A Geek Goes Flying

To avoid lugging around my gargantuan FM3 setup (and cram it into a tight rehearsal space), I setup my NUX MG-300 MK II with some appropriate presets, added wireless with the B-5RC kit , and proceeded to hook it up to my 50 watt Marshall G50RCD combo amp, via the FX RETURN input (to avoid additional coloration, etc., from the pre-amp). Problem: Now I have no volume control, except the one on the guitar itself. I’m also not wild about constantly connecting/disconnecting the DC input on the back of the NUX (those 5521 barrel connectors wear out and/or break off, AMHIK.) So, being me, I decided to build up a small pedal board for this setup. Asked ChatGPT¹ to find me a reasonably sized board that would accommodate the NUX and a Duncan DVP1 pedal, which is ... large. 12+" deep. Ghost Fire STANDARD 1.0  seems like it will fit the bill, and I like that it comes with a carrying case and some hook and loop tape, etc. (though I still have a bunch of this Velcro left over). Needed a patc...

Updated the NUX MG-300 MK II to Firmware 3.0.0 Gen2 (scroll down on the NUX page). Also installed NUX Quick Tone V2.6.7.16 (macOS) (ditto), and setup a couple of presets. (An aside: I need to look into “scenes” more. Watching this video , it seems like navigating between scenes and presets would be clunky, but there must be some reason to use them...?) Playing with my first NAM A2 capture and this board, specifically, this Marshall JCM 900 . Before a NAM capture can be assigned to an amp block, you have to import it into one of the 10 dedicated slots, using this button on the top of the QuickTone app’s window: Still learning my way around, but suddenly glad I decided to keep this thing (and sell the MG-101, even if I did only get a few bucks for it). Added a B-5RC receiver/transmitter pair to use with this board at rehearsals. (I was eyeing used Line 6 POD Go Wireless units, which bundle a receiver and G10TII transmitter, but if I’m also going to be picking up the bass for some songs...

Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) “is an open-source project that uses deep learning to create models of guitar amplifiers and pedals with state-of-the-art accuracy,” started by Steven Atkinson. It uses machine learning to make a digital “capture¹” of analog gear such as a guitar or bass amp, a pedal, a piece of outboard equipment, or a whole signal chain. A NAM model is a snapshot of that gear at one set of knob positions. In contrast with earlier profilers like Kemper and ToneX that kept their formats closed, NAM’s trainer, core DSP library, and plugin are all open. That has let hardware makers build NAM playback into their own products, and it produced a very large community library of captures, mostly hosted on TONE3000.  In June 2026, TONE3000 and Atkinson released Architecture 2 (A2), the first new default network since the original A1. It comes in two versions. A2-Full is meant for DAW and studio use, and TONE3000 says it uses 30 to 40 percent less CPU than A1 while sounding more a...

macOS text file icon Markdown . More and more tools are using, and defaulting, to it. Microsoft Office doesn’t import or grok it natively of course (though, it should; it took me all of about 10 minutes to write  a basic parser ). It’s ubiquitous. Reddit has used  it for at least a decade. The  Things  GTD app family  added it a few years ago . Etc. But it’s not always the most convenient format to work with, especially if you’re under deadline pressure. So I made my life a little easier, and learned about Pandoc in the process. 1. Install pandoc Either from a .pkg file downloaded from  GitHub , or via Homebrew . I went Homebrew, ofc: % brew install pandoc -y 2. Create a new Quick Action in Shortcuts Open the Shortcuts program under Applications on the Mac. Click + to create a new shortcut. In the editor that pops up, in the right pane click the ⓘ at the top to show Shortcut Details, and: ☑ Use as Quick Action      ☑ Finder. Me, I also made...

Walled garden as an illustrative concept We have a practice management system we rely on to manage our cases. It’s pretty good. It could be a lot better. There’s an API, which should enable integration with other tools that can help it be amazing. But. They locked it down. Annoying. They’re pumping money into their own home-grown AI tools. They’re trying to upsell me on their solutions. They boast they’ve put / are putting “tens of millions of dollars” into their home-grown AI tech. Cool. But, uh: “OpenAI and Anthropic expect to spend nearly $65 billion combined this year just on the costs to train and operate their AI models.”¹ Our vendor was showing off their agentic offering, and how it could calculate litigation deadlines based on, e.g., C.D. Cal. local rules . “Great, what about a judge's individual procedures?” E.g., Judge Walter  issues a standing order with a requirement not found in the local rules (which, annoyingly, is only in his Standing Order filed early in the c...

Multitasking What Constant Multitasking Does to Your Brain , from December 2025: “When we multitask, our attentional resources are being stretched to their limit and we are more prone to errors ... multitasking actually makes us less efficient, more stressed, and eventually, mentally drained. If you try to take on too much or multitask all day, your brain eventually runs out of bandwidth to focus clearly.” The entire article is worth a read; including: Here’s how it affects your brain When you’re constantly switching between tasks, your brain enters a state of cognitive overload. You might notice: Brain fog Irritability Forgetfulness Trouble focusing Mental exhaustion by the end of the day And: Try this easy fix You don’t have to eliminate multitasking completely, but being intentional about when and how you focus can make a big difference. Here’s how to help your brain recover: Batch similar tasks. Group emails, calls, or errands so your brain stays in one mode longer. Use timers ...

Prior: “You’re not lazy. Your brain just needs a different system.” I keep encountering these ads on Facebook, for, whatever, ADHD planners or Xennial home organization apps or ... They state they're based on research from Stanford or MIT or Harvard or ... [], and that they’ll build a solution tailored for whatever it is that makes you unique. The sales pitch always starts with some sort of shame-type thing but then moves quickly to “it’s not your fault - you didn’t fail the system, the system failed you! It wasn’t built for a brain that grew up analog and transitioned to digital.” If you take the bait you’re funneled to a set of “diagnostic questions” and then the processing theater (“Analyzing your responses … 37% … creating your individualized plan … 72% …”). Then email capture and the dark patterns - the free trial but high monthly cost - slashed in half if you buy before the fake counter reaches zero ... or the relatively low “monthly” cost paid every six months or ...  I capt...