Electronica2015
Introduction/Definition/etc
Attended part of
http://nationalelectronica.com/
and thought I should say something about it...
Well, write, if you call it that...
Body
Not the first time I've been to the event, I found my old t shirt, from my first year 2009, and brought it, but wore the RobotFest2009 one instead.
The sound system, they say was upgraded with more professional audio equipment, which was louder...
Backdrop balloons and a Baltimore Blimp type t shirt were flying and a spacey type display were there.
Possibly related to
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/09/24/military-blimps-floating-over-baltimore-area-labeled-a-failure/
I was trying to get a photo of the stage, but not the spectators, just the backs of their heads, while others were filming/ recording the whole event, from tripods and digicams/corders... And some museum staff approved/ barked, that only things, not people, as getting releases might be a problem, I guess... And wearables WearableCameras2015 , people going into crisis, having a camera in their faces... Work, history, privacy nuts, etc? TBD...
Hardware, WetWare and Other Oddities
I was approached by several people, one on the way in, asking about the 3D GoPro, as he was heading out, and then back in, perhaps had already performed. I tried avoiding being on his camera setup a JVC 3D, mentioned I'd wear the helmet, meaning visor down for privacy, and a smathering of information about it (costs, tech details, availability, etc), showing my ActionCam JVC, ActionCameras2015 but he was not impressed... He handed me a CDR, then later wanted $5 for it, waffling about doesn't cost him as much, maybe someone else was going to buy it, but I didn't, nor did I return it... Not good form, he bought a poster, iirc, from the front museum desk, the back stage area didn't want me crunching and opening my stuff (late breakfast, early lunch, dinner, etc), the museum didn't want me eating in the museum (proper?) and the entrance door, stage door, as it were, was propped up with a rock, leaves getting in, all over, the couple, announced by host MC, and a door sign said musicians only, so violated that one posted rule/guideline too...
Concessions
Concessions were minimal, and included cans of alcohol, which I didn't care for, nor partake in, ( BikersAndDrunks2015 ) just small bag of Kirkland? cashews ($1), Kit Kats (tm) ($1), and Kirkland water ($1), and a left a $1 tip in the glass jar/brandy sniffing glass for several rounds of snacks (announcer said to support his cats, while the geeky black with white lettering t shirt he was wearing said something like genius knows it's limitations, stupidity doesn't, really the difference between genius is that it has limitations, or whatever, too tired to recall exactly, and didn't point an operating camera at him, though he might have been OK with it, switching off shift(s) from female staff, possibly his wife, idk), some of the options including caffeine in the form of chocolate candy with wafers (KitKats, not the Android (tm) version, for those with symbol table problems, included scanning bots (it was daBomb)...)
Escape Orbit
Eventually leaving after hours of pacing around, first to thaw out, a cold ride up, then mostly to get away from the too loud unknown sounds, some might call noise, I don't know about the Art of Noise, nor Philip Glass, the closest thing I could think about, this fringe type group (a sad and unfair characterization), seems to think it is music, and off approaching sunset and interesting light show, the best in this world, twice a day, all you got to do is be awake and look outside...
RG's BBQ Cafe
Off to find / forrage for real food, BBQ, at RG's in North Laurel, not far from the RobotFest2015 food truck I had issues with, missing the Pupusaria truck a little south before the Rt1 divide, iirc...
