It's Monday and my vibe matching algorithm says...  

Fuck.

Chip shortages and market gouging forced me back to the drawing board (literately) - So after a month of prototyping and lots of swearing... here's the new version of my POS Print Appliance. Not a super fun project but it works well. (I love the black PCB :-)

Since we can't get the previous hardware (and I'm running low on inventory) I had to get creative and cobble together several easy to find through-hole components around an ESP32 and write a firmware in C++ instead of Perl on Linux. Ouch.

Our spec calls for a TLS secured webserver, USB host control, OLED display and ESC/POS print drivers. Not to mention the Wifi stack. All on bare metal with a tiny amount of flash and ram. My head hurts. 

Here's some shots of the process (it's not pretty) but the production units will be! Yay!! 🤞😬👊

Today's workout... 

Be fiercely patient. 

"Flow Control" the video. I'm sure you'll agree, the silhouette dancing in the pink matrix train tunnel just makes it extra classy. 😘😂

He makes working, multi-layer silicon chips in his garage. Sam's understanding of this stuff is mind blowing. I'm just waiting for him to break out the DeLorean.

Learn to rely on just enough.

"Flow Control" was pushed to DistroKid today and should start showing up on the streaming services this week! Hooray :-) 

Louis Cole. This guy operates at a way different frequency. I mean... the Clowncore videos. Come on. There should be a national holiday for this kind of absurd genius.

All men are created equal. Bald. Some have hair but underneath...

Bald. Women too.

Think of water flowing from a faucet. What happens when you place your hand under the water stream? As you block the water's path, it efficiently finds another path to the drain.

At no time do the words adversity or conflict define the moment. Nor does water see the obstacle and react.

Be like water :-) 

Just playing around with some drums, a guitar and a little improv. I call it "The Three Piece" - What a fun session. I just hit record and starting playing some drums. No idea there was going to be a guitar part or anything else.

The Strat and tweed jazz amp made this sound you could feel. The vinyl was just a fun distraction for when the improv starts to come off the rails. (and it does... yikes)

It should definitely come with a dry martini :-)

Just a reminder... Be thoroughly you. 😘

I call it "Bedpost in D Minor" lol

Where did you hear this? Guy: "Oh, a shirtless dude wearing a leather hat and a weird sport jacket told me." #seemsReasonable

If meaningless and priceless have exactly the same value and take exactly the same number of steps to define... which defines this moment?

With patience come answers.

Damn it. You tricked me again Folgers.

Finally! The power strip I have always dreamed of :-) I hope it doesn't burn down the house. lol

Be thoroughly you.

Critical thinking can be overwhelming until we learn to remove it from our state selection. Here's something that helps me...

The minute I realize I'm being bombarded with critical thought... I put my hand on my chest and say "STOP IT", pull downward to my waist saying "DROP IT" and push my hand to the left saying "CLEAR IT". 

Sometimes it takes a few times to get it cleared. Change your state physically if needed. If you are sitting, stand up. If you are standing, walk. 

Stop it, drop it, clear it is a state changer that will permanently stop the feedback loop of critical thought. 

I always think of that pin sweeper arm at the bowling lane for clear it. lol

Stop every critical thought immediately. The Author of your story lovingly crafted you with much work. You are perfectly you. 

What if I told you that every answer you seek is right in front of you... hidden in plain sight? Keep seeking.

What if we only get one moment and a lifetime of state changes?

Even in a moment of abrupt disappointment... take a breath. Listen. Take another breath and listen. Just breathe. You are acting instead of reacting. Solutions come next... just wait.

Warm Shadow...  won't you cast yourself on me? Still in my happiest place if you need me. #loveFink 

One of the finest drummers on the planet. Anika's timing is like a machine with feelings. Huge fan forever... but this new stuff is on another level. I'll be in my happy place if anyone needs me :-)  

This is how I chose to start my Friday! At Daryl's house with Cheap Trick. Unreal. I am so grateful to get to connect to this amazing energy.

With all the guitars, vocals and overlapping frequencies... the sound engineer is a god. Put a great set of headphones on and you hear everything. Wow. 

Choose to act on the data you want in the moment. Or keep settling for whatever the reaction brings. 

Enjoy the moment. Every moment. Take a breath and always choose patience. Watch your words. Say what you mean. Stay in your natural state. Always choose joy and don't wait on happiness. 

Be you. Be a lot of you today.

Joy is an action. Where happiness is a reaction.

