Having received word today that Yahoo 360 is finally shutting down, I thought I would pop on over here and see if there was anything lingering that I needed to transfer elsewhere. As things are, I have already reposted these blogs to a central blog I keep for everything now.
http://djsquelchandphaseshifts.blogspot.com/
Any blogging that I might do would go here first before being posted any sub-blog. How ironic I chose to do that for posterity. Also, my most pertinent photos and art are archived on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djsquelch/sets/
I have been a Yahoo member since 02/98. A lot has happened over the years and I have blogged so little of it, particularly here. I hope you will take the time to stay with the links I have posted in this entry. These are slices of my life and I hope you enjoy them as they come about. Thank you for sticking with me. Words cannot express my appreciation effectively. Goodbye to all things Yahoo 360 and see you later on the other side...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
of goals and destinations...
While my life may be a work in progress, I do set goals for myself along the way such as completion of chores, accomplishing projects (which sometimes sit around for a bit first, gathering lots of potential energy), and short/long-term work that I wish to do for a living. Anyone who's followed me for a while knows of my pursuit in and commitment to music (spec edm) and most likely equally aware that I am working towards a goal of teaching English in Japan. I recently came across a blurb discussing flexible careers that also pay well and I was intrigued that teaching was actually one of the options. I have always considered teaching as an underpaid and thankless job meant only for those with a passion or at least a genuine interest for such a thing. I think that reservation may only hold up to certain levels, i.e. i imagine an inner-city elementary teacher will make less than a private tutor, who will make less than an undergraduate college professor, who will make less than post secondary teacher, for instance. I am sure there is a breakdown on salary rank based on various contingencies that is more clear, but I don't have that information on hand at the present time. The article I found did actually specify a level of teaching that is more monetarily rewarding and it gave me food for thought that while I am aiming for teaching that maybe i might give consideration to seeing how far I can go in such a field (a bit of a personal challenge, as it were).
"Post Secondary Teachers
Did you know that many college teachers and university professors are retiring? You'll work on a school calendar, with summer, spring, and winter holiday vacation time if you want it. Some professors only report to campus two days a week. They make up for it by the work they do at home, but not reporting to campus every day can lead to flexibility.
You'll need a master's degree to teach at the community college level and a doctorate in your field to qualify for tenure-track professorships at four-year colleges. Positions for post-secondary teachers are predicted to rise by an exceptional 12 percent through the 2006-2016 decade. 2007 salary averages were $98,974 for professors, $69,911 for associate professors, and $58,662 for assistant professors."
Source: http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_six_flexible_careers_that_pay_70k.html
On a side note, I would like to reiterate that I still have no intention o giving up on music and think that pursuing teaching will be rewarding in multiple ways, including financially facilitating my pursuit in music, which is also an underpaid career field- hey, why do I keep choosing underpaid fields as career choices!?
"Post Secondary Teachers
Did you know that many college teachers and university professors are retiring? You'll work on a school calendar, with summer, spring, and winter holiday vacation time if you want it. Some professors only report to campus two days a week. They make up for it by the work they do at home, but not reporting to campus every day can lead to flexibility.
You'll need a master's degree to teach at the community college level and a doctorate in your field to qualify for tenure-track professorships at four-year colleges. Positions for post-secondary teachers are predicted to rise by an exceptional 12 percent through the 2006-2016 decade. 2007 salary averages were $98,974 for professors, $69,911 for associate professors, and $58,662 for assistant professors."
Source: http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_six_flexible_careers_that_pay_70k.html
On a side note, I would like to reiterate that I still have no intention o giving up on music and think that pursuing teaching will be rewarding in multiple ways, including financially facilitating my pursuit in music, which is also an underpaid career field- hey, why do I keep choosing underpaid fields as career choices!?
Friday, May 29, 2009
beware of unauthorized transactions...
Today, I was checking my bank account online and came across a transaction I did not recognize.
05/27/2009 ACH Transaction - Web Revenue Svc 4242390433 $14.95-
Some of you may have seen this before. Some of you may see it soon. I ran a few searches online. The White Pages reverse phone number search didn't turn up any results, but Google said the area code 424 is Santa Monica, California. I also turned up a very interesting search result for "Web Revenue Service."
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-239-0433
Guess what? Some creep is randomly conducting unauthorized account transactions. Guess what else? People are irate and I figure it won't be long before this criminal is brought to justice. Banks in particular do not take this sort of garbage lying down. My bank has already heard from me twice about this. I expect a satisfactory resolution and that is not negotiable.
So check your statements and your caller id's regularly! I have no idea how this person is getting everyone's account number, but s/he is currently actively stealing money on a frequent and regular basis! Let's put an end to criminals like this...
05/27/2009 ACH Transaction - Web Revenue Svc 4242390433 $14.95-
Some of you may have seen this before. Some of you may see it soon. I ran a few searches online. The White Pages reverse phone number search didn't turn up any results, but Google said the area code 424 is Santa Monica, California. I also turned up a very interesting search result for "Web Revenue Service."
