Nick's Place

New Choir Music

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 19 Apr 2024 12:49:00 -0600

Four more choir recordings have been added.

Nick

More audiobook chapters

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2024 14:29:00 -0600

Some more audiobook chapters are up. I'm gradually chipping away them; the book is now about 1/4 complete.

Nick

Image Server Update

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2024 15:29:00 -0600

The server has undergone a major OS update, and with that I decided to roll out some other changes. Chief among those is the transition to another booru software. I've gone ahead and swapped that out, all that's left to do is tag everything again and add photos I've taken this year.

Nick

General Update

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 17:00:00 -0600

I've made a few organizational changes to how the site is laid out, namely updating the categories, and creating an "Audio" category. Due to the volume of audio content, I saw fit to separate it from the "Articles" section. Some wording around the site has been changed, notably the article descriptions, to facilitate a less pessimistic tone. At the time of writing, the old descriptions are still in the RSS feed.

The front page has also seen a minor overhaul, with hand-drawn pixel art created for all major categories, together with some shifting-around of content.

The navigation bar present on all pages reflects these updates, and I've been working on scripts that semi-automate aspects of maintaining the site. I can update the HTML for the navbar for all pages at once now, and rather than writing the RSS feed by hand, I made some templates and cat new entries on. Uptime for the image and XMPP servers is better, as my automation for managing TLS certs and restarting certain processes is ever so slightly more sophisticated.

If you haven't checked the image server in awhile, some of the photography there will be new to you. I have some photos in the works at the time of this post that will make it on there shortly as well.

Thank you to everyone who has visited the site thus far, and especially those who have reached out. I plan to continue making the site more refined, and offering more items to peruse, as I have done over the past months.

Nick

Audiobooks section created

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 21:00:00 -0600

A new category, "Audiobooks," has been made, and two inaugural recordings made available: the first two chapters of "Howl's Moving Castle."

Nick

New Choir recordings

nick@bass2nick.com — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0600

Several (4) choir recordings have been released in the audio section, with hq audio files and sheet music included.

Nick

XMPP client now online

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A web-based XMPP client is now available on my server. Accounts from any domain are allowed, and self-registration is enabled on my server. However, the client is a little buggy, and doesn't seem to work with self registration, takes a bit longer to start working with encrypted messages, and experiences discovery issues when used as both ends of a video call.

Original Composition: After

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 10:55:00 +0000

Download audio
Composition date: 2019_06_22

A short piece for piano. The main motif (measure 13, etc) is based on an earlier song I wrote, which I had called "Afternoon Rain." I decided I liked this part, but wanted something different around it, and when I rewrote the song, this is what remained "After." That's where the name of the piece originated.

I was initially inspired to rewrite the piece to teach someone how to read sheet music. At the church that my parents used to go to, there was a young guy (around 14, at the time, I think?) named Christian. He had taught himself to play piano quite well, but couldn't read music. I put this together, and included plenty of symbols. In less than 30 minutes of teaching, he was reading pretty well. Incidentally, he's probably the only person who learned about the double short fermata before seeing key signatures. Hmm...

Sheet music is on the site.

Original Composition: Entropy Reversal Procedure

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 10:54:00 +0000

Download audio
Composition date: 2018_08_11

A piece for piano. There's no particular story to this one, it's just something I wrote one day. I still write music by putting accidentals every measure instead of just defining a key, I suppose I read it faster that way.

I'll probably eternally find the last note of this song amusing. It's intentionally out of key.

Sheet music is on the site.

Vocal Cover: First Fragment - Gula

nick@bass2nick.com — Sat, 26 Aug 2023 05:15:00 +0000

Download audio
Cover date: 2023_03_06

Artist: First Fragment
Album: Dasein
Year: 2016
Genre: Neoclassical Technical Death Metal
Label: Unique Leader Records

Recording Lineup:
Vincent Savary: Bass
David Alexandre Brault-Pilon: Vocals
Troy Fullerton: Drums
Phil Tougas: Guitar
Gabriel Brault-Pilon: Guitar

Compositing Several Photographs (Manually)

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 21:17:33 +0000

Photographer's friend: Hey man, any chance we can see those pictures you took?
Photographer: Maybe soon, I just need to finish editing them.
The Editing: Psst, wanna spend several hours making a single image?

RSS feed established

nick@bass2nick.com — Fri, 18 Jun 2023 23:00:00 +0000

I have estimated dates for my previous entries and started up an RSS feed. Welcome!

Among Sunlit Leaves

nick@bass2nick.com — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0000

One trail, One mind;
a collection of trees, a collection of thoughts
yet both are paths.
Trees change, thoughts change,
yet we call the trail and mind by name.

How a multitude may be one is powerful,
necessary,
and reductive.

For a trail to miss one leaf- is this a different identity?
It looks nearly the same,
but it is not so.

One missing leaf, One missing thought;
A changed mind may still a fair trail be.

And as I walk among sunlit leaves,
the calling drone of a thou small beings presiding
bright rays cross near tangibly,
brought forth in life's mist.

Each glimmer among near countless others
Is nothing lost with one less?
I cannot hold the entire forest,
but I can hold one leaf.

If you are that leaf to me,
then one lost glimmer from countless
does wither the whole forest down.

If I am that leaf to you,
when my trail is trod,
the path is still there.

A forest without my leaf, still called the same.
Enough light to see, without my glint.

The path is still there;
it has moved on.

As have I.

Joined Lainchan Webring

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000

My site is now a member of the Lainchan webring. I've collected links from several sites and spun up my own webring page for your browsing pleasure.

Guestbook available

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0000

I have a guestbook on the imageboard. Come by and say hi!

Imageboard now live

nick@bass2nick.com — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000

I am hosting an anonymous imageboard. You can post without captcha, though I hold posts with files for approval.

XMPP server now live

nick@bass2nick.com — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0000

I run an XMPP server on this domain. Simply contact me for an account and/or muc. I can also host a muc for you and add a JID under another domain to it.

I am planning to write an introduction to XMPP and a list of suggested clients.

Lessons in Film Digitizing

nick@bass2nick.com — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0000

From the closet to the computer! The garage to the gallery! The cellulose to the sensor!

Fileserver now online

nick@bass2nick.com — Sun, 28 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Anonymous filehosting. If the database caps out, I will wipe it, so if you'd like longer term storage, consider contacting.

Photo Restoration Adventures

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 25 May 2023 22:00:00 +0000

Tedium is guaranteed, problem solving is necessary, and automated techniques don't work well.

More good news at 11.

Converting a Guitar to Headless Hardware

nick@bass2nick.com — Mon, 22 May 2023 14:00:00 +0000

It's lighter, it holds tune better, and essentially no one does it because they don't like how it looks.

C2 Technique Comparisons

nick@bass2nick.com — Thu, 18 May 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Audio+waveform examples of (mostly) the note C2, as performed by one person, with no effects.

Installing Microtonal Frets on a Guitar

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 16 May 2023 20:00:00 +0000

You'll truly appreciate how forgiving a standard configuration guitar is once you've done this to it.

Aspiration

nick@bass2nick.com — Wed, 10 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Try to drain an entire ocean through one faucet, and surely it will wear away before the task is through.
Yet, the ocean is made of my aspirations and I am the faucet.
Is it a kindness to insist that I live up to my dreams?

There Approached them an Age

nick@bass2nick.com — Wed, 10 May 2023 23:00:00 +0000

There approached them an Age.
So as the Age went, It lingered; as It was behind, It was around.
No direction, but only course, would they follow.
So that the Age might pass, they became of It.

This was a matter of consequence, not decision.

3d Printing a Teleconverter Adapter

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 09 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A lot of effort for a $5 thrift store part. But hey, it works!

Imagehost now online

nick@bass2nick.com — Tue, 02 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

I have a booru instance, which as of writing has 227 photos. All posts by "admin" are my own work unless otherwise specified. All posts on the site, as of writing, were edited by me. If you'd like to have images on this booru, let me know and I'll make an account for you.

On the creation of bass2nick.com

nick@bass2nick.com — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Babby's first CSS meets the reality of not being able to use calc() to derive margin size between top bar and content from vw & vh and having to learn @media instead. Truly a gripping epic for the ages, if by "ages" we mean predominantly 25-45.

It's not near so harsh as this description would lead you to believe.