CATSYNTH

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Author: catsynth

  • Weekend Cat Blogging and more: Getting packed

    This weekend is the beginning of the big final pack-up of our home. And for Luna, things are definitely changing:

    She definitely is good at watching over things, and is wise enough to stay out of the way, lest we end up with something like this:

    Even though the drama has been building up for weeks and isn't over yet, we still have some time and space for humor 🙂 Seriously though, we have a long way to go before “we iz all paked.” A lot of the major stuff is already done, or waiting for the pros. But in the meantime, the devil is in the details, as it often is.

    Weekend Cat Blogging #137 is being hosted by Pumpkin, along with Upsier and sher at what did you eat. Pumpkin is settling into his new home quite nicely.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos is being hosted by ” Mz. Mog & Kitty Cats” at Mind of Mog. The Carnival of the Cats is going to Missy, KC, Sol and Smokey this Sunday. And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

  • Alia jacta est: the new CatSynth HQ

    Well, we at CatSynth can finally say with confidence we have a new home. In just over a week, we are moving to the South of Market (SOMA) district of San Francisco. Expect to read more about our new neighborhood in coming weeks.

    This will be a real “city life,” quite different from the last few years. Perhaps we will get to “live the bohemian life” like our friends Kashim, Othello and Astrid. Of course there are the many arts and music opportunities, lots of good food and drink, and friends only a few transit stops away. And I enjoy just walking down city blocks, like I often have in New York. Indeed, I have often thought about making the move to the city. And now it is happening. The experience to get there has been far more difficult and challenging than I imagined, and it's not over yet. But it is getting closer…

  • Wordless Wednesday: Red Texture

  • Detroit

    In keeping with our “road geek” tour of the US presidential primaries, we at CatSynth visit the city of Detroit, Michigan:

    And the winners of today's Michigan primaries are…well, it doesn't really matter. This is really just an excuse to explore a place that I think is fascinating.

    One would expect “motor city” to have quite a network of freeways. Well, it's not quite Los Angeles, but in the 1950s and 1960s it was quite impressive, and can be seen on this Detroit Freeways site. I am particularly fond of this photo of the interchange between I-75 (Fisher Freeway) and the Chrysler Freeway. It has the 1960s “futuristic” look, which some of us may look back upon fondly. (Click on the photo for larger version.)

    So much from that era has fallen into decay, and that is perhaps no more visible than in Detroit. Indeed, a favorite site of mine is The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit. For whatever reason, these “ruins” from the 20th century fascinate me, especially those that we in their time “modern.” I highly recommend this site!

    And I would also like to visit Detroit and its ruins some day.

    Open Trackbacks

  • CatSynth pic: Tom, An Oberheim Two Voice System

    Via matrixsynth, originally from an auction.


    (Check out more Cats on Tuesday)

  • CatSynth pic: DiggyMalowBall in the studio

    From Jacksin Music

    Jacksin catching Diggy Malow Ball peaking at me.

  • Weekend Cat Blogging and more

    A busy weekend here, so we present a couple more photos from our cat sitter Ronni West:

    Luna has this wonderful wide-eyed expression in many of these photos. You can see another example in this recent post. We'll miss our pet sitter when we move.

    Weekend Cat Blogging #136 will be hosted this weekend at Chey's Place.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be happening at the House of the Mostly Black Cats.

    Carnival of the Cats is coming to Life from a Cat's Perspective on Sunday.

    And a special note for Carnival of the Cats founder Laurence Simon, who lost his feline companion Frisky this week. Are thoughts go out to Laurence, Gina and Nardo.

    Finally, the Friday Ark #173 is at the modulator.

  • Wordless Wednesday: Bay Meadows, August 2007

  • CatSynth pic: I'll help! (Roland JP-8080)

    From John Lewis of FootFall

    As we have often observed, cats seem to enjoy hiding in equipment racks. Gabriel, the cat featured in this photo, is no exception.

    I remember first encountering a Roland JP-8080 at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) show in 1998. Ironically, I had just presented a paper on simulation of analog synthesizer waveforms and filters. I of course wanted to buy one after playing it – but in the years since I never did.


    (Check out more Cats on Tuesday)

  • Weekend Cat Blogging and more: The Storm

    California was hit by a nasty set of winter storms this weekend, and our soon-to-be-former home in
    Santa Cruz was certainly in the middle of that:

    Spectacular white-capped waves, heavy rains and high-powered winds battered Santa Cruz County on Friday causing clogged roads, sending trees and power lines into houses and buildings and flooding area roads..

    Even from our window, it was obvious this wasn't an ordinary winter storm:

    Even more than the rain, the real problem was the wind, well over 60MPH at times. And with wind comes power outages:

    There were 46,010 PG&E customers without electricity in Santa Cruz County as of Friday afternoon, said company spokesman Jeff Smith.

    We were among those customers, with power out until well into the evening. No lights, no heat, no internet or radio, and only a small amount of phone service. Perfect time for some extra long afternoon naps:

    Luna has recently found this black pillow and made it her own.

    At some point in the afternoon, I decided to try going out, maybe find a cafe with some electricity, warm drinks, and internet service. But it seemed that the entire town was without power, and most businesses were shuttered. This is what a hurricane must feel like as the storm approaches. A bit disappointed, I returned to the cold, dark house, for at least the warmth of a blanket and “kitty love.”

    As afternoon turns to evening, the lack of light becomes more of a problem for humans. But for cats, who have excellent night vision, activities can continue largely uninterrupted:

    Indeed, Luna was quite active in the early evening as darkness settled in.

    Fortunately for us humans, power was restored to some parts of town by early evening, and I was finally able to go find a cafe for warm drinks and internet service (and to recharge the all important cell phone). The chatter of others and bustle of activity was quite welcome, indeed. But still no power at our house; our block was frustratingly dark even as others started to light up. I was able to spend some time and enjoy a warm meal at a the home of a friend whose power had returned, and by around 9 or 10PM our power was finally back on. As I returned to the house, I could see Luna's face peering out the window, with light in the background…

    Weekend Cat Blogging #135 is being hosted by Katie and Puddy of A Byootaful Life. It seems that they are experiencing a rainy weekend as well, and they're inviting everyone to come inside.

    The Carnival of the Cats has a new home at The Cat Blogosphere, and they will be celebrating the inaugural edition this Sunday.

    The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Ammie & Menagerie at Sleeping Mommy. The option theme is “Gotcha Day Stories.” You can read about Luna's Gotcha Day from this anniversary post back in June.

    And of course Friday Ark #172 is at the modulator.