Realish Mix 2009 is here!

music

The mix is done! Hallelujah. (Only two weeks late this time.)

As usual there are several ways to get it. Me, I prefer old-fashioned CD (see #3) but I’m told you kids enjoy iThis and iThat.

1. Download it via bittorrent (fastest).

2. Download it via Dropbox (click the menu and choose “download as .zip”).

3. Get it on CD (“compact disc” — ask your parents about it). I’m happy to send you the double disc if you send me your address. Really. Just send me your address. Don’t feel like you’re imposing, or you don’t really know me, or whatever whatever. This is part of my life-long quest to rebalance my karma. (I was kind of a dick when I was younger.)

Why prefer a CD? Well, I put quite a bit of thought into song order and the unity of the sides, and occasionally edit the songs to make them flow together better. All that is lost when each of 46 songs becomes a single in an mp3 library. Really, it’s meant to be heard in a car, at high volume, on a road trip. Other listening scenarios are suboptimal, but what can you do?

I’d love to hear your feedback.

UPDATE: A track list has been requested, so a track list shall be provided:

Continue reading Realish Mix 2009 is here! →

2008 mix: a horrible thought

music

1. Most people downloaded the mix rather than asking for CDs this year. It appears the long-foretold mainstreaming of digital music is finally upon us. (Of course, now I’m stuck with a stack of CDs.)

2. Most people seem to use the execrable iTunes.

3. When you import the mix into the execrable iTunes, it completely scrambles it — won’t play it in order. And of course, song order is crucial.

Damn you iTunes.

2008 mix

music

The 2008 mix is here, a bit late but no worse for wear. You can see the set list here.

As always, the easiest way to get it is to download the torrent. It’s a two-step process:

1. Install this program.
2. Click this link.

Done!

(Previous years’ mixes can be found here.)

If you prefer, you can download the mix directly via Dropbox.

And finally, as always, if you’d like a CD send me your address and I’ll mail you one. (Really, even you.) I’ve got a stack of CDs and a stack of padded envelopes — don’t let them go to waste. I need the good karma.

Meanwhile, this is how to fight with a lightsaber:

2007 mix

music

It’s a few weeks late, but the Realish Mix 2007 is here. I’d love to give you a copy.

If you want to download it via bittorrent, you can here. You’ll need a bittorrent client (like this one).

If you don’t feel comfortable using bittorrent (which is, I promise, fast, easy, and free), you can download the mix directly from Dropbox.

If you’re old-fashioned and want a CD, just send me your address and I’ll drop one in the mail. “Even me?” you ask. “But I barely know you.” Yeah, you too. Think of it as me paying general karmic debts accrued during my unfortunate 15-30 years. I have a stack of CDs, a stack of envelopes, and a book of stamps. Just say the word.

Contact me at realish ]at[ gmail ]dot[ com.

Enjoy.

2006 mix

music

The 2006 mix is here! It’s good. You want a copy. I want to give you a copy. Let’s work together.

Here are some ways you can get it:

1. The Old-Fashioned Way: Snail Mail

If you still enjoy listening to actual, physical CDs — say, in your car or home stereo system — I will happily mail you one. As always, I spent quite a bit of time putting it together, and my heart swells with pride at the thought of you carrying it with you through the years, showing it to your children, having it placed in your coffin next to you, that sort of thing.

Just email me your physical address — realish [at] realish.com — with the subject line, “Dave, man, you rule. Really.”

However. If you’re a modern sort, and listen to music only on your iPod or other mp3 player, and intend to rip the CD immediately to your computer, let me urge you: don’t. The music will then have been encoded and compressed and re-encoded and re-compressed, leaving you with crappy, low-quality files.

You deserve better. You deserve high-quality mp3s. If you just want mp3s, please see delivery methods 2-5, below.

Continue reading 2006 mix →

2005 mix

music

The 2005 year-end music mix is here. Wo0t!

If you would like a copy of it on CD, for yourself or a friend, email me at realish [at] realish.com.

If you only plan to rip the CD onto your iPod, don’t. Some of the songs were encoded from mp3, and if you re-encode them to mp3, they will sound like crap. You can get the high-quality mp3s directly.

To download the entire mix as one big zip file, go here. [UPDATE: this link no longer works.]

To download the mix via bittorrent (encouraged), you’ll need a bittorrent client. A very easy-to-use, easy-to-set-up client can be found here.

Once your client is set up, just go here, click “download the torrent,” and tell it where to save the mix.

If you happen to be a member of the Oink bittorrent community, you can also download the mix here. [UPDATE: This link no longer works either.]

[UPDATE: You can now download the mix directly via Dropbox.]

If you run into problems or have any questions, email me. And of course I’d love to hear your feedback about the music.

Enjoy!

gristmill

admin

You will note that my personal blogging petered out last year, about the time my kid turned one (coincidence!).

However, I still write a lot for my job. If you’d like to read about environmental issues, check out Grist the magazine for which I work, and especially Gristmill, the blog for which I write.

prescience

interesting misc.

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
— H.L. Mencken.

how not to buy happiness

interesting misc.

Fascinating article in Daedalus by economics professor Robert Frank. Here is the thesis:

Considerable evidence suggests that if we use an increase in our incomes, as many of us do, simply to buy bigger houses and more expensive cars, then we do not end up any happier than before. But if we use an increase in our incomes to buy more of certain inconspicuous goods–such as freedom from a long commute or a stressful job–then the evidence paints a very different picture. The less we spend on conspicuous consumption goods, the better we can afford to alleviate congestion; and the more time we can devote to family and friends, to exercise, sleep, travel, and other restorative activities. On the best available evidence, reallocating our time and money in these and similar ways would result in healthier, longer– and happier–lives.

I’ve never thought about it in precisely this way, but it rings true. The things that make us happy have to do with our lifestyles, our actions — where we work, how we get there, who we associate with. This stuff can be substantially affected by spending money, but it can’t be magically made right by simply buying things.

Anyway, the article is well worth reading — and I may check out one of Frank’s many books.