http://spytunes.co.uk Music from the guitar's perspective | |
| Best of the Roses, John French mystrawhat.com & theneweverydaymedia | |
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Dream a Little Dream
Friday, May 1, 2009
"Run For The Roses" ... (well, it is that time of year = if you don't know = visit Kentucky NOW) ...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Feeling the Same Way ...
The first time I heard Norah Jones was with my wife in the Pepper Lounge in Chicago while we were there on the recommendation of Mr. Michael Glabicki (of Rusted Root and solo career which Bill Siddons = the Doors = manages) while Rusted Root played two way sold out shows at the Chicago House of Blues back-to-back inbetween Christmas and New Year's 2003. So, at any rate, the Pepper Lounge was mentioned to us by an American Eagle executive and definitely delivered. The owner was so cool (and Hot) and she ended-up making reservations for us at her favorite Sushi spot in the Warehouse District by Oprah's studio called Sushi Wabi = which was added to the unreal experience we were already experiencing = fate fing fong ho = A+++ Pepper Lounge 3441 N. Sheffield, Chicago NOW CLOSED... Formerly: Wrigleyville residents who venture to try the Pepper Lounge despite its exotic, flaming exterior quickly realize they have found a hidden gem. The Northside brims with intimate fine dining spots, but few serve as late or with as much vigor as this martini bar and lounge. The candle-lit dining room is no bigger than most Wrigleyville one-bedrooms and the intimate booths embrace diners in a deep sea of velveteen. It's close quarters; so expect to rub elbows with the other martini-loving, see-and-be-seeners who flock like moths the Pepper Lounge flames on Friday and Saturday nights. Best of Rusted Roses, John French mystrawhat.com & theneweverydaymedia | |
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
"Put A Lid On It" - Squirrel Nut Zippers (1996)
"Put A Lid On It," by The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Lyrics: Put a lid on it What's that you say? Put a lid on it Oh man, no way Put a lid down on it, and everything will be all right. Put a lid on it Don't hand me that Put a lid on it I'm all right, Jack Put a lid down on it, before somebody starts a fight. Say, every time I turn it loose you cats Come down and cook my goose When I start I just can't stop But if you keep this up you're gonna blow your top! Put a lid on it Too late this time Put a lid on it I've got to get what's mine Put a lid down on it, and everything will be all right. Well, grab your drink and clear a space I think it's time to torch this place Now the girl's in overdrive But some of your pals want to stay alive! I'll put a lid on it I'll put a lid down on it Save it for another night "Put A Lid On It" can be found on... more | |
Best of the Roses, John French mystrawhat.com & theneweverydaymedia | |
Monday, April 27, 2009
Lavay Smith on Fog Town Network
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Jim Morrison Helps A Girl At The Doors Concert
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Best of Green
So the staff at TreeHugger put their heads together to do one mighty feat: Select the best of the best, the greenest of the green, in the world of culture and celebrity, travel and nature, cars and transportation, science and technology, food and health, business and politics, and let's not forget fashion and beauty. While you may not agree with all of our picks -- and feel free to vent your love and your wrath in the Forums -- all are undeniably cutting-edge on the eco front.
So if you ever wondered about the best-looking endangered species, the best magazine that gives a damn, the best solar boat, the greenest celebrity, the best electric scooter, the best hybrid car, the best biofuels and more, look no further than TreeHugger's Best of Green "It's About Time" Awards. Then, head on over to Planet Green, where you can rate the winners in each category in our View and Vote slideshow polls, open through April 22. Once the picks are in for the highest rated organization, person, product, or idea in each category, we'll have another vote: leaving us with best in show of Best of Green.







Best of the Roses, John French
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Drawing power from the Mississippi
HYDRO GREEN ENERGY
Houston-based Hydro Green Energy’s hydrokinetic power turbine recently was installed on the downstream side of a dam on the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minn.
A Houston startup has installed its first water-powered electric turbine on the Mississippi River in Minnesota and plans to have a second unit installed this year.
