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January 2008
Jan. 30, 2008 - And now for Something a Little Different: Bass Drum
I write a lot about real estate. And every so often I want to write about something different. So here is some information on every musicians friend the bass drum.
One of the most overlooked and powerful tools for creating percussion sounds in this modern age of soft samplers, emulators, and other sophisticated tools is the humble subtractive analog synthesizer. Learning how to generate exciting drum sounds also takes a lot of the mystery out of creating other percussive sounds, such as basses and plucked-string type sounds, as well as providing an exciting way to personalize your music.
First, let's make a basic kick drum type sound. Most any analog or virtual/soft analog synth with one or more of the following will suffice: An oscillator,preferably with a sine wave generator, a resonant filter, a white noise generator, and an envelope (that preferably can be routed to the filter as well as the amplifier). With these simple parameters a wide range of percussion can be achieved.
The bass drum sound can now be divided into at least two components: The harmonic content and the envelope. To begin, program an oscillator to generate a sine or triangle wave, so that when you play a key, a muted, boring sound comes out of the synth. A sine wave is best for bass drums, but a triangle can be used to great effect and alternate waveforms can also provide different takes on the more classic sounds made by vintage drum machines of yesteryear. If a sine wave is not available (as is true on many analog synths), try a triangle wave, but pull the filter cutoff frequency down a fair amount, to about half its range. This should pull out some of the overtones, providing a strong fundamental.
Really, the only other portion of this basic sound is the envelope, which should have the following parameters (which of course can and should be tweaked to your individual taste): Immediate attack (this is where some synths can show their true colors, as some older analogs like the Roland JX-3P or JX-10 have limited percussive functionality in a real-time sense because the ramp-up time for the envelope is a bit too long for sequencing- if this is the synth you are using, try a different one if available or edit the sound in a computer to correct the timing after recording), decay at one third to one half, zero sustain, and little or no release. Play with the decay time to taste especially. You should now be able to play a bass drum pattern from your keyboard and record or sequence it for later performance.
Now to augment the bass drum sound. Here are some suggestions:
Use a bit of white noise blended with the oscillator to give the sound a bit more excitement, and if the volume of the white noise can be controlled separately, apply a different envelope with a very short decay time to help keep things snappy.
If you can modulate oscillator pitch with an envelope, try a slight amount of downward decay. This models an acoustic drum's property of, when excited (by a hand, beater, or stick), initially tightening against the drum head and loosening, which translates to a slightly higher pitch at the initial transient, followed by a lower sweep to the fundamental frequency. Again, moderation is key for this type of sound.
Effects can be very useful for percussion, but as far as bass drums go, there seems to be a bit of consensus on most-handy sonic treatments. Distortion, compression, and slight equalization (EQ) can be quite beneficial for making a kick drum have more personality and sit more easily in a mix. Also adjust the pre-effect sound to see if an effect is actually necessary. Often by tweaking other parameters in the synth patch, effects become less necessary (and can be covering up for sloppy programming).
Ki works as a realtor and assists buyers and sellers investigating the Austin real estate market. His website offers a free search of the Austin MLS. He also offers commentary on his real estate blog.
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Jan. 28, 2008 - Sovereign-Wealth Funds: Savior or Menace?
In recent months, the sub-prime crisis has reached unforeseen heights, infiltrating banks and financial institutions worldwide and causing many to report multi-billion losses due to the risky investments going sour. While the underlying economy of the US appears to be relatively robust, and the dollar's continued weakness has made investment and exports more attractive to foreigners than ever before, these factors have not salvaged pessimistic markets: The FTSE has dropped more in the past two business days than any other point since September 11th.
In order for global markets to respond in such a definitive manner, they must either believe that the US is already in recession or that it is close. Ben Bernake referred to the economy as being on "a knife's edge" just as President Bush has unveiled a lackluster economic stimulus package that, if it is even able to make a substantial difference, may be implemented too late to do so. As banks continue to report record losses, in swoop foreign "sovereign-wealth funds," investment vehicles financed from state coffers in Asia and the Middle East, to shore up capital to the tune of $69 billion over the past ten months, according to Morgan Stanley.
While the investment is needed badly, and no other source of capital has come running so willingly, the intentions of such funds is shrouded in secrecy. Most of this comes from genuine differences in the purposes of a given fund. Russia calls theirs a stabilization fund aimed at keeping energy prices consistent for Russians, but others are less obvious. As US citizens continue to be concerned about free trade's potential impact on American jobs, foreign investment is reaching new peaks, with their total value measured at $2.9 trillion.
The downside to this gigantic increase of investment is also an upside, depending on how future events transpire. If oil prices continue to maintain their strength, oil-producing countries with huge surpluses will have more purchasing power than ever before, but at a price: By taking all the oil out of the ground, it cannot be spread out over decades and thus has limited reliability. But if that oil is converted into wealth, deposited into a sovereign-wealth fund, and invested in American firms, then the yield on their investment will keep GDP high and revenue stable. Plus, the US government won't breath down their necks (in the case of oil-related funds like the United Arab Emiritates-held Abu Dhabi Investment Authority) if they don't have oil to sell. The obvious problem here is that continued investment will be beneficial until controlling stakes in those companies are held, at which point an American backlash will be inevitable.
One of the best publicized protectionist policies was the ban on Japanese companies operating radio stations, made under national security concerns. Other such problems have happened in the past, usually to the detriment of the investors, but never on the scale that economists predict will occur in the next couple of years. While looking a gift horse in the mouth is a bad policy, until sovereign-wealth funds have similar accountability to other financial vehicles, firms may be somewhat spooked.
Ki is a realtor and broker in Austin helping clients searching for Austin homes. His website focuses on Austin real estate and offers a free home search. His Austin real estate blog offers insight and analysis on the market.
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Jan. 25, 2008 - Subprime Woes: Are We Out of the Woods Yet?
