DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

When I signed up for cable internet service from Comcast in late 2003, I was impressed with the speed — 2182 kbps.

I’d heard stories that they’ve been upgrading their network. It seems to be true; my connection just measured 5741 kbps.

So, something for nothing. And we get to watch the Olympics too.

Time for the annual water-heater maintenance: flush and rinse, as prescribed by waterheaterrescue.com.

I was surprised by the mound of squishy, transparent, booger-like nuggets that poured out of the tank last year. This year I used a strainer to catch them. They are pretty disgusting. I have no idea what this stuff is.

I don’t know what to make of Office Depot. They seem to frequently offer innovative recycling initiatives, but they donate 88% of their campaign contributions to so-called “conservative” candidates (apparently via the National Retail Federation, which as far as I can see has no official party affiliation but is clearly sympathetic to Republican causes) . I applaud their sense of responsibility regarding the environment, but I wonder if they’re doing more damage through their political contributions. Maybe I’m making too big a deal out of a $10,000 donation.

Anyway, Office Depot is currently offering to exchange your used inkjet or toner cartridge for a ream of 35% post-consumer recycled Envirocopy paper. It’s a pretty neat deal. You were probably going to toss that inkjet cartridge into the landfill anyway. Instead, now you can print 500 pages of dumb emailed jokes, recipes you’ll never use, unfocused red-eyed photos of your munchkins, etc., and throw those in the landfill instead.

Update, 2007-02-06: Never mind; Office Depot’s inkjet cartridge recycling program has begun to suck.

I have no comment on the veracity of the claim, but the ad is pretty clever.

(But maybe I only think so because Care2 used to have a Sun server called “treehugger.”)

I wrote Ode to Soup on the hammer dulcimer in 2004. I tracked and arranged the major sections in Pro Tools, and then, once I was happy with the arrangement, rerecorded a demo.

My friend and bass wizard Andrew contributed a groovalicious bass line that’s like its own little low-register song. It’s a great sonic accompaniment to the dulcimer part, a couple octaves lower and more legato than percussive in style.

I shipped the result to the other ex-third of JAR, guitar hero and newly minted Doctor Steve, who wrote a three-voice guitar part that was so right I could sing along after one listen.

We recorded the guitar tracks — three parts times 2-4 takes apiece, in stereo — at my home studio over Thanksgiving weekend, 2004. I’d recorded a final drum track here the previous month.

Then I futzed with the song for two months, comping guitar tracks and playing with stereo guitar sounds and failing to find good drum sounds, recording a new dulcimer melody for the second verse, and then creating about a dozen rough mixes, all of which were small and thin sounding, except in my office. Fortunately, Evan turned in a great mix, despite my meddling.

This song will open my solo CD.

Ode To Soup (160 kbps MP3)

Credits:
  Music: McGlynn, Thomas, Sparks
  Drums, Dulcimer: McGlynn
  Bass: Thomas
  Guitars: Sparks
  Recorded: 2004, Borrowed Time Studios
  Mixed: 2006, Evan Rodaniche / Master Blaster Studioz