The Blare Blog
Center
of the Bla Bla Galaxy
If you see
anything, say anything
August
2021
By Transcription
-Image from Dreamstime.com
Tuesday August 31, 2021 6:26 OM CDT -- Afghanistan Radio Station Continues operating despite Taliban.
Tuesday August 31, 2021 6:19 PM CDT -- They Could Take the Train --
Tuesday August 31, 2021 1:26 PM CDT -- Slinking Sloven Sloths --
Politicians are rewarded too well. It's made them fat and lazy. Most of them don't even know the job description.
Tuesday August 31, 2021 9:33 AM CDT -- Sorted, Assorted and Sordid Thoughts --
This paragraph posted by Librivox applies outside of the United States:
LibriVox recordings are Public Domain in the USA. If you are not in the
USA,
please verify the copyright status of these works in your own
country before downloading,
otherwise you may be violating copyright
laws.
You
know, thinking further about what we learned the other day, maybe we no
longer need an AM/FM yard radio for listening while doing outdoor work.
Perhaps a Bluetooth portable loudspeaker might make the whole
process simpler. It's something we might try. Would that render our
AM/FM transmissions obsolete? Not with FM, which we use in place of
wires to monitor our station at the control desk. But the AM would
become a frill despite loving our Procaster (transmitter), although
we'd probably keep it going out of emotional instability.
Half-heartedness
is a whole category of human behavior. Being "half-hearted" means being
only slightly interested in something. I'm half-hearted when it comes
to the idea of setting up a financial apparatus for doing business as a
radio hobby. I've already looked and learned that the IRS has no rules
pertaining to hobbies. Under state law not-for-profits are a form of
corporation, but a hobby falls short of requiring incorporation and
need not register with any governing body. That's why I'm curious what
the banker would say about having a financial component so that KDX
could accept payments thereby keeping my own private bank account
separate. Or, they might say that my personal account could include
a fictious signator in the form of the hobby station. Maybe 2022 would
be a good year for action but it's doubtful.
Tuesday August 31, 2021 8:31 AM CDT -- Radio Books --
In
past years many overnight hours on KDX were filled with audiobook
readings from Librivox, a thriving source of books in the public domain
caringly read by volunteers. With hints of cooling temperatures we are
again thinking about returning to the book offering and it's one of the
possibilities for other low power stations on the lookout for available
program material. The available titles are not antiquated or obscure
but in fact bring many books remembered from school or talked about by
people who mention movies based on books, science fiction originated in
books, philosophers whose books continue in print, and even such basics
as 'The Bible'. Another opportunity goes with a visit to Librivox,
always in search of volunteer readers as their collection is ever
growing. In fact we've done some limited reading aloud from public
domain books in our own collection, and backed off because it's not so
easy to accomplish. The experience gave us deeper appreciation for the
dedicated readers who see it through to deliver complete editions.
Monday August 30, 2021 4:20 PM CDT -- Storms Keep Happening --
It
wasn't a storm that kept this website offline all morning. It was
operator error. But shortly after getting set up some thunder started
creeping closer sending us into shutdown for security against lightning
damage. As the storm seemed to subside we re-appeared but the storm has
continued subsiding keeping us ready to dive back to safety mode
because of lingering threat. If we can hear it or see it it's too close.
Monday August 30, 2021 1:23 PM CDT -- Hurricane Ida Pounded New Orleans --
A
jumbo sized electric transmission tower along the Mississippi River
collapsed leaving New Orleans without power. To find detailed stories
about the situation in Louisiana browse their principle newspaper:
Monday August 30, 2021 11:50 AM CDT -- Wireless Mics and Part 15 --
The
preceeding article about new WMAS technology possibly being made
available for unlicensed users (Part 15) does not speak to operators of
Part 15 AM FM transmitters. Such stations are ordinarilly the efforts
of sole individuals intent on sending music to the neighbors but with
zero interest in speaking live by microphone. What I see as the first
rank of possible users of new unlicensed wireless mic technology are
the LPFM stations, many of which venture live sports, live music, and
other local remotes. Stations of higher class categories are more apt
to obtain the licensed forms of WMAS wireless, but it's interesting to
fantasize about the possibilities.
Monday August 30, 2021 11:35 AM CDT -- News of Wireless Mics --
"Though not prompted to do so, the FCC asked whether WMAS should be permitted
under Part 15
for unlicensed wireless operations in the TV bands, 600
MHz guard band or 600 MHz duplex gap.
It asked about the impact of that
on white space devices that share spectrum with unlicensed wireless."
- RadioWorld
Monday August 30, 2021 8:58 AM CDT -- A Whole Other Part 15 World --
While
a dwindling number of oldsters continue their ancient romance
with AM and FM micro-transmitters, the rest of the world has
already migrated to the new wireless frontier of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Here's what happened and what we've learned as a result.
Proud
of my new subscription to Consumer Reports Magazine which helped me
select the right string-trimmer, I offered to research anything a
family member might be shopping for. Turns out he was thinking of a
portable Bluetooth speaker to dock with his phone to better amplify the
audio. We went to work exploring the available Bluetooth speakers and
came to realize that the outdoor models are the new yard radios of the
21st Century anywhere from 100 to 1,000 feet round about the pasture.
No more fussing with cumbersome AM FM antennas or stability challenged
radios.
As a sidenote I wondered whether Consumer Reports had
ratings for AM FM Part 15 Transmitters and the answer is dead end: they
know not. But Bluetooth speakers are plentiful. Thing about it is that
broadcasting in the Bluetooth way reaches only an audience of you. The
neighbors are kept deaf.
Monday August 30, 2021 6:03 AM CDT -- On Being Tuned In --
We
blog on about low power radio stations amounting to little more than
souped up public address systems. In fact, that's all a radio station
is. A public address system consists of a microphone or record player
at one end of a wire and one or more loudspeakers at the other. The
announcer or 'presenter' plays recordings at his end of the operation
and also serves as 'first listener' by having a loudspeaker aimed at
himself, extension wires taking the signal out toward distant listeners
located in proximity to additional loudspeakers. Injecting a radio
transmitter into the mix radiating outward to radio receivers is,
bluntly, a wire bypass and the radios are just loudspeakers with snazzy
antenna pickup circuits. The whole conglomeration is never any more
than a public address system.
The first radio job during the
early years required sitting in a chair facing a wall in a one room FM
station consisting of two RCA 16" transcription turntables, two Ampex
full-track tape descks, a modernistic Western Electric Audio
Board, and a wall-mounted loudspeaker for listening to the output
straight from the board. Against one wall was a GE remote control for
dialing up the transmitter located 8-miles away on top of a bank
building. A large hi-fi loudspeaker was tuned to the station's
frequency giving the choice of hearing things directly from the wall or
coming back from the 16-mile roundtrip over the air at 70,000
Watts. It was always a bigger thrill to monitor the 'air'.
Destiny
brought us to the former future, now the present, where listening
straight from the source or grabbing the station from over the air
continues to be a self-impressing ego trip made possible by
micro-transmitters authorized under FCC Rules and Regulations Part 15.
