I’m on SoundCloud (and a mini status update)

As you can tell, my focus has been drifting somewhat from this blog in recent weeks – honestly, it’s difficult to motivate myself to keep shouting into the void when that void just keeps getting darker by the day – and instead I’ve been putting in more time to work on my music (along with a not-insignificant amount of Tale of Two Wastelands).

Lately I’ve been thinking about ways to get my musical works out there – the only venues I’m familiar with are my dusty art blog, YouTube, and a couple writing sites that don’t particularly cater to music. But apparently there’s this place called SoundCloud that’s for more than just hosting podcasts, and so I created an account and have uploaded my most recent(ly polished up) songs there. SoundCloud also gives me the ability to embed them with a nifty player, like this:

My only issue right now is my free account can only hold a limited number of tracks before I need to upgrade to a paid version, which I’m less chuffed about. But then, maybe I’ve been spoiled by all these websites that offer unlimited this and that for free.

Feel free to check my stuff out, if that’s your thing. I’d certainly appreciate it. And if you ever hear about anyone looking for custom-made music for a personal project, I’d doubly appreciate it if you pointed them my way. It’s time I broadened my experience beyond revising my own songs for the dozenth time.

Daily Links: 11/06/17 – Egyptian TV host gets prison for discussing pregnancy outside of marriage

Doaa Saleh

• Egyptian TV host ^[pictured] sentenced to three years in prison for “outraging public decency” by discussing pregnancy outside of a conventional marriage.
  (via @fark)

• Teachers in Oregon’s Salem-Keizer School District have to report sexually active students to authorities. Maybe lawmakers thought the state’s sex offender registry seemed a little sparse.
  (via @FreeRangeKids; RT: @radleybalko)

• Orange County school students rebel against a Confederate mascot.
  (via @fark)

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver takes an amusing, bemused look at Ken Ham’s Big Gay Ark in a larger piece on economic incentives. (The video is restricted to US viewers, but the link includes a transcript of the relevant bit.)

• Finally, in other news, I’ve overhauled and republished one of my earliest songs, “Lone Wolf”, a piano/orchestral theme song for an old novel project.

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

Daily Links: 10/31/17 – Judge tosses cop’s BLM lawsuit, redux

Have a Halloweeney night, everyone.

• A month ago, US District Judge Brian Jackson tossed out an anonymous cop’s dumb lawsuit blaming Black Lives Matter ^[pictured] for injuries sustained at a protest. Now: Ditto.

• Radley Balko has the latest from the world of botched police raids.

• University of Texas–San Antonio professor threatened a student who “offended someone” by saying that some Islamic countries would execute him for being bisexual.
  (via @AStuttaford; RT: @Popehat)

• In case you needed a reminder, Right-wing pundits are gullible morons. Also read the prankster’s account at Vice.

• Finally, in other news, I’ve posted a new piano song, “Piano in G (Music Class Compo)”, over at my creative blog, Creativitas …

• … as well as a lengthy-ish excerpt of the opening of the novel I’m working on, Inhuman.

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

Now robots are taking over the music scene

First, mechanical arms learn to outperform us musically. How long before we kneel before our bass-shredding, laser-wielding robotic overlords?

Frankly, if they’re this good, I’ll allow it.

Also, lest you think it’s all CGI (as I did):

(via Pharyngula)

Daily Links: 07/25/17 – NHS axes prescriptions for homeopathy

Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)

Quick change: I’m moving puppycide reports to their own weekly post, since they’re cluttering up my Daily Links with their frequency. Which is depressing, when you think about it.

• England’s National Health Service plans to do away with prescriptions for homeopathy and other “low value” treatments. What took them so long?
  (via Friendly Atheist)

• “What you have here is a conservative group suing a conservative Justice Department for ignoring a FOIA request concerning a conservative House chairman’s efforts to kneecap FOIA.”
  (via @fark)

• Color me pleasantly surprised: Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) ^[pictured] does a good thing, signs a bill to protect the rights of trans students in public schools.
  (via Joe.My.God.)

• Texas to man: You owe your ex $65,000 in back child support. Man: This DNA test says the kid isn’t mine. Texas: Pay up anyway or go to jail.
  (via @fark)

• It’s like Cracked.com is aiming to become social justice central. I like it.

• Ken Ham’s Tax-Avoiding Ark Ride continues: Creationists sell Ark Encounter (again) to themselves (again) for $10 (again) so that it’ll be eligible for an $18 million tax rebate (again).

• China finds a novel use for pervasive surveillance: help impoverished school students with discreet supplemental financial assistance. And now I’m conflicted.

• And finally: What’s that? You don’t want to hear terrible White-boy rap from a flat-Earther? Well here you go anyway:
  (via Friendly Atheist)

If you have any story suggestions, you can leave them in the comments or send them in.

A song for some sad music news

I haven’t kept up with their music since my early teens, but today’s news means something from the Linkin Park playlist:

In memoriam: Chester Bennington (1976—2017).