![NCast Dancing Frogs [Flash format]](images/smallindex/ncastdancefrogssm.jpg "NCast Dancing Frogs [Flash format]")
Cheesy Animation Studios
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.~ George Orwell
Note from ~@~ 202412.02
If you do not hear from me, that accidental update has now rendered
my computer, email, 2 backup drives, and years of backups unusable;
which, for the moment, is causing me to decide if they will be replaced.
Alerts ~ Remembering Ralph Eno
"Freaky Ralph" Eno
December 6, 1948 ~ February 17, 1984
On February 17, 1984, Ralph Eno, local performer, died of burns at S. F. General.
Ralph was definitely the bull goose loony of even such an already fringy scene as San Francisco's.
In the early '70s he was the only male member of the women's theatre group Les Nickelettes, doing comedy rock when The Tubes were still the Beans.
As "Freaky" Ralph, he founded his one-man "progressive surf music" movement, several years before something called "new wave" would hit the covers of the glossy magazines. When punk started becoming a household word, he was already moving into his modem romance phase as Ral Pheno and the Twitchers, presaging the new English invasion.
When the local comedy scene (which he helped found at Frank Kidder's coffee house in the Intersection) finally achieved some viability, he was right there at the open mikes, singing the same songs he'd been performing as "straight" in his previous incarnations.
Through it all he was a courageous, sincere, and passionate stage performer, a prolific songwriter, a terrible businessman (releasing four independently produced records), a fervent supporter of every aspect of the Bay Area performing community, a bottomless well of junior high jokes, and a tremendous inspiration to every one who knew him well.
Some audiences found him hysterical, some unbearable, and a few thought him a genius. No one could write him off casually, except maybe Ralph himself.
Below are two MP3 songs written by Ralph Eno, with Jeff Ross and the Pointless Sisters that have been placed here in honor of his memory ~@~
WE'RE SNAPPING ~ http://www.flyingsnail.com/Podcast/WeAreSnapping.mp3
KISS-UP ~ http://www.flyingsnail.com/Podcast/Kiss_Up.mp3
[Note: Ralph was a very dear long time friend who I would drive, w/equipment, to his performances. I sincerely miss him and think of him often. (sigh/fwiw) Ralph poured five gallons of gas on his body, near where he worked his day job, set himself on fire, spent two (2) weeks in intensive care covered with very painful first degree burns, and died. Many prayers for you Ralph! ~@~ United State Cafe Link ~ Podcast]
PPRS ~ Pacific Packet Radio Society Historic, 1st U.S. Wireless Digital Communication
Pacific Packet Radio Society
44th Anniversary
Wireless Digital Communication was introduced (in the United States) by Dr. Hank Magnuski (Co-founder PPRS), when his historic KA6M-1 Digital Packet Radio Repeater began operation on December 10, 1980.
Pacific Packet Radio Society gateway | history | photos | papers | links | packet audio | video
Dear Packet Radio Enthusiast,
Thanks very much for the letter of inquiry which you sent me. The response I've received to the initial publicity about the packet repeater has been very enthusiastic, and I have been deluged with requests from hams, both locally and from various points around the country, for more information about the repeater, for schematics, for listings, specifications, modems, proms, SDLC chips, Vancouver boards, and for talks at clubs. Needless to say, all this activity, plus continuing development on the packet hardware and software has kept me very busy, and I apologize for the long delay in responding to your letter. Let me bring you up to date on what has happened, or is happening, since the initial announcement of the repeater, which went on the air in December of 1980.
Front
Back
World's First Digital Repeater for Wireless Data Communications
KA6M/R - Packet Radio Repeater, 1980 ~ PPRS photos
In the early months of this year, the packet repeater was operating out of my residence, and was still an experimental machine. Since then, we have installed a couple of upgrades to the control software, we have used a better CPU card, increased the power level, moved the repeater to 700 feet elevation, and integrated its operation to be 100% compatible with the protocol used by the Vancouver Digital Communications Group (VADCG). The repeater has changed from being a laboratory curiosity to a major Bay Area repeater heard from Berkeley to south San Jose, and the user community has grown from a couple of stations to a network of some 30 users. The packet system here now has a mailbox on-line 24 hours a day, several on-line personal computers, and network links (courtesy of a commercial packet network) to the other active packet radio centers in Vancouver and Ottawa. We have also just installed an HF port on 20 Meters, and are beginning some experiments aimed at establishing connection with AMRAD in Washington and with equipment located at W1AW.
VADCG TNC built by C. Spangler, N6ECT
Most of the original packet radio experiments were done in Canada (in part due to the Canadians' pioneering communications spirit, and in part due to less restrictive regulations up there), and three main centers were at work: Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver. The technology employed by each of these groups differed, and each approach has its own merits. My thinking and ideas very closely paralleled the work started by Doug Lockhart, VE7APU, and I can best report on what is happening with groups which have adopted HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) framing as the basis of their protocol. The HDLC/ SDLC frame is a new, universally accepted standard in the data communications industry, and Doug and I feel it offers a good starting point on which to build a packet radio network. As it turns out, groups in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, El Paso, Denver, Sacramento, and Hamilton have also taken up this technology, and it is likely that we already have a sufficient number of people using this technique that it will become the defacto standard in the amateur radio community.