Streaming on the web makes it global, social, and narcississtic. Women
flock around.
Sunday August 29, 2021 10:55 AM CDT -- Keeping Quiet --
Yesterday
we learned the 10 AM rule for starting noisy lawn equipment, but this
fine Sunday morning we are waiting for a 'first starter' to kick-off
the day's noise but at nearly 11 o'clock it's as silent out there as a
pristine nature sanctuary far from the city. We're all set to do some
more weed-whipping but must wait for the starting gun.
Which
brings us to the Judeo-Christian Ethic. You've heard the phrase,
typically referring to a people with high moral character. But what
about the fact that Jews and Christians are fundamentally
opposed by contratictory belief systems. It was not surprising to
learn that George Orwell coined the phrase while talking about
propaganda. That's exactly what it is. If you don't believe me read
this:
Next
up is the expression "God Fearing People", ascribing to the goofy
notion that people with unshakable faith in God are congregated in
common fear of the God Figure. Say what? But I thought... Is it also
true that Believers TRUST in GOD'S LOVE? Then, too, we ought to fear
Acts of God as defined by the insurance industry, which involve the
worst havoc and catastrophe often with a death toll. Mixing love and fear can result in ED and sleeplessness.
Sunday August 29, 2021 8:27 AM CDT -- We Know Definitely and Don't Know --
Scientists
consistently report that they are unsure of the origins of COVID-19,
while U.S. intelligence agencies say conclusively that COVID-19 is not
a bio-weapon. A large choice of links brought up by a web search assert
that the COVID-19 virus is a bio-weapon while others say that the
vaccine is the real bio-weapon. Reknowned broadcaster 'Cheryl' from her
college station in Connecticut reported for years that 9-11 was an
inside job and began issuing reports that COVID-19 was the new 9-11,
but shortly left the air saying she would be tending to a needful
family member. Another source being followed by KDX has consistently
maintained that COVID-19 is a direct result of 5G microwave
proliferation acting on the biological world by resonant thermal damage
inflicted upon living cells. KDX remains alert to the unfolding COVID
crisis but does not endorse or validate any particular position.
In
the meanwhile we were eager yesterday morning to conduct test 2 of our
new combination string-trimmer/brush-cutter, expecting that 9 AM would
be a safe time to subject the neighborhood to first noise. But the
nine-o'clock hour was unexpectedly tranquil and noise free, the
anticipated chorus of power mowers had not begun. Unwilling to violate
the pastoral stillness we held off until 10 when neighbors came out
their doors and fired up gasoline engines in assault against fields of
grass. We joined the mixture and cordlessly trimmed until satisfied by
the resulting haircut on vines and edgings.
As we catch up
on things we look forward to new AM radio antenna experiments based on
ideas that so far as we can determine are original and previously
untried.
Saturday August 28, 2021 5:24 PM CDT -- Memory Trail --
This afternoon I went back to August 2020, one year back, to see what our Blog had to say.
Saturday August 28, 2021 1:21 PM CDT -- Poke Me Here Poke Me There Polka Everywhere --
I
don't know where that came from. Something to do with the heat again in
the mid 90s (F). Well, and Boomer mentioned Tim's Oompah Hour from over
at part15 dot which I'll link to if you just wait a minute. One of my
regrets is that we can't air the Polka Hour on KDX because of licensing
and I've spent all the money on state-of-the-art cordless lawn
equipment. Polkas are the world's happiest music. Even sentimental
polkas make crying in your beer a fun memorable experience. A line from
a beloved polka goes "In Heaven there is no beer, that's why we're
drinking it here" and to me that's real church music. I'd go
to polka
church. Imagine Polka Mass! Gathered with sacramental beer
decanters we'd sing 'What a friend we have in Jesus - Polka Version'.
Suddenly sausage seems appealing, but
what does that have to do with it?
Saturday August 28, 2021 6:20 AM CDT --
Old "Telefontornet" telephone tower in Stockholm, Sweden, with approximately 5,500 telephone lines c.1890
Steve Gibson's 'Picture of the Week' from TWiT.tv
Friday August 27, 2021 6:41 PM CDT -- A Flicker of Activity On the Groups (Not a Bird) --
Boomer speaking by remote:
Hi caw caw caw Carl -- are you sure you like the sounds of birds at
all times? Song birds can be a pleasant addition to a neighborhood
soundscape, but I've found that certain excessively loud birds can
annoy: a crow close by, or those dark gray birds that stop in trees
a hundred at a time and set up a racket, and even that cat bird
that sang at night last year started to get annoying when my
windows were open for air.
Now the real audio scourge is the fall insects buzzing in the
trees, those are constantly loud and I can't even hear the birds.
When I first got a pocket video camera in 2005, I was filming
scenes on the street. It was late summer like this. Playing it back
the audio track was constant insect speech, which could be heard
even over passing traffic, all the recordings were full of it!
I've noticed the low usage of the Part-15 groups, and thought to
myself one day, "It looks like they're abandoned."
When they close I'm hoping I can still get Tim's Oompah Hour, which
I've started running this year at the urging of a friend. He said,
'You live in PA, you ought to be running polkas on your station'. I
replied, 'There's a polka show that's been going for years on
Part-15 stations', and so I started to get the Oompah mp3 download
every week, and run the latest episode 3 times every sunday. I
really like that Tim does this and cares about the realm of
polkas.
It seems like the P-15 groups have been slowly running down for a
few years now. It could be from transmitter companies closing, like
Ramsey or SSTRAN, low power radio changing its direction in these
virus times, a move of discussion to big social networks that keep
their pages locked and users herded in, lack of landlord or
moderator interest.. Tim even said it himself, we have our stations
running, no more questions to ask, and set himself as an
example.
Even promotion seems to be gone from the groups, where are the bots
and seed posters who would come in and ask vague questions to get
things started and then were gone? I don't know if the roller
coaster analogy holds up, coasters like to run full cars and go
fast, and all I see is sloth on the groups.
I've been playing with SDR lately, and a tip for you, put your
antenna outside! It picks up much better. Forget the whip antenna
those come with and run a coax outside with a loop of wire on
it.
Thanks for the article on lightning from Accuweather. I'd guess
that lightning would hit the TV tower more than a building, because
the tower is pointy.
Keep playing those oldies!
- Boomer
Thursday August 26, 2021 7:52 PM CDT -- Welcoming Guests By Radio --
Word from Bill Baker of Information Station Specialists.
Carl:
Here are a few stories from The Source newsletter that may interest readers of The Blog:
A Bumber Crop of Visitors
The
pandemic has made it clear that conventional radio technology has an
upperhand when it comes to getting instant information to motorists
approaching a big outdoor event venue: detailed directions, severe
weather alerts, parking info, road closures. Next week's Farm Progress
Show in Illinois illustrates how a simple radio signal can save patrons
time, money... and even their lives. Read More
Safety First, Ya Know
Guests
will enjoy a visit more if they are mentally prepared for arrival --
from "are there health requirements?" to "where do I park?" Zion
National Park and Beech Mountain, NC, provide examples of how an
Information Radio Station can make all the difference. Read More
A Rail Good Time?
