Occasionally, my MacBook Pro will get "stuck on mute"1 if I pull the headphones out too quickly. When you try to increase or decrease the volume, you see this:
When this happens a red LED shines out of the headphone jack:
With some clever Googling, I foundout that what is happening here is that the MacBook is stuck on digital optical out (that is, it thinks you have a fiber-optic line -- for high-fidelity output -- stuck in the laptop).
The frustrating thing is that when you open the Mac OS Sound preference pane, it simply confirms that it is stuck and won't let you change it to the normal speakers (called "Internal Speakers"):
The articles linked above explain that this appears to be due to some sort of stuck sensor in the headphone jack and that, most of the time, sticking a toothpick or matchstick in the headphone jack (or blowing with compressed air) can get it to reset itself.
However, I found a way to fix it without blowing or sticking anything in your heaphones jack (something you'll appreciate if you do want to use the thing for optical out!).
Here's what you do:
Plug your headphones back in.
Play a bit of sound through them (e.g., a song), then stop the sound.
Make sure Preferences is quit.
Launch Preferences and open the Sound pane.
While the Sound pane is open and set to Headphones, pull out the headphone plug from the jack.
It will reset itself to "Internal Speakers" and you are good to go.
My theory is that running the Sound preferences pane fresh does some sort of check on the sensors that clears this up. Others noted that you can launch Garage Band and this same check is performed and that can fix it too (but Garage Band is a seriously lame sound editing tool... I uninstalled it in favor of Amadeus Pro a long time ago).
1 (Technically, this isn't "mute" as that is just the volume icon with the indicator all they way greyed out whereas this one has the indicator at full audio but the speaker icon greyed out.)
I replaced my iPhone (2G) battery today, and it was much easier than I expected.
(Click on the image for more pics.)
Don't get me wrong: it is far from easy. However, with some patience, the proper tools, and a good technical grasp of the process and the skills involved, it's not as hard as it might first seem.
You'll need some additional tools, including a #00 philips head screwdriver and a dental pick. I don't recommend the metal spudger that iFixit uses; the two iPhone case opening tools that come with the battery and a dental pick are perfect.
You'll also, of course, need a soldering rig with solder iron, solder, desolder braid (or a vacuum pump), etc. and the smarts to use it well without making a mess.
Thoroughly study the iFixit tutorial and the Bleeding Edge TV video tutorial:
I used the Bleeding Edge's method for getting the case off but decided to be a bit more careful, like iFixit, with removing the old solder and soldering on new joints.
I think I've told the world... but, if you don't know, here it is again: Chelle and I are getting married in a few weeks via a civil ceremony at the NYC Marriage Bureau. Michelle's parents, Pat and Dave, will be there and we're all pretty damn excited... yes, despite the fact that we've been together for 10.5 years.
Anyway, I wanted to comment a bit on the NYC Marriage Bureau's wait time estimates. They're not ideal. When we got there we were issued a sweet ass ticket:
It has a timestamp (1:36pm) and our number, 143, is apparently the old pager code for "I love you" (thanks jo!).
Then the waiting began. When we first got there, the advertised wait time was 39 minutes. During that time, the wait time went down to as little as 15 minutes!
All in all, our number was called at 2:44pm, for a total wait time of 68 minutes. What the hell happened? I don't know. I think what happened is that the wait time is calculated as an instantaneous difference between the timestamps of the most recent two numbers to appear on the screen, and then the three values for the A, B, and C number pools are averaged. Why would I think that? Well, when started A113 was up on the screen and there were periods where the A numbers would pop up very quickly. During this time the wait time would go from, say, 53 minutes down to 15 minutes very quickly. Also, there were times where the B and C numbers didn't change at all and they stopped calling A numbers... and the aggregate wait time value would fall again.
Whatever they're doing, it would be more accurate to take the ticket from the customer, calculate the difference between the current time and the timestamp on their ticket, and use that quantity... rather than when the numbers show up on the screen.
We'll be waiting for probably 2 hours in our finest to get married here in a few weeks, so I'll just add 20% to the wait time and use that as a low bar!
Warning: This is a rap music blog post! It also contains frank discussion of sex, drugs and rap, hopefully from a somewhat academic perspective, so it's NSFW. If you come here for other stuff, usually, you might want to skip this post.
