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Method Of Statement For Installation Of Power Busbar

Before starting the installation of power busbar following tools shall be arranged:

  • Tower Crane / Fork Lift for transporting Busbar
  • Chain Block Pulley (Suitable Capacity)
  • Portable hand tolls
  • Portable Drilling Machine
  • Spirit Level (1,50 meter – 2,00 meters long)
  • Level Threads
  • Torque wrench (capacity recommended by manufacturer)
  • 1000 volts Megger

Installation Procedure for Power Busbar:

Start of Busbars installation shall be done in accordance with approved shop drawings and properly coordinated with Site Engineer’s for the exact locations and levels. The mark on site to be carried out prior to commencement of installation works.

Electrical Engineer or Electrical Supervisor should check the approved isometric drawing of Busbar layout and ensure that all sections of the Busbars are received at site.

During shifting to installation location, lift busbar and its associated fittings using proper lifting equipment or manually with adequate number of people. Never drag the busbars across the ground, handle with care to avoid damage to internal components and the enclosures. All involved personnel will wear appropriate personnel protection at all times during the entire period of unloading/shifting.

If the busbar is not yet installed, store busbar and its associated fitting in a clean and dry area to prevent condensation. Do not allow the busbar to contact with corrosive fumes, liquids and other foreign matters. It must be stored off the ground and securely covered to provide protection from dirt & moisture. Busbar should not be stored outdoors without proper weather protection.

Prior to installation, ensure that approved shop drawings for construction details of bus duct arrangement & bus duct routing is available as approved by the supervision consultant. This drawing should be followed carefully to ensure proper busbar system.

  • In shafts, Busbar riser works are carried out over temporary working platforms which are installed at every floor level.
  • Separate safety / emergency rescue plan with procedures is attached.
  • Site Supervisor/ Safety Supervisor to check proper lighting and ventilation availability before starting of any works.
  • Ladders / scaffoldings to be secured firmly over the working platform and checked by competent scaffolding inspector, prior to start of work.
  • Site Supervisors to keep check of working technicians in risers in regular intervals.

Method statement for power busbar

  • Prior to installation ensure all relevant drawings are approved and available to the installation team.
  • Installation of bus bar starts from Main distribution board. During the installation. chain block (1-2 tons) will be used to lift the bus bar & its component to its proper position as per the approved drawing. During the installation process workers involved wears appropriate safety protection.
  • Distribute pieces of the bus bar and its associated fitting to each floor as per the approved drawing details of bus duct arrangement. In shifting the materials to each fioor tower crane I fork iift will be used or manually with adequate number of people. All involved personnel must wear appropriate personnel protection during the entire period.
  • Install horizontal busbars & vertical busbar riser including its supports in accordance with the approved specification, manufacturer’s recommendation & approved shop drawing.
  • HORIZONTAL MOUNTING SUPPORT: Use approved channel l hanger flat & down rod as per manufacturer’s recommendation.
  • During the installation maintain good alignment of the drop rods along the busbar run; do not support the busbar at the joints. After the busbar is secured in the hangers, adjust the hangers on the rod for the correct elevation.
  • Joint shall be done as per manufacturer’s recommendations; this is to avoid any ingress of moisture into the bus duct system.
  • Prior to jointing, both section of bus duct to be joined undergo continuity & insulation resistance test. Joints shall be made by simply sliding together the bus duct unit, and tightening the clamping bolts progressively to the specific torque. Ensure that all joint contact surfaces are free of contamination.
  • Install plug in box (MCCB) as per the approved shop drawing and manufacturers recommendation.
  • Ensure that during the installation of the plug in box (MCCB) the operating handle shall not be more that 2 meters above finish floor level (FFL).
  • VERTICAL MOUNTING SUPPORT. Use vertical support (vertical hanger) & spring support (vertical spring hanger) as per manufacturer’s recommendation. Prior to installation, check the opening in each fioor where the busbar will go through. after the busbar is placed through the floor; the floor fiange must first be installed before installing the vertical hanger. This must be done in conjunction with mounting supports or channel. Ensure that it is capable of absorbing a horizontal movement of 60 mm in any direction. Provide vibration insulation pads.
  • Install first outlet of the vertical at a minimum distance of one foot above the floor.
  • Install floor flanges at each floor penetration.
  • Provide approved fire stop material at floor & wall penetration in accordance with the appropriate standards and requirement of the local authorities
  • Provide a minimum of 75 mm high concrete curb around bus duct floor penetrations.
  • During the installation, inspect the bus bar run for straightness in all planes and make any adjustment necessary for good alignment.
  • Clearance between bus ducts running in vertical riser shall be considered during the installation in order to allow for adequate heat dissipation & for installation of the bus duct selection joint.
  • Install expansion joint wherever required in accordance with contract documents, approved shop drawing & manufacturer’s recommendations as well as on every building expansion joint.
  • After the erection, use vinyl or corrugated cardboard or with polythene sheets to cover the Power Busbar System, protection for concrete, plaster and water damage etc.
  • Any missing tools or equipments shall be provided for perfect installation.
  • Ensure A danger notice is fitted to all accessible panels where a voltage exceeding 200V and the Power Busbar System is protected until the building is clean, and system is ready to be energized.

  • Prior to installation of Power Busbar System and before electrical circuitry has been energized, demonstrate product capability and compliance with requirement.
  • Perform continuity test to both section of bus duct to be joined to ensure proper connections. If satisfactory readings cannot be achieved, remove and replace mal-functioning busbars with new units and retest.
  • Measure resistance between phases, phase and earth using megger. (The mega ohm readings should not be less than the value recommended by the manufacturer.)
  • Upon installation, measure resistance of each major branch. In case of low readings, re-tighten all joint bolts in the busbar section being tested using torque wrench. If satisfactory readings cannot be achieved, remove and replace mal-functioning busbars with new sets and retest.

  • The engineer should verify that the supervisor/foreman with construction responsibilities for installation is familiar with this method statement and is issued with copies of the inspection checklists and test plans.
  • The engineer should satisfy the procedures provided by QA/QC inspections to ensure the as-installed condition of the Busbars installation meets the specified engineering requirements and approved drawings.
  • As part of the assessment, the QC Inspection Procedures must ensure a quantitative or qualitative acceptance criteria for determining the prescribed activities have been accomplished satisfactorily.
  • The QC inspection personnel. in coordination with Site Supervisor, should verify that the quality of the related Busbars installation activities is within the prescribed criteria.
  • The Supervisor should verify any as-built record of Busbars installation. and confirm that the information meets the project requirements.
  • Quality Control Engineer along with Project Engineer and Site Supervisor will monitor that all components are installed as per contract specifications and approved submittals.
  • Request for Work Inspection Request (WIR) shall be submitted by Site Engineer for verification and inspections.
  • Readable stamped approved drawing to be available during installation and inspection.
  • Arch. approval for wall/ceiling to be attached with WIR.
  • All the equipments engaged for testing shall have a valid calibration and certificate should be furnished.


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First Major Exhibition Devoted to History of Manipulated Photography Before Digital Age Opens at Metropolitan Museum October 11
October 11, 2012—January 27, 2013

Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop

Exhibition Location: Galleries for Drawings, Prints, and Photographs and The Howard Gilman Gallery

While digital photography and image-editing software have brought about an increased awareness of the degree to which camera images can be manipulated, the practice of doctoring photographs has existed since the medium was invented. Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the first major exhibition devoted to the history of manipulated photography before the digital age. Featuring some 200 visually captivating photographs created between the 1840s and 1990s in the service of art, politics, news, entertainment, and commerce, the exhibition offers a provocative new perspective on the history of photography as it traces the medium’s complex and changing relationship to visual truth.

The exhibition is made possible by Adobe Systems Incorporated.

The photographs in the exhibition were altered using a variety of techniques, including multiple exposure (taking two or more pictures on a single negative), combination printing (producing a single print from elements of two or more
negatives), photomontage, overpainting, and retouching on the negative or print.

In every case, the meaning and content of the camera image was significantly transformed in the process of manipulation.

Faking It is divided into seven sections, each focusing on a different set of motivations for manipulating the camera image. “Picture Perfect” explores 19th-century photographers’ efforts to compensate for the new medium’s technical limitations—specifically, its inability to depict the world the way it looks to the naked eye. To augment photography’s monochrome palette, pigments were applied to portraits to make them more vivid and lifelike. Landscape photographers faced a different obstacle: the uneven sensitivity of early emulsions often resulted in blotchy, overexposed skies. To overcome this, many photographers, such as Gustave Le Gray and Carleton E. Watkins, created spectacular landscapes by printing two negatives on a single sheet of paper—one exposed for the land, the other for the sky. This section also explores the challenges involved in the creation of large group portraits, which were often cobbled together from dozens of photographs of individuals.

For early art photographers, the ultimate creativity lay not in the act of taking a photograph but in the subsequent transformation of the camera image into a hand-crafted picture. “Artifice in the Name of Art” begins in the 1850s with elaborate combination prints of narrative and allegorical subjects by Oscar Gustave Rejlander and Henry Peach Robinson. It continues with the revival of Pictorialism at the dawn of the twentieth century in the work of artist-photographers such as Edward Steichen, Anne W. Brigman, and F. Holland Day.

“Politics and Persuasion” presents photographs that were manipulated for explicitly political or ideological ends. It begins with Ernest Eugene Appert’s faked photographs of the 1871 Paris Commune massacres, and continues with images used to foster patriotism, advance racial ideologies, and support or protest totalitarian regimes. Sequences of photographs published in Stalin-era Soviet Russia from which purged Party officials were erased demonstrate the chilling ease with which the historical record could be falsified. Also featured are composite portraits of criminals by Francis Galton and original paste-ups of John Heartfield’s anti-Nazi photomontages of the 1930s.

