Visiting the Well

iSteamMac

From the same guys that brought you the iSteamPhone comes the iSteamMac.

HG Wells meets Leonardo. The T Shirt is great but I'd love one of these things in real life.

Where are all you steampunk hackers out there?

Hofner Violin Bass

A new addition to my stable of beautiful guitars. This one is an instrument I've been wanting for many years - a genuine Hofner violin or 'Beatle' bass guitar. The model I have is a 500/1 63 reissue made in Germany and sourced through the bass Emporium in Austin Texas.

To use some published blurb:

Named for the year the most familiar version of the Violin Bass was popularized, the Vintage ’63 captures its characteristic tone — deep, warm and reminiscent of a full-size string bass. Built to be as durable as its legacy, the compact-sized, easy-to-play, light-in-weight Vintage ’63 is equally at home on stage or in the studio.

Exact replica of the '63 model Violin Bass. The narrow neck and medium scale length of 30'' (76 cm) make for optimum playability.

Like many of my instruments, it's probably wasted on me, but what the hell ...

The forgotten gig 1974

Weren't we all in bands?

This particular band formed and reformed, played sporadically, never had a real name but did contain some great friends. One of them, Dave (lead singer), discovered these old photos from a party gig somewhere on northside of Brisbane sometime late in 1974.

In the first photo (l to r) are Michael (lead), Kurt (bass), Dave (vocals), Ross (drums), me (rhythm), Craig (flute). As Craig is playing flute instead of guitar all I can assume is that were were belting out something by Jethro Tull at the time.

The photo below shows Dave in full flight.

Pieces of Eight II - the game that never was

Back in the late 80s I took the first step towards producing a follow up adventure game to the original Pieces of Eight which had become quite successful in schools. This was to draw up a map and draft a narrative for the next game. This would take place immediately after the central character returned to the pirate ship "The Success".

Because of other priorities it was never developed. I found the map again recently while looking for relics from the original game.

VASE Amplifiers Newsletters

Well it's getting much closer to the public launch of the new VASE brand.

Linked for download are a few recent newsletters that profile some of the key VASE people and highlight recent developments.

Download VASE April News

Download VASE May News

Download VASE June News

Download VASE July News

Download VASE August News

Facebook group for Pieces of Eight

I've started a Facebook group for Pieces of Eight. As next year marks the 25th anniversary of me designing the game I have been giving thought to resurrecting it as an online application in 2010. This group is for those who played it as kids in school or perhaps used it in their classrooms as teachers. If nothing else it will provide a forum for a bit of reminiscing. I'd also like to think it might provide some ideas and encouragement to produce another working version of the classic game.

See an earlier post on Pieces of Eight.

iSteamPhone

A great link picked up from Guy Kawasaki's Twitter site. The iSteamPhone. What it would look like if Leonardo had designed the iPhone.

"Artist Kevin Tong captures the invention of daVinci, the imagination of H.G. Wells, and the brilliance of Jonathan Ive in this Exploded Phone drawing."

And it's been turned into a T Shirt.

This is inspired the original Exploding Phone iPhone graphic and T Shirt

Vase Mail #1 December 08

Well, it's getting closer. Below is our first online newsletter sent to those who register at the Vase site.

Hello VASE Fans!

It's been a while coming, but here it is; Welcome to the first VASEmail.

Thanks for your registration and patience. Although not much has happened on our website, things have been moving forward at VASE HQ. But, before we get to that, how about a little bit of background history for the benefit of those who aren't aware of the story of VASE 2008?.

A couple of years ago, some passionate VASE owners from years gone by were discussing the virtues of these great Australian amps. Beautifully musical tones, incredible military-spec reliability and undeniably cool lines had made the Vase amplifiers legends in their time. As we moved into the third decade since original  VASE designer Tony Troughton had passed on, we saw the rock solid devotion people still held to their VASE amps. Ideas were tossed around, more wine was poured, and the decision to revive these iconic Brisbane amplifiers was made that very night. Trademarks were registered and company structures were formed in the following weeks and we set forth upon our journey of creation and importantly, re-creation.

We bought as many VASE amplifiers as we could get our hands on; some 30 different models and  vintages were amassed at VASE HQ and promptly dissected. It nearly made me cry the first time I disassembled a perfectly functional Trendsetter 60! The decision was made that the first re-issue would be none other than the legendary Trendsetter 60 Deluxe, with matching 3 x 12 speaker cabinet loaded with Celestion Greenback 25s.