Hydro Green Energy placed the turbine just downstream from a hydropower plant operated by the city of Hastings, Minn., where it has been cranking out about 100 kilowatts, enough to power about 60 homes.
The turbine, which is suspended under a barge anchored downstream from the dam’s spillway, is the first project of its kind licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said Wayne Krouse, chairman and CEO of Hydro Green Energy. That approval is important because it lets the turbine tie into the local electric grid and paves the way for future projects, he said.
Six percent of the nation’s electricity came from hydropower in 2008, according to the Department of Energy. Most comes from dams also used for flood control.
Hydrokinetic power, such as the Minnesota project, is different in that it taps into existing currents, including tidal currents and wave power, rather than water running through dams.
One other hydrokinetic project is installed in the U.S. — Verdant Power’s pair of turbines mounted on the floor of the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Those units provide some power to a nearby store and a large parking garage, but they don’t have a FERC license allowing them to tie in to the grid.
Water power from hydroelectric dams doesn’t receive tax incentives like wind or solar electric power projects, but hydrokinetic projects are included in a draft federal bill that requires states to have a certain percentage of their power come from renewable sources in the future.
A 2007 study by the Electric Power Research Institute found that the U.S. could develop at least 13,000 megawatts of river- and ocean-based kinetic hydropower project by 2025.
Krouse got the idea for the company several years ago while flying above the Pacific Ocean on a business trip for Exxon Mobil’s chemical business.
“Looking at all those whitecaps for so long got me to thinking about the power of the ocean, and it reminded me of a National Geographic article at my grandmother’s house when I was a kid that talked about ocean thermal energy conversion,” he said.
Krouse scoured patent databases to determine how far along ocean thermal technology had been developed.
He found there had been some patent work completed for capturing wave energy, but very little to get energy from river and ocean currents.
With that area relatively untapped, Krouse set to work designing a system, including determining why previous efforts had failed. By 2005, after investing all of his personal savings and his 401(k), he was awarded a patent for the system, essentially a barge that suspends a water-driven turbine underneath it, he said.
In 2008 venture capital firms invested $49.5 million in wave-energy companies and another $28 million in current and tidal companies like Hydro Green, according to data compiled by Cleantech Group.
Of that $28 million, $24 million was invested in companies based in Great Britain, where there has long been interest in such projects.
Hydro Green closed on $2.6 million in funding last year, including money from Quercus Trust, a venture capital firm that specializes in “green” investing.
Finding investors in Texas has been discouraging, Krouse said.
“Houston has this immense wealth, but it seems people here only understand real estate and oil and gas,” he said. “No one has any interest in renewables, which seems ironic, given we’re the energy capital of the country.”
tom.fowler@chron.com
Best of the Roses,
John French
mystrawhat.com
http://theneweverydaymedia.blogspot.com
myspace.com/mosshead7
RiverKeeper

The Facts
Hudson River Fish in Peril – The Pisces Report
Threats to Hudson River Fish
Hudson River Power Plant Fish Kills
Modern Cooling Technologies Protect Fish
History of Power Plants on the Hudson: Hudson River Settlement Agreement
More...
What We're Doing
Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper Inc - U.S. Supreme Court Case
11-24-08 Press release: Riverkeeper Will Argue Clean Water Act Case Before U.S. Supreme Court
Power Plant Litigation
Riverkeeper Calls for Protection of Shad and River Herring
6-4-08 Press Release: Riverkeeper Applauds Governor's Response to Hudson River Fisheries Crisis
More...
What You Can Do
Subscribe to Email Alerts about this Campaign
Tell a Friend about this Campaign
Join Riverkeeper -->Donate to Riverkeeper-->
Report a Polluter
Conserve Energy
Write Governor Paterson and DEC Commissioner Grannis
Help Protect Sharks
Monday, April 20, 2009
Vision for High Speed Rail in America
Obama Wants To Build High-Speed Trains
Jay Yarow
The Business Insider's Green Sheet
Barack Obama just announced his plan to spend $13 billion to build a vast high speed rail network across the nation. The stimulus will provide $8 billion initially, after that it will require $1 billion each year for the next five years.
