Wireless Alarm

Contribution by Saul Martin

Have you ever considered getting an alarm system on your house only to find out that to have it monitored you also have to get a home phone? I recently was investigating getting a system and was talking to a company that only offered monitoring on homes with hard line phones in them. I think this is kind of crazy considering hardly anyone I know, besides my grandmother, has a hard line phone anymore. Of course businesses do because they kind of have to but to not offer an option for someone who only has mobile or cell phones available to them? That is craziness.

I started looking in to the whole thing a little closer and I found out that adt security Aurora offers an option to have the monitoring calls be routed to my wireless device. So now I can have my alarm system monitored and not have to pay to get a hard line phone in my home for only the purpose of the alarm system. What a great invention and way for me to feel safe even when away from my home.

Create Your Own Tone

I recently came across a blog hosted by Seymour Duncan where the poster helps people out by listing small DIY guitar effects projects such as overdrive boxes and delay boxes. He also does a great job of discussing different concepts that can help you broaden your tonal capabilities without investing in a modeling system or expensive recording software. The blog is called, "Tone Fiend" and it's worth a read or two.

Far Away

Guest written by our friend Mason Abbott

Being so far away from y extended family has been much more difficult than I thought it would be. I got CLEAR 4G and a big batch of greeting cards when I moved in because I thought I’d be sending the occasional birthday card and a few emails here and there but as it turns out I’ve been on the phone with my parents just about every night.

I really miss the big family dinnerswe used to have and being so close to my siblings…it turns out they know me better than anyone else and that’s a comforting thought for me to have, you know? I wish that I had realized before I moved away what a big part of my life my family really was but I guess I was in denial because I wanted independence and to strike out on my own. I wish I had known ahead of time what things would be like here on my own but I didn’t so for now I’ve got to keep on keeping on.

RIP Cory Smoot

Just days before the new release of their newest album, Lead guitarist for GWAR, Cory Smoot, AKA, Flattus Maximus was found dead on his tour bus just before crossing into Canada. At this writing, his cause of death is unknown. RIP!

Moving Here

Guest post of the week by Ferdinand Livingston

When I first moved here I was really lonely. I came here for a job and to be honest, I didn’t know anyone so it was tough for me to go out or eat dinner with people or whatever. The people at my job were nice but they were much older and I just had a hard time making friends. I watched a lot of TV on my CannonSatellite.com and I did a lot of upgrades to my adorable little house, so that kept me busy, but after about 6 months I knew I needed to do something to make some friends. I joined an adult kickball league and I decided to start volunteering at a church near my house and that really opened the floodgates. People were coming at me left and right and they were all so friendly and nice! I’m just loving it here now that I’m really part of a community and I know that people would miss me if I were to move. That’s the sign!

Tone Fiend

Tone Fiend is a new blog hosted by Seymour Duncan. As long as you don't mind the occasional plug for Seymour Duncan products, it's a great blog for enhancing your tone. The owner posts projects such as DIY distortion boxes that you can build at your kitchen table. Check it out, it's a great read!

Welcome 2 My Nightmare Review

I’ve had this album for a couple of weeks and I’ve given it several honest listens. Now with that said, let me give you some background information on my love affair with Alice Cooper. Alice, to me is simply the greatest singer, front man and character in music PERIOD! When my friends were listening to Guns N’ Roses, I was listening to Pretties for You, which is Alice Cooper’s freshman release (We’re talking 1969 people!) I have idolized Alice since I was a very small child. Hell, I even had a cow skull hanging above my bed for years that was painted to look like Alice. To me the world of rock starts and will end with Alice Cooper. Currently I have 361 Alice Cooper songs on my computer. I also have most of these songs on Album and CD. This represents every song released by Alice since 1969. I listen to his catalogue at least once per month from start to finish.

Now, when I heard that Alice was brining in the producer that produced the original “Welcome to My Nightmare” album as well as many original band members to shore up the music, I was a bit more than excited. When I heard the album, I was less than excited.

Remember when Alice reinvented himself in the 1990s, with Desmond Child at the helm? Trash put Alice back in front of rock but then he faded again. As huge as Trash was, it never really seemed like Alice. He even released an industrial album called, Brutal Planet but it came a bit too late since the Rob Zombie’s of the world had fallen to pop music. Well, I should have prepared myself for what was to come! When “Eyes of Alice Cooper” came out, I was stoked! It was the 1970s Alice at his best. The songs rocked, had humor and really stood on their own. Therefore, I was hopeful when I heard about the return of WTMN.

Auto tune? Yes, Auto Tune starts off this album with a limp attempt to cash in on alternative rock that’s so popular these days. It reminded me of Kid Rock…which is funny since they are both from the same hometown. Unfortunately, it didn’t get any better from there. Alice decided to put a Disco song…which sounds a bit too much like disco. Then….Ke$ha made an appearance. Now Alice has done a few duets, one of which I actually liked was with Xhibit, which was released on Dirty Diamonds. My wife, which is Ke$ha fan even thought this was crap.

Now, this album isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever heard. In fact, it has a few “destined” to be classics such as “Last Man on Earth” but it falls way short of the hype.

Alice, this is what I am begging you to do… You threw out an album called, “Alice Does Alice” and it was cool because you updated a few classics with a fresh sound. Now, go back and listen to “Pretties for You” re-record that album with your current sound, release it and then go to the bank with a huge check! Just don’t use any freaking auto tune please!

Now I'm off to listen to a little "Freak Out."