In the last week, many encouraging signs have been on the economic radar: The Bush administration has stated that a consensus has been reached about the impending $145 billion economic stimulus package, the Federal Reserve has cut their most important interest rate by the largest margin in a quarter century, and bond insurers are to receive government help in order to guarantee that banks will be able to avoid further damaging losses. But are these steps enough to curb a recession in the global economy, or even the US? It would appear that investors are optimistic. The 22nd and 23rd of January both saw rallies, first in emerging economy markets and later in the US, with the Dow finishing up a stunning %2.5 in a single day. Encouraging, yes. Guaranteed to succeed. hardly. Let's go over the effectiveness of each of these strategies individually, and then assess them together.
First, the Bush tax break: $300 per household, allowing up to $1,200 if you have four children. Due to Democratic pressuring, the rebates even go to poor people who can't pay taxes (re: sub-prime mortgage holders). And because Republicans need something for their constituency as well, the rebates are good for couples with income up to $150,000 a year (so that their spending will trickle down into the greater economy, thus providing enormous benefit to all related industries). This represents a meager sum when compared to the average mortgage payment, which on sub-prime loans tends to roughly double once the adjustable rate kicks in. Moreover, the deficit is sure to be off the charts next year as a result of what amounts to pulling money out of thin air.
Now for the Federal Reserve cut. While it took most everyone by surprise, it didn't keep the Dow from ending down %1 the day it was announced (Jan. 22nd). While the stock market made substantial gains over the next couple of days, volatility is the name of the game these days, and cutting the interest rate cut so suddenly on the heels of MLK Day's depressing Asian market performance looked to many like a panic move. The Fed have the unenviable task of attempting to appear composed when they may not always be, and minimizing the impression that they aren't responsive to falling consumer confidence. As no other central bank saw fit to act in concert with the Fed, (save Canada, whose meeting was scheduled and whose cut was a mere quarter-point) many analysts speculate that their motives are driven by short-term need for stability in financial markets, and less by the still-ominous sub-prime threat.
Finally, the bond insurance bailout. If it weren't for this action, few would doubt that the US is headed for imminent recession of a particularly painful variety. But if the mechanics of the financial system, much of which depends on companies being able to confidently lend money (insured with solid capital) to one another, is allowed to grind to a halt? The sub-prime crisis would pale in comparison to the amount of profits that would instantly be lost, which some speculate would be in the hundreds of billions. This is clearly unacceptable, but an inherent danger still exists: Without the course correction on housing prices (and the debt which was transferred to major banks, and then to their, we may be doomed to something similar to the Japanese housing bubble of the 1990's wherein bank managers actively colluded with policy makers to obscure their collateralized debts in a similar fashion to the structured investment vehicles of today's credit crunch.
Taken together, these factors would probably lessen a recession if it were impending. But unless people are able to get more credit, exacerbating existing problems, the downturn the US is now experiencing will likely be long and harsh. The kinks have to be worked out, and the unfortunate aspect of this reality is that those who have the least must pay the most.
Escapeso is an Austin realty company. Their site is filled with information about Austin real estate along with a free search of the Austin MLS.
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Jan. 24, 2008 - US Recession Inevitable?
As the sub-prime mortgage scandal continues to play out badly for many US companies, more and more questions have been raised as to whether the impact of a slowdown in one area will translate into a nationwide, or even global, recession. Growth prospects within the US are limited for this year by the unprecedented scale of bad securities that have become investments for many companies around the world, exposing them to grave losses and destroying investor confidence. According to polls, more and more Americans are becoming wise to the potential crises and have shored up spending, in turn triggering further softening of retail markets.
One cause of this problem with American consumer spending, the practically guaranteed market for many goods even in tough financial times, is that the borrowing people must first default on their mortgages before the securities (that their loans have been repackages and distributed) can truly become worthless. The speculation (or realization) that they will be unable to pay off their loans has led to the economic slowdown of the past several months, even though mortgage defaults have barely hiccuped in the same period.
Nevertheless, the certainty of two million or more foreclosures over the next year cannot translate into hefty consumer spending, because so many consumers will be unable to make ends meet and many more will be on the verge. While a plan has been introduced by the Bush administration to freeze mortgage loans for an unspecified number of borrowers, no reference to the specific criteria used to decide who is eligible has yet been made. Thus the underlying cause of this shifty-eyed economic malaise is in no way addressed.
Now the President has stated that the economy at large runs a great risk of recession without his impending stimulus package. Unfortunately, no one who can't pay for their house will be able to pay any taxes or credit card bills (which famously outpaced the median income this year), or for other things that cost money. A tax cut may be able to stem the defaults for a little while if implemented quickly, but if the Federal Reserve (the other institution that can help steer the economy) is any example, lip service and hawkish reticence is likely all the average American can expect. As job creation slowed to terrifyingly low numbers in November, (a paltry 18,000 new occupations) the US government finally issued a statement that growth cannot be expected to surpass 2% this year. Before it even started.
So, is recession inevitable? Well, if the definition of a recession includes "no longer being able to spend more money than one makes," or collectively changing expectations about wealth and the common good, then the answer is yes. If we continue on a path of breakneck consumerism, we will trade our economic security. No one is going to complain that Americans will always spend. After all, as a market of last resort, the US consumer has, time and time again, been able to keep the growing world economy robust and secure. But if these attitudes don't change, a recession will be the least of America's worries.
Escapeso is a realty company that helps buyers locate Austin homes. Buyers can start looking for homes online using their Austin MLS search. Escapeso also provides a blog focusing on Austin real estate.
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Jan. 23, 2008 - Fed Credibility goes Down the Tubes
On January 22nd, the Federal Reserve cut their most important interest rate for the fourth time in the past six months, in an attempt to stem the widespread sentiment that the US is in, or headed for recession. Their cut comes at a strange time, because they were rumored, nay, expected, to deliver the cut at their monthly rate-setting meeting next week. But after stock and commodity markets suffered their largest losses in one day since the September 11th attacks, it seemed as though no amount of scheduled economic treatment would be able to rally confidence to a more optimistic level, especially given that the so-called "economic stimulus package" introduced by the White House in recent days actually made the problem much worse.
