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Author: MrCrispy

How to self-critique without self-loathing

How to self-critique without self-loathing

Artistry and self-loathing go hand in hand to the extent that’s it’s become almost cliche. Whether it’s music, programming, painting or any other creative outlet, we are all our own worst critics. The problem is, unless your work is critiqued, it’s very difficult to improve. We can always get others to listen to our work, of course, but that opens all kinds of other issues. Your friends and family are most likely to be “yes men” because they actually care…

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New Track! Schnauzer Afternoon

New Track! Schnauzer Afternoon

Just released a new track on SoundCloud. This one is a lofi hiphop song called “Schnauzer Afternoon”. Brings back memories of chilling on a Florida afternoon with my schnauzer in the backyard.

Sometimes you have to challenge yourself (also new song)

Sometimes you have to challenge yourself (also new song)

Even if you’re just starting out, it’s important to challenge yourself from time to time. It lets you know where you stand and where you can improve. If you keep track of your results, and I’m a hardcore nerd so data is important to me, you can also track your progress over time. In this case, I had the idea to give myself a solid time limit to accomplish as much as I could. The time limit was one hour…

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Just added a new song: “Marseille”

Just added a new song: “Marseille”

After a couple months of experimenting, I finally released a full and finished track, having only previously released a quick test song. I’m still learning (and always will be) but I’m starting to really like the end results. If you’re not familiar with Vaporwave, Wikipedia describes it as “It is defined by its mimetic embrace of Internet culture and its sampling of smooth jazz, elevator music, R&B, and lounge music from the 1980s and 1990s, with the tracks typically manipulated…

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My new musical toy…

My new musical toy…

Been learning to use Ableton Live for a bit now. I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it but, in a moment of weakness, wound up getting a Push 2 controller. It has completely transformed my workflow as well as the quality of my output. If you’re on the fence about one of these, I say pull the trigger. While I’m still learning, I honestly prefer the workflow on the Push to using Live itself. So much…

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My Montblanc fountain pens, the pride of my collection
For the love of fountain pens

For the love of fountain pens

Once upon a time, I worked for a small insurance company. On more than one occasion, some unscrupulous agent forged the signature of the company’s owner “authorizing” them to sell products that they had no permission to sell. The saving grace is that the signature they used looked nothing like the owner’s signature (and I believe one of them even spelled his name wrong). Regardless, it was an annoying situation to be in. Admittedly, it made me a bit paranoid…

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Home Automation – 6 Months Later…

Home Automation – 6 Months Later…

This set up has spoiled me. Being able to voice control my way through the house has turned me into Scotty from Star Trek IV. When I visit my parental units and have to actually touch switches? I feel like “oh, a manual switch. How quaint.” I’m also convinced that my son’s first word is going to be “Alexa” because of how much Mrs. Crispy and I use the Amazon Echo devices. Downsides? There is one distinct issue…. I don’t mow…

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