Michael Bevilacqua

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Originally published at Bevilacqua.us. Please comment here.

I usually don’t do meme’s, but this one is short and sweet. Grabbed from ehowton.

1. My username is _____ because ____.

My username is Time because of my fascination with it. Space/Time/Perception/Universal Order/42… that stuff. Time, which is my true user name on IRC and Time3 which is my alternate with the 3 being my favorite of the prime numbers from years ago in math class.

2. My name is _____ because ______.

My name is Michael because I was raised Roman Catholic by my parents. They named me Michael after Saint Michael the Arch Angel, a Biblical name. In the tradition of my Italian family heritage, I was supposed to be named Dominic after my Great Grandfather as both my older male cousins did not take his name. Personally, I think I look more like a Dominic than a Michael.

3. My journal is titled ____ because ____.

My (live) journal is titled “just wise owl tones, no velvet lies” because this was a line from a very well written, very moving Peter Murphy song entitled Marlene Dietrich’s Favourite Poem. The line itself embodies how I write my entries. Wisely, without lies. Peter Murphy was and is a great influence on my life. One of the greatest song writers and male voices I’ve ever encountered. And by chance at that.

4. My friends page is called ____ because ____.

My friends page is called “Time3less companions” because I thought it was clever. And being clever sometimes works out for me ;-) But seriously, I try to surround myself with intelligent people at all times that way I’m constantly challenged and at least always learning something.

5. My default userpic is ____ because ____.

My default userpic is myself because I’m lazy and I don’t really care to much about userpics with my free account.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us. Please comment here.

The TSA is the new fascism by making this woman remove her nipple rings at an airport in Texas so that she could board her flight. Honestly, I would love to know what procedure they were following that states that a person’s jewelry could be considered dangerous or otherwise lethal. Nipple bomber? No.

Elizabeth and I have recently watched Juno, No Country for Old Men, and went to see the Star Wars Exhibit at The Franklin Institute. All three were quite excellent. Juno was superb. A cast to die for, writing that never let you down for a second, a screenplay that flowed like water. No Country for Old Men was brutal, yet deep with meaning. An excellent cast, excellent screenplay, unbelievable plot twists, and symbolism galore.

The Star Wars exhibit was fun. Even though I’m not as hardcore into Star Wars as some folks, I was a fan of the first three movies growing up and owned some toys. Seeing the actual props they used in the filming just sent me back to when I used to play in my friend’s living room as a child as we created extended scenes to the movies using AT-ATs and the like. I was in awe at the sheer detail of the original Imperial Class Star Destroyer and
the Rebel Blockade Runner. These models were huge, at least 3 or 4 feet across. They had other original models and costumes, but these two, and the Millennium Falcon were mind blowing.

I wasn’t allowed to snap photos, but I had to get at least one with Elizabeth next to the original R2D2 costume and the original Princess Leia robe:

Outside I was allowed to take photos, so I got one of Elizabeth on the Vader-laden steps:

Finally, some thoughts going out to my friends who lost their 18 year old Daughter recently in a fatal accident.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us. Please comment here.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us. You can comment here or there.

We are at the end of a beautiful few days here in South Eastern Pennsylvania. Monday to Wednesday the highs were in mid sixties when just last week it was below freezing with wretched winds. I needed to clear my head and get my exercise for the day so I decided to go for a walk at Green Lane State Park near Deep Creek Lake.

It was quiet out and there were only a few people walking their dogs. I listened to some Stars of the Lid as I walked around the lake side. I saw a sign stating that Eagles were attempting to nest in a tree near Walt Lane. I have no idea where this was in relation to my vicinity, but it made me happy. It reminded me of the time Elizabeth and I went to Hawk Mountain in the Lehigh Valley and did some hiking. That was a good day.

Memories are something, aren’t they? I don’t know how but this walk lead to a memory of my Father. I was young, pre-teen and was working with him on a masonry job. My muscles were not fully developed yet as his were, and like most things in my life, it took me a while longer than normal people to learn how to. He said to me “If you think this work is hard you should make sure you use your brain and not your hands when you get older.” I took that to heart, as I took most of the advice to heart my parents gave me before they separated years later. I became an engineer. I think for a living.

Thinking for a living hasn’t resulted in the best outcome. Sometimes I envy my Father, who seems to know when to stop thinking and just live. Or perhaps I think too much? I’ve been known to do too much of things from time to time. But this time around I can’t stop thinking. And often the thoughts are painful.

This is going to be a tough year.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us. You can comment here or there.

Only 53%? :-\ I’m sure I can move faster than a zombie. Damn.

53%

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

Calling customers names? Perhaps you better cut back on your caffeine intake, pal. I’m pretty sure that’s not how you handle two fair customer opinions in the real world.