Thus the Fed needed to act decisively, and so, for the first time since 1982, cut their most important rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, signifying how seriously they take the crisis. Yet markets, especially in the US, barely hiccuped upon the announcement: After a brief rally, Asian and European stock indexes closed down by several percentage points, and in the United States no change was seen. Might the Fed be able to wield the same power they used to over economic growth? It seems that an answer to that question is less than forthcoming, but certainly the Fed cut is a very good thing taking into account the historical role of interest rate cuts in similar times. As recently as 2001, with the dot-com bubble rapidly deflating, the mere adjustment of rates to moderately lower values brought the recession down to a dull roar.
The biggest difference between that scenario, or for that matter any other previous economic downturn, is that now governments worldwide stand to lose something in a US recession, whereas even in the early 2000's foreign investment had not accelerated to its current breakneck pace. Even in the event of further cuts, credit markets are not required to pass on the savings they make onto their customers, which means that we won't necessarily be able to ever feel the effects of the most recent cut unless, as individual consumers, are able to borrow money more easily, an unlikely possibility under current conditions because, as a whole, Americans spend more than they can save.
Throughout history, Americans have saved around %5 of their income, a lofty amount by current standards. This has allowed the US to run a giant deficit with far more stability than it should, because individual liquidity helps to guard against smaller economic bumps that could spiral out of control. A strong possibility is that the Federal Reserve never really had as much power as it would have us believe. As consumer confidence continues to crumble, it doesn't seem to make as big a difference to regular Americans that they can borrow more. They may not want to. And, even if this is an inevitable and beneficial adjustment, a lot of people will lose out in other countries who would normally be unaffected. Fortunately, the Fed isn't accountable to them quite as directly. As long as consumer spending slows, a Fed cut can only do a limited, and possibly impotent, amount of good for the larger economy.
Ki Gray is a real estate agent in Austin. His site focuses on Austin real estate and has a Austin MLS search on his site. He also blogs about Austin on his Austin real estate blog.
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Jan. 22, 2008 - A Guide to Austin's Greenbelts
On the eastern edge of the Edward’s plateau lies one of Austin’s greatest treasures: the Barton Creek Greenbelt. After millions of years, the runoff of rainwater carved a canyon into the plateau, and created one of Austin’s treasures.
The most popular of Austin’s greenbelts, the Barton Creek greenbelt is just shy of 8 miles long, and covers 809 acres. The greenbelt runs from Zilker Park downtown, to the rocky entrance of Camp Craft Road, just off of the Capital of Texas Highway, with several entrance points in between. Austinites looking for outdoor activities head to the greenbelt every day of the year. There are many nice neighborhoods in the area. The Barton Hills neighborhood is close to the barton creek. And a little farther away the homes in Clarksville offer proximity to Barton Creek and the downtown area.
The creek running through the middle of the greenbelt has attracted people to its waters for several years. The Tonkawa and Apache tribes were drawn to the abundant fresh water, as were other Native Americans for thousands of years. William “Uncle Billy” Barton settled in the area in 1837, and what was known as Spring Creek came to be known as Barton Creek.
Today, many are still drawn to the waters of Barton Creek and its several popular swimming holes, most looking to escape the harsh Texas sun. Though the busiest of the swimming areas is Barton Springs pool in Zilker park, places such as Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls offer not only cool waters, but beautiful sheer cliffs and a more secluded setting as well. The pool at Gus Fruh park gathers crowds of families with young children and dogs because of its section of ankle-deep water, and a younger crowd that enjoys its long, deep section that makes for good swimming, and a rope swing for the more adventurous types. Closer to Zilker park lies Campbell’s hole, with its pebbly beach, and rumored to be visited by Robert E. Lee, and outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. During seasons of heavy rainfall, the current is strong and water level is high, which allows tubers to ride the creek through the city, a recreation usually only achieved out of town on much larger rivers.
The Barton Creek greenbelt also offers many trails throughout the area that differ in size from tight, rocky ledges to widths one could deem drivable. The trails wind through sycamore groves, along the creek bed, through limestone bluffs hiding many caves, and deep into forests of juniper and oak trees. Walkers, runners, and mountain bikers all share the same paths through an oasis that lies within walking distance of Mopac, while seeming very far removed. The serious runners ascend the Hill of Life, the steepest hill on the trail, known to make runners stronger, and its rocky surface preps them for off road races. The limestone cliffs of the greenbelt beckon rock climbers from around the city, with at least six different areas, such as Seismic Wall, New Wall and Great Wall, set up as climbing zones, with routes bolted into the side of the rock.
The greenbelt is known for having a very sensitive ecosystem, and drinking alcohol within its borders was outlawed in 1997 by the Parks and Recreation department since the park staff picked up 18 cubic yards of garbage a week, with 75 percent of the trash turning up as beer bottles and cans. Concerned citizens have done a good job at keeping city growth at bay by forming groups such as the Save our Springs Alliance to protect the quality of water coming off of development in the fragile Barton Springs watershed. Though the population of Austin is increasing dramatically, the Barton Creek Greenbelt has been relatively unharmed by the city’s rapid development, and welcomes all Austinites, new and old, to come play.
Ki is an Austin realtor. He helps buyers and sellers interested in Austin real estate. He website has a free search for buyers of the Austin MLS along with information on condos in downtown Austin.
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Jan. 18, 2008 - Austin Neighborhood Profile: Hyde Park
One of Austin's oldest and most loved neighborhoods in Austin is Hyde Park. Located in Central Austin just north of The University of Texas, Hyde Park is over 100 years old. Founded in 1891 by the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Land and Town Company, the neighborhood was designed and marketed as a lush and spacious suburb that included its own streetcar line and an artificial lake. Today, Hyde Park is one of the most densely populated areas in the city. Noted for it's beautiful tree lined streets and its unique and diverse population, the neighborhood is marked within the boundaries of 51st and 38th Streets to the north and sound, and Red River and Duval to the east and west. The neighborhood has its own monthly newsletter, The Pecan Press, which is delivered to approximately 2,000 Austin homes.