“Novelties and Amusements” brings together a broad variety of amateur and commercial photographs intended to astonish, amuse, and entertain. Here, we find popular images of figures holding their own severed heads or appearing doubled or tripled. Also included in this light-hearted section are ghostly images by the spirit photographer William Mumler, “tall-tale” postcards produced in Midwestern farming communities in the 1910s, trick photographs by amateurs, and Weegee’s experimental distortions of the 1940s.

“Pictures in Print” reveals the ways in which newspapers, magazines, and advertisers have altered, improved, and sometimes fabricated images in their entirety to depict events that never occurred—such as the docking of a zeppelin on the tip of the Empire State Building. Highlights include Erwin Blumenfeld’s famous “Doe Eye” Vogue cover from 1950 and Richard Avedon’s multiple portrait of Audrey Hepburn from 1967. “Mind’s Eye” features works from the 1920s through 1940s by such artists as Herbert Bayer, Maurice Tabard, Dora Maar, Clarence John Laughlin, and Grete Stern, who have used photography to evoke subjective states of mind, conjuring dreamlike scenarios and surreal imaginary worlds.

The final section, “Protoshop,” presents photographs from the second half of the 20th century by Yves Klein, John Baldessari, Duane Michals, Jerry Uelsmann, and other artists who have adapted earlier techniques of image manipulation—such as spirit photography or news photo retouching—to create works that self-consciously and often humorously question photography’s presumed objectivity.

Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop is organized by Mia Fineman, Assistant Curator in the Department of Photographs.

Related Publications and Programs
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated, 296-page catalogue written by Mia Fineman. The catalogue is published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, and is for sale in the Museum’s book shops (hardcover $60).

The catalogue is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The Museum will offer a variety of education programs for this exhibition. Highlights include a Sunday at the Met program on October 14, at 3:00 p.m.; a scholars’ symposium on November 2; and a Friday evening “Fright Night” on October 26, featuring talks, films, and art-making experiences inspired by trick and spirit photography, a screening of trick films by Georges Méliès; programs for visitors with disabilities; and a teen program.

The symposium is made possible by Joyce Frank Menschel.

Available in the reading room of the exhibition will be iPad kiosks at which visitors can use an interactive app based on content from Faking It to test their knowledge of photograph manipulation. The app will also be available for download from the Museum’s website and the iTunes App Store.

The interactive app is made possible by Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Further details about the exhibition can be found at www.metmuseum.org.

Related Installation
After Photoshop: Manipulated Photography in the Digital Age, on view September 25, 2012—May 27, 2013 will serve as an addendum to Faking It, exploring various ways in which artists have used digital technology to alter the photographic image over the past 20 years.

# # #

August 14, 2012

Press resources

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text:
Poshest baby name list of 2017 includes Mao and Debonaire

The list includes ‘some of poshest names known to man’.

Inside Tatler: These people make the MIC cast look common

Just when you thought we already had enough 'posh' on our TV screens.

David Beckham humiliates Posh with Right Said Fred ‘too sexy’ ring tone in gym

Victoria Beckham says she is too sexy for her ring tone after revealing cheeky hubby Becks has added Right Said Fred to her mobile to humiliate her everywhere she goes.

Becks: ‘Tempted’ by Posh tattoo

It's surprising there's any spare flesh left to scribble on but David Beckham says he's considering getting a new ink work of Posh tattooed on his body.

Posh’s long haul fasting revealed

Super slim Victoria Beckham's disappearing figure is under fresh scrutiny after her nutritionist revealed the fashion designer is into her dieting in a 'big way' and 'only picks' at food.

Posh to focus on fashion

Victoria Beckham's impressive judging run on American Idol has come to a halt... well, for now at least.

Posh admits: I can’t act

Victoria Beckham says just because she's joined the judging panel of American Idol don't expect to see her chasing a Hollywood movie role.

Posh: Becks helped me strip

Victoria Beckham is no stranger to fake bake, clever lighting and the all important air brush but she says it was her Becks who coaxed her to strip off into a g-string and suspenders for their £32 million Emporio Armani under cracker deal.

Becks’ secret bday treat for Posh

David Beckham spoiled wife Victoria with a private birthday celebration before she left Milan last week, knowing he faces the tough prospect of missing her 35th birthday this week.

Cheryl slams Posh over ‘affair’

Cheryl Cole has said she was disappointed not to hear from friend Victoria Beckham after allegations that Cole's footballer husband Ashley had been unfaithful broke.

Posh and Becks go solo in LA

The Beckhams maybe teaming up to take Milan by storm but last night they were very much poles apart as Victoria and David sought entertainment at different venues on a night out.

Posh: I don’t want another baby

After recently revealing that she in fact does eat food and boasting that her perfume range alone is worth £109 million, Victoria Beckham has now quashed rumours that she's desperate to have another child.

Posh to star in Partridge film?

Posh and Partridge: Here’s how the couple might look Victoria Beckham is casting aside her vanity in the hope to make it as a comic actress, by playing a middle aged frump. Even more bizarrely, the former Spice Girl will star opposite funnyman Steve Coogan, as his long time assistant in a film rehash of […]

Spices saved Posh from Ramsay Hell

Spice escape for Posh Gordon Ramsay has revealed the Spice Girls world tour saved his chum Victoria Beckham from being fried on his US show Hell’s Kitchen. The smooth talker says he’s ruing the opportunity, saying: ‘It would (have been) quite nice to see her attending one of the cooking classes in the kitchen with […]

Posh makes it to cover of Vogue

Victoria Beckham is dripping in diamonds on Vogue’s front cover Victoria Beckham has made it onto the cover of Vogue. The Spice Girl and aspiring fashionista is featured dripping in diamonds on the front of the April issue. Vogue has devoted 12 pages to Posh and given her a makeover reminiscent of a Cecil Beaton […]

Posh’s batty birthday treat

Is little Cruz coming to his mum Posh’s rescue? Cruz Beckham stole the limelight from his mother Victoria yet again – by dressing up as Batman for a trip to the cinema. The three-year-old, who won the hearts of Spice Girls fans by break dancing on stage during the band’s gigs, donned the fancy dress […]

Posh close to collapse?

Victoria Beckham’s friends are apparently worried she’s burning out Victoria Beckham has been working so hard that her friends apparently fear for her health, thinking she may be heading for burnout. The 33-year-old, who finished a gruelling reunion tour with the Spice Girls last week, has now thrown herself back into her fashion career, promoting […]

Brooklyn gets iPhone?

David and Victoria apparently got Brooklyn an iPhone for Christmas Brooklyn Beckham was apparently given an iPhone for Christmas by his parents Posh and Becks. The eight-year-old was desperate for the new gadget – and now he can surf the net, ring friends and listen to music on the mobile. A source told The Sun: […]
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Matric: Umalusi reveals all - almost

The English home language question papers for last year’s controversial matric exams had the highest failure rates of all the home language subjects because most non-English speakers who attend former Model C schools do not have the option of choosing their mother tongue as their first language.

There were also wild inconsistencies in the levels of difficulty across exam papers in the nine African languages offered as home-language subjects.

These startling findings emerged on Wednesday this week when the state’s quality watchdog body, Umalusi, finally revealed details about its controversial so-called “standardisation” of the 2010 matric exams.

Applied every year, the standardisation process this time ignited greater public scepticism than usual because of the unexpectedly huge 7,1% increase in the 2010 pass rate of 67,8%—up from 2009’s 60,7%.

Umalusi’s press conference in Pretoria on Wednesday followed a month of increasing pressure for it to reveal more details about its standardisation—in particular the subjects in which marks were changed, by how much they had changed and what the raw marks (that is, pre-adjustment) were.

The watchdog body was also facing a court challenge mounted by City Press and Rapport in January to divulge these details.

English had the highest home language failure rates
When the 2010 results were announced on January 6, Umalusi revealed merely that it had adjusted marks in some subjects. It did not specify which subjects or the extent of mark changes.

On Wednesday, Umalusi named 19 subjects whose marks it had changed. But it stopped short of saying what the raw marks were before its standardisation processes were applied to these subjects.

The subjects in which Umalusi changed marks were: Accounting, agricultural sciences, civil technology, consumer studies, electrical technology, English home language, English first additional language, geography, isiXhosa first additional language, isiNdebele home language, isiZulu home language, life sciences, mathematics, religious studies, seSetho home language, Setswana home language, Tshevenda home language, Xitsonga home language and Siswati home language.

“We have found that English home language has the highest failure rates of all home language subjects as most non-English speakers who attend former Model C schools are forced to take the subject as the schools don’t offer their mother tongue as home language subject,” said Umalusi council chairperson Sizwe Mabizela at the conference. “So immediately these learners are at a disadvantage.”

“Moves are also under way to ensure that all home language exams are brought up to the same level of difficulty. Currently there is just too much variability in these papers, particularly the African languages,” he said.

Mabizela told the gathering that Umalusi was taking the unprecedented step of revealing its quality assurance and standardisation decisions to protect the integrity of the South African education system.

“In the absence of credible information from us, some so-called experts took the gap to peddle reckless and irresponsible commentary. Our failure to share this vital information with the public has the potential to damage the credibility of Umalusi and the qualifications which we assure,” he said.

“It is in the interest of protecting our education system that we are taking this step.”

‘Ammunition to attack’
Mabizela added that Umalusi’s mandate allows for the standardisation of raw marks “to ensure compatibility and consistency from one year to the next”. Responding to a question at the press conference, Mabizela was adamant that any upward adjustments of marks would not automatically result in a pass mark because “pass marks are only determined once school-based assessments are added in”.

