Discipline

I finally finished the update for thesailing.org. Now the Sailblog page has a bit more functionality - recently update blogs are marked with the World of Warcraft 'server up' icon, and dusty blogs with the appropriate flashing 'server down' icon. This way, instead of just a big page with 4 hyperlinks on it, the Sailblog page will help keep you informed when your favorite member has updated their blog! There's still more I'd like to do with the page, possibly imbedding the last post using the blogger API, or at least throwing in some RSS feed buttons next to each blog.

A news update for the Infinite Sound Tour was added, as well as all of our confirmed show dates up to this point. I'm thinking about changing the way the Shows page works too, maybe having the nav bar link directly to the shows archive, displaying less images and more information. I'll have to tool around with it a little bit.

In other news, I decided against the PvP ring in WoW. I was so close to having enough honor for the Vindicator's Dreadweave Stalkers (feet equip) that I just ground out the 40 Eye of the Storm tokens needed to purchase it. Another off-piece slot epic'd out! Now all I need are 2x Vindicator's Band of Dominance, the Vindicator's Pendant of Dominance , the Vindicator's Dreadweave Belt , the Vengeful Gladiator's Touch of Defeat (stat-loaded wand), and finally the trinket. After that, I should be preeeetttty fucking leet. I would have an epic in every slot. Then maybe I could play more FFXI!

I've also been writing and recording some music - a few pieces from the new NIN album, Ghosts I-IV, I found inspiring in the same way a lot of the FFXI soundtrack was. The trick is expanding the moments of burst-inspiration into a practically recorded song. I'm sick to death of the drum options in logic. I can only bitcrush a pre-built drumkit so much before the songs start sounding 'samey.' What I need to do i drag my compy over to our new practice space, mic up Gus' drums, and start recording loops and samples. Some songs on POWERPLANT (the follow-up to my still-unreleased 'somethingambient') require actual drum parts performed all the way through. Others have drum tracks already programmed, and are just waiting for good samples to be dropped into Logic's drum machine.

Lack of good portable recording equipment is also holding me back. My once-awesome minidisc recorder no longer turns on, and without it I don't really have any options. Tape won't sound good enough, tiny digital recorders won't sound good enough, and laptops are too big and fragile to take to the places I want to gather samples from (abandoned factories around my home and such). One thing at a time I suppose. These are the things that swirl around me all day long, while I'm stuck at work from 10-5. Then I have from about 6pm-3am to get as much done as possible before passing out once again. I think when I'm old and dying I'll look back on these days fondly.

Oh, and don't forget to download the NEW FUCKING NINE INCH NAILS SINGLE! The same freaking month that Trent 'drops' Ghosts I-IV he releases Discipline, the new single, and hints at a new album on May 5th. WTF?! Making up for all of those 5-year album gaps I guess. Anyway, if you haven't heard it yet you can download it for free from the official NIN site. Enjoy!