Before moving to Dallas in 1875, the Texas State Fair was held in the eastern section of Hyde Park. In fact, a portion of the former horse track is still reflected in the curved segment of 39th street, the location of The Shipe House which was built using wood from the former race track's grandstand. Another important historic home in Hyde Park is the small castle-style studio named Formosa. The former residence of sculptor Elisabet Ney, now houses a museum dedicated to her work. Hyde Park is full of historic homes and former residences of some of Austin's most influential residents.
The residents of Hyde Park are extremely fortunate in the number of fabulous restaurants and businesses that are part of the neighborhood. The Hyde Park Grille is famous for its French fries and is a wonderful place for a Sunday brunch. Across the street, Mother's has become a city wide favorite for its wide and varied selection of vegetarian specialties. Across East 43rd Street, Asti Trattoria serves up it's sleek and sophisticated cuisine. The Hyde Park Theatre has grown into one of the cities hottest theatre spots. Each January and February, the Theatre hosts Fronterafest the premiere fringe theatre festival in the Southwest.
Located in a city full of festivals, Hyde Park has two annual events that are uniquely its own. Every June, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association holds its annual Historic Homes Tour. People come from across the state and nation to view the homes and hear the stories of the historic neighborhood. The second annual event is the Fire Station Festival which takes place every October. In the early seventies, the city decided to close Fire Station Number Nine in an effort to cut cost. The residents of the neighborhood banded together and saved the historic building. Every year, the neighborhood gathers together to celebrate this historic building and the brave men and women who call it home.
Because of its location close to the University and downtown, Hyde Park has become a favorite among graduate students and young professionals. In 2006, the median price for a house in Hyde Park was $309,902 and the median price per square foot was $204.
If you are looking for Austin Texas real estate Escapeso Realty can help you in your search. Their site has a free search for Austin homes and analysis can be found on their blog about Austin real estate.
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Jan. 18, 2008 - The Farmers Market in Austin Texas
As many Austinites relish living a healthy lifestyle, it's no surprise that Farmers' Markets are a hit in the city. The markets bring fresh foods from locally grown areas to those looking for an alternative to the goods found in the neighborhood grocery store.
Though many cities don’t have a farmers' market, Austin has had up to five at one time, with the Austin Farmers' Market being one of the most popular. Located both in the center of town, at 4th and Guadalupe, and also north-central in Triangle Park, the Austin Farmers' Market supports local farms, ranches, dairies and nurseries within a 150 mile radius. The central location is open every Saturday and the north location is open Wednesdays year round, rain or shine. The Austin Farmers' Market is a "Grower's Only" market, meaning vendors sell only items that they grow, and nothing that has been imported in any way.
The Austin Farmers' Market began, and is still run, as a project of the local non profit group called the Sustainable Food Center in 2003. With roots dating back to 1975, the Sustainable Food Center was created to "create a Food Secure community by improving access to local, healthy, and affordable food for children and adults in Central Texas." Not only do they donate produce to local area food banks, and teach gardening practices to the public, but by running the Austin Farmers' Market in the middle of town, they also make freshly grown produce accessible to low-income residents.
Now celebrating their 10th year, the Sunset Valley Farmers' Market is also held every Saturday, at Toney Burger Center in South Austin, and was recently voted as the "Best Farmers' Market" in the 2007 Austin Chronicle Readers’ Poll. 75% of the produced sold is grown organically or sustainably, and free of pesticides and fertilizers; participants boast some produce is picked just hours before it is purchased.
Alongside the fresh produce brought in from local vendors, the farmers' markets can entertain and educate, by putting on chef’s demos, providing children’s activities, and having local musicians perform. Also local artisans are invited to sell their wares, and many farmers bring prepared foods, such as jams, salsas, and empanadas, using their own ingredients.
Though many farms bring their goods in from Austin’s surrounding areas, Boggy Creek Farm is possibly the closest, in the heart of East Austin, just off Pleasant Valley Road. Now surrounded by subdivisions, schools, and commercial areas that were all once part of the farm, Boggy Creek Farm sits on 5 acres of hearty soil, and is one of the few truly urban farms in the nation. When they aren't selling their fresh produce at a farmers' market, they help stock Whole Foods grocery store, which sits 3 miles away.
In 2007, environmental magazine GreenLight, named the Austin Farmers' Market as one of their top ten farmers' markets in the country, out of over 4,000 markets. They based their findings on strict adherence to sustainable farming practices, distance from markets to farms, and the market's focus on food and farm-related community and educational projects, among other criteria. Though the farmers’ markets of Austin can be an enjoyable and delicious experience, they are also living up to a high national standard while bringing the urban and farming communities together, and helping out all involved.
The Austin real estate has numerous submarket. Escapeso Reality can help you navigate and explore the market starting with their online search of the Austin MLS. You can also research the market using their Austin real estate blog.
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Jan. 16, 2008 - Can The Bush Tax Cut Work?
After weeks of increasingly dismal reports from the financial sector, many regular Americans are beginning to worry that the US may be close to or already in recession. While government intervention in the economy is relatively uncommon in US history, since its establishment in the 1930's, the Federal Reserve has been able to manipulate interest rates, giving them the power to make all real estate loans more or less expensive by some degree, which comes with a hefty responsibility: controlling inflation. While the Fed has cut their rate three times in as many months last quarter, the economy also began to tailspin simultaneously. This puts them up between a rock and a hard place, because if interest rates are too low, inflation can begin to threaten, especially as the dollar continues to depress against other currencies. Fortunately, there is one part of the economy that the government is able to adjust in order to make ordinary American's pockets a bit less bare: taxes.
