Granted, this is a Rogers unboxing (I’m on AT&T), but it still confirms that the new BlackBerry Bold is a beautiful device. It also confirms that I’m getting a Bold and not an iPhone 3G. Sorry, Uncle Steve.
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Praise be to Gibson! Gibson has pulled off yet another awesome hybrid of a classic. Their Custom Shop engineers got the bridge right too; they routed out a recess for the FR vibrato. Now if Fender could get it right on the FR Strat.
As everyone from Jeff Beck to Jimmy Page to Joe Bonamassa to Slash already knows, the Gibson Les Paul Standard has been one of the most playable electric guitars in rock for more than 50 years. Now, with the release of the new Les Paul Axcess Standard from the Gibson Custom Shop, the “ultimate player’s guitar” just got more playable.
Carrying all the elegant styling, fluid body lines, and rocking attitude of a classic Les Paul Standard from the golden era of 1958 to ‘60, the Les Paul Axcess reveals a handful of upgrades upon closer examination—all modifications made in the name of maximum playability and versatility. The most noticeable addition is the Floyd Rose tailpiece, a unit optimized for anything from subtle vibrato wobbles to dramatic, rumbling divebombs. Adding a Floyd Rose to a Les Paul in the past was always a major headache, and could seriously damage the stability of the instrument if not done right. On the Les Paul Axcess the vibrato is installed right at the Gibson Custom Shop as part of the manufacturing process, so this potent piece of high-performance hardware interacts seamlessly with the design of the guitar. Partnered with an R4 locking nut, it also guarantees outstanding tuning stability and return-to-pitch accuracy.
Continue reading ‘Les Paul Axcess Standard: The Ultimate Player’s “Player’s Guitar”’
I’ve been using OpenDNS at home and at work since the service was first offered. At home, I was just using OpenDNS for DNS lookups, that’s all. At work, I setup our M$ Domain Controllers to forward DNS requests to OpenDNS, again for DNS lookups only.
In May 2007, OpenDNS announced their filtering controls, I immediately went to their site, created an account, and setup my external IP networks (currently five of them at work, soon to be six). Granted at the time, it was implicit domain blocking only, but it was something. Prior to May ‘07, I was using a Linux server and BIND with a huge list of domains that I blocked by pointing to 127.0.0.1. It was a dirty solution, but it worked. Most of the domains I had in BIND were Adware sites I pulled from the hosts file changes that Spybot S&D added to the Windows hosts file. The OpenDNS domain blocking was a solution to my dirty fix. While I like having Linux on my network, the OpenDNS domain blocking sort of did away with my daily workarounds trying to block/unblock domains.
In June/August 2007, OpenDNS added category blocking with domain whitelisting. Oh, sweet day! I was able to block entire categories of internet content, for free! Again, for free!
Now back to the point of this post… Some people would like this kind of filtering for their children to keep them from viewing pornographic content or to avoid internet predators. I had never really thought about using OpenDNS as a parental filter before because I do not have children. NetNanny and other parental filtering software charges per computer. Now that homes have more than one computer, that could get expensive; paying for filtering year after year. If you have more than one computer in your home, you would need to setup the OpenDNS servers on your cable/DSL router (Apple AirPort, Linksys, D-Link, etc.), but you only need to setup the OpenDNS client software on one computer (preferably one the parents use).
Check out the Howtogeek article about how to set up parental filtering for free using OpenDNS.
Howtogeek via Lifehacker
Even if you don’t have children, you could still take advantage of OpenDNS’s Phishing and Adware blocking. It’s the setup I’m using at home.
I just thought this was a bit ironic that MacDailyNews reports about “Netflix suffers biggest outage ever” and there is a big honkin’ ad in the center of the article for Apple TV and iTunes Store rentals.
My only question is, “Why a Kahler vibrato?” Why not stick with a tune-o-matic tailpiece or a Floyd Rose vibrato?
Gibson USA’s new Shred-V Flying V—the Guitar of the Month for August 2008—takes the style and attitude of the fearsome Flying V a step further. Two EMG 85 pickups deliver high-ouput, screaming tone, perfect for aggressive hard rock and metal, and a new Kahler 2215K tremolo system allows stable tuning and dive bombs. The Shred-V is outfitted with black chrome hardware, and an Ebony finish that captures every detail and sharp style of the classic Flying V. The neck is one-piece mahogany with Gibson’s traditional Flying V profile—a hybrid between the standard ’50s rounded contour and the ’60s slim-taper profile—and an ebony fingerboard with black acrylic dot inlays unique only to the Shred-V. Locking Grover tuners keep the guitar in tune when pushing the Kahler tremolo system to its limits. Gibson’s new Shred-V Flying V—offered with a custom Guitar of the Month case—combines classic Flying V style with sonic intensity and a sleek look. Production is limited to just 1,000 guitars.