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-239-0433
Guess what? Some creep is randomly conducting unauthorized account transactions. Guess what else? People are irate and I figure it won't be long before this criminal is brought to justice. Banks in particular do not take this sort of garbage lying down. My bank has already heard from me twice about this. I expect a satisfactory resolution and that is not negotiable.
So check your statements and your caller id's regularly! I have no idea how this person is getting everyone's account number, but s/he is currently actively stealing money on a frequent and regular basis! Let's put an end to criminals like this...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
trigun...
I pulled a couple images I liked from the Trigun manga, dropped them into Photoshop, and hand-colored them. One image is of Legato Bluesummers and the other is of Vash the Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood. I used to do stuff like this quite a bit a long time ago. Seems I still enjoy doing it...
unexpected tears...
this week, i was told about the passing of an old family friend. i havent seen her in over a decade, most of which she has been in a rest home (which i barely even recall). my family and her family have been next door neighbors since well before i was born. taking into account recent considerable detachment, i wasn't phased initially when i first heard the news (other than realizing it was rather sad). however within a short while, i found myself tearing up while preparing my meal. i had started digging into old memories...
this woman was good friends with my grandmother. she was a sweet lady and indeed the majority of her family and my family were friends with each other. we have seen many things happen to each other over the years- death, marriage, and birth as well as everything in between. even after i was in my twenties, she was still favoring me as if i were one of her own. you could say she was like a grandmother to me and i enjoyed that very much. i wish i had more opportunities to share time with her.
i have lost several friends and family over the years- teachers, distant relatives, and other family friends. for some reason, i think this loss has struck me harder than all the others; perhaps because she was so personally special to me and nothing had a chance to damage any of those memories. i think it is in that last thought that explains why the tears i couldnt find for my grandmother i had found for this lady. last year, i said goodbye to my grandmother; this year to her, and i know my grandfather wont be living much longer either. i am tired of digging out my funeral clothes to say goodbye...
this woman was good friends with my grandmother. she was a sweet lady and indeed the majority of her family and my family were friends with each other. we have seen many things happen to each other over the years- death, marriage, and birth as well as everything in between. even after i was in my twenties, she was still favoring me as if i were one of her own. you could say she was like a grandmother to me and i enjoyed that very much. i wish i had more opportunities to share time with her.
i have lost several friends and family over the years- teachers, distant relatives, and other family friends. for some reason, i think this loss has struck me harder than all the others; perhaps because she was so personally special to me and nothing had a chance to damage any of those memories. i think it is in that last thought that explains why the tears i couldnt find for my grandmother i had found for this lady. last year, i said goodbye to my grandmother; this year to her, and i know my grandfather wont be living much longer either. i am tired of digging out my funeral clothes to say goodbye...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
cooking with dog...
Yeah, I know: "with dog," right? Only it's a play on words. Allow me to elaborate further...
For those of you familiar with YouTube (a site featuring videos of various topics), someone is using the medium to release a short feature cooking series and guess what? Dog isn't the ingredient- he is the host! Francis, a French Poodle, hosts every video which teaches the viewer how to cook Japanese meals (one meal per video since each video is about 5 minutes in length). An excellent mix of humor and instruction keeps even the most contemporary attention span glued just long enough to learn how to make something simple and amazingly delicious (yes, sometimes acquired tastes apply, but substitutions often work in a pinch). Ingeniously, a recipe is also provided in the info area to the right of the video for those curious enough to want to try any of the recipes on video. I gave them a "Stumble" and I was glad to find I wasn't the first to do so. I think you might enjoy their videos as well, if for nothing more than sheer entertainment value.
Here is the main link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog
For those of you familiar with YouTube (a site featuring videos of various topics), someone is using the medium to release a short feature cooking series and guess what? Dog isn't the ingredient- he is the host! Francis, a French Poodle, hosts every video which teaches the viewer how to cook Japanese meals (one meal per video since each video is about 5 minutes in length). An excellent mix of humor and instruction keeps even the most contemporary attention span glued just long enough to learn how to make something simple and amazingly delicious (yes, sometimes acquired tastes apply, but substitutions often work in a pinch). Ingeniously, a recipe is also provided in the info area to the right of the video for those curious enough to want to try any of the recipes on video. I gave them a "Stumble" and I was glad to find I wasn't the first to do so. I think you might enjoy their videos as well, if for nothing more than sheer entertainment value.
Here is the main link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog
music article and commentary...
