diff options
66 files changed, 3067 insertions, 172 deletions
diff --git a/alabaster-lite/css/alabaster.css b/alabaster-lite/css/alabaster.css index f5ad007..2343205 100644 --- a/alabaster-lite/css/alabaster.css +++ b/alabaster-lite/css/alabaster.css @@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ dl dd { } blockquote { - margin: 0 0 0 30px; + margin: 0 0 0 10px; padding: 0; } @@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ pre { dl pre, blockquote pre, li pre { margin-left: 0; - padding-left: 30px; + padding-left: 10px; } dl dl pre { diff --git a/alabaster-lite/css/fkfd.css b/alabaster-lite/css/fkfd.css index 83e8715..16547d8 100644 --- a/alabaster-lite/css/fkfd.css +++ b/alabaster-lite/css/fkfd.css @@ -33,10 +33,25 @@ a:hover { color: #206b8b; } +a.headerlink { + color: #004b6b; + margin-left: 0.5em; +} + +a.headerlink:hover { + color: #206b8b; + background: none; +} + summary { color: #004b6b; } +blockquote { + padding-left: 20px; + border-left: 3px solid #656565; +} + @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { a { color: #a5c5ff; @@ -46,28 +61,21 @@ summary { color: #cddfff; } - summary { + a.headerlink { color: #a5c5ff; } -} - -a.headerlink { - color: #004b6b; - margin-left: 0.5em; -} -a.headerlink:hover { - color: #206b8b; - background: none; -} + a.headerlink:hover { + color: #cddfff; + } -@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { - a.headerlink { + summary { color: #a5c5ff; } - a.headerlink:hover { - color: #cddfff; + blockquote { + padding-left: 20px; + border-left: 3px solid #a5c5ff; } } @@ -157,7 +165,7 @@ div.footer a { /* * Custom home page for fkfd.me * Created on 2022-12-28 - * Last revision 2023-11-05 + * Last revision 2024-09-14 */ .category-block-container { @@ -244,34 +252,26 @@ div.footer a { margin-top: 20px; } +/* Category icons */ + #icon-projects { mask-image: url("../img/icons/projects.png"); -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/projects.png"); } +#icon-projects:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/projects-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/projects-hover.png"); +} + #icon-random { mask-image: url("../img/icons/random.png"); -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/random.png"); } -#icon-shitpost { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/shitpost.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/shitpost.png"); -} - -#icon-ta { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta.png"); -} - -#icon-ham { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham.png"); -} - -#icon-comics { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/comics.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/comics.png"); +#icon-random:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/random-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/random-hover.png"); } #icon-music { @@ -279,19 +279,24 @@ div.footer a { -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/music.png"); } +#icon-music:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/music-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/music-hover.png"); +} + #icon-umich { mask-image: url("../img/icons/umich.png"); -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/umich.png"); } -#icon-projects:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/projects-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/projects-hover.png"); +#icon-umich:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/umich-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/umich-hover.png"); } -#icon-random:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/random-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/random-hover.png"); +#icon-shitpost { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/shitpost.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/shitpost.png"); } #icon-shitpost:hover { @@ -299,45 +304,37 @@ div.footer a { -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/shitpost-hover.png"); } -#icon-ta:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta-hover.png"); -} - -#icon-ham:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham-hover.png"); +#icon-furry { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/furry.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/furry.png"); } -#icon-comics:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/comics-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/comics-hover.png"); +#icon-furry:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/furry-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/furry-hover.png"); } -#icon-music:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/music-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/music-hover.png"); +#icon-ta { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta.png"); } -#icon-umich:hover { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/umich-hover.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/umich-hover.png"); +#icon-ta:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ta-hover.png"); } -#icon-fediring-prev { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_prev.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_prev.png"); +#icon-ham { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham.png"); } -#icon-fediring { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring.png"); +#icon-ham:hover { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham-hover.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/ham-hover.png"); } -#icon-fediring-next { - mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_next.png"); - -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_next.png"); -} +/* Sidebar icons */ #icon-about { mask-image: url("../img/icons/about.png"); @@ -349,6 +346,11 @@ div.footer a { -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/feed.png"); } +#icon-jam { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/jam.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/jam.png"); +} + #icon-links { mask-image: url("../img/icons/links.png"); -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/links.png"); @@ -358,3 +360,23 @@ div.footer a { mask-image: url("../img/icons/x.png"); -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/x.png"); } + +#icon-comics { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/comics.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/comics.png"); +} + +#icon-fediring-prev { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_prev.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_prev.png"); +} + +#icon-fediring { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring.png"); +} + +#icon-fediring-next { + mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_next.png"); + -webkit-mask-image: url("../img/icons/fediring_next.png"); +} diff --git a/alabaster-lite/main.html b/alabaster-lite/main.html index ee56621..36b1662 100644 --- a/alabaster-lite/main.html +++ b/alabaster-lite/main.html @@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ {% if page.is_homepage %} <a hidden rel="me" href="https://eattherich.club/@fkfd">Mastodon</a> + <a hidden rel="me" href="https://furry.engineer/@mosfet">Mastodon</a> {% endif %} <!-- diff --git a/alabaster-lite/sidebars/links.html b/alabaster-lite/sidebars/links.html index f5129ac..192c68c 100644 --- a/alabaster-lite/sidebars/links.html +++ b/alabaster-lite/sidebars/links.html @@ -11,6 +11,12 @@ <span class="link-text">Atom Feed</span> </div> </a> + <a href="/jam/"> + <div class="link-block"> + <span class="link-icon" id="icon-jam"></span> + <span class="link-text">Jam</span> + </div> + </a> <a href="/links/"> <div class="link-block"> <span class="link-icon" id="icon-links"></span> @@ -23,6 +29,12 @@ <span class="link-text">~x</span> </div> </a> + <a href="/comics/"> + <div class="link-block"> + <span class="link-icon" id="icon-comics"></span> + <span class="link-text">Comics</span> + </div> + </a> </div> <div class="webring-block-container"> diff --git a/atom/atom.py b/atom/atom.py index b240378..65f77cb 100755 --- a/atom/atom.py +++ b/atom/atom.py @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import sys import json from urllib import parse as urlparse from bs4 import BeautifulSoup -from datetime import datetime +from datetime import datetime, UTC """ Unified Atom feed generator for fkfd.me and fkfd.me/comics. @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ BLOG_DIR = "/home/fkfd/p/blog" def utc_date() -> str: # UTC datetime: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ - return datetime.utcnow().replace(microsecond=0).isoformat() + "Z" + return datetime.now(UTC).replace(microsecond=0).isoformat() + "Z" def add_entry(entry: dict, dryrun=False): diff --git a/docs/about.md b/docs/about.md index 9d0b85c..675e55c 100644 --- a/docs/about.md +++ b/docs/about.md @@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ Indie artists I follow on Bandcamp: - [Mira](https://miraonthewall.bandcamp.com/) - [Joe Zempel](https://joezempel.bandcamp.com/) - [Billy Cobb](https://billycobb.bandcamp.com/) +- [bgm](https://bgmmusic.bandcamp.com/) +- [Scratch 21](https://scratch21.bandcamp.com/) That's about it. Stay hydrated, don't overclock yourself, and take care. @@ -111,4 +113,4 @@ On this blog, there will be: - no required JavaScript, if any - no ChatGPT-written articles -Last updated: 2024-02-09 +Last updated: 2024-10-02 diff --git a/docs/furry/a-furrys-manifesto.md b/docs/furry/a-furrys-manifesto.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..14021b6 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/a-furrys-manifesto.md @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ +# A Furry's Manifesto + +2024-09-22 + +## Preamble + +Furries are one of the most diverse communities. To say "I'm a furry" +conveys as much information as "I love animals" (for better or for worse). +I, as a new member of the furry community, feel the urge to make +a statement regarding my missions and principles. + +My opinions are my own, and do not represent the furry community, the +Anthro Art Association, or the University of Michigan. + +Please keep in mind that I have limited knowledge of the furry community +at the time of writing. This manifesto may contain factual errors or +outdated content. In the case of a suspected issue, please email me. + +## Missions + +My mission in the furry community is to create art, and to help fellow +furries create art. + +Furry, as a hobby, is an art at its core: something that (1) is +consciously made by humans, (2) expresses human ideas, and (3) can be +appreciated by humans. The most obvious forms of art that check all three +are fursuits and commissions. As of the time of writing, I'm incapable of +either. However they are by no means the only forms of art; I consider +this manifesto a piece of art, and there's nothing you can do about it. + +I'm also a fan of creating art through engineering. I'd be more than happy +to help you with PCBs. It would feel good to know that my efforts actually +helped someone create art, rather than whirring away in a lifeless +datacenter. + +## Acknowledgments + +I am incredibly privileged to partake in the furry fandom. My parents +have, with their hard-earned money, made every effort to provide for 15 +years of education and especially my UMich tuition. + +My Chinese ancestors fought for a nation free of colonialism. The US has, +at least, never let any missiles hit _itself_. + +Computer pioneers such as Ritchie, Stallman and Torvalds made it possible +for me to own a computer — even two — and run a free operating system. Tim +Berners-Lee et al. made the web happen, which, despite circumstances, are +still a net good. + +The LGBTQ community has normalized various forms of self-expression. Folks +at the UMich Anthro Art Association (AAA) are doing a good job fostering +an organized online community. + +There is no end to this list. This shall be a reminder to myself that none +of this would be possible without the effort of people around us. Be kind +and give back. + +## Anti-Consumerism + +Having stuff is good.<sup>[citation needed]</sup> However, I do realize +the danger of consumerism. Other than the obvious argument that money +doesn't grow on trees, my critique will focus on the philosophical +implications. + +My favorite MCR lyrics is this verse from +["DESTROYA"](https://genius.com/My-chemical-romance-destroya-lyrics): + +> If what you are +> Is just what you own +> What have you become +> When they take from you almost everything? + +which is incredibly fitting, since the album _Danger Days_ (2010) is +a warning against consumerism. If I decide that my (human) identity hinges +on ownership of a thing — my Squier bass, let's say — what do I become if +I lost it? + +You see, the Squier isn't part of my identity. What is though, is the +ability to play bass and my love of music, even if all the bass guitars +disappear from the Earth. + +I disapprove of superiority via wealth. To be clear: I do not mind that +you _own_ a Porsche. It would bother me, however, if you feel you're +somehow above people who don't. If I ever amass a fortune (unlikely), +I promise to never make a big deal out of it. + +## Sustainability + +I expect myself to sooner or later attend a furry convention. In the case +I live in Shanghai and the convention is in another Chinese city, I would +choose railway over air whenever possible, and to encourage my friends to +do so. However I recognize that, for conventions abroad, air travel is +inevitable. I am skeptical about the "carbon offset" option that airlines +offer, so instead I will fund some other organizations that I trust more. +Probably people who plant trees. + +## Generative AI + +To do art is to be human; generative AI can never do art in this sense. +I will not allow my art, in any form, to be used to train a generative AI +that pretends to make art. + +I will never use the output of a generative AI and claim it as my "art". +I may, however, use them for research, parody, or discussion. + +If I ever commission someone else, I will make sure, to the best of my +ability, that they do not enlist the help of generative AI. + +## Future amendments + +This manifesto is not exhaustive. There will mostly likely be amendments +to this manifesto. diff --git a/docs/furry/img/index/farc-china.jpg b/docs/furry/img/index/farc-china.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5dcc426 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/img/index/farc-china.jpg diff --git a/docs/furry/img/index/mosfet-ref-rev1.1.png b/docs/furry/img/index/mosfet-ref-rev1.1.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b2ed625 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/img/index/mosfet-ref-rev1.1.png diff --git a/docs/furry/img/index/mosfet64rev2-600.png b/docs/furry/img/index/mosfet64rev2-600.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..315d335 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/img/index/mosfet64rev2-600.png diff --git a/docs/furry/img/mosfet-an-interview/rix-poster.jpg b/docs/furry/img/mosfet-an-interview/rix-poster.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ebfd5ea --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/img/mosfet-an-interview/rix-poster.jpg diff --git a/docs/furry/index.md b/docs/furry/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..100ee3f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +# Furry + +I'm not even ashamed now, I'm a furry. Don't like it? Call 1-800-IMA-JERK. + +As of 2024-09-08, my fursona is Mosfet. + + + +This refsheet was drawn with my own two paws. + +<details markdown="1"> +<summary>Pixel art before I had a refsheet</summary> + +</details> + +## Mosfet lore + +- [Mosfet: An Interview](./mosfet-an-interview.md) + +## Literature + +- [The Two Travelers from + Metropolis](the-two-travelers-from-metropolis.md), a fairy tale + featuring my sona + +## Personal reflections + +- [A Furry's Manifesto](./a-furrys-manifesto.md) + +## Why + +Look. I use a kernel with an (unofficial) furry mascot. I use a DE with +a furry mascot. I listen to a band with a furry mascot. Do I really need +to keep going? + +In 2022 I wrote a post titled [I Respect +Furries](../random/i_respect_furries.md), which may be _an_ origin story. + +This photo may or may not have played a role: + + + +[Credit: Twitter user +@CaramelFox_](https://x.com/CaramelFox_/status/1406842426476711940) diff --git a/docs/furry/mosfet-an-interview.md b/docs/furry/mosfet-an-interview.