Update: This Won't Get Built For Many Years (If Ever)
"There are those who say high-speed rail is a fantasy -- but its success around the world says otherwise," Obama said today. "Building a new system of high-speed rail in America will be faster, cheaper and easier than building more freeways or adding to an already overburdened aviation system, and everybody stands to benefit." Above is the map of how the Department Of Transportation wants the rails to sprawl across the nation.
Developing a high speed rail system falls right in line with two major priorities for the administration. It provides "jobs that can't be exported" and it cuts back on the import of oil as well as greenhouse gasses.
Certainly rail advocates (and train-riders) are excited about this development, but it really just presents a ton of questions.
For example, why does the administration insist upon high speed rail, as opposed to just standard commuter railways? High speed is obviously very cool, and fun to say, but it's not like the government is telling GM to build a bunch of cars like the Tesla Roadster. It's saying it wants cars more like the Prius. Repairing the suffering commuter rails might provider greater benefit to riders over building a massive high speed network.
The current rail business is terrible, so how will this change? If we want to go from New York to Philadelphia we could spend $20 for a round trip ticket on a Chinatown bus or spend $129 to make the same trip on the Amtrak Acela, or on regular speed trains at $64. Even at those high prices, Amtrak's not profitable.
Perhaps the administration will learn from the French who have a profitable rail system. Even the monstrosity known as the Eurotunnel that connects London and Paris makes a profit now, so we suppose anything's possible.
$$$$$$$$$$$$
Here in Pittsburgh, I am excited about this and would love to be connected to the middle of the state (Harrisburg) and the eastern sea board (Philadelphia) via high speed.
However, I would also like to see President Obama help intervene and solve an even more basic everyday problem here in Pittsburgh with traffic congestion, carbon emissions and just the simple task of getting to Point A to Point B in a user friendly green way === Oh, let me break it down and explain: Pittsburgh doesn't even have a light rail system connecting its International Airport with its Downtown area. Hello?! And we have high traffic routes leading to and fro our Downtown and around that could hugely benefit from a comprehensive light rail system. But, no, we have a light rail from our South Hills area to Downtown, a few stops in Downtown and we are currently building a light rail to our North Shore (PNC Park, Heinz Field and some trashy casino that's being built).
Best of the Roses,
John French
mystrawhat.com
http://theneweverydaymedia.blogspot.com
myspace.com/mosshead7
Sunday, April 19, 2009
"On a Quiet Sunday Afternoon" ...
"Sweet Virginia" live at the Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX. 24th June 1972. This is from the 1st show the Stones did that day in Fort Worth. | |
Best of the Roses, John French http://theneweverydaymedia.blogspot.com | |
- Mick Jagger Interview 1971
Mick Jagger on British TV. Specific date and location unknown. | |
Best of the Roses, myspace.com/mosshead7 | |
Midnight Rambler
| |
Best of the Roses, myspace.com/mosshead7 | |
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Saturday Afternoon = Live in Hyde Park 1969
... an electric version of the song that appeared w/ a fiddle and acoustic guitars on Let It Bleed | |
| During 1968, Richards had been hanging out in London with Gram Parsons, who had left The Byrds on the eve of their departure for a tour in the Republic of South Africa. By all accounts, Parsons had significant impact on Richards' taste in country music, and perhaps as a result of his influence, the band recorded a true honky-tonk song, "Country Honk," a more uptempo and rock and roll version of which would appear as their next single, "Honky Tonk Women." The LP track featured fiddle player Byron Berline, who worked with Parsons frequently throughout the latter's career. Parsons frequently took credit for the arrangement of "Country Honk", although both Jagger and Richards have stated that it was actually the original arrangement of the song as written and conceived while vacationing in Brazil in late 1968. In any event, Parsons had recently introduced the group to his cache of traditional country records and was at least indirectly responsible for this sea change. The singer's own cover, released on the 1976 rarities compilation Sleepless Nights, features a slightly different set of lyrics and yet another arrangement that combines elements of both Stones versions. Recorded under trying circumstance owing to the band having reached the final impasse with Jones, the album has been called a great summing up of the dark underbelly of the 1960s.[citation needed] In addition to being one of their all-time classics, Bleed is the second of the Stones' run of four studio LPs that are generally regarded as among their greatest achievements artistically, equalled only by the best of their great 45s from that decade. The other three albums are Beggars Banquet (1968), Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile on Main Street (1972). [1] Released in December, Let It Bleed reached #1 in the UK (temporarily knocking The Beatles' Abbey Road out of the top slot) and #3 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in the US, where it eventually went double platinum. The album was also critically well-received. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Let It Bleed the 69th greatest album of all time, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at number 28 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2001, the TV network VH1 placed Let It Bleed at number 24 on their best album survey. In 2003, it was listed as number 32 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In August 2002, this album was reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records. | |
Best of the Roses, John French
mystrawhat.com
theneweverydaymedia
myspace.com/mosshead7
Friday, April 17, 2009
Cartoon Paper Cup
cartoon paper cup: i poured too much while looking away when she didn't know what to say the way it rushed from the table to the ground and that splashing sound i poured too much in that cartoon paper cup a boyish look at life where things are all toys to be rearranged to be my scenes - in my sight cartoon paper cup i poured too much the way it rushed from the table to the ground and that splashing sound but i didn't clean-up i didn't have to -do anything but laugh -at the cartoon paper cup written April 14, 2009 12:35 p.m. - 8:35 p.m. Best of the Roses, John Alan French Jr. mystrawhat.com theneweverydaymedia myspace.com/mosshead7 |
Thursday, April 16, 2009
NanoRobotics Laboratory @ Carnegie Mellon University = (CMU: It's not just for people like Ethan Hawke, Josh Grobin, Holly Hunter, Jeff Daniels, etc.)
Goal: : Developing a robot which can run across the surface of water in a fashion similar to the Basiliscus basiliscus and other water-running lizards.
Approach: First, mathematical models of the lizard's interaction with the water are used to develop similar models for robot bodies and legs. A simple four bar mechanism has been adopted as the robot's propulsive mechanism. Proof-of-concept systems and supported prototypes are constructed to confirm and improve the mathematical models. Scale prototypes are constructed, and their lift and forward thrust abilities are measured. Through several iterations, improvements to the system are affected, and the overall system design may diverge (in appearance) from nature.
Benefits: Lizards that run across the surface of the water do not have to deal with the negative effects of viscous drag, like most swimming animals and boats. A robot that moves in a similar manner may be a more efficient way to travel across the water. Also, we wish to increase our understanding and extend the abilities of legged robots.
Current Status: Water running robots with on board and off-board power have been built which are capable of running across open water in outdoor environments. Work is being done to construct control and steering systems for more autonomous, untethered robots. New designs with higher degrees of freedom are being prototyped to allow for steering while water running. Amphibious designs are being researched.
Videos:
Video 1: High speed video of water runner in small pool - 2007
Video 2: Water runner with off board power in small pool - 2007
Video 3: Water runner with on board power running on open water - 2007
Members: Steven Floyd, Hyun Soo Park, Metin Sitti Former Members: Terence Keegan, John Palmisano,
Papers:
C. Menon, M. Murphy, M. Sitti, "Gecko Inspired Surface Climbing Robots" IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO), Shenyang, China, Aug 2004. pdf-->In the News: Discovery Channel Article.Pittsburgh Live.
Water Strider Robot
A miniature water strider robot
BioInspired Adhesives
Gecko Hair Manufacture:
Introduction: Nature can be an inspiration for innovations in science. One such inspiration is comes from the gecko lizard which can climb on walls and ceilings of almost any suface texture. Rather than using it's claws or sticky substances, the gecko is able to stick to smooth surfaces through dry adhesion which requires no energy to hold it to the surface and leaves no residue. The dry adhesion force comes from surface contact forces such as van der Waals forces which act between all materials in contact. Goal: Develop techniques for producing synthetic gecko foot hairs with nano/micro hair heirarchy. Refine these techniques into processes which will alow for cost effective mass production. Utilize the gecko hair material to create advanced ultra-mobile robots.
Directional Adhesives
Hierarchical Adhesives
Micro- and sub-micron size structures Micro and Nano Molding
MEMS Photolithography-->
By using our Force Characterization Systems we are able to get immediate feedback from our gecko hair samples, therefore we can rapidly evolve our designs to reach an optimal design. Benefits: The new synthetic adhesive will have countless uses from space exploration robots to surgical applications to post-it notes. This reusable, self-cleaning adhesive material can be thought of as a one sided velcro which can stick to almost everything.
Wall Climbing Robots
Telenano - Human AFM interface
Augmented Reality User Interface for Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM)
Goal: To develop a human-machine interface for atomic force microscope (AFM) based nano-scale manipulation. A haptic device lets the user control the position of the AFM-probe and relays measured forces to his fingertip. The user sees the topography of the nano-surface, including surface interactions, and probe positions in a realtime computer graphics environment.
Benefits: With a 3D computer simulation coupled with realtime force feedback, an AFM can become a nanomanipulation tool where a user can interact with nano-size entities as easily as if they were lagre objects on the desk in front of them. This expands the utility of the AFM from simply a scanning device to a manufactuing tool with which one can assemble structures that are virtually impossible to build presently. Furthermore this system can allow novice users with little training to utilize the advanced capabilities of the system and become intuitively familiar with nano-scale physics.
"John French"
John Alan Conte, Jr.
mystrawhat.com
myspace.com/mosshead7
http://theneweverydaymedia.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
First Lady: "Thank YOU" = First Class
"You all stand watch every day over our borders, and our skies, our ports and our transportation systems; you dedicate yourselves to preventing, preparing for and responding to our disasters all over this nation; and you ensure that the nation's first responders are well-equipped and well-trained."
"Every day I see how hard they work. Every day I see how much time they spend away from their own families to keep mine safe. And it has been an honor to get to know each and every one of them throughout the course of the campaign, and our day-to-day interactions. They represent the utmost of excellence, and we are so honored to have them serving alongside of us."
--- On Tue, 4/14/09, John French <> wrote:
From: John French <>
Subject: First Lady: Thank YOU = First Class
To: situationroom@cnn.com, glennbeck@foxnews.com, comments@foxnews.com, redeye@foxnews.com, brian.kilmeade@foxnews.com, cavuto@foxnews.com, huckmail@foxnews.com, ontherecord@foxnews.com, fns@foxnews.com, foxreport@foxnews.com, feedback@wsjournalreport.com, scoop@huffingtonpost.com, letters@nypost.com, evening@cbsnews.com, letters@nytimes.com, letters@reason.com, info@bwe.tv, snl@nbc.com, caffertyfile@cnn.com
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 6:05 PM
Watching the Situation Room on CNN and hearing and seeing the sincere heart felt "thank you" the First Lady is expressing to the Secret Service and Homeland Security for their tireless efforts everyday reminds me of how lucky we are to have this beautiful young couple and family in our White House.
First Lady Michelle Obama is so eloquent and poised and I love how smart her sense of fashion is = It's groundbreaking for her high profile, status and position as First Lady of the United States of America (USA) =
And, well, you know, I think First Lady Michelle Obama is SMOKIN' HOT = A++++++++++++
Best of the Roses,
"John French"
John Alan Conte, Jr.
mystrawhat.com
myspace.com/mosshead7
http://theneweverydaymedia.blogspot.com
NBC Knock Outs




Margaret Brennan


Natalie Morales, Amy Robach and Jenna Wolfe

Julia Boorstin

John French
mystrawhat.com
myspace.com/mosshead7
http://theneweverydaymedia.blogspot.com/