Paddy Padayachee, acting director general of planning, quality assessment and monitoring and evaluation in the national basic education department, told the Mail & Guardian at the conference that the department had never doubted the integrity of Umalusi. He said the decision the reveal the adjusted subjects had demonstrated that there had not been any manipulation of marks.

Also at the conference, the secretary general of the South African Democratic Teacher’s Union (Sadtu), Mugwena Maluleke, said the union had always had confidence in the standardisation process.

“Standardisation is a process that is done each year and there is always transparency on the part of Umalusi. Questions were only raised this year because of the improvement in the pass rate,” he said.

He said they supported the decision to disclose the adjusted subjects now because if the process had been done haphazardly it may have “given people who did not have confidence in the education system ammunition to attack the education system”.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Dahi Papd Ki Sabzi - दही पापड़ की सब्जी

Hello Friends,

You will have to look @ Ruchika's Remedy Post, it is really nice. I got little inspired by that and here are my own remedies that I regularly use for cold/cough and it really helps.

For Cold/Cough
  1. Take 1/2 tsp of ginger juice (crush ginger and squeeze the juice) with 1/2 tsp of honey (or more if you are giving it to a kid and the ginger is very spicy) 3-4 times a day and it helps get rid of cold really fast and of course natural way.
  2. Take one tsp of honey and add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, mix it and eat it right off the spoon.
  3. Take one tsp of honey and add a pinch of freshly ground cinnamon, mix it and eat it right off the spoon.
All of the above remedies basically warms up your body thus helping you to warm up from inside and get rid of cold.

So, this is my son's favorite and of course my husband and I like it as well.

It may sound weird for someone who has never heard about it or had it. Yes, it is Papad Ki Sabzi and yes, it is actually made from papad or what some may call appadam or pappadam.

Here is the recipe.

Dahi Papd Ki Sabzi - दही पापड़ की सब्जी

Raw papad - 1 cup (I usually prefer using Lizzat Papad, but you can use any kind of your like)
Dahi (Yogurt) - 1 cup
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - Per taste (But, please don't add it till you have tasted the final product)
Hing (Asefoetida) - 1 pinch (Only if your papads do not already have them, otherwise, it will be an overdose of it and the end product will taste bitter, so read your labels)
Rai (Mustard Seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - To Garnish
Water - to thin down the gravy
Oil - 1 tsp

  • Break Papad into bit size pieces about 1-1.5 inch pieces (I usually crunch them in the packet itself with hands, no need to do them individually and they dont even have to be perfectly even)
  • Add all dry masalas (except salt) in dahi and mix well (make sure no lumps are there). If your papad already is spicy (because I like to use spicy ones), reduce the amount of masalas you are using.
  • Take a pan and add oil
  • Once oil is hot, add rai and jeera and let them splutter (if your papad does not have hing, add it in this step, if your papad already has hing, please do not add it again or your recipe will taste bitter due to overdose)
  • Add Dahi mix and keep stirring till it starts boiling (which also means it will start separating oil on the sides)
  • Now, add broken papad pieces, mix well and add water as needed (once papad are cooking, they will tend to stick, so let it be little water, not a lot though as a runny curry won't be that good to taste)
  • Cover and let it cook for 4-5 min.
  • Do mix it once or twice within 4-5 min.
  • Now, taste the sabzi and add salt, if needed (remember gravy will get salt from papad already, so most of the times, you do not have to add any salt at all).
  • Garnish it with Cilantro.

Enjoy it with hot rotis/paraths. I personally like them with rotis than parathas.

I love the recipe. Hope you guys like it too and try it. I am very sure, it will taste super yummy. There is nothing that can go wrong here.

So, enjoy !!!

Till the next recipe, take care.
~ Priya

Kanchan said...

Hi.. first time here from Pari's blog ! Just that my husband is a Marwadi and your blog name attracted me :)

Might browse through your posts and try out varied varieties soon !

R said...

hey priya, thnx for sharing this classic rajasthani recipe looks so yummmy..... :))

Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal said...

@Kanchan, thanks for visiting, I have just started the blog, so have many more recipes to come. Please keep visiting and if you have any requests, please do let me know.
@Rupali, this is a real quick recipe, you hardly need 5 min. for it, so do try and it is super yummy too :)

Silpa said...

Yummy. very nice recipe.. I got some papads sitting in my pantry. i vl try this soon,
Thanks for dropping in

Ms.Chitchat said...

Wow, this is new to me and I absolutely loved it. Will surely try soon.

Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal said...

Thanks Silpa and Ms.Chitchat. Do let me know how it was after you have tried. I am hoping you will love it.

madhurijsr said...

Hi Di...Just bought Lizzat papad today...Will definitely try...Looks Yummie!!!!!! Hope it comes out good...

Do keep posting spicy receipe's...I am a regular Visitor of ur blogsite...

Madhuri said...

Hi Di,
I just dat i bought lizzat papad today...Will surely try out the receipe...Looks Yummie!!!!!!!! Hope it comes out Well..

Keep posting spicy receipe's..i am a regular visitor of ur Blogspot..

Anonymous said...

hi priya, I have ate papad ki sabzi long back made by my grandma ,who is no more now. I am so happy to get this recipe bcoz I like this sabzi a lot n I'll definetely give it a try:)

Priti said...

Tried this sabji today with just a little difference it was gud than my usual way of making pappad sabji..thanks for the recipe..will psot soon :)

Rachana said...

Thanks Priya for sending me the link. I'm making lots of parathas/ rotis etc these days. This would be a great accompaniment with the parathas. I have tons of different kinds of papads I brought from India and also from the Indian store when they were on sale :-).
Yeah...I'm very greedy when it comes to fried snacks :-))

Kiran said...

Dear Priya,

I made this papad sabzi and posted it under tried and tasted in my blog.Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us.

Unknown said...

hey priya....thnx a lot for sharing the authentic recipe for this sabzi, tried it and loved...thnx...:)

Suparna said...

Looks so intresting Priya. I will surely try this. Thanks !

gvwrites said...

Here i was wondering what to do after i broke my papads, when ur blog came to rescue. Perfect !

preethi Baliga said...

My daughter is after this dish from so many last i got this authentic rajasthani dish in ur blog..thank you so much for this wonderful recipe...:)

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Man Shot Behind Lauderdale Liquor Store

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The Broward Sheriff’s Office is trying to determine if a man was targeted for murder after he was gunned down behind a Ft. Lauderdale liquor store.

Around after 9 p.m. Saturday, Gene Warren, 39, made a purchase at Troy’s Lounge at 2990 W. Sunrise Blvd.

He left the business and returned to his car, which was parked at the rear of the store. Moments later, a black Chrysler 200 pulled up, a man got out of the backseat and shot Warren. The man then got back in and car sped off.

Warren was taken to Broward General Medical Center where he died.

Anyone with information about this murder is urged to call BSO Detective Louie Rivera at (954) 321-4210 or Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS (8477).

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« News: 71lbs surpasses 300 customers, closes seed round -- and it's hiring | Main | Miami-Dade holding free workshop on opening a business »

For social media campaigns that "pop," learn from pop culture

By Susan Linning

SusanlinningWe’re going to let you in on a little secret about social media marketing: Facebook fans and Twitter followers are spoiled! They want information that is interesting and relevant to them. In other words: Boring, repetitive posts from businesses engaging in shameless self-promotion just aren’t going to cut it.

In a world and society that revolves largely around reality TV shows, celebrity antics and YouTube sensations, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends when constructing a social media marketing strategy.  Whether you love it or hate it, pop culture is here to stay – and it’s a lot more likely that your fans, followers and target audience will perk up and pay attention if you’re tuned in.

Did you know that the 2013 Oscars generated a whopping 8.9 million tweets and 66.5 million Facebook interactions? Did your company/brand take advantage of the opportunity to align itself with something that happened on Oscar night?  If not, you missed out on a terrific way to reel in fans and followers and to engage a community of people that was already high on Oscar craziness.

26oscars1-articleInlineLike most aspects of Internet marketing, there’s a right way to do it… and a very wrong way. Don’t
become one of these marketing laughingstocks. Be tasteful, witty, and relevant with your updates and campaigns! In other words, don’t pull a Seth MacFarlane (yes, there were plenty who enjoyed him, but he definitely caught some heat!).

Tying in pop culture and current events with your social media efforts requires a degree of finesse. Try to find connections between your brand, product or services and the latest, greatest trending topics; but be aware when you’re stretching for relevance. Get creative with your efforts, and don’t be afraid to use humor.

Saint_patrick_day_green_beer_light MarchMadnessimagesMissed out on the Oscars, the Super Bowl and the State of the Union address? Some upcoming events and opportunities to keep in mind: St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, Usher and Shakira debut as judges on The Voice, YouTube phenomena and Internet memes (what’s a “meme,” you ask? Learn more here).

See examples of how some wildly successful brands have used pop culture in their online marketing efforts via SocialMediaToday.com.

Susan Linning is president of ECHO SOCIAL MEDIA + MARKETING of Miami, which develops and executes social media and integrated marketing strategies, creating custom content and maintaining pages on social media platforms. ECHO also provides blogging and copy-writing services.

Read Susan Linning's recent guest post on blogging here, her post on Pinterest here, her post on her top 5 social media tips here and her post on the social media hustle here

 (Photo of Seth MacFarlane is by Getty Images.)


