One From The Road

Sorry for the ugly appearance, guys. OFTR got hacked, so I’m in the midst of upgrading the WordPress software running the site, which meant tossing the template it uses, and sorting through lots of mucked up old entries. Boo.

Back looking pretty soon…
Update: So, the WordPress upgrade seems to have managed to change something that is adding a slash before every apostrophe and quote on the site, which means that posts look strange, and, worse, links and images aren’t working right. I’m working on fixing it, but it may be a day or so.

Hey gang, if you’re in/near NYC, do everything you can to get in for one of the two days of Sound411 that Stage Research is hosting. Should be a cool chance to learn some stuff, see some new toys, and network. And, in addition to the new stuff SR and the other companies there will be showing off, rumor has it I may have a big little something to debut there, too…

(If you are going, be sure to RSVP so they can get a head count, and do me a favor and tell them I sent ya!)

Just a quick heads up, Rat Sound is starting a monthly 1 day, 1 item half-price sale on the first of every month. (actually it’s one apparel item and one “gadget” This month, it starts on April Fool’s Day (I know, but as far as I know, it’s legit), with the Rat Sniffer/Sender pair (which I raved about here 4 years ago, which makes me feel old) for an amazing $27. It’s a bargain at the usual $45, so if you don’t already have one, get a steal on it tomorrow while it lasts!

http://www.ratsoundsales.com/1_day.html
–Andy

Hi everybody,
At the prodding of my hosting service, I’m doing a long-overdue upgrade to the version of WordPress that runs the site. So if it looks weird for a day or so, that’s why! I’ll need to do some work, I believe, to restore the template, although I might just do a re-design I’ve wanted to for a long time. We’ll see…

–A

According to the founder of Home Depot, CEOs who don’t fight the Employee Free Choice Act “should be shot.” I guess Lowes it is now, when the local guy doesn’t have what I need…

(Argh. Somebody hacked the site, buried spam links in lots of posts, and (inadvertently, I think) moved some of the posts to draft status. Trying to clean up the mess, and will do a security upgrade that was long overdue as soon as I have a chance…here’s this post again.)

A couple quick thoughts that I was indirectly reminded of this weekend, whilst doing an emergency cover of a show I used to mix while the regular guy was awaiting surgery…

Ok, I spent enough time bitching about my miserable customer service experiences last year, so I figured I’d do the right thing and give a shout out to the business sales office at the 5th Ave Apple Store here in NY. At work, I was building a new QLab playback rig (a redundant rig with two Mac Mini’s that’s quite sexy, if I might be so bold), and I called the Apple Store to arrange a purchase of a new Mac Mini, including an upgrade to 2 GB of RAM.

Hey everybody,
Just wanted to let y’all know that the site isn’t dead, I’ve just been a bit slammed lately. Show that teched in August, previews got extended two weeks to late September, and then have been doing that 8x a week in two languages since then, on top of the shop gig. And now factor in fulfilling my obligations to Local 1 on the picket lines, and things are more than a little nuts.

Sorry for the unusual (even for me!) lack of updates recently. Lots of craziness with a show I was designing/mixing and the shop, but I will be back with some backlogged reviews, tips, and a tale or two (including the resolution of the whole CompUSA fiasco) ASAP!

–Andy

Hey gang,
Herrick Goldman, NYC lighting designer extraordinaire, is hosting (rousing up?) a semi-official “Stagecraft Drinking Night” for members of the Stagecraft Mailing List this Monday, the 22nd. If any of my NYC readers are in the area and want to come out, you’re more than welcome to join us. Should be a pretty crazy evening, if past stories are any indication, lots of NYCers, and a few neighbors, as well (I know, for example, that “Uncle Bill” Sapsis, of Sapsis Rigging, is supposed to be riding in for the night from Sapsis Central, and one member was going to fly out here for the day until a surgery got rescheduled on him!).

I recently discovered an awesome blog for tool fiends called Toolmonger, which features reviews and blurbs on all sorts of tools, from micro screwdrivers to heavy duty jacks to welding gloves to, well, you get the idea. What I didn’t know until last night, though, was that at least one of the guys behind the site (I’ve yet to manage to track down a name or names, LOL) used to perform regularly as a musician, and is a bit of an audio geek.

Well, it’s official, One From The Road is two years old! While our anniversary is in fact Christmas Eve, I’ll be doing some belated birthday craziness once the holiday period settles down a bit–some sales and giveaways of items I’ve reviewed here on the site, some t-shirt giveaways, a sale on the Control Freak pickle, and maybe even some other special surprises.

In the meantime, here’s a quick gift from me to you. I want to introduce you to The Chocolate Swirl, a small company run by my friend Lisa, who–in addition to being a pretty cool stage manager–happens to make some of the awesomest chocolate truffles ever. Check them all out here. I highly recommend the chocolate chip cookie dough ones, although they’re all truly amazing!

As I was about to set out on my post about this site’s second anniversary (which just so happens to be today), I read the news that James Brown passed away early this morning in Atlanta.

James Brown, `Godfather of Soul,’ Dies Aged 73, AP Reports

US soul singer James Brown dies aged 73

‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown dies

Mr Dynamine, James Brown Died While Hospitalized For Pneumonia

Yet again, here’s another candidate for the best road dog t-shirt, courtesy of the oh-so-questionably-tasteful T-Shirt Hell gang:

(Click on the shirt to go directly to that product page on their site!)

It seems like sites with shirts for stagehands are exploding these days. I just got an e-mail from the guys over at Stagehand Tees, who have yet more really cool shirt designs for stagehands of all types. Check ‘em out, and tell them I sent ya :-)

–Andy

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Just added a new site, Roadie Rags, to the links over on the left. Similar in spirit to another favorite site, This Gig Sucks (who are back from a temporary hiatus with a new design or two, and lots of the old favorites).

I just got back from a gig tonight, where fellow squeak Simon Austin was seen using one of the new MiniMag AA LED flashlights. It looks pretty much like a standard 2 AA MiniMag, but with a slightly elongated head, and a slightly different tailcap (no lanyard hole).

It seems pretty comparable in both design and functionality to the MiniStar 2 from TerraLux, from a quick glance at it, but I didn’t have a chance to do a head-to-head, both since we were busy doing our jobs, and because I have an older MiniStar with the side-emitting LED, and they’ve since been upgraded to a forward-emitting LED that is, according to my sources at TerraLux, twice as bright.

Now this is a stagehand’s breakfast if ever I saw one!