The
nation's premier historic railway is telling their unique story via
radio while giving inbound motorists the "nuts and bolts" they need
before pulling into the parking lot. Read More
- Bill Baker
- Information Station Specialists
Thursday August 26, 2021 10:37 AM CDT -- Lightning Strikes More Than Twice --
Wednesday August 25, 2021 4:27 PM CDT -- Part 15 dot Ugh --
The
almost defunct radio forum Part15.ugh, after weeks of inactivity, came
briefly to life with an appeal from member Tim of Bovey questioning why
there's been zero participation for weeks going on months. Oddly, the
x-moderator who'd been previously banned from the site for hostile
removal of most of the contributing members, made an appearance to say
that "activity was up and down like a roller coaster". What a deception!
Wednesday August 25, 2021 3:55 PM CDT -- And Another Thing --
We
can instantaneously airlift tens of thousands of Afghani citizens as a
humanitarian gesture, but we look for better ways to push homeless
encampments out of U.S. cities.
Wednesday August 25, 2021 2:28 PM CDT -- Philoso?hy Talk --
San
Francisco, CA — August 24, 2021 — Philosophy
Talk,
as heard on KDX Worldround Radio, the
nationally syndicated radio program hosted by Stanford’s Josh Landy
and Ray Briggs, has been listed as a finalist in the Social
Issues
category of this year’s New
York Festivals radio competition.
With hundreds of entries from over 30 countries, reaching the finals
is quite an achievement for “the program that questions
everything—except your intelligence.”
The
three episodes named in the finals are The
2020 Dionysus Awards,
Philosophy
Talk’s
version of the Oscars, Covid
Conundrums and Moral Dilemmas,
a show that discussed listeners’ real life ethical quandaries
raised by the pandemic, and Time
for Summer Reading,
which marked Philosophy
Talk’s
500th episode and so focused on books about time. All three episodes
are ‘radio magazine’ shows, which is a
slight departure from Philosophy
Talk’s
usual format, taking the best of that style and making it more
sound-rich.
Philosophy
Talk was
founded in 2004 by Stanford philosophers John Perry and Ken Taylor,
who hosted the program together for over a decade. It previously won
the Gold (2013), Silver (2012, 2017), and Bronze (2016), but this is
the first time it entered the competition with Landy and Briggs as
co-hosts. Landy joined the team when Perry retired in 2018, and
Briggs came on board after the tragic and unexpected death of Taylor
at the end of 2019.
“It’s
nice for Philosophy
Talk
to receive this recognition,” says Landy, “since
there are relatively few shows about philosophy on the radio. John
and Ken pulled off quite the feat in creating a show that might
appeal to a broad audience, and achieve such longevity.”
“Philosophy
Talk
faced significant challenges in 2020 and 2021,” Briggs adds. “I
feel good about how we overcame these challenges to produce these
shows, which address philosophical issues raised by the pandemic
(like persevering through adversity, combating disinformation, and
maintaining solidarity in relative isolation). I like to think Ken
would be proud of us.”
The
2021 New York Festivals Radio Award winners will be announced on
October 12 at the annual Storytellers gala taking place in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, all three episodes can be streamed directly from
Philosophy
Talk’s
website.
Wednesday August 25, 2021 11:08 AM CDT -- The Delicacies of Empathy --
In
an ordinary conversation with a co-worker something got said by this
Trumper about his disdain for people seeking refuge at the southern
border, his lack of empathy on auto-pilot, uninformed and
indifferent to the humanitarian aspect, willing repeater of brainless
Republican hate speech. Now we have the Afghan crisis where it's taken
for granted that the U.S. is prepared to airlift thousands of asylum
seekers to refuge in safe countries, including the U.S., the Trumper's
being oblivious to similarities between the two calamities. Meanwhile
the anti-maskers and vaccine deniers take personal umbrage against
those who freely choose vaccine and masks, sometimes lashing out
physically in ways reminiscent of road rage. These are the unhinged who
will kill us and steal our food when disaster reaches high
velocity. Empathy fades during extinction events.
Wednesday August 25, 2021 9:21 AM CDT -- Hot today expected to
reach 97-F. We've already been out tending to campus landscaping and
expect today to receive our cordless brush cutter which will speed
things up and get us closer to installing an outdoor antenna for WRRI
our shortwave station. Also, while enjoying this morning's Blare OnAir
we've come up with a limited time offer. Knowing that there are three
or more anti-intellectual critics who vigorously bad mouth us behind
our back, we announce the "insult me to my face" opportunity for these
sub-literates to come forward and confront me on a candid edition of
Blare OnAir. Contact us in care of this station.
Wednesday August 25, 2021 9:02 AM CDT -- Common Myths --
On
this morning's Blare OnAir program we get into a discussion of well
known myths that almost everyone assumes to be true. One of them is the
idea that "it's heroic to die for your country." The real question here
is what happens when one dies for an abstraction. Imagine dying for
your neighborhood. What would follow? The family would get your bank
accounts, put your radio equipment in a yard sale, but the neighbors as
a group would realize no benefit. Maybe one of us could 'die for
radio'. In a sense part 15 low power radio is a form of near-death,
since no one can actually hear it but even if they could would your
'hits of the 50s' be sorely missed after actual death? Among other
myths is the claim that "God heals all".That'll be the day.
Wednesday August 25, 2021 9:00 AM CDT -- The FCC Podcast --
Tuesday August 24, 2021 2:36 PM CDT -- Maybe Trump's a Dumbass --
Tuesday August 24, 2021 7:17 AM CDT -- Let's Ketchup --
Since
posting our intention to employ dead air in place of musical tidbits
we've expanded slightly to now include a ticking clock and yard sounds
to fill small time-gaps in our radio schedule. We own the clock so
cannot be required to pay copyright royalties, and although 'yard
sounds' often capture neighboring audio activity, we maintain that
once someone's sound crosses our property-lines it belongs to us. We
are prepared to defend the issue in court.
When the service
mechanic told us our tires had 'dry rot' he didn't seem urgent nor were
new tires recommended, so we continued blissfully rolling around, but
got to thinking: if our vehicle was new in 2007 and the year now is
2021, it would take a calculator to figure out how old the original
tires have become. So we consulted the user manual which advised
replacing the tires after 6-years, which would have been 2013. Right
away I blamed it on a management failing, my being the responsible
party. But politically I could boast brilliant foresight in the scale
of efficiency in running tires years beyond their shelf-life without a
single blowout. Arrangements were made, fresh new tires installed, and
I drove around as kind of a one-man success parade rolling on fresh
rubber.
Those who've read some recent blogs this month may have
noticed the daring risk of saying things 'one must not say'. It is
therefore consoling to find that another creative mind is tackling the
matter of politically incorrect speech.
One
last thought (for now): if you're a person who spends time pointing
guns you're either a dangerous culprit subject to police intervention,
or you're a movie star in a typical American action movie.