Fast forward to November 2008.  (otherwise I'll go on forever)

The Trendsetter 60 is well into prototype stage. The the first prototype has been played, beaten, kicked and punished like a Kiwi batsman. We've been ecstatic with the results and have moved forward to construct the second prototype "as production".It's been a pretty long road to get here but it's so much more than just making a one-off replica. We've sourced most of the bits to make this amp from either original manufacturers or best-equivalents. We've even sourced the original vinyl as used on our 1971 reference amp and convinced the suppliers to make it for us, even though it was a deleted catalogue item. The transformers from our reference amp were reverse-engineered by a great Australian transformer company to re-create the  properties of the original Ferguson transformers, no longer available no matter how much we begged. Gary Broadhurst, an original VASE Technician, is  primed and ready to start assembly of the TS60 line and it's so close we can nearly smell it. It doesn't sound like much; only two amps built, but when you walk past the pallets of speakers, the crates of transformers, the 10,000 metres of vinyl (yep, that's five 0s) some perspective of how serious we are really becomes obvious.

Of course we realised at the start that a single amp line wouldn't be enough to warrant the massive effort involved in this project. Plans are afoot for a range of amps extending beyond the TS60, including more traditional rock amps as well as a line of modern guitar amps with features the new-millennium players demand. Multiple channels, on-board effects, combos, split-rigs and ultrahigh-powered bass heads; they're all on the drawing board.

Much of the effort that has gone into the first amp will make it so much easier for us to continue towards our goal of being a world-standard manufacturer of guitar and bass amplifiers. We know how to do it and our passion is as strong as that first night we sat around discussing it.So many people have contacted us wanting other amplification products. We asked the questions of the touring musicians and the people on the street. It didn't take long to identify a need for high-power ultra-clean bass speakers that were built the way a bass speaker should be; from real timber plywood not chipboard, and with modern, high-powered Neodymium speakers that go low, go loud and overall, keep going. Enter the VASE V10 range. V210, V410, V610 and the awesome V810 bass speakers fill out the initial catalogue and will be in full production early 2009. We've already got a bunch of them at selected backline suppliers and a few endorsed players. The word on the street is that the V10 range are going to be the ones to beat. Soon to be joined by a range of V8 and V15 speaker cabinets.The VASE 412 quad boxes for guitar are also available and will be in full-scale production from March.  These traditional 412 style speaker cabinets will be available with a range of Celestion speakers, including the famous Greenback 25 watt.

Earlier this year we were commissioned by our good friend and fellow VASE lover Ian Taylor to build 12 small guitar amps for one of
Australia's premier music learning facilities, Southbank TAFE, to be installed at their brand new premises and brilliant studio facilities in Brisbane. That was all the excuse we needed to develop the TT15; the TT stands for Tony Troughton and is our homage to the great designer of the original VASE amps. The TT15 is a 15 watt all-tube combo amp with the simplest of preamp circuits providing gain, volume and tone controls. Loaded with the ubiquitous Greenback 25watt 12" speaker these brilliant little amps are sure to find favour amongst those players looking for blues-smooth mids to solid rock crunch at club-friendly volumes. The TT15 will be available in different tunes, different colours and with a choice of several 12" speakers.

The website is close to going live (before Christmas we hope). What we really need now from you dedicated VASE fans is some photos of your VASE amps, interesting stories relating to your amps, or your memories of VASE if you've been around that long. Old "VASE at gigs" photos would be great if anybody has a few tucked away. Of course if you're a recent convert, stories of how you came by your VASE and what you really like about it would be great too!

That's it for VASEmail #1 folks; thanks for registering, and thanks for reading. Not long now....

Regards,
The VASE team.

Greatest bookshop ever - Livraria Lello

Well, again there are probably larger and more exclusive bookshops than the Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, but there's something about this place that just makes it compelling to visit.

Check out the links and see what you think.

Livraria Lello 1
Livraria Lello 2
Livraria Lello 3
Livraria Lello 4
Livraria Lello 5

Greatest (private) library ever

A good friend and colleague of mine, Christophe Kirsch (lucidmonkey.com), who now resides in Canada sent me this link a couple of months back. It's the private library of Jay Walker and I'll let the article and link tell the story.

There may be greater private libraries out there, but I haven't seen one like this before.

