Obi-J

The following is portions of a show I recordeda couple of years ago when Amy and I were relentless groupies of Transmission. It wasn’t like were were real groupies (no hot action in the back ya know), but we did enjoy seeing these guys play whenever we could And even though we may have already seen them three times that week already, they’d never failed to suprise me and just play some beautiful music.

During that time I was also into the jamband scene where people follow and record bands religiously. I’d go to shows there’d be at least one or two guys setting up mics and recording gear to capture the night’s music. In face, nearly every show I’d go to someone was recording. But Transmission, nobody was recording. Occasionally Andrew would record the band, but that was for the group and not really for sharing with fans like the “tapers” would. So at some point in 2001 I got myself a minidisc recorder and some mics, and started to record. I don’t know how many shows I’ve got, but I tend to listen to my favorites. This is one of them, and includes one of the best Fists of Fury I’ve ever heard them play.

Transmission live at Storyville February 9, 2002
Set 1:
1. The Weatherman
2. Fists of Fury
3. Anima
Set 2
4. No Goats on the Tundra
5. improv
6. Iddly

::: FYI, the music is quite dynamic, meaning a lot of soft and loud passages, so if you’re listening at work like I am, be aware that it may get quite loud without you knowing it. And then your coworker comes by to tell you it’s really fabulous but makes it hard to concentrate :::

::: Photographer – Robin Loznak :::
::: Found on SFGate Day in Pictures :::

I’m one of the most unphotogenic people I know. I realize the sight of oneself is equivalent to hearing the sound of your own voice, but I usually look really bad in pictures. So I’m constantly trying to figure out how to take the best pictures possible. Especially taking pictures in low light, attempting to capture the natural environment rather than the usual washed out look you get when you use the flash. Of course, having an awesome camera is a huge help, but I’m not about to plop down the cash. I just work with what I’ve got. Amy’s had this 1.3mp camera for a while, and it’s pretty low end, and I never gave it much respect. But I’ve been playing with some of the options as well as a few other tricks up my sleeve, and I’m pretty suprised by the results.

I was asked to find reputable sources on the problems with the florida election procedures, and specifically problems during the 2000 election. So this is just my raw sources without analysis.

• Controversy in Florida (Wikipedia)
• Cal-MIT Voting Study – “…found that 1.5 million votes [in Florida] were lost because of punch cards, and there were many other problems caused by both machinery failures and poor ballot design. “
• Blacks Outpace Others in Early Voting (Sun-Sentinel) – “Organizers say many black voters still are angry about Florida’s 2000 election, which a U.S. civil-rights commission said was marked by “injustice, ineptitude and inefficiency.” Fifty-four percent of votes thrown out during the election were cast by blacks, even though they accounted for just 11 percent of voters statewide.”
• Election 2004 Potential Problems in Key States (Ohio State University Moritz College of Law)
• Florida 2000: The Sequel – “Five ways the election could end up in court, again” (Slate, MSN)
• E-Voting Machine Crash Deepens Concern (Washington Post)
• States Report Early E-Voting Glitches (PC World)