Monday August 23, 2021 5:37 AM CDT -- New Life for Dead Air --
Internet
talk radio is *mostly* in a different class when it comes to copyright
consideration. The copyright scramble in internet radio is mainly
focused on music uses, large and small. Talk radio tends toward small
music use for opening closing themes and interstitial
music between programs. The 'within' part is controlled by the
program producer but the ultimate responsibility for streaming that
music falls on the shoulders of the station and not the producer.
Knowing this, professional producers often employ in-house musicians to
generate their self-owned music, or utilize 'buy out' music which
includes licensing as part of the purchase. Therefore music within
professionally produced radio programs is usually 'safe' for station
use. But station's often look to music as a convenient means of
plugging up 'time holes' in the day's schedule; extra moments between
programs. Resourceful stations have made the good faith effort to
satisfy this need by stocking up on 'license free' and 'free' music,
and this is a legal way to satisfy copyright responsibility. But real
life isn't so simple. Copyright agents may or may not challenge a
station's innocence by placing a claim upon the small musical fragments
used by that station, forcing the matter into the courtroom where the
station, considered innocent in its own mind, is able to argue the case
before a judge, who will deliberate and, after some length of time,
render a verdict. But getting to this point costs $$ and the defense
fees
far exceed the damage claim falsely made by the copyright authority,
resulting in most cases settled out of court by reluctant
payment bogus claims. Note that it is legal to call these claims
'bogus' and
'false' and they very well may be, but that falls by the wayside if the
court hasn't decided the same, by which time vastly more expense would
have accrued by a radio station whose 'crime' was filling a
minute-and-a-half with second-rate music.
Why do stations try
so persistently to fill time-gaps with little music swatches? Because
of the dread of dead air. Radio programmers are certain that a moment
of silence will drive the listenership away thinking the show's over,
and that's a likelihood, but KDX has decided to embrace that risk as
opposed to that described in the first paragraph. Already we have
captured hours of total silence in pristine high resolution digital and
plan to fill time gaps on KDX with these calm, peaceful perfectly
recorded dead airs.
Sunday August 22, 2021 1:54 PM CDT -- Unsold At Auction --
We've been following FCC
Auction No. 109 which put hundreds of mostly low power FM frequencies
up for bid, but of greater interest to us were four AM channels in the
St. Louis market available for starting bids of $50,000 each. At
auction's close no bids had been placed on these AMs, making it
uncertain what will happen to the now blank frequencies. Two of them in
particular would be worth consideration, in our opinion, those being
1430 kHz with 50 kW day and 5 kW night; and 1190 kHz with 10 kW day and
about 260 Watts night. We thought about it at Worldround Radio, but
this is a time when we're considering purchase of a cordless string
trimmer, budgets being what they are.
Sunday August 22, 2021 1:50 PM CDT -- Tomorrow's Hind Sight --
Whatever we do today, at some time in the future we'll wish we'd done something else.
-From Blare OnAir May 31, 2015 titled "Toidi"
Sunday August 22, 2021 1:45 PM CDT -- Hunter's Lament --
It's no longer any fun to hunt extinct animals
Saturday August 21, 2021 6:13 PM CDT -- Fexible Radio --
There's
always more to learn about radio as evidenced by the YouTube film noir
picture titled "A Strange Adventure" in which two hoodlums from Omaha
brought a shortwave radio with them to a California town so they could listen
to a music broadcast from Omaha.
Saturday August 20, 2021 1:04 PM CDT -- Garage Studios --
Radio
World Magazine for July 21 includes a podcast profile for WTF with Marc
Maron who operates from a studio in his garage which has hosted almost
everybody of name in acting, music and politics but his show wouldn't
work on radio because of untamed words. I'm writing about it because of
the garage. Back before becoming unsuccessful we had a large
garage that would have made a dream studio except that half of it was
rented for classic car storage. That may have been a campy touch...
broadcasting alongside a classic car. Water goes under the bridge and
the bridge washes out. If we hadn't crossed the bridge when we did we'd be stuck on the other side.
Saturday August 20, 2021 11:42 AM CDT -- Carl's New Invention --
While
scrolling through hundreds of cordless lawn mowers I noticed that the
space on top of the mowers serves little purpose, so I thought of a
baby carriage attachment so the baby could be strolled while cutting
the grass. Running the idea by our staff attorney, Stag Pinstripe, he
warns of several possible hazards that could ensue, starting with the
baby rolling out and being mowed, bringing a charge of negligent
homocide, and for getting thrashed into a hundred pieces another charge
of destroying evidence. We have no babies at Worldround Radio, but the general public has a lot of them.
Saturday August 20, 2021 9:50 AM CDT -- Crazy is a Drive Away --
Among
things that drive me crazy is an Irish brogue. I scarcely dare admit
it, because criticism is now lumped with prejudice, and predjudice is
not freely speakable. There's a lot here that needs clarification, even
though my main point is that being 'driven crazy' never seems to reach
its ultimate destination. When, exactly, are we finally crazy? Yet so
many things drive us in that direction.
I had a fine breakfast
then tried NPR where a woman was saying things in a standard
stereotypical brogue. I switched it off because of my dislike for that
particular style of speaking. I am as easily offended sometimes by
Black speech when it runs words together, slurs words, mispronounces
words, and sounds all alike for every person who speaks what
has been called 'Ebonics', but which really is no more than broken
English. Obviously that must be kept to myself or I'd be #hashtagged in
some unpleasant way. No doubt imitating Black speech, or Irish for that
matter, would be counted as hateful against peoples whereas the
dislike, not hate, is merely disapproval not against peoples but
against speech patterns. Politicians from the South sound like hicks
and bumpkins, but in all fairness they are not all hicks and bumpkins.
I don't know why I can't simply practice my free speech without
exceeding what's permissable to say, perhaps the right of free speech
is the same as the right to fly. I'm not talking about airplanes. We
have the right to fly under our own power, but who does it?
To
use 'brogue' in this morning's Blog I needed to look it up for spelling
purposes and happened to notice that the word is specifically in
reference to an Irish dialect, whereas I'd incorrectly believed brogue
to apply equally to any distinct dialect, let's say a German brogue.
But no. 'Brogue' is expressly Irish, making the expression 'Irish
brogue' redundant.
Saturday August 20, 2021 8:56 AM CDT -- Cognitive Fog --
But I thought I did.
How often do I hear myself saying that?
Several times a week.
Take yesterday for example.
I thought I'd correctly switched from the overnight 'Parking Page' that tells visitors the website if offline unil tomorrow,
and switched to the Official KDX Website ready to welcome morning visitors.
But word came that the Website was offline, so I checked, and found that the 'Parking Page' was still turned on.
So, why do I have a memory, now in doubt, that I'd turned it off and the other thing on?
The same thing happened with regard to KDX-OGG the SuperStream Radio Station,
believing that our programming can be heard around the world
only to discover that I only thought I'd opened the stream 'port', but found it was still 'off'.