I know it seems obvious but patience makes room for Kindness. With patience being a reaction choice and Kindness acting as a noun instead of a verb. Gave me a lot to think about while the guy in front of me finished his email at the green light. lol

The sport model. lol

"...when all the world's asleep... the questions run too deep... for such a simple man. Won't you please tell me what we've learned? I know it sounds absurd... but please tell me who I am..."

OMG. If my present journey had a soundtrack... it would be this. I'm so grateful for the little melody that popped into my head and wouldn't go away. I was finally like... SUPERTRAMP. YES! I remember it as a kid. Much too young to appreciate the brilliance of the writing.

Inconvenience is always an opportunity to share Kindness. Who doesn't want to be surrounded by Kindness?

Throwback... the day the Charvel arrived

Sometimes you just have to sit down in front of your shoes and celebrate how far you've come. Woohoo!! :-)

Wow. You look great.

Now go. Amaze them.

Everything has a natural state.

I'm one sandwich closer to another sandwich.

I had the worst day. You threw me a party. 

You didn't hurt my feelings. Feelings don't have feelings.

I could do this all night. Zzz...

Haha... the day I discovered Soopasoul. I think it was a Wednesday. 

I asked "how long do I have doc?" ...and the guy says, the doctor's office is on the third floor.

I used to meditate. I don't now. I am too busy hanging out with the universe watching people meditate.

I don't trust my icemaker. It hasn't failed me or anything... but I know it could.

I'm juggling an orchestra at the moment. I'm also orchestrating a juggling show. It's convenient. 

Best sandwich of my life.

Which is way better than the time I wore my pants inside out. And backwards. lol

Throwback... A fun pandemic Friday night with the Charvel. 

I'm so weird for you. Honest.

"How'd you get to be morning? Yes. I confess. You're the mess I've been waiting for." Damn, I wanted to write those lines. lol - #kiahVictoriaValet

You won't understand this story until you know how it begins.

Which begs the question... was I awake before and now I'm dreaming?

You made me cry into my own ear.

What's with all the new philosophical life sayings and such Ash... did you just hit your head and have a life altering experience that introduced you to the universe?

Uh no. They are character excerpts from my book. Soooo excited ;-)

Oh Shit. Moment #204506 

I don't doubt you... but this is really hard to believe.

Thankful for spellcheckers because I can never remember how to spell piece without correction. Until now...

Introducing... PIE! The revolutionary way to spelling the word piece right every time! Would you like a piece of pie? 

Yes. Yes I would.

It's not what we experience... it's how we perceive it.

There is no one like me. And if there is, I'm so sorry. lol

We go where the story takes us.

Once we realize which thoughts are possible and which are fantasy; we get this beautiful new ability to deeply embrace both.

Backbeat Performance mode. Lots of options to control playback. Huge buttons. Keyboard hotkeys. It can 'count you in' before a song starts. Feature planning a smart click that calculates BPM through the track and can be automated to appear in hard to hear places or in spots with odd timings. More soon.. :-)

Introducing Backbeat. Lossless audio software for today's drummer. It's the first app by me... for me in a while. (I was so overdue)

It took a couple weeks to complete but the change of scenery was a welcome distraction. Really liking the new dark mode look over the default light version.

Check out my Backbeat development gallery for more featured images as things progress!

Learn. Play along. Slow it down. Ramp it up. Loop it. Create unique remixes. Count in. Big buttons. Keyboard control. Dark/Light. One touch. Easily build playlists in Performance mode. Open source. MacOS & Windows. 

I have some new features (like a smart click you can automate) on the way with the open source headed to Github. A friend pointed out the many players that might find this app useful but don't want to mess with source code. For them, I was thinking we may release some pre-built retail versions for a nominal licensing fee.

Who knows... maybe I will enjoy it all by myself :-)

The dude on the commercial said I should forget everything I think I know about carpeting.

So I did.

I only like the pink ones.... 🤷‍♂️

Elise Trouw sticks! They play great, feel balanced and of course... the perfect color :-) #eliseTrouw #iLoveThese #pinkIsForDudes

I'm upgrading my music experience.

There is no good or evil... just a scale of mercy. From absolute mercy to merciless. 

Give mercy whenever possible. It is the only true moment we can be like the gods.

Elise Trouw is amazing.

Ash!!! Yay!! A canned beverage just for me! :-)

What a celebration of creativity and life. He was both a seeker and a finder. Miss you brother.

Crystal Ann... one of my favorite compositions ever. Jeff Waters is brilliant. 

That voice. OMG. 

What a killer performance. #eliseTrouw 

Damn. If this doesn't move you... you might be dead. 