It would be impossible for me to completely describe the protocol and equipment being used in this letter, so I will briefly cover some of the topics and give you some pointers on where to find additional information. As you might guess, this is a new area for amateur radio, and tutorial material and handbooks simply do not yet exist. Many issues and problems remain to be discussed, and there is opportunity to make substantial contributions to the state of the art. [Snip] [Continue Reading] - Thanks again for your interest. See you on the net. Best regards, Hank Magnuski, KA6M - [More Papers and History]
ASIFA-SF, Karl Cohen ~ Association International du Film d'Animation, SF Newsletter
ASIFA-SF November 2024 Newsletter [PDF]
Boptime ~ w/Even Steven Leech ~ Saturday Mornings
Boptime begins at 6am (EST) on Saturday, December 7th, with oldies back to back to back. At 7am (EST) it’s The Heart & Soul of Delaware Rock & Roll with recordings made in Wilmington on James Chavis’ Candi, Chavis, and Barvis labels, plus tunes from Lue Cazz and the Tradewinds, among others. At 8am (EST) on Rockabilly Ridge, Michael Ace spins tunes about being in the Slammer. On Beatlemania at 9am (EST) we bop back to this day in 1966, while the war in Vietnam was heating up and the music was changing. ~ Steve
BOPTIME: Saturday, 6 AM Eastern, 3 AM Pacific time
Go To: http://www.wvud.org/?page_id=24
Click on a listening link below the WVUD logo:
Boptime available locally in Delaware on:
WVUD-FM 91.3
Shoutcast = [Search: WVUD] || TuneIn
Neckerworld ~ A Computer Vision Game
Neckerworld ~ A Computer Vision Game by hankster/Dr. Hank MagnuskiOverview
Neckerworld is a computer vision game designed to teach students about human and computer vision systems, object detection and identification, visual field construction, autonomous movement and strategy.
All players and resources in the game are cubes. The cube players are guided solely through autonomous computer vision programs. No human manual control or input is permitted during gameplay.
To successfully play the game requires a competent program to do object detection and identification, playing field knowledge representation and strategic decision making.
Background
The Necker Cube Illusion (first published as a rhomboid in 1832 by Swiss crystallographer Louis Albert Necker) is a well known example of a perceptual illusion where the orientation of the cube is unstable and easily flips between two states. Serious study and research into why we perceive multiple states leads to a set of questions about the very nature of our vision. [continue: http://Neckerworld.com]
Notes from ~@~
Freedom of expression and freedom of speech aren't really important unless they're heard...It's hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war. And there's nothing more scary than watching ignorance in action. So I dedicated this Emmy to all the people who feel compelled to speak out and not afraid to speak to power and won't shut up and refuse to be silenced. Tom Smothers
Carlin Step, DJ Steve Porter & Eli Wilkie via Roland Kardeby
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) via R Smittenaar
One Day, Matisyahu
Unsung Hero via Rattakarn Srithavatchai "Garn"
Nobody for President ~ NONE of the ABOVE should be a valid choice on VOTER BALLOTS
American Dream, George Carlin via Ishtar [ NOT WORK SAFE ], Alternative w/text
NOBODY should have that much power !!!
Curtis Spangler & Wavy Gravy , Nobody for President, 197610.12 ~ Photo: James Stark
The Sacred Clowns ~ Heyókȟa
The Heyókȟa symbolize and portray many aspects of the sacred, the Wakȟáŋ. Their satire presents important questions by fooling around. They ask difficult questions, and say things others are too afraid to say. By reading between the lines, the audience is able to think about things not usually thought about, or to look at things in a different way.
Principally, the Heyókȟa functions both as a mirror and a teacher, using extreme behaviors to mirror others, thereby forcing them to examine their own doubts, fears, hatreds, and weaknesses. Heyókȟas also have the power to heal emotional pain; such power comes from the experience of shame--they sing of shameful events in their lives, beg for food, and live as clowns. They provoke laughter in distressing situations of despair and provoke fear and chaos when people feel complacent and overly secure, to keep them from taking themselves too seriously or believing they are more powerful than they are.
In addition, sacred clowns serve an important role in shaping tribal codes. Heyókȟa's don't seem to care about taboos, rules, regulations, social norms, or boundaries. Paradoxically, however, it is by violating these norms and taboos that they help to define the accepted boundaries, rules, and societal guidelines for ethical and moral behavior. This is because they are the only ones who can ask "Why?" about sensitive topics and employ satire to question the specialists and carriers of sacred knowledge or those in positions of power and authority. In doing so, they demonstrate concretely the theories of balance and imbalance. Their role is to penetrate deception, turn over rocks, and create a deeper awareness.
Cree Prophecy
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.
Develop Your Mind, Not Sacred Sites
Message via Mike Pinder
Oh, I hope that I see you again I never even caught your name As you looked through my window pane ~ So I'm writing this message today I'm thinking that you'll have a way Of hearing the notes in my tune ~ Where are you going? Where have you been? I can imagine other worlds you have seen ~ Beautiful faces and music so serene ~ So I do hope I see you again My universal citizen You went as quickly as you came ~ You know the power Your love is right You have good reason To stay out of sight ~~ But break our illusions and help us Be the light. Mike Pinder
Why I Think This World Should End, Prince EA via Prince EA
Without love in the dream, it will never come true. ~ Jerry Garcia / Robert Hunter
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. ~ John Lennon
DuckDuckGo ~ The search engine that doesn't track you
Some search sites have been banned from scanning local content since 2012.
Please use DuckDuckGo.com or Bing.com for search.
{ ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ} Did politicians lie about Daylight Saving Time? { ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ}