Eric Clapton Playing “I Shot the Sheriff”

This is a performance I really enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbw-NceQiQ

This jams! It is a live performance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival.

I hope you enjoy it.

Eric Clapton Playing "I Shot the Sheriff"

Digital TV Resources on NPR

NPR.org has some information on the switch to digital television:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99769931

FCC to Visit More Cities Before Feb 2009

I found a list of U.S. cities that members from the FCC plan to visit on their nationwide DTV consumer education tour:

http://www.dtv.gov/national_tour.html

See if your city is listed (scroll down the page). I plan to attend a meeting to ask about the issue of receiving news updates during and after major storms and hurricanes.  If my DirecTV dish gets ripped off the roof by hurricane force winds (or my roof goes with it), I’d like to know how we are going to receive this digital signal they are talking about when no digital device to receive it with!

Erik Zabel Retires from Pro Cycling

Erik Zabel, Oct. 2008

Erik Zabel is retiring from cycling at age 38. He has 12 stage wins in the Tour de France, and has 6 Green Jerseys for winning the sprint competition during the Tour. He has also won the Milan-San Remo race 4 times and Paris-Tours 3 times. The man is a great racer and has excellent sportsmanship. I’m sad to see him go from racing.

How will my battery-powered TV get hurricane updates after February 2009?

As Hurricane Ike aimed for South Florida, I checked all my hurricane supplies, including the battery-powered tv I bought last year.  This storm passed us, but it got me thinking:

The portable battery-powered tv is for use during a hurricane and afterwards when the power is out.  Since it’s an antenna analog tv, will it work after the February 2009 switch to digital broadcast signal?

How will we get hurricane updates?

The radio is great, but a picture is worth a thousand words, and the media needs to get information out to people in as many ways as possible, especially after a disaster that cuts the power. The news shows the path of the storm, the location of the feeder bands and when they will hit my neighborhood, and more. The news lists locations of shelters, where to get water and ice after the storm, and other essential recovery information. Will the radio alone really be able to get all this information to us while we wait for the power company to restore electricity and the satellite and cable television companies to replace broken satellite dishes and destroyed cables?  I’m not trying to be melodramatic, but this sounds like it could be a safety problem. My cell phone will not show me the detail I can get on a bigger tv screen. And the phone battery does not last long.  What other options are there?

According to dtvanswers.com, “By law, full-power television stations nationwide must stop using the old method of transmitting TV signals known as analog and begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format on February 17, 2009.”

“If you use an antenna to watch TV on a set that has an analog tuner – and don’t subscribe to cable, satellite or other pay TV service – you will need to upgrade to digital television by February 17, 2009.”

“Some low-power stations will remain in analog, so you may need specific equipment to watch analog and digital broadcasting after the transition.  “Pass-through” converter boxes allow your TV set to receive both analog and digital signals.”

I looked up Low-power stations in my area (there is a search feature on the dtv site).  The site explains, “Any of the LPTV stations, regardless of type (regular low-power, Class A or translator), may require you to purchase special equipment, such as an analog pass-through converter box or antenna splitter.

A splitter is a wiring device that can send a signal from your antenna into both your converter box and your TV set.”

Apparently the antenna on the tv will not work by itself. I’d have to get this splitter, I think. I looked up the splitter on Radio Shack’s site to see the prices. They’re about $10 to $20 or more, depending on what you buy.

But you have to buy something. While there are coupons on the dtv site, it’s still money out of the pockets of you and me.

How many people know about this and will be ready before next hurricane season?  I did not see the answer to that question in the FAQ list on dtvanswers.com.

One of my Favorite Essays by Vaclav Havel

This essay appeared in Esquire magazine in October 1993. The title is “Never Hope Against Hope”. Here is a link to a PDF of it: vaclav-havel-hope-essay

Tour de France 2008

Update: As we know, Sastre won. Better luck next year Cadel! Maybe Vandevelde? We’ll see.

American Christian Vandevelde is rising in the overall standings (as of 7-14-08). I was really glad to see Cadel Evans fight every minute un the Tourmalet and Hautacam after his crash the day before. His acceptance of the yellow jersey on the podium was so emotionally charged. I like the High Road – Columbia team, but Kim Kirchen almost seemed bored on the podium.

I really like Oscar Freire, but he didn’t seem to excited to pull on the green jersey on stage either. Maybe he wanted the stage win that Mark Cavendish sped off with. I understand that. I’d love to see Freire win the stage, and one for Eric Zabel. Zabel is strong! He is up there at the finishing line.

