I’m a karaoke junkie by nature. Started by accident really. I finished my sentence on the second shift at Rocky Top Farragut and decided I deserved a cold beer and some tasty boneless chicken wings. Across the street I go to BullFeathers… found it interesting to see and hear all the folks trying to sing a song.

It was a few weeks before I’d gathered up the nerve to eek out a song. It was hilarious. I sang Manic Monday by the Bangles. And I sucked wind big time!

So, I wondered if I could sing anything else any better. I told my daddy that I was having so much fun making a complete ass of myself, and he went out and bought me a home karaoke machine with 10 CDs. Go Daddy!

So, I tried me some country. Um, let’s just go with not. I was told I haven’t got enough ‘twang’ in my voice to sing any kind of country. Thank God!!! Diva don’t got no twang!!!!
Scratch country.

So, it’s the B97.5/coffee shop stuff I’ve found I’m pretty good at.
I can sing the devil out of Fleetwood Mac. Diva Nix over here.
Love Norah Jones and any kind of oldie but goodie.

But sometimes, I’d love to have a little more of a brazen streak. I want to belt out something that only a bad-ass-chick would do.

Janis Joplin – Bobby McGee
Joan Jett – Do Ya Wanna Touch
Heart – Magic Man

Not that I’m knocking my easy listening and soft rock talent, but…

Why can’t I be a bad-ass-chick??

     Basically, the reacTable is a flat surface that makes sounds and music by dropping different modules onto it, and positoning them so that get the sound you want.  Modules range from tone generators, to strobes, to noise gates, etc. etc.  It’s like a musical flowchart…
     From its designers at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona:

The reactable hardware is based on a translucent round table. A video camera situated beneath, continuously analyzes the table surface, tracking the nature, position and orientation of the objects that are distributed on its surface, representing the components of a classic modular synthesizer. These objects are passive without any sensors or actuators, users interact by moving them, changing their position, their orientation or their faces (in the case of volumetric objects). These actions directly control the topological structure and parameters of the sound synthesizer. A projector, also from underneath the table, draws dynamic animations on its surface, providing a visual feedback of the state, the activity and the main characteristics of the sounds produced by the audio synthesizer.

     Put simply:  I WANT ONE!

     In case you’re not getting it, I’m gonna post all three demo videos for this thing.  This first is Basic Demo #1.

     Does that deserve a, “Whoah!” or what?  This is cool stuff!  So we go on to Basic Demo #2:

     Starting to understand it?  Then you’ve gotta check out the Improvisation Demo:

     The fun part is, it’s components are not exactly “cutting edge.”  But the very idea of putting something together in this fashion is leaps and bounds ahead.  Serious kudos are due its creators!

     The “Cool” Factor doesn’t stop there.  This puppy even runs on Open Source software!

     Be certain to check out their website…

Tip: Anton, over at LR2

     Today, I saw a Star Wars: Episode 3 spoof by Sequential Pictures that was impressively produced for being so slapstick-stupid (I loved it!) and though I’d post it here.

     But after looking around on their site a bit more, I ran into some other gems which kept me laughing for at least seventy-eight seconds longer.

     Laughter is a good thing.  Especially tongue-in-cheek.

     I sincerely hope that YouTube’s content doesn’t suffer in the wake of the Google buyout.  Where else am I gonna find such gems?

     The Family Guy is a freakin’ brilliant show. That kind of stupid, slapstick comedy interspersed with hilarious, anti-politically-correct social commentary — along with its impeccably timed infusions of pop-culture — really strike a chord with me.
     Here’s a perfect for-instance: their spoof Aha’s “Take on Me” is one of my favorites.

     Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, idiots all over the world can record themselves and post it on the Internet for free. This, of course, means that Spoofs beget Spoofs.

    Of course, the college version is somewhat better quality…

     But the Anime version is definitely the best…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5lxERFf_T4

     All that aside … Another great Family Guy spoof was Peter Griffin’s spoof of M.C. Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This.”  The implication “You Can’t Touch Peter” was amusing in itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr7ZpXq5aiY

     This one sparked a multitude of spoofs, mostly Anime.  This one — mixing Disney, Tron and the Kingdom Hearts 2 video game — hit a few funny nerves.

     Swanky sent me a link to this brilliant video, Battle of the Bands … Oh yeah!
     And if you’re old enough to remember at least fifty percent of these album covers, they’re probably too loud now.  😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6bUD9PJ6i8