The
subject is changing now as I talk about my concentrated search for the
right cordless lawn tool to remove low lying vine-brush and restore
lawn areas. I have learned a few things by watching YouTube videos
about lawn equipment. For example I know that what I want is a
combination string trimmer and brush cutter. The string trimmer whips a
string in a circle to trim along grassy edges, and the brush cutter
spins a small circular saw to bring down brushy foliage. I was even
able to pin-point a possible brand for best quality and price, but in
stage two we'll subscribe to 'Consumer Reports Magazine' for a final
recommendation.
It's very quiet today because KDX is totally
silent. I think I'm on strike against the news because no matter how
many newscasts we have broadcast in the past the news continues to
become more and more disturbing. The entire country of Afghanistan has
been thrown into turmoil by U.S. military botchness, insane disorder is
growing regarding COVID-19 with even medical people disagreeing with
each other about what to do, fires are consuming towns, tropical storms
are targeting coastal locations, men are being driven from professions
because women are angry that their attractiveness has lead to
attraction, and Elon Musk thinks we have a chance on Mars.
Friday August 20, 2021 12:23 NOON -- Mysterious Solutions --
There is no such thing as a solved mystery.
If it is solved, it's no longer a mystery.
Friday August 20, 2021 8:56 AM CDT -- Our Place Among the Stars --
There are superstars, perhaps on the playlist. So, what are we?
Well, low power stars, of course.
Friday August 20, 2021 6:15 AM CDT -- Humanitarian War --
We must feed those we don't bomb.
Friday August 20, 2021 6:06 AM CDT -- Lies That Live --
Every trouble in the world can be traced to a religious cause.
Friday August 20, 2021 5:57 AM CDT -- Leftover Stories --
Be nice to grandpa. He thinks he's president.
Oh wait, he is president.
Thursday August 19, 2021 8:44 PM CDT -- Congress with Marjorie --
Thursday August 19, 2021 9:47 AM CDT -- Thinking At the Borderlines of
Meditation --
This
morning's Blare OnAir titled "Time Machine" imagines some of the
situations that would unfold if you knocked on your door and answered
the door, the visitor being you from later tonight when you are
destined to invent a time machine. Maybe I'll link that episode for
future listeners since the first airing is already past.
I had
further thoughts about time travel, picturing what it would be like to
keep a date that I stood up in the late 70s, except that now I'm
decades older while the woman would be the age she was then, so there's
a bugaboo with time travel... it doesn't make the travelor
correspondingly younger.
Not quite finished with ridiculous ideas I thought of using a 3D
printer to print the parts to build a 3D printer.
Is attention the same as consciousness?
Is conscious attention redundant?
Wednesday August 18, 2021 5:29 PM CDT -- How To Gain a Lot of Attention
--
Wednesday August 18, 2021 8:33 AM CDT -- Newsroom News --
Good
morning and welcome to 'News in the Newsroom', the Daily Report of what
we do in this room. As Carl Blare, I'm finding it especially
interesting to hear re-airings of shows I did in past years and have
forgotten about. This morning's Blare OnAir was introduced by Pat
Robertson of the 700 Club and closed with a tuba rendition of the
National Anthem. Nothing said during the intervening hour was familiar
to me and made little sense, and yet it was definitely my voice. You
can hear these Blare OnAir re-airs by tuning KDX-OGG any Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday according to the KDX Schedule. Some of
them get linked here on The Blog. For legal purposes KDX holds that
a radio station cannot be held responsible for things its host doesn't
remember doing.
Tuesday August 17, 2021
8:52 CDT -- Overlapping Coincidences --
At
about the same time as Artisan Radio launched into a detailed look at
copyright complexities in determining the right to broadcast certain
previously recorded audio material, it happens that two related issues
have spontaneously surfaced in airings of Blare OnAir programs from
2015, those being DMCA and DPRA. Contributing to overall chaos is the
fact that Artisan comes from the point of view of a Canadian radio
station while KDX is nominally situated in the former U.S.A., now known
as The Homeland. Learning acronyms is only the first stage of delving
into copyright and performance issues, and ours mean Digital Millennium
Copyright Act and an extension of that act called Digital Performance
in Sound Recordings Act, applicable to The Homeland but not part of
Canadian law. Nobody could withstand both of these Blare programs, so
we'll post only one of them here, the better of the two because we
drifted off topic and started talking silly.
Tuesday August 17, 2021 5:18 AM CDT -- From the Wayside --
The
morning's first inrush of coffee during station startup sets the brain
in many directions. Before the day's programming begins it's quiet in
the office except that minutes ago we were hearing ABC News on a local
talk station until the fat lady started bellowing GOD BLESS AMERICA...
an electric charge that prodded me to turn off that damn noise as soon
as possible while muttering "shut up!". It's my new decency
policy to never say "godammit" or "fuck shit" so I always just say
"shut up!"
The
Artisan Blog is among the first things to check
and right now there are interesting entries about Windows 10 and
copyright. As far as Windows 10 is concerned, a spare backup computer
that we keep on standby has Windows 10 installed, but the computer I'm
typing into right now only has Windows 7, which works reliably for now
and we're not curious about what would go wrong if we attemped to
upgrade to Windows 10. Our original Windows XP tower is getting dusty
since it blinked out but we eventually want to breath new life into it
and will probably be saying "shut up" many times before it ever works
again.
On the copyright front I am somewhat jaded because I
believe that even the most sincere lay person can never be confident or
secure by studying and researching the law in hopes of staying on the
right side of legal obligation. The system is geared toward baffling
the user of copyrighted material and, here's where my jadedness really
kicks in, lawyers will take your business and set up a very
professional billing scheme to cost you high recurring amounts but
behind their suits and conference tables even they can't bring
copyrightness into absolute focus. It's a huge "shut up."
I
have
to go now. The "shut up" clock says it's time to start RT News so we
can hear about Afghanistan, the Pandemic, tropical storms,
earthquakes... in other words news from yesterday that's still
happening.
Monday August 16, 2021 4:46 PM CDT -- Deluxe Canadian Railroad Route
Comes to the Western U.S. --
Monday August 16, 2021 8:42 AM CDT -- Fresh Water Re-Invented --
Monday August 16, 2021 7:22 AM CDT -- A Movie of Great Importance --
We
haven't said much about the films we watch because the main focus of
this blog is radio, and much commentary would have been very negative
because we find most movies to be mass-processed junk based around
explosions, car chases, reckless use of guns, brutal fights, and boring
sex scenes which are none of the viewers business. But I watch them in
a determined search for 'something better', usually hitting the stop
button within 10-minutes and never seeing an entire film. At the moment
when I lose interest in a movie I say in my head, "I don't care how
this story turns out".
So imagine my joy that after years of
trudging through inferior pictures we finally come upon a perfect
movie! It is so good that it will never again be necessary to view any
other picture because watching this incredibly excellent movie will be
good again and again probably from now on.
At present it's
available FREE on PopcornFlix, and although it's categorized as
'comedy', it could easily be considered 'thriller', 'drama', or even
'horror'. I might even give up radio and watch this movie from now on.
Its title is
Sunday August 15, 2021 7:47 AM CDT -- From Toast to Comeback --
We
lose count of all the professional icons who've abruptly become toast
because of some complaint against them. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo may be
the latest and we recall CBS Anchorman Dan Rather who was demoted into
oblivion as one of the first big name exiles in modern memory. But
Rather never let go of journalism and today runs his own shop.