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Saturday, September 5, 2009

The real death panels

The California Nurses Association has published a study showing the astronomically high claim rejection rate among the state's insurance companies. Here are their figures:

Claims denial rates by leading California insurers, first six months of 2009:

  • PacifiCare -- 39.6 percent
  • Cigna -- 32.7 percent
  • HealthNet -- 30 percent
  • Kaiser Permanente -- 28.3 percent
  • Blue Cross -- 27.9 percent
  • Aetna -- 6.4 percent
Read the entire article for more details and specific examples. And it really is a matter of life and death, as the Association concludes:

CNA/NNOC supports an alternative approach, expanding Medicare to cover all Americans, which would give the U.S. a national system similar to what exists in other nations. Data released in late August by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which tracks developed nations, found that among 30 industrial nations, the U.S. ranks last in life expectancy at birth for men, and 24th for women.

(With thanks to PG for the heads up.)

Speaking of death panels. The Washington Post reports on Sunday that the bombing of tanker trucks by German forces that led to the deaths of an estimated 125 people, many of whom were not Taliban, was ordered on the basis of "intelligence" from one Afghan informant. This is the kind of disregard for human life that guides the U.S./NATO "mission" in Afghanistan. Even the news media seems to share at least partly in this attitude: Each such incident is accompanied by a comment from the reporter about how the killing of Afghan civilians is making the population increasingly angry at foreign troops in their country. Is that what's so bad about it? Perhaps if the reporters tried to talk to the families of the victims they would have another perspective.

1 comment:

Robert Grocholski said...

You know, if you're a big private insurance company and you don't pay out claims, my my, said company could stand to make quite a handsome profit...

What do they do in some of those European countries? Isn't it the case that in say, Germany, that the insurer has to pay the claim within 5 days or the next months premiums are free? Takes solid regulatory powers by the state to pull that off, though.


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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Will Afghanistan be Obama's undoing?

Early next week, according to all the news reports we have seen, President Obama will announce a major escalation of troop numbers in Afghanistan. This will be accompanied by a new "strategy" designed to get them in, do the job, and then get them out--an "exit" strategy.

Does this sound familiar? Yes it does, to anyone who has been alive during the past several decades, or to anyone who has studied the history of the past 50 years going back to the Korean War. The "strategy" will fail, just as it has in the past, the death toll will mount on all sides, and Obama's presidency--begun with such promise, and with important accomplishments such as health care reform already underway--will crash and burn just as Lyndon Johnson's presidency did in the wake of the Vietnam War.

Does anyone doubt that at least part of Obama's calculations in Afghanistan include the political attacks he would endure from the right if he were to pull most of the troops out of Afghanistan and forget about a military solution to the problem? If there is no doubt about that--and I think there is not--then Obama will be guilty of playing politics with the lives of American soldiers just as John McCain and Dick Cheney are doing now when they accuse the president of "dithering" over his decision.

What is truly sad here, in addition to the thousands of lives that will be needlessly lost, is that if Obama escalates in Afghanistan he will add to his enemies on the right those of us on the left who will have no choice but to build an antiwar movement directly opposed to his policies. To build such a movement takes passion, dedication, conviction, and a casting aside of the nuanced politics that might say something like, oh, I like what Obama is doing domestically, but I oppose his foreign policy. It will make those who campaigned and voted for him increasingly intolerant of the compromises he has made on health care reform, the economy, gay rights, and other key domestic issues. Over time, it will make the students who are taking over buildings at the University of California over fee increases into hardened antiwar activists, just as the cultural revolutions and free speech movements of the 1960s were radicalized once it became clear how hard the battle would have to be fought to end the Vietnam War.

Let's hope the news reports are wrong, and that Obama has been "dithering" because he has been considering another path entirely, because he has concluded along with pretty much everyone who knows anything about Afghanistan and its history that escalation will only bring disaster. But if that is not the case, then he is not the man I thought I had voted for (or at least he is no longer that man), and I will no longer be able to give him a pass. He will be my enemy, even if my eyes will fill with tears for what could have been every time I take to the streets to oppose his policies.

The Lost World of Old Europe. A terrific free exhibit for those interested in prehistory, and who find themselves in New York City between now and April.

Israel's collective punishment of Gaza-based students. The latest from Gisha, the Israeli human rights organization, on the case of Berlanty Azzam.

1 comment:

Jeffrey Kaye said...

Hi Michael, Sorry for the surprise, but the man you voted for is doing what he said he would do: "[M]y presidency will shift our focus. Rather than fight a war that does not need to be fought, we need to start fighting the battles that need to be won on the central front of the war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan... It is not too late to prevail in Afghanistan. But we cannot prevail until we reduce our commitment in Iraq, which will allow us to do what I called for last August – providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our efforts in Afghanistan." - March 2008.


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Year 5 Assembly Video

As part of our study and research on the Ancient Greeks, Year 5 put on an assembly for the whole school this week, explaining how a major religious festival was first celebrated during this historical period. We have been learning how the Ancient Greeks persecuted the Jewish people. We retold the story of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The children acted out the events that led to the lighting of the Menorah lamp.

Our assembly explored the idea of different religious groups being persecuted. We read out some of our ideas that we have produced during literacy lessons, explaining how we might feel if we were told which religion or Gods we had to believe in. The Year 5 assembly concluded by inviting other children throughout the school to light one of the eight candles on the Menorah lamp. We also proudly displayed out Menorah lamp artwork. You can watch a video of the wonderful Year 5 assembly above. We also caught up with a couple of the Year 5 pupils straight after the assembly, and recorded their thoughts in the podcast below.

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Bonjour, Year 5!

Year 5

Year 5 took part in an English / French exchange trip this week. We were thrilled to welcome our friends from the Louis Pasteur School in France. Year 5 have been writing letters to the pupils at Louis Pasteur, explaining about our home and family life, as well as what it is like to attend school in England. Our friends from France are currently in London, as part of a week long trip. Whilst they had some spare time, we took the opportunity to meet up by Tower Bridge!

Our Year 5 pupils made a welcome sign, written in French, so that our friends would be able to recognise us. We also brought along a cultural gift with a very local significance – a serving of Walworth’s finest jellied eels!

Just ahead of the exchange, we spoke with a selection of our Year 5 pupils to find out what their expectations were. You can listen to their thoughts in the podcast below.

All of our hopes and ambitions from the brief meet up with our French friends were satisfied. The afternoon was a splendid success! Our welcome sign worked wonders, and soon we were talking in English and French with the pupils from Louis Pasteur. The jellied eels were definitely a conversation starter!

Football proved to be a common ground, with pupils telling each other which teams we supported. It was also wonderful to find out that may of the home countries that our children are from, are also the home countries for some of the Louis Pasteur children. We finished off playing a game of tag, before bidding a fond au revoir and promising to keep in touch.

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In this morning's news...

May 10, 2011

Funds for High Speed Rail

Michigan has been awarded almost $200 million for high speed rail projects. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Detroit yesterday to make the announcement. Governor Rick Snyder, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and other Michigan lawmakers were on hand. The money will help pay for upgrades to a stretch of track between Detroit and Kalamazoo. The improvements will also help speed-up trains to 110 miles-per-hour. Michigan received the funds after Florida’s governor turned the money down.

State Senate to Take-Up Snyder Tax Measure

A Michigan Senate panel is set to hold a hearing on a broad tax proposal that's a key part of Governor Snyder’s strategy for the state, the Associated Press reports. From the AP:

The Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing Committee is scheduled to take testimony Tuesday on legislation that would cut overall business taxes and lead to taxes on certain types of retirement income.

The Republican-led House passed the main bill in the package by a 56-53 vote last month. The legislation will face a tough challenge in the GOP-led Senate because some Republicans already have come out against it…

Democrats generally oppose the plan.

Another Round of Federal Funds for Education

Michigan and other states may soon compete against one another to try to win a new round of grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Jennifer Guerra reports. From Guerra:

Congress allotted another $700 million to Race to the Top, the education reform program where states compete for federal grants. It’s not clear just yet how the money will be used, but some analysts say it’s likely the money will go toward improving early education.

John Austin is president of the Michigan Board of Education. He says "early childhood education expansion of pre-K to all interested is a fantastic investment." It would cost about $300 million to expand pre-K and kindergarten access to all children in Michigan, says Austin.

So far, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded 13 states and the District of Columbia Race to the Top funds. Michigan has yet to win any Race to the Top money.


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Some Michigan Republicans have changed their minds and now support gay marriage

Jun 18, 2014

When Rick Johnson became Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, I was a little dubious.

He was a dairy farmer who had only gone as far as high school, and I worried what this might mean for

higher education.

But as it turned out, while he was Republican to the core, he was generally a reasonable, open-minded man. Not, however, on the issue of same-sex marriage, which he opposed.

That was 10 years ago, and he wasn’t alone. A large majority of Michiganders who went to the polls that year voted to amend the state constitution to outlaw same sex marriage forever.

But forever didn’t last. Across America this year, judge after judge has overturned state prohibitions against same-sex marriage.

That happened here in March, when U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled our amendment violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Now, the federal appeals court in Cincinnati has scheduled oral arguments in four such cases on Aug. 6 in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Eventually, legal scholars think some combination of such cases will be “bundled” and sent to the U.S. Supreme Court. It has become customary in cases with a wider societal meaning for people to file what are called “amicus” or “friend of the court” briefs supporting one side or another.

I suspect amicus briefs have little influence over the judges who actually decide such cases, but are often

Two days ago, former Speaker Johnson and 19 other Republicans signed an amicus brief in the same-sex marriage case. But the brief didn't say what you might think.

sort of Martin Luther-like “Here I stand” public declarations on the part of those signing them.

Two days ago, former Speaker Johnson and 19 other Republicans signed an amicus brief in the same-sex marriage case.

But the brief didn’t say what you might think. It urged the court to uphold striking down Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban. Later Johnson was interviewed about this.