What is Jerkin'? I'm not exactly sure, and I hope by blogging a bit about it, I can get some input for the record from people involved in the scene. Here's what I know now, in abbreviated form. Probably the most mainstream Jerkin' song is the New Boyz' "You're a Jerk"; check their video out here. Clearly, Jerkin' is a style of music, a series of dance steps and some seriously flashy attire including bright colors, skinny jeans and skating and shit.
Anyway, on to the subject of this post: one thing that's fascinated me is the prevalence of female MCs in Jerkin'. There are a lot of them and these girls can spit furious. They easily hold their own, and then some, against the dudes. I react with enthusiasm to this just as I did with the Riot Grrrl genre (whether guys were invited to that party or not!); there's nothing like women blowing up a sausage fest scene, like hip-hop.
For the rest of this post, I'm going to throw up some samples of particularly good female Jerkin' tunes, verses and such. All of the full songs can be had over at Digital Dripped.
(Incidentally, I get the same visceral "Holy Shit!" reaction with Digital Dripped that many of us had with the original Napster. It seems just too good to be true. And it's encouraging to see tweets from Mikey where he says most of the contacts he gets from record labels are about putting tracks up and not taking them down. Anyway, on to the MCs...)
(I use a flash audio player below... so it might not show up on iPhone or Linux.)
Each of these MCs are smokin' hot. They spit over the fattest beats... definitely turn your speakers up! They do lyrical gymnastics of the highest quality. Be warned: Jerkin' lyrics talk quite frankly about sex... so, deal.
New Era -- Do It Now
This is a remarkable track by New Era. The beat is luscious; the hook is addictively clever and danceable and the verses are top-notch. The subject is pretty novel: she's talking about how much head she gets. She even goes as far as to shout out a list of guys that have done the deed for her. This is flipping the sexual energy around from typical hip-hop; Jerkin' itself can be highly sexual, but this is a woman boasting about her conquests. Superb.
"I get more mouth than a red letter"
New Era -- Dumb Bitch
It's hard for me to tell (living in Jersey and all, and being old and shit) but this appears to be a diss response track to a diss of New Era for boasting about liking to give head in the last track (or some other track). She makes the case that she's not ashamed of her oral sex skills and does so in a scathing manner.
"Cuz, um, if you ain't suckin' dick,
he got a side bitch
And, I can bet money on that one
me and my hubby get it poppin' like a cap gun"
Lala ft. Giddy -- Nymphomaniac
This track is almost too dirty to write about! It's a fast-paced romp using a lot of electric sounds and deep tonal bass. LaLa kills the first verse and Giddy ends it will an equally accomplished lyrical flourish. This is a simple but impressive and sonically large track.
"I'm a nymphomaniac, looking for a brainiac
to teach me a lesson, yup, simple as that.
I'm a nymphomaniac, looking for a brainiac
to show me how to work it, then run it back."
Yummy S Dot -- Get Buck (Remix)
Girls can be aggressive too, yo. This song is about not stepping down at the club when another girl is straight tripping out. Yummy S Dot is not adverse to throwing down... and her verses on this track emphasize her toughness over a heavy bass and electronic synth background.
"Bitch back that, before that ass gets slapped
'cause you hear 'pop! pop!' when the burner 'clap claps'!
Ho, I'm serious, you are delirious
If you think your man ain't know me, are you furious?"
Mz. E Baby -- So Fresh (ft. C-Coop)
This songs is purely copacetic... Mz. E Baby is a lyricist unparalleled in Jerkin', and Jay Star and New Era are about as close to her skills as it comes. This is a heavy hitting, musically minimal and lyrically insane track. E Baby shreds and shreds and just when you think she's killed it enough, the beat drops out and she's coming back 10 times harder.
"What I do, it gotta be right
When I do it, it gotta be tight
More icy than Gucci Mane
???
So Fresh, So Clean
From my head to my toes, I'm covered with bling
I'm hot, you not
now everybody run with me."
Fe Raw -- Fill It Up Snip
Then there's Fe Raw, another remarkable jerkin' female. Very laid-back flow that isn't the best in the verses but bad ass hooks. She has a bunch of other great tracks including "Boy, You Nasty" which is really a fun track.