Sunday August 15, 2021 6:52 AM CDT -- The Irony of Life --
A good radio manager always knows that what's needed is better
management.
The Telephone
Company Began in a Tent On the Side of the Road
Steve Gibson Picture of
the Week by TomGerold - TWiT.tv
Saturday August 13, 2021 4:59 PM CDT -- Outside Circles --
It doesn't matter much when YouTube and the social sites block content
we agree is misinformative and false,
But it's just as likely they'll block material we would benefit from
knowing and we won't realize it's happening.
Saturday August 13, 2021 11:59 AM CDT --
All
roads lead to where they go
No matter how far you take them.
-- Carl Blare, 'Journey Journal'
Saturday August 13, 2021 11:41 AM CDT -- The Other Way Around --
- Written by Carl Blare Jan. 23, 2017
I
know god isn't true
The stories which attempt to support the notion are too ludicrous.
But human animals told lies since childhood
are captivated by stories
and attach to mythos.
The underside of the lie might be the truth
The underside is evil
and true author of creation.
Creation is bleak, alien, cold, toxic
and devoid of life.
But evolution from evil
insistently sprouts and flowers
however briefly
as wonderment keeps trying to arrive.
I don't see a god;
only a persistent attempt at one.
Saturday August 13, 2021 9:29 AM CDT -- Circadian and Other Rhythms --
A
personal radio station is brought into being not simply by various
mechanical processes that follow a real-time clock but, especially in
the case of KDX, by the biological clock of its human operator. The
mission of KDX is providing hand-selected radio programming for its
primary listener, myself. The mission is fulfilled, therefore, while
the sole listener is tuned in and hearing the programs. Mechanically,
KDX is capable of functioning 24-hours a day without sleep, but the
listener is dictated by his Circadian Rhythm, the body's internal clock
which can also be viewed as a day's cycle of moods, which sustains the
listening temperament for about 10-hours starting pre-dawn, but shifts
eventually into indifferent malaise usually marked by signing the
station off the air and turning toward other pursuits, maybe viewing
free movies or reading books.
Therefore operation of a 24-hour
radio station would require imposition of a less personal and more
altruistic point of view, such as believing that spread of good
programming potentially benefits the general population. To maintain
such an enterprise would be philanthropic and such a higher state of
mind would require adherrence to the cause over and above the impulse
to break camp and fold tent. As evidenced by this essay it is
seen
that we give the matter a moment's thought, especially in cooler
weather. Now for lunch.
Saturday August 13, 2021 7:58 AM CDT -- Up Periscope --
Let's
take a look around and see what's going on. Since before 5 this morning
we've been deeply occupied digging through the internet
finding
more and more progressive radio programs to consider for the KDX
schedule. Now we take a break and notice that Artisan Radio is back
online following about 2-days of too much heat, and finally the
temperature there in Vancouver is a pleasant 68-degrees F. It's about
the same here in the center of the U.S. at 73-F. And we've stocked the
playlist with today's programs and will be on automatic pilot for the
rest of the day, streaming from KDX-OGG and groping for radios in the
local area with AM & FM radiations. Besides any number of
snacks
and meal breaks, we'll be out in the campus chopping the overgrowth and
tending our fat mulch pile. Some of us are still alive in this
Coronavirus Pandemic, and the living are expected to maintain
gentrified appearances.
Friday August 13, 2021 10:01 PM CDT -- FCC Found Slacking by DC Court
in Regard to 5G RF Emission Standards --
Friday August 13, 2021 11:35 AM CDT -- Free Women --
The
pro-life attitude is a sin because it deprives women of their God given
free will.
-
Carl Blare, citing religion's own contorted reasoning
Friday August 13, 2021 7:59 AM CDT -- Radio Resources
Newsletter --
Friday August 12, 2012 6:38 AM CDT -- Off and On --
Again
last evening our website, blog, and radio stream were abruptly taken
offline for refuge against a violent thunderstorm at the peak
of heat
for the day at 98 F. At the same time we were aware that companion
service Artisan Radio had ceased operation according to plan under
extreme heat conditions with dangerously bad air from multiple
wildfires rated as 'out of control'. While heat conditions moderate for
us in the Mid Mississippi Valley of the U.S., deadly heat will persist
for Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. All this while the COVID
Pandemic rages everywhere with populations urged to become vaccinated
so that should they become sick they won't be 'as sick' as the
unvaccinated. Degrees of sickness.
At those opportunities to
resume routine operation as a global low power radio station our newly
launched morning schedule of programs is proving satisfactory to our
critical listener, talking about myself. In other words it can be said
that 'I like it'.
The computer closed due to storm gave us the
opportunity to page around in Frederick Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good and
Evil' looking for quotations suitable for sharing as long as they don't
put us too far out of context:
Insanity
in individuals is something rare -- but in groups, parties, nations,
and epochs it is the rule.
- F. Nietzsche, Apophthegms and
Interludes
Thursday August 12, 2021 10:07 AM CDT -- At the Top --
As
a radio talker the uphill career track reached its summit with this
edition of Blare OnAir from February 17, 2015 and has remained at the
top ever since, if I say so myself.
Thursday August 12, 2021 5:20 AM CDT -- Morning startup --
The
Blog was left online overnight because the operator fell asleep and
didn't take it offline. As usual, no disiplinary action will be taken
against myself.
The morning e-mail brings this quotation:
Speech
is a very important aspect of being human. A whisper doesn't cut it.
Said by James Earl Jones, actor
The
possible exception to today's quote is this:
When a woman whispers in a man's ear it can start
a whole branch of the family
Said by Carl Blare upon hearing Mr. Jone's quote
Speaking
of speech, as I often do when complaining about poor radio
speakers, we recall the hands-on approach taken by a very successful
radio boss not so many years ago, who distributed an inter-office
Pronunciation Guide that mapped out official station pronunciations of
hundreds of names and words. One example I recall was the prefered way
to say "Associated Press", the station's news provider: 'A-so-SEE-ated'
was policy, whereas 'A-so-SHE-ated' would get you fired.
For us
here in the midwaste, today will be the last day of a prolonged heat
spell, at least for awhile. According to reports, TUC Radio, a KDX
program provider located in Northern California, has been fighting
small fire outbreaks in the forestland surrounding their facility while
Siberia, normally the coldest place on earth, continues to experience
wildfires. We can't help but wonder whether planet earth might be
turning into a sun. Forget that I said that, I don't want to start a
panic.
Wednesday August 11, 2021 1:49 PM CDT -- Nationwide Emergency Alert
Test --
FEMA
in conjunction with the FCC is conducting a Test of the EAS (U.S.
only). The Emergency Alert System reaches out through radio, TV, cell
phones and the internet, but does not engage the Part 15 low power
stations.
Wednesday August 11, 2021 10:50 AM CDT -- Right Wing Radio Hosts Dying
for their Cause --
An
astounding number of right wing talk radio hosts are dying to "prove"
that vaccines don't work. Many of their listeners are dying because
they are "convinced".
