Notes_Norton

I just bought a T500 with Win7 installed for $160 in "A" condition from one of NewEgg's premier sellers. One year parts and labor guarantee, 90 days free return if defective, and if it works but I simply don't like it, I pay 15% restocking. Win7 is good because it's never going to go on the Internet. Everything but Windows necessary apps will be removed, Encore notation app will be added. Lyrics only will appear on WordPad, MP3s will play on Media Player, and music notation will appear on Encore. That's all the machine has to do. My other 2002 Think Pad still works, but since I dropped it the hinge broke and replacing the hinge isn't cost effective because they don't make that part anymore. It's loose and if the screen is wiggled, horizontal lines appear across the display. I think if I didn't drop it, my other R30 would probably still be working. For on-stage I don't care about the weight or the thickness. Carrying the computer is one of the lightest things I schlep to the gig. The speakers are 40 pounds each, plus a full 12 space rack (full of synth modules, PA mixer, + FX), 2 guitars, one sax, two wind synths, one Buchla Thunder MIDI controller, mics, cables, and stands. Weight bearing exercise without paying gym membership. I've had nothing but good, reliable, life spans from ThinkPads so that's all I buy. On stage I have two ThinkPads up and running at all times. Both are equipped to display either lyrics or music and play mp3 files at the same time. It's easier using two though. The redundancy is more important. Twice since I went computer in 2002 I've had an on-stage failure (1) a hard drive started making noise. I moved the USB connection to the second computer and ran the rest of the night on one computer. The show must go on, and the client or audience never knew there was a problem. (2) A CMOS battery died and I didn't know I could manually set the clock and keep going so I ran all night on one computer. After the tech replaced the battery (charged me $5 and showed me how to do it) it went back in service. I gig for a living, and do one-nighters, which are notoriously hard on gear. To have the ThinkPads last that long is a testament to their durability. Plus I like the "Eraser Head" pointer much better than the glide strip. It took some getting used to, but I can move the cursor, scroll, and click left and right without ever leaving my fingers from the 'home' position on the keyboard. That saves a lot of time and movement. Plus when standing up and rocking back and forth on stage, the glide strip is much harder to control than the eraser head. ---<related>--- I saw a video tour of the International Space Station. When they got to the computers that regulate all their life support systems, air, water, pressure and what-have-you, they had two redundant ThinkPad computers. Their reliability is legendary. If this thread is still alive or if I can find it when the computer arrives, I'll give a report. It might help another person. Insights and incites by Notes

I've got to try that!

If the tree falls in the forest, it will leaf the canopy c a p n and the other hand l p i g

No no, soccer is something you put on a footie

For me the most reliable way to monetize music is to play cover songs to an appreciative audience. Notes

When you get that old, things are looking down. :(

First born male child is what they told me. And the mark of a true musician is to spell sure as shure instead. I think that's enough to qualify. Notes

Everywhere I go I find myself here. By the time I get there it's here. I don't know how that works. Notes

Thanks. I've been using ThinkPads for decades. I like the smaller footprint of the older models for on-stage better than the new ones, which is why I'm thinking refurbished. I've seen them as low as $100 and up from there. The model I'm retiring is an R30. Notes

You all are fun! Weird sense of humor, inappropriate silliness, immature responses, goofiness, and good companionship. Sounds like a family to me, and I'm glad I joined. Notes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ED!!!

"Eve Of Destruction" - Barry McGuire

From my older sister's era: "Her Royal Magesty" - James Darren

NewEgg.com has refurbished ThinkPad laptops. Has anyone had experience with them? Bob

Unfortunately, Nick Lowe isn't well known in the USA. Quite a few brilliant UK artists get very little exposure here. One I like a lot is Georgie Fame. I think he had one or two releases in the US, but the recordings I've managed to find have all been very good. On with the game. Last entry was from the Rolling Stones, so I give you, "Rocks In My Bed" - Duke Ellington (couldn't get a video to embed)

Every chorus repeats the line "How does it feel" Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan

I guess that house in the south of France will have to wait a while. ? The musicians make the money and the publishers take it. It's the way it has always been. ☹️ In the late 1960s I was in a road rock band. We eventually 'graduated' to being the opening act for the headliners in concert while their songs were in the top 10 on Billboard, The Four Seasons, The Association, and other big acts of the day. Then we moved over to Motown and was the opening act for many of the Motown acts, including a big "Motown Review" show at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Motown chose us to be the first white band to be released on the actual Motown label (not an off-brand label like Tamla or the others). There was nothing racist about that, Bob Seger (who we also opened for) was making hit records and Berry Gordy didn't like another label act hitting the number 1 slot on Detroit radio. Our manager and his lawyers negotiated with Motown. Our team started at 4 cents per record and Motown's final offer was 2 cents per record. Out of our 2 cent royalties Motown would take out inflated recording costs, inflated distribution costs, and inflated promotional costs. Plus Motown wanted all publishing rights and a Motown person who did nothing to be one of the song writers so Motown could collect half of the songwriter royalties. Our management team figured we would have to sell at least 1 million LPs the first time out to break even with Motown. And in the late 1960s / early 1970s that was a lot. So Motown abruptly quit talking to us and quit hiring us. We were called "The Nomads" and their second choice was "The Sunliners". The Sunliners signed (I have no idea of the terms they worked out). They changed their name to "Rare Earth" and Motown took ownership of the name. That way Motown could hire and fire and put 4 bands on the road with the same name. I was just a kid and probably would have signed their first even worse offer. I probably wouldn't have made any money either. I have no regrets, I got to be treated as a peer by the top musicians of the day, made money performing at the concerts, met a lot of pretty girls, and the nice thing about being a "never was" is that now I'm not a "has been" ? Enjoy your royalties. I see nothing has changed in the recording industry except the delivery method. The Suits still keep most of the money. But enjoy the "airplay", your royalties, and the fact that you are entertaining people and your songs will become part of their lives. Notes

Awww, too bad.

Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe Another one-hit-wonder song - although Nick did very well in his home UK.

From the Broadway production "Damn Yankees", originally sung by Gwen Verdon on stage. Perhaps the most famous recording: "Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)" - Sarah Vaughan

Actually "Mellow Yellow" and "Electric Boogie (Electric Slide)" are songs about women's erotic toys. Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison The song that still gets the retirement crowd dancing.

Seriously, I think another bass player played on the later Beatles' recordings. Anything the real Paul has done before or after sounds to me like an entirely different player, in tone, technique and ideas. IMO there is nothing wrong with hiring studio musicians to play your parts, but I'd like to know who it was. On with the game Leather And Lace - Stevie Nicks and Don Henley We learned this one for a wedding many years ago and they are still married. They own a restaurant and still hire us but we don't play the song anymore.

I've got twins. One standard Parker Dragonfly/Maxxfly and another custom made with Duncal P-Rail pickups. The P-Rail axe is my gigging guitar, the other my practice at home guitar

I liked his early stuff better, before he got real famous to the general public, but I'm so very glad he was finally recognized and got the appreciation he deserved. Another of my favorites of roots R&B would be Bobby "Blue" Bland. I prefer the early stuff recorded on the Duke label. Buddy Guy on the other hand seems to be timeless. Blues is one of my 100 favorite kinds of music. ;) Notes

I had a radio station move so close to my home, if the tower fell, it would come close to hitting us. Nothing could keep the signal out of my gear. I called the FCC, and the radio station and the FCC used the same engineer. I ended up moving, but it was only a rental so it was no big deal. ------ As far as sound in concerned, nobody but you and .0001% of the word will hear any difference. As long as the cable is at least mid-priced and the external shield is 100%, I'm OK with it. As I said before, if I can go Balanced, I do. Playing live, 60 Hz hum is the biggest problem. Lights on dimmers, marginal wiring in the venue, ice machine on the same circuit or what have you. I found for me: 1) Plug everything into the same line conditioner 2) Keep cable runs as short as possible 3) Use mid-priced major brand cables As long as it isn't humming, the audience doesn't know the difference. If I were recording, I might have different preferences. Insights and incites by Notes