Around the World with the International Space Station

Click here to see a large version of this video!

I have mentioned the Astronomy Picture of the Day in a previous post.

This time, I wanted to mention an amazing video of the Earth that was shot from the International Space Station.

I noticed Italy and Sicily, then Egypt with the Nile Delta, plus several Aurora. There's a page at Starship Asterisk where members have created a guide to what you can see in the video. I noticed a bright, orange squiggle that Starship Asterisk members identified as the India/Pakistan border.

Great stuff!

Found on Ebay: 1939 RCA Storytone Electric Piano

click images to enlarge!

Here's something you don't see every day: a 1939 RCA Storytone Electric Piano. The piano is listed on Ebay for $250,000, but there's a "make offer" option, so maybe you could get it for less if you're interested. It's a real Art Deco beauty. The Piedmont Piano Company in the Bay Area has a nice page with some information and additional pictures of another Storytone Piano.

Here's a recording of Earl Hines playing a Storytone Piano. The Storytone was strung much like an acoustic piano, and had a pickup but no soundboard (according to the Piedmont Piano Company) but I can't figure out what kind of pickup it had. The Storytone has an interesting sound, but not as distinctive as either a Fender Rhodes piano, which uses tines and magnetic pickups, or the Wurlitzer Electric Piano, which uses metal reeds with an electrostatic pickup.

Here's the link to the Ebay listing in case you'd like to make an offer on the Storytone.

Rejection letter from Museum of Modern Art to Andy Warhol.

 click image to enlarge!

 

I think this is a great commentary on the way things change as well as the way things never change.

Story here.

via PAPERMAG via This Isn't Happiness

Ram Jam 2012 - April 13 & 14 @ Boneshakers in San Antonio

  


This Friday and Saturday, it'll be time to drive down to San Antonio, strap on a guitar and play the Ram Jam at Boneshakers. Ram Jam is a tribute to the late, great Ramiro Ayala who passed away in 2005. Ram was the owner of San Antonio's legendary Tacoland music venue that often hosted (and embraced) weird, loud and sometimes obscene musical acts. You could say and do just about anything at Tacoland (and many did!)

You can read the NPR story about Tacoland here.

We miss you, Ram!

1972 Ducati Imola Racer Replica

(Click to enlarge image. Go ahead! It's worth it!)

You say you've already got a full Crimson Electronics/Tocaro/Resolution Audio system and you don't know what to do with all the cash you have left over? You could always head on over to the Deus Ex Machina website and find a nice bike for those Saturday trips down to the used record store.

I think the 1972 Ducati Imola Racer Replica is pretty nice, but they seem to have sold it. Don't worry, they still have plenty of other nice bikes to choose from!

Earl Scruggs 1924 - 2012

Earl Scruggs passed away today at the ripe old age of 88. Here's a video of Earl playing "Fireball Mail". Enjoy!

SXSW and the new Tocaro 40-D loudspeakers

Tocaro 40D loudspeakers (click image to enlarge)

Hey, Austin and Austin visitors, it's SXSW again! It's gonna be a busy week, so make sure to set aside some time to come hear the new Tocaro 40D Loudspeakers.

We'll also be playing the Crimson 710/640E-III preamp/amp combination, the Resolution Cantata Music Center and the ATC SCM50SL three-way monitors.

We're downtown, right by Whole Foods. Call us at (512) 236-9100 and let us know you're coming by!

Tocaro 40D loudspeakers with grilles (click to enlarge)