Something

Sometimes at work while a query is running or I'm waiting on something to download I'll pull up articles from my yahoo page. I have a lot of Science related links to choose from and this one about black holes, wormholes and an implication of a closed universe was an interesting read today.

But ultimately the circular arguments just got me to thinking about why there is something instead of nothing, and I came to the conclusion that nothing makes way more sense than something, but here we are....

And then I had to get back to work - you know - competitive position, quotes, pricing - that sort of thing. But then I'm glad my job isn't to dig around for rare giant worms.

Eyjafjallajokull

Yep. Eyjafjallajokull. Say it with me. Now 5 times fast.

It's the name of the volcano that's erupting in Iceland that's shutting down air traffic all over Europe due to the ash it's spewing up.

Just though it was probably the most fun word I've seen all year.

Eyjafjallajokull

There I said it. I haven't heard newscasters try to say it yet. Here is apparently the correct pronunciation from wikipedia.

Here's the wikipedia link.

Baritone guitar jam

I was checking out what baritone guitars sounded like and came across this cool little jam on you tube.

Thank You - Sly and the Family Stone - guitar tab tablature

All, I was unable to find decent guitar tab anywhere for this song, so here's my contribution to the web base for the tune. It's really not that hard to play, but it's kindof hard to hear exactly what's going on on the recording. I might have some of the voicings wrong, but I think it's in the ballpark for most of it.

Please leave me a comment if you think it needs to be changed (or let me know if you think it's right)

I've put a couple optional ways of playing it, but I just finished tabbing it a few minutes ago and haven't played it enough to know what's the best - although I think the chunky chord part lower on the neck is probably closer to what's being played.

"Thank You" by Sly and the Family Stone
tabbed by Shane Milburn

Intro and early part of main riff in song: 
| -------------------------------3-3-3------------------------3-3-3----- | 
| -------------------------------3-3-3------------------------3-3-3----- | 
| ---------------2---------------1-1-1-2------------2---------1-1-1-2--- | 
| --0--2-----2-2-2-----0-2-------2-2-2----0-2---2-2-2----0-2--2-2-2----- | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | 

Main riff variation:
It adds a little bit extra a little further in to something like
| ------------------------------3-3-3------------------------------3-3-3--- | 
| ------------------------------3-3-3------------------------------3-3-3--- | 
| ----------------2-------------1-1-1-2---------------2------------1-1-1-2- | 
| --0-2-(0-2)-2-2-2---0-2-(0-2)-2-2-2---0-2-(0-2)-2-2-2--0-2-(0-2)-2-2-2--- | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 

Or alternate way to play the riff that makes sense too without using opens

| ----------------------------------------- | 
| --------------------------------8-8-8---- | 
| --------------------------------7-7-7---- | 
| -----------------7--------------6-6-6-7-- | 
| --5-7-(5-7)--7-7-7----5-7-(5-7)-7-7-7---- | 
| ----------------------------------------- | 

The main riffs above make up most of the song with lots of repeats, but there are a couple of noticeable changes where the singing drops out and the guitar changes the riff up slightly in those musical interludes. They're shown below.

Musical break in middle at about 1:12
I think this uses this version of playing up the neck due to the low open E,

 

| -----------------------------3-3-3-------------- | 
| -----------------------------3-3-3-0-h2--------- | 
| -----------------------------1-1-1-0--0--------- | 
| -------5---------5-----------2-2-2-0-h2--------- | 
| -4-5-7-------5-7-5----5-7----------------------- | 
| ---0----------------------7--------------------- | X2

But it might be played like this too 

| ------------------------------------------------ | 
| -----------------------------8-8-8-0-h2--------- | 
| -----------------------------7-7-7-0-00--------- | 
| -------5---------5-----------6-6-6-0-h2--------- | 
| -4-5-7-------5-7-5----5-7----7-7-7-------------- | 
| ---0----------------------7--------------------- |  X2 


Another Musical break at about 2:15
| ------------------------------3-3-3-------------- | 
| --------------------------8---3-3-3-0-h2--------- | 
| -------(9)-------6--------7---1-1-1-0--0--------- | 
| -----------------7--------6---2-2-2-0-h2--------- | 
| ---5-7-------5-7------5-7-7---------------------- | 
| ---0------------------0-------------------------- |  X2 
                            ? 
Tough to tell at the “?” – more of a string rake than notes with tone

Anyhow, that's my take on what's going on for guitar tab of the riffs. I really hope this helps and saves folks time trying to figure out how to play the guitar part for this song.

Study on how the strike zone changes with the count

Here's an interesting article I saw on how the strike zone becomes smaller when the pitcher is ahead in the count and becomes larger when the pitcher is behind in the count. The study is based on data from about 200,000 pitches at various counts, and whether they're being called strikes or balls. Click here for the story.

It's interesting to me that even smack dab in the middle of the strike zone is not 100% strike. I don't watch much baseball anymore, but when I was younger I remember being amazed that some pitches seemingly right down the middle of the plate would be called balls. (The strike zone grids shown don't have probabilities shown, but note that the middle of the plate both vertically and horizontally is not uniformly red - some get called balls.)

Tip to the Marginal Revolution for putting me onto the link.

Some More Marcus Aurelius

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Been spending a lot of time practicing guitar and learning new songs. I was thinking that I hadn't posted any of my favorite Marcus Aurelius quotes in a while, so I figured I'd share a few more.

Here's one I need to keep in mind when I don't want to go to work in the morning (all of these are from his "Meditations")

5.1 At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work – as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for – the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?

and one that I'm particularly fond of

8.57 What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness.


Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emporer from 161-180 A.D. Read more from Wikipedia.