President Bush has recently begun talks concerning some kind of economic stimulus package, which can be understood to mean some kind of tax break. But with over two million foreclosures predicted to happen over 2008, it seems unlikely that any single factor can stem the tide of sub-prime woe besides some kind of magic undo button or two million real estate mortgage refinances. This is because most of the economic slowdown is related to the riskiness of these mortgages that were issued in the first place. By virtue of a collective attempt at clever financial trickery, most of the major banks are now forced to write off their sub-prime mortgage debt as bad before it even becomes worthless.
A tax break would have to be nearly immediate in terms of how quickly it is implemented, and have to cover an exceptional cross-section of poorer Americans, in order to have much of an effect. This is because, according to recent surveys, that demographic is most likely to fall into financial trouble over the coming months. As simultaneous pressure on both lower-income Americans and the well-to-do financial sector increases, the middle class will be stuck like a trapped child in the middle seat on a long car trip. Everyone will be getting a bit uncomfortable unless some action is taken. The only difference between America and the car trip is that no one will have to ask if we're there yet, because whichever course the economy takes, it will take it quickly. Another possibility is that, even if a tax cut is unable to completely shore up faltering consumer confidence on its own, a concerted strategy of extreme interest rate cuts combined with tax relief and a massive short-term freeze on prime and sub-prime mortgages could have the kind of effects necessary for the American powerhouse to avoid grinding to a halt. Either way, if the spring quarter sees losses on the scale of late 2007, we will be in a classical recession with fewer options than we have right now.
Ki works as a real estate consulant helping buyers interested in Austin real estate. You can research the market on his Austin real estate blog or start your Austin home search online using the Austin MLS.
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Jan. 14, 2008 - Austin BBQ: A Tour of the Town
Deep in the heart of Austin Texas, folks have been cooking up their own brand of BBQ for years and years. Unlike those other BBQ meccas like Memphis and Kansas City, where pulled pork is all the rage, in Austin it's all about the beef. We'll start our tour a bit out of town (about 30 minutes) in Driftwood where The Salt Lick BBQ Restaurant brings the city dwellers out in droves.
Their generous portions of brisket, chicken, sausage, and homemade cobblers have earned The Salt Lick an international reputation. You can order sandwiches, plates, and combos, but we recommend the All You Can Eat option that comes in at less than $15 a person. Making your way back to town, you may pass a gas station that proclaims to have the "wurst BBQ in Texas." Pull in and you'll find yourself and Rudy's Country Store and BBQ. Rudy's is a favorite throughout the state of Texas. Slide on up to the counter and order your brisket, sausage, chicken, and pork by the weight. Your order comes wrapped in wax paper with plenty of Wonder bread to go around. Rudy's also serves breakfast tacos in the mornings and has a wonderful selection of sides including beans, creamed corn, and potato salad.
Back in downtown Austin you can visit the old Weigl Ironworks building, the home of Ironworks BBQ. A favorite haunt of politicians in the heart of downtown, the Ironworks is a great place for people watching. They serve platters and sandwiches with all the sides. Trust us when we say that the beef ribs are worth the trip alone. The Ironworks is also one of the few joints in town to offer an all you can eat salad bar. In the heart of the live music capital of the world, Stubb's BBQ is just as famous as a great music venue as it is a restaurant. The specialties here are the chopped beef sandwiches and chocolate pecan pie. The best time to visit is on Sunday morning, when the sounds of the famous Gospel brunch spill out onto the streets.
Moving a few blocks northwest to Guadalupe St., you'll find Ruby's BBQ filled with hungry students from the University of Texas nearly every day of the week. Their reputation is based on their wonderful chopped beef sandwiches. You can also order the usual selection of meats by the pound. For your non-meat eating friends who may like to tag along, Ruby's is also the only place we know that offers vegetarian jambalaya.
Our tour heads west on Bee Caves Road at The County Line on The Hill. In addition to their fine BBQ, The County Line also offers grilled fish, chicken, and steaks. Founded in 1975, in a converted speak easy, The County Line offers a great view of the Texas hill country. These fine BBQ establishments are just a sampling of the great restaurants all over Austin. Where ever you go you're sure to find cold beer, good food, and great people.
If you are researching the Austin real estate market for a home or condo Ki can help you in your search. His site allows users to perform a Austin mls search online as well as keep up with the market with his real estate blog.
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Jan. 12, 2008 - Synthesizer Fundamentals: Classic 80's Brass
I post about real estate alot. Every so often I want to mix it up with other stuff. Espically when I am getting burned out over constant real estate stuff.
Pop music is often described in cycles: retro music becomes cool, then gets reprocessed and digested by listeners, until the next big thing comes along. While the 80's are (some would say thankfully) long behind us, the sounds from classic records from the era have likewise experienced a reincarnation. The second installment in this series aims to show how to most easily recreate a classic sound heard on many famous songs from the 80's through today: the unmistakable sound of analog brass. While a sample-based approach is often most useful for some applications, there are times when you need that ambiance that can only be achieved through using traditional subtractive methods. Let's go step by step through the programming process.
First, let's establish default settings: Lowpass filter all the way open (100%), envelopes off, and whatever waveform is selected by default. By the way, these sounds should all be achievable on a modern softsynth or any piece of polyphonic hardware (although for a monosynth lead brass sound the same settings will apply.
As far as the oscillators are concerned, a rich waveform is best. Start with a sawtooth waveform, and if one (or more) oscillators is available, set them also to this waveform. It should sound nice and bright. For a two-plus oscillator synth, detuning each oscillator by a few cents (5-10 maximum) will make a bigger, denser sound. This is because the oscillators will now be beating against each other, which our ears interpret as adding harmonic content. Remember to detune one oscillator up and the other down (or in a similar fashion for more oscillators) in order to make the mixed oscillators sound in tune!
