I’ve switched to this brand of cables for my guitar  setup over the last year and think they are garbage, the sound is OK but they have all entangled themselves so no amount of dangling/unwinding/recoiling/stretching/straightening seems to make they want to not act like a twisted up Yo Yo string…I was willing to pay the extra cash because of the lifetime warranty, but I’ve learned my lesson.

I loved this review of their brand of stereo cables vs. using coat hangers, enjoy.

LINK (via Boing Boing)

I recently decided to add video to my Myspace page. I also wanted to force anyone looking at the page to have to watch the video, so, like the Myspace music player, wanted to be able to set the Youtube video to autoplay.

Here’s a quick guide to changing the embed code from the Youtube page to force the video to autoplay:

1. Copy the embed code from your favorite video, it will look like this:

<object width=”425″ height=”355″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/wjxef8AfVQg&rel=1″></param><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/wjxef8AfVQg&rel=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” width=”425″ height=”355″></embed></object>

2. Paste the code into a text editor like Notepad or WordPad.

3. Remove all the code between the <embed src=..></embed> tags:

<object width=”425″ height=”355″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/wjxef8AfVQg&rel=1″></param>

<param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param></object>

4. Now remove the “&rel=1″ bit at the end of the video URL.

5. In it’s place add “&autoplay=1″:

http://www.youtube.com/v/wjxef8AfVQg&autoplay=1

6. Now cut and paste the code into your page and enjoy

<object width=”425″ height=”355″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/wjxef8AfVQg&autoplay=1″></param>

<param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param></object>

Feeling out of touch with the upcoming November ballot? I usually do and so typically bring along the Stranger cheat sheet to help me out when I don’t really understand an initiative or know who such-and-such judge or school board member is…

This year will be a bit different because I’ll be clinking glasses and sharing pizza with the candidates at Havana. Check out this event by the esteemed Amy Dials and Molly Neitzel:

Music for America, The Stranger, and SEIU Healthcare 775NW present

BallotBox!

Bring your ballot, drink a drink, choose your choice. Meet local candidates and ask them your questions before you vote. Speakers and info from all the issues on the ballot, provided by local organizations.

Bring your ballot to Havana’s “voter booth” and pick up all the info you need to be an informed voter on all the issues. Free Via Tribunali pizza and gift bags for the first 100 in the door.

Thursday November 1st | 6:00 - 9:00 PM @ Havana on Pike & 10th

Come hang out.

au·to·di·dact      /ˌɔtoʊˈdaɪdækt, -daɪˈdækt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[aw-toh-dahy-dakt, -dahy-dakt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun a person who has learned a subject without the benefit of a teacher or formal education; a self-taught person.

Both my sister and cousin are homeschooling/independent studying. I think it runs in the family…

This event is going to pretty amazing if you’re interested in learning more about getting music into the digital world. Experts in marketing, retailing and people with personal experience will be on hand to talk about how these goofy computers have totally changed the way music is distributed and sold around the world.

The 2007 MusicTech Summit, hosted at the Experience Music Project’s JBL Theater and Learning Labs, will take place Nov. 2–3 and will examine how the changing technological landscape can empower artists and further their careers. Meet many of the most important players in this emerging industry, attend informative panels, network with industry leaders and jumpstart your career. The keynote address will be presented by Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk Music Group.

LINK