"Nothing quite prepares you for the culture shock of Jay Walker's library. You exit the austere parlor of his New England home and pass through a hallway into the bibliographic equivalent of a Disney ride. Stuffed with landmark tomes and eye-grabbing historical objects—on the walls, on tables, standing on the floor—the room occupies about 3,600 square feet on three mazelike levels. Is that a Sputnik? (Yes.) Hey, those books appear to be bound in rubies. (They are.) That edition of Chaucer ... is it a Kelmscott? (Natch.) Gee, that chandelier looks like the one in the James Bond flick Die Another Day. (Because it is.) No matter where you turn in this ziggurat, another treasure beckons you ..."

VASE Combos

After a tragically long break - at last a post!

I've posted previously about VASE amps, the iconic brand of valve guitar and bass amps that a group of us are bringing back from the dead.

The VASE site will be up and running in December. You can register on the site now at:

http://www.vase.com.au/

As a taster, here are some images of a special set of small combo units that we recently built for the Southbank Institute of Technology for their Sound Technology/Recording Road Crew Training Program in Brisbane. We heard that they were going to purchase 12 little combo amplifiers for their rehearsal studios and recording activities, so we thought we would knock together 12 guitar amps just for this project.  Noel Bourne came up with a great circuit and we built 12 of these little babies.  8 are black with Celestion greenback, 2 cream coloured ones with vintage 30 and 2 blue ones with g12h Celestions and the beefed up pre amp section.  Noel calls it “Marshall on Viagra”!!

Our first public release will be the long awaited Trendsetter 60 Vintage re-issue. However you never know when these little combos might bob up in the future! Let us know if you think they should.

It's FAB baby!

Once upon a time when I was a young bloke I owned a Mini - a Morris Mini Minor 850 to be precise. Bought it for a couple of hundred bucks. I really loved that car. Unfortunately it met an untimely end in an accident and it wasn't worth repairing. That was over 30 years ago. It sort of looked like the car in the advertising brochure, although I hasten to add that's not me in the white Speedos.

Well since the re-release of the Mini I've been hanging around showrooms without taking the plunge. However that all changed late last year when I finally designed the car I wanted and put in an order.  It took about 3 months for it to be made in Oxford and shipped over. A Mini Cooper S, pepper white, black roof, red leather upholstery, wood steering wheel and trim, spotlights, GT stripes, sunroof, 17" JCW wheels with run flat tires etc. etc. Needless to say I'm very pleased and just love being in the thing. Retro looks with great performance. Drives like a slot car.

No wonder I haven't had time to sit around and write. mmm... and I'm thinking about those white Speedos, the Wayfarers and a Mal for a trip to the beach.

Cobwebs

Well, I'm not sure how it all came to this, but this is my first post for the year. In my defence I am running 10 other blogs for work and social reasons but that's a pretty pathetic excuse actually. If I can work on 10 regularly then why not 11?

Following will be some posts that I've had half finished but which have been stalled by other priorities. Maybe that will shake the cobwebs out of the system.

Martin 000-15

Just to confirm that indeed I am a guitar tragic, I've just taken possession of a new acoustic - a Martin 000=15.

It's a great, bare bones, high quality small bodied acoustic that chimes like a bell. No fancy inlays or electric pickups - just a stripped down guitar like the one you learned to play on - only about 100 times better.

Although I currently have a few guitars my only acoustic is one I swapped an electric for in 1973 - an Eko Ranger Dreadnaught. I wanted it because there's a picture of one in the hands of Jethro Tull from the photos in the Living in the Past album. Very large and very Italian. It's been kicked around and had more dents and scratches that a speedway car - yet it defies age and infirmity and plays on. However a new little buddy was called for and is now with its new family. If only I had time to play it. Maybe that's a hint for a resolution for 2008.

Volvelles

Information wheels—or volvelles—have been used since the 14th century to measure, record and calculate everything from verb conjugation to birth control biorhythms. From circular slide rules to Captain Marvel decoders, these unique artifacts are not only amusing but offer a model for modern interactive design.

From the golden age of celestial cartography to more contemporary applications of both language and form, Volvelles demonstrates both the astonishing range and remarkable utility of these ingenious “interactive” tools.

I’ve just picked up a wonderful book on volvelles – Reinventing The Wheel by Jessica Helfland.

I’ve used volvelles for years without realising that’s what they were called. As an amateur astronomer I regularly used (and still have) a type of volvelle called a planisphere which can be held overhead and rotated to located major features in the night sky.

Who hasn’t enjoyed playing with the album cover of Led Zeppelin III – another volvelle.