"'Cuz I'm a bad bitch, badder than you'll ever fuck with
(juice?) in my cup, got me really fucked up
married to the mob, so I'm like, so what
(meet?) in the flow, fill it up"
Jayy Starr -- Raw Bitch
Jayy Star, like New Era and Mz. E Baby is one of my favorites. She is in the stratosphere in terms of lyrical quality. She claims she is a "raw bitch": She raps about how bad ass she is at rapping, how much money she makes and all the guys she can get. And she does this with one superb verse after another.
"Lil' daddy in my ear tryin' to holla
but I only speak money, an he ain't talkin' dollars"
"I swear I'm the realist
Starr spits sick more ill than the illest
dope like crack dealahs,
I'm not the best, what you talking 'bout, Wilis?"
"Stacks on deck, jewels on my neck
(bury?) incorrect, I get respect
cook them checks, goons on deck,
I'm so sex, jerkin', yes
I'm a raw bitch, raw bitch"
Asia Lynn -- Tip Toe
Finally, Asia Lynn throws down this track... and it sounds like the first verse is actually someone else rapping, but I can't figure out who. This is a minimal track and highlights Asia's lyrical style. She is obviously having a good time... in the club, smoking blunts, shaking her ass, making the other girls jealous.
"Tip Toe, when I step in the club
I'm a bad bitch, so these niggas show me love
These bitches steady hating, they some pigeons, I'm a dove
When they see Asia Lynn, it's alright, they know what's up"
Say you’re eager to be voting, on some candidates you’re doting,
While you’re waiting in the polling place this thought might give you pause...
Who was it who configgered, and maybe subtly jiggered
The machines that say who’s president and who will write our laws?
I hope they all mean kindly, but we needn’t trust them blindly,
Or cross our fingers hoping all that stuff will work just fine.
We won’t rely on vapor, we’ll let voters vote on paper,
Then some post-election audits can confirm the bottom line.
Friends, raise your joyful plaudits to post-election audits
Where we count some votes by hand to check the work of the machines.
It might sound esoteric, or tiresomely numeric
But democracy’s at stake, so let’s make sure those counts are clean.
Well, perhaps you run elections and you use the best protections
But some pesky voting activists, they will not be appeased...
If they seem unduly pensive, don’t get angry or defensive,
Some post-election audits will help put their minds at ease!
Brilliant experts work with vigor to implement due rigor
So results can be confirmed before the winners are announced
That negative exponential, it sure does have potential
And PPEBWR, it would too, if it could only be pronounced.
Let’s offer up our plaudits to post-election audits
It’s just plain common sense to check the count, to measure twice,
It strikes me as moronic to place faith in electronics
Y’know everything goes better when you use ten-sided dice.
Be you populist or wonky, be you elephant or donkey,
Green, Reform or independent, it matters not to me...
Let’s make vote verification America’s trendy destination
’Coz it’s democratic bedrock, and on that we can agree.
Yes, let’s sing ecstatic plaudits to our post-election audits
Where we count some votes by hand to see the facts in open sight
There’s no need to sit and wonder if the outcome was a blunder
When a post-election audit can ensure we get it right.
I voted today in the Jersey City Municipal Election.
I decided, as you can see, to wear my EKR-designed California Top-To-Bottom Review T-shirt. That may not have been the wisest decision; it made me a bit nervous. One pollworker remarked, "Love the shirt!", although I was pretty sure she meant the lolspeak and not the specific application thereof. When she said that to me, I thought, "Damn. The jig is up." and decided to vote as quickly as possible (so that they couldn't say I was messing with the machine). I was in and out of the voting booth in about 5 seconds (srsly).
In my haste, I forgot to vote for one of the at-large councilperson seats; I voted for 2 candidates instead of the allowed 3. Sigh. I didn't realize this until I was halfway home. So, Lori Serrano, you missed my vote today due to this mistake; I'm sorry.
Undervote notification -- where a voting system lets you know if you're ballot isn't complete -- is a good thing! (The Sequoia AVC Advantages that are used in Jersey City don't do this... or at least were not configured to do so.)
What do you do when you have tons of eggs and butter? Well, one option is eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce (which requires 7 eggs and 2 sticks of butter). Yum.