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f47cf45 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/mosfet-an-interview.md @@ -0,0 +1,206 @@ +# Mosfet: An Interview + +2024-09-09 + +> Per responsible blogging practices, I am obligated to tell you that this +> is not an actual interview that happened. But for the following five +> minutes please pretend it did. + +> The depiction of Rix in this blogpost is fictional, and has been +> verbally approved by Rix. + +ANN ARBOR, MI — Frederick, a UMich student, recently declared himself +"furry" and unveiled his very first fursona, Mosfet, as a result of +a successful marketing campaign by the Anthro Art Association (AAA). + +Frederick is a senior student in computer engineering. His fursona — an +anthropomorphic animal alter ego, in furry-speak — is called Mosfet, a cat +with no specific duties. + +We reached out to Frederick and Mosfet for an interview. However, they +requested two separate sessions, quoting "no one has seen us in the same +room". + +## Interview with Mosfet + +Despite his introversion, we bribed Mosfet with an Airheads and managed to +arrange an interview. + +Q. Can you tell us how you were created, Mosfet? + +A. Well, I wasn't. A common misconception is that I was born the moment +Fred hit "Save". That's not true. Actually I've been around since 2022, +but Fred just seemed to be in denial until now. + +Q. What made him accept you as his fursona? + +A. I don't know (laughs). I just remember earlier this year when Fred +asked me if I was okay being a black cat. I said sure, I spent two years +as an amorphous blob of consciousness in his head like a hermit +\*\*\*\*ing crab, I'll take whatever you have. + +Q. Do you know why Frederick named you Mosfet? + +A. He's a \*\*\*\*ing nerd. It's unique, I like it. + +Q. Do you have any nicknames? + +A. Yeah, "Mos" is okay. + +Q. Does anyone ever call you "Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect +Transistor"? + +A. I'm impressed you said that in one breath, but no. + +Q. Any words of advice for other fursonas out there? + +A. If you're ever asked a question you'd rather not answer, you can just +act like a stupid kitty. + +Q. Wouldn't that be less effective for other species? + +A. Meow. + +Q. (Checks clock) Thank you, Mosfet, for being with us today, we greatly +appreciate. + +A. (Chewing Airheads) [unintelligible] + +## Interview with Frederick + +Compared to Mosfet, Frederick was more enthusiastic for an interview, but +still tried to fish some benefits out of us. We gifted him a $5 LCSC +coupon. + +Q. Frederick, we are very interested in your decision to become a furry. +Would you like to share your story? + +A. It wasn't my decision. It was entirely Rix's fault. + +(Clears throat) The story begins in August. I was chilling in Duderstadt, +first floor collab area, doing human things. Then I noticed a poster on +the wall. + + + +(Editor's note: we searched through Frederick's camera while he was in the +bathroom and found the poster he was talking about) + +I was like "holy \*\*\*\* no \*\*\*\*\*\*\* way that's a furry!!1!" As +I stepped closer, Rix's menacing stare penetrated into my soul. The slogan +goes, "I want YOU for the furry club", because you can always count on +Americans to come up with creative slogans after the WWI. + +Nevertheless, it worked. It was apparently a carefully orchestrated scheme +of mind control to make me furry, and with just a glimpse at the poster, +I've fallen right in their trap. + +In the next few days, Rix's curse took a grip hold of my life. I could not +stop thinking about furries: on the bus, in the classroom, even in bed; +into their paws I have commended my spirit. + +It was Wednesday when I lost all control of my body — I was a puppet, all +my bones and muscles held hostage by the furries — they pushed me aboard +a wicked wagon, the so-called Kommuter Sauth — it drove me to the +Zentralercampustransitszentrum, not far from which Festifall was held. + +I recognized him in an instant — he was more fluffy than the poster had +shown, and extremely cute — but the sweetest snout has the sharpest tooth, +for he hath rabies! He bit me right in my neck — next thing I knew, +I became a furry, for the furriotoxin has infiltrated my bloodstream. + +Q. Wait, what's furriotoxin? + +A. It's a toxin that makes you furry. Have you watched zombie movies? It's +like that. There is no cure. + +Q. (Sighs) You're making things up, Fred. + +A. Ask a biologist, it's a real thing. + +Q. …Fine. Could you spell "furriotoxin"? + +A. Furri with an i, o, toxin. + +Q. When did you hear about furries for the first time? + +A. In high school, while perusing the xkcd archive, I saw this comic about +furries pretending to be humans and another about someone with a squirrel +sona getting bullied. (Editor's note: [xkcd +629](https://www.xkcd.com/629/) and [xkcd 471](https://www.xkcd.com/471/)) +I was in China so I was like "OK that's an American thing then". + +Q. And how did you get into them? + +A. There was a time when I was really into cats, especially on the +internet. I still am. And then I developed a craving for Blåhaj, the IKEA +shark, so I bought one. + +Guess what's real popular among furries? Blåhaj _and_ cats. If you follow +these hashtags, you will, sooner or later, meet a furry. They posted +fursuits, commissions, conventions, big juicy succulent di— + +Q. Sir, this is a family-friendly publication. + +A. —nners! What the \*\*\*\* are you thinking about! + +Q. Sorry. Please go on. + +A. One really interesting sighting of a furry was on my high school new +year livestream. Dude was playing violin while his fursuit head was just +on the windowsill. I think he's in college now. But still, I never saw +a furry in real life for a long time. + +Q. When did you see the first furry then? + +A. It was September 2023 I think, I just got here and I was at a drag show +on Central Campus. There were two furries chilling around Angell Hall, +I was like "huh" and two months later on Halloween four furries popped +into the 370 classroom and I was like "HUH". Mark (editor's note: Dr. Mark +Brehob) grabbed a photo of them. There was Takio (editor's note: fursona +name) who showed up on Festifall as well. + +Q. Truly an inspiring story. Now that we've learned about you, let's talk +about Mosfet a little bit. What's his personality like? + +A. He's a menace to society. Rebellious, chaotic, but kinda stupid, +because sometimes ignorance is bliss. But on the other hand he's also very +emotional so I don't have to. He's got some, uh, insecurities. + +Q. Was it by design, or was it by accident? + +A. It's not really his fault. His biggest insecurity is being unloved, so +he tries very hard to prove himself even if he doesn't need to. Probably +got it from me back in the days. He's good enough, I'm proud of him. + +Q. (Checks clock) I think we're running out of time, so let's do a rapid +fire round. Are you planning to get a fursuit? + +A. Not any time soon, \*\*\*\*'s too expensive. + +Q. Name three things Mosfet likes. + +A. Salmon, heavy metal, cuddles. + +Q. Three things he hates? + +A. Sparkling water, roller coasters, gym class. + +Q. His favorite band? + +A. System Of A Down. + +Q. That tracks. Next question: Did you watch _Zootopia_? + +A. Yes. + +Q. Did Nick Wilde influence you in any way? + +A. No comment. + +Q. Well, Frederick, thank you for being with us today and sharing so much +about you and Mosfet. + +A. And thank you for having me. diff --git a/docs/furry/the-two-travelers-from-metropolis.md b/docs/furry/the-two-travelers-from-metropolis.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0aa42f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/furry/the-two-travelers-from-metropolis.md @@ -0,0 +1,136 @@ +# The Two Travelers from Metropolis + +2024-10-13 + +> Context: Last semester I took Prof. Laura Okkema's [GERMAN +> 386](../umich/w24_fairy.md). She then invited me to her creative writing +> workshop, and this week we're working on fairy tales. So while we're at +> it, why not write a furry tale? + +Once upon a time, there was a gray wolf called Leon and a black cat called +Mos who, after years of living in the metropolis they were born in, +decided it was not for them. They wandered the land in search for a place +that would accept them, and that’s where they would live. As the sun +touched the horizon they finally arrived at a city, where they were +greeted by an old bear. + +“Welcome, visitors! Say, your clothes look dashing!” Indeed, they were +made of fabric weaved only in the metropolis. + +“Thank you sir,” replied Mos. “Could you show us the way to a hotel? Leon +and I need a good night’s rest.” + +“You see, gentlemen, I own the inn right there; it is a good place to get +some peace.” As they walked down the street, no one could look away from +the travelers’ clothes. They wanted to know what other treasure the +travelers have brought along. Leon and Mos were flattered, and promised +they would share them with everyone. But they could hardly keep their +eyelids up, so they retired to their room and fell asleep. + +As the bell tower struck twelve, a shadow unlatched the travelers’ door. +He pinched Mos by the back of his neck so he could not move, then tied +Leon’s snout shut so he could not bite. Both of them felt a sharp blow on +the back of their heads, and the next thing they knew, they were stripped +naked and thrown into the river. The ice cold water washed them +downstream, until a fallen trunk caught them just outside of the city +walls. + +“Those robbers took our clothes and luggage,” Leon waved his fist. “You +cursed dog, our blood shall cry out for vengeance!” + +“They tried to take our lives as well; I’m just glad we’re both alive. +Let’s dry ourselves, and find somewhere to sleep.” + +Clearly the city wouldn’t accept them. Leon and Mos must find another +place. + +In the morning, they were surprised to find their bag caught by the trunk, +but the valuables had been removed. All that’s left was some plain +clothes, which they put on immediately. They abandoned the bag before they +set out again. + +Just as the sun lost its glow to the distant hills, the two travelers came +across a town. The mayor, a spotted cheetah, welcomed them to her house, +where she had invited a couple guests. The travelers didn’t seem any +different in their plain clothing. + +“Say, dear travelers, what do you think of our town?” asked a middle-aged +fox, wearing a cook’s hat. + +“Oh, it is lovely!” replied Leon. “Except I notice many houses in bad +condition, while the mayor’s seems new. Mos, don’t you agree?” + +“Yes, I believe the citizens deserve better housing.” + +The atmosphere grew intense as the mayor laid down her fork. “Well, young +travelers from the metropolis, don’t you find it condescending? The king +orders his servants to do charity, while he does not spare a penny.” + +“Your words have offended our beloved mayor and us citizens,” the fox +remarked as he forced a cup of poisoned wine down their throat. The +travelers soon laid on the floor. + +As Mos woke up in the morning, he was shocked to find that he had lost his +voice. Leon, too, was trying to howl in vain. They rushed outside, only to +be ignored by the townsfolk like ghosts. They ran as fast as they could, +until the town was out of sight. + +Clearly the town wouldn’t accept them. Leon and Mos must find another +place. + +As the clouds cleared up for the milky way, they found a wooden bridge +that led to a village. The villagers paced back and forth, weeping and +calling for help. + +“Oh heaven help us now!” A lion cried out, “The sudden high tides have +stranded our poor baby in the middle of the river!” Indeed, there was +a frightened lion cub sitting on the highest branch of a tree, swaying in +the wind. No one in the village could both swim and climb, but Mos could. + +Without saying a word, he jumped into the rapid current followed by Leon. +They barely made it to the tree. + +Swiftly, Mos ascended the trunk. His fur and clothes were dripping, but +that did not bother him. With night vision he located the lion cub with +ease. He extended his arm, but it was too far to reach. He laid his entire +body on the branch, but it snapped under the weight. + +The cub fell in Leon’s arms safe and sound, but Mos dove headfirst into +the water. Terror seized Leon’s heart, but he had to transport the cub to +safety first. He held it above his head, inhaled deeply, and began +swimming upstream. + +Mos awoke in Leon’s arms, completely dry and surrounded by villagers. The +villagers asked them where they traveled from and what they wanted as +a reward, but they could not speak. All they could do was gesture vaguely +at the town and their throats. The lion understood them, and reemerged +with a potion, of which Mos and Leon both took a sip. They felt a tingling +in their throat, and in no time they could once again speak. + +“We are lost, and we don’t have a penny,” plead Mos, “but all we humbly +ask is a night’s stay.” + +“We are forever in your debt,” exclaimed the lion. “If you so wish, you +could stay here forever.” + +Clearly the village has accepted them. Leon and Mos were too young to find +out how long is forever, but for now, they are home. + +## Trivia + +I, by definition, cannot write a folktale, so this is more like +a [Kunstmärchen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fairy_tale). The +species do not carry any hidden meaning whatsoever; we don’t have +stereotypes of sly foxes and dumb bunnies. The genders of characters, +apart from Leon and Mos, are arbitrarily assigned. + +Like the Grimms, I cranked up the knob labeled “violence” in later +revisions. Originally, the story only had one traveler. Leon was added +because I genuinely felt bad for the shit Mos went through. The stripping +part was inspired by the classic “Clothing = Power” equation. I could have +not thrown them into the river, but I did it anyway because I wanted to. + +The sentence “You cursed dog, our blood shall cry out for vengeance!” is +hands down the funniest one in the KHM. (Use caution; “The Three Black +Princesses” is racist af.) After six months of not knowing what to do with +it, I’m glad to use it where it belongs. diff --git a/docs/img/icons/about.png b/docs/img/icons/about.png Binary files differindex 4043190..a476840 100644 --- a/docs/img/icons/about.png +++ b/docs/img/icons/about.png diff --git a/docs/img/icons/comics-hover.png b/docs/img/icons/comics-hover.png Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dab498e..0000000 --- a/docs/img/icons/comics-hover.png +++ /dev/null diff --git a/docs/img/icons/comics.png b/docs/img/icons/comics.png Binary files differindex 03a9904..dab498e 100644 --- a/docs/img/icons/comics.png +++ b/docs/img/icons/comics.png diff --git a/docs/img/icons/furry-hover.png b/docs/img/icons/furry-hover.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..76433ac --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/img/icons/furry-hover.png diff --git a/docs/img/icons/furry.png b/docs/img/icons/furry.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d1432df --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/img/icons/furry.png diff --git a/docs/img/icons/icons.kra b/docs/img/icons/icons.kra Binary files differindex 4fff115..14b505e 100644 --- a/docs/img/icons/icons.kra +++ b/docs/img/icons/icons.kra diff --git a/docs/img/icons/jam.png b/docs/img/icons/jam.