Developing farts while leaving RG's, after being told not to take too much sauce, and maybe some other stuff, I think my appearance, and light skinned might have had something to do with it, rather activated, from the cold riding, deadline of closing(s). and likely caffeine of multiple KitKats (Twrick or Twreat?), the serving of Beef BBQ, potato salad, and corn bread, grilled, included some sauce, mild, but the mac n cheese had pepper jack, which was spicy, I was told by another voice somewhere in the back?: "everything is spicy", and I wanted plain, and the young lady taking the order had blue gloves on, the guy at the grill did too, "it's Maryland, we have to" or similar, the place looked better than what it appeared when I went thru on Thursday Evening, I think I characterized it as shady/scary/ a dive, someone standing outside (likely waiting on take out? or just drunk hanging out with a bottle in a brown paper bag?), this time empty, almost empty (some yuppie type white people coming out, i almost walked/backed into, while reading the hours sign, near a wheelchair accessible entrance), the main southbound outside sign, not lit, the hours and open lit, but taped over difficult to read the numbers/times, a neighboring garage nearby, possibly sharing the same part gravel? parking lot and across from McD, drive thru, well lit up, almost light pollution, taking a couple circles around to find the entrance, the divide started, but could not make it there that way, liquor store nearby, FreeState, iirc, and well, could not use a private restricted access way/driveway/ parking lot/ parallel drive to backtrack, a little bit of own your own storefront, yard along the highway going on, afaict...
Restaurant Disaster TV Show
And the TV in the eat in area had a cooking show, taking over restaurants theme, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_Nightmares
or similar, with an infestation problem shown, while I was eating, so disgusting viewing of bugs just as I finished... Getting cleaners in there, and a pest company, the snobbish take over food problem places show host said...
While the restaurant I was actually in seemed clean and updated, (I didn't leave my stuff to try the bathroom) the floor was a little unstable facing the grill, soda fountain machine and condiments area, to the left of ordering... A sign over the can fridge, to the right of ordering, said $1 refills due to a problem with the distributer, or similar...
To Go Menu?
Someone likely calling ahead, would I deliver food back to the Electronica, and/or the usual stalking, ala ThePracticalitiesOfFoodDistribution2012 and/or whatever stalking / following/ protecting/ crap is going on around me...
Almost Killed on the Way Up and/or Back x2
Oh, on the way up on one of the interstates, someone took my lane, a red Hyundai sedan, drove in my lane too close to me, so we take the lane like bicyclists, and a little weaving around in it, keeps people, mostly big four+ wheeled things, perhaps they didn't like my blue bandanna, thinking it was gang, (really a head sock) and they were red, Latinos, or something, having just survived Friday the 13th, and being a target, full time 24x7x365(+/-1 modulo leap year, etc)...
Other problems on the way back Thursday night, at a rest stop southbound...
People are insane, and that is before they are turkey laden...
Video/Stills Link
ElectronicaFest2015
https://picasaweb.google.com/104331326802106381407/20151114ElectronicaFest?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJqcz_TByNWo2gE&feat=directlink
RGs BBQ North Laurel, MD
https://picasaweb.google.com/104331326802106381407/20151114RGsBBQ?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJqNnrWFgrjQ3AE&feat=directlink
Conclusion
Summary of experience or similar
I have no clue as to what Electonica is about, though have attended at least twice, checking the electronics and other stuff (food, routes, fall foliage, entertainment, sunset, skylines, roller coaster type hills, safe bike options, alt transit plans, welding shops, etc ) along the way... Bought the t shirt, to support the cause, didn't drink, and didn't stay long, only a few hours, of the 10 or so the event was scheduled for (11.30a-9p). Not a lot of audience, mostly performers, based on the name badges types, idk, I didn't get one, but got a receipt, printed on ink jet full sheet of paper, and commented on renting the printer from HP, ink costs wise, (ink refill options considered?) save the labels/covers, the attacks in France may have had something to do with low attendance, defence contractors likely having to work, and concerts and groups of people, likely targets might not be appreciated, but it was not cancelled, just low attendance, the show must go on, they performed. Perhaps another event strategy is to just go to the performers you are interested in... Unlike WoodStock99, it was an indoor event only, but it's after FirstFrost2015 and cold outside, unlike April's RobotFest2015 which holds food and some tables, vendors, concessions, R/C tanks, maybe paper rockets with compressed air deliveries home running to the roof, etc...
No MICA students presenting projects there at this event, AFAICT, unless they were music majors on the stage,
one vendor, Harrison Theramin seemed to be displaying, besides CDs for sale near the stage door, Harrison Theramins having a museum type posterboard in the stage room, and I'd previously bought a kit from him, IIRC, wonder if I can find it... Needed better metal plates, and not the full commercial Theramin displayed on the wikipedia website, with 3D loop on two axies but a mini version of it, somehow... A commercial Theramin is several hundred dollars ($400+ new), afaict...
