Mikael Fernstrom

>Since the Faculty Board meeting Wednesday afternoon, I’ve been increasingly sneezing and coughing. Yesterday’s lecture CS4358 was really unpleasant to deliver, as I had to struggle to both talk and get air. Last night I treated myself with a Hot Whiskey plus Irish Honey. It calmed down my coughing and definitely help to put me to sleep. Today, I decided to follow everybody’s advice and stay at home. When will science find a cure for the common cold?

>Despite a very stressful day, a letter really made me happy. It was from the skipper of M.S. DEVA in Kilbaha Bay in County Clare. They Now have full package offers including B&B, food, rest and fishing. Check out the web site, www.thelighthouseinn.ie.
This part of the palnet Earth is the most beatiful, relaxing and livable place I know. I just have to figure out when I can go there next. Gone fishing?

>After last week’s success, we have agreed to play this week as well in Synott’s Bar in Annacotty. We’re all rusty, but sometimes that helps to bring out darker side of the blue(s) spectrum.

>Sweden won the Olympic Gold in Ice Hockey. Ireland won over Wales in Six Nations Rugby.
Cheers! from a couch potato.

>Ha Ha. Ho Ho. Giggles. Hi Hi Hi. Lately, over the last few weeks, I have found myself laughing more than I have in a long time. Not while watchting TV, reading, or drinking – just while having small everyday conversations with family and friends. It feels really good. I wonder what is going on, as I haven’t felt like this for a long time. Is it spring? Is it that I finally am doing things, like design, that really makes me interested and engaged? I don’t know, but whatever it is let’s hope is stays for a while. Who the hell needs all the medical stuff that spammers are trying to sell, when a simple smile and an everyday outlook on life can send you rolling around the floor, laughing you butt off 😉

>One of the students in the Interactive Media class emailed me a link to Jeff Han’s work on multi-touch displays. Very impresseive, I have to say. This is the kind of stuff we need to investigate on for example our spherical displays.

Ronan’s spherical display prototype.

>The Digiweb guys did a great job. First of all, they were on time. Secondly, they were professional and got the job done. Thirdly, the Internet connection works fine, almost at full whack. The VoIP is quite poor though. I’ll have to check if there are any settings that can tweak the voice performance.
I bought a Linksys router in Maplin’s, but the CDR that came with it is for PC/Win (Yuk!) only, and the config attempt failed. I’ll have a serious surf and read and see what can be done.
Still the speed and QoS is fine!

>Finally, after weeks of waiting, the broadband connection to the house is working. So far, so good. Remains to test and fine tune configs.

>Check out the new website of CCMCM – UL’s Centre for Computer Music and Computer Musicology. We’re hoping to do the “offocial” launch of the site shortly. Stay tuned (or, as I would prefer, out-of-tune 😉

>I’ve had the most spiritual experience. My colleague, Jurgen Simpson, loaned me the DVD “MOOG”, a documentary by Hans Fjellestad. I probably can’t describe it in a short piece of text, but even the first few seconds of the film made me realise that I’m part of it. Thanks!
Just so you know it…
Back in late 60’s and early 70’s, I was a musician on technical education moving towards becoming a fighter pilot. In 1972 I met my (now) wife. Over the first couple of years I taught her how to solder, carry heavy equipment, etc. In 1973 I completed my final year project, which wasn’t really due until 1975 but due to that I wanted both a music and engineering part of my degree transcript, I had to do it that way. Anyhow, in the 60’s and 70’s, I could not afford (and neither could/would my parents) to by a Moog synthesizer. I built something that worked at least as well myself. I composed a piece of music for it, Radiata Mortificata. For my music part of my degree, this was it. For my engineering part, that was it.
I’ve just realised, watching the Moog Movie, what makes the difference. It’s all the digital crap. A Theremin is probably the most direct instrument, apart from a violin. When digital electronics were introduced, they’ve slowed down the responsiveness of the instruments. Bloody MIDI, etc (sorry!). The Prophet V was OK, as it was a beautiful hybrid solving the problem of indeterminable tuning fixed by bits and bytes and the beauty of analogue audio and expression. After that, it’s been downhill.
Also,, watching the movie it dawned on me what my role has been. I’m a modder – the guy to makes modifications. In the early days of my own business, I used to get a lot of Moogs to be fixed or tuned. After a couple of years, the nightmare of all synths turned up – the PolyMoog. After many late nights in the lab, one day Greg Fitzpatrick called and asked if I’d like to work with him on Sequential Circuits (Prohpet, hey!). I said yes. After that, very few Moogs turned up. On the other hand, I did design and build probably the first pitch wheel ever on a Hammond B3 (for Bernt in Totta’s Blues Band). All throughout this time, musicians walked into my lab, begging to have this or that fixed, but more common this or that functionality added. To quote Dan Helgesen “I’d like a control THERE that makes it go WHOOOEEEE!”
It’s a long time ago now. Still, watching Bob Moog, makes me think that it’s time to come back to the essentials, and, to consider how we can connect the human spirit to sound and music in novel ways. There’s still time….