One Way Around

 
I think about secrecy a lot.
I like to think of cheap and or simple solutions that don't need a government budget to be used.
I've been thinking about my AlphaSmart 3000 recently. Mostly because it can't connect to the Internet but is in itself a basic word processor, and a fairly robust (in terms of construction) one at that. It has a four line LCD screen and so it's difficult for anyone to peer over your shoulder while you're working on it without being really bloody obvious. This means it can be used almost anywhere and is easy and practical to bump around in your shoulder bag. It's a good starting point for any text you'd like to keep to yourself or share with a select few. Each of the eight files you can store in the device can be password protected. It's weak protection but better than none. It also has an on / off button on the keyboard and when pressed off the device will hold everything in memory without a save so it's good for unwelcome interruptions.
So where now?
I plugged the AlphaSmart into my iPad today and by pressing the "Send File" button it happily transferred my text to the iPad. That's good but my iPad is far from secure so I needed an intermediary.
Getting files off the AlphaSmart is easy but could I get them in? The simple answer is Yes. A small piece of software called "Get Utility" is designed to send clipboard text back into the AlphaSmart.
One more step.
I have another piece of software called KRYPTA which uses strong encryption and copies encrypted text to the clipboard. So there is the complete puzzle.
Here's the method. (NB The netbook stays offline the whole time and the clipboard is purged before shutdown.)
 
1. Type on AlphaSmart.
2. Send file to KRYPTA and encrypt.
3. Encrypted content appears in Get Utility via clipboard.
4. Send encrypted text back to AlphaSmart.
5. Connect AlphaSmart to iPad to forward encrypted text.
 
So there it is. A simple and low cost solution for moving your secrets around. As long as your PC, Netbook or laptop remains offline (permanently) you can be 99% sure that by the time anyone gains access to your kit the message will be past its sell by date.
I hope this is useful to someone or inspires you to find work arounds to the problem of keeping your thoughts safe. If you can find holes in my method be sure to let me know.
I do like a good problem.
 

Jazz Club

 
A while ago I was talking jazz with ConcreteDog.
I was trying to work out which scales go with which chords when playing Smooth Jazz. ConcreteDog is very helpful and suggested that I get the iReal b app which a lot of jazz musicians use.
At the time I thought it was a bit expensive for an app which taught you how to play jazz songs which one downloaded from a forum. I guess I wasn't concentrating that day and didn't buy the app. About a month or so later I had another look and thought that at least I could learn something by playing other people's songs so I took the plunge.
The app has lessons for you to practice jazz standards and chord progressions and one can indeed download tracks from the forum but what makes this app so outstanding for me is that it has an editor with which one can enter chords and have them played in just about any jazz style at any tempo. Suddenly I'm writing stuff that sounds like jazz and for me that's all I ever wanted.
Now, this would be a decent recommendation for an app if I left it there but iReal b has a killer move. Once I've entered my chords, set a tempo and chosen a style I can export the whole thing as a MIDI file straight into Cubasis where I can re-voice the tracks and add my own embellishments. How good is that.
One final trick up iReal b's sleeve is that it will suggest scales that work with my chords and I can then use those to create melodies.
I've only just started messing with this process and I know I'm going to have fun and get the results I've longed for so thank you ConcreteDog, it is and always be a pleasure to mine your vast knowledge.
 

Use Your Imagination

 
This is my new track.
It was born out of a couple of chords I'd left in Cubasis which is where the whole track was built. I was (am) working on another track which still needs vocals so I was just filling time and experimenting.
The whole track was recorded, mixed and produced on my iPad. As with the other track I wanted to prove to myself that the apps on my iPad could do as good a job as FL Studio which is my DAW of choice. I think I've accomplished what I set out to do.
For those of you that are interested here's a rundown of the apps used:
 
Cubasis, Audiobus, Magellan, iElectribe, Addictive Synth, DM1, Voice Synth, NLog Pro and Audio Mastering to finish the track.
Mobile music making has come a long way and my iPad setup is now easily as powerful as my FL Studio and PC gear. It's nice to have both but at the moment the former is better simply because its so accessible.
 
Here's a link to the track.
http://soundcloud.com/mikistrange/use-your-imagination

 

A Basic Necessity, A Basic Pleasure

 
Since a very young age I've enjoyed setting fire to things.
I blame my obsession with being born in a landlocked city. I got in trouble at junior school for lighting matches, not much older I set a bin alight at home after throwing burning paper into it. Luckily for me the bin was metal, unluckily I picked it up to run water onto the flames, lesson learned. Then there was the old bomb site at the bottom of the road. It was a prime spot for watching flames dance without getting into trouble.
Through my teens I meticulously built model planes then doused them in white spirit and watched them burn too. I enjoyed bonfire night, not so much the fireworks, they're too noisy, too dangerous. Older still and I started to enjoy cooking on an open fire. Nothing quite beats corn on the cob smothered in butter, wrapped in tin foil and left to cook in the embers.
These days I'm careful with fire. I have a fire container in the back yard where I can listen to the crackle of wood and daydream whilst staring into the flames. I did that last Saturday and it was marvellous. Weather permitting I'm hoping to do it all again with a new supply of scrap wood. With a glass of wine in hand, a cool breeze to fan the flames and an imagination inspired by the fire I'll be blissfully happy.
Let's hope the rain stays away.
 

The Things That Dreams Are Made Of

 
I heard "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" by The Human League tonight.
Apart from finding it on the net to listen to repeatedly it made me think about what my dreams are made of. In all honesty simple things really. My pipes, decent tobacco. Good wine and a few select friends topped off with fine coffee should do it. Not necessarily in that order you understand. The one thing that I've always dreamed of is driving an articulated truck and last week I got the go ahead to sort out some training in order to achieve that.
I'm also smoking a lot less in order to get fit enough to jog around the park. My e-cigarettes are helping me with that. I haven't given up smoking but I've put it back into an enjoyment category rather than it sitting in the necessity category. What could be better than daydreaming ones way through the nature in the park whilst losing pounds I don't need to be carrying around. I'll get there. Not sure when but I'm making it a reality in small steps.
I decided about a week or so ago that I was going to start taking control of my life and once that decision is made there's no going back. With perseverance I'm making it happen, there's a little luck in there too but that needs controlling also.
Until all of my objectives are complete the above track is my theme tune.
It's all coming together nicely.