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Mmmm, I love the smell of a freshly printed CD. Today the CD of choice happens to be the newly released AudioSlave disc.

For a little background info, AudioSlave is comprised of the Rage Against The Machine drummer (Brad Wilk), basist (Tim Commerford), guitarist (Tom Morello), and Chris Cornell formerly of Soundgarden.

Quite simply this album is amazing. So many different sounds and tempos, yet there is an underlying sound that links everything together. It is hard fo rme to put into words, but the first time I listened to the entire album was such a treat. It almost gave me goosebumps. This album was everything I was hoping for, and then doubled! It seems like such a steal for only $15.

There are several songs that must be turned up to fully appreciate them. Then there are a few slower ones that just lull you to submission before beating you with the next song.

If you even remotely liked Soundgarden or Rage Against the Machine, I have two words for you. BUY IT!

Not later today, not tomorrow. Leave the computer, run to your nearest record store, slap down the cash, and prepare yourself.

Ever wondered what the internet thinks of you? Well, head over to the Googlism page, and find out.

I sound like an incredibly interesting guy. Here are my results.

Late in the evening of Friday, November 8, 2002 Greg Fox undertook a mission. The end result isn’t anything tangible, but Greg now feels better. The mission wasn’t exciting, nor was it imperative. It was simply something he wanted to do.

Sleuthing about in the underbelly of this blog, Greg went to work.

What the hell am I talking about?

Well, I decided to do some blog work this weekend. My goal? HTML and CSS validity.

End result? Success!

The underlying code for the blog had some nasties in it, but after a few hours of work, the HTML validates, and so does the CSS. I then took on the task of paring down my CSS file, and beefind it up a little to hold relative font sizes instead of fixed.

Mission accomplished.

By the way, if you happen to spot something amiss, let me know, and I will try to fix it ASAP.

I found a few links this morning on Digital Imaging. The tips range from taking the picture correctly to fine tuning the end result.

5 Digital Shooting Mistakes and How to Prevent Them (Here)

These are some great tips on how to get your pictures to look goof right frmo the camera.

How to Use a Digital Camera (Here)
Basic tips on using a digital camera

Point and Shoot Techniques (Here)
These tips apply to film and digital cameras.

How to Make a Good JPG (Here)
Once you have the digital image on your computer, how to make the end result look great.

One guys opinion (Here)
Some simple digital camera tips (some ideas I might try out in the future).

This is a slightly belated Hallowe’en post. The night before Halloween Sue and I headed to a friends place for a pumpkin carving party. It was fun, and some of the creations were pretty amazing. At the time of this writing, not all the captions for the pictures I took are done, but you can view the pictures at my Hallowe’en 2002 page.

I accidentally deleted one of my posts. This was functionality I coded to the base Slasp code. This version of delete, actually removed it from the underlying database. The problem is, I can’t remember what it was that I deleted. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I quickly wrote a different version of the delete that doesn’t actually remove it from the database. I won’t make that mistake again.

Two days ago I made my way to Vancouver for a Tea Party concert. Not just any Tea Party concert though. They were playing with an orchestra. Actually, I was a whole lote more than just that. They had a dancer, a cellist, an opera soprano, indian drummers, and more.

By far this was the best concert I have ever been to, simply for the music. I still get goosbumps thinking about it. Read on for a recap.

I knew this was going to be a good concert, but really I had no idea how good. I got on the 3pm ferry,Erin picked me up, and after fighting a bit of traffic we got downtown. He had a errand to run, so I walked around downtotn Vancouver for a bit, then made my way to the Lennox for a pre-concert beer. Mmmm, Kilkenny.

7:45 rolls by, and we walk a block up Granville to the Orpheum, get in line, and begin to wonder about the upcoming spectacle.

Now, I have seen the Tea Party in concert a few times now. A couple times in Victoria, and once in Vancouver (I think). I know they are an excellent live band. They thrive on the energy from the crowd, which in turn thrives on the outpouring offered up by these three amazing musicians. It is a synergy that must be experienced, and cannot be fully conveyed by words.

With this in mind, we made our way to our seats. Somehow, Erins friend Evan had managed to snag 4th row seats. I was expecting to be eye level with the stage. Was I in for a treat. The seats were 4th row on the balcony! Even better. We had an amazing view of the whole stage. We could see the whoel band, the orchestra, and the drummers.