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8d2d99e --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/img/icons/jam.png diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md index 18515c3..4ee292c 100644 --- a/docs/index.md +++ b/docs/index.md @@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ title: Home <span class="category-text">Shitpost</span> </div> </a> - <a href="comics/"> + <a href="furry/"> <div class="category-block"> - <span class="category-icon" id="icon-comics"></span> - <span class="category-text">Comics</span> + <span class="category-icon" id="icon-furry"></span> + <span class="category-text">Furry</span> </div> </a> <a href="ta/"> diff --git a/docs/music/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb.md b/docs/music/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e3c7e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb.md @@ -0,0 +1,280 @@ +# At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb + +"At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb" (ATR hereafter) is the second-to-last track +on twenty one pilots' 2024 record, _Clancy_. I've discussed it in [Review +of _Clancy_ (2024)](clancy_review.md) that it + +>Starts off like circus music, but I feel it's the most serious song on +>the record. It tells you to check on your friends' mental health, no +>matter what they say — even at the risk of feeling dumb. + +>It's also the track that "sounds like them" and "feels like them". They +>spread a message, like "Neon Gravestones". The strongest track, and +>energetic as well. + +So naturally given the comically long summer break, I am gonna cover it. +From scratch. + +The goal of this cover is not to reproduce the original; instead, I opted +to be more creative with sounds and arrangement. + +While you read, you can open my [Faircamp](/jam) in a new tab and hit +play. + +## What's in the song? + +Oh boy. + +Since it's from scratch, I could not reuse stems or sample the original. +This endeavor ended up being my most complicated audio project ever. There +are 52 tracks. Fifty-two. Ardour lags as I scroll up and down. + +A synopsis: + +- Synths: lead, 4 pads, vibraphone, harp, high-pitched hum +- Drums: 808, Black Pearl (plugin), and a real snare drum +- Vocals: main, falsetto, lofi, tenor, and rap +- Autotune for each pitched vocal track +- Ukulele: some with fuzz effects +- Bass, where one track is shifted one octave up to emulate guitar +- Samples: see below + +### Samples + +I had to be creative with household items. + +- 0:00 - Cassette player +- 0:21 - Vernier calipers +- 0:22 - Spray bottle +- 0:55 - 2.54mm pin headers sliding against edge of table +- 0:56 - Ziploc of CR2032 battery holders (sounds like sleighbells) +- 2:12 - Two pencils +- 2:24 - Nitrile glove + +## Timeline + +I recorded ATR over 13 studio sessions (in my bedroom) in total. Eleven +were in the first half of June. Then I procrastinated two weeks. Then +I picked up where I left in early July. + +Rather unconventionally, I recorded the track one part at a time, rather +than laying out a complete backing track before vocals. When I was +recording Chorus 2, for example, everything following that was blank. +Thus, I had no idea where I was going. I came up with most of the creative +ideas halfway. + +Notable inspirations: + +- The intro is sung along to tøp's "Friend, Please" (which carries the + same message as ATR) +- "Nude" by Radiohead inspired the slap-like, one-octave-up bassline you + hear in Chorus 2 thru 4 +- Original Verse is a commentary on _Clancy_'s track listing +- I yanked the last bar of drums from "Levitate" + +## Technical details + +### Chord progression + +Really simple song in terms of chord progression. Everything is G-Em-Bm-D +except the post-chorus where it's G-Em-Bm-A-D. Turned out challenging as +I had to improvise rhythmically to make the same chords interesting over +and over again. + +### Mic rig + +Mom bought a phone tripod with a swing arm. The threaded hole on the phone +clip is identical to that on the mic holder, so naturally, up it went. No +more stacking boxes under the short-ass mic stand. + +I had no windshield so I improvised with a napkin wrapped around the wire +mesh tied with a rubber band. Can't keep out the hard P's though, so I had +to automate the fader. + +### Balanced cable + +I bought a balanced XLR cable to replace the XLR-quarter inch cable my mic +came with. The noise disappeared like the money in my wallet. 5/5 would +buy again. + +### Drums + +I used three drum kits in a single song. + +OK, one of them is a single snare drum I practiced on when I was 12. +Played with Trench-era Josh Dun drumsticks. You can hear it in Chorus +2 and Post-Chorus 1. I did not record the rest on the drum, because my +neighbor might complain. + +One day I was cleaning out some junk at my late great-grandparents' house +when I found my old electronic drumkit. I brought home the console, the +snare drum, and all the cables. With some hackery involving a MIDI-to-USB +adaptor I was able to record drums with real drumsticks. But I did not +because the drum pads worked just fine. + +The Black Pearl kit was a late addition. Before that, I used a built-in +kit, but the snare lacked punch, and the crash is just not wet enough. +Luckily, I have a few drumkits installed for unknown reasons, and this +Black Pearl kit blew my mind. + +### Pedal + +There's a pair of pedal switches (cost like 10 CNY each) I bought back in +2019 for a kinetic game I made (which didn't work, btw). So I soldered the +wires to a cable with a quarter inch tip-ring plug so that the contacts +short when I stomp it. It functions as a sustain pedal for my keyboard and +hihat open-close control for the drum kit. Neither turned out useful but +they sound cool. + +### Ukulele + +Didn't have the money to buy a condenser mic so it is what it is. + +### EQ & compressor + +I recorded the kick, snare, hihat and other cymbals on separate tracks so +they have different EQs. I used "Calf Equalizer 5 Band". The kick is +lowpassed and sidechained to many other tracks (such as bass) to compress +them so they don't muddle the 60 Hz range. + +### Autotune + +Yes, my vocals are autotuned. The plugin is "x42-Autotune". To avoid +sounding like an unnamed rap star, I had to keep the correction ratio +below 0.6. For each group of pitched vocal tracks singing the same melody, +I have a MIDI track for the autotune plugin to refer to. + +Sometimes I sing off-key so bad I have to do another take. And sometimes +the autotune overreacts so I have an automation track to taper down the +correction ratio temporarily. + +### Cassette player + +The click and whirr you hear at the beginning are a real AKAI cassette +player. I wish it worked. If it worked, I could have run my vocals through +an aux cable on tape and played it back to achieve physical lo-fi. + +### Album cover + +I reused assets from the recent reflow workshop 2. The color scheme is +inspired by _Clancy_ itself, and the title typesetting is inspired by +Radiohead's _In Rainbows_ (2007). The smoke is [a photo by Tigerzeng on +Wikimedia +Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Candle_smoke_structure_1.jpg). + +## Tools used + +### Software + +- Ardour: arrangement, recording, production +- Helm: synths +- Calf: plugins +- Black Pearl Drumkit: plugin +- Guitarix: plugins +- x42: plugins +- Krita: album cover +- Inkscape: album cover + +### Hardware + +- Interface: Behringer UMC22 +- Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M20x +- Keyboard: AKAI MPK mini play +- Mic: Shure PGA48 +- Bass: Ibanez GSR200 +- Ukulele: second-hand "Nalu", model unknown +- Drumsticks: Zildjian Josh Dun "Trench" artist series +- Snare drum: Majestic AK14D + +## Lyrics + +Yanked from Genius. Differences: + +- Added Intro +- I keep saying "on my lowest" instead of "at my lowest" +- Added Original Verse +- Numbered Choruses and Post-Choruses +- Minute changes in backing vocals + +[Intro] +I don't want anyone to drop anything for me + +[Chorus 1] +I don't want anyone, know me or not +See me [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop, drop, drop Don't have to +drop by Nothin' you can do this time I don't want anyone, know me or not +See me [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop Drop, drop, drop anything +for me Just keep your plans, I hope that you never have to drop + +[Verse 1] +Used to be you and me, matching Kawasaki Zs +Ride around 270 in Kawasaki tees +Two fighter jets matching energy +Trying to forget that we're in ejection seats + +[Pre‐Chorus] +So please, keep it in mind +Check on your friends +Every once in a while +Even if they say + +[Chorus 2] +I don't want anyone, know me or not +See mе [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop, drop, drop +Don't have to drop by +Nothin' you can do this timе +I don't want anyone, know me or not +See me [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop +Drop, drop, drop anything for me +Just keep your plans, I hope that you never have to drop +(Drop, drop, drop) + +[Post-Chorus 1] +At the risk of feelin' dumb, check in +It's not worth the risk of losin' a friend +Even if they say +"Just keep your plans, I hope that you never have to drop" + +[Original Verse] +I can read your mind man, where is Tyler's verse man? +Chill, let me have some words of my own man +The new record, it's called Clancy +On a scale of Trench, I'd say that it's a ninety +Can't forgive The Craving so close to Lavish +Your eyes are steamin' up? Here comes a colonoscopy +Upbeat (yeah), down thoughts (nah), guess it's called tradition +Thank you for your patience, program resumes shortly + +[Verse 2] +If I'm bein' real, man, don't know how I feel, man +'Bout you sleepin' so close to a weapon you conceal, man +Those night terrors are not somethin' to take lightly +I know that it's a risk sayin' this, don't fight me +(Stoppin' me, fight me) +(Stoppin' me, fight me) +(Stoppin' me, fight me) + +[Chorus 3] +I don't want anyone, know me or not +See me [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop, drop, drop +Don't have to drop by +Nothin' you can do this time +I don't want anyone, know me or not +See me [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop +(Drop, drop, drop) Anything for me +(Stopping me, stopping me, stopping me) +Just keep your plans, I hope that you never have to drop + +[Post-Chorus 2] +At the risk of feelin' dumb, check in +It's not worth the risk of losin' a friend +Even if they say +"Just keep your plans, I hope that you never have to drop" + +[Chorus 4] +I don't want anyone, know me or not +See me [on] my lowest, you don't have to drop +Drop, drop, drop anything +For me + +[Outro] diff --git a/docs/music/clancy-tour.md b/docs/music/clancy-tour.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd9d675 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/clancy-tour.md @@ -0,0 +1,283 @@ +# Clancy Tour + +2024-10-10 + +This is my wallpaper right now: + + + +I've had twenty one pilots-inspired wallpapers in the past, but this one +is different — I took it myself. + +Last Sunday, on 2024-09-29, I went to Detroit to see the boys on Clancy +Tour. It was a magical night for sure. I've been waiting for this night +since April — no, since 2021. + +Let's first begin with the D2A2 bus. + +## Blake Transit Center + +I arrived at the bus station at 16:00. Laura has been waiting there. I met +her weeks ago, and we made plans how to get there, what to do in Detroit, +and how to come back. We had planned to visit a museum, but all museums +close on Sunday evenings, so we opted for the Concrete Pyramid instead. + +At least a quarter of the bus wore some form of merch or tape. I am not +a merch person, because I would rather spend the money on more music. Just +as I was wondering if I could connect with a few more frens, someone +tapped my shoulder. She is Marisa, whose Scaled And Icy shirt gave away +her identity. "Are you going to the show?" she asked. I removed my jacket +to reveal the red tape on my shoulders and replied, "what do you think?" + +Laura and I invited her to tour Detroit with us. + +## Detroit + +As we set foot on Detroit, we opened the map to look for the Pyramid, but +first, a bathroom break at a Dunkin Donuts, and a meal at Potbelly. Marisa +showed us her crocheted balaclava and disposable film camera, and I shared +my "EAST IS UP" stickers. + + + +Canada was on the other side of Detroit River. As we walked along the +bank, we joked how the General Motors towers looked like those in Dema, +and that the new record is essentially about Clancy escaping to Canada. + +The Concrete Pyramid is Not Impressive™. It's just a spiral that converges +at the center, which is no taller than three meters. Nevertheless, we +walked up like children would, because it is not about the pyramid, it's +about the time spent together. + +We grew bored of the pyramid very soon, and it's time to go to Little +Caesars Arena (LCA). We walked to the QLINE station, and boarded the tram +free of charge. From a distance we recognized the boys on the LED +billboard across the road. + +The ticket person guided me to the wristband table. I promised to take +photos to send Laura and Marisa, before I entered the pit. + +However, the lady wouldn't let me in with my spool of red tape, so I left +it at the sink in the men's bathroom: + + + +By the time I came back again, it was gone, but since I bought it +specifically for the show at a negligible cost, it has served its purpose. + +## In the pit + + + +A person was wearing a badge that says "it's my birthday!", so I said +"happy birthday". + +I arrived just in time for Balu Brigada to start playing. They're the +opening band for the night, and they nailed it. They thank us, they leave. +The crew came and removed their set. + +Suddenly at some point, the crowd began doing a wave. It goes clockwise in +a circle, until a robotic voice came on the PA: "What's your ETA?" + +"Two minutes!" yelled the crowd in unison. + +Two minutes pass, and — + +Piano chords. Synth. Diese kleine unheimliche Insel hat mich zu einer +Waffe gemacht. Wir glauben beide — + +Then French, then Spanish, then Josh, as the curtain drops to the floor. + +## Show begins + +The show kicks off with _Clancy_'s opening track, "Overcompensate". That's +when I took the wallpaper photo. + + +Notable events during each track (Link to [setlist on +setlist.fm](https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/twenty-one-pilots/2024/little-caesars-arena-detroit-mi-7babaaac.html)): + +### Main stage + +- HOTY: after six years I finally saw Josh's backflip in person + + + +- Vignette: Tyler's synth noodling +- Car Radio: magic track where Tyler gets "transported" to the mezzanine +- Judge: fan video +- Craving: big sad i cried +- TIMH: not much +- Backslide: Tyler sitting on a chair Shinji-style + + + +- Shy Away: Josh playing drumpads +- Heathens: Josh's drum solo +- Next Semester: not much +- Routines: Tyler literally yoinked a chair from backstage and decided to + sit ~2m next to me + + + +### B stage + +- Addict/Migraine/Forest/Fall Away: old fans rejoice! Tyler still + remembers RaB! +- Mulberry Street: we took turns shining our flashlight in the chorus. + Also, Josh walked past me as well + + + +### Back to main stage + +- Navigating: not much +- NATN: The Dema towers at the back of the stage +- Heavydirtysoul: I could literally feel the pyro heating my face + + + +- My Blood: not much +- Oldies: Tyler's last line was improvised to shoutout his daughter: + "She's in the crowd… and I love her. I love you Rosie!" and I cried + again +- Fake: Tyler played keytar +- Guns: not much +- Lavish: Tyler & Josh had a "mock wedding" where they walked arm in arm, + and Josh threw his jersey like a bouquet to a lucky person in the crowd +- Ride: they invited a girl named Evelyn up on the stage to sing the + chorus. By the time the song stops, everyone was chanting "E-VE-LYN" +- Paladin: Josh playing the keyboard _and_ singing + +### Encore + +After the one-minute bird chirping and Nico jumpscare, the final part of +the show began. + +- Jumpsuit: pyro and confetti (I caught some in a plastic Kroger bag) +- Midwest: everyone yelling at the top of their lungs "2 MINUTES!!" +- Stressed Out: completely reworked backing track, much cooler +- Trees: HELLOOOO(HEY)OWO (HEY) HELLOOO(HEY)OOOO (HEY) HELLOOOOOO(HEY)OWO + (HEY) HELLOOOO(HEY)OOOOOO (HEY) (more confetti) + + + +"We are twenty øne piløts and so are you. We'll see you next time, +please." + +The moment I checked the timestamps, I realized the crew timed the show to +the precision of