Verbatim, here is what I recieved in my email this morning from the owner of the Skippack Village Coffee Haus and Books shop (actual email can be seen here):

Michael,

I’m sorry you were unhappy with the drinks you ordered. If you had said something I would have been happy to have you choose another selection, or comp the ones you didn’t like.

If you’re a Starbucks drinker, as it seems by some of the comments posted, then mine would definitely not be to your taste. Starbucks starts each drink with 4-6 shots of vanilla, regardless of what you order. That’s 320 to 480 calories before you’ve even ordered the drink. I use a 1% chocolate milk for my base in a mocha, not a syrup, which, by the way, you spelled incorrectly. The 16 oz. frozen mocha includes two shots of espresso. The price which you were so outraged at stems from the fact that our coffees are organic, come from estates made of coops of 29 farmers, each farmer having 2-3 acres. We only use spring water, and make each drink to order. It takes 52 beans for a single shot of espresso so there are 104 beans in the frozen mocha.

Thank you but LeButler’s Pantry, which by the way you also spelled incorrectly, would not suit our taste as their coffee is not organic. Although, life you, that we have in common, I love Charlie’s place. Had Charlie approached me, I would be happy to have some of his coffees on my menu, however, I hate to break it to you, Charlie doesn’t roast his coffee, he gets it from somewhere else. Sorry to shatter that idea. We do however, have several Claddagh selections on our menu, Claddagh Coffee is also located in the village behind Grandma Brenna’s. Our roaster, which we are quite satisfied with, does not roast to the City++ that Starbucks does but chooses instead a medium roast which is more akin to the needs and wants of my customers. If you would have asked for a drink suggestion, I would have recommended an Iced Americano which would have better suited your taste buds. Or maybe you are used to the powdered mixes or condensed versions of the mocha served at various locations. All my espresso-based drinks use traditional Italian recipes although we also have the Long Black and Flat White from Australia and the Cubano, from Cuba, in case you couldn’t figure that one out.

You also spelled the name of my coffeehouse incorrectly, it’s Village Coffeehaus, one word, paying homage to the people who settled our, as you call it “quaint” town. I guess, a town with a history over 300 years, being viewed as quaint, is appropriate as we have tried to maintain our history never giving way to the crushing blow and concrete of chains that serve nothing more than turning American towns into identical strip malls of cheaply made goods and services.

We have been open for nine months now, so I’m sorry to say, for you, we will definitely be here for our one year anniversary and beyond. Why is that? Because we offer ten different single region coffees. All are ground to order and brewed with spring water. Our signature espresso is enjoyed straight up because it’s a blend of five different beans, carefully selected. We are members of the Specialty Coffee Association, the Barista Guild of America and the NFIB. As well, we support Coffee Kids TM and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We have also given support to Germantown Academy, Perkiomen Watershed Concervancy, St. Marys, the 4H Club, Mennonite Heritage Center, the FOP and the Skippack Historical Society.

Thanks for the offer to supply a LINUX-based system, but we already offer an in-house IMAC running LINUX for patrons to use as well as Comcast High Speed Cable Internet which provides our free WIFI. Maybe you did not look at my website closely enough or you might have noticed that.

Book titles are carefully chosen to reflect a wide audience. Titles vary and include, New Age, Witchcraft, Christianity, Islam, Ecoshamanism and Magic to titles that invoke discussion such as Going Nucular, Out of Time, Darwin and the Barnacle and My Father’s Gun. We don’t leave out the spiritual with titles such as House of Whispers, Wake and the AVI title, A Book Without Words and PA titles such as John Adams Party of One, Runaway America, Where Washington Walked and The Signers, and of course, the Marguerite DeAngeli books. By 1732 there were 553 coffeehouses in London specific to discipline and purpose.

To say that we resemble something you would find on South Street, I’ll take as a complement. Right now, I have seven different local artists and three more are on the way. That’s another way, I am unique. All local artist’s works are displayed free of charge. We also have music just about every weekend, it’s also free. This Saturday is Dave Antonio. Dave, was one of my first musicians. Dave’s music offers a unique world beat as he plays various instruments such as the Sitar, Didgeridoo, Tribal Drums, Singing Bowls and Native American flutes.

The sauna is definitely a “working” unit and on display because I believe that Life if Good, it’s really, really, good. If you would have read the brochure on the sauna it provides numerous health benefits. We always encourage people to relax, browse and enjoy. The 90 degree heat in here this past weekend was nothing compared to the weekend before, it must have been over 100 then. If I owned the building, there would definitely be air-conditioning. Imagine if you will for a second, that you were here about five minutes, I had to work this weekend 30 hours in that heat. The building I am in was built in 1823….obviously well insulated considering the stifling heat, the new owner which bought the place in December did an outstanding job on the outside facade and is now concentrating efforts on the interior. Obviously you know nothing about small businesses as I can’t just run down the corner and purchase an air conditioner. That’s the owner’s place, not mine.