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I received an email today with the release date for Metallica’s upcoming new album Death Magnetic. It’s September 12. I can’t wait!
After a sheet music website accidentally revealed (and then deleted) the track list for Metallica’s Death Magnetic earlier today, the band confirmed the ten songs that will appear on their Rick Rubin-produced album, due out in September. One title immediately jumps out: “The Unforgiven III,” following the Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” and roughly 11 years after ReLoad’s “The Unforgiven II.” The rest of the song titles are packed with common Metallica-esque themes of nightmares, suicides and the apocalypse. There’s also a song called “The End of the Line,” which shares its title with a Traveling Wilburys song, but we’re assuming it’s not a cover. Despite reports from earlier in the day, there’s no track called “Death Magnetic” included. The album isn’t due out for another two months, so you still have plenty of time to figure out if you want these ten songs delivered to you in a coffin box and sufficiently prepare yourself to play “Broken, Beat & Scarred” on Guitar Hero III. The full track list and proper running order are after the jump.
- “That Was Just Your Life”
- “The End Of The Line”
- “Broken, Beat & Scarred”
- “The Day That Never Comes”
- “All Nightmare Long”
- “Cyanide”
- “The Unforgiven III”
- “The Judas Kiss”
- “Suicide & Redemption”
- “My Apocalypse”
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With nine albums in the tank and a tenth set to be recorded next year, thrash metal forefathers Slayer are considering life after their contract with Rick Rubin expires, says singer/bassist Tom Araya. “Let’s put it this way, this is the final record of our commitment with Rick Rubin. When we first signed a deal with him back in 1986, we never sat down and said, ‘How long do you guys want to keep this together?’” Araya tells Thrash Hits. The band still has another album to record, which they’ll begin after their Unholy Alliance tour ends. After that, the future is unclear. “Once we’ve put together new material, we can get together and discuss our future plans,” Araya said. Retirement is an option, as the band is “maybe” financially secure enough to pack it in. Plus, “Seeing a 50-year-old man headbanging on stage would make me cringe. If I was watching that, I’d think, ‘Dude, you’re a little too old for that, aren’t you? You’re gonna fall off!’”
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Improving a legend isn’t easy, but it has happened. Introducing the 2008 Les Paul Standard from Gibson USA—an elegant revision of a true classic, with several upgrades and new features that make this new model the best Les Paul Standard ever produced.
Based on research from consumer feedback and a drive to uphold and enhance the legacy of the Les Paul, Gibson USA’s 2008 Les Paul Standard sets a musical instrument benchmark for excellence and achievement, beginning with a new asymmetrical neck profile that makes it one of the most comfortable and playable necks ever offered on any guitar. The neck also features an enlarged neck tenon for maximum wood contact between the neck and body.
Locking Grover tuners are also a first for the Les Paul, giving the 2008 Standard an improved gear ratio of 18:1 and making string changes a snap. All newly designed controls, including custom-made, gold-plated potentiometers made by Bourns, one of the industry’s leading makers of guitar electronics, give the 2008 Standard a new level of sonic clarity and intensity.
It’s also one of the first Gibson USA models to utilize the revolutionary Plek system—a computer-controlled setup that carefully measures and dresses each fret, accurately measuring the height between the fingerboard and each string, virtually eliminating string buzz and providing unbeatable playability.
A set of Gibson’s traditional Burstbucker Pro humbuckers help deliver the powerful punch expected from a Les Paul, featuring Alnico V magnets with slightly higher output and a more open sound, faithfully capturing the magic of Gibson’s legendary PAF pickups of the 1950s.
A chambered mahogany body gives the 2008 Standard enhanced resonance, and a plain or flame maple top pays homage to the Les Pauls of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Other new features include TonePros’ locking Nashville Tune-o-matic and stopbar tailpiece in chrome finish and strap lock buttons.
Each 2008 Les Paul Standard comes with Gibson USA’s standard black snakeskin case.
Play the new 2008 Les Paul Standard from Gibson USA and experience the evolution of the greatest electric guitar of all time.
The 2008 Les Paul Standard will be available at select dealers beginning August 1, 2008.
Click here for detailed specs, a photo gallery, and 360 imagery of the 2008 Les Paul Standard.
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