Tuesday August 10, 2021 5:35 PM CST -- Advertisements In Space --
Not already involved in enough pace setting projects, Elon Musk has a
plan to put advertisments in space.
Tuesday August 10, 2021 5:12 PM CDT -- Low Power at 13.560 MHz --
Radio Guy connects us to some useful antenna information for
experimentors broadcasting on a favored shortwave frequency.
And another generous tip from Low Power Radio Blogspot...
Tuesday August 10, 2021 2:34 PM CDT -- The Come Back Trail --
We
had a rumbler with heavy rain which has moved southeast leaving us in
afternoon cloudy darkness. During the voluntary outage our own KDX
radio being unavailable we listened to local radio which is
almost
never a pleasant
experience. We landed on a commercial talk station where two guys were
talking about their rationalization for prisoners killing each other
over disapproval of the other guys crime. Two women who talked like
very loud cats joined the show when one of the men said that when he
pees he always spits into the urinal. This lead to a 20-minute
on topic conversation. I tried public radio but they were in a
loop naming
underwriters, giving their own personal names, and promoting how great
noncommercial public radio is. There didn't seem to be an actual
program anytime soon.
Tuesday August 10, 2021 1:10 PM CDT -- Fixed Up and Ready to Go --
Wait
a minute. I hear thunder approaching. I need to go disconnect the AM
ground radial system so lightning has no pathway into the transmitter
room.
There. I also peeked out the door and notice it's getting
darker and we may need to shut down if things turn wild. Maybe there's
time to mention what we've done about our morning schedule. As already
mentioned, we canceled the 6 to 9 AM program (Fault Lines from Radio
Sputnik) and have quickly sketched in a batch of excellent replacement
programs which can be viewed on the
KDX Schedule Page.
Tuesday August 10, 2021 7:21 AM CDT -- Taking the Horns by the Bull --
Alright, that's it! Time to change!
Yep,
this morning I had all I could take of the jumbly chittery chattery
indistinct
sloppy speech habit of one of the morning hosts on a program heard on
KDX daily from 6 AM to 9 AM. I've mentioned it before. People on the
radio need to be qualified to reach a certain standard otherwise
listeners will tune away as I am doing.
I'm not going to contact
programs to provide free unsolicited consultancy. KDX accepts
programs as they are, and some of them are going to have imperfections
that get them rejected.
Not long ago we dropped an otherwise
enjoyable program because the host peppered everything with the 'fuck'
word. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. I finally decided to let fear of the
FCC guide my actions and I scratched the program.
And before that was the live nightly call-in show that spent too much
of it's time as a veritable infomercial for Bit Coin.
Wow. With this morning's cancelation I have saddled myself with 15 air
hours in need of something new.
Tuesday August 10, 2021 6:38 AM CDT -- Too Hot to Trot --
Heat
forecasts for the KDX operational area have ramped up as August wears
on. Night time temperatures around 80 (F) and Wednesday, tomorrow,
reaching a daytime peak for the week of 98o.
There's a
chance of electrical storms in the mix, and by the weekend conditions
will be moderating. That's for the mid-Mississippi River Valley.
Meanwhile
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, partner station Artisan Radio
anticipates even higher temperatures and likely will suspend operation
during the height of the heat.
Vancouver.
Can you pick out the Artisan Tower Building? Clue: Look for an antenna.
By David G. Gordon - Own
work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Monday August 9, 2021 10:49 AM CDT -- Talking
About Talk Radio --
This week Ralph Nader talks with Michael
Harrison, publisher and editor of "Talkers" magazine. This is a highly
informative
in depth conversation about why radio today is the way it is.
The
voice of Michael Harrison closely matches that of 'Flash Frizbone', for
a very good reason. During an earlier career in radio Mr. Harrison
produced the satirical series, as heard on Carl Blare's 'Low Power
Hour'.
The other way around...
Monday August 9, 202110:35 AM CDT -- Harvard Study Finds That Men
Should Toss 21 Times a Month --
I've
done some math for months with 31 days... August, for example, has 5
Sundays and 4 Saturdays, that adds up to 9; take Mondays off, then go
at it during all the Tuesday through Fridays... I think there'll be an
extra day when you can maybe take a bonus (perhaps a pun(?))... that
gives the 19 days needed to reach the recommended number of 21.
The next thing to look for is some kind of
comparable benefit to women for pursuing a similar regimen.
Monday August 9, 2021 8:14 AM CDT -- Unexpected FM Range Discovery --
Within
the past few days we submitted a response to an Artisan Radio blog
about the range of his Decade FM Transmitter. In my case our main
program feed is sent by a C.Crane FM2 Transmitter and I described our
typical range, but a day later while backing out the driveway (named
'Wireless Way') I noticed that the range at that moment was
significantly less than previously experienced. At first I was baffled
but now I realize why the difference. You see, our FM transmitter is
located together with the Procaster AM Transmitter and shares audio and
power connections, except that the AM transmitter has a clip-lead
connecting to a ground radial system that extends under the flooring
out into the campus which is disconnected during storms to avoid
bringing a lightning strike into the building. We now know that
connecting the AM ground radial system significantly improves our FM
outreach!
Monday August 9, 2021 7:08 AM CST -- Blueprint for the Overthrow of Top
Level Executive Leadership --
In
writing this we have no particular president, governor nor media star
in mind, but within the #METOO bring down of highly ranked men without
legal due process, we see the opportunity for a horror movie screenplay
tentatively titled: 'ATTACK OF THE SNITCH WOMEN'.
Monday August 9, 2021 6:47 AM CDT -- A Part 15 Dream --
Marking
perhaps a first, a 4 AM dream centered around my personal low power
radio station operating under FCC authority based on Part 15 of the
rules, and within the dream it was also the middle of the night when I
unexpectedly found a total stranger doing an air shift in the basement
studio. Before I could learn who it was and how he gained access, I
began discovering that every glass electron tube in the station had
been smashed like eggs and another mysterious volunteer arrived for the
next shift, so I gave him a tour of all the broken glass while I was
trying to figure out how so many people were getting into the building.
Outside on the street there was hard crusty snow and a black woman came
up to me pressing her nose against mine while thanking me for giving
her a chance at radio experience, upon which she and her children went
inside and climbed the stairs up into my private residence as I called
after them to come back down but I was ignored. Before I could
gain control over the situation a crack of thunder woke me up and there
was no one else in the building and the radio station was closed
because of the storms.
Monday August 9, 2021 6:39 AM CDT -- The Storms --
Late
Sunday afternoon this website closed in the wake of a violent
electrical storm that showered our operational area with a massive
number of lightning bolts. Also forecast was the possibility of hail
and high winds but to our fortune these did not materialize. During the
overnight hours two more storms passed by with nearby lightning strikes
and heavy rain and this morning as we resume operation the potential
exists for more storm activity. Looking ahead, late morning is flagged
as the start of a several day high heat alert during which we expect to
remain online with website, streaming radio, and blog
services.