I haven't posted a news article with commentary in a long time. In fact, I used to do it on my MySpace musician page fairly often about things that caught my eye which I felt were noteworthy. Yes, lots of things in the news are noteworthy. I realize that. Many people do not realize that a person cannot buy things such as books, music, videos, etc. just because they live in a certain country- or rather because they do not live in a certain country. Policies like this actually hurt global economy more than they offer protection (against what is something I don't even wish to bother discussing). The one major flaw I see in economy is when consumers are not granted relevant rights- or worse yet, when their rights are not observed. I'm starting to encroach upon a tirade I'd rather steer clear of for now since it is something I have more than sufficiently touched upon in the past. If you're familiar with my past posts, chances are you already know what I'm hinting at. Anyway, anytime I see an article discussing the music industry it naturally catches my eye, esp. if it involves even a remote attempt to put the industry in its place- trust me, they need it. At some point, this world is going to see more global policy being implemented to some extent in various fields. I think it's a smart step in the right direction. Some people's standards are too low while others are too high. I have always felt a happy medium is a good thing to strive for since there are so few in this world, let alone in our lives. So yeah, you take an article about one thing and pretty soon you can see some basic concepts covered that can be applied to other things in life. Pretty neat, huh?
---------------------
EU pushes music industry to open up online rights
by AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer
Tue May 26, 2009 7:02AM EDT
BRUSSELS -
EU antitrust regulators told the music industry Tuesday to move quickly and change licenses that currently restrict online music stores such as iTunes from offering the same songs for sale across Europe.
Internet music downloads in Europe lag behind those in the United States, pulling in just a fraction of revenues the record industry is losing from falling CD sales.
Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented Apple Inc.'s iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe. Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores with different music selections.
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said regulators' talks with the music industry mean that French collecting society SACEM and record label EMI were now willing to license their music to rights managers across Europe.
Apple has also said that it would offer music tracks to all European customers if it was able to license EU-wide rights.
"There is a clear willingness expressed by major players in the online distribution of music in Europe to tackle the many barriers which prevent consumers from fully benefiting from the opportunities that the Internet provides," she said.
She urged publishers and music copyright groups — also called collecting societies — "to move quickly to adapt their licensing solutions to the online environment," saying she would review progress.
This carries more than a hint of a threat. The European Commission told collecting societies last July to end a system of contracts that allow artists to collect payments only from an agency based in their own country.
It found the 24 European collecting societies guilty of breaking EU antitrust rules, but did not impose any fines. The collecting societies are members of CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors of Composers.
Musicians make money from their music after they register copyrights with collective rights managers. Those managers then license songs to online services, radio stations, nightclubs and other outlets.
Some artists have complained that altering current licenses could see them shortchanged and miss out on income from increased sales.
Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090526/ap_on_hi_te/eu_eu_online_music
---------------------
EU pushes music industry to open up online rights
by AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer
Tue May 26, 2009 7:02AM EDT
BRUSSELS -
EU antitrust regulators told the music industry Tuesday to move quickly and change licenses that currently restrict online music stores such as iTunes from offering the same songs for sale across Europe.
Internet music downloads in Europe lag behind those in the United States, pulling in just a fraction of revenues the record industry is losing from falling CD sales.
Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented Apple Inc.'s iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe. Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores with different music selections.
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said regulators' talks with the music industry mean that French collecting society SACEM and record label EMI were now willing to license their music to rights managers across Europe.
Apple has also said that it would offer music tracks to all European customers if it was able to license EU-wide rights.
"There is a clear willingness expressed by major players in the online distribution of music in Europe to tackle the many barriers which prevent consumers from fully benefiting from the opportunities that the Internet provides," she said.
She urged publishers and music copyright groups — also called collecting societies — "to move quickly to adapt their licensing solutions to the online environment," saying she would review progress.
This carries more than a hint of a threat. The European Commission told collecting societies last July to end a system of contracts that allow artists to collect payments only from an agency based in their own country.
It found the 24 European collecting societies guilty of breaking EU antitrust rules, but did not impose any fines. The collecting societies are members of CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors of Composers.
Musicians make money from their music after they register copyrights with collective rights managers. Those managers then license songs to online services, radio stations, nightclubs and other outlets.
Some artists have complained that altering current licenses could see them shortchanged and miss out on income from increased sales.
Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090526/ap_on_hi_te/eu_eu_online_music
botan calrose rice...
Interestingly enough this is a product of the US which features Kanji as well as a little mascot sporting a hachimaki (headband) indicating his toukon (fighting spirit). Not sure if he is supposed to be a single grain of gohan (cooked rice) or perhaps an onigiri (riceball). However, I do know that this is oishii (delicious) even if it isn't as sticky as some generic brands I have had over the years. It is particularly good with sushi rice seasoning and soy sauce. I thought the packaging was very nice both in terms of graphic and industrial design. Sometimes I get to try a specific product only once so I wanted to retain an image for posterity- you know, 'cause I'm such a sentimentalist...
Monday, May 11, 2009
tohato tyrant habanero...
a snack straight out of japan. very thin and crispy, but round like the letter o. it is also hotter than blazes. i could feel it burning in my mouth for about ten minutes afterward and another twenty or so sizzling away in my stomach. while i love spicy stuff, this truly blew me away. i am still debating as to whether i will purchase another bag as it was quite tasty.
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