Amazingly, he said he had been wrong before, that it was time to stop worrying about who marries whom. He told the Gongwer News Service that he thinks it is time for us to turn our attention to stopping wars and make sure the planet can feed itself.

Three other former Republican legislators who had voted against gay marriage in 2004 joined Johnson in signing the brief and saying they were wrong; 53 businesses, from Starbucks to Marriott, did the same. They recognize that society has changed.

There’s some pragmatism here, too. Johnson said that if Republicans change their attitude on this issue, it gives them a chance to appeal to more voters and, “expand their tent.”

Not everybody feels this way. Dave Agema, who represents Michigan on the Republican National Committee, seems to have an obsessive hatred of gay people.

Yesterday, he snorted that the Republicans supporting marriage equality were “politically correct hacks” who were probably getting paid to say what they did.

However, Agema long ago become mostly irrelevant.

However, Agema long ago became mostly irrelevant. What will be interesting, however, will be to see if Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette continues to be as stridently anti same-sex marriage as he was during the trial. Times and positions change.

There was a day when Republicans were against Social Security and later, Medicare and Medicaid.

Sooner or later, most trains leave the platform. At some point, everyone has to decide which side they are on.

Jack Lessenberry is Michigan Radio’s political analyst. Views expressed in the essays by Lessenberry are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.


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If you have ideas, tips, links or pictures for the blog, e-mail us at: MichiganZone at gmail dot com.

Thanks for checking out the M Zone. And if you enjoy the site, please pass the link on to a friend or two. We'd sure appreciate it.

Twitter: @MZoneBlog

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Some Duck Fans Picking Up Bad Tosu Habits

Dear Duck Fans in the Video Below,

We have a soft spot for Oregon and its supporters here at the MZone. My trip to Eugene a couple years ago was a blast and your fans are some of the best I've met.

Furthermore, you beat us fair and square on the football field last weekend. No excuses. The better team won.

So why sully Oregon class by posting stuff like this on YouTube entitled "Cause were from OREGON"...

First off, it was one win over an unranked opponent having its worst year since the 1960s. Act like you've been there before.

Also, your little song's not original. It's the official theme song of our hated rivals in Columbus.

Finally, if you're going to put up shit like that and kick a team and its fans when they're down, at least learn to spell. It should be "Cause WE'RE from Oregon" not "were."

Good luck the rest of the season.

Your friends at the MZone

(HT: MS)

Dezzi said...

Well... after watching the inevitable, I did some research on the Oregon student body... not females, though I think there were some hot girls in the Playboy "Girls of the Pac-10" from Oregon a while back...

Check this out... it looks like around 70% of the students ARE from Oregon.

Then I found this article from earlier this year as to why they don't know the difference between "were" and "we're"...

whetstonebuck said...

They're hippies in training. What did you expect?

I lived in the Northwest. I love Oregon, but Eugene and its Taco Bell garbage foraging rejects turned me off. Oh, add barefoot to that. Oops. I forgot smelly. Add smelly to the list. Could have been students or faculty. Never was sure about that.

Taco Bell garbage foraging, barefoot, smelly rejects. Much better.

Did I mention eco terrorist? Never mind.

Out of Conference said...

To my knowledge, Oregon has never really, "Been there before". So the acting part, while accurate, may be tough for them.

Matt said...

I'm just waiting for the day when some confused/stupid MSU fans try taunting us with that song.

Jeremy said...

If you didn't give a damn, you wouldn't write/sing the song about it. Going to the trouble means you clearly do give a damn. STFU.

Oh Yeah said...

How dare they rip off "our" song! LOL

Rob said...

As a UO grad who was present at the game, I'm not excusing these ass clowns by any means. But it's pretty apparent that they are quite drunk.

And if we want to get into grammar and linguistics, there is a large portion of UM fans that have an insanely difficult time pronouncing Oregon. It's not OR-gawn; it's ORA-GUN. Make fun of my school all you want. Just pronounce the damn state correctly.

Big Rez said...

As an Oregon Alum who was at the game last saturday, I feel the need to let you know that these fans are truly the minority. This road trip was absolutely the BEST road trip I've ever been on (even before the outcome of the game, I would have said this).
You and your UM fans are great people, very welcoming and knowlegeable football fans. However, there are a minority of YOUR fans as well who behave a little irresponsible too. I realize that they're the minority. So please don't label all Oregon fans based on these people.

SteveMuzZ said...

those girls were built when meat was cheap.

Rick said...

Why was one of the guys throwing a Hook 'Em sign?

WillieMayesHayes said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
WillieMayesHayes said...

Its bad enough that they stole an Ohio State song, but what makes it worse is that they fucked it all up. Its "we don't give a damn FOR the whole state of Michigan", not "we don't give a damn ABOUT the whole state of Michigan".

And I'd really like to see these morons try and work out the next part of the song...

buckidrummer said...

Were Frum Oragone, O-H! SH%$!!!

Duck Fan said...

As a duck, I’m embarrassed by those fans and wish that video had never been created. I'm glad Oregon made the list of classy stadiums, unfortunately, I'll admit, some of our fans are everything but classy.
It's fair to say every team has a group of fans the general population would prefer didn't exist.
Although it may not be worth much, I apologize for that video and would be happy to buy any Wolverine a drink.

Good luck against Notre Dame


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A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Egyptian PM Calls for Graffiti to Return

I don't know whether it's just typical bureaucratic miscommunication in a country which invented bureaucracy and has over 5,000 years of practice, or whether the Egyptian authorities were taken by surprise by the outcry over the removal of the Mohamed Mahmoud graffiti, but now a Cabinet statement is saying that the removal "is contrary to [the Cabinet's] will to commemorate the revolution" and noting:
Prime Minister Hesham Qandil calls on artists and painters and others to turn Tahrir Square into a space worthy of the martyrs of the revolution in order to become a symbol of the Egyptian revolution. He called for it to become a platform for freedom of opinion through wall paintings and graffiti, which reflect the spirit of the 25 January revolution, and the principles and aspirations of the Egyptian people.
As I noted earlier today, they're already being repainted.

No comments:


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Monday, 8 December 2014

Tri n Run Xmas Special

As you all know Tri n Run Midleton already give a special discount of 10% to all Club members.
They are extending this now to club members families as well. So all any member of your family who wants to buy you or themselves that special running gift etc for Xmas  has to do is tell Steve that a member of the family is in the club and they can avail of the special discount.


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MPA Alumni

Hundreds of staff members, freelancers and volunteers have worked with MPA over the years and as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations we’d like to (re)connect with as many former members of team MPA as possible.  If you’ve ever been a part of the team in a paid or voluntary capacity (including former Trustees and Executive Committee members) please get in touch.  Let us know when you worked with us, what you did and what you’re doing now.  Did being part of team MPA help you progress in your career? Did it open up opportunities for you? Did you enjoy your time with us? In fact share any memories you like!  Who was on the team at the same time?  Do you know where they are now?

Please send your details to Melanie, including whether you’re happy for us to share your name and reminiscences on the MPA website, Facebook page etc.  If you have any photographs of yourself ‘then’ and ‘now’ we’d love to have those too, plus any photographs of MPA in action when you were here!

Do get in touch.  50 years of high quality arts provision is something to celebrate and we want to have as many members of the MPA alumni involved as possible.

Here’s just a couple of the people we’ve heard from:

Julie Ward, was elected as an MEP for the North West at the European elections in May 2014 (she got in touch just prior to that), she worked for the Mid Pennine Association for the Arts (as it was then) in the 1970s:

‘I was on a Job Creation Scheme with MPAA in the late 1970s aged 20.  Now I am standing for election to be NW Labour MEP.  In-between times I have worked for Contact Theatre in Manchester, run Northern Shape (regional disability org for 5 counties) run festivals in Coventry, Nottingham & Durham, worked in Brazil, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand.  For the past 28 years I have been co-director of an arts co-op in rural North Pennines – Jack Drum Arts.  MPAA was the start of all that!’

The contact with Julie led to Jonathan Hyams who has a really fascinating career that took off with MPAA:

‘I came from London to Mid Pennine at the tender age of 24 on secondment from the Arts Council postgrad arts admin course and the then Directors, Ruari MacNeil and Jenny Wilson, seemed to rather like what I did and so they offered me the publicity job for the end of my course. Publicity in those days was really just about understanding how to use a Gestetner machine! But I became very interested in marketing the arts and made it my specialism. I became Marketing Officer for North West Arts and then moved South to be Director of Salisbury Arts Centre. I got quite a reputation for bringing commercial marketing thinking into the arts so after Salisbury I did marketing consultancy for about 5 years, working closely with Peter Verwey at the Arts Council, partnering with Keiren Phelan at first and then with the Comedia Consultancy where I became the Managing Director. Here I found a gap in the market for affordable ticketing software in the early 90s and had a complete change of direction, setting up my own software company Dataculture and creating the Databox ticketing software package which ultimately was the most popular system in the UK. I later sold that company to but then continued to work both in consultancy with Comedia where I help to create and run the Creative Cities Index, and also still with software, setting up Artlook Software Ltd to develop art gallery and artist business programs. Just lately I have had another shift, I am currently spending much of my time as UK Chief Executive of The Conversation, a groundbreaking media project publishing news analysis stories on a daily cycle where all the authors are academics – it’s a charity and needs a lot of funding but we are getting there.

These days I live in the lovely city of Bristol – and also in the mountains near Malaga when I can – with my ceramicist wife Morag MacInnes.