one second: the last image I took was exactly 23:00:00. + +## After the show + +I had a small amount of confetti, but that's not enough. As I was exiting +the pit, I grabbed a handful on the floor, which is hopefully enough to +share with Laura and Marisa. I stash some in a ziploc (I came _prepared_). + +A man in a green shirt with the Blurryface-era logo saw my Michigan Pride +shirt, said "Go Blue", and then gave me a hug. It was the first hug +I received since I said goodbye to my parents at the airport. + +I walked up the stairs to ground level, filled up my water bottle and +started drinking. Laura found me and I gave her the ziploc of confetti. It +is now time to head home. + +We carpooled with an acquaintance of mine and his dad, hurtling down the +highways onto the brightly lit Ann Arbor streets. After dropping Laura +off, I let out a sigh of relief, as it is finally over. The driver turned +back to send me home — just like he did on 2024-09-04, when he drove me +back from Green Day. I paid him $50, which I split with Laura, and then he +gave me another bottle of water. + +## Total cost + +- Ticket: 187.1 (service fee & tax included) +- D2A2: 6 +- Potbelly: 10.59 +- Carpool: 25 +- Total: 228.69 + +## Comments on the show + +The boys did a great job as always — there was never a dull moment. They +held themselves to such high standards only they can reach. _The_ major +breakthrough compared to all previous tours, I would argue, is Josh's new +roles. He used to only do two things, drumming and backflips. Now he plays +the keyboard and sings, skills he's been gaining since MTV Unplugged. Josh +once said that, out of the 21 pilots he'd be 5 and Tyler would be 16, but +I believe now he's at least 8. Call that personal growth. I'm really glad +that the band is growing increasingly versatile as a whole. + +Only complaint I have is the lack of At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb. Even if +it's played from tape at the end of the show. Like come on. + +It feels surreal to me that what was once a dream is now a reality; the +person who I used to see through a strand of fiber optic cable now stands +before my very eyes. + +## Comments on the crowd + +The whole arena was extremely enthusiastic. You can just tell from the +crowd wave. The pit was not too crowded, and generally well-behaved. + +However, some people tried to touch (pet?) Tyler and Josh without consent, +which is generally frowned upon. I raised my palm in an attempt to get +a high five. That did not happen, which is bummer, but at least I did not +cross anyone's boundaries. I also noticed plastic cups littered on the +floor during the transition from main stage to B stage. Probably +unintentional. + +At 21:16, around 30 minutes into the show, some dude on my right yelled +"Tyler have my baby". No comment. + +## Comments on myself + +A professor once said their life philosophy was to behave in a way that +you would be proud of yourself afterwards. I am proud to announce that +this describes me that night. + +I am pretty confident that I have obtained the Good Concert Goer's +License. + +## Monday + +I woke up at 09:30 with a slight feeling of hangover. Still can't believe +I checked off one of the most important items on my wishlist. + +I walked into a classroom and had the following conversation with my +professor: + +> Me: Sorry I'm a bit tired. Got home at 1. + +> Prof: Oh I got home 12:30. Was at a show. + +> Me: Which show? + +> Prof: twenty one pilots. + +> Me: Fuck me I was there too! + +It turns out my professor was at the show per her kids' request, as +a birthday present. They were seated in the center front seats, and her +elder kid has been a clikkie since the Vessel era. We then spent ~20 +minutes discussing the show (she knew as much lore as I do), and I gave +her two of my EAST IS UP stickers for her kids. + +## Wednesday + +After the German class, I sneaked into Laura Okkema's (my German professor +last year, not the Laura I went to the show with) office and shared with +her the videos I took with a visible grin of achievement. We had a long +chat. It's always a good day when I chat with her. + +At 10:30 I met Marisa at the MLB and gave her a bag of confetti. And thus +my mission is complete. diff --git a/docs/music/clancy_review.md b/docs/music/clancy_review.md index d4f95d4..1cd10a7 100644 --- a/docs/music/clancy_review.md +++ b/docs/music/clancy_review.md @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ # Review of _Clancy_ (2024) -Last Updated 2024-03-31 +Last Updated 2024-06-17 ## Overcompensate @@ -109,3 +109,396 @@ obscene margin. I hope they die. Here's hoping my luck works out on April 2. I hope it's less than $100, but at this point it's not really about cost. + +## Brief intermission: end of semester + +So I guess I wrote this on 2024-03-31: + +> - Despite probably intended to resonate with students, it did not +> resonate with me because I'm doing pretty ok this semester and am not +> contemplating suicide no thank you will check back when i need it + +This did not age well. + +Later on, the triplet of EECS courses nearly killed me (see [Winter 2024 +wrapup](../umich/w24_wrapup.md)). It's the most "Next Semester" moment, as +this line repeated in my head: + +> Can't change what you've done +> Start fresh next semester + +## Backslide + +Oddly poppy. Lots of Asian influences. Like the flutes in the verses and +zither-like riff at the end. The zither, as Paul Meany revealed, was +actually a chopped-up sample of the muted piano in another WIP track. He +nailed the feel though. + +Musically, there was nothing remarkable. Lyrically, there was nothing +remarkable. Apparently the title "Backslide" has biblical origins, but +I couldn't care less. What I assume it means is a relapse into some old +bad habits. + +In a line Tyler discussed how he regretted making "Saturday" on _Scaled +And Icy_ (2021). Back then he described it as a "bop" (it is). Poppiest +song on the record, climax of chill-ness. I do not know the reason why he +regrets it now, nor do I care. Artists change their minds, and set +different standards, and I'm the victim of the inferiority complex that +interferes with my music making. + +Last year I made a song, [This Song Will Uncure Your +Depression](uncure-your-depression.md). I never listen to it. The +unhealthy tendency to compare my work to those produced in a studio has +made it very hard for me to appreciate my own music. Because I made it, +I know how far it is from what I wished it sounds like. + +I wish some day I could be proud of a song I made. + +The selling point of the song is its MV. Josh Dun directed it. It's part +of the plan to shoot one MV for each one of the songs, set to be released +on the same day of the album, which was a late decision that postponed the +release date by a week. + +I bet the boys are having fun coming up with all sorts of crazy shit. In +"Backslide", Tyler bought bread buns, ate some, traded one for a cup of +lemonade, littered all over the street while riding a bicycle, and got +showered in rain and leaves. When he got home, Josh was grilling beef as +Tyler dumped the bag of soggy bread on the pavement. + +He is a menace to society. + +## The Craving (Single Version) + +Love song for Jenna. Watched the MV but not sure who directed it. + +Tyler strummed a few spicy chords on the ukulele, which reminds me of the +"Trees" performance on the variety stream for Vessel's 10th anniversary. + +Josh's drums, on the contrary, is always upbeat in Shy Away style. I was +expecting a half-speed meter drop where the snare hits every other fourth +instead of eighth, but it never happened. He just balling. + +Apparently people are already spotting _Clancy_ in record stores who did +not remember the postponed release date. Good for them. + +The reason behind the postponed date may have been Billie Eilish's _Hit Me +Hard And Soft_. + +Tangent: If I had a nickel every time an artist stylizes track titles in +all caps and mentions the French word "vie", I'd have two. + +## Album dropped! + +On 2024-05-24, the first thing I saw when I opened YouTube was the +official audio for "Paladin Strait". I checked further, and all 13 tracks +dropped. Living in UTC+8, I was hours ahead of the America folk. + +But then I remembered that the music videos weren't out yet. So I waited +until 11:45 when they began a music video premiere stream. I watched every +one of them, although internet was kinda wacky and some were glitchy. + +So, what's new? + +## Track-by-track + +### Midwest Indigo + +Another school-themed song about going home over winter break. I can +confirm that winters in the midwest are, indeed, cold. The music video +features Tyler skating on a frozen lake while playing bass. Josh, as +usual, drums, also on the lake. I love how Tyler had to sit on the cargo +bed of the pickup truck because Josh is in the cabin with his dog Jim in +the passenger seat. + +The synth is chiptune-ish. Vessel-like. + +The drums are _fast_. I tapped on my metronome, and the backbeat (snare +hit) comes at 116 bpm — even faster than "Shy Away" (96 bpm). It might be +the fastest song in terms of drums, until I counted "We Don't Believe +What's On T.V." (120 bpm). + +### Routines In The Night + +Despite some fans' speculation that the song was about Jenna and Tyler's +"routines", it's actually about bad dreams. I've had dreams where I killed +my grandfather by accident and then I died, so it's relatable. + +The piano outro reminds of me "Serendipity" by Vincent Rubinetti, from +_The Music of 3Blue1Brown_. + +The music video features Tyler and Josh roaming around in a house and +performing in random rooms. They literally moved Josh's drums everywhere. + +### Vignette + +Finally, tøp wrote a song about zombies. I thought this was a MCR thing. + +The "crash cymbal + kick four times" thing reminds me of "Whatsername" by +Green Day. + +Tyler's falsetto is amazing. The synth solo might be better if it was +Tyler shredding his guitar, but I like the way it is given how cheesy and +cliché guitar solos can sound. + +No idea why Tyler felt the necessity to comment "denial" after "no no not +me it's for a friend". It might be he's aware that he's in denial. + +The video features Tyler sketching out Josh's face on the snow. Josh, as +usual, drums. + +### The Craving (Jenna's Version) + +The night before the album dropped, I had an unpleasant conversation with +my parents, in which they talked about the struggles of maintaining their +marriage, and it involved an outbreak of emotions. This conversation +totally changed the vibe of the song. + +The difference between Jenna's version and single version is that this one +is acoustic, just Tyler and his baritone ukulele. And that made it even +sadder. That also makes it the first completely drumless track since +"Truce", the ending track on _Vessel_ (2013), or the third of all time. + +The video for the single version is Tyler decorating a bullet and Josh +carving a wooden box for the bullet. They present them to a guy with +a rifle, who misses the flying target. It's about work and devotion ending +up in waste, which has a lot in common with my mom's words. + +Jenna's version is just clips of her and Tyler on Josh's phone, taken over +the years, probably before they had children. + +The most sentimental track on the record. + +### Lavish + +"The Craving" sets a sensitive, mellow mood, and "Lavish" totally kills +it. It is rumored that every band has at least one song about a luxurious +lifestyle (cue P!ATD). + +If you showed me the lyrics I'd be like, nah, no way it's tøp. Like what +the fuck. These lines got me like 💀💀💀 + +> Keep it cool, keep the mood androgynous +> I see your problem is your proctologist +> Got both hands on your shoulder while you're bottomless + +This song has nothing to do with the lore. No way the bishops had +a proctologist… + +The video features the bois riding around town dressed in suits in a limo. +I guess some dreams came true? + + + +### Navigating + +Finally we know what's the sound at the beginning of the "Next Semester" +video. The track sounds like retropop. The bridge acknowledges that +everybody dies, which made me ponder for a while. + +Similar to "Routines In The Night", Tyler is "navigating his head". I find +it interesting that he used this metaphor twice. + +The video is the one of the only two (except possibly Paladin Strait, +we'll see) in lore. In a typical configuration, Tyler plays bass and Josh +drums in front of a fire. + +### Snap Back + +I'm sorry, but this is the weak track of the album. The meaning is clear +though. It's about breaking a streak and losing progress, and references +backslide. It's pessimistic. + +It's the third time Tyler got a haircut in a music video ("Car Radio" and +"Levitate" being the first two) and honestly he looks better before the +haircut. Also, I can't really tell if he's clothed underneath his barber +gown. + +### Oldies Station + +It starts off like a happy commercial jingle, but the chorus and bridge +hit hard. The track is about "pushing on through" depression and +hardships. It's like a response to "Snap Back", only more optimistic. + + + +It's the second time Josh was coerced into forced labor for a video shoot. +He had to constantly carry PVC pipes to keep the camera rig rolling on +a plank for the video, and this one is thus his least favorite. The camera +guy ended up falling down a cliff, and Josh just… drums over his dead +body?? + +### At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb + +Starts off like circus music, but I feel it's the most serious song on the +record. It tells you to check on your friends' mental health, no matter +what they say — even at the risk of feeling dumb. + +It's also the track that "sounds like them" and "feels like them". They +spread a message, like "Neon Gravestones". The strongest track, and +energetic as well. + +The video features Josh drumming in the most random places. The album +features Josh drumming in random places, sure, but out of 21 that +I counted, this video has six (the last six): + + + +One of my favorites. + +### Paladin Strait + +Paladin Strait is a fictional place in the Dema lore. If you cross it, you +reach freedom. + +I expected a gentle drumbeat that gradually rises into the climax, just +like the closing track "Leave The City" from _Trench_ (2018), but it was +upbeat and "Level Of Concern"-like. However, it only lasted two sections +before the drums stopped, before catching on at a slower meter. Epic is +the only word I had in mind. It reminds me of their closing track on +shows, "Trees". + +This is the longest song they have ever made, lasting 6:28, although one +minute was just bird noises. (Even longer than "Taco Bell Saga" on Tyler's +solo project, _No Phun Intended_ (2008).) Not gonna spoil the song, but +the plot twist at the end was bone chilling. + +## Overall + +_Clancy_ took elements from all the records they've made, yet sounds +different from any of them. The departure is real. + +### Song structure + +All the songs have a clear hook, and most have an "above-ground", +danceable feel to it, as opposed to the deep, repressed, underground +_Trench_ sound. It feels like Clancy is finally out, free, chilling with +the banditos. + +Out of 13 songs, 5 begin with the chorus, which is supposed to be +a reasonable amount compared to 4 out of 14 from _Trench_, but I just +don't feel this way. I feel _Clancy_ has a much stronger emphasis on the +hook, or motifs, in every song. The good thing is they're coherent and +short, and might get more radio time. The bad thing is the lack of +structural diversity. + +Notable "diverse" tracks on _Trench_: + +- "Levitate" is just nonstop rapping +- "Chlorine" has an extra slower section at the end + +Notable "diverse" tracks on _Clancy_: + +- "Overcompensate" has long intro and interpolates "Bandito" +- "Paladin Strait" is made up of two parts + +I was hoping for time changes and tempo changes, but all I got is a time +change in "Overcompensate". "Oldies Station" seems to feature mixed 2/4 +and 4/4 in the chorus though. Sadly, no odd time signatures. + +### Sounds + +Compared to prior albums, _Clancy_ is very heavy on synth; the dominant +example is the synth solo on "Vignette". I can imagine Paul Meany working +day and night on these. As usual, Paul pulled an awesome job. When I saw +his name in the "Producer" field I knew it can't be bad. + +There was no crazy bass work that I know of, but that's fine. I can hardly +hear any guitar; did Tyler even play it after SAI? + +### Lyrics + +Another difference is their lyrics; it all started with Tyler's "Adidas +track jacket". Tyler's gotten a lot more confident in bringing up specific +brands, like Dom Pérignon and Kawasaki. It might be a hip hop reference, +and I don't believe it suggests that tøp has grown more materialistic. +Also I'm still not over the proctologist line how did it happen 💀 + +_Clancy_ has very few explicitly in-lore tracks (Overcompensate, Paladin +Strait, and if you count the MV, then Navigating), compared to _Trench_ +(Jumpsuit, Levitate, Morph, Neon Gravestones, NATN, Bandito, Leave The +City). Makes sense since it's been 6 years since _Trench_ and you can only +make up so many stories about nine bishops and their wacky religion. + +### Track listing + +I will die on this hill: swap "Vignette" and "The Craving". "The Craving" +does not belong with "Lavish". You're at the verge of tears, guess what? +Here's a song about banquets, champagne, and a dick up your bum. This is +the single worst mistake. + +On the plus side, I'm glad Tyler chose Jenna's version in favor of the +single. Also, "Oldies Station" right after "Snap Back" is a nice touch. + +### Tier list + +Here's a ranking of all 13 tracks, based on my scale. The standards are +extremely high (or every song is S or A). + +- S tier: Overcompensate, At The Risk +- A tier: Paladin Strait, The Craving, Oldies Station +- B tier: Next Semester, Backslide, Midwest, Routines, Vignette, + Navigating +- C tier: Lavish, Snap Back + +For reference, here's a ranking of some other songs on the same standard: + +- S tier: Morph, Car Radio, Ode To Sleep +- A tier: My Blood, House Of Gold, Choker +- B tier: The Hype, Guns For Hands, Message Man +- C tier: Cut My Lip, Mulberry Street, Fake You Out + +## Verdict + +Rock sounds with hip hop and punk influences. Lyrics are more of personal +introspection than there is lore. Unfortunately, _Clancy_ did not surpass +_Trench_, but it's a close contender. But as my music taste shifts, this +might change. + +On a scale of _Trench_, I'd say _Clancy_ is 90% _Trench_. + +## Update: Alt tracklist + +So, a couple days after the release, the band announced a special edition +of the album called Digital Remains, which is a digital bundle with a PDF +containing promotional images and working drafts of lyrics. On one of the +images, an alternative tracklist can be seen: + + + +The tracklist is as follows: + +1. Overcompensate +2. Next Semester +3. Backslide +4. Navigating +5. Routines In The Night +6. The Craving +7. Midwest Indigo +8. Lavish +9. Vignette +10. At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb +11. Snap Back +12. Oldies Station +13. Paladin Strait + +With "Midwest Indigo" between "The Craving" and "Lavish", it eliminates +the greatest flaw of the album. I created a playlist in this order, and it +did sound better. + +## Trivia + +Similarities between "Paladin Strait" and "Taco Bell Saga": + +- Over six minutes long +- Has a reprise +- Contains the phrase "put … where my mouth is" (TB Saga: "I put my + chalupas where my mouth is"; Paladin: "Put my money where my mouth is") diff --git a/docs/music/diag.md b/docs/music/diag.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..95d1d25 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/diag.md @@ -0,0 +1,127 @@ +# Diag (Fedivision 2024) + +2024-05-19 + +If you're reading this, chances are you're listening to my Fedivision 2024 +entry, "Diag", representing the Sacred Municipality of Deez Nuts. Thank +you! + +If not: + +<audio controls src="https://fkfd.me/static/Diag.mp3"></audio> + +## Inspiration / motivation + +### Music + +As you may know, I am musically illiterate. I didn't compose "Diag" with +a chord progression in mind. Heck, I don't even know what key this song is +in. I just pressed random keys until it worked. + +Most of the instruments were synthesized with Helm and Geonkick. For the +pitched instruments like the slightly wobbly piano, I played with presets +and turned knobs until I got a sound I like. Drums and SFX were made from +scratch. + +The working title of "Diag" is "fedivision scratch 2". It used to be +"fedivision scratch 1" but Ardour crashed around the time I finished my +instrumental track and corrupted my file so I scavenged the session folder +and pieced it back together. It was around 50 midi files. + +I'd describe the song as pretty simple, 2 minutes and 14 seconds, common +time at 120 bpm, driven by a kick every beat. There isn't even a snare. +This is inspired by Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place". Turns out +you don't need a drum set to sound great. + +I had intended to make a super convoluted prog-rock-ish song with a dozen +tempo and time changes, but I never found the right sounds. Maybe next +year? + +### Lyrics + +After a sweaty ride downtown, the first line ("Pharmacy, neon lights…") +came to me in the shower. It has some Bill Wurtz vibes, which I find +poetic. For the rest of the lyrics I chose a few things that I saw that +day, plus some that I didn't because they sound cool. + +Among the things I saw was the encampment that the TAHRIR coalition set up +in protest of UMich's investment in defense companies that produce +genocide weapons. They've occupied the diag, and they're not leaving until +the university divests. Weeks prior, the principal condemned the +protesters for "disrupting" commencement activities. Same guy who refused +to divest. + +Sometimes you feel guilty just to be alive. I have to pay my tuition +despite all this evil shit; I have to travel by air (this year I flew five +times); I have to use plastics. Last semester I took a course on +sustainable engineering, and it made it worse. + +Now that I've lost hope in corporations, governments, and whoever signed +the Paris Agreement, there's not much I can do. I could become a vegan, +never fly again, and bring my own cup, but it's like bailing a boat with +a bamboo basket. You can bet your ass I'm not the one responsible for the +mess. Best I can do is to survive, and not make it worse, and probably +teach my children to do the same. + +## Production + +All the work was done in Ardour, except de-noising the vocals, which was +done with sox. + +I sampled "B_MIN01_EU_FN_BEN01_104.wav" from [the CatMeows +dataset](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67835-7_20) that I wisely +downloaded three years ago. + +## Tools used + +### Software + +- [Ardour](https://ardour.org): composition, recording, production +- [Helm](https://tytel.org/helm/) (hands down the prettiest plugin I've + ever seen) +- [Geonkick](https://geonkick.org/index.html) +- [SoX](https://sourceforge.net/projects/sox/): de-noising +- [Krita](https://krita.org/): album cover + +### Hardware + +- Interface: Behringer UMC22 +- Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M20x +- Keyboard: AKAI MPK mini play +- Mic: Shure PGA48 +- Tablet: Wacom CTH-490 + +## Lyrics + +[Verse 1] +Pharmacy, neon lights, red cross, big signs +Corner store, overpass and lines +Motorbike, car horn, bus stop +Plastic wrap, tip jar, pesticide + +Chewing gum, bubble tea, take out dine in +Stencil spray, red blue green tape +I believe you're not to blame +I believe you're not to + +[Verse 2] +The only place in the world that I don't hate +Is my bed when my clock strikes eight +Past ten, gimme two more, might check again +Another day goes to waste, I don't care + +Bring it back, I want to be entertained +Just to laugh at the feline impulse to be constrained +Four walls, plus two, take one, that's a well +For us to live in as pennies fell + +(You can blame me for everything +But you know what you did) + +[Repeat Verse 1] + +## Trivia + +- "Sacred Municipality of Deez Nuts" is a play on the "Sacred Municipality + of Dema", a fictional city created by twenty øne piløts for their 2018 + album _Trench_. diff --git a/docs/music/how_i_got_into_music.md b/docs/music/how_i_got_into_music.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..03b24d2 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/how_i_got_into_music.md @@ -0,0 +1,100 @@ +# How I got into music + +I used to play: + +- drums + +Now I play: + +- bass +- ukulele +- a midi keyboard, if you even consider it an instrument + +## Early childhood + +I was not raised a music person. As a young kid I had near zero exposure +to formal music education. We would listen to Mandopop and Cantopop, and +mom would hum tunes while she did dishes, but that was it. + +There was once my parents picked up a 88-key keyboard for me at our local +supermarket in hope I might amount to something. I never did. Sorry mom +and dad :( + +## Drums & percussion + +In sixth grade I joined a brass and woodwind band as a percussionist (that +was before I wore braces; the conductor looked at my teeth and said +"nyeh"). For most of my band career I was in charge of the bass drum and +the drum kit, but I did learn the timpani a lil bit. My favorite +performance however was Takarajima, where I played the agogo (the soul of +this musical number, despite being just one bar over and over again). + +As a side effect, a disadvantage I had to all the other band kids was that +I can't really read pitch, only rhythm. I did not know what a Bb minor +was. + +## Ukulele + +Fast forward to 2021. The summer I graduated high school, I decided to +challenge myself to learn ukulele. My father got one secondhand for me. It +turned out you only need a tiny set of "easy" chords to get started. You +can sing in other keys with a capo. And if that doesn't work, the song +probably isn't made for the ukulele anyway. + +On my mom's birthday I sang her "House Of Gold". It remains my favorite +song to play on ukulele. + +## Bass + +The uke sounds pretty, sure, but I'm afraid my hands are too fat to press +adjacent frets (like D and Dm), and especially bar chords (B, Bm, etc). My +setlist effectively stopped expanding as of 2022. + +So near the end of winter break, early 2023, I took the other extreme and +invested in a bass (known in guitar world as long boi). It is a red Ibanez +GSR200 PJ bass, the only model that'll ship in 3 days. The date of arrival +is 2023-02-02. + + + +I learned most of my songs from [Rod +Nieder](https://www.youtube.com/@rodnieder). + +However only less than a week later I found out I was somehow admitted +into UMich. Afraid that the airline might wreck it, I decided not to take +it with me across the ocean. Instead, I bought a Squier that costs about +the same. (I know it makes no real difference, but I kinda prefer the +Telecaster-style headstock that has all pegs on one side.) + + + +## Keyboard + +Without a ukulele I couldn't record melodic sections. So I turned to +synths and samples in a DAW, such as LMMS and Ardour. At first I drew +notes with the mouse, but it soon proved slow and tiresome. It was also +too determinstic to be artistic. So in the final days of winter break, +January 2024, I looked on ebay for a MIDI keyboard. + +There were six keyboards on sale, and I placed a bid on probably three of +them. All of them were outbid soon. I was especially eyeing on an AKAI MPK +mini, a two-octave keyboard with eight drumpads and four knobs, and +I don't want the price to go crazy high. So I waited. + +Five minutes before the auction closed, I checked back on the price tag, +and it was $16.50. Tentatively, I bid 17. Moments later some bot bid 17.5. + +One minute before closing, I bid 18. Same bot outbid me again. + +Five _seconds_ before closing, I bid something like 19, and the next thing +I know is I won. But when I checked, my bid was 21.5. ebay apparently +helped me outbid the one who bid 21 by two seconds. It was only one second +before the auction closed. + + + +With a bit of channel/note mapping, it works flawlessly with Linux. diff --git a/docs/music/img/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb/cover.png b/docs/music/img/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb/cover.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..77a2935 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/img/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb/cover.png diff --git a/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/east-is-up.png b/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/east-is-up.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d8ebfb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/east-is-up.png diff --git a/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/free-tape.jpg b/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/free-tape.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9806633 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/free-tape.jpg diff --git a/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/josh-backflip.jpg b/docs/music/img/clancy-tour/josh-backflip.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ec9f07f --- 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/dev/null +++ b/docs/music/img/radiohead_discog_review/happy_baby.jpg diff --git a/docs/music/index.md b/docs/music/index.md index 58cddb2..67db426 100644 --- a/docs/music/index.md +++ b/docs/music/index.md @@ -1,76 +1,27 @@ # Music -I used to play: +For the curious, I wrote [how I got into +music](./how_i_got_into_music.md). -- drums - -Now I play: - -- bass -- ukulele -- a midi keyboard, if you even consider it an instrument - -<details markdown="1"> - -<summary>Click to expand infodump on how I got into music</summary> - -I was not raised a music person. As a young kid I had near zero exposure -to formal music education. We would listen to Mandopop and Cantopop, and -mom would hum tunes while she did dishes, but that was it. - -There was once my parents picked up a 88-key keyboard for me at our local -supermarket in hope I might amount to something. I never did. Sorry mom -and dad :( - -In sixth grade I joined a brass band as a percussionist (that was before -I wore braces; the conductor looked at my teeth and said "nyeh"). For most -of my band career I was in charge of the bass drum and the drum kit, but -I did learn the timpani and a lil bit. My favorite performance however was -Takarajima, where I played the agogo (the soul of this musical number, -despite being just one bar over and over again). - -As a side effect, a disadvantage I had to all the other band kids was that -I can't really read pitch, only rhythm. I did not know what a Bb minor -was. - -Fast forward to 2021. The summer I graduated high school, I decided to -challenge myself to learn ukulele. My father got one secondhand for me. It -turned out you only need a tiny set of "easy" chords to get started. You -can sing in other keys with a capo. And if that doesn't work, the song -probably isn't made for the ukulele anyway. - -On my mom's birthday I sang her "House Of Gold". It remains my favorite -song to play on ukulele. - -The uke sounds pretty, sure, but I'm afraid my hands are too fat to press -adjacent frets (like D and Dm), and especially bar chords (B, Bm, etc). My -setlist effectively stopped expanding as of 2022. - -So near the end of winter break, early 2023, I took the other extreme and -invested in a bass (known in guitar world as long boi). It is a red Ibanez -GSR200 PJ bass, the only model that'll ship in 3 days. The date of arrival -is 2023-02-02. +## My music - +I release music on [my self-hosted Faircamp](/jam/). Sometimes I write +a blogpost about it below. -I learned most of my songs from [Rod -Nieder](https://www.youtube.com/@rodnieder). +### [At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb](at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb.md) -However only less than a week later I found out I was somehow admitted -into UMich. Afraid that the airline might wreck it, I decided not to take -it with me across the ocean. Instead, I will buy a Squier that costs about -the same. (I know it makes no real difference, but I kinda prefer the -Telecaster-style headstock that has all pegs on one side.) + - +twenty one pilots cover made from scratch. -</details> +### [Diag](diag.md) -## My music + -Here is a list of music I made, most recent first. +My entry to [Fedivision 2024](https://fedivision.party/) representing the +Sacred Municipality of Deez Nuts. ### [This Song Will Uncure Your Depression](uncure-your-depression.md) @@ -81,11 +32,6 @@ beige](img/uncure-your-depression/album-cover.jpg) My first attempt at actual composition. Involves synthesized equipments, bass, rapping, singing, and samples. -### Choker - -I recorded this with my friend Ryan in August 2023 but I haven't got -around to writing a blogpost - ### [Early Sunsets Over Monroeville](early-sunsets-over-monroeville.md)  @@ -99,3 +45,5 @@ is an acoustic cover of "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville". - [Playlist to put on on my deathbed](deathbed_playlist.md) - [How I Discover a Band](band_discovery.md) - [Review of _Clancy_](clancy_review.md) +- [Review of Radiohead discography](radiohead_discog_review.md) +- [Clancy Tour](clancy-tour.md) diff --git a/docs/music/radiohead_discog_review.md b/docs/music/radiohead_discog_review.