Sir Wobbles has some things to say to the birds at the feeder. We got a bird feeder a few months ago. Dollar for dollar it provides maximum return on entertainment budget.
Author: Joe Brockmeier
Editor, writer, communications expert, former community manager, open source enthusiast, music nut, and cat guy. Not necessarily in that order.
Give nothing, expect nothing: GitLab’s the latest punching bag for entitled users
What do Docker, GitLab, and Red Hat have in common? Aside from various levels of participation in open source, they've all been punching bags over the past few years for non-paying users angry that they've taken some freebies off the table. When Docker had the temerity to introduce limits for free users pulling containers from … Continue reading Give nothing, expect nothing: GitLab’s the latest punching bag for entitled users
Listen to these: Steve Lawson, Etran de L’Air, Brian Jackson & Automatic
The past few months have been a little less productive in terms of finding new music, but there've been a few gems I've been wanting to blog about. Steve Lawson is a prolific solo bassist out of the UK who has an enormous back catalog on Bandcamp. I picked up a subscription to the "Steve … Continue reading Listen to these: Steve Lawson, Etran de L’Air, Brian Jackson & Automatic
So long, Shadowman
After nearly nine years, I'm no longer at Red Hat. Feels weird to type that, but it's true. I joined in August 2013 to work in the Open Source and Standards office (now OSPO) when the company was fewer than 6,000 people, Jim Whitehurst was CEO and everybody thought OpenStack was going to be the … Continue reading So long, Shadowman
Spotify isn’t the (only) bad guy here…
I've got a few bones to pick with Spotify, but "fake artists" isn't one of them. Since I've been critical of Spotify's business model of late, I figured I should be fair and give a counter-point to the "Fake Artists Problem Is Much Worse Than You Realize" post making the rounds. The Gist of the … Continue reading Spotify isn’t the (only) bad guy here…
Why we’re cancelling Spotify…
After a family discussion yesterday, we all decided to cancel the family plan for Spotify. The Neil Young / Joe Rogan thing wasn't the reason, but it was the event that kicked off the discussion and made it easier to say goodbye to a service we've used together and enjoyed for years. We didn't cancel … Continue reading Why we’re cancelling Spotify…
Instrumental throwdown: Check these out
A question popped up yesterday on Ask Metafilter for recommendations of instrumental rock, pop, electro, whatever "just no vocals" from the past 5 years. Highly recommend checking out the entire thread, but I thought I'd post my own responses here for posterity. Many of these have been featured here before, but many haven't. Great stuff … Continue reading Instrumental throwdown: Check these out
Saturday sounds: Nightmares on Wax, Buckethead
Two discs from the back catalog to talk about today, In a Space Outta Sound by Nightmares on Wax and Forgotten Library from Buckethead. In a Space Outta Sound (2006) by Nightmares on Wax (★★★) The entire album is a fantastic trip, but "I Am You" is a must-listen cut that brings a lot of … Continue reading Saturday sounds: Nightmares on Wax, Buckethead
Time-traveling with Billy Thorpe’s “Children of the Sun”
Yesterday I was watching the first episode of Fargo season two and got a little trip back to the 70s. The episode features a hefty snippet of Billy Thorpe's "Children of the Sun," a song I don't think I've heard or thought about since the 80s. What a ride. It was a little unsettling to … Continue reading Time-traveling with Billy Thorpe’s “Children of the Sun”
“Sextant” by Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock recorded 31 albums during his stint with Columbia Records & CBS/Sony Japan from 1972 to 1988. I know this because it's on the copy of the back of the box set, Herbie Hancock: The Complete Columbia Album Collection 1972-1988. I picked up the set as an impulse buy while record shopping in NYC … Continue reading “Sextant” by Herbie Hancock