My memories of MPAA are warm. I worked closely with John Virtue who helped me set up our first Community Arts Scheme, and with Daniel Meadows, then photographer in residence. I am pleased to say I am still in touch with both of these wonderful artists, now successful in their respective fields. TheatreMobile were one of our two resident theatre groups, the other being the incredibly advanced Welfare State with John Fox and Boris Haworth. I shall never forget parading the streets of Burnley at night with 10,000 other people on our way to set alight to a giant replica of the Houses of Parliament! Also as part of my work then, I presented the weekly arts programme at BBC Radio Blackburn (see images to the right).


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The Faux Shaux All they want is Maux Wed, 31 Aug 2016 05:37:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 The Ascent Wed, 31 Aug 2016 05:09:19 +0000 Role: One-man show operator (besides rigging assistant). System design and integration. Built and networked system to make all custom software, a/v systems, bluetooth headsets, Fisher smart winch, and photo take-away software work together. Combined my knowledge of programming, theater equipment, production and networking to develop temporary installation in Brooklyn warehouse and adapt to a tour setup. CAD change order work for promotional materials. Fabricated weather-proof camera tethering rigs to mount on truss and supply live-preview and remote shooting options.

The Ascent Rider

More great photos by Andrew Federman

Write up in the NYTimes

Me running the show

Taken from the website:

Meditate to Levitate

The Ascent is a mind-controlled immersive ride/game spectacle that allows riders to levitate high into the air through saturated environments of interactive lighting, sound, and atmospherics.

The Ascent puts riders in the center of a mind-controlled game world. Using mental power, riders control their own flight experience, crossing through enormous atmospheric thresholds, while triggering overwhelming EEG-reactive lighting and sound. Riders can achieve an epic-win by rising to the top of the ride, and are rewarded by an indoor firework display of hi-octane theatrics and show-stopping spectacle.

Part adventure ride, part spiritual quest, this epic experience is the first neuro-driven ride of it’s kind, and as of June 2012 was considered the largest EEG bio-feedback machine in the world. The Ascent uses neuro-technology, custom software, and an original show-control system to deliver a mythic, mind-altering take on the intersections between humans and machines, transcendence and technology.

The Ascent is fully automated, driven by custom software and hardware. A single rider is strapped into a safety harness, wearing a headband embedded with an EEG brain-wave sensor and wireless transmitter. As the rider begins to concentrate, The Ascent’s custom show control system monitors the rider’s brain state. The power of the rider’s calm and focus drives the system, lifting the rider into the air, while dynamically controlling sound and lighting. The Ascent is structured like a game, presenting increasing levels of difficulty as the rider ascends.

The experience is designed for the general public; guests sign up or wait in line to ride. There is also an observation deck for audience to vicariously participate in the experience.

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WOW Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:47:13 +0000 Role: Developed live composition tool for composer to use to direct musicians and vocalists to perform 4-bar motifs from a Wagner opera.  WOW was featured at BRIC Arts in Brooklyn.

Tech Desk
Built a Max MSP patch using the Java object to generate SQL commands to return image scans from a Wagner score that we prepared with meta-tags for instrument, key, tempo, mood, measure number, etc.

WOW - Over Joe's Shoulder

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BMW i: A Window Into the Near Future Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:02:49 +0000 Role: Networking and A/V systems designer and admin.  Lead installation team hired by KBS+ to interface with sole programmer and agency producer to implement a bullet-proof system for a 24/7 interactive installation across three weeks in a high visibility store front across from Bryant Park in New York City.  All production during the week of hurricane Sandy.

An interactive ad campaign that let you imagine yourself in an electric BMWi model.  By using a ‘magic mirror’ effect, we used 3M’s Vikuti rear screen projection film to give the impression that you were passing a reflective window.  The program ‘burned in’ the background image, while replacing all of the passing car traffic with digitally prepared assets (images of BMWs and of taxis).  The object tracking would recognize cars and replace them with images of the BMWi series models (3 types, that the algorithm would use the original car’s size to determine).  It would recognize taxis and replace them with prepared images of taxis, so as to keep the same aesthetic (just a world of BMWs and taxis).

Tech Details

Lead lumen per square inch studies to specify the kind of projectors needed to rear project through 3M Vikuti film.  Attained first Barko 40k projectors in the United States and networked and operated remotely, despite no manuals available.  Built signal flow and protocol for all networked devices, including multiple IP cameras, IP power strips, three custom gaming computers.  Remotely controlled projector shuttering to alternate a single projector during night-time as well as aligned both projectors to overshoot during direct sunlight hours.  Developed 24 hour support escalation plan which included mechanical turk as an off hours solution to make sure projection was always displaying correctly.

Handmade all ethernet cable.

Deployed multiple point grey system (high-speed, networked camera), modify lenses, build custom mounts and security measures.

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Silent Lights Wed, 31 Aug 2016 03:32:22 +0000 Silent Lights is an urban light installation located near the Navy Yard in Brooklyn.

Role: Technical consultant, interior light box designer and fabricator, electrical engineering, Arduino dev, electronics installation & testing

The Challenge

For the residents of northern Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the intersection of Park Avenue and Navy Street is a bleak and noisy place that is best avoided. The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) runs directly above the semi-industrial landscape, bringing with it the ever-present roar of the 160,000 cars that traverse it daily, and throwing the pavement beneath into permanent shadow. We wanted to make this desolate urban landscape more inviting for locals and passersby.

The Solution

Silent Lights takes the Expressway’s ever-present traffic noise and makes it visible, illuminating the gloomy, clamorous underpass with a pathway of peaceful lighted gates. The lights respond to the sounds above them, lighting up sequentially as vehicles pass overhead. The hum of the traffic thus becomes a tangible, reactive presence rather than a hidden aggravation, and passersby can walk beneath the multicolored gates to experience a moment of respite from the constant noise. The installation also acts as a way-finding element, making the inconspicuous pedestrian pathway more visible and engaging.

Silent Lights Wide View

The Technical Details

The installation consists of 5 multicolored gates that light up sequentially in response to ambient noise. The gates are made of various perforated metal panels clad over an aluminum frame. Each gate contains 2 sealed white acrylic boxes; these boxes house the sequence of LEDs. In total, Silent Lights is embedded with 2400 LEDs and 2 microphones, controlled by an arduino mega microcontroller.

Partnerships & Community

Silent Lights was created in partnership with the Urban Arts Program of the Department of Transportation and the Brooklyn Arts Council. The project also received generous support from Artplace America, Black Rock Foundation, Designers Lighting Forum of New York,  Awesome Foundation, and individual donors. In 2012 we held a fundraising event to raise additional funding for the project. Generous donations were made by family, friends, and the local Brooklyn community to make this project a reality.

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C.O.R.A.L. Wed, 31 Aug 2016 02:44:13 +0000 Intro

Role: Interactive and bunker design, material sourcing, 3D modelling, fabrication, electrical engineering, installation & testing

Each year, Beam Camp puts out a call for artists and designers to pitch a three-week project for their campers to build on site during the summer. Along with my studio, Floating Point and artist Allen Riley, we pitched the idea of an underwater LED sculpture in the shape of coral reefs.

Since Beam Camp has over 200 kids working daily on this project, the process had to be modular. Each reef would be made up of five branches of coral, and a branch would consist of three coral “modules.” We wanted the lighting patterns to be interactive, so we also pitched the idea of a bunker on the shore with interfaces for controlling the lights.

None of us had any experience with embedding leds into silicone or resin, so we our preliminary tests were to determine that they wouldn’t overheat or discolor too much with the thickness of resin. Once the first test was successful, then we could work on the artistic-side of designing the textures and shape of the coral.

Our original idea was to 3D print the coral modules, but this proved to be both time-consuming and really not as fun for for 200 kids to build, so we switched to clay models. The plan was to make around ten clay models and have ten unique modules that could be combined in interesting ways to make the branches.

We decided to use a two part mold, because we wanted the silicone molds to be reusable to cast multiple modules. The LED strips needed to be soldered and placed in the mold before pouring the resin, and we covered the connections in hot glue to ensure nothing would short in the process.

To put multiple modules together, we first soldered the wires together and tested to make sure the signal flow worked. Then we wrapped the connection in fiberglass and painted resin on top. We’d later decide to drill holes in the fiberglass and fill the void with more resin to improve the structural integrity of the joint.

Our placeholder for the control booth was a lighthouse, which seemed like an odd thing to install next to a lake.  Digging deep inside for our inner children we felt like something that felt like the ultimate fort with control stations would be closer to what our ’80s nostalgia wanted.

I designed the control booth to look like a military pillbox bunker.  It was designed to have two tiers; a control room and an observation deck on top.  My main challenge was to free up as much space on the interior as well as keep it somewhat clean looking.  I spent the better part of a month designing a cantilevered 3-panel window that would support the weight of a roof full of people.  I achieved this by designing steel window frame that would act similar to a rally-car’s roll cage.  Despite offering to weld the cage, the design proved too daunting for the camp fabricators to take on, so they modified the design to put the columns back in.

Nonetheless the bunker was a fun and tough build for the team.

Inside of the bunker, an Arduino-controlled interface would control the lighting on each of the reefs. There was a ladder on the side of the bunker leading up to a lofted platform where the coral could be viewed from a better vantage point. The railings on the roof were designed by Mitchell Dose and modeled after the coral patterns.

Build Photos:

Each of the five interfaces controlled a different reef. Two were capacitive touch sensors, using copper tape (designed by campers) to change the speed and color of the reefs. Two of the sensors used motion sensors and photo cells to play an analog audio circuit. The volume of this circuit controlled the lights. The last interface was an aenenometer, or a wind sensor.

To ensure a waterproof connection, the wires for each branch were run through a long conduit sheath, which was then sunk into the resin base. To conserve resin (and cut back on weight), a donut-shaped box was used to place branches around the perimeter with a hollow center. We hung the branches using rope and clamps while we poured the resin into the box.