Now for the filter. This is the most critical part of the classic 80's brass sounds, as the harmonic content tends to be an important aural "cue" for a listener that makes a sound more readily identifiable. Set the cutoff at about 50%, with a mild (10-20% maximum) amount of resonance. These parameters, and those which follow, are all subject to taste, of course. Use the keyboard tracking parameter in moderation, as you only want the filter to open up some as you play higher up the keyboard. This is designed to emulate the characteristic muted sound as you play higher notes on many brass instruments. Other parameters related to the filter will be discussed below, so ignore any other filter modulation parameters (envelope, LFO, etc.) for now. If there is a highpass filter, pull it up in moderation to thin out the brass some. This is optional, but often makes a big patch sit better in a mix.
On to the envelopes. If you are using a two-envelope machine, so much the better, but really only one envelope is neccesary to achieve many of these sounds. As technology has progressed further, often times one is tempted to use more oscillators, more filters, effects, etc. to make synthesizer-based music. However, working within the limitations offered by some of this now-ancient equipment can still result in very satisfying sounds, if a bit simple by modern standards. With this in mind, set your filter envelope to have the following parameters: medium attack (about 35-50%), a fairly quick decay (around 15-20%), sustain at half, and a moderate release (depending on your playing style and needs, adjust this to quicker values for a more percussive, horn stab-type sound). Play around with the attack and decay settings to optimize your envelopes (which vary in terms of speed) to get a sound with a quick swell in brightness, followed by a more muted sustaining sound.
Now, for LFO modulation(may also be called Vibrato), you may want to use a small amount of modulation on the oscillator pitch. If a delay parameter is available for the LFO, pull it back to about 50%, so as to smoothly transition from an initially in tune sound, to a progressively more quavery sound as you continue to hold notes down. This can add a bit of 80's cheese, so use it tastefully. Also, if a chorus is available, brass sounds can benefit greatly. Enjoy, and hopefully these instructions will put you on the right track to achieving some great 80's brass.
If you are interested in purchasing Austin Texas real estate ki can help assist you in your search. His site has a search of Austin homes and he provides a blog about Austin real estate to help people keep up with market developments.
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Jan. 11, 2008 - Profiles in Green Building: The Austin Real Estate Market
Austin has long been a home for friendly folk- friendly to each other, friendly to animals, and friendly to the environment. What used to be considered as only the concerns of hippies and the bohemian sect, environmentalism is now at the forefront of commercial and residential design, and "green" businesses are popping up nationwide. Austin, however, was the first city in the United States to establish a local green-building program, laying out environmentally friendly and sustainable guidelines for home builders and its interested citizens back in 1991.
Since the Austin real estate market is known nationwide as the leader of these green building methods, the National Association of Home Builders chose the city as its hub to launch an industry-wide effort to establish green-building guidelines in 2004. These guidelines now provide a practical nationally recognized framework for builders to follow to reduce a home’s environmental impact by making them more energy efficient, improving indoor environmental quality, and so on. Though Austin has already been using similar guidelines for over a decade, now the rest of the country is following suit.
The City of Austin and Austin Energy provide a great resource to owners of Austin condos and homes, and new home builders, who are looking for ways to conserve energy, and build an environmentally friendly home. The city’s website offers a list of companies willing to do an energy analysis of a home that will determine possible options to help the house conserve more energy, with suggestions ranging from air conditioning repair to weather stripping doors. The city then will offer a 20% rebate on a variety of possible improvements.
Though the city offers rebates in many ways, it’s the solar power the city is really pushing. Austin Energy offers customers one of the country's best solar photovoltaic rebates, at $4.50 per watt. A one kilowatt solar photovoltaic system is the smallest considered practical, but comes with an upfront cost of between $6,000 and $10,000. The city will rebate $4,500, for a savings of 45% to 75% of that cost.
For those Austinites building a new house or commercial building, the city created the Austin Energy Green Building organization to promote the construction of high quality, more sustainable buildings, and has even zoned sections of the city’s real estate to require an Austin Energy Green Building rating. Four times a year, the organization also holds a one day "Green By Design" workshop open to the public. The workshop provides an overview of the green building process, and brings in design, building, engineering, landscaping, and Austin real estate professionals with many years of experience in homebuilding and remodeling, to help make sense of it all.
In March of this year, Austin was named as the city leading the country in "cleantech" by SustainLane, an online resource center that offers sustainability tips to state and local government. The term "cleantech" refers to venture capital-based startups based in green technology, with Austin as the front runner with seven such startups, ranging from internet-controlled irrigation to geothermal energy technologies. To keep Austin on the cutting edge of green technology, the Clean Energy Incubator program was set up to help young clean energy businesses succeed by commercializing their ideas. With citizens, government, and forward thinking businesses, Austin will likely be the city to follow in the environmental battle for years to come.
Ki is a real estate agent in Austin and can help buyers find a green friendly home in the Austin real estate market. If you are looking for more information on the Austin market his Austin real estate blog is a good place to start your research or you can search for homes on his Austin MLS search.
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Jan. 9, 2008 - New Hampshire Primary
As Election Day approaches, one of the most publicized presidential races of the past several decades has captivated the minds of people around the world and set records for participation in the US democratic primary system. As the first woman to run as a mainstream candidate for president, New York Senator Hillary Clinton has quite a race in front of her by anyone's standards.
Even though equal rights for women have existed in the United States for almost a century, it has been a long time coming for a presidential race between Clinton and her fiercest competitor, Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Although she had led polls initially for several weeks, as the Iowa caucus started to get underway, Obama had the lead. After her third-place finish in Iowa, things were looking a little desperate for Mrs. Clinton, whose campaigning in recent weeks has been relentless. As Obama picked up the pace to match, it seemed inevitable. With the opposition taking double-digit leads in most polls in the days and hours leading up to the New Hampshire Democratic primary, the Clinton camp seemed somewhat resigned. But with an unusual combination of a record voter turnout, the first truly web-capable election, and a newfound global interest in US politics all contributed to Hillary's comeback.