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7ef4dc0 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/music/radiohead_discog_review.md @@ -0,0 +1,157 @@ +# Review of Radiohead Discography + +Last updated 2024-09-22 + +I got into Radiohead, a band with three decades of history, this January, +due to a shitpost youtube video, as discussed in [How I Discover +a Band](./band_discovery.md). + +In this post I will review every Radiohead album I listened to, in the +order of discovery. + +## The Bends + +Guitar album, excellent dynamics. The energy pulses up and down throughout +the album to keep you from boredom or fatigue. + +Compared to other guitar acts I listen to such as MCR or Linkin Park, +Radiohead wins in music theory, most notably in the use of unconventional +chords, while still being accessible to the average music enjoyer. + +Fav tracks: Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, My Iron Lung, Street +Spirit + +Trivia: the opening tracks remind me of that one afternoon I put on The +Bends and took a nap on the couch on 2F of Duderstadt until the 482 +lecture. + +Misheard lyrics: "Ah — this is killing me" sounds to me like "Cool — she's +gay" + +## Kid A + +So electronic you wouldn't believe it's the same Radiohead. Hardly any +guitar. Known as the "greatest left turn in music history". The opener has +got an entrancing vibe (and is also in 10/4), and everything after that is +just so esoteric. + +- Kid A: vocoded vocals +- The National Anthem: J A Z Z +- How to Disappear Completely: polyrhythm bassline, is about dissociation +- Treefingers: instrumental, sounds synth-ish but is actually guitar +- Optimistic: the least esoteric song on the record, but still +- In Limbo: listening to the song makes me in limbo +- Idioteque: samples early computer music "Mild und Leise" +- Morning Bell: 5/4 +- Motion Picture Soundtrack: harp +- Hidden track: whatever it is + +It's an album best listened to alone on headphones. + +Fav tracks: Everything, Anthem, Disappear, Idioteque + +Least fav: In Limbo + +## OK Computer + +Middle ground between The Bends and Kid A. Guitar and electronic. +Definitely great, but I didn't like it (as an album) as much as either. +First off, the album cover is whack. Iconic but not something I want to +decorate my room with. + +Also, personally, the second half of the album (Fitter Happer — The +Tourist) is not exciting. It's just sad. But "No Surprises" is good. + +Tracks worth attention: + +- Airbag: fat bass +- Paranoid Android: Three keys, two time signatures. Magnum opus of music + theory. +- Let Down: underrated. Happens to be my fav song to sing in showers when + I was let down by life and logistics in the US. + +Fav: Paranoid Android, Let Down + +Trivia: whenever Thom sings "interstellar burst, I'm back to save the +universe", this image pops into my head for some reason: + + + +## OKNOTOK + +Kind of a B side compilation reissued in 2017. + +Fav: Lift + +## Amnesiac + +Sequel to Kid A, somehow being more and less accessible at the same time. + +Fav: Pyramid Song, Life In a Glasshouse + +## In Rainbows + +Really mature in terms of everything. My only complaint is "House Of +Cards" is too long. It's not even the best song on the album. + +Remarkable things: + +- 15 Step: 5/4 +- Bodysnatchers: clipping guitar at the beginning, but it's satire on the + loudness war +- Nude: one-octave-apart style bassline, angelic singing +- Weird Fishes: just chill in general +- Jigsaw Falling Into Place: probably Radiohead's happiest song to date +- Videotape: nvm, we sad again + +Overall it's solid as a rock. Not a single bad song made it in here. +I don't even need to skip the "meh" songs. + +Fav: 15 Step, Nude, Weird Fishes, Videotape + +## Hail To The Thief + +Political album. Personally not a fan, because nothing's changed in 20 +years. Musically, I'll be brutal: it's just a bunch of noise. Except +a select few tracks: 2+2=5, Sail To The Moon, "There, There", +Scatterbrain, A Wolf At The Door. + +In other words, HTTT is still growing on me. + +Thom seems to be doing the thing where he repeatedly sings a line along +the chords, using his voice as an instrument. Examples: + +- 2+2=5: "Paying attention" +- Sit Down. Stand up: "The raindrops" +- Where I End And You Begin: "I will eat you alive" +- The Gloaming: "They should be ringing" + +First time it's novel, second time it's acceptable, third time it's +boring. Not a fan. It also drags the album slow (56 minutes). Radiohead +learned the mistake and shortened their followup (In Rainbows). + +Fav: 2+2=5, There, Scatterbrain, Wolf + +## A Moon Shaped Pool + +The heartbreak album. I listen to it when I want to feel miserable. + +Fav: Daydreaming, Ful Stop, Identikit + +## The King Of Limbs + +I like the second half better (Lotus Flower — Separator). + +- The instrumentation and chord progression on "Codex" sound like twenty + one pilots on MTV Unplugged. They should cover it. + +Fav: Codex, Separator + +## Pablo Honey + +Notorious for "Creep" and the MTV Beach House incident. Still good. Opener +surprised me with a 6+6+6+5/8 time signature. + +Growing. diff --git a/docs/music/uncure-your-depression.md b/docs/music/uncure-your-depression.md index f5c8930..d0cc1f2 100644 --- a/docs/music/uncure-your-depression.md +++ b/docs/music/uncure-your-depression.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Download The Song (still haven't settled on which CC license) - [.ogg, 2.6 MiB](https://fkfd.me/static/Frederick%20Yin%20-%20This%20Song%20Will%20Uncure%20Your%20Depression.ogg) -- [.wav, 16 bit, 48 kHz, 36.7 MiB](https://fkfd.me/static/Frederick%20Yin%20-%20This%20Song%20Will%20Uncure%20Your%20Depression.ogg) +- [.wav, 16 bit, 48 kHz, 36.7 MiB](https://fkfd.me/static/Frederick%20Yin%20-%20This%20Song%20Will%20Uncure%20Your%20Depression.wav) ## Motivation diff --git a/docs/random/i_respect_furries.md b/docs/random/i_respect_furries.md index 7026146..184ecca 100644 --- a/docs/random/i_respect_furries.md +++ b/docs/random/i_respect_furries.md @@ -36,3 +36,14 @@ harmful, such as owning a fucking gun. I bet millions of non-furry people call them weirdos. But I think what they represent is the fraction of society who are just different, no more no less. I like things that are different. Ipso facto, I respect furries. + +## Errata + +> As of 2022, I am not a furry. (Paragraph 1) + +As of 2024-09-01, I am a furry. + +> A minimum of one fursuit is a must (Paragraph 3) + +The more inclusive definition of "furries" now include anyone interested +in anthropomorphic animals, regardless of fursuit ownership. diff --git a/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/anthro.jpg b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/anthro.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..14db666 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/anthro.jpg diff --git a/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/badgepress.png b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/badgepress.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b74bc9c --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/badgepress.png diff --git a/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/eecsistential_crisis.png b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/eecsistential_crisis.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..acf625b --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/eecsistential_crisis.png diff --git a/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/reflow.jpg b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/reflow.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7e2ae2a --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/random/img/summer_2024_wrapup/reflow.jpg diff --git a/docs/random/index.md b/docs/random/index.md index 34cf6b7..cdff764 100644 --- a/docs/random/index.md +++ b/docs/random/index.md @@ -21,3 +21,4 @@ Nevertheless, occasionally I leave a permanent trace along the way. - [2 Bugs 1 Day](2bugs1day.md) - [Shenzhen I/O Game Review](shenzhen_io_review.md) - [2024-04-05](2024-04-05.md) +- [Summer 2024 Wrapup](summer_2024_wrapup.md) diff --git a/docs/random/life_goals.md b/docs/random/life_goals.md index f3fd937..99888c5 100644 --- a/docs/random/life_goals.md +++ b/docs/random/life_goals.md @@ -1,39 +1,32 @@ # My Life Goals -Last updated 2023-11-05 +Last updated 2024-08-25 -My life sucks. That's why I constantly think about dying. Don't worry, -I won't do it *right* now, but it's a prudent act to list out all the -things I want to try before I do. And when I've tried them, I cross them -out. - -These may be unrealistic but I don't give an imaginary shit. I might -remove some if I please. I might, at one point, go "screw it" and abandon -the list altogether. Future Me is unpredictable. +Or alternatively titled "Things To Do Before I Die". There's some cross-referencing among the items, so I've added labels in __boldface__ and/or dependencies (dep) in parentheses where necessary. ## Art -- <s>Learn bass</s> (__bass__) (learning it right now) +- <s>Learn bass</s> (__bass__) (playing bass right now) - Get enough vocal training to not sound terrible - Learn basic music theory -- <s>Record a song</s> I covered [Early Sunsets Over - Monroeville](../music/early-sunsets-over-monroeville.md) by My Chemical - Romance and wrote [This Song Will Uncure Your - Depression](../music/uncure-your-depression.md) +- <s>Record a song</s> I made [plenty of music and published + them](https://fkfd.me/jam/) - Start playing drums again (__drum__) - Join a rock band as bassist (dep: bass) or drummer (dep: drum) -- Go to a twenty øne piløts concert (dep: umich) +- <s>Go to a twenty øne piløts concert (dep: umich)</s> AAAAAAAA clanky + tour my life is complete - <s>Buy Trench (2018) on CD or cassette</s> I bought a CD! - <s>Go to an IDKHOW concert (dep: umich)</s> Checked as of [2024-04-05](2024-04-05.md) - Go to a MCR concert (dep: umich) -- Go to a Green Day concert (dep: umich) +- <s>Go to a Green Day concert (dep: umich)</s> Saviors Tour Detroit, + 2024-09-04 - Learn to properly rap the entirety of Car Radio - Learn to play Jesus Of Suburbia on bass - Learn to play Paranoid Android on bass -- <s>Get more stickers</s> +- <s>Get more stickers</s> (three times now) - Get a few figurines or little artifacts on my desktop - Get a hammer and a sickle to put on my wall - Commission an artist @@ -88,12 +81,13 @@ __boldface__ and/or dependencies (dep) in parentheses where necessary. - <s>Try writing STM32 C</s> did some of this for EECS 373. The code style ST uses is __terrible__ (2 spaces, line break before curly brace, `CamelAndSnake_Case`, uppercase function names) -- Try a RISC-V SBC +- <s>Try a RISC-V SBC</s> Got a LicheeRV Nano from a friend - <s>Make a weird-looking USB flash drive</s> I made one out of a covid rapid test box - <s>Give someone something handmade as a gift</s> I gave a [blobcat PCB](../projects/blobcat-pcb.md) to my friend - Use an Espressif SoC on a PCB +- Make something that is not, but looks like an electrolytic capacitor ## Computer - DIY a desktop computer, which conceivably will run Arch Linux and KDE @@ -109,8 +103,8 @@ __boldface__ and/or dependencies (dep) in parentheses where necessary. - Go to the beach ## Miscellaneous -- Attend a convention of any kind -- Observe a furry convention (but not participate) +- Attend a furry convention +- Attend another convention of any kind - Learn CW (a.k.a. morse code) - <s>Get a ham radio license and buy a handheld station</s> DE BH4FXW 73 sent from my UV-5R @@ -132,6 +126,5 @@ __boldface__ and/or dependencies (dep) in parentheses where necessary. - Co-author an IETF RFC - Get a tiny tattoo - Restuff my blåhaj -- Make something that is not, but looks like an electrolytic capacitor - Flip off a conservative - Do standup comedy at an open mic night diff --git a/docs/random/summer_2024_wrapup.md b/docs/random/summer_2024_wrapup.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8663d74 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/random/summer_2024_wrapup.md @@ -0,0 +1,287 @@ +# Summer 2024 Wrapup + +2024-08-25 + +I flew home. To spend the summer in Shanghai. + +Reasons: + +- Reunion with family +- Everything cheaper +- I need to order a bunch of PCBs and parts which are also cheaper + +By "summer" I mean 2024-05-07 thru 2024-08-25 inclusive. + +## Projects I Did + +### Reflow Workshop 2 + +In 2023, me and my buddies at TechJI did [Reflow +Workshop](../projects/reflow-workshop.md) and it was a huge success. Which +begs the question: + +If Reflow Workshop is so good, why is there no Reflow Workshop 2? + +There is. + + + +▲ I designed this to be as different as possible from last year's poster. +Color scheme yoinked from _Clancy_ (2024). + +Based on last year's overwhelming demand (I bought for 20 but more than 20 +people signed up), I decided to buy enough for 30. However, this time +I did not see enthusiasm as high, probably because it was scheduled on the +weekend leading to the midterms. Only 17 people signed up. However, I did +get sweet extracurricular credits out of this. + +### Linux Install Party + +My buddies at TechJI hosted a Linux Install Party, so naturally I showed +up (to help). Not many people were with us, as it was raining. One person +had an old ThinkPad, and when I looked closer it was an E220s, which was +32 bit and ran Windows 7. Hardly any distros support x86-32 now. +Fascinating that it still boots. Also, the plastic was all sticky. + +### Bookmarkotchi + +Bookmarkotchi is an ongoing project. It's a PCB bookmark that helps you +form a reading habit. The irony is that I broke my reading habit once +I flew home. whatever + +## Places I Went + +- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xuhui campus + - Had a meetup with my friend and gifted him a copy of _Scaled And + Icy_ (2021) +- Xi'an with my parents + - Terracotta warriors + - Hua Mountain: With considerable help from a cable car, we climbed + two peaks, including the tallest in central China. There was an + orange cat on our way down + - A "musical" titled 驼铃传奇 (Tuo Ling Legend, literally the Legend + of the Camel's Bell): see below + - Shaanxi History Museum, where a gallery was playing a NileRed video + - Two jade jewelry stores that the tour guide forced us in (she later + threw a fit when basically nobody bought anything) +- Sichuan with my father and ten friends of his + - Mostly 甘孜 (Garzê, a Tibetan autonomous prefecture), including + a bunch of mountains atop the Tibetan Plateau which got me panting + - 映秀 (Yingxiu), where an earthquake struck in 2008 + - There's a public square with pillars commemorating soldiers who + sacrificed themselves in the Sino-Japanese war or the civil war + (forgot which). I find it absolutely unnecessary. It's like, "oh + yeah, your father died in an earthquake? well check _this_ out, + _this_ guy died in a _war_!" They're both tragic, ok? + - 