Once the reefs were finished, they were tested one by one and brought down to Little Willy, the lake at Beam Camp, for their placement. On the evening of July 23, 2015, all of the campers were invited to the bunker for the unveiling so they could see the coral lit underwater for the first time.

Design: Floating Point:

Mike Kelberman – Design, 3D modelling, fabrication, electrical engineering, installation & testing

Mark Kleback – Design, fabrication, circuit design, code design, installation

Jack Kalish – Design, 3D rendering in proposal, code design

Gabriella Levine – Design, underwater interfacing, Arduino programming

Johann Diedrick – Fabrication, casting, code design

Mick Hondlik – Fabrication, installation

Catherine McCurry – Fabrication, casting

Charles Phillip – Project Management, fabrication

Allen Riley – Design, conceptualization, fabrication, sound design

Construction: Beam Camp

Project Leaders: Matt Robinson, Morgan Street, Mitchell Dose

Camp Directors: Brian Cohen, Danny Kahn

Documentation: Sara Tandoi, David Golann

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Bot Pocket Fri, 26 Aug 2016 05:24:48 +0000 Role: Built the mechanics, designed & 3d printed custom parts, designed and built relay and solenoid circuits for a rush pitch over a 3-4 day period.

We built a twitter-enabled microwave to let you Tweet-to-Heat a Hot Pocket. While the campaign never launched, we had a lot of fun building the rush job for a friend’s ad agency.

Mark Kleeb, my studio mate at Floating Point developed the python-code to interface a Raspberry Pi with twitter as well as circuit bending the keypad on the microwave.

In the meantime, I disassembled the door and replaced the latch with a mechanism that would be easier to defeat with a hard strike from a spring loaded rod.

The rod was a souped-up version of those pinball machine ball launching plungers. The rod was a piece of hardware made for screen doors that I used an angle grinder to cut down. The back end was fed into the magnet end of a solenoid powered by a triac (a/c relay). When the raspi knew the Hot Pocket was done heating, the relay would flip, disengaging the magnet, letting the spring-loaded rod collide into the inside of the door, defeating the now-weaker latch for instant bravado smart microwave action. Hopefully not too much radiation happening.

If you look carefully, you can see the stainless steel rod protruding out of the microwave after the door swings open.

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Pura Vida, Part 1 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 21:23:23 +0000 I’m lucky to have very generous friends, the Hondliks, who welcomed me in their vacation house in Flamingo Beach, Costa Rica. Similar to my trip down south, I made a bucketlist. I kept it short and sweet with ~10 items, which I’ll post about in a bit, but let’s start with some eye candy!

birds at sunset

birds at sunset

Isla de Pajaros

Isla de Pajaros

marina sunset

marina sunset

pina colada berg

pina colada berg

derelict docks

derelict docks

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Goal #18 :: Trust a Stranger Mon, 01 Sep 2014 19:58:41 +0000 When I originally added this goal to the list, I had no idea what it would entail. It has the good kind of ambiguity that lends itself to interpretation. At the same time it’s such a juicy goal there exists the pressure come out with a great story.

This was Dan’s first day on the trip. He flew into Nashville that morning and we had planned on checking out a few more sites, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and an open-bar Thrillist party (that Dan’s friend would be attending). After a day walking through scorching heat, we were pretty worn, and decided it was time for the air-condition Hall of Fame. We paid the parking fee and climbed the steps to a stadium sized cultural staple. It may have been the southern food coma that’d set in not 20 minutes before, but the $25 entry fee felt like a good ol’ fashioned middle finger in our sweaty faces. After a simultaneous “fuck that,” we vamped in the gift shop, ironically trying on cowboy hats while we decided our game plan. “D’you wanna just drive to Savannah tonight?” Dan proposed. “Let’s do it,” I agreed. We might’ve just needed better tour guides, but after a day and change we were seeking a deeper South. At about 5pm we hit the road, excited with our decision to change it up.

Our navigation put us about 8 hours from Savannah, but we had camping gear and a long drive so we didn’t overthink it. It was on the late side, so we just missed Ruby Falls (the largest underground waterfall) and Rock City Gardens (supreme cliff vista that vaguely sounds like a KISS song). Atlanta was never part of the itinerary, but it made perfect sense as a pit-stop for dinner. Since we were going to do ATL for dinner, I texted my friend Sara back in New York. She’s from Atlanta and has multiple family members in the restaurant industry, so asking her recommendation was a no-brainer. She gave us the name of her family’s place – Oak Street Cafe in Roswell, GA (15 mi north of Atlanta). Her cousins run the place and apparently her grandma makes the meatballs! I immediately plotted the journey with my phone, but realized we’d be an hour too late. We thanked her for the suggestion and reverted back to scouring Yelp for a meal worthy of our hunger. We both craved seafood and set our sights on a spot called The Optimist. With seating ending at 10pm, and our ETA being 9:55, we knew there was no room for error. One wrong turn could be the difference between a great meal and an okay one. We reached the block, but drove passed the restaurant by a few hundred feet. Dan, having driven the last four hours, was a bit braindead at this point. After what seemed like an eight-point-turn, I hopped out of the car and ran into what I thought was the front door. It was actually a backdoor by a more private dining area, but I made it to the bar with haste to find someone who’d seat us before the clock ran out. The first server I found led me to the maître d’. She was super friendly and was happy to hear that we drove straight from Nashville to their restaurant. We valet parked and were seated within a few minutes.

It was the eve of my birthday and we ordered like kings. Green curry mussels to start, followed by swordfish and Alaskan halibut for Dan and I respectively. Everything was amazing. The mussels were probably the best thing we ate all trip. We couldn’t let the curry go to waste, and asked our waiter Paolo to hook it up with more garlic bread. When the dessert menu came, I don’t think we were actually hungry, but our curiosity led to two more plates; I opted for the fried peach pie with white pepper ice cream and Dan went with the classic key lime pie with whipped cream. It was around 11:30 by now, and we knew Savannah was a bit out of our reach with an impending food coma and a lack of sleeping arrangements. I sipped an espresso and used some camping apps to find a local campsite that didn’t require prior reservations.  After an unsuccessful search, we asked Paolo if he knew any spots that didn’t require reservations.  We’d already filled him in on our epic checklist and the overall improvisational nature of the trip, so he first suggested a city park to camp in, admitting that he didn’t know the legality of doing so.  We shrugged off the situation, as an encounter with the police was probably the best-case scenario of that plan.  New to the area, he went off to ask the manager if he knew of any places to camp.

Paolo came back a few minutes later, “the manager has an empty lot you can camp on if you’re up for it.”  We both exclaimed “that would be awesome,” with a tone of incredulity.  We laughed at the oddity and serendipity intertwined in the moment.  With the proposal accepted, Darren came up to the table and introduced himself.  We explained the original plan to make it to Savannah and he agreed that we bit off a little too much road this late in the day.   He gave us the low-down on his newly purchased property; a partly finished recording studio, situated next to a tattoo shop and across from a dive bar on Ponce de Leon, had an overgrown lot behind it that we could camp in.  “It’s got a fence all the way around, so no one will fuck with you,” he assured us.  He added that he was booked for  a recording session in the morning, so we’d have to be out first thing (which I assured him was already our game plan).

Darren at The Optimist

Darren drew a diagram of the lot was location on a napkin and gave us the address.  We thanked him profusely and snapped a quick photo.  After leaving Paolo with a fat tip, we fetched the car and headed toward our new destination.  “What the fuck is happening right now?” we laughed on the drive over.  A new Black Keys single kicked off on the radio, as it really felt like the stars aligned for us just minutes ago.  His first night on the road, Dan needed some contact solution.  We pulled off to a Wallgreens for some supplies.  While I waited for Dan,  I drank a mango Gatorade and watched the parking lot come alive its nocturnal inhabitants.  I could tell then and there this was about to get interesting.

Entry to the lot

We drove a mile or so down the road to find our side street and turned left.  We crept down the block, eyes peeled for the vacant space we’d call home for a night.  A long wooden fence hid its contents before the one-story commercial spaces sprouted up at the end of the block.  “That’s got to be it,” I pulled a U-turn at the first storefront and threw it in park.  I walked to the far left end of the fence where there was trashcan storage and generous hole in the wooden fence.  I stepped through to find a steep drop into a valley covered in ivy and overgrown weeds.  I turned to the right to see a staircase dimly lit by a nearby streetlamp.  “Hopefully it’s flatter over there because this is way to steep to camp on,” I thought to myself.

Apt building overlooking the lot

Urban Campsite

I returned to the car to update Dan that we’d found the place and to come check it out.  Dan was verbally not a fan of the whole idea anymore.  The lot was certainly not the tranquil prairie we imagined; it was closer to the vacant lot you’d come across in Lower East Side in the Guliani era.  That being said, the apartment building overlooking the lot was a blessing and a curse.  It challenged the privacy of the yard to the fact that vagrants couldn’t post up for too long.  At the same time, with half of its windows lit, we kept our headlamps on low as we questioned the legality of our situation.

Dan offered to pay for a motel, pointing out that the risks far out-weighed the benefits.  I argued that we’re doing it for the story, that we were on this path for a reason.  I reasoned with him by suggesting we setup the tent, lock our valuables in the trunk, and if it came down to it, sleep with our knives.  We setup the tent in record time, cleared some broken glass from the vicinity, and tossed our sleeping bags into the tent before heading back to the car.  As we repacked the trunk with everything tempting enough to break a window, Darren rolled up to check in on us.

“Ah, you guys found it” he said from his window.  With the car half-packed, I walked across the street, headlamp still on.