Another favorite by Elise Trouw. The dry effect on the flat vocals feels so authentic. She has a great ear for the details.

OMG. How could this get any better? #eliseTrouw 

Oh Shit. Moment #55

Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone... 

Tommy! Wow can that guy can sing. If you haven't seen Daryl's House... you are missing some great live music. 

Oh Shit. Moment #304726

"Lady Please." - I can totally hear this guy's voice. lol

Apple Pencil with Procreate. #ipadTherapy 

This one took a few nights to complete. #ipadTherapy 👊

Oh Shit - Moment #50712 😳

Oh Shit - Moment #15347

Now THIS is amazing. A complete watch restoration that shows how this guy diagnoses even the smallest issues and rebuilds this beautiful timepiece. Wow. I wanna do this.

Wow. This is what I want to do when I grow up. 

I'm convinced Kim Jung Gi is a BioPrinter. 😳 His concept of perspective is insane. Not only is the output interesting, the detail flowing out of him is real time, almost as if it already exists and he is just rubbing the canvas to reveal the image. Wow.

If Jimmy's a genius then I'm U Thant.

My Jim Brockmire jacket. 😳😂

I haven't played this beauty in a while. This is my 'Barracuda' Strat. The tone is warm and deep. Crank up the Marshall, add an analog flanger, compress the output and then drive those tubes and you have that iconic Heart tone. 

So, about 30 days ago I asked the question... what would happen if I rearranged what I believed about myself and then meditated on it for 30 days?

It's been interesting. 

Around day five, I had a significant item from my Will column start to manifest. Life became super busy accommodating the new changes and truth be told, I was a little floored by the events. 

It's been said, be careful what you wish for... you might just get it. lol

I learned quickly that it's important to be ready to receive the changes that come with the realignment of your beliefs. 

Sometimes, real change requires a catalyst and for me, that wick was lit about the time I created the belief chart. 

30 days later, I'm still processing much of what I've learned about myself.

Here's a few of the highlights:

Have a daily purpose. - I am a purpose driven person and not having a daily purpose can derail me emotionally. 

Know when you are low - This was a big one for me. Sleep & energy deprivation can quietly drain you physically, mentally and consciously. Being an introvert and a purpose driven person, I need to become more sensitive to the times I am low and where possible, reschedule critical interactions until I can renew those energies. 

Reduce the amount of hope required - Hope is essential to life and for the most part, must come by way of faith in something you believe to be greater than yourself. This keeps us dependent on people, things or organizations that may not have our best interest at heart, leaving us vulnerable. Interestingly enough, the amount of hope needed seems to be in direct balance with our fear center. (which we can control)

Once we realize that fear is a self-made reaction to a stimulant that may or may not be reality, we can make adjustments to directly deal with the trigger and control our reliance on the amount of hope needed to survive it. 

By reducing our hope dependencies, we reduce our vulnerability to ulterior motives and nefarious intentions.

Be ready for change - Rearranging my belief chart and meditating on the changes allowed me to learn some new things about myself. It created hope and quieted my fear center. Every religion on the planet understands that when you manage fear and hope, you can instigate change in human behavior.

The possibility of miracles happening because we believe might be a stretch but isn't it possible that by realigning our beliefs to support an intended outcome allows changes that might not have been possible with an opposing belief system?

Bottom line: get your life ready to support the changes you seek. You might have been standing in your own way. 

Day four and I have to say there was absolutely no magic waking me this morning. Truth be told, yesterday afternoon was extremely challenging and I really struggled to get through it. This quarantine has really impacted my market and I feel so helpless as many of my dear customers suffer punishing losses. These are hard working small business owners that are watching their life's work crumble right in front of them. 

I know that feeling well.

Yesterday's morning session had me feeling connected, energized and hopeful. By noon, I couldn't think of one thing to feel positive about. The day had gone to shit. 

I know this feeling well and I loath it. It's that realization you might be living Groundhog Day. I have customers that need help, the Internet is going up and down, T-mobile is having outages, no work can get done, I live in the middle of nowhere, no one can hang out, you can't go to Starbucks for coffee and a hotspot... you get the picture. This has been going on for months and yesterday it took my legs out from under me.

I gave up. I turned off my phone and devices and went to bed. I awoke this morning feeling super lost. 

I had a few errands to run and got in the car, opened the windows and turned up the music. The morning breeze was fantastic and gave me a little time to adjust my attitude.

This afternoon's outages allowed me a break to do a few things around the house and then enjoy a two hour drum session. Then it hit me....

I felt so lost because I had failed to find my purpose for the day.

