Bill's Conversational Musings

This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I've been using a local application called Pelican that would take my markdown files and convert them into a blog post, the same three website disciplines I wrote about years ago. Now, just recently, I approached JARVIS and …

During my summer trip to Italy, we visited a number of ancient churches. Along the walls, artwork hung with little to no description of its importance. Normally, this would be frustrating without purchasing the audio earpiece or guidebook. Now, with a simple point of your smartphone, AI can deliver instant …

Changing up the melody Reharmonization is the process of transforming familiar melodies with different and fresh chord progressions. A simple example might be taking a familiar chord progression like C-G-Am-F (e.g., "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") and replacing the Am with an E7, creating a new harmonic flavor. Why this works …

Vibe Coding: A Clock With Soul I didn’t set out to build a clock. At least not the kind of clock that ticks away in quiet submission on a wall somewhere, slowly reminding you of your obligations. No, this one was always going to have a vibe. Something more fluid, …

My journey into the world of electronics and coding began with a simple desire: to go beyond the basics. While I have built a guitar pedal in the past, I yearned for a deeper understanding. The Arduino, however, demanded more than my existing HTML and Python skills could offer. With …

Who doesn't like free music? Free music is like free pizza. You jump at the chance to grab some. If you're a YouTuber, you're always on the hunt for music that's unique yet doesn't have the copyright issues. Sure, YouTube has its fair share of stock music, but guess what? …

FFMPEG, affectionately known as the Swiss Army knife of video editing tools, is an indispensable command-line based tool for every video editor's toolkit. Sometimes, you encounter a video that refuses to play. Fear not, for with FFMpeg, you have a high chance of transforming that unusable file into one that …

A toast is usually something that happens at a gathering where a tribute is given to someone or something. Glasses are raised and words are spoken in honor. Here are a few toasts about wine and the benefits it can bring. I'm putting this out here for quick reference when …

I'm currently working on a project that necessitates extensive typing and formatting using MS Word. As I progress through this, I frequently find myself pondering, "How can I accomplish this?" or "Is there an easier way to do this?" Fortunately, I have discovered several useful tips that have made my …

Getting up in the morning and encountering a major traffic jam on your way to the office can definitely put a damper on your day. If you could be informed about such events before you leave, it would certainly be more beneficial. These are local bookmarks for the San Antonio …

I've never established a formal warmup routine. Typically, I start improvising on the guitar without a structured approach, warming up the fingers with both solo lines and chords, and preparing the mind. Open String Upstrokes Fretting hand not needed for this exercise. Just open strings. Hammer On / Pull Offs …

Thou warped knotty-pated flap-dragon! Update! Here is a page where you use the generator directly! This Python coding example could be categorized under Technology or Literature, but I opted for Tech because it's more aligned with what this post is about. I've always had this idea of creating a Shakespearian …

Paul Gilbert was demonstrating some of the chords used in various yacht rock tunes. It's a good lesson on some of the more complicated voicings. I transcribed this in a tool called Frescobaldi . Frescobaldi is a LilyPond sheet music text editor. Lilypond is a music engraving program, devoted to …

I've compiled a list of my favorite Linux command line utilities. Some are readily available for use without installation also called console services, while others require a quick setup process. As I discover new tools or revisit existing ones, this collection will be updated to reflect the latest additions. No …