“Yeah, we just setup the tent and are getting our last few things… thanks again for letting us crash,” I replied.

“No problem.  Just make sure you’re out first thing tomorrow,” he muttered just louder than a whisper.

I assured him that we were still planning on departing at 7am.  He offered us his hand to shake at a 45 degree angle as he whispered his salutations.  In retrospect, it must’ve been a cool-guy handshake, but in the moment it definitely tainted the entire scenario.  As he drove off, Dan turned to me “What the fuck was that?  This is not right.  Some shit is about to go down.”

I confirmed the weird vibe, “You know I was cool with all of this and then that just happened.”  I convinced him that the prudent thing to do was to finish locking our things up in the car and walking to the bar on the corner. It was a win-win since we could hangout on the porch and watch the block for unexpected guests as well as get a couple rounds of liquid courage before our brazen attempt at urban camping. We made our way into a sweet dive called The Local. I knew I was home hearing the Ty Segall and then Harlem blaring from the speakers upon entry. Mindy, the punk-rawk bartender, poured me a birthday whiskey while we drank a top-shelf selection of Dan’s over rocks.

We met some friendly people at the bar who seemed to also have Nashville and Savannah in common. Dan took a liking to one of them, and as her friends left for the next bar on their journey, I felt my sleep deprivation kicking in. I said my goodbyes and headed back to the tent. It was still hot and humid, so I unzipped my sleeping bag and slid my sheathed knife under the airplane pillow. Dan soon joined me and kicked off his lemon-print Adidas. The pungent odor of his sockless foot-sweat seared the tent. “You are getting your own tent for the rest of the trip,” I coughed. He apologized and quickly fell into a whiskey-catalyzed slumber.

As I layed en-guarde in the doorway of the tent, I notice a blue flashing light illuminating the apartment building. Were the cops here? Did someone see our tent from the window? Should we just stay in silence and hope it’s unrelated? The knot in my stomach grew until I decided to do some recon. Slipping my shoes on, I dashed up the stairs in my best ninja. I peered through a hole in the fence toward the origin of the blue light. It was just neon advertisement. Wow, time to relax dude.

With a full exhale, I returned to the tent in a casual gate to find Dan had slid down the incline in to the middle of the tent. I zipped myself back into the tent, hoping to disturb him enough that he’d return to his area. No dice. I kicked my Bucketfeet off and cuddled up to pillow+knife combo to catch a few winks. That’s when the snoring started. This was full-drunk snoring. I don’t know how he’d got so drunk, but I think all the travel had something to do with it. I lay there pondering how the women in his life could deal with this. I told him to “shut up” in a stern tone, which would only interrupt the noise for a minute or so. Let me clarify – he’d slid half the tent down, so he’s a foot from my head, facing my ear, snoring at full volume. That’s when I chose feet over snore. Yes, the feet that smell like sockless shoe-wearing after a day of walking in Nashville in 98 degree weather. Yep, that’s how much I needed to get some rest.

After about ten minutes, with my face pressed into my t-shirt, my mind drifted into the subconscious, images of how I imagined Savannah to be animated before, Whack!, kicked in the back by good ol’ Drunkin Danuts behind me. “Are you serious right now?” I bitched. As if perfectly timed, the second kick came as fell asleep for the second time. “Dude you gotta stop kicking me” I said loud enough to jar him to a half-awake daze. The whole point of urban camping was to come out with some sleep. I fall asleep. Deep sleep. At least an hour or two has passed. Dan wakes me up. It’s twilight. “I’ve gotta shit, what do I do?” Equally enraged and in disbelief that he’d bother me for such a thing, I mumbled an unintelligible “wet wipes in the car.” I fall back asleep.

A fuller morning light wakes me up and my alarm soon follow. We breakdown and pack up the tent like the Gestapo is on their way. We laugh again, looking over the lot in daylight. “Let’s get the fuck outta here,” we agree and head to a spot called Thumbs Up, a greasy spoon diner on the way to the highway.  I wish I could remember the exact words Dan used, but he confessed that he’d been quick to judge the situation; something like this: “Here I am thinkin this dude it gonna mug us, when he’s obviously a really cool guy that just let to strangers crash on his property.  I gotta stop doing that.”  Whatever he took away from it, I’m glad it was positive.  We’re all fed fear and distrust by the media.  It’s good to stand your ground and rely on the good nature of strangers once in a while.

Before we hit the road, we take turns brushing our teeth in the bathroom and order from a build-your-own-breakfast menu. The waitresses broke the mold in terms of being attentive and hospitable and we were on our way with coffee-to-go cups. Definitely a good note to leave Atlanta on.  Savannah here we come!

Thumbs Up Diner

Thumbs Up Diner

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Goal #4 :: Record a Song Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:01:30 +0000 While the majority of the road trip was unplanned, Third Man Records is probably the only sight-seeing I had to do while in Nashville.  I’d heard about the fully restored Record Booth when it was first publicized on the website and now I’d have my chance to experience it in all of its glory.

Arriving at Third Man Records

Dan & I made our way over to the record shop shortly after abandoning our attempt to ride bikes around East Nashville (it was ghastly hot and we were clearly riding in the wrong places in an up-and-coming neighborhood).  We parked in an adjacent lot, greeted by the radio tower sign of Third Man.  As we approached, a drifter offered us a ‘steal’ at three golds for a one-y (3 Marlboros for a buck).  We politely declined, already armed with $4.50 packs and a greater mission.

Legos from Gondry's 'Fell in Love With a Girl' video.

Legos from Gondry’s ‘Fell in Love With a Girl’ video.

As we entered the shop, we were greated by Katty, the bubbly manager.  While we waited for our turn with the Record Booth she filled us in on the process – put in the tokens and when the red light flicks on, that’s your 10 second warning to record.  We explored the store’s rock nostalgia and vintage accoutrements.

Dan after his spoken word sesh

I practiced a half-written song, trying to decide how to fill the 150 seconds I’d have.  Dan went first.  He read a poem, had some extra time, and tried for two but was cut-off mid-verse.  When it was my turn, I put the tokens in and waited while practicing the intro lick.  After a couple minutes of waiting, Katty came over to restart the machine.

My turn with the Record Booth

My turn with the Record Booth

Poised for my two minutes of history, I noticed the microphone in the booth is rather high.  In hindsight, having a guitar strap would have solved the problem, but luckily the store’s junior sized acoustic was light enough to wedge under my strumming elbow.  Once the recording finished, the 45 plays back in the booth before it is picked from the platter by vacuum and dropped down the chute.

Katty presenting my first 45

Katty presenting my first 45

We took our freshly cut 45s to Katty at the front counter. She slipped Third Man dust jackets over the vinyl while we settled up. While we talked about the sweet digs in the shop, I couldn’t help but tell Katty about Rotobooth. If there were a perfect setting for my rotary-dial photobooth, Third Man (with a record booth, rotary telephone booth, and Mold-o-Rama) is that place. She loved the photo I showed her and insisted I send her an email that she could share with the rest of management. If you’re reading this, I’ll send that over shortly!

If you’re in Nashville any time soon, be sure to make it to Third Man Records.

Kelbertrack on Third Man Records

Kelbertrack on Third Man Records

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Goal #16 :: Barter for an instrument Mon, 25 Aug 2014 05:29:47 +0000 Reid and his handmade SG pickups

Reid and his handmade SG pickups

While visiting Nashville, I stayed with my friends Reid and Jocelyn. Reid has always been a big inspiration to me; his self-taught projects run the gamut of guitar building, tube amp construction and car restoration. Lately he’s been winding custom pickups for Fender Strats and Gibson SGs. This is especially exciting for me, since those happen to be my two electric guitars. The problem with the SG’s humbucker pickups is that the high-mids get lost on the bridge pickup. That means the sound gets rather muddy when you add effect pedals in line. Reid explained to me that the coils are wired out of phase, to reduce noise and give it that rich, trademark sound. He’s been experimenting with changing the ratios of the coils (number of windings), to affect how the two coils pickup sound, and therefor change the resulting tone.

Pickups are largely accountable for what an electric guitar sounds like while amplified, so changing the pickups is like changing guitars.

Reid has a number of pickup projects but the tricky part is sourcing the bobbin, the plastic housing that varies guitar to guitar. Custom bobbins is something I can design & print on my 3D printer. Perfect opportunity for a trade! Reid gave me a set of his custom pickups in return for 3D printing him special bobbins for his project. Stay tuned for some comparison videos of my two sets of pickups.

RCH Pickups

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

What Do You Use for Reference?

You can get lost doing reference. Google images can be a time sucker -- a fun time sucker, but, well, nonetheless. You have to be careful with your time. And you also, as a cartoonists, need to be able to draw EVERYTHING.

One of my dear friends was the late, great Tom Gill (1913-2005). If you were a boy who read Western comic books in the 1950s, you knew Tom Gill's work.

Tom, who was raised in Flatbush Brooklyn, NY, drew the popular LONE RANGER and SILVER comic books for Dell/Gold Key in the 1960s. Tom did some other Western books too, including licensed properties like BONANZA. Most of these were produced in his Long Island studio. He was a prolific hard working cartoonist, who also made time to teach.

One day, in the early 2000's, during a visit to his home, we were paging through some of his original LONE RANGER art. I admired the detail: the sagebrush, spurs, horses, Western towns, etc. -- all excellently delineated. I asked him what he used for reference.

"Reference? I didn't have time for reference!" was the answer he growled at me.

Related: Lone Ranger #38 via Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
Tom Gill's unseen THE ADVENTURES OF BRAINS BENTON comic strip proposal
Tom Gill: A Personal Remembrance

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