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alloy-digest        Thursday, September 6 2001        Volume 06 : Number 235



                               Today's Subjects:
                               -----------------
  Alloy: Re: Alloy..  a new find                             [CJMark@aol.com]
  Alloy: It's just a Stick thang           [Robb & Tara <bfhm@earthlink.net>]
  Alloy: Thomas in the news      ["Robin Thurlow" <rfhthurlow@earthlink.net>]
  Re: Alloy: Re: Alloy..  a new find  ["Robin Thurlow" <rfhthurlow@earthlink]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 02:18:02 EDT
From: CJMark@aol.com
Subject: Alloy: Re: Alloy..  a new find

Hello all..

So.. I'm killing a half hour before a meeting today.. and I find myself next 
door to a Goodwill store.  (For those of you outside our shores.. Goodwill is 
a store the hires handicapped people to help resell second hand donated 
items)  Being the junk appreciator that I am.. I had to wander in.  Browsing 
around.. I found nothing too desirable.. then I came to the old vinyl 
section.  Now.. I very, very rarely look through old record racks..  it just 
seems so improbable that I would find that Beatles Yesterday and Today album 
that has the butcher cover hidden underneath ever again.  But I start looking 
through anyhow.. since I can't go to the meeting for another 15 minutes..  

Nothing..  unless I decide to start my collection of Julie Andrews and Herb 
Alpert and My Fair Lady soundtracks.   I decide not to start that 
collection.. and keep paging throught albums.  Many of them are falling 
apart.. and I realize how sad it is that albums are no longer cared for as 
they used to be.   

All the shelves have now been gone through.. and no gems.  Then I glance down 
on the floor.. there's a cardboard box full of records.  Hmm... why are they 
here?  I bend down and start to look.  Thompson Twins..  Boy George..  Human 
League!!  Wow. .someone had some 80s tastes and just dumped what looks like 
their entire collection here .. still in the original cardboard box!  Let's 
see..  Simple Minds..  A Flock of Seagulls!!  Amazing..  and then..  what's 
this??  Lene Lovich..  a 12" single of New Toy backed by Cat's Away..  hmm.. 
Now I know that someone on the Alloy list would love to have this.. I don't 
know who.. but it would be a shame to leave it.  So I set it aside..  and 
keep delving deeper into this interesting box of gems.  

Nearly to the end..  three albums to go.. out of probably 50 or so.  I pull 
it toward me and reveal the second to last.  And .. hey..  I've seen 
something like this photo before.  It's a guy.. white shirt.. beige pants.. 
and what??  White rubber boots??  And what's that strange looking machine 
standing out in a sparsly wooded area?  Oh.. duh.. it's just Thomas Dolby.. 
"Blinded By Science"  Mini LP with 5 songs.  WOW!  I actually found something 
of value in the Goodwill Store!  

I swiftly grab it up.. for fear someone else is going to lean in and snatch 
it from the box before I can.  Uh oh.. no price!  That could mean trouble..  
sometimes Goodwill won't sell something without a price.  So.. I take the 
chance.. and bring Lene with me too.. and head to the counter.  Now I'm late 
for my meeting..  but at that point.. my day was already a success!  So.. I 
plead my case to the cashier..  "Well.. I know there's no price but there 
were some other albums in the same box marked $1.92..!!"   She looks them 
over..  without much concern.. and says..  "Nope...  99 cents each"  
Fortunately.. the counter broke my falling jaw.. and I quickly reached for my 
wallet before some red light started flashing somewhere and the Collector 
Album Police would come flying in from the back room and confiscate my newly 
found treasure.  

Alas.. I walked out proudly.. knowing that soon I'd be the focus of a certain 
group of people.. who would gather around with somewhat skeptical faces..  
but then would relax into smiles upon inspection and confirmation of 
validity.   And then.. as I drove away.. I was thinking..  who needs this 
album more than I?  After all.. I don't even have a turntable any more.. and 
do I really need to start a TMDR collection?  Well.. no.  There must be 
someone.. out there.. in the land of Alloy.. that is waiting to add  this 
piece to their museum puzzle..  the last item to fill the gap.   

So.. with all that..  I would like to offer this Mini LP to some deserving 
Alloy person.  (And the Lene Lovitch Single to.. for a Lene lover out there!) 
 Robin.. I'll need your help in determining who is most deserving or needful. 
 Or is there some new contest that needs a small prize?  I would enjoy 
contributing for something like that..  

This album will never make it to E-bay..  my friends..  it's staying within 
the confines of Alloy..  as it should.   Robin.. since you are more or less 
our communal focus point.. can you please organize a proper home for this 
item..  with your knowledge of who's who and what's what and let me know 
where I should send it?

Thanks for your patience .. and now..  I'm outa here!

Ciao for now..