The New Hampshire primary had more people voting in it than ever before by a large margin, with a half million strong coming out in the unseasonably warm weather to cast their vote. While Obama took the independent voters and many young Americans, the biggest bloc of Hillary supporters were- surprise!- women, as well as the diehard Democrats, who seemed to take Hillary more seriously.
While the "electability" of either major candidate has been questioned, a race that comes down to a black man or a woman for the highest civilian office in the US is certainly not to be overlooked in terms of progress. Yet this factor may have helped win Hillary undue support. While the Iowa caucuses were held openly, the ballots cast in the New Hampshire primary were cast in private, thus begging the question: What other factors besides racism could give one candidate a clear lead in polls, yet give the other candidate the nomination?
Well, the power of the web has been somewhat underestimated in recent months, as the first presidential webcast debates have been published-er-uploaded and received millions of hits. A video reposted on Youtube of Hillary speaking to a coffeeshop audience nearly in tears went viral hours before the election, in a brief but rare emotional outpouring that just may have set her apart from the competition in an unexpected way. As often as she has tried to be sincere and make connections to people, Hillary has come off as cold and calculating, a politician to the core. Yet this moment of candidness, combined with the power of new technology that can let any potential viewer (or voter) into her perspective, helped turn the tables in her favor and catapulted her firmly back into the race overnight.
Escapeso is a company which helps buyers interested in Austin real estate. They have a search which pulls in homes from the Austin MLS. Their Austin real estate blog also provides insights on the Austin market.
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Jan. 7, 2008 - The Sluggish Fed: Why its Bad for the Economy
In recent months, fallout from the sub-prime mortgage scandal has been estimated in the hundreds of billions, up from figures of $100 billion maximum from the Federal Reserve only three months ago. While the Fed has, in an unprecedented move, cut interest rates three consecutive times in as many months, their cuts have always given investors the impression that a later cut was inevitable, cycling in a self-fulfilling prophesy that has played out poorly for the American economy as investment and stocks have been relatively cool. This behavior reflects a prevalent attitude that the situation will get worse before it gets better, and that uncertainty is the single biggest enemy of economic growth.
An interesting point of comparison for the Fed's actions in recent months is to use other central banks, such as the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE). These banks have taken a somewhat different tact against the sub-prime problems. As early as August, the ECB and BoE decided to tighten lending standards and require that potential borrowers be have informed consent, so as to avoid a repeat problem of this magnitude. The Fed had to be threatened with losing their ability to set policy in a similar fashion for them to take action. When they did, their rules did not apply retroactively in any respect to the predatory loaning, but it did at least set some precedent for responsibility in the mortgage market.
These actions beg the question: Why is the Fed so darn sluggish? At nearly every turn, the US central bank has taken too little action far too late. All of their rate cuts have been anticipated like thunder after the lightning starts a massive forest fire. Their one response that wasn't completely acknowledged beforehand was the joint decision by the major banks to inject billions into the financial system overnight, which only worked because it was such a concerted effort. These circumstances bely an important aspect of the Fed's ability to help guide the economy: Sometimes a surprise is in order. The only reason for the Fed's reticence against a large, definitive rate cut is because of the ever-present threat of inflation.
Yet as oil reaches the $100- a- barrel mark and food and commodity demand consistently outstrips supply, it seems their ability to exercise control over inflation seems a bit dubious. Granted, this scenario is without precedent, but so would be a 1% Fed cut in a single day. The difference is that a cut of that size would send a message that the economy is in real danger, but that the Federal Reserve is capable of taking that threat seriously and in a timely fashion- something that they have obviously failed to do in recent months.
Their single remaining hope is that the sub-prime crisis will not be felt as heavily outside of the money markets it has already impacted, but as credit card companies and other financial institutions that have no primary connection to the crisis have begun complaining that, if people can't pay their mortages, they probably won't be able to pay their mounting credit card bills, the Fed's options seem increasingly limited. If nothing else, hopefully recent events will stimulate quicker action on the part of Bernanke and associates.
Ki runs a website covering the Austin real estate market. If you want to start your search on the web they provide a Austin mls search on their site. They also have a blog with information and news on Austin real estate.
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Jan. 4, 2008 - Sub-prime Fallout: Why Things are Going to Get Even Worse
The recent sub-prime crisis is unlike any faced by the financial system before in one dubious distinction: Its effects are exacerbated by globalization to an unprecedented degree. Recent developments help illustrate exactly how this credit crunch can be differentiated from others, such as the savings and loan scandals of the 1980's, by its fundamentally larger scale and complexity.
To explain the sub-prime crisis adequately, first the causes must be clearly identified. Like the savings and loan problems, predatory lending on the part of real estate brokers and agents, combined with a fair amount of financial fan-dangling, many banks loaned out more money than they normally were allowed to. By keeping these loans off their balance sheets, they were able to loan out much more than the rule-of-thumb ten times their deposits. If you consider that the sub-prime fallout is considered by most to be over $250 billion dollars, then the loans made could be in the trillions. The vehicles in which the debt was stored were basically invented for the purpose of deceiving potential investors into believing that they were sound investments, not risky sub-prime mortgages.
The savings and loan crisis took a similar tact, and ended in similar levels of indignation, consumer despair, and regulation. As the years have gone by, those who cried for deregulation in order to help the already unprecedented economic growth skyrocket higher still have gotten their wish, but at a price: now that the Fed has instituted more clear standards for informed consent for borrowers, a crisis like this will likely not emerge again for some time. However, this is a lone consolation for the amazing amount of debt that has yet to be declared throughout the financial system.
The reason this crisis is so much larger is because the repackaged sub-prime debt was sold not just to other Americans, or even Canadians and Europeans. It was sold all over the world, to China and India and many other countries. This means that the problem increases in complexity, as differing international regulations for the timetable on debt declaration and a financial system that has turned a boom into a spider's web of uncertainty contribute to higher risk to any institution that lends money. This, in turn, places a de facto cap on the amount of economic growth that can happen.