I can't tell you how many times I've tried different hollandaise recipes at home and come up short... mine either don't taste right or separate (it is an emulsion, after all). I finally found a recipe that rocks. (pictured with perftatoes 2.0)
Poached Eggs and Hollandaise
Ingredients (serves two):
Toast:
4 slices of good bread (~3/4" thick)
pat or two of salted butter
Hollandaise:
8 oz of unsalted butter (two big sticks)
3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp hot water
2 tsp lemon juice (you can go as high as 3 tsp, but I find that a bit too lemony)
pinch salt
pinch cayenne pepper
Eggs:
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp white vinegar
4 large eggs, each cracked into a small condiment cup
salt and black pepper
Directions:
Turn your oven's broiler on. Lightly butter one side of bread slices and place on foiled cookie sheet under broiler. Toast until just golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from broiler and set aside. (If you're making potatoes, you should make this toast before you start roasting the potatoes.)
In saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat.
Fill 8" to 10" skillet with water to about 1/2" from the top; add vinegar and tsp. salt and bring to boil over high heat.
In a small bowl, add egg yolks and whisk together until well incorporated. While whisking, add lemon juice, salt and cayenne.
Very slowly add butter and two tbsp. of water to egg mixture. Continue to whisk constantly. Add mixture back to saucepan and place on low heat. Whisk gently occasionally until it thickens, then be careful that it doesn't get too hot (or it will curdle or separate).
When you get a chance for a short breather while making the hollandaise, ask a friend to come over and help you drop the four eggs into the boiling water. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes depending on how done you want the eggs.
If you're adding cheese or bacon or spinach and mushrooms to your benedict, you should add that to the toast now and melt any cheese in the broiler.
Place two toasts on a plate. Remove eggs from water with slotted spoon, drain over water and place on toast. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add any side dish like potatoes. Spoon hollandaise over eggs in an amount according to diner's taste. Crack pepper over it all and serve.
“Rock ’n’ roll has absolutely nothing to do with music. It’s much more than music. Rock ’n’ roll is who you are. You can’t call the Cramps music. It’s noise, rockin’ noise.” --Lux Interior
How does one mourn the loss of a god?
Lux Interior, the 62 year-old frontman for The Cramps, died on Wednesday. He’s survived by the rest of the planet and Poison Ivy, his wife of 34 years and Cramps’ guitarist. The band site has gone black.
The NYT obituary is good... I think I can come to terms with “zombie rockabilly” although I really think they had a unique vision and expression that wasn’t so dependent on the specifics of music history.
Michelle’s favorite band is The Cramps. Our second date was to a Cramps show on 2 November 1997 (our ten year anniversary is in April). And I was pretty much in love after that show. The Demolition Doll Rods opened, and they sucked... mostly naked with skulls hanging from pasties; they couldn’t play their way out of a paper bag.
The second act, Guitar Wolf, was like nothing I had ever seen before, even having played death metal for a number of years in high school (I played drums with double bass). Guitar Wolf is a greasy trio from Japan that are each totally insane. They rock, hard... so hard, in fact, that the lead singer was kicked out of the club about halfway through their set!
Needless to say, I was pumped when The Cramps came on. They were a tight four-piece with a wicked hot guitarist, Poison Ivy, and an impossibly skinny singer, Lux Interior, who was wearing something that was impossibly tight. They played killer song after killer song... “I Was A Teenage Werewolf”, “Human Fly”, “Drug Train”, etc. Each song seemingly ten times better and more raw than the last.
We move to Berkeley for my graduate school and we saw The Cramps three more times, each on a Halloween evening in the 2000s. One of which the newly formed Eagles of Death Metal opened up... and, to everyone’s surprise, their drummer was none other than Josh Homme of Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age. After that amazing show, I was surprised to find Sarah Ellinger, a SIMS student and someone I mistakenly took for a timid soul, at the front of the stage basking in the rock.
Rest in Pumps, Lux.
UPDATE [2009-02-06T10:59:45]: OMFGWTF... Chelle just pointed me to this crazy recording of The Cramps live in California in 1978 at the Napa State Mental Hospital:
Via Mikey of 
Then there's 
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