资阳 (Ziyang), a suburb east of Chengdu, where I busted a tire while + pulling out of a parking lot + - A friend's hometown (village) in 内江 (Neijiang) + - 罗泉 (Luoquan), also in Neijiang, where we bought hundreds of yuan's + worth of assorted tofu +- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Minhang campus + - Volunteered at the graduation ceremony + - I failed to mention in the [Winter 2024 + wrapup](../umich/w24_wrapup.md) that I volunteered at a UMich grad + ceremony as well, for JI students in the CoE +- Drove our family car to a dealership to sell it, because we're getting + a new PHEV (wise move) +- Cycled to the bank with my grandpa to withdraw 300,000 CNY in cash for + a completely legal transaction. I felt like a drug cartel +- A record store in Xuhui with my friend because I heard they had a bunch + of Radiohead. Couldn't afford any, so I just picked up three stickers + and dipped + - There was a restaurant called "Normal Canteen" which totes sounds + not suspicious +- My childhood apartment where I lived from 3 to 10. Unfortunately, + there's a mouse infestation. +- Flew back to Ann Arbor + - Flight was delayed on tarmac for three hours. Captain quoted + "electronic" and "hydraulic issues" + +### Tuo Ling Legend + +It's a show, a musical of some kind, about the folks walking the Silk Road +(the real one). The tour guide recommended it, and I find it +disappointing. I mean, the dancing and the props were good, but the story +seems to be the product of a junior high project that was done over recess +in three days. Not to mention the cheesy lines, which were, of course, +dubbed. + +The show tries to be touching, but the playwright and/or director failed +to consider that, just having the actors (voice actors, in this case) +speak the lines operatically does not automatically make it sentimental. +It comes off to me as cringe. + +I did not get the point of the play either. It could be one or both of: + +- Look how much our ancestors did for us on the brave new road +- Look what superpower we were back in the good ol' days. We're gonna do + it again haha am i right guys + +Our tour guide claimed that the show was what foreign guest officials +would watch, and I don't believe it. If I were an official in a foreign +country and they showed me a musical hinting that they once dominated the +world and had a luxurious palace, I would leave. + +Notable features, among this failure: + +- They have real wolves (who I hope weren't mistreated) running down the + aisle +- The audience sat on a rotating platform to view six stages clockwise +- There was a scene where they poured a literal tonne of water in + a waterfall and it splashed all over us + +### Sichuan + +Much more enjoyable experience than in Xi'an (if you don't count the flat +tire night) overall. Never was pushed to a store to buy anything. Only +time I was persuaded to buy anything was a street vendor selling +ready-to-eat walnuts in a bag for only ten bucks. It was good. Everything +was voluntary. The people were nice. Lots of dogs. I learned a new card +game called 干瞪眼 (staredown). Food was hot and greasy but that's how +Sichuan cuisine works. Once one of my dad's friends got drunk and told me +about the time he and his team reverse engineered the .doc and .xls +formats in the 90s. Only complaint (other than the tire) was the hours of +being in a car every day. + +### Ann Arbor + +Things I did after landing: + +- Abused my privilege and requested a SafeRide™ home (I can only do this + six times per year) + +- Volunteered to pick up new arrivals from SJTU twice at DTW +- Volunteered on an IKEA ride and bought a Livlig husky plush + +- Installed a cargo rack + basket for my bike, didn't apply enough torque, + lost two bolts on a bumpy road +- Got a replacement from Fabrication Underground; also pumped my tires +- Got a flat while riding around Bursley +- Fixed my flat (and a couple other problems) at [Common + Cycle](https://commoncycle.org/) with help from Matthew. Basically got + a new tube for free. Donated 5 dollars. + +- Visited the [phallic dumpster + exhibit](https://umma.umich.edu/exhibitions/machine-dazzle-ouroboros/) + at UMMA. Five stars +- Saw the furry club poster at Duderstadt and almost had a heart attack 💀 + + + +## IA application + +I applied for <abbr title="Instructional Aide">IA</abbr> back in April, +and despite HR saying the "goal" was to have the "majority" assigned by +"July 21", I didn't hear from the professor until 2024-08-05. But hey, +progress. + +We had an interview, then I waited. On 2024-08-19, I got news that I was +hired. Now all that's left is training and paperwork, which should not be +hard. + +It turns out I was literally the last hire; I was really lucky. Also, my +former roommate is also an IA now, which is cool. + +They gave me a sheet to indicate which hours I'm free so they could +schedule lab sessions. And that's where I fucked up. I forgot I had +a lecture on Friday afternoon, and by the time I discovered that it was +too late. I've emailed and texted but to no avail. + +Shit. + +## Movies and Shows I Watched + +- "Barbie": Watched it for the second time on the flight to Shanghai. + Someone in front of me was watching Oppenheimer at the same time, and + there was a brief moment where Ryan Gosling danced to the detonation of + the first atomic bomb. Also realized Billie Eilish sang in the movie. + (Barbie, not Oppenheimer) +- "The Garfield Movie": Saw the negative comments, wonder why. They're + right. Plot was unoriginal. +- 抓娃娃 ("The Successor"): Comedy film on helicopter parents. Seems + biased toward the parent side, but the actual message requires critical + thinking and speculation, which will takes another five pages, so no. + Open to interpretations. +- Stand-up comedy night with 严值高 (Yan Zhigao, homophonic to + "good-looking"): Lots of sexual humor. +- 逆行者 ("Upstream"), which is about a former software engineer who + becomes a delivery driver (rider to be more specific) to pay mortgage. + The ending where everything worked out is dystopian. The riders compete + against each other without even once questioning capitalism, or the + authority who exploit them. Imagine showing Mao this movie. +- "The Lion King", on the flight to Detroit. Can see why it's one of the + classics. +- "Everything Everywhere All At Once": I have suspicions that it's just an + elaborate pun on the everything bagel + +## Music I Made + +This was a musically prolific summer. I wrote two songs, covered one, and +forced a computer to cover two and a half. In chronological order: + +- [Diag](/jam/diag/): Original. Entered Fedivision 2024 and won 56th + place. Also [on air in Berlin thanks to Herr + Irrtum](https://www.elektrische-lasagne.de/radioIrrtum/) (Sendung + 2024-06, timestamp 53:20) +- [At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb](/jam/at-the-risk-of-feeling-dumb/): twenty + one pilots cover from scratch. Somewhat overproduced. +- [A Flat Tire Is Nothing To Worry + About](/jam/a-flat-tire-is-nothing-to-worry-about/): Inspired by the + Ziyang flat tire incident and my father getting drunk. Decided against + overproduction. Features minimal instrumentation and effort. +- [OK Computer but sung by + a Computer](/jam/ok-computer-but-sung-by-a-computer/): featuring the + Festival Speech Synthesis System, invented the same year OKC came out. + +## Music I Listened To + +- Fedivision 2024 songs (all 72 of them) (I even kept a spreadsheet to + rate them so I can vote) +- twenty one pilots + - _Clancy_ +- Radiohead + - _Amnesiac_ + - _In Rainbows_ + - _The King Of Limbs_ + - the other albums as well, but mainly these three + +## Things I Bought or Otherwise Acquired + +These were bought online in China: + +- A fume extractor for soldering which I should've ordered in 2021 +- A CO detector in my grandpa's kitchen +- A pair of earbuds +- A logic analyzer +- A ten-port USB hub because apparently four isn't enough +- Some accessories for my bicycle, like a cargo rack +- Some stickers including this one: + + + +Also I made a few badges with the badge press in the hackerspace I worked +in last year, including this one: + + + +These were bought in the US: + +- A Livlig husky plush + +## Things I Am Going To Do + +Notable event happening in the coming month: + +- August 26: First 370 staff meeting, Festifall North +- August 28: Festifall Central +- September 1: Pride Outside +- September 4: Green Day Saviors Tour +- September 9: Practice teaching as part of IA training +- September 29: twenty øne piløts Clancy Tour diff --git a/docs/shitpost/fedi_shitpost.md b/docs/shitpost/fedi_shitpost.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..38da7ff --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/shitpost/fedi_shitpost.md @@ -0,0 +1,582 @@ +# Fedi Shitpost Compilation + +As you may know, I occasionally engage in a recreational activity known as +Shitposting, on the Federated Universe (Fedi). Here are some notable +cases: + +(Typesetting notes: if the first line is __bold__, then it is a mastodon +feature called "content warning"; clicking it expands the rest of the +post.) + +## 2022-10-29 + +1. predict the stock market +2. ??? +3. prophet! + +## 2022-11-03 + +evil polya be like + +how not to solve it + +## 2023-01-25 + +panic! at the disbanding + +## 2023-03-23 + +funnels imply the existence of painnels + +## 2023-04-08 + +__being an electronic engineer be like__ + +BOM: + +- LEDs, 0603, white, $0.096 +- Resistor pack, 4x1k, 0603, $0.024 +- ObscureSemi® OutOfStockMega™ 52M40L0PX181D, QFN32, $62 +- Capacitor, 22uF, 0805, $0.003 + +## 2023-05-19 + +__satire__ + +kde is for furries. real MEN use xmonad + +## 2023-05-23 + +SI be like: + +6*10^27 grams is so confusing let's give it a name. an intuitive name. one +that is easily distinguishable. how about + +6 ronnagrams + +oh also 6*10^-27 is 6 rontograms because fuck you + +## 2023-05-24 + +yeah im into hi-fi + +highly +intelligent +furry +individuals + +## 2023-06-15 + +watching board of ceos talk about ai regulation be like + +🤡 🤡 🤡 ☝️🤓 🤡 🤡 + +## 2023-06-17 + +it's ok to ask for quotes from infinite companies to install a well in +your farm, because there will always be a cheapest one. this is known as +the well ordering principle + +## 2023-07-24 + +your are intj. i am fsck. we are not the same + +## 2023-07-24 + +\> buy expensive mountain bicycle + +\> park with all the other bikes + +\> kickstand keeps bike upright at 89.999 degrees + +\> tips over at slightest push + +\> damaged + +"why would people do this?!!?1?" + +## 2023-07-26 + +web integriteez nuts + +## 2023-07-26 + +my fav moment of the wandering earth is when earth said "its wanderin +time" then yeeted itself out of the galaxy + +## 2023-07-30 + +gonna treat myself and buy a Gibson Les Bian + +## 2023-07-31 + +there's no such thing as Dijkstra's algorithm. he just looks at your graph +real fast and says "yeah this one's shortest take it or leave it" + +## 2023-07-31 + +everyone agrees sugar is the soul of any dessert, but my german friend +thinks i should add a little weniger. + +## 2023-08-08 + +__emo embedded engineers be like__ + +my qemucal romance + +## 2023-08-16 + +__chatgpt bullshit__ + +[on a forum] +person 1: hey how can i do XYZ +person 2: idk shit about this topic but here's an answer by chatgpt +person 1: thanks + +narrator: the answer is, of course, wrong. + +## 2023-08-22 + +__dream, birdsite__ + +i had a dream that Unicode made a feature that you can combine any two +characters into a single glyph ligature, but turns out it's recursive and +that's how a random dude uploaded the entire Bible to Twitter in two +characters (not one due to some artificial limit) and it crashed half of +the clients + +## 2023-09-06 + +why don't German people call it Ümläut + +## 2023-09-15 + +__misinfo__ + +trans people have colorful hair because electron orbital transitions emit +photons of certain frequencies + +## 2023-09-17 + +shop clerk: hey could you push your cart back with all the other carts + +me: why + +shop clerk: because `std::vector<ShoppingCart>` is stored in contiguous +memory and if you don't put them back you're breaking the ADT's +representational invariant + +## 2023-09-21 + +explaining a math proof in sign language is challenging. it involves a lot +of hand-waving. + +## 2023-09-21 + +__typical piazza® experience__ + +me: \*posts a question over discrepancy in instructor materials, with +exact sources\* + +56 views, 0 answers + +9 consecutive posts literally titled "AG" or "autograder" about the +autograder being unreachable: each gets answered in minutes + +## 2023-09-26 + +german was invented in 1858 when the printing press ran out of space characters + +## 2023-09-30 + +fedizens when a piece of software is c++ (it #includes \<algorithm\> +without the user's consent) + +## 2023-10-01 + +__bad__ + +proctober (proctology october) + +## 2023-10-11 + +__not screen reader friendly__ + +listening to prog rock until they do a time change + +00:00 ▫️------------ 00:08 📶🔁 + +## 2023-10-15 + +medieval programmers be like "sure let me open my cmyk movable type box +and wear my programming leggings" + +## 2023-10-18 + +iupac: but it lasted only one femtosecond +me: i don't care, if it exists it exists. now name my element with 588 protons +iupac: Pentoctoctium +me: make it shorter +iupac: (\*sigh\*) Poo + +## 2023-10-20 + +girls install debian +to become more lesbian +boys run void +to kiss more boys + +## 2023-10-23 + +__germans when they have pizza for dinner__ + +Gluten Abend + +## 2023-10-28 + +ancient Chinese stories about someone doing something stupid often begin +with their initial followed by their country of origin like "Liang, from +the Qi kingdom" and i think that's a rudimentary form of "Florida man" + +## 2023-10-29 + +__not screen reader friendly__ + +german wordle be like + +🟥🟥🟨🟥🟨🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟨🟥🟥 +🟥🟥🟥🟩🟨🟥🟥🟨🟥🟥🟥🟩🟥🟥🟥 +🟥🟥🟥🟩🟥🟥🟩🟩🟥🟨🟥🟩🟩🟩🟩 +🟩🟥🟥🟩🟨🟥🟩🟩🟥🟥🟥🟩🟩🟩🟩 +🟩🟩🟩🟩🟥🟩🟩🟩🟥🟥🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 +🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 + +## 2023-10-30 + +__if unix was invented in europe__ + +cd ,, +echo €PATH + +## 2023-10-31 + +furries have an unfair advantage at halloween costumes. fursuits should +not count unless its a bat + +## 2023-10-31 + +why did they name it "Michigan pride"and not Michigay + +## 2023-11-03 + +__long__ + +americans stop normalizing state codes + +especially on the internet when the context is unclear + +"I love Tulsa, OK" ← kthx but no need to be passive aggressive about it + +ask a non american what "IA" means. IowA? IndianA? group 1 alkali metal? + +"everyone should know this, it's common knowledge!" + +lmao literally no one outside of the states are responsible for knowing +that + +how about we go in reverse? which province is gàn (赣)? which one is qián +(黔)? this is what non-americans feel when we see shit like MA, MD, ME, +MI, MN, MO, MS, and MT + +## 2023-11-05 + +why isnt uc berkeley's furry club called uc barkley ugh i wanna screem + +## 2023-11-11 + +__very important sentence from book i am reading__ + +"Cats are equivalent in that they are to be petted, but gently, so that +they do not claw. (Brown 1965, pp. 318-19)" + +## 2023-11-12 + +football, the successor to the less popular variant, inchball + +## 2023-11-15 + +Thus, if the child thinks a leopard says "meow", he or she may classify +leopards as 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. + +## 2023-11-24 + +💬 linguistic knowledge of the day 🔤 + +the chinese word 祭司 (priest, not necessarily christian) can be taken +apart as: + +- 祭 (jì) ceremony of sacrifice +- 司 (sī) person in control + +therefore we can conclude that, at some point in ancient chinese folk +religion, an emcee dropped a sick beat + +## 2023-11-23 + +__why was the 40W light bulb arrested?