But the problem is also much, much larger because the entire world has some degree of stake in it. Now European central banks are cutting their interest rates as well, in order to combat a problem that won't even really exist in a measurable form until two million Americans default on their mortgages in the new year. When the fallout was limited to the US, as was the case with the savings and loan banks, the turnaround time was a matter of two years, give or take. Now, the sub-prime crisis has been high on the international public radar for well over a year, but less than a tenth of the lowest estimates on the total debt have been acknowledged by lending companies. This means that recession is a much more likely outcome of this global problem than it seemed even three months ago.
Living in Austin Ki works for a small realty company focused on Austin real estate. They provide information about the market on their blog about Austin real estate news along with a allowing users to start searching for Austin homes online through the Austin MLS.
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Jan. 3, 2008 - Red River Clubs in Austin
The vast majority of true rock and roll and blues artists have grown up and lived on the poor side of town. Today, the same rings true, as many of Austin's local musicians can be found just east of IH-35, where the streets are a little tougher and the rent a little easier to pay. It makes sense that several live music venues are found on Red River Street, where downtown Austin and East Austin converge, just one block west of the interstate.
Though live music clubs can be found sprinkled around town, Red River hosts eight of them within a few block stretch. The music genres vary slightly on Red River with Rock, and its offshoots, as the primary focus. As opposed to the dueling piano players or slew of cover bands normally found on 6th street, the bands playing on Red River are playing all original music, and hoping to find enough fans to build up a following and gain some recognition, since the money they will take home is usually based on the number of people coming through the door.
Clubs such as Headhunters and Room 710 draw a hard rock audience that can be filled with tough punks and fans from the local roller derby teams. Club Deville and Mohawk both have fantastic outside stages with limestone cliffs jutting out from behind the stage, and dark as pitch seating areas inside for relaxing between sets.
Randall and Donya Stockton opened their Red River club Beerland after their old club, Bates Motel, burned down on 6th Street. The Stocktons offer opportunities to up-and-coming bands looking to play their first show, as they have live music six nights a week, with several live acts a night. Gearing more towards a garage rock crowd, Beerland books national and touring acts, as well as local favorites, with a cover charge rarely exceeding five dollars.
Emo's is probably the most well known and longest lasting club, situated on the corner of Red River and 6th Street. When the club opened in the early 90s, there was no cover for those 21 and up, and a one dollar cover for minors. Today, they still offer admission to all ages, and have grown larger, now with an indoor stage for smaller shows, and a larger outdoor stage for better known acts. Most recently, they have opened the Emo's Lounge, and can have three live shows playing simultaneously. During the South By Southwest Music Festival of 1994, Emo's had a surprise guest appearance by Johnny Cash, which is still one of the most talked about club performances in town.
Recently Austin-based independent concert promotion company C3 Presents took over national booking duties for Emo's, already doing so for Stubbs BBQ, the club located north on Red River. C3, best known for booking the largely popular Austin City Limits Festival in September, vows to not raise prices at the door, though the days of a two dollar cover are long gone. However, as a treat to Austin's music loving public, Emo's still offers "Free Week" the first week of every new year, and keeps Red River's music community going strong.
Living in Austin Texas Ki runs a realty company focused on Austin real estate. He runs an Austin real estate blog along with a search of the Austin MLS.
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Jan. 2, 2008 - Wanna be a Movie Extra in Austin?
Everywhere you look in Austin it seems there is filming going on. From huge blockbuster movies like The Alamo and Miss Congeniality to network television series like Friday Night Lights, Austin has become a favorite location for directors and producers nationwide to create some of our favorite movies and television shows. Studios have fallen in love with Austin because of our abundance of talented actors and crew as well as the price of doing business in our town which is substantially more affordable than much larger places such as New York or Los Angeles.
Every production requires and enormous amount of support from the local community and whether you are an experienced camera operator or have never stepped foot on a movie set, there are ways that anyone can be involved. Perhaps the easiest way to experience the bright lights and fast action of film production is to become an extra.
The shooting schedules of film projects vary greatly and may last from a couple of days to several weeks. You should begin by researching the calls for extras on the internet. Two great resources for current listings are on www.craigslist..com. While most extras are paid for their time on set, you will need to study the listings carefully to determine if the shoot coincides with your schedule and income demands.
After selecting the call for which you would like to apply, you should immediately send a headshot and a resume to the casting director as these positions tend to fill up rather quickly. You should not worry about having a ton of professional acting experience as most projects fill their speaking roles with actors who are represented by local agencies. In most cases, projects are looking for extras from a wide range of backgrounds to give them as diverse a casting pool as possible. You should also make sure that you are free of any work responsibilities on the day of the shoot. These days tend to be very long and your schedule should be completely free.
On larger film projects, you may be asked to attend an interview day. This step is often not required on projects with a shorter time commitment or shooting schedule. When you arrive you can expect to spend around fifteen minutes interviewing with the casting director. At this time, they may also want to take a few photos of you to include in their records.
Once you are selected for a role as an extra you should expect to act as you would in any professional working situation. Make sure that you show up a few minutes early and are prepared with any items or changes of clothes that your casting director may have asked you to bring along. You should be kind and gracious to everyone you meet and prepared to spend a large portion waiting around for your time to be called. You should never wander around the set or do anything that could interfere with the production. You should also not approach the actors with requests of autographs or photos. You are a working professional and should act accordingly.
Working as an extra may be one of the most rewarding adventures of your life. You will become a part of the great artistic community that makes Austin so unique and get to experience the inner workings of a film or television production. It’s a great experience and not as hard as you may think. So what are you waiting for? Here is your chance to be on the big screen.
Ki is a realtor in Austin that helps people search for Austin homes. He provides insight on the Austin market on his real estate blog. He also has a search on his Austin tx MLS search
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