I wonder what’s going on with Alejandro Valverde. I thought he’d do better on the slopes of the mountains. He still has more stages to show what he can do. The Col de Agnel in stage 15 looks wicked as does the Cime de la Bonette-Restefond in 16, and of course epic L’Alpe d’Huez. The time trial the day before Paris will be exciting too. I’m glued to the Versus channel!

Tom Petty and Steve Winwood Concert – Fantastic!

What a great show. I have always liked Steve Winwood and admired his skill and talent. I was glad to hear that he would be on stage with Tom Petty, my absolute favorite rock and roll band.

Now that I’ve heard Steve Winwood live, I have more than respect, I have fervor! What a fantastic performance. It was the difference between always living off a tributary and now getting to The Source. The music he played was a direct channel to the wellspring of music, reaching back into the history of rock and roll, carried on the river of sheer natural talent. It was like the experience I had when I finally saw a Paul Cezanne painting in real life. I’d see them in book, but books do not do them justice. When I saw in the flesh, I understood why Cezanne is considered a master. The paintings have light in them. They emanate it and are almost abuzz. That’s the experience of Steve Winwood live. The first time I heard Tom Petty I became an instant devotee; now I am a believer in Steve Winwood.

When he played “Dear Mr. Fantasy” it was like casting a spell, like the sounds from the beginnings of the Earth.

When he was on stage with Tom Petty and played “Can’t Find My Way Home” and “Giime Some Lovin’ ” it was as if Tom Petty’s band became guests to this great visitor. The audience was charged. The place was one big party, people unified, singing along.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers jammed with such energy and power! “Honeybee” poured out of their guitars like a machine churning. Mick Campbell’s guitar was splitting granite. “Mystic Eyes” was like a message from space. “Don’t Come Around Here No More” took you on a trip. “Saving Grace” turned into a jam. It’s one of those songs you think might not jam live, but it does with that grinding roadhouse beat. I didn’t realize “It’s Good to be King” would be great live, but it jams. The band can take any song and expand it to make it a unique live experience.

What a great show. The songs are still ringing in my head.

The Story of Stuff – What We Buy, Where it Comes From, and How We Throw it Away

I recently heard an interview on public radio WLRN with Annie Leonard, an activist who produced a video called The Story of Stuff. She explains the impact of how consumer goods are produced, distributed, sold and thrown away. I was amazed to learn that the toxins in our computers and other electronics are part of the cost of the product, but the cost is “externalized” by the manufacturing company; this means when it is time to replace your old equipment, the company does not have to take it back to dispose of the toxic elements properly, but we have to do it – either by taking it to the dump or having our city and local government pick it up as hazardous waste. That costs us and our local governments, but it is not part of the cost for the manufacturer, nor is it part of the advertised price of the item.

It seems like many electronics are cheap; we can buy radios for a few bucks, laptops are down to about $600 in some cases, video cameras are cheaper than a few years ago too. All these products came from somewhere. That’s what Leonard explains – the people who made it, how little they are paid, what their work conditions are like, how the products are sold to us with marketing and advertising that is aimed at our desire to always have the newest and latest thing, and how many products are designed to break or fall apart quickly so we will have to buy new ones. All of this makes up the real cost of the item.

Leonard pinpoints this shift in the U.S. economy to right after World War II, when the prosperity and value of our society was defined according to how many consumer goods were sold.

She makes suggestions for altering the cycle of production and disposal that is damaging our planet and our health. She raises questions about package design I never thought about such as – why does a tube of toothpaste come in a box? Take a look at her video (it’s about 20 minutes long) and see what you think:

http://www.storyof stuff.com

New Albums

Jordan Zevon’s “Insides Out” – this is his debut album, release date April 2008. The song This Girl has some clever lyrics: “Living on the street of dreams – Just got my notice to evict.” The songs have a pop-rock sound, not hard rock or alternative sound. His voice is not as unique as his father’s, but I enjoy some of these songs. Check it out.

Also new: Mudcrutch: Scare Easy is the song I heard. “I’m a loser at the top of my game … I don’t scare easy, don’t fall apart when I’m under the gun. You can break my heart, and I ain’t gonna’ run. I don’t scare easy for no one.” Great lyrics, great guitar, great Tom Petty. Release date April 2008. I can’t wait to hear the whole album. I have my concert tickets for the show this summer. Can’t wait for the show. Always great concerts. If you’ve never been, get tickets and go. A real band. They write their own music, can actually play their instruments, a group of friends making great music. In other words, it’s great.