Ed Justen

Uke'n it up!

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 18:25:09 -0500

When my girlfriend first asked me for a ukelele this past holiday season, I smirked. “I’ll get her a guitar,” I thought silently.

Then, I reconsidered.

The ukelele is a small portable instrument that doesn’t take up much space, and it has only four strings instead of six. Search You Tube for “ukelele lessons” and you’ll reveal a plethora of instructional videos, along with fine examples of ukelele virtuosity by the likes of Jake Shimabukuro, and the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. (Seriously, look them up on You Tube, you won’t be disappointed.) Mention of the word may conjure images of hula dancers surrounding Don Ho, or Tiny Tim singing Tip Toe Through the Tulips, but like every other fringe instrument or art form, there is a dedicated community that loves and promotes the uke with excitement and passion.

“Okay,” I thought, “I’ll give it a look.”

Ukeleles are considerably cheaper than guitars (bonus!), and there is a great little music studio here in town that can get me one for a good price, including a lesson package. So I bought her a ukelele and 12 weeks worth of 30 minute lessons for about the same price I would have paid for a decent acoustic guitar.

Honestly, it’s the best gift I’ve ever given her.

My girlfriend has never pursued any musical venture in her life, and her music tastes tend to echo the mainstream, but she has taken to the ukelele quite favorably. It’s compactness encourages practice on the couch, in a chair, or at the table, and the Internet is filled with web sites and videos for tuning, strumming techniques, and examples of quickly learned songs. The fact that the world isn’t filled with ukelele virtuosos on every corner works in her favor also; the instrument simply isn’t as intimidating as the guitar.

In the short time since Christmas, she’s really taken to it. Scared as she was, her first lesson was a screaming success, she now knows about five chords, and her strumming becomes smoother as the days go by. I’ve entered my home to the strains of Izzy’s Somewhere over the Rainbow, Train’s Hey Soul Sister, and a ukelele rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s version of Angel from Montgomery.

Lesson learned? If you, your child, or a loved one wants to take up an instrument, consider the Ukelele instead of a guitar or piano. It’s bit off the mainstream, but you will see fast results, and you’ll most likely be the only person in your circle that can play the damn thing.

So go buy a ukelele and start uke’n it up. It’s good for the soul.

In Memory of Vicki Soto On Wednesday, Dec 19, the family of...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:37:57 -0500

In Memory of Vicki Soto

On Wednesday, Dec 19, the family of Sandy Hook Elementary teacher Vicki Soto will lay their daughter to her final rest. When Soto’s brothers and sister met President Obama at Sunday’s memorial service, they made sure to wear a scarf or ribbon in a shade of green, Vicki’s favorite color. We can all honor the memory of Vicki, by wearing a ribbon or other article of clothing in a shade of green. I for one, will wear the ribbon until all the teachers and staff members have been laid to rest.

Mountain Lion Install

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:00:19 -0500

Are you installing Mountain Lion, (10.8) on your Mac over the next few days? Here’s what you can expect.

Coffee … or a glass of wine?

Mountain Lion takes a while to download and install. In my case, close to three hours for the entire package. Consider though that I have an older Macbook with a Core 2 Duo processor. That may have slowed the process; your milage may vary.

Even though it took a while, the install proceeded smoothly. No glitches, no hiccups, no reason to tear hair out. Once complete though, a series of pop-ups appear that make some strange requests. For example, as soon as I opened Safari, a pop-up box appeared saying that Pages would like to access my contacts. Strange, but whatever. The same request appeared after launching the Chrome browser. With new share options available throughout the applications, this will probably be a common occurance.

Voice Dictation

This new feature is one of Mountain Lion’s most eagerly-anticipated, yet it’s not active by default. To get going and start channelling your inner Scotty, visit System Preferences, then find the new Dictation & Speech icon. Here’s the kicker though. When you activate dictation, you get a warning box that states any spoken text is sent to Apple, prior to being displayed. I imagine a few privacy advocates might take issue with that!

Fuzzy Clouds

With Mountain Lion, Apple finally fulfills its productivity suite/cloud pledge with Documents in the Cloud. When you launch either of the iWork apps, a handy window shows up that gives the choice to move docs to the cloud or leave them in the finder.

Of course, there is a catch. Before you can do any of that you have to update your iWork apps through the app store. Apple has streamlined that process a bit. I actually clicked Software Update in its traditional spot underneath the black Apple (upper left corner). Instead of the usual window, the App Store automatically launched, revealing two and a half gigs worth of updates to the iWork Suite, iMovie, and iPhoto.

The Verdict

Once you’ve completed the App Store updates, you’re ready to let Mountain Lion roar. The new features work as advertised. Dictation is accurate in ways Dragon couldn’t dream about. Spend three minutes in the new Notification Center and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Notes and Reminders are now separate apps, and the Safari’s new Tabs Pinch feature is handy indeed.

So far, Apple’s newest operating system is a success. I can’t wait for the updates and improvements to start rolling in.

America’s Cup Series. Newport, RI. The video shows...

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 23:14:00 -0400

America’s Cup Series. Newport, RI. The video shows correctly. No idea why the previews are upside down.

Cute…….

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:05:19 -0400

Cute…….

Thank you Portsmouth, NH. I made lunch money for the week. ...

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:44:42 -0400

Thank you Portsmouth, NH. I made lunch money for the week. (Taken with Instagram at Portsmouth NH)

My new bistro table set. (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:44:57 -0400

My new bistro table set. (Taken with instagram)

Somewhere in Rhode Island today. (Taken with Instagram at...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:50:52 -0400

Somewhere in Rhode Island today. (Taken with Instagram at Wickford, RI)

Lobstah-time……… (Taken with Instagram at...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:16:33 -0400

Lobstah-time……… (Taken with Instagram at ferncroft country club)

Taken with instagram

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:18:48 -0400

Taken with instagram

I REALLY like the new tumblr iOS app.

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:56:27 -0400

I REALLY like the new tumblr iOS app.

Flowers and wine. My kind of Easter (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:40:30 -0400

Flowers and wine. My kind of Easter (Taken with instagram)

Bennie, again…….. (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:38:48 -0400

Bennie, again…….. (Taken with instagram)

Martini (Taken with Instagram at Fifth Element)

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:49:54 -0400

Martini (Taken with Instagram at Fifth Element)

Verde (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:47:13 -0400

Verde (Taken with instagram)

Chillin’ (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:53:57 -0400

Chillin’ (Taken with instagram)

Bennie and Lisa (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:26:29 -0400

Bennie and Lisa (Taken with instagram)

Bennie, on the couch. (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:13:34 -0400

Bennie, on the couch. (Taken with instagram)

Bennie’s trim (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:54:20 -0400

Bennie’s trim (Taken with instagram)

"During the Second World War, Winston Churchill’s finance minister said Britain should cut arts..."

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:44:26 -0400

“During the Second World War, Winston Churchill’s finance minister said Britain should cut arts funding to support the war effort. Churchill’s response: “Then what are we fighting for?”””