For anyone who enjoys the graphical representation of information and ingenious analog devices, this book is a must see.

I’ve even located a downloadable volvelle tool which I intend to use to create a few of my own.

Gretsch White Penguin

A new addition to my guitar family. The Gretsch White Penguin - sometimes called (by Gretsch in their propaganda anyway) the 'Holy Grail' of electric guitars. Well it is rare and beautiful. I've never seen one in the flesh before last Saturday when this little beauty was delivered. Got it from Nigel at the Guitar Shop at Paddington in Brisbane. Great place. Go there if you're in town.

The Penguin is pictured here in my lounge room keeping company with its big brother the White Falcon. I think it will sound very fine played through a new VASE Trendsetter 60.

VASE Guitar Amplifiers

An update on our progress. Fellow VASE owner, Graham Whitehouse, wrote the following in reply to a recent enquiry:

"You heard correctly, the re-issue VASE guitar amps are coming. We are currently finalising the Trendsetter 60 which will be the first amp released complete with its companion 3 x 12 speaker cabinet loaded with Celestion Greenback Vintage 25s.

The Trendsetter 60 will be a faithful re-issue of the original; hand-wired with the best available componentry and military precision. All our cabinetry is cut on CNC routers using the best available void-free Birch ply, no chipboard in sight. We've even got the vinyl covering used on the original amps and our transformers are made in Australia to the original specifications, no Chinese out-sourcing here. All assembled right here in Brisbane as they should be.

Beyond the re-issue vintage line, we have already begun our pre-production test runs of the VASE Bass speaker cabs. A couple of select backline hire companies are stocking the V810, our 1600 watt 8 x 10" bass speaker system. These speakers are the classic 810 sound with frequency response to suit the modern bass player. All high-power Neodymium drivers, especially developed for us. As with the vintage gear, all CNC routed, precision crafted cabinets make these a pretty serious bass box; available in 2 x 10, 4 x 10, 6 x 10 & 8 x 10.   

No release date as yet but you could keep an eye on the Vase website, www.vase.com.au <http://www.vase.com.au>  for further developments. The website will be launched just prior to the release of the first amps. Pricing will be listed upon release.

So there you have it. Not long to wait for the reissue of the first new model of these classic valve guitar amps in over 30 years.

Pieces of Eight

I rediscovered a little treasure today that I thought I'd lost.

In 1985 I was given the job of establishing a team of developers to make software for education. We were given quite a free rein with our initial projects and I chose to design an adventure game. I'd been a fan of cliffhanger serials since I was a kid and particularly loved pirates. I'd also been playing adventure games for some years so decided to combine my passions.

I remember sitting down with a sketch book, a set of Rotring pens and some coloured pencils. I drew a very small map of what I considered to be a classic island on which to have an adventure. As I drew the map I created the broad narrative for the story. That little map was the beginning of the project. It was photocopied and enlarged, used to create a 'room map' to assist in refining the game logic, featured as a map in the software guide, appeared as an interactive map on screen, and was a turned into a wall poster.

Pieces of Eight went on to be one of the most successful software games ever developed for schools in Australia and was released for Apple II, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, IBM PC and later Macintosh computers. It won awards and was shown around the world. It really made my name and led me to a career in software development and multimedia. So that original map is a special little thing.

I cut it out of the sketch book and pinned it up on my noticeboard for a few years, and when I moved on it came with me and sort of hung about my offices. A few years ago now, when I left my last job to start my own business it disappeared and until last night I thought I'd left it behind.

I'm writing a paper on creativity and went looking for a particular volume of poetry in my bookshelves. I'm not even sure what made me choose that book - a sixth sense I guess, because tucked away between the pages was my little map. I have no idea why I put it there - because it must have been me. I haven't touched that book in years.

It was a feeling of absolute delight to find it, not that it's particularly impressive, certainly not valuable and hardly going to change my life now - but I know it did then. That little thing represents a tipping point in my professional life and just having it again will allow me to more completely retell the story to others.

Map of Online Communities

Webcomic xkcd has created a great map of online communities. (Moon, you'll love this).

I've wandered around in a few of those lands as a freebooter and mercenary but I guess homebase is in the Blogipeligo.

Where is your home port?

Vale Lobby Loyde

One of Australia’s most influential guitarists over the past 40 years died last weekend from lung cancer. Lobby Loyde was a Queensland country boy and moved to Brisbane in the sixties to play with a number of local bands including the Purple Hearts. Lobby went on to play with the Wild Cherries, Coloured Balls, Aztecs, and Rose Tattoo etc. He was an influential composer and producer of rock and blues and is cited by many musicians from Australia and elsewhere as a prime influence.

I was lucky to meet Lobby last year at the Purple Hearts reunion gig which VASE amps supported. Just being back stage with him and talking about the craft of guitar playing in particular and the history of the music scene in general was a great experience. For all his influence he remained a very humble guy. He was 65.

Read more about him here.

FMOM Industries Wave Disrupter Gun

Every now and again you see something you just have to own. If you're lucky it's something that will be useful. If you're really lucky (which comes in handy if it's expensive) it's not only useful but your partner approves of it. If you're seriously unlucky it's neither of those things, but dammit you just have to have it.

Well I've found one. Those clever characters at the Weta Workshop (who made all those wonderful weapons and armour for the Lord of the Rings franchise) have made the all time great looking raygun. I've wanted one ever since I was a kid. Indeed I've owned a few plastic ones over the years, but this is the real thing (minus the vapourising ray gun bit ala Marvin the Martian). Hey, but you can't have everything I suppose.

Paw, I gotta get me one o' them fancy shootin' irons.

Conference Bike

For miles and miles of smiles ...

Well, it's probably a fair indication of my corporate world-weariness that my first thought in seeing this contraption was one of retribution. Having finally lost the will to live after one too many endless staff meetings I can picture our kamikaze Dilbert inviting six of his mortal enemies from prairie dog town to join him and try out his new toy. Maybe a quick blast down by the Old Cliff Road?

I'm sure the Conference Bike does all the wonderful things it claims and brings happiness and peace to all it touches. Maybe just not to me.

100 Suns

I don’t usually write on topics that have a political bent, there are plenty of other people to do that, but I was checking out some of my blogroll favourites today and came across an entry by Moon River. Moon posts beautiful entries that include visual things I love – evocative images, ancient maps etc. The one that caught my eye today though was one featuring the work of Michael Light.  This book and exhibition, 100 SUNS features images of some (yes, only some) of America’s nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992. Text describing this book and exhibition:

Between 1945 and 1992 the United States detonated 1,149 nuclear test explosions. Until 1962 the tests were conducted in the atmosphere and oceans. 106 of the 216 above ground blasts were exploded 63 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. The remaining were detonated at the Enewetak or Bikini Atolls in the Pacific Ocean. The immediate and lasting consequences of these tests were unforeseen.

Michael Light's installation, 100 SUNS, was first presented at the Hosfelt Gallery in 2003 and is currently traveling. At the heart of this exhibition are 100 photographs culled by Michael Light from the U.S. National Archives and the records of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The re-photo-graphed images depict above-ground tests at or shortly after the moment of explosion. Utilizing the found photographs along with text and photographic imagery shot by Light, the installation raises palpable issues about "weapons of mass destruction" in the hands of any nation.

The title, 100 SUNS, refers to the response by J. Robert Oppenheimer to the world's first nuclear explosion in New Mexico when he quoted a passage from the Bhagavad Gita, the classic Vedic text, "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendour of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." This was Oppenheimer's attempt to describe the otherwise indescribable.

These often terrifyingly beautiful images illustrate with absolute clarity why nuclear weapons need to be proscribed. It also showcases the hypocrisy of the members of the ‘nuclear club’ when they threaten to ‘intervene’ when other nations get close to doing something similar, even though they themselves have wreaked untold damage on the environment and the human psyche by carrying out their testing over decades.  It becomes hypocritical when they try to adopt the white hat when pontificating. They be should be honest and don the black before they speak. Fess up. You understand that dark place because you’ve embraced it yourself.

How To Write Good

Thanks to the Notebookism site for this link.

Ever wanted to write betterer than anyone else??? It ain't impossible. Just follow these rools.

Here are some samples:

1. Always avoid alliteration.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague—they're old hat.
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. Parenthetical words however must be enclosed in commas.
8. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
9. Contractions aren't necessary.
10. Do not use a foreign word when there is an adequate English quid pro quo.

and the final tip:

    52. And always be sure to finish what

Superhero?

Let's start off the New Year in a highly intelligent and significant fashion.

Which superhero are you?  Take the test.

Apparently I'm the Green Lantern. That's a bit spooky actually as I really enjoyed the comic book as a kid (with Hal Jordan as GL), have two Green lantern t-shirts and a plastic Green Lantern ring that glows in the dark that I got from who knows where about a million years ago.