As I discovered yesterday, PURPOSE is one of the two most important beliefs in my Will column. Not only life's purpose but I must find a daily purpose. Without it, I can't grow as a person.

Day four.

Day three and my logical brain woke me at 4am like a six year old on Christmas morning. You know, the one with all the ego yesterday? lol 

I awoke feeling pretty wrecked again. My pain level was a solid six in my joints but something was very different today. It was much easier to get to that place of gratitude. I realized that of the items on my new beliefs chart, nine could be accomplished in a moment and two were ongoing, all vital to my existence.

Then out of nowhere, a thought hit me like a nine pound hammer. What would it mean if the answer to those nine items was YES? Like in... it's done. Completed. I got you. Presto! Tadaaaaaa! ;-)

With these items right in my life, what would be important to me then?

The answer floored me. I felt the weight of the world lift from my shoulders. I had this new freedom to focus on the things that really matter. Gratitude and thankfulness poured out.

I became aware of the two most important areas of my life. In the spirit of transparency, the two items remaining were: continue to grow as a person and continue to fulfill my life's purpose.

What if everything that you are, that you were and will be is available to you right now? Think about that for a moment.

Wouldn't you choose to be the best version of you? 

Day three.

Day two of our Probability experiment. I created a chart yesterday to display a visual rendering of my beliefs about myself and my life. It was enlightening. I then created a copy of the chart and moved many of the Won't beliefs into the Should and Will columns. I then moved a few of the negative beliefs from Will to the Won't column. 

I can't say I was surprised when I saw the first chart. These were an honest representation of what I believed about myself and where I was going.

Just as I have done before, I placed the new chart everywhere I typically look. It's my Mac desktop wallpaper and I printed versions for around the house. It's everywhere. :-) 

This morning's meditation took on a new direction. I woke up wrecked, in a lot of pain. The last thing I wanted to do was meditate on this stuff. Slowly, I made my way around the house, opening windows and trying to talk my brain into this new way of thinking. I started mouthing how grateful I was for the items in the "Will" column. It felt fake and my ego wasn't having it. But I continued as I got coffee and returned to my bedroom.

Then all of the sudden I became aware of something. That 'Will' column became truth to me and I couldn't help myself as I returned real gratitude for this new gift. I felt a real separation between my logical brain and whatever I was doing at that moment. I can only describe it as a connection to the flow of something. I was being introduced to the best version of me. I could feel joy overwhelm me as the words 'thank you' poured out. 

Day two.

Wow... what a view. Watching a couple NASA dudes float around space this morning. They need to have Crystal Method's 'High Roller' playing in the background. lol

That reminds me, I always wanted to remix that tune with every ridiculous request a guy has when he finds a genie lamp .... "I want a big bag of money and cheeseburgers" ... "You got it". 💰🍔 

Possibilities vs. Probabilities - here's a thought that just fell on me. What if we had the ability to really design our life? What would yours be based on?

Possibilities - Things that could happen. No real control. It might happen it might not. 

Probabilities - Won't. Can't. Should. Will. - A belief system.

The first thing that occurred to me, we already have a version of the probabilities belief system. Things that can't, won't, should and will happen in our lives. I wonder just how many things we miss out on because we believe it can't or won't happen.

Looking at my life, it's interesting how many things wound up in the Won't and Can't columns. What if we just move a couple over into the Will column and meditate on it for 30 days? What would happen? 

I will let you know.

Yep... no more super villain beard. Tiny milk mustache.

Evgeny Pobozhiy is one of my favorite Jazz virtuoso players on Youtube. This kid never makes a mistake and feels every note. His technique is reminiscent of Vinnie Moore on 'To The Core'. Unreal talent.

What a gorgeous morning for coffee with the windows open. The desert breeze was rushing through the upstairs long enough to finish my first cup and it was a fantastic way to start my day. I'm grateful for it. 

I have Chary Life by Anika Nilles playing in my Saturday morning playlist and that song immediately brings me to my happiest place! She is one of my favorite drummers and a brilliant composer.  

Happy Saturday!

There's some seriously good music coming from the Czech Republic. My Youtube feed continues to grow with new favorites all the time. It's funny how each of these fantastic players take me to my "happy place" for vastly different reasons. 

It all started for me when I stumbled into the epic record "Celkem Jiná" by Gabriela Gunčíková. This quickly became a loop worthy staple in my playlist. A few years later, I still only understand bits and pieces but my soul can sing along phonetically. It's insane how music can connect us like that. She has a voice that stands on it's own but has always reminded me of Sandra Nasić. There's a ton of great Youtube content by Gabriela and I truly hope there are more records coming from this talented performer.

The drums on Celkem Jiná are legendary and that's where I stumbled into Veronika Mraz. OMG can this girl play the drums. She has a unique feel to her playing that is truly recognizable and live, she is a true rockstar behind the kit. There's hair flying everywhere. 

I love her approach to fills and placement. She is a groove player that always seems to add a memorable feel to the song. Nothing is rushed. One of my very favorite drummers ever.

From Veronika, I stumbled into another legend. Drummer, composer and husband, Dali Mraz. At just 28, this guy has been composing music at a genius level most of his life. One of the best drummers on the planet, you 'feel' the ADHD energy pouring out of his playing. I remember a favorite Drumeo appearance where he explains creating as a composer. His brain moves at an astounding pace. (his cymbal work is insane)

From Dali, I made another favorite discovery... his sister Elis Mraz. She is a natural performer, creative song writer and phenomenal vocalist. These kids make it look easy on Coriander and I definitely wanna play at their house. That video takes me right to my happy place. lol

Elis has a superstar personality on camera that you just know she was born with. I love her creative approach to writing and her delivery is always entertaining.

What's super interesting is how these two favorite singers have matured as performers. Gabriela and Elis have two very different approaches to english enunciation and it's awesome to be able to watch them improve over a few years of videos. Czech is a beautiful language and tongue placement is obviously much different than english. One thing I love about Youtube is the ability to see how these singers are forming vowels and consonants. It's an insane amount of work to perfect I'm sure.

Well... my little post has become more of a blog entry. lol - gonna stop here. Do yourself a favor and check out the talent coming from the Czech Republic. There's a ton of it. :-) 

Very little gravel left to rake... so today's workout is small, isolated movements on the rings and lots of cable work.

Today's workout. Who needs the gym when you have 2 tons of gravel to rake? ☀️💪#jackedAt50

Building some fantastic new open source tooling and talking about it over on my GX website. GXUI2 is just about completed and I am so ready for a vacation... oh yeah, I forgot. Quarantine. Sigh.

Here's a few of my latest open source components for GXUI2! Check out the daily GX updates on my Dev Channel.

I gave up on finding the right girl and just married this piece of PVC pipe. We're very happy. 😳

What a gorgeous Phoenix morning. 64 degrees and the breeze is fantastic. I have been coding since 3am and let me tell you, this brisk morning air is like a second cup of coffee.

Which reminds me... I need another cup of coffee. ☕️ 

And back by popular demand... my 'Just for Men' Ragnar Edition. 😎

Yes. I know the scruff is silver. I know it's always dark. (I even created the 'Just for Men' Ragnar Edition) - Trying something new. I'm 50 in a month. I'm thinking... super villain. Ripped and tan with a short silver beard.

Tune in next week for more exciting details. 😁

Raise your hand if you feel a bit stressed right now... my hand is way up. 👋 😷 

Let me share my current immersive coding environment. I have the windows open for a great breeze. I have a playlist by Kevin MacLeod  playing on my main surround system using Tidal.

Behind me, I have a little Bose Soundlink that I am streaming two youtube videos by The Relaxed Guy that mix heavy rain and ocean waves together.

To my right-front, I have a large fan that provides white-noise and air movement.

Believe me, this helps. Crank it up and get a balance of sound that works for you. The stress disappears and deep focus returns. If done right, you will eventually forget it's there and your mind will start reacting to the new environment naturally. 

Yes I do. #currentDesktop #wallpaper

Worry takes the moment you have.

So I'm building content for the new website and was checking out a few of our illustration libraries. Pic #1: They give you elements that you can manipulate in the illustration to tell your story. Ok... 

Pic #2 : This is what they want you to see. Pic #3 : This is what I see...

It's like I'm doing surgery in the back yard... lol

The new GX blog is live! I am so excited about this new blogging platform. It literately brought that site to life again. I have added three new articles and the fresh content makes all the difference.

I am cleaning up the code today and should have something to share on my Github page soon :-)  

In a garden where the seeds were spilled, I favored the few that stood strong in the sun. As I reached for the profit of my prize, I found I had trampled the forgotten ones.

I use a lot of acronyms in my naming conventions. I just found an old site that has an interesting acronym lookup. I love these type of finds! 

https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/

Happy Monday! Integrating the new blogging platform into our GX website today. This thing is looking great with the GX styles and a perfect example of why you should keep the app design flexible. You never know how it will evolve in new environments. Little surprises like this make design fun!

But is it gluten free?