing great, and I still haven't done an ounce of promotion or advertising. I'm planning to do a small push at the beginning or Q3, though, just to see how much more comes in. I'm really loving the custom build work, too, and it's great to really create something for someone that fits their exclusive needs. Nice!

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My massive, Hannh Aitchison half sleeve tattoo is healing perfectly, and now I'm sketching out the next ones I plan to get. I still can't get over how beautiful it is!

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Thats it for now — I need to get to work on pedals and hauling my new drill press into my indoor shop...

Posted at 7:41am CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

Still Here…

Just a quick post to let everyone know I'm still here — things have just been crazy the last several weeks. Long story short, my Dad passed away April 5th, so things have been totally family-focused. I'll post more later, but I just wanted to let you all know I haven't disappeared...

Posted at 7:18pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (14)