__ + +public incandescency + +## 2023-11-28 + +__book quote out of context__ + +Let us take a situation […] in which there are […] no priests, no gays, no +Moslems with only three wives, no Tarzans. + +## 2023-12-06 + +when machine gun kelly dropped rap devil would you call that an ad eminem +attack + +## 2023-12-11 + +the three types of piazza posts the evening before exam: + +- need help for question 9.3 from fall '21 + +- what's the difference between [pair of obscure concepts that are just up + to experience really] + +- hi can someone explain to me [the entirety of lecture 12-25] if it's not + [assumption that shows they haven't been to a single lecture in the past + two months] + +## 2023-12-19 + +zeichne mit TikZ, um Till Tantau anzupissen + +## 2023-12-20 + +__book quote out of context__ + +a bike should no more have a carburetor than the pope should have a wife. + +## 2023-12-24 + +*zufällig einen Mann küsst* entschwuldigung + +## 2023-12-24 + +transcoders? yes I've seen a few + +## 2023-12-30 + +rust is just a cargo cult + +this explains everything + +## 2024-01-18 + +groceries imply the existence of shrinkceries + +## 2024-01-22 + +me: so how does this "downtime-proof" power supply work? + +salesperson: it comes with serj protection + +## 2024-01-23 + +me: i have a computer engineering debris. +interviewer: don't you mean degree? +me: no. +[four kilograms of leftover pcbs fall from the ceiling vent, killing interviewer instantly] + +## 2024-01-24 + +- paranoid android +- despotess iOS +- lydian symbian +- sucrose windows +- voodoo ubuntu +- comparted postmarket + +## 2024-01-26 + +when the drummer misses a beat they're fired but when the whole band miss +a beat it's called "progressive rock" + +## 2024-01-31 + +me: I have deicided to become an atheist. +angel: don't you mean decided? +me: [throws bloodstained shovel over the cloud] no + +## 2024-02-05 + +__misinfo__ + +donald knuth invented computer modern to replace the badly kerned font on +his computer modem + +## 2024-02-16 + +[ in a cleanroom ] +tsmc employee: hey you can't just take these MOSFETs! +me: you said they were complimentary + +## 2024-02-19 + +move at a medium pace and preserve current state of things + +## 2024-02-24 + +department chair: sorry professor jones, publish or parish + +jones: that's - wait, don't you mean perish? + +chair: no. the campus chapel is now yours + +## 2024-02-26 + +Kinderkennzeichnungs- und +Kindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz + +__Erratum: Blyfh pointed out that the correct spelling for "child meat" is +"Kinderfleisch", not "Kindfleisch".__ + +## 2024-02-27 + +if POSIX was so good how come there's no POSEVEN + +## 2024-03-02 + +if i had a nickel every time my program integer overflowed i would have +-2147483648 nickels + +## 2024-03-04 + +__why does it take longer to bury a tarantula than a human?__ + +the grave is eight feet underground + +## 2024-03-04 + +page table base register was invented by a computer architect with +a correct horse battery staple password generator + +## 2024-03-05 + +__what do you call a touhou-themed german spa town?__ + +Bad Apfel + +## 2024-03-06 + +__what did the principal tell the student who was plagiarizing from +chatgpt?__ + +detention is all you need + +## 2024-03-08 + +__what do you call switzerland in a war between diamond and graphite__ + +carbon neutral + +## 2024-03-09 + +[lunchbreak at popl] +me: I'm a rutaceae +unsuspecting person: oh cool have you checked out their new trait system- wait, what did you say again? +me: [takes off trenchcoat, revealing tree branches bearing grapefruit] + +## 2024-03-09 + +__what killed the dragon electrician?__ + +scale current + +## 2024-03-22 + +__why are vinyl records not RoHS compliant?__ + +there's a lead single on them + +## 2024-03-25 + +__brain noise__ + +oo wee oo i look just like bloody mary +oh oh and you're mirror on the wall + +## 2024-04-02 + +interviewer: what's your name? +me: my name is Sirius Wright Não. +interviewer: \*inspects closer upon my resume\* you cannot be serious right now + +## 2024-04-19 + +do you think the first person to invent music was rejected for being "too +experimental" and "bird-esque" + +## 2024-04-24 + +Ten Costliest Bugs Caused By Dangling Pointers - #48216913015 will surprise you + +## 2024-04-25 + +electric engineers be like + +the capacitor is 0.000047 farads + +this is close enough to infinity + +## 2024-04-27 + +__what do you call it when you contemplate the meaning of life for 15 +minutes?__ + +a quarter ponder + +## 2024-06-13 + +__why do ao3 writers make great HVAC mechanics?__ + +they're good at fan fix + +## 2024-06-22 + +Portugal. The Idea + +## 2024-06-24 + +graduate texts in mathematics? no idea where you heard that bro, i know +three of them and they all text in english + +## 2024-07-05 + +__the most difficult German word is "Apfel".__ + +once you've learned that, the rest is Apfel grabs. + +## 2024-07-10 + +__kernel "developers" who only ever comment on other people's code and +never write any be like__ + +SIGVIRTUE + +## 2024-07-10 + +__midwest emo? i find it__ + +missourable + +## 2024-07-11 + +__buenos aires if argentina was colonized by zoomers__ + +chill vibes diff --git a/docs/shitpost/haiku_2.md b/docs/shitpost/haiku_2.md index 1c6d134..13b1cc8 100644 --- a/docs/shitpost/haiku_2.md +++ b/docs/shitpost/haiku_2.md @@ -32,3 +32,9 @@ Did they have gay sex? > "Violence is never…" Shut the fuck up, centralist Let me punch Nazis + +2024-07-05 + +> "Stop the Encampment!" +My Brother in Christ, it's You +who made that happen diff --git a/docs/shitpost/if_academia_worked_like_music.md b/docs/shitpost/if_academia_worked_like_music.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..506903f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/shitpost/if_academia_worked_like_music.md @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +# If Academia Worked Like Music + +2024-07-06 + +You are an associate professor at the Fakeland University of Common +Knowledge (FUCK). After years of hard work with your best friends Ethan +and Albert (they go by Et and Al), you have 12 manuscripts you call +"demos". + +You rent a lab space, larger and more professional than the one in your +basement. The staff help you with cameras and stuff. + +After a two-week-long lab session, you take everything to your producer +Oliver Leaf, who has every tool imaginable for LaTeX typesetting. He has +the ability to get Nature to accept a CVS receipt. + +Over the duration of three months you sit together with Et, Al and Oliver +to discuss what looks best in print. Sometimes it feels like torture. You +commission artist Tik Zeichner to create a striking book cover. + +At the printing press, the .tex files are compiled to .pdf, printed out, +and bound into a hardcover. You and your friends each take a copy and +shoot some promotional photos. + +For the paper videos, you and Et Al do experiments in the most random +places: on a frozen lake, in bed, on top of a skyscraper, etc. Contrary to +what the video shows, the blowtorch doesn't actually melt quartz glass. At +the end you smash a few Erlenmeyer flasks in slomo just cause you can. + +The opening paper is released along with its paper video. It's a smash hit +(pun intended), although you had to cut the discussion entirely for the +radio mix. One month later, you drop a more opinionated paper. It sparks +controversy among your fanbase, which is needed for hype. + +The marketing team is working hard to plaster every billboard in every +city with your abstract. Soon it becomes impossible to end a conversation +without mentioning your name. + +On the day the book drops, you announce a world tour, which would be quite +accurate if North America and Europe were the only two continents. But +hey, Mexico technically counts as "Latin America" right? + +You show up at a surprise book signing party at a parking lot, before the +police show up and cancel it. Your 20,000 fans are disappointed and soon +riot. You narrowly escape. + +After a dozen interviews and promotional photoshoots, you read on the news +that your book is "generally favorable". It's only been ten days but +there's at least a hundred videos reproducing your reactions (called +"reaction videos"), or cover a part thereof ("covers"). Most are cringe. + +Like everything else, ticket prices skyrocketed over the pandemic. +A general admission ticket that used to cost 50 now costs 187. Your fans +are complaining how TicketPastor® monopolizes live research. + +Opening for you on the tour are undergrads who work in the lab next door. +But they specialize in wireless communication, a topic you doubt your +audience is interested in. Their antenna had grounding issues and there +was a constant hum. + +The crew help the undergrads clean up their workbench and leave. Then you +enter the stage. Thunderous cheering. Et and Al walk on stage. More +cheering. Neon signs that read "Your Research Saved My Life". You know +that isn't true; they saved themselves. + +Your setlist opens with the opening chapter in the book, which segues into +chapter 2. You then perform experiments from your previous books. The +sixth paper requires a pot of beewax, so you move through the crowd to the +Bee stage. The crowd cheers as you pass, trying to touch you without +consent. + +The crew shove a portable table into the mosh pit for them to hold up. Al +leaps off and surfs to the table, where he dilutes stock solutions into +0.001M phosphate buffered saline. At the end, he throws one empty test +tube into the pit. That's gotta sell for a hundred bucks on ebay. + +The show is over and you are exhausted. Some diehard fans, who you recall +seeing just the night before, have waited two hours at the crew exit. +Sure, instagram, tiktok, whatever. You crawl back into your touring van +and basically just sleep there. + +Eleven months later, just as the tour is over, the RIAA (Research Industry +Association of Anywhere) informs you that your book has been certified +gold, which means it has sold 500k copies, where 150 library checkouts +counts as one copy. It would have been way sooner if there wasn't so many +Sci-Hubbers out there, but then you remember Sci-Hub saving your ass as an +undergrad, so you can't really blame them. + +Time for more manuscripts. diff --git a/docs/shitpost/index.md b/docs/shitpost/index.md index acc4825..bac4a2c 100644 --- a/docs/shitpost/index.md +++ b/docs/shitpost/index.md @@ -13,3 +13,5 @@ precious time you could've spent more wisely elsewhere: - [Haiku collection 2](haiku_2.md) - [Writing A Blogpost Without Using Backspace](no_backspace.md) - [Cringiest song I've ever heard](cringiest_song.md) +- [If Academia Worked Like Music](if_academia_worked_like_music.md) +- [Fedi Shitpost Compilation](./fedi_shitpost.md) diff --git a/docs/umich/index.md b/docs/umich/index.md index b71de2f..86c4534 100644 --- a/docs/umich/index.md +++ b/docs/umich/index.md @@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ so basically i live in ann arbor now - [EECS 373, Intro to Embedded System Design](w24_373.md) - [EECS 311, Analog Circuits](w24_311.md) - [GERMAN 386, Fairy Tales](w24_fairy.md) + - [CEE 265, Sustainable Engineering Principles](w24_sus.md) diff --git a/docs/umich/w24_fairy.md b/docs/umich/w24_fairy.md index d728682..b8ad212 100644 --- a/docs/umich/w24_fairy.md +++ b/docs/umich/w24_fairy.md @@ -367,8 +367,8 @@ Heaviest assignment is an essay, which requires you to choose a topic, make an argument, and find evidence in KHM that supports it. You cannot make speculations ("it seems to me that…"), because it's a closed reading, meaning deductions can only be based on the original text. You can also -cite secondary sources to make it stronger. The requirements are ->1400 words. +cite secondary sources to make it stronger. The requirements are >1400 +words. In my essay I defended violence in KHM. At one point, I mentioned how Red in "Little Red" was complicit in the wolf's death by carrying stones to diff --git a/docs/umich/w24_sus.md b/docs/umich/w24_sus.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d28102f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/umich/w24_sus.md @@ -0,0 +1,94 @@ +# Winter 2024 Course Review: CEE 265 + +2024-05-28 + +Course Title: Sustainable Engineering Principles + +Trivia: this course shows up on my transcript as "Sus Engr Prin" + +Rating: 3/5 + +## Instructor (Seth Guikema) + +As friendly an instructor as you get. Always stops every so often for +questions. He once complimented my "This Machine Kills Homophobes" laptop +sticker. + +## Course topics + +- Materials (mass balance) +- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) +- Air pollution + - Airshed (mass balance) + - Gaussian plume model +- Risk +- Water pollution (mass balance) +- Energy + - Greenhouse gas emissions +- Economics + - Discounting + +## Math prerequisites + +I expected this course to be chemistry-heavy, like balancing equations and +equilibria and stuff, but instead it was mostly math. The chemistry was +useful only for getting the molecular weight of gases and doing pV = nRT. + +### Math models + +- Exponential +- Geometric series +- Logistic growth +- Gaussian + +There was even a little bit of differential equations (the easy kind). +However, the formulas were always in the slides. All we needed to know is +how to use a calculator. + +On the final exam there was a question about I thought required some +integration, but it seemed ambiguous whether or not I need to do +a division. I stepped out of the classroom to ask the GSI, but she pointed +to the slides, which I apparently forgot existed because I missed that +lecture (I was rehearsing a presentation for EECS 373). The formula for +the very answer was there. Welp. + +### Linearity + +Out of the various models, the math was exceedingly linear. The most +important concept is mass balance: the mass in an isolated system is +conserved. If one gram of methane leaks out of the pipe, then there is one +more gram of methane in the room. If you dump one ton of paint into +a lake, then there will be one ton of paint in the lake. + +On most occasions, we solved steady state conditions, which means one +single equation where one side is zero. It was intuitive, just like the +KCL (Kirchhoff's Current Law), but instead of electrons it was matter. + +Another type of linear calculation is adding up things and multiplying +things. Like, if a ton of steel requires one megajoule (fictional), and +you need 1,000 tons, then you need 1,000 megajoules. + +Even so, I've seen several students struggle with this kind of math. Like. +How do you even fail at this. As long as the units match you're probably +correct. + +### Unit conversion + +The biggest challenge of this course was not math. It was unit conversion. +Americans are notorious for their units like ft, ft², ft³, gal, mile, and +mpg. But all the science-y numbers are in metric (phew). + +## Assignments + +Eight assignments in total. Not hard, just long. Standards were low. GSI +didn't care how you typeset it. I've done LaTeX, LibreOffice Writer, and +by hand, and as long as you get the answer and the key steps, you get the +points. + +There were no projects or presentations. + +## Verdict + +Not a challenge. Didn't end up saving the world or anything, but at least +I learned how civil engineers gauge their environmental impact. Chill +course. diff --git a/docs/umich/w24_wrapup.md b/docs/umich/w24_wrapup.md index 0f20d0f..4514dfa 100644 --- a/docs/umich/w24_wrapup.md +++ b/docs/umich/w24_wrapup.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ them up into individual articles, listed below. - [EECS 373, Intro to Embedded System Design](w24_373.md) - [EECS 311, Analog Circuits](w24_311.md) - [GERMAN 386, Fairy Tales](w24_fairy.md) -- Other courses WIP +- [CEE 265, Sustainable Engineering Principles](w24_sus.md) ## Notable material gains @@ -124,11 +124,12 @@ I received the prize money for last semester's GERMAN 103 roleplay. Instead of $200 per group, it was $200 per person. But it went straight to my direct deposit and was split to two parts: -- $172 to repay my "financial aid" +- <s>$172 to repay my "financial aid"</s> - $28 in federal tax -It pisses me off that I worked so hard on a roleplay just for the prize -money to fund genocide. +<s>It pisses me off that I worked so hard on a roleplay just for the prize +money to fund genocide.</s> Update: I was wrong; the 172 dollars did get +into my account. We're all good now. ## Things unrelated to coursework that made my day better |
