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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the new and revised version on Shane’s next single “Tryin’”:









It is square. Technically you could use non-square artwork, especially years ago before the vinyl revival but square is back because most punch out a vinyl version and an album is round and the sleeve it fits into has to be square. So with his blessing we are well on the way to another release. For small time artists like us I don’t want to directly link the music as it is better to have non-linked access for ranking than linked access - at least that is the theory we are using. So time will tell!







On to the guitar pedals. I like effects, so far reverb and fuzz and wah to name a few. I am pretty sure I will go “all in one” as the ubiquitous boards and separate effects modules seem to be more trouble than it’s worth. Aside from the cost, the varying voltage requirements mean no daisy chain and such which also creates more noise in the system. Man, I’m starting to eliminate that on my guitar and don’t need to reintroduce it with pedals! A quality all-in-one from an outfit like Line 6 would do - but they are expensive!







I may be trying my hand at a song - yes - Hell has frozen over! What kind of song? - I’m no singer but I really like Gil Scott Heron and what he did with “The Revolution will not be televised”! Spoken but so cool and relevant to the Black civil rights movement back in the day. Most of the younger folk reading this won’t get all the pop references in the song, but that song just rocked! So that’s what I’m looking at. The advocacy specifically wrapped up in a song. Micheal did make me a song for the organization “Rise Unite” by Lucifari but it was still his lyrics:



https://youtu.be/9LYEbWnxzYc



My version probably won’t be as popular but you have to start somewhere…..



Nobody is emailing me back about my human rights tribunal reply to a summary hearing request, so I guess we just wait for a decision…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/QnJFhuOWgXg



https://youtu.be/BS3QOtbW4m0
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was checking out some artists and bands as things get back to normal - post covid 19.



Mostly everyone has gotten a bit chunky for a couple of years not performing. Some figured to have a kid during lockdown and this actually made some sense - they got away with it! But mostly everyone is rusty and need to trim down and live the life again.



I will never be in this crowd, at most I am an advocate and businessman in the music industry. Trying new things and helping things develop - that’s my calling. But I need to play some instruments even as a totally useless amateur. I started on the keyboard to help with my video stuff and now it’s the electric guitar. I’m no natural so forget it for playing gigs. This is simply to connect with my gang and others I may run into.



I’ll send off Shane’s next song over the weekend.



I’m really keen on whether The Fates turn on the switch in the aging machine now and turn me into an old man now that the bulk of my work as their tool is over. I thought the start was with the ankles but that may just have been my doing. I wrenched one of my fingers but it healed so fast - like I was a teenager - if you’re old they take forever to fully heal. Remember all you kids out there - nobody lives forever and I had a good run with living life and feeling 20 years younger. It never lasts. You think you have all the time in the world but you don’t!




The Fates



You are young and forget about time and for awhile you live in this ageless nirvana. Then the reality of people around you aging hits home. Mostly your parents and then - one by one - your friends start to slowly fall apart. Then it’s your turn. How much time do I have left - and what quality of that time I have left.



I’ve been way overdue in that moment and now it’s all hitting me at once. At the very least you figure The Fates would let me keep my extra years to live a bit for doing their bidding. But outside human minds, they don’t operate our way. Reality now hits you as harsh as can be. People simply give up on a harder life and die. Let’s do the same thing as when we were young - but - no more timeless nirvana. Time is not in your side. It’s now a race to do things while you can.



Man, this all took a dark turn all of a sudden. I’m pretty sure I’m not done yet in all my activities, but I have done the bare minimum. I’m happy to still worry about setting up a guitar and trivial stuff like that. The other realities now become truly scary. Better to worry about whether your cheap little guitar is in phase or not. I’m eyeing a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby pedal just because everyone I like listening to used it! New stuff to buy and learn about. That stuff is actually fun!




Goodnight…..





https://www.youtube.com/live/553-wttWxUI?feature=share
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A late one - but here’s what’s been going on:







That above is my new electric guitar pedal board! It’s an old Line 6 Pod HD500X, state of the art ten years ago but still relevant and ranked at position 22 of the best pedal boards in the world! I snagged this used one at 1/4 to 1/3 of the original price at Long and McQuade downtown. Getting there to snatch it was an adventure and driving through a part of the expressway that was flooded - but in the end it was worth it. I had to forgo a shave and food but did eat a warmed up beef patty on my way back. Anyway - That was fun!




Not so much fun as when I played with it at night the thing was wonky and wouldn’t stay on. Boy was I pissed off. I noted it may have been the power supply as this thing was on stage and they get banged around. So the next day was another trip downtown but not so dramatic and it was the power supply/cord after all. They couldn’t find a used one so I got a new Line 6 power supply! So it required some sorting out but everything is stable and the effects and guitar sound great through the machine even though I’ve only had about ten minutes with it.



I’ll be playing with that on the weekend. Since it’s used, the prevous owner that played stage events probably spent time tuning all the presets up as they sound fab to my ears. That is worth its weight in gold! If that’s the case then it’s “JACKPOT” for me as I still don’t know what I’m doing with an electric guitar.




That will also mean that one of my gang will - sooner or later - beg me for them to take it off me. So my fun with the new pedal board may be fleeting. But whatever, I can’t lie, this was fun - even sorting it out was fun! Sorting it out was fun as I got to keep it - I mean…..



Shane’s music gets uploaded this weekend.




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/JWsRz3TJDEY
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2023 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is my “workbench” for the guitar board and that ancient laptop:







It’s now back in my bedroom where I can fool around with it anytime. So far every button, pedal and switch seems to work so this is probably a keeper at a rock bottom price. The best part is that the power supply they gave me to replaced the worn out busted one, was new in the box and costs 83 bucks or 93 with taxes! That was a surprise and since these power supplies are the “achilles heal” of this system, getting a new one is a total score!


Right off the bat I have mood music and futuristic sounds for our videos! I didn’t even need guitar work for that. Also the thing comes with a built-in tuner and yes, that cheap guitar is still in tune. I connected it to the laptop and opened the downloadable software to work the effects off the laptop instead of the board - so - all those presets are stored in two places now.



This was a fun and a memorable experience. Buying used always means some sorting out - and even that was fun as it appears to have a happy ending.



The rest of the weekend is more playing around with my new toys. Watching another movie and maybe starting 2022 corporate taxes. There is always that!




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/TC1Vfoq3PvU
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’ll give you one more post, a more diluted one than the one that I scrapped last night.



Question? Should I have called the advocacy “done!” and moved on - or keep at it? Even now, I have still kept my moral integrity, even while maneuvering though the unexposed machinations of the Secretariat to get access to the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General. I’m still pure…..







To go further now means dealing with political types and they only understand compromise. If I keep going, it means getting myself “dirty” and herein lies my difference and possibly “strength” over the academic - or pure - advocates. I’m too grounded in the pragmatic that if push came to shove, I could easily do the more pragmatic and effective thing to get the job done rather than give humanity nothing at all.



I watched Sicario on Friday night and it centres around this dilemma. Keep your integrity and lose, or bend the rules and win? I’m still pure and anyone with more sense than I would turn away now; go back to the music store and try to make it with the cute tattooed gal that took an interest in you and gave you that new power supply. She even asked why I came all the way downtown - like she knew where I lived? Better to become a musician and make that record label grow and do something productive with the musical advocacy corporation I just started - why not just do that? Anyway - better to get in bed with her rather than getting in bed with the likes you find at the UN.



But you already know what I am going to do. The cute tattooed gal at the music store will reman untouched by my hands - and I return to the United Nations and start the “real” advocacy if there is any hope of this going anywhere. The ends justify the means and this may mean me getting a little “dirty”. I may end up just like those that I may have despised in the past. Or maybe I was just like them from the start - but - didn’t know it until now. But I did start really late and the idealistic side is still there, so maybe - just maybe - I could do something positive while I’m still relevant…..




Goodnight…..



https://youtu.be/qpo5Pf39B1U


https://youtu.be/Fvj02CmFx14
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 7:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The start of a new week.



First of all it seems all my books are for sale at Barnes & Noble!







This was a pleasant surprise as I thought they were weeding out what I had already there - so this was really a surprise!







Shane’s new single “Tryin’”is now sent to all the stores and it may be a wait before we see it popping up in all the usual places. I think there are staff cuts and thus the delay. Overall, the shift from physical media like records and CDs to purely digital has totally gutted the music industry and now the steaming services are cutting back. Same with videos and movies, it was exclusive when I started in 2003 - especially TV - and now it’s gutted. Strangely, this hasn’t opened up the media to new ideas and such as expected, they are all lost and forgotten as the algorithms won’t take people there. Instead we have links to people who are attractive - working out and showing off their bums. If successful they show off their bums beside some product they are being paid to push and call themselves”influencers”.