Mark

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 21:54:43 -0400
From: Robb & Tara <bfhm@earthlink.net>
Subject: Alloy: It's just a Stick thang

Oh, yeah, one more thing on the stick...

> > I dont recall any women ever playing the stick bass but maybe there were?
>

The running joke amongst stick players... and it's true... if you're a guy, you can't really play it sitting down.
Girls have no problem playing sitting down, though. (I got this tip directly from Tony Levin via email when I just got my
Stick!). Why, you ask?

It's held on by two support systems at once: a strap that attaches to the head of the instrument goes over your head and
the opposite arm (resting under your armpit). The other part is like a plastic pointy clip thing that goes either in your
pants in the front (right at the snap/zipper), or belt, if you move the buckle to your hip. That way both of your hands
are free to play the ten strings. Both your thumbs rest on the 'neck', and you play hand over hand, with your fingertips.

So it's a good thing that I don't get *too* excited when I play...

Ahem. Cough.

~robb

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 22:36:23 -0400
From: "Robin Thurlow" <rfhthurlow@earthlink.net>
Subject: Alloy: Thomas in the news

Best of luck Thomas!!  article follows...

xxx

Robin T



Beatnik's Thomas Dolby Robertson Demos Compelling Audio Applications For
Mobile Wireless Devices



DEMOMOBILE, LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Beatnik, a leading
provider of structured audio software solutions for mobile devices, today
announced that Thomas Dolby Robertson, Chief Beatnik, will be closing the show
with powerful demonstrations of Beatnik's core technology for mobile wireless
devices onstage Friday, September 7, 2001 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Don't
miss these demonstrations targeted at the driving force in marketing audio
wireless applications -- teenagers.  Mr. Dolby will be showing several
innovative audio applications for mobile wireless devices using Beatnik's core
technology -- the Beatnik Audio Engine (BAE).  Beatnik licenses its wireless
audio software technology to device manufacturers and creative professionals
to enable a rich, personalized, immersive audio experience in every mobile
device.


The BAE enables users to experience CD-quality audio and music through a
variety of mobile devices including mobile phones, PDAs and set-top boxes
using extremely small file sizes.  It does not require special hardware and
provides a low bandwidth audio solution for digital devices.  The BAE can play
back popular formats such as MP3, WAV, AIFF and enhances MIDI by adding custom
samples to recreate the original sound of the music.  This expanded capacity
gives composers an unprecedented variety of sounds to use in their creative
productions.


The BAE's true strength is its ability to play Rich Music Format (RMF(R))
files.  RMF files are very compact and play back instantly when started.  This
technology makes it possible to create truly interactive audio environments in
games and wireless digital devices.  RMF files are typically in the range of
10k to 400K while the equivalent MP3 file would be 1MB to 4MB.

About Beatnik
Beatnik licenses scalable structured audio software solutions for mobile
devices that enable rich multimedia content delivery and an enhanced user
experience for games and device interaction.  Beatnik markets its core
software technology and audio content development tools to mobile device
manufacturers and a community of creative professionals.  Incorporated in
1996, Beatnik was founded by musician and composer Thomas Dolby Robertson.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 01:11:24 -0400
From: "Robin Thurlow" <rfhthurlow@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Alloy: Re: Alloy..  a new find

Mark writes:
> So.. with all that..  I would like to offer this Mini
> LP to some deserving
> Alloy person.  (And the Lene Lovitch Single to..
> for a Lene lover out there!)
>  Robin.. I'll need your help in determining who
> is most deserving or needful.
>  Or is there some new contest that needs a
> small prize?  I would enjoy
> contributing for something like that..

Mark, you are much too generous!  It's sweet of you to have your fellow
Alloids in mind for this.  I don't know of any contests coming up.. but if
anyone can think of anything..?  There's the Limerick contest that Tim
introduced a few weeks ago...??

> This album will never make it to E-bay..  my
> friends..  it's staying within
> the confines of Alloy..  as it should.   Robin..
> since you are more or less
> our communal focus point.. can you please
> organize a proper home for this
> item..  with your knowledge of who's who and
> what's what and let me know
> where I should send it?

I'll do my very best, though I think you're a very brave man to put any kind
of faith in me right now (I realize, among other things, that I just got the
Talking Heads' lyrics completely wrong the other day, in my Alloy post!  and
of course I couldn't remember the name of the song, even though I'd just
seen it on TV)

But perhaps it would be best if people were to write to you directly if
they're interested in the record.  Maybe you can have a small contest there
for those who write in.

I love your story of how you came across the records.  I *love* finding
treasures in unexpected places!!  At a local music store I found an issue of
Musician magazine with Thomas on the cover, in a pile of other magazines,
going for a dollar an issue... when on eBay it was being sold at $10+ !  It
was a lovely day.

xxxxx
Robin T

------------------------------

End of alloy-digest V6 #235
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