Monday August 9. 2021 6:37 AM CDT --
The
past is a place where everything ends up.
- C. Blare, 'Advanced Thoughts', self-published
Sunday August 8, 2021 2:02 PM CDT -- The Academic Years --
Artisan
Radio posted a well earned review of tall claims made by a webmaster at
one of the less attended part 15 forums, the character enlarging his
expertise by reference to 'time spent in academia'. Artisan sets things
straight by defining 'academia', which perhaps the webmaster doesn't
realize. The whole thing reminds me of my days in academia, back when I
used the pathways on the campus of a major university as a shortcut and
took girl friends for walks at a very stately seminary with its stone
buildings. I once drank from the water fountain inside a prominent
women's college. I don't mean to brag.
Sunday August 8, 2021 11:56 AM CDT -- Seriously Pirate Radio --
The Verge (news-site) provides a serious look at the matter of Pirate
Radio.
Sunday August 8, 2013 11:03 AM CDT -- So We're Idiots. Now How Do We
Achieve Savantness? --
The
part 15 low power radio hobbyists generally tend to qualify as idiots.
But does having great radio skills qualify them (us) as fully-fledged
idiot
savants?
This is Carl Blare with the Educational Portion of The Blare Blog, in
which we come oh so close to learning a thing or two.
Perhaps the main point I can make is that the term 'idiot savant' is
out of mode and the new expression is 'Savant Syndrome'.
Sunday August 8, 2021 8:15 AM CDT -- Unembarrassed Riches --
We
completely blew past the 8 AM sign on for KDX because we were so
ensconced in other back office activities. Usually Sunday starts at 8
with Glenn Hauser's 'World of Radio' but when I checked the time it was
8:15 and there's no way, not even with good software, of rewinding
time. So then you ask, what was so captivating, Carl Blare?
At
5 AM while it was still dark we began watching cordless lawn mower
review videos on YouTube as the time has come to upgrade from the
wonderful Brill German made manual razor cut mower in use for many
years. Cordless battery technology has reached a maturity where
rechargables are ready to take on a lot of workload. Also this morning
we checked the email and found a reply from our computer consultant
regarding comments we'd sent about the brain-dead silly slogan 'defund
the police', which never should have gained popularity. Our
ongoing conversation on that and the topic of space exploration is so
well expressed that perhaps later today we'll edit it for sharing
here on The Blog.
The
'make good' broadcast of Glenn Hauser will occur this
afternoon at
1 PM CDT following Reverend Billy's 'Church of StopShopping'.
Server
Room
Steve Gibson's 'Picture of the Week' - TWiT.tv
Saturday August 7, 2021 7:17 AM CDT -- WEBSITE AND BLOG NEWS REPORT
KDXradio.com
and The Blare Blog has been available only on weekends for the
past several weeks in part as a response to excessively hot weather.
During the interim, Artisan Radio has been online around the clock
providing website and blog services. Effective today several changes
are planned.
KDXradio.com and The Blare Blog returns to daily online service as of
today.
Meanwhile,
Artisan Radio will be offline effective Wednesday August 11 as a major
heatwave returns to the Vancouver, British Columbia, region of Canada.
Artisan Radio operates from an upper floor of the Artisan Tower
Building.
Between now and Wednesday Artisan may be offline
briefly during routine maintenance.
Artisan
Radio and KDXradio.com are the Websites of Record for low
power
radio station operators of the north american continent.
Saturday August 7, 2021 7:00 AM CDT -- A Lot of So Called Classical
Music
The
classical music purists who worship the genre don't want to hear me,
Carl Blare, say that a lot of such music is pointless and plain boring.
Professional musicians probably agree with me but can't come out and
say so because they need the work. But the less interesting stuff
deserves at least one hearing or we'd never know how dull it is. And
just once in awhile there's a fabulous new discovery to be found in the
plethora of continuously enlarging number of composed works so we'll
never be rid of the duds and music librarians enjoy full careers
because of the glut.
Sunday August 1, 2021 1:43 PM CDT -- The Third Web --
The
original web was the province of spiders just like Throckmorton, the
resident bathroom spider here at KDX who left his post July 4th and
hasn't been back. We'll count the world wide web as the 2nd web given
its ubiquity and familiarity in everyone's life. Less known to the
general person are various kinds of spider web and cobweb antennas
unique to amateur radio HAMs, in varieties large and small. Along with
everything else we've been talking about, I, Carl Blare, have been
binging on YouTube loop-antenna videos concentrating especially on
Spider-Web Antennas, with particular enjoyment from the series by Roger
Liefert from his Kainka Labs. The next stage in our inquiry will
involve building working models of certain designs. Keep watching.
Sunday August 1, 2021 1:05 PM CDT -- Stop Listening to My Production
Channel --
There
are disgruntled feelings among users of Part 15 (FCC low power radio
rules)
regarding the paltry nanowatt allowance for FM transmission.
The gripe is based
in a general wish to reach outlying listeners which the present rules
surely prevent. We here at KDX have no complaint because we only use FM
within very limited confines inside our building to monitor our
streaming webcast and audition productions in progress during recording
sessions, with some time spent hearing soundtracks of streamed movies.
It makes no difference whether nearby residences detect our radio
station schedule which is also available on AM radios and the internet,
but we'd like to privatize the audition channel because of the personal
nature of recording sessions and movie dialogue. So we'd like to move
that activity somewhere out of the way.
We're looking at FCC
Rule 15.235 which allows 10,000 microvolts per meter @ 3-meters in the
band 49.82 to 49.90 MHz putting a much stronger signal than we have on
the FM band; hidden in a space where no radio tunes. That would be the
problem. I mean, we have a diagram for building the transmitter, but
it's not known what could be used to receive it at the other end.
At
KDX we develop ideas as fully as possible until we get stumped by an
unanticipated obstacle and document these incomplete projects
in file
folders collected in a cardboard box.
Sunday August 1, 2021 6:25 AM CDT -- The Trouble Is --
CARL:
To kick off a new month here on The Blare Blog I would like
to
present a guest lecturer with positive advice for everyday life. We are
lucky to have psychotherapist Dr. Sigmund Sickie of Sickie Psychy
Services. Good Morning Doctor Sickie.
DR. SICKIE: Tank you
Cawl. I vould like speak you on too active da brain. It stawts innocen
enuff. You ton on computa, deys lots a messages. You stawt
tinkin bout dat, but deys lots updates to da soffwah.
Meanwhile,
you hopin spend quiet time learnin how do handyjob on da
YooToob,
fix da fawcet, but you awready had lotsa coffee and you begin scroll da
news and tinkin about da vaxeen which ya been poseponin. Too much ta
tink abow. Now waddaya do. Bess ting is valk avay and breeth
goot.
CARL: It sounds like you're describing my morning Doctor!
Thanks so much for being here.
DR. SICKIE: I vasn't finish!
CARL: We'll be having you back.
Sunday August 1, 2021 5:31 AM CDT -- Side Thoughts --
Sunday
is the day of rest
Because it's the day when we do the rest of the
work.
- C. Blare, one Sunday