The show started pretty much right on time. This is one thing I really like about theatre concerts. As soon as the first song started, I knew that this was going to be the concert of a lifetime. The blend of sounds emanating from the stage was all enveloping. It surrounded me, uplifted me, and took me to a new plane. For me it was a surreal experience. The orchestra filled in the spaces of a sound that was completely full to begin with.

Not only did the Tea Party have an orchestra behind them, they had an Indian drummer ensemble, a dancer, a cellist, and an opera soprano, each for various songs. To further enhance the visual aspect, they had a woman from the Cirque EOS who worked acrobatics with fabric that hung from the ceiling. She brought in the second half of the show.

The highlights (as far as the songs go) were Save Me, Temptation, Transmission, and .

It was amazing to see the band interact musically with the orchestra. During solo’s, the band was ripping and snarling, but just as the orchestra came back in to the mix, their sound went back to a level that complemented the orchestra, and not overpower them.

I quite literally had goose bumps through most of the show. This wasn’t because I was cold, but rather because the music was so exciting. I sang along with every song I could, clapped when I could, cheered, whistled, hooted, hollered, and ogled. This was something I wish I could have preserved forever, so I could rewatch it when I felt the need, but alas they were checking for recording devices upon entry. Originally I was thinking about bringing a disposable camera, but as soon as I saw our seat I knew that it wouldn’t have turned out any good pictures anyway, since the stage was too far away (perfect for the group, bad for cameras).

Head on over to Fresh Pulp to try out Flying Bear Entertainment’s Insaniquarium. Loads of fun!

Today was the best ride I have had in a long time. The air was a crisp, the ground slightly tacky, the rocks dry, and the riding group fun. We met at the dump at 9:30, and proceeded to do one of my most favorite loops.

Up Skull, down Inventive, up to the Switchbacks, through the Twister, up Phase 2, down Daves Line to Champs Cafe. Down South Ridge a bit, then a quit jaunt down part of Falling Satellites, over to Green Ribbon, then down and out.

Did you catch all that?

I have begun to realize lately that I can’t ride hard from the parking lot like I used to. I have to warm up, and once warm I can push hard up hills. Today was no different. As soon as I began Skull I could feel myself pushing too hard. I backed off and allowed my muscles to slowly warm.

At the base of the switchbacks I decided to walk. I wanted to conserve energy on this climb as it kills me every time I attempt it. After the group rested at the top, we headed out for the Twister. This has always been a fun trail for me. There are lots of twists and turns. The trail is quite long, but it is packed into a tiny area.

After making the climb up Phase 2 it was time to bomb down Dave’s Line to Champs Cafe. While heading up a short climb, I looked across a ravine, and there, standing amongst the Evergreens was a lone shockingly yellow-leaf clad tree. The yellow was as bright as a flame, and against the dark green background, that one lonely tree really stood out. I couldn’t help but revel in how truly wonderful nature is.

Through all this I was feeling great. My climbing was going pretty good, and I was feeling pretty confident on the descending. I had the feeling this was going to be a great ride, but I didn’t know how great.

The destination trail was Green Ribbon. There is a side trail called Falling Satellites, that loops off of, and back onto Green Ribbon. The drop onto Fallin Satellites is pretty steep, into a 2 foot pullup at the end. Somehow I managed to get down there in full control, then do the pullup nicely. I was beaming as a bunch of guys congratulated me on the descent.

A little later on Falling Satellites I rode a steep rock face that I hadn’t ridden before, and that only one other person in our group of 10 rode. I knew this was one of my “on” days, and I was looking forward to the rest of the trail.

Further down I rode a couple more drops that i had never done before. I have watched many people go off these, and have always wanted to try them. I knew I had the skills, and I definitely have the bike for them. Well, I was in the right frame of mind, and gave them a go. That is such a feeling. I can’t completely describe it, but it is almost like a weight being lifted from my shoulders, coupled with intense relief, happiness, and shock, followed quickly by the adrenaline rush of doing something that scares you. I love that feeling.

The rest of the ride was pretty unremarkable, but was still enjoyable. I was on the high of a great ride!

Make your own fireworks display!