Prizes
The event had a little pop quiz type question about Theramin, the Soviet guy who invented a wave your hand thing to make sound, a kind of proximity sensor, and a "Thing", which I named (passive spying built into an emblem/NationState seal, used in an embassy, but didn't win the prize, a poster, difficult to carry on the bike without a hard roll enclosure...
Theramin changed citizenship, to the USA, and then back to the USSR, according to the WikiPedia page and MC, perhaps over the embassy spying/bugging incident, idk...
Links
http://nationalelectronica.com/
BLess Blimps
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/09/24/military-blimps-floating-over-baltimore-area-labeled-a-failure/
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/28/9630616/jlens-blimp
Theremin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Theremin
Other Music Like Events
FusionImprobableattheKennedyCenter
FortDupontSummerConcertSeries2010
FortDupontSummerConcertSeries2011
Milieu
Find something about France attacks, ticker tape on news had the Eiffel Tower dark for sometime, and other tourist type stuff, since they likely have travel restrictions anyway, given the "attack"...
TED Talk where Black Men Ski Spoken Word
an exercise left for the reader
RG's BBQ Cafe
Doesn't seem to have a website of their own, but search shows some other Web2.0 information and other stuff(s)...
http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/rgs-bbq-cafe-good-comeback.php
https://www.google.com/search?q=RGs+BBQ+North+Laurel+MD
https://www.zomato.com/washington-dc/rgs-bbq-cafe-laurel/menu#tabtop
says a menu, but none on site, and web based, that I can tell, ymmv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_Nightmares
find a bug related segment on multiple seasons? lookup what was playing on the 14th?
Costs
Electronica
Admission:
$10
Concessions:
small bag of cashews, KitKat (tm), bottle of water: $3
two of the three items above: $2
three of above plus $1 tip: $4
maybe another set, check cash records
t shirt
$20
keychain tape measure
to replace the bigger plastic broken one from years previous $3.50
Getting out of there in one piece/live to Ride another Day:
Priceless
RG's BBQ Cafe
no dessert available
don't take too much sauce
Beef BBQ potato salad, corn bread,
including large Ginger Ale, two others Mr. Pibb and something else CocaCola? out, side case of cans available, but saw no Root Beer (Barqs has Bite and Caffeine, iirc), Birch Beer, Sarsaparilla options, etc ~$18?
Emergency Bathroom elsewhere:
~$4 in wedge fries
no dessert available besides cookies, and already had enough chocolate, milk shake, would have been too cold, and had some ginger ale and ice left over...
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
What genres of music do you like?
Do you understand the other ones?
What do you find offensive about the other types?
Lyrics?
Painful to listen to?
Just different?
Deficient?
How?
Why Not?
Do you think you have to recognize all the things you hear?
Otherwise, a threat?
Or just stay with the status quo?
Same old, same old, over and over, until desensitized to it?
What memories are evoked by listening to things you are familiar with?
Good?
Bad?
Indifferent?
Disturbing?
Soothing?
Pleasant?
Out of this world?
Orgasmic/MakeOutMusic?
Ethereal?
Trans?
New Age?
Lacking in Traditional Substance and Cute Available Busty Female Backup Singers Gyrating in Skimpy Leotards?
ala Pink Floyd (Available--)
Akin to torture?
Grates on you like FingerNails on ChalkBoard/WhiteBoard
License
Creative Commons Share and Share Alike, Non Commercial, Non Derivative, for the whole site's contents unless otherwise explicitly stated
Page History
20151117 JerrySpeak
- cleanup, typos, add some connecting tissue between run on sentences that go from one topic to another, not really making the transitions, segways clear....
- chopping up into segments, headers, and more outline mode, like have reworked other pages
- add Video and Stills Links
- lookup RG's elsewhere
- combine two link sections?
- break out BBQ in a separate page?
20151115 Jerry
- Jerry created this page to note an event, I attended part of...
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