Well all in all, I must say that one negative comment out of thousands of satisifed customers isn’t bad, just a little unwarranted, and, well to be honest, cowardly done.

Sincerely,

Johnna Mountain
Owner/Manager
Village Coffeehaus & Books, LLC

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

Reading some of the profiles of the people slain at VT on Monday and came across this:

Liviu Librescu, 76, an engineering science and mechanics lecturer. Born in Romania, he survived the Nazi Holocaust and emigrated to Israel in 1978 before moving to Virginia in 1985.

An Israeli citizen, he had taught at Virginia Tech for 20 years and was internationally known for his work in aeronautical engineering.

“His research has enabled better aircraft, superior composite materials, and more robust aerospace structures,” said Ishwar Puri, the head of the engineering science and mechanics department.

Liviu Librescu (AP)

After surviving the Nazi killings, Librescu escaped from communist Romania and made his way to the United States before he was killed in Monday’s massacre, which coincided with Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Librescu’s son, Joe, said his father’s students sent e-mails detailing how the professor saved their lives by blocking the doorway of his classroom from the approaching gunman before he was fatally shot.

“My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee,” Joe Librescu said from his home outside Tel Aviv, Israel. “Students started opening windows and jumping out.”

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18143312/page/2/

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

It’s only Wednesday. At this rate by Friday I’ll look like this:

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

EDIT:

Monday (yesterday) had to be one of the worst days I can remember in recently history. It’s times like this I wonder how the fabric of the universe works with the flow of ideas. Nothing good came out of yesterday. Here is the short list:

Nor’ easter puts a half inch of sleet on the ground, in April, floods many of my friend’s basements and causes overall havok.

Virginia Tech gets shot up by some South Korean immigrant lunatic. 33 or so deaths of college kids and faculty.

The Copyright Royalty Board, a three judge panel responsible for the March 2nd ruling that set webcast royalties at their new increased rate, has denied all parties’ motion for rehearing of the ruling on procedural grounds. RIAA wins another legislation that ends your freedom to listen to what you want to from small or medium sized streaming stations. Land of the free, my ASS.

:END EDIT

Has technology taken a sharp left and ended up in a ditch recently? As all of the improvements over size of technology continue to amaze me the total lack of foresight of reliability and usability boggles my mind.

For example, Elizabeth and I are catching up on the HBO series ‘The Sopranos’. Along with just about every other in a few DVDs we rent, we get unreadable disk errors from imperfections and scratches in the disk. I keep a bottle of windex handy so I can clean the disks before putting them into the DVD player. I NEVER HAD TO DO THIS WITH VHS.

Yes, every once in a while there was damaged tape but it never forced me to skip an entire scene and then have to guess as to what happened previously, which is what we had to do 3 times last night. Obviously I’ll take this up with the angsty yet oddly-stylish clerks at Blockbuster and get a credit but the point is, how are DVDs better?

DVDs have more formatting issues than VHS ever did. DVDs scratch easily. When you have a DVD rental you know the last savages that rented it had buttery-corn fingers and a large jagged quartz-rock collection that they would conveniently use as a DVD resting place in between movies and jumping on their furniture like hungry orangutans.

And note that with all of the beer I drink I have never once used a DVD rental as a coaster. Perhaps I should start.

And now this morning, I wake up and find a half inch of white slush on the ground. Happy Monday.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

I’m not one for getting in front of people that are on the average, more intelligent than I am and presenting something they probably could figure out themselves in little time or are completely uninterested in. But in this case, this is something I’m passionate about and have been since I first started using Linux.

Linux audio. I’ll be giving a talk on Cross-Platform Digital Audio Streaming at April’s Philadelphia area Linux Users’ Group
Meeting

Linux makes for an incredibly stable platform for audio recording and engineering. I’ve been in love with Linux audio for over 6 years now. It encompasses my whole house audio system, my TV/DVR, and my laptop for sound sculpting/engineering as well as the two Linux/PPC machines I own for doing my ambient show.

On that note, you may be aware that I do an ambient/techno/electronic music show for akaradio.com. You may not be aware that the ambient portion is done entirely in Linux with two different architectures; x86 and PPC on top of spinning vinyl from an analog mixer. In my testing, as compared to using Win2k as the streaming server, this proves to be much more stable and versatile with the proper hardware. Versatility comes from the ability to use icecast in place of shoutcast if you want to also include ogg or aac audio streams to the public. And soon I’ll be researching live streaming video.

The ‘Live’ part is the main portion of my breakthroughs recently. The ability to take a mic or a set of turntables, run them into a preamp/mixer and then into a line-in on a soundcard which then converts the analog signal to stereo mp3 at 128kbps at 44.1khz and streams it to a shoutcast server. This is done with an application called Darkice..

Keep a look out here for more info on the talk. I might actually try to stream it live from the University :-)

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

List for me an uncommonly named thing or things that exist within your home.

For example, I have a reverse osmosis water filter in my kitchen a phase inverter in my engineering supplies.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

http://robertantonwilson.blogspot.com/2007/01/raw-essence.html

One of my hero’s has passed away :(

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

More here

This is cute too

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

Has to be the camera angle.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

I’m finally getting around to writing about the Bachelor Party my best man Bob threw for me last Saturday.

Bob and Bill arrived here at the house around 1PM and jumped into a van that Bob rented. We said we were going to head over to Victory Brewing Company, have lunch, get a tour of the brewery, and then head out to another brewpub.

The timing on this couldn’t have been any better as, on some cosmic whim, the night before I watched the Victory Brewing Company DVD with some people we had just met. See, Friday night while Elizabeth and I were getting dinner at Ortino’s Northside, our friend Stas showed up and started chatting with us. That turned into us meeting his Sister, Brother-in-Law and their older Brother. I ended up inviting them to sit at our table and have some beers and food. David, Stas’s brother-in-law and I got talking about homebrewing and that was it. We had a blast chatting and hit it off with all of these very friendly people. Later we headed over to David and his wife’s place, watched that Victory DVD and played poker all while enjoying a V12 and some Pumpkin Ale.

So by the time I was taking the tour I was following along like I had attended a theory lecture prior. And fortunately so, as the tour guide wasn’t very knowledgeable and couldn’t answer most of our questions. But we had a blast, and it was great to finally see the brew works I so hope someday to emulate on my own.

After this we decided to head over to Manayunk Brewing Company in Manayunk. This was my first time there, in fact, I haven’t been to Manayunk in over a decade. It’s truly something how much that area has changed. It’s very, uh… in. Lots of people, lots of cellphones, lots of SUVs.

Manayunk Brewpub was really something too. It reminded me of a NYC styled restaurant in it’s decor and food-type availability. I ended up eating two sushi rolls and chasing them with an ‘double’ IPA .Very good IPA, although the IPA was definitely only a single.

After that, for some reason, we headed over to Bahama Mamma’s in King of Prussia. It was interesting, only that no one ordered any food and I had one of their “reds” which was a lager and was very predictable tasting. So we decided to head out and go up to Bill’s picking up a six pack on the way. Unfortunately we missed the closing of what was on the way and just hung out at Bill’s for a while, which was fun. I haven’t been up that way in a while and got to watch him show off some of the embedded projects he’s working on in his spare time.

After that Bob dropped me off at home and I went to bed. Defintely a great day spent with many great friends.

Thanks to everyone who came out :-D

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

Ever learn something that suddenly explains away most of the strangeness that occured previously? Well, Jante Law is that babelfish output. Simply fascinating.

We had friends from Sweden visit us no too long ago and I was always wondering what was going on inside their heads as they looked like they were having a difficult time understanding how/why I was acting, in general, like I normally do. Not that I’m the stereotypical loud-mouth Italian American, but I am very opinionated and at times stuborn (thick as a brick my Mother would say). I make waves.

And come to think of it now I can understand more how most of the Nordic people find the majority of the US unbelieveably obnoxious.

Perhaps cultures should come with disclamers, but then it’s not a culture’s responsibility to make the onlooker understand. Heh, but then I don’t think I would have acted any differently.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

I redid the MythTV install I had on R2D2 recently just so I could give Debian's unofficial packages a try and add another 80G disk. Myth installed in no time with Debian, but getting a custom kernel compiled, having it work correctly and getting custom kernel modules for LIRCD and nVidia was just as awful as I remember it from before. So it's back to Gentoo again.

This time around I also installed MythMusic and MythDVD instead of just MythVideo. I'm pretty impressed with MythMusic. It has some nice ambient visualizations that work with the music frequencies. MythDVD on the other hand… bleh. Featureless as far as I can tell. I need something that handles menus on DVDs. There are some DVDs in my collection that I can't watch through any of our computers or the PS/2 due to formatting problems and bugs. Remember when a VCR tape worked in ALL VCRs? Well, except BetaMax. But you get the idea.

 But anyways, Autumn has arrived. My favorite time of the year. The leaves here in PA are starting to change and weather is getting cooler. I'm one of the strange people that loves these gray, misty, cool and crisp days. I feel energized and excited for the days ahead. And the days ahead are going to be spectactular.

Originally published at Bevilacqua.us.

80 and 46 are my favorites.

http://ml.hoogerbrugge.com/