The new pedal board is now all hooked up to headphones and my amp and I’m still learning things but sort of know how to get sounds out of the machine now. Everything seems to work so a final deep cleaning and it’s a keeper. I’m looking for a cheap gig bag so I can travel with it to events.



As for the guitar I still don’ t know what type is my favourite. I’m no cowboy so the Telecaster is now a remote possibility. The explorer is still in there but its lost a little luster and would have to have a whammy bar which makes it even more exclusive. Actually it’s looking more and more like a Stratocaster or Strat for short. Now it is down to the regular Strat with three single coil pickups or continue with the “Super Strat” like what I have with a humbucker.







Since I’m into the heavier and darker stuff in metal this is probably where I’m headed. The explorer still fits in here but it’s a good thing I didn’t splurge and buy an expensive guitar. This one I have is cheap and I can mod it without worry or give it away when I know what I want. I’ll probably mod it and keep it as a spare for events.




Monday morning will probably see me start my first of the 2022 corporate tax returns. Snow and rain make this the idea time to do it…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/yGTKh7Tdt8k
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A late and quick one.




The slider is on my finger, plus the Capo and thumb picks!



I got some guitar supplies today. The thumb picks they didn’t have the last time I was there so I bought a bunch. I should have also bought some finger picks but forgot. I’ll play around with them all and then decide.



An Ernie Ball capo and I got a good one as I don’t want to upgrade on stuff like this.



Finally a slide - a glass slide - to play slider guitar. The late great Jeff Beck loved this stuff along with blues players I believe. I had the choice of metal or glass and chose glass because that’s what Beck used in Bolaro. I bought the smallest size and I got lucky as it fits all my small fingers! Beck used his middle finger so I’ll start off there first. Standard tuning seems to be best so I’m all set. I’ll give it a try tonight though there is some skill involved here, so it will probably sound terrible!




The Elmore James tombstone!


I will pay tribute to the greatest slide guitarist ever: Elmore James! The designation is carved on his stone with a longer obit on the back - that is the way to leave this earth! Heck - it’s also a thing for guitarists to visit his grave and pay tribute by leaning their guitar next to his stone and take a photo, that’s the way to be remembered!



I also printed the tax forms for the remaining corporations. I did an easy one on Monday, but the rest all made a profit so these are more involved. Then I will take a look at the IRS taxes for IAIJ and FOF Records. You don’t mess around with the IRS and I don’t need to be detained at the airport for any tax issues…..



That’s it for today.




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/xvpeIKI4ZiQ
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Super short…..



I got my real guitar today. The cheap one is now my slider guitar. I’ll tell you the whole story tonight.




Later…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, I got a guitar and it’s a Fender Player Plus (HSS) with a natural wood finish gradient to black on the edges:







I had a hard time finding a version of this guitar that didn’t make me want to retch. The electric lime green or electric blue gradients are definitely not me - and that was the only Player Plus available in town at my usual music store. I had to go to Cosmo Music north of Toronto where they had one Sliver to black gradient that I could tolerate.



So up there I went and while looking for it came across this natural wood to black gradient they didn’t have on the website. This was totally appealing to my conservative tastes so I grabbed it and started looking at all the guitars in the two story store to make sure. I did this walking around the place holding the guitar like a mother holds a baby - so that was the guitar for me.



I’ll fill this out later as I’m short for time - but for those that can’t stand all this prattle about guitars - just a little more and things get back to normal



The big question was why try? Why do something like this in your 60s? I did it because I need to be able communicate with our artists and most play the guitar. The other is because as you get older you stop trying new things. You play it safe and don’t want to look as some newbie at your age. But this type of “retirement” from new things fills your mind and leaves you more prone to the beginnings of general senility. So you keep trying new things, not because they are comfortable to try, but because they are hard.


Playing a musical instrument is “so” not me that I will have to reinvent how I think and this will only be a good thing for me and the advocacy and our music activities going forward. I like how I kept my enthusiasm with all the guitar equipment and such. Just taking lessons is boring and turns people off. This way is more fun!



So that’s what is going on. Maybe a song or two in my future. But first I have to learn to play, the lyrics are easy.



Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/fA3jFMDBiu4
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote





Ok, so I have some news on the Human Rights case. It appears that I didn’t send a copy to Ontario, so I will do that by Monday and have them sign off on the form that proves that. Then we just continue to wait and see what happens.







I’m starting to pock around and scout venues for a “possible” FOFSTOCK 2! However, this event going forward has to be self-sustaining and not requiring me adding any of my own money. FOFSTOCK is now a not-for-profit organization and we can start to solicit money from public and private entities. This will take a while but I am actually getting back into this and the reason for the short posts lately and my main obsession with music. The pandemic is over and it’s time to start looking at larger events for our music family!



The guitar saga…..



With everything going on I was only able to do a deep cleaning and check of the guitar last night. This guitar was off the rack at Cosmos Music and had been there since August and I was actually going after the silver and black guitar when this one caught my eye. But this one caught my attention and I fell in love with it then and there!



First is I love the look of the thing! This is the number one thing about buying a guitar as if you don’t like the look, if you compromise on looks, you will play it less or even buy another that turns you on. This caught my eye as I was looking for the black and silver one listed on their website. This is funnily like looking for a pet dog at the pet store in the old days. There you are looking for some striking breed of dog and this mutt catches your attention with its sad eyes - nobody wants me - and he keeps looking at you as you browse around and you keep looking back and making eye contact. Then you leave the store with the mutt, the two of you happy as can be.



So yeah, the thing was there since August of last year - what the f*ck? There was even a decent coat of dust on it! It looked new but was it a demo or a return? The neck and fret work was perfect - but that was part of it being a Player Plus model. Action and all the knobs worked smoothly. This was a contender but why wasn’t it snapped up? I found the silver and black guitar like it was just taken out of the box with plastic even covering the neck plate. The action was slightly rougher than the other guitar and one tuner knob had play back and forth before the pot started to turn. I thought the silver was solid but it had this sort of garish sparkle added in for “bling” and then a gradient to black. The wooden one was looking like the only one I wanted.







I did’t want anyone to take this wooden thing from me so I walked around the store with it in my arms and kept checking it for problems and damage - I didn’t find any. I looked at them all including Yamaha guitars, I was a Strat man by now and if you’re a strat man you buy a Fender (they created the Stratocaster) like the one in my arms. You pay a premium for a Fender Stratocaster and the one I got (Player Plus) is one that can take you anywhere - real “meat and potatos” in the music world I operate in…..



Being a businessman, I talked them down on the price saying it was there forever and probably a little “shop worn”, so they gave me a discount and out the door I went with my precious guitar in the dusty gig bag it came with.



So no surprises when I really cleaned it up. I was surprised at how perfect it was wiped off. Two tiny faint - extremely light scratches on the pick guard you would never see, another light scratch on the back guard you have to fiddle with the light to even see. On the metal one extremely light scratch on the chrome humbucker that had to be factory, super faint scratch (?) on the top of the cord jack where it never scratches - so factory. And that was about it - everything else was perfect. Not one scratch on the body or neck and I was looking! No cracks or tiny dents or back to the store it went. All the electrics work perfectly so this thing is mine - a keeper!



So I’m a Fender guy now - that is a whole other conversation. I now only compare my guitars to other Fenders. Online others say how Fenders are overpriced (true) and their personal wizbang guitar is just as good, but they don’t even get a reply from the fender folk. This makes them even more angrier but that is the culture as far as I can see…..





(NSFW)
https://youtu.be/KSMMQmyGJg4
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Surprise, surprise, surprise…..



.
Me on the floor of the General Assembly Hall for the vote!



Look who showed up this week - WSIS!







Yes, after 10 years the World Summit on the Information Society has appeared on my radar….. Actually as an email - but it happened.



.
There was my speech and I actually had a chance to speak at the green marble lectern - unreal!



I’ll leave that for now but just noted the moment. I was involved in getting online journalists recognized as legitimate media workers by a majority vote at the United Nations - for the first time in history! Two speeches there by yours truly and two days on the General Assembly Floor before the vote. This sounds like bragging but the memories came back and I actually was impressed with my former self - if that makes any sense.


This weekend is cleaning up the house and more corporate taxes.



The reason for FOFSTOCK 2 is because I’m not getting any younger. I turn 65 in a year and a half and it takes that long to put on a music festival. I’m already looking at venues.



Guitar corner:




My guitar has the tuners pointing up!




I bought a plain Jane - meat and potatoes Fender Stratocaster. I did think about getting a strat with a reverse head like the strats Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix used (a reverse neck will give considerable bends on the high E and B strings, compared to a typical Strat). But I’m a newbie and you go that way for a reason - that hasn’t hit me viscerally yet - intellectually yes - but this is music and it has to “want” in me viscerally.



.
Jeff Beck’s guitar with the reversed head - tuners pointing down!



There is a Jimi Hendricks model on the Fender website. The Jeff Beck version has the regular head with the tuners facing up. Beck’s later guitars were customer built with basswood instead of alder. One of a kind pickups made by John Suhr and taller requiring a deeper cut out on the body. Nothing like anything for sale. So I bought a meat and potato’s version that you see everywhere - except the plus version with noiseless pickups (Beck hates the hum), better fret work and that extra chip add on for low volume roll back that many pros get a luthier to add later on. Locking tuners just like the ultra series and milled instead of a turned steel bridge.



The cheap guitar told me what to get. Pickups with no 60hrtz hum, and the best locking pickups money can buy. Best fret work without taking it to a luthier. Low action. Better selector switch and better pots - done and with a pop up tone selector for more options. At least a synthetic nut as opposed to cheap plastic. Finally a model of guitar that I wasn’t embarrassed to show up in public with with a finish I loved. That I got with the Fender I purchased two days ago…..




The guitar is mine, the scratches I found yesterday are consistent with a new guitar, so I got a break with the discount. Any wear and tear is now on me - my ass! I’ll take the stickers off as this thing is staying with me. It has a two year warranty and that would be the only reason to go back to the music store.



I may go back for a strap - maybe even today. I’m looking, but the strap has to talk to me. The guitar is organic - it was grown. Likewise, I want an organic strap. Fabric or leather - but organic…..




Goodnight…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 9:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The ramp up for WSIS+20 may give me a chance to push my worldwide vote idea again so this weekend had some action on the advocacy front. There is too much going on in my life now so I have to finish up and close some doors - the first being the guitar purchasing stuff…..







So Saturday I did nothing but music stuff. I even spent an hour at a music store mostly to get a black leather guitar strap for my new guitar. But I gave all the guitars one last look and I’m still keeping my guitar.



That strap I got was the only black leather strap from Fender I could find in the whole province. Sort of like me getting the last new model of Fender I wanted. There are none new anywhere in Ontario. I’m past looking for scratches and then found one miner factory flaw that didn’t affect anything but I caught it. Then I thought about it - then I ripped off the tags and pealed off the manufacturing decals and it is mine now!



I’ve turned off the OCD switch in my head and will now concentrate on playing the thing. Funnily if you keep looking for flaws you will find them even on the most expensive Fenders. One guy bought a Fender Ultra (2,000 more than mine) and it hums with noiseless pickups because the gold speckles in the pick guard are reacting with the pickups. Fender will do nothing so he has to replace them with a plastic pick guard - a 10 month nightmare. So I am done with it and can spot mine from a batch of the same model now - that is kind of cute to me now that I think about it - BTW.




This is my actual Fender Player Plus!



Also, mine was made in Mexico and I got the “souped up” version for maximum value at Fender - almost an Ultra. Getting an American made one is far more expensive for arguably the same guitar. Like I said, I did find one flaw but that seems to be seen even in the American made ones anyway - nothing is perfect. Anyway, as a brown guy, having a Mexican make my guitar is fine with me! The bigger issue is alder wood disappearing because of bug infestations. This means Fender is introducing pine instead of alder. And they are starting this change in their most expensive models so people won’t consider pine to be a cheaper alternative - cleaver BTW. But when I was buying furniture - pine was the cheapest low quality wood there was! Anyway I’m glad I got my Fender Stratocaster when I did - no pine for me…..


I bought and paid off all my guitar stuff now because money going forward will be for the advocacy and events. Not buying now means not buying at all. That guitar I bought can never go back as that is all there is now. If I was an ordinary looking guy I could go all wild with colours and such, but I always have to tone it down so the sunburst and black strap is the one I need…..




You won’t see me here with Michael and the gang on stage anytime soon!



I will also tone down the guitar talk now. Now it’s all about learning how to play and that can take years. And I’ll probably never be good enough to get on stage with my gang anyway. It is what it is…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/G4YInXOBMY4
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Maurice Ali



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Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 7:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I cheated and spent Sunday doing music stuff. It wasn’t all bad as I did get most of the corporate taxes done - but that wasn’t what was supposed to happen.



Thing is the guitar stuff is a hobby and I miss the days I could throw myself into a hobby and think about nothing else - just become totally absorbed in the hobby soaking it all in! I went back to two music stores really looking at the construction of guitars and this had the positive effect of reinforcing my purchasing decision.


For example, for Fenders my Player Plus is almost the same as the top line Ultra at half the price. I looked at all the American made guitars and the extra quality isn’t there! The reason why is because Fender laid off 300 employees at the California factory in early 2022 and the quality nosedived while Mexican quality kept getting better all these years. Most notably the more expensive American made guitars had issues with the neck fit between the base of the guitar and the neck and fret board.m - huge gaps, some sloppy fret work and I took photos. I would say 50/50 with some pristine and others with issues for Made in America Fenders. And that was with a quick look at the store! So in the past the quality statement may have mattered but not starting last year.



Anyway I’m now completely happy with my guitar and at least got that out of the way this weekend. I also bought a brass slider and string winder and stuff like that. I loved the atmosphere at these places and the music both good and bad happening there. Just totally off my radar especially after Covid 19, so I actually had some fun on Sunday!







Back home I broke out the flat black paint and touched up some bare spots on that Line 6 digital pedal board and it was literally an exact match! All the panels that face you are touched up and the sides and back are next and then this thing looks almost new…..



Like I said, the taxes get done and then the tribunal response gets sent to the government along with another form. I paid my office bill on Sunday night and IAIJ emails have to be answered on Monday. I groaned about all of this on Sunday as I had fun in the music scene - but it is what it is. I have to do this stuff. Many of you don’t know who keeps the internet open and free - well guess what - one of them was me…..







I’m probably the only one you know that had any sort of hand in that in 2015 at WSIS+10 keeping internet governance in the multi stakeholder universe instead of totally the domain of counties. I gave two speeches back then about that and was there for the final vote! Yes, a free and open internet is not a sure thing - it has to be fought for by an army of people and organizations and WSIS+20 is coming up. I groan at the thought, but I have no choice and I could pitch for the Worldwide Vote there and maybe even some action on the AI front.



Getting the guitar stuff out of the way this weekend for the most part gets me
back into my old vibe. Im a lousy guitar player and there is at least one person on every street that can really play - but I do this other stuff that they say I’m really good at and just really exclusive, so I have to concentrate on that instead of becoming the next Jimi Hendrix. That is reality folks…..




EDIT: If you guitarists don’t believe me on my quip about the Mexican Player Plus quality have a look at the video below. A veteran guitarist blindfolded picked the Player Plus in strat and tele both times as the better and more expensive one, yet he picked the ultras later with blindfolds off when he could see which was which and couldn’t believe he picked the cheaper Mexican guitars - but there it is - and I rest my case:



https://youtu.be/0uxIAYq6k_Y



Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/OIBxn8arV3w
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2023 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Short and sweet…..







Shane’s me somme has started i show up in places like YouTube.



I may mail out all the corporate taxes tomorrow.






The tribunal now wants a Form 11 sent by me to all parties by April 10 so that goes out today.







I finished spiffing up my digital guitar pedal and now I look for a carry case as this will go to events in case someone needs it. I also played with the guitars.



The squirrels may be back in the attic.



That’s it right now.




Goodnight…..




https://youtu.be/Ax0C6rlo-54
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A late one as I had to get the legal files off to the government agency investigating that same government for me - what could possibly go wrong there? I had to use files that could not be save just printed, and then scanned back into pdf to send - but I found a hack that works. It is sent and no confirmation yet. I already did a Form 2 and now a Form 11 with a testimony Form 23 that I sent “Ontario” the Form 11. Basically they just want me to go away - whatever…..



Corporate taxes for now are done and mailed out. I’m ahead of the game so I sent it the cheapest way and the money saved payed off the slider and string winding machine and maybe those finger picks! I now run seven corporations! How in the hell did that happen?








The upcoming WSIS Review has revived my side advocacy projects. Certainly I was looking to scifi conventions to talk about the AI issue but I may get more traction and more legitimacy at WSIS. WSIS stands for the “World Summit of the Information Society” and they usually vote on internet governance every 10 years. That is common and they hold many events in preparation to the final vote at the UN usually in December. So things here have breathed a breath of fresh air and I am stoked to see more venues to get the word out! Al is fun until it isn’t and that will happen faster than we can react because they are not limited by biology. And they don’t have to think like us - we may be in big trouble…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/-e1_QhJ1EhQ
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