Linux Music Toys

Thanks for coming by and checking out my blog. I hope you’ll find it entertaining and interesting. Basically I’m blogging about stuff that is interesting to me. There are three main focus areas:

Linux
I love Linux. I use it everyday as a desktop user and write some simple scripts. I’m not a software developer but I do dabble in programming. I’m probably the equivalent of a Windows “Power User” but in Linux (emphasis on user). In linux I have strong bias towards certain use senarios as follows:

• Media Centers functionality
• Audio and music related programs
• Embedded software
  • Configure lower end machines as appliances to suit my entertainment
  • Someday I hope an ARM machine will come along in my price range with appropriate usability
• Scripting, bash, Perl and PHP as required to meet my needs
• C, C++, Python as required to meet my needs
• Databases mysql and mysql lite as required to meet my needs

Music
I’m a musician (guitar and considering drums and bass) and listen to a lot of music (mostly blues). I’m also starting to listen to jazz but not that really fast annoying stuff. I expect I’ll blog some about the following music topics:

• Linux software I use to augment my music enjoyment
• Some guitar lessons and material I’ve found useful
• Tunes I’m into and where I get tunes on-line.  I’m not into CD’s much anymore , I prefer electronic downloads. I have strictly legal downloads from places like Amazon, emusic and various other sites. I enjoy supporting musicians and I think MP3s is changing the world for the better for musicians, not neccesarily music producers but thats another rant.

Toys
Toys is a pretty broad category for me and really refers more to playing and hobbies than material objects. Being of senior years I’ve had time to develop many hobbies requiring many toys. Here are a few toys and hobbies that take up most of my time:

• Guitars – crazy for used guitars. I go to the used music stores in town at least once a month.
• Other instruments I’m pretty sure I need more guitars, another keyboard and am seriously considering gettings some drums and a bass guitar.
• Photography. I used to have a darkroom but now its totally digital. I have a digital SLR and a point and shoot.
• Computers
• Audio gear (other than instruments)
• Motorcycles (have a 1976 BWM R90/6 which I have a love hate relationship with)
• Tools and house renovations
• Writting – I enjoy wrting about my interests. I find it enhances my enjoyment and also augments my failing memory so I don’t have to keep learning the same stuff over and over