Gmail doesn’t offer traditional aliases, but you can receive messages sent to your.username+any.alias@gmail.com. For example, messages sent to jane.doe+notes@gmail.com are delivered to jane.doe@gmail.com. You can set up filters to automatically direct these messages to Trash, apply a label or star, skip the inbox, or forward to another email account.

For me at least, this is a useful way of assigning custom email addresses to different services I use, particularly if I don’t trust them.  If I get spam directed to one of these addresses, it’s both simple to filter out, and to determine which service sold my email address to a third party.

With the demise of this service, I needed a replacement.  Tweetalert recommends RSS2twitter, which as you would guess is a service for converting an RSS feed to a tweetstream.  As a simple solution, this can work.  Go to Twitter Search, type in your keyword of interest, and wait for the page of results.  Then, copy the link of the RSS feed (“Feed for this query”) and provide that as the link for RSS2twitter to broadcast when you sign up for an account there.

You might also want to look at my “Connecting a ReTweeting Service” section at the end of this article.

But for my bot, I wanted something more intricate.  If you don’t, then stop reading now.

My reason for going the more complicated route is primarily to reduce duplicate tweets.  I want to capture all the first hand mentions of a keyword/hashtag, but none of the retweets or personal messages between users where the term is also mentioned.  Another consideration is the fact that ReTweeting services have limits.  Twitterfeed (which I’ve chosen over RSS2twitter) will rebroadcast tweets at a maximum rate of 5 per 30 minutes.  Removing the duplicate tweets through pre-processing is a great way to make the most of that cap, and not lose any first-run content.

I found a tutorial on YouTube.  It’s extremely useful, but due to the spinning graphics it’s a bit difficult to follow.  Watch the video to orient yourself with the process, then follow my steps below.

According to Yahoo!, Pipes is “a powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate, and mashup content from around the web”.  It’s a great way to take a raw RSS feed and process it to remove unwanted content.

Creating a Yahoo! Pipe

Above, I described how to grab the RSS feed from a Twitter Search. Copy that link.

Now, from the Yahoo! Pipes main page, click the “Create a pipe” button. You’ll be placed on a blank graph paper-style canvas.  A variety of object modules are in the left-hand column.

Drag the “Fetch feed” module onto the canvas (anywhere, but perhaps starting in the upper left corner) and paste your Twitter Search RSS feed address in the URL box.

Now, let’s begin the filtration process…

Click on the Operators heading, to reveal those modules. Drag the “Filter” module to the canvas and drop it somewhere near the feed module.  Leave a thumbwidth of space in between.  We’ll have to connect all these modules together later with “pipes”.

This filter prevents multiple retweets of the same content by different users, ignores personal communication between users where the term from the fetched feed (“GCconnex”) is mentioned, and prevents the bot (also named “GCconnex”) from retweeting itself.  Change item.author.uri to match the Twitter account name that you’ll be using to retweet from.

Now, some additional processing:

Again, from under the Operators heading, grab the “Loop” module. It’s hollow on the inside, so we need to grab another module to fill it.

Click on the String heading, to reveal those modules.  Drag the “String Builder” module and drop it inside the “Loop” module.  Then, fill in the boxes:

The strings are:

• item.author.uri
• item.y:published.year
• item.content.content

Finally, we’ll reformat the tweet so that Twitterfeed receives a clean, organized string to retweet:

Again, under the Operators heading, grab “Regex” and populate it as I’ve done.  Click on the graphic if you need to enlarge it.

At this stage, Twitter’s URL is stripped and replaced with the standard RT @, to attribute authorship to the original tweeter.  The second line replaces the date with a colon and space (“: ”). You obviously can’t see the space in this screen cap, so make sure you whack the spacebar once after typing your colon, or there will be no space between the user’s name and their tweet.

This bit of code will need to be updated once a year to reflect the date change.  It’s a tiny hassle, but the results are worth it.

Connect the modules in the order we’ve created them, with the “Regex” module exiting to “Pipe Output”. You connect modules by clicking and dragging the bottom circle of the module toward the top circle of an adjacent one to create a pipeline.

Finally, make sure you save your pipe!

Congratulations.  The hard part is done.  The good news is that now that you’ve saved this as a prototype, you can easily create additional bots by cloning it.  The GCconnex bot is a clone of the GCPEDIA bot, with only minor alterations to update the raw RSS feed and filter criteria.

Connecting a ReTweeting Service

I use Twitterfeed, but RSS2twitter and similar services should do just fine.  Sign up for an account, then begin by giving it the processed RSS feed from Pipes.

1. You’ll need to find your Pipe’s feed. Click on “My Pipes”, select its name from the list, then right click and copy the link location of the “Get as RSS” link.
2. From Twitterfeed, go to the Feed Dashboard and select “Create New Feed”.
3. Name the feed, and paste the URL from step 1.
4. Open the Advanced Settings, and make the following changes:

Make sure the feed checkbox is active, complete the steps, and save!

Be patient.  It can take a bit of time to start, and I’ve noticed that Twitter Search will sometimes refuse to talk to Pipes temporarily if it has been queried too often, but I can personally attest that this system works well.

Cheers.

While they still have some importance to me—primarily as legal documents that I can produce to substantiate my credentials, should I ever be asked to—for the most part these days they’re household artwork.  So what to hang at work?

I suppose I could have bought some motivational poster with a striking photograph and an inspirational caption, but… nah.  Why not create some amusing fake degrees?  After all, I have valuable  skills and life experience which I can use to obtain a degree without studying—at least that’s what those stupid spam e-mails are always telling me.  But then I tell myself, why should I mail you a check to0 send me something impressive looking but worthless, when I can create something just as impressively worthless at home for free?

So I made a bunch of fake degrees and hung them around my office.  Here’s one:  isn’t she a beauty?  And I have others:

• A Master of Locksmithing from Yale University
• A Bachelor of Science in Physics of Beer Pong from Harverd University (yes, Harverd)
• A Bachelor of Arts in Counterfeiting from Leland Standford Junior University.

I’d have misspelled Yale, but it was too critical to the joke.

My co-workers love them too.  I’ve made many more that matched the personality quirks of the recipient.  My personal favourite, a Master in Bathroom Renovation from Bath Spa University.  I couldn’t believe it was a real institution, and again, I couldn’t misspell it.  Honestly, I doubt either University will come knocking with cease and desist orders.

All you need is a word processor, some borrowed graphics from legitimate institutions, and some fancy fonts from a site like this.  I strongly recommend collecting a variety of Old English fonts, in addition to as many handwriting script fonts as you can find.

I use Debian Linux with the KDE desktop, but this should work so long as you’ve got Firefox and Kaffeine installed. Mplayer or another media player or front-end will probably work in place of Kaffeine.

(1.) Open Firefox, type “about:config” (no quotes) in the address window, and click enter.

(2.) Right click on the window and choose [New], then [String] from the pop-up menu that appears.

(3.) In the first pop-up box, enter: “network.protocol-handler.app.mms” (no quotes, and it might just be easier to cut ‘n paste this into the box).

(4.) In the next pop-up box enter the path to Kaffeine (e.g. “/usr/bin/kaffeine”).

(5.) Now, click in the main window again but choose [New] then [Boolean]

(6.) In the first pop-up box, enter: “network.protocol-handler.external.mms”

(7.) In the second pop-up select [True].

Done. Enjoy.

Have you been rejected by the Über-nerds at Star Trek Conventions? Rejoice!

Tamarian is the language spoken by the Children of Tamar, first heard in the episode “Darmok” from the fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Unlike traditional earth speech, it relies on metaphor and allegory to communicate meaning.

This confounded Starfleet for years, despite the long existence of the Universal Translator, which can somehow resolve all sorts of obscure clicks and bloobs into recognizable English speech, yet was somehow unable to cross-reference obvious proper nouns with the names in its own cultural databases.

Now, for the first time, you too can learn to speak an alien tongue by expressing earth allegories using Tamarian syntax. Just review the Tamarian phrases given as examples, then create your own phrases using earth references.

NOTE: For best results, use well-known celebrity references, but avoid overutilized references like Michael Jackson or O.J. Simpson. Failure to do so may result in the listener breaking off the conversation and leaving (“Kiteo, his eyes closed.”) or attacking you unexpectedly (“Uzani, his army at Lashmir.”)

Tamarian

North American English

(1.) Open Firefox, type “about:config” (no quotes) in the address window, and click enter.
(2.) Right click on the window and choose <New>, then <String> from the pop-up menu that appears.
(3.) In the first pop-up box, enter: “network.protocol-handler.app.mailto” (no quotes, and it might just be easier to cut ‘n paste this into the box).
(4.) In the next pop-up box enter the path to Thunderbird, or another email client (e.g. “/usr/bin/mozilla-thunderbird”).

That should do it. If not:
(1.) Verify that your path to the email application is correct (e.g. “whereis mozilla-thunderbird” from a console window)
(2.) In about:config verify that “network.protocol-handler.external.mailto” is set as Boolean / True (that’s the default AFAIK, so this shouldn’t be set to False unless you’ve changed it).

(1.) Install xpm2wico (xpm to Windows ico converter) using APT.

(2.) Capture and shrink or create/edit a 16×16 graphic in GIMP, KIconEdit, etc.

(3.) Save your image in X PixMap Image (xpm) format.

(4.) Open a console to the directory with your file and type: “xpm2wico favicon.xpm favicon.ico”.

(5.) Upload your new .ico file to your website’s main directory, and add this bit of code to the webpage’s HTML (edit the icon name as appropriate):

<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />

What’s so hard about playing bass? You pick it up, hang it on a strap, and pound the crap out of it with your hand. You can play it around your knees like Geezer Butler, or play it with the headstock pointed at the ceiling like Fieldy. It ain’t rocket science. Is it?

If you’re unconcerned by carpal tunnel syndrome and impervious to fatigue — read no further. However, if you think your present way of playing is hurting your back, your hands and your sound — read on.

Standing Up: Most of us learned to play while sitting down. It’s the most comfortable thing in the world. I remember that when I first tried to stand while playing, it felt completely awkward — like I had to learn to play all over again. The reason? The instrument wasn’t in the same position relative to my body as it was before.

Strap Length: Adjust your strap so that your bass is in exactly the same position when you stand, as it is when you sit. Follow these steps. (1.) Sit, with your hands on the bass in play position (2.) Stand. (3.) If you feel that the position or angle of your hands and arms has shifted because of the instrument being raised or lowered, re-adjust your strap length. (4.) Repeat until there is no discernible difference between the standing and seated instrument position.

Instrument Balance: The amazing variety of bass body styles these days is a double-edged sword. It’s easy to find an instrument that looks cool, but more difficult to find one that balances correctly. The B.C. Rich Ironbird is amazing to look at, but you’re constantly having to lift the neck as you play. Your fret hand is already being exerted fingering the notes… do you really need to make it work harder? Rather than give up your precious Gibson Flying-V bass, a new strap might be in order. Wide leather straps are a good choice. They distribute the weight of a heavy instrument over a larger surface area, saving your back. They also tend to “stick” to your clothing, allowing less slip. Take your bass to the music store and experiment. A $40 strap pays for itself if it saves you one trip to the massage therapist.

Plucking Hand: Some bass players complain that they tire easily because the strings are “big”. They say that the bass is a “strength instrument”. Obviously, they haven’t seen all the tiny female bass players I have. Bass players who tire easily tend to have poor plucking hand technique. To conserve energy, the right hand (for us right handed players) should move as little as possible. First, let’s assume we’re playing a 4 string bass in standard tuning. Make sure your thumb is resting on the pickup above the E string. It doesn’t matter if your bass has P’s, J’s, or humbuckers… there’s generally some ledge for you to anchor your thumb on. If possible, always keep the thumb at a right angle (perpendicular) to the surface of the body. Now, pluck with your fingers, as if you were trying to bring your fingers up to touch your thumb. This is the same natural, comfortable movement you use to pick up a small or narrow object… like a pencil. The only time your thumb should move from its place on top of your pickup, is when you are playing your G string. In that case, rest the thumb on the E string instead of the pickup. Not only does this give you a better reach at the G, it mutes the E. Practice this. Look at your thumb from time to time. Watch that your fingers are always pulling up and towards the thumb. Master this technique, and you won’t tire as easily.

But I Use A Pick!: Do you pick bi-directionally, or just downward? Guitarists are often guilty of this, too. If you just pick downward, your arm has to do twice as much pumping for the same number of notes. Play something fast, and you might as well forget it. Learn to pick in both directions. Play every song so that you alternate up and downstrokes. Begin musical lines with upstrokes, just to remind yourself to pick both ways. Downstrokes are a hard habit to break, and it will take time until your downstroke and upstroke notes sound the same. Get to work on it now.

Fingers: Some players only use 2 of their 4 fingers on each hand. Practice using them all! Yes, your pinkies are kind of useless, but every little bit helps. When I first started trying to use all 4, I found my fret hand pinky was a good starting finger for fast downward runs, but was not as great at holding notes. It was very weak in the beginning, and I often had to brace it with its next door neighbour. With time, its gotten stronger. The pinky on my plucking hand lends some help wherever it can. It can be particularly useful for popping notes on my high C string. Third fingers are useful most of the time, especially for playing (tah-dah!) triplets. On my fret hand, my second or third finger will fret a note, depending on which one is closer, or faster. If you usually pluck with only two fingers, why not try using your third as an alternate finger, to give your second finger a rest? It’s just as easy to play 8th notes with 1 and 3 instead of 1 and 2.

Back to Standing Up: So… your bass is at the correct height, both hands are making the most of your energy — what about your feet? Standing in one place is fatiguing, especially if you play a 6, or another heavy solid wood bass. If you absolutely must remain motionless, keep your feet spaced apart at shoulder width. Avoid leaning back and forth from foot to foot. Keep a stool nearby in case you need a rest. But to really keep your feet from tiring, I think it’s more straightforward (and more interesting) to just move. I see too many bass players on MTV and Muchmusic that just hang in the background like wallpaper. On the other end of the spectrum are players like Flea that bounce all over the stage. Why not try for something in between? Personally, I enjoy playing more (and I think I play better) when I move to my own groove. Audiences like it too. The guitarist and singer can’t be everywhere at once. Fill some empty space up front, and make a connection with the audience. There’s no need to jump around like a chihuahua on acid; simply walking around and swaying a little will keep you loose and the crowd watching.

Now go practice.

Still reading? Good. Let’s start with the budget.

Step 1: Determine the total amount of money you’re willing to spend and promise yourself not to exceed it. If you have $500 for a bass and an amp, split up the money between those two things. Try to stay close to 50/50 or 60/40 unless you want to get the smallest practice amp possible, just to see if you’ll be good enough to warrant buying a big one later. Warning: Try not to go cheap on the bass. A $99 bass will sound like crap through your $401 killer amp.

Step 2: Here’s where you get to close your eyes. Don’t be fooled into buying an expensive, big name instrument. Having a top of the line Modulus like Flea plays won’t make you sound like Flea. It’ll just make you broke. There’s no need to spend a fortune until you know you want to get really serious and start performing at clubs. For a first instrument, I would recommend something that’s of good quality, but inexpensive. Squier basses (made by Fender) and Epiphone (made by Gibson) are a good buy, as are the lower priced Yamaha RBX models, like the RBX 260. Any quality used bass under $300 is also worth looking into. When I say quality I mean… how does it feel in your hands? Does it feel solid and not cheap? Is it comfortably contoured to your body? When you hang it on a strap and stand up, does it balance? If the neck and headstock are heavy, you’ll tire quickly trying to keep it raised while you play.

Eyes still closed? Don’t be fooled by fancy paint jobs and flash. Concentrate on solid, comfortable feeling instruments. Pick up a dozen different basses in your price range. Can’t play yet? So what. Run your fingers over the strings… hold it on your lap. If it feels solid, get it. If it feels like it’s made of particle board with a plastic candy-coated top, don’t get it. Don’t buy an instrument at the first store you visit. Don’t buy any instrument on your first day of bass hunting. You owe it to yourself to be sure you’ve seen every good bass in town and tried them all. At each store you visit, make some notes about the models you like, and the cost. On another day you can go back and re-try all the ones you liked.

So… you’ve narrowed the stores’ inventories down to one or two models you like. If you have the time (and you should make the time), try out several identical instruments through an amplifier (see Step 3, below). Seriously. I’ve been playing a lot of gear to review and I’ve noticed significant feel and tone differences in many basses of the same brand and model. They may all be created at the same factory, but they are not all created equally. The most striking example I found was a Fender Standard Jazz Bass (made in Mexico) that blew away all the other Mexi-Jazz basses and several of the USA-made Fenders I tried for comparison. Not being a luthier, or even casually familiar with the process of winding pickups, it’s difficult for me to explain how pickups of the same design can sound so different. In any case, this “cheap” Jazz bass had high output, low noise and killer funk tone. I almost bought it on the spot. Then, I reminded myself I had to eat, and that as sweet as this bass was, it wasn’t necessary for my survival. Take my advice though… an extra 15 minutes spent on trying those 3 “identical” Yamaha RBX’s may find you a diamond in the rough.

Hey! Quit looking at that Modulus! The “cheap” instrument you’re buying today can be upgraded to be good enough to play on a stage, or even record with, for an extra hundred bucks! An inexpensive but good quality bass with after-market replacement pickups can sound and play as well as an expensive bass for a fraction of the cost. Why pay for a $1000 bass with expensive Bartolini pickups (or Seymour Duncan, or DiMarzio)? If and when you become Bass-god, you can buy the same pickups for $50-$150, install them in your bass, and throw your old ones away. For another $50, you can have your instrument professionally “set up”, so that the action and intonation of the neck is perfect — easy to play, perfectly in tune, no fret buzzes — just like an instrument that costs twice as much. Trust me on this. Ready to look at amplifiers now? Open your eyes while we walk over.

Step 3: Great! You’ve got your favourite [insert choice here] bass. How much money do you have left? Hopefully enough for a combo amp. Combo amps are so-called, because they combine the amplifier “head” and a speaker “cabinet” into one unit. For those looking for an amazing little practice amp, I highly recommend the Peavey MicroBass. It’s fine for your bedroom, apartment, or even jamming with your friend and his acoustic guitar. Other small, inexpensive combo amps ($300 or less) are made by Crate, Fender, Trace Elliot, Danelectro, Vox, Squier, and SWR. Some of these manufacturers (most notably SWR) also make huge, expensive amps. In any case, find all the combo amps there are in your city at your price range and try them all. Turn them up to the volume you’d normally practice at, and pound on that big E top string (unless you can play something other than E).

From this point, don’t worry about the brand anymore. Let your ear tell you which sounds the best for you. Unless you know what you’re doing, don’t play with the knobs too much. It’s easy to make a good amp sound bad if you dial all the tone down. Get a salesman to help you if you need assistance, but beware of commissioned salespeople trying to up-sell you on an expensive model, or push a brand that you don’t like.

What? You blew all your money on the bass? Didn’t you read Step 1? Headphone amps are a bargain solution, but you’ll just be practising alone until you can afford something better. However, if you just want to play for your own amusement, maybe these are the perfect choice. If you’re lucky enough to have a bit extra to spend on an amp, get the loudest one you can afford. Here’s where it can be confusing. Usually, the more watts of power an amp is capable of (e.g. 50 watts RMS), the louder it sounds. In reality, some better quality amps of lesser wattage can sound louder than lesser quality amps of higher wattage. Again, it all boils down to listening instead of looking. Your own ears will tell you what sounds best.

Happy hunting.