Author: sjwillis
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I’m not sure if it’s just me or if it’s a universal experience for musicians but: periods of progress and improvement when practicing my instrument usually translate—at least temporarily—to lousy public performance. Also on:
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The Right Amplifier
A few years ago I picked up a pair of KEF q150 speakers for my small listening room, at the time I had them paired with a NAD 7125 amplifier. When I first fired up that pairing I was a bit dissapointed in how bass-heavy everything sounded. I learned that the KEF’s came with some…
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Delaware Valley Bluegrass – 2024
This is the best bluegrass festival, period. The size is perfect. One stage, no lines, nothing is crowded* Almost everyone who attends plays an instrument so the campground jams can be amazing. (*except the handicap bathroom stall of which there is only one and when you’re helping someone navigate the festival in a wheelchair that…
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Newly released king sunny ade album seems to be a transfer of a vinyl recording, clicks, pops and all: Also on:
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Mac admin utilities
Grabbed this list off a reddit discussion, some good ones that I’d forgotten: Also on:
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Greyfox 2024 Highlights
Molly Tuttle’s performance at Greyfox was revolutionary, combining advanced light effects and traditional bluegrass with poignant moments. Her versatility and skill, particularly in her song “Crooked Tree,” were highlighted. Le Vent du Nord from Quebec amazed the audience with their unique sound and exceptional musicianship. Hawktail captivated with their powerful, emotional performance. The fiddle duo…
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AI/LLM Interfaces
I’m testing out msty as a way to compare some different AI tools. The ability to create “knowledge stacks” (and, moreover, use different models for embedding that knowledge for RAG) is really amazing. Here I took some VW training materials and couple of YouTube links and created a “Volkswagen Vanagon” knowledge stack using 2 different…
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Vanagon Odds & Ends
I realized a few weeks ago that we’ve had our Vanagon for 10 years as of this past April. My kids all spent the better part of their childhood summers camping in this van on our family trips and vacations. I’ve used it as a home base for many bike camping trips and bluegrass festivals.…
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3d printed Vanagon parts
This is just to say that I spent $36, including shipping, on a handful of 3d printed parts from Uniwerks. It’s almost impossible to put a dollar amount on the value of the problems that were solved by these parts. Window arm crank washers to keep my window handle from destroying my speak grills, a…
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Cruising
Our country does not provide the education and upbringing that allow its citizens an interior life. For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/05/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-icon-of-seas/677838/ Another supposedly fun thing… Also on: