Manufactured Environments

Wrapping things up!

2009-12-29T04:16:46Z

As you may have already discerned, things have been wrapping up here at ManufacturedEnvironments.com. And so it's time to give this a proper send off. It's been fun! You can find me elsewhere online, but future updates on Manufactured Environments will be nonexistent or far between. Thanks for reading!

Tags: The End

Kate's Evil CSS Tips: Easy CSS Site Destroyer

2009-11-12T03:10:15Z

Kate O. writes in with the Evil CSS Tip of the Week. She calls it the "Easy CSS Site Destroyer," and it will certainly destroy, mangle and cripple any sticky website. The basic premise is this: what would happen if we made every link the user clicks on disappear? This tip works especially well with navigation bars, which are turned into amazing shrinking nav bars. And all of this havoc can be yours with a simple CSS rule. So without further ado, here is the Easy CSS Site Destroyer:

a:visited { display: none !important; }

That's it. A simple "display: none" on visited links. Ken C. says "Wow. So elegant and insidious." It could provide hours of entertainment. Kate also hastens to mention that if a user calls regarding this problem, simply tell them to clear the history and cache on their browser, and suddenly the problem goes away! That's an easy support call to take ... except when the problem crops up again the next time the user visits the site.

You'll want to apply this CSS rule to all of the a:visited styles in your stylesheet to get the full effect. Have fun!

Tags: css · easy css site destroyer · evil · styles · stylesheets · tips · tricks · visited

The relaunch of Manufactured Mobile

2009-11-10T05:00:31Z

After switching to WordPress from Movable Type at the end of August, I made the most of what I knew of WordPress at the time. But I've gradually learned more. And now I'm happy to announce that Manufactured Mobile, the mobile version of this blog, has relaunched. It still utilizes an XHTML Mobile Profile 1.2 DOCTYPE. It's optimized for iPhone / Blackberry / Pre / Android. Any new, high-end smartphone will do a good job of viewing the site.

It's a completely separate installation of WordPress. I used the FeedWordPress plugin, which did a very nice job of importing the RSS feed from Manufactured Environments. I won't say it was as easy to create a mobile site as under Movable Type, but being it's own complete blog, it's a much more full-featured thing now. The mobile site has its own About page, Contact form, and tag cloud. I kept the formatting similar to the way it was before - a minimum of CSS finagling and deferring to the defaults of the individual mobile platform.

The new URL for Manufactured Mobile is http://m.manufacturedenvironments.com/

In related news, Manufactured Fotos is undergoing some reworking. I hope to relaunch that site before the end of the month.

Tags: android · blackberry · iphone · manufactured · mobile · palm pre · relaunch

μTorrent to implement new uTP protocol, eliminates throttling

2009-11-02T02:46:03Z

μTorrent, the defacto standard BitTorrent client is getting an upgrade. The forthcoming 2.0 version will feature a new implementation of the BitTorrent protocol called uTP as created by several developers including Bram Cohen, the inventor of BitTorrent. The stated objective of uTP is to eliminate ISP throttling. In recent years, some internet service providers have limited BitTorrent traffic on their networks by throttling. The new protocol seeks to eliminate that by letting BitTorrent play well with others. It's network-aware and will self-throttle if other traffic on the network is being limited. Ostensibly users may see somewhat slower downloads but other network traffic will operate better than currently such as web browsing. Ernesto over at TorrentFreak has the scoop.

There are a lot of uses for BitTorrent, but I find it good mostly for downloading and sharing open source software such as the Ubuntu Linux operating system and the OpenOffice suite. If you're so inclined, you can read the uTP protocol (uTorrent Transport Protocol) specification or download the μTorrent 2.0 beta. It's Windows-only at the moment but is certain to spread to the other BitTorrent clients once it's proven.

Tags: 2.0 · bittorrent · open-source · protocol · torrent · utorrent · utp

Groceries Delivered: Peapod comes to Madison

2009-10-28T11:58:52Z

Some people are busy. Some people like convenience. Whatever the reason, you may be interested to know that grocery delivery service has started in Madison via Peapod. You can go on the website, setup an account, and schedule delivery of the groceries that you order. Delivery costs $6.95 for orders over $100. The minimum order is $50 worth of groceries. Right now they're running a special where you get $15 of free groceries on your first order and free delivery for all orders within 60 days of signing up.

Back in the Web 1.0 days, grocery delivery did exist. Webvan, for example, was founded in 1999 and went bankrupt in 2001. But perhaps business fundamentals have returned. At any rate, it looks like Peapod is making a go of it. Peapod operates in Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. Peapod by Stop&Shop has Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, And Peapod by Giant is in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.

So the reasons not to eat are getting shorter. Why grocery shop when you can surf the web? No word yet on the quality of the produce, which is key. At any rate, home grocery delivery is back and here to stay.

Tags: chicago · delivery · giant · groceries · madison · peapod · webvan · wisconsin

Concert Review: Gossip at the Majestic Theatre

2009-10-27T11:38:45Z

I spent some time down at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Madison over the past week. On Saturday night, I was down for Gossip. When I walked up to the venue, there were several female couples standing around outside. I had gotten there 45 minutes late, and the opening act, Men, had come and gone. So when I walked into the Majestic, the crowd was warmed up and ready for Gossip to perform. That wouldn't happen for a while, but in the meantime, I headed over to the bar and ordered a Goose Island Honker's Ale. Not a bad beer, but a few people gave me a curious glance when they saw the bartender pulling down the tap with the goose's head. I probably lost a few hipster credits right there, but honestly, I don't really care what people think about what I drink. In fact, I liked the Goose Island enough, that I had another later that evening.

The question though was: where to stand? The front part of the theatre, down by the stage, was packed with people. It was solid people, in fact, all the way back to the mixing console. There was a guy with some serious dreadlocks standing at the mixer. And another guy standing to the side who seemed to be telling him what to do. Or maybe not. The Majestic has something of a slanted floor so when you get back by the mixer, you actually have a pretty unobstructed view of the stage. And the thing that I noticed right away when I walked in? The sound. It was good and loud. But mostly good. Some clubs have terrible muddy sound, but I could tell right away that, at least in terms of sonics, this was going to be a decent show.

I found a good spot behind the mixing booth that even included a wide railing where I could set my drink. It wasn't crowded back there. I had a good view and I also had easy access to the bar and the exit, if for whatever reason I should decide to leave in a hurry. The trouble with a good spot is keeping it whilst leaving to get another drink or heading over to the restroom. But there didn't seem to be a lot of competition to stand in the back of the venue. But the enticements to stay there included the thick throng of people in the front and the relatively good acoustics in the back.

Beth Ditto put some presentation into how she arrived on stage. First, Hannah started thumping on the drums. Thump Thump Thump. And then Brace started in with some guitar. The bass player, who was never identified, started along as well. And then from offstage, Beth started singing. A stagehand had walked the center microphone stand through a door at the back of the stage shortly before the show had started. And then a moment later, a spotlight and Beth walked onstage to make her grand entrance. It was a slight bit of theatrics, and I must admit that I like it when bands do that. It seems like such a simple, easy thing to do, but it really adds to the initial impression of the show.

Gossip had played in Chicago the night before, and Beth was hoarse from a night out on the town. I guess she thought she could coast it through Madison, Wisconsin, and she did. Her voice got better as the show continued, but it probably wasn't her best performance ever. What was noticeable about Beth though was her way with the crowd. She let people in front speak into the mic. She asked people questions. There was interaction. I recently had gone to see Built To Spill at another venue in town, and they were the complete opposite. Lead singer Doug Martsch didn't even acknowledge the audience until the show was almost over. And then people lapped it up as if it were some great gift he were bestowing. Built To Spill were aloof, and there seemed to be much more of a problem of people in the audience loudly yelling stupid things at the band.

One thing I've noticed at some shows is that people seem to feel compelled to get a response out of the band. So they yell something between songs or make a request just to see what the reaction is. After the show is over then they can tell their story: I yelled "x" at Doug Martsch, and he grimaced and said "y." Isn't that cool? It's the kind of thing one hears that paparazzi do to celebrities. Getting a rise out of people has become a way of life.

I'm not the type of guy who yells things at strangers in general so people who do that just seem wrong and out of place and, frankly, tactless. Occasionally you'll get an artist who makes lemonade from the apples that some asshole in the audience is serving up. There's a great impromptu moment on Ben Folds' live album when some douche bag is yelling "rock that bitch" and Folds starts playing a bit of random mellow chords on the piano and starts singing a song about rocking that bitch.

And there were people yelling stuff at Gossip, but it seemed much more in place at that show because there were multitudes of people saying stuff. Beth Ditto took it all in stride and fed off of it. There was give and take with the audience. She had a way with the people.

The funny thing about seeing Gossip was how they reminded me so much of people I used to hang out with in high school. And I mean that as a compliment. But I knew people who to have similar social characteristics. Extroverts. Socializers. People who like to have a good time. People who like to talk. And yet also, outsiders.

There was not a single bad song all night. No duds. The show rocked, and for that I was grateful. I wondered later if they played all upbeat songs because they were easier for Beth to sing in her raspy voice that night. But maybe not. Maybe Gossip have gone over to being an entirely rockin' band. Their early albums were solid rockin', but the last couple have been somewhere in between. As a band they don't have a lot of range, so they're best when they stick to the songs with a pulse.

You might say they're post-punk. They were on the Kill Rock Stars label for a long time, and they pretty much sounded like a lot of the bands on Kill Rock Stars. Rick Rubin may be trying to soften them up a bit, but at the Majestic that night, they were still that indie sort-punk sort-rock band. It felt and sounded like a rock show. It was loud and kicked some ass. You could write home about that one: Hi, Mom, That Beth Ditto pretty much nailed it. She rocks. Love, Ginger

Gossip still have it, if there was any doubt about that. Their show at the Majestic Theatre may not have been their absolute best performance, but it was far better than most.

Tags: beth ditto · concert · gossip · letigre · madison · majestic theatre · men · review · wisconsin

Web Design and Development in Madison, Wisconsin

2009-10-15T03:18:41Z

Looking around in Madison for web design firms, I came across quite a few. A simple Google search or two turned up more than 40 entrants. Are all of these agencies busy? Some of them look very busy, some less so. But it's exciting that some many people are making a living doing web design and development work here. Just for the record, below is the list I came up with, in alphabetical order. Surely, it's not complete, but it's a start.

38one, LLC • 38one.com
Acacia Web Design • acacia-web-design.com
Accent Graphix, LLC • accent-graphix.com
Acuity Creative • acuitycreative.com
Amplitude Design, Inc. • amplitudedesign.com
Ascedia • ascedia.com
Astuteo, LLC • astuteo.com
Atomic Coffee Media • atomiccoffee.com
CE Marketing Group • cebusinessprint.com
Cedar Creek Web Design • cedarcreekwebdesign.com
Chapa Design • chapadesign.com
Chrysalis Design Works • chrysalisdw.com
Creative Basic • creativebasic.com
EMGraphics • emgraphics.net
Fainting Goat • fgoat.com
Gabbrosoft • gabbrosoft.com
Geebo Design • geebodesign.com
Greenleaf Media • greenleafmedia.com
Hansen Web Design • hansenwebdesign.com
imagehat studio • imagehat.com
IMS • ims.net
Industry Connection Inc. • industryconnection.com
kella DESIGN • kelladesign.com
Jonah Coyote Design • jonahcoyote.com
Lucid Logic Productions • lucidlogicproductions.com
Mad Town Designs • madtowndesigns.com
MadTown Redesign • madtownredesign.com
Makin' Hey! Communications • makin-hey.com
Moon Dust Design • moondustdesign.com
Mythic Web Design • mythicwebdesign.com
New Media Madison • newmediamadison.com
Orion Studio • orionstudiomadison.com
Raboine Web Matrix LLC • raboine.com
Rara Avis Design • raraavisdesign.com
Sevenwire • sevenwire.com
SilwikDesign • silwikdesign.com
Small Potatoes • small-potatoes.net
SparqTech, LLC • sparqtech.com
Tingalls Dyzn • tingalls.com
Vancil Creative • vancilcreative.com
Websites Revolt • websitesrevolt.com
Webstix, Inc. • webstix.com
Zumavi • zumavi.com

Tags: agencies · firms · madison · studios · web design · web development · websites · wisconsin

Managing phone calls: Google Voice

2009-10-12T04:47:57Z

The idea behind Google Voice is pretty simple. Basically, it gives you one centralized phone number. When someone calls you on that phone number, it rings all of your phones. The beauty is the simplicity of the idea, but the genius behind it is in the execution.

Google Voice allows you to give out one phone number, but it's a lot more than that. It also gives you a centralized voicemail box. And you can have it transcribe voicemails automatically, so that you receive in email the text of the voicemail. Pretty cool. Vonage charges extra for that feature.

And you can setup the service to ring several numbers, such as your home phone, your cell phone, and your work phone. But you can limit which hours an individual number rings. So if you don't want your work phone to ring on the weekends simply block out those times.

The service was originally called GrandCentral until Google bought the company. It's a handy tool with a lot of power backing up a deceptively simple idea. I've been using the service for a couple of months now and can recommend it wholeheartedly.

And if you have a smartphone such as a Blackberry or an Android phone, then you can run a Google Voice application that will allow you to call out from your Google Voice phone number. One point to keep in mind is that Google Voice doesn't interfere with the operation of your already existing phone numbers. It's essentially a routing service. But people will still be able to call you the existing numbers if they know them.

Google Voice is a productivity enhancer. It has some filtering features that can keep down on the phone calls. You can have it pass through Caller ID information, but also send unknown callers directly to voicemail. You can also require people to state their name if they're not in your address book. Google Voice can tie into your Gmail contacts, or you can keep a list of accepted callers on the service.

Overall, Google Voice works as advertised. It's mightily useful for people who want to consolidate their phone numbers and for people who receive a lot of phone calls. There is no charge for the service, but there are per minute fees for international calls. Otherwise it's completely free to use. So go to Google Voice and try it out.

Tags: centralized · google · google voice · grandcentral · phone calls · voicemail

Madison Police: We shot a guy dead in your driveway

2009-10-09T08:58:36Z

Here's the story of the dead guy in my driveway: It was 5:15 pm on Wednesday 7 October 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin, and I was just sending out the last email of the day. It had been a pretty good day at work. I'm a web developer in academia. I've spent a good chunk of my career to date in academia, and, frankly, I like working in higher ed. I logged out for the day, but by that time the die had already been set. I had driven to work that day, although sometimes I walk, and I hopped into my car. I had some grocery shopping to do and headed over to Trader Joe's on Monroe. I emerged a while later with a bag of groceries and a gallon of milk. It was just about 6 pm. It still seemed like any other day. I was back in the car on my way home.

I turned onto W Lakeside from S Park. My house is a couple of blocks down W Lakeside at the corner of Whittier. Right away I could see the lights on the police cars. The first thoughts through my head were: a parade? a block party? There were lots and lots of cop cars. It wasn't something you see everyday, but I suspected nothing ill. And then I saw the police tape. There was a yellow stream of police tape running across Lakeside and all around the block. A cop car was parked across both lanes of traffic.

My driveway faces Whittier, and it was clear I couldn't go home on Lakeside. So I turned right a block early and headed up Lowell and then onto Emerson. I came up to Whittier and the police tape extended all the way to and beyond that intersection. I parked on the side of the street, grabbed my groceries, and walked towards the police tape. A man walking his dog was behind me. I walked up to a police officer who was standing within the police tape perimeter.

"I'm wondering if I could get to my house," I said. I could see my house a short block down, but there seemed to be a lot of people on that end of the block.

"Where do you live?" the police officer asked.

I told him, and he immediately replied, "Sir, your house is a major crime scene." But somewhat encouragingly, he then instructed me to come around back on Lakeside, and he would ask the officer in charge if I could gain entry to my house.

I talked briefly to the man who was standing there with his dog. He said that there had been a shooting. Someone had been killed. But that was all he knew.

I hopped in the car, and drove back around to Lakeside. I grabbed my groceries again and walked towards the police tape crossing Lakeside. I could see many cops congregating in the middle of the intersection, which was completely blocked off. There were police cars everywhere. Actually there were pretty much cops everywhere in sight. I thought to myself, "I've never seen so many cops."

There was yet another cop standing guard at the perimeter of the police tape. I explained who I was, and asked if I could get into my house. The cop said something into the microphone attached to his collar. His radio crackled. A minute later he said, "No, sir, we can't allow you in right now." He asked for my name and a phone number I could be reached at. I gave him my cell phone number and name. It was still unclear what had transpired.

But a number of my neighbors were there, talking. Information was sketchy. What I quickly learned though is that someone had apparently robbed Cousin's Subs on S Park. That's about four blocks away from my house. Four shots had been fired, they said. A police officer had shot the robber, and that man was lying dead in my driveway.

I was stunned. A neighbor, who I had just met, asked me if I had anywhere I could go. I'm new in town, I said. Let's put your groceries in my refrigerator, she said. I followed her into the house. She said you could see the dead body from her kitchen window. We walked into the kitchen at the back of the house. I put my milk and groceries in the fridge. "You can look out the window, if you want," she said, and walked into the living room. I leaned over to get a look. There was a partially covered body lying in my driveway. And there were also a swarm of cops.

I walked back through the house and outside. Someone said the shooting had happened around 4:50 pm. One person claimed that the police officer had struggled with the deceased. There was talk that the robber had a gun. It was unclear if he had shot first before being gunned down by the police office who was chasing him. Further down the street some neighbors invited me in. I shared a beer with a web designer and his family. The web designer had been home when the shooting occurred. He had taken a photo of the deceased from his kitchen window with his iPhone and had immediately tweeted it on Twitter. News travels fast.

The police officer hadn't given me a time estimate of when I would be able to return home. The investigation would certainly take hours, someone said. I left the neighborhood and started driving. I had in mind to get some supper somewhere. But my thoughts were confused. The shock of seeing a dead body in my driveway was starting to hit me. I drove around aimlessly until a plan emerged: I'll go back to work.

So that's what I did. I pulled into the parking lot on the edge of the University of Wisconsin campus. It was about 7:30 pm by this point. A co-worker I work closely with was just leaving the building for the day. I told him what had happened since I had left work. I told him to watch the news at 10 pm, so that he could tell me what it said. I don't own a television. I walked to my desk and booted up the computer. The first thing I did was check a couple of local news sites to see if anything had been posted about the shooting. Just a paragraph here. A paragraph there. No details yet, just word that someone had been shot and killed by the police.

I logged into Facebook and updated my status. I dumped what I knew at that point into the comment thread on my Facebook status. And then I tried to refocus. With the start of the academic year, work has been busy. It seemed an appropriate place to be that evening, even if it wasn't necessarily by choice. I worked with little regard to the time. Finally, around 9:30 I decided that I needed to figure out what I was doing for the night. The police hadn't called me. I made a couple of phone calls. A neighbor gave me the number for the Madison police department. I called the police, and they said that I should come back to W Lakeside. Talk to the officer at the perimeter, and maybe they'd let me in to get a few things.

So I went back to my house. The street was still blocked off by police cars. There was an officer standing guard on that side by the sidewalk. It was dark at this point except for the glare of street lights and the lights of emergency vehicles. The officer talked into his radio microphone. A minute later, two men came walking over. They said that the officer would escort me to my house, and I could enter. Then they returned to their duties around the corner towards my driveway. And that's when I became aware of the blinding light coming from the direction of my driveway. "Am I to just get a few things and then leave?" I asked. No, the officer said. I could spend the night at home. But he warned me not to look out the window at my driveway.

"The deceased is there," he said, "and the body is only partially covered. It's a gruesome scene."

We walked toward my house, and then I saw the source of the blinding light. At the end of the driveway was a mobile crime lab truck and a whole phalanx of large floodlights, which were all aimed at my driveway. It was bright. It seemed brighter than daylight. Everything started feeling surreal. The policeman walked me up to the front door, which is at the corner. I fumbled with my keys, but got the key in the lock and walked in.

The light from the floodlights was pouring through the windows. Who needs compact fluorescent bulbs when the police have brought their floodlights? I closed the shades, which didn't help much, and I avoided going back into the kitchen where the view of the driveway would be clear. It was shortly after 10 pm. What now? It was too early to go to bed, and I was definitely too wired with energy at this point to sleep. I could hear conversations going on outside. The police were talking loudly.

Eventually I went to bed. My bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the lights. I lay there for a while, but then sleep descended. Quiet.

I woke with a start. I looked at the clock - 5:13 am. I walked out of my bedroom. It was still bright, but not as blindingly bright. I went into the kitchen. I could tell that they had turned off some of the floodlights. I looked out the window. There was some kind of tunnel-tent structure covering the driveway. There was light coming from inside the tunnel. The investigation was continuing away from prying eyes. I went back to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next thing I knew, my clock radio was buzzing. It was 7 am. A new day.

From the living room, I could see that Lakeside was no longer blocked. A cop car sat blocking Whittier though and the police tape now just encompassed Whittier while keeping Lakeside open to traffic. I walked into the dining room and looked out. And then into the kitchen, with windows on two sides. Most of the cops were gone. The crime lab truck remained at the end of the driveway, and the tunnel structure was still on top of the driveway. The investigation had continued all through the night.

I'm sure it was a long night for the police. The police chief had come to the scene and given a press conference. Stories were appearing online. It was the lead news in the newspaper and with the TV stations.

I went to work and told a few people what had happened. But I put it out of my mind: I had a meeting at 10 am to prepare for.

I came home over the lunch hour. The police truck was gone, but the tunnel-tent remained to protect the crime scene. The police officer on duty recorded when I arrived and left. I received a call from a detective on the case in the afternoon, but I didn't have much to tell. I hadn't physically witnessed what happened myself.

When I went home at 5 pm, it was as if nothing had happened just 24 hours before. The police were gone. The police tape taken down. And the driveway was empty except for some patches where the blood had been scraped from the concrete.

It was a random, freakish thing: a man shot dead in my driveway. How did that happen? It was reported that after Cousin's Subs had been robbed that the robber made his way into my neighborhood. A police unit was looking for the suspect. This officer from his vehicle did see the suspect. An eye witness said the officer was shouting orders to the man. The police officer left his vehicle and approached the suspect. A struggle ensued. The police chief reported that the suspect had a gun and that a gun was recovered from the scene. The officer shot the suspect four times, who just happened to be standing in my driveway when this all happened. And, indeed, these things happen. I have no sense that Madison, Wisconsin, is a more dangerous place than anywhere else. My friends in other, larger cities say this is a common occurrence and were surprised at the length and depth of the crime scene investigation. The whole event does seem an unusual thing, and certainly in my life experience, it is.

An incomplete collection of media stories referring to the shooting in my driveway (best stories are first):

Wisconsin State Journal: Alleged armed robber killed by police
Wisconsin State Journal: Update: Chief calls cop in fatal shooting 'brave'; suspect had gun, police say
Wisconsin State Journal: DA says shooting by cop 'justifiable use of force'
Wisconsin State Journal: Police: Heroin an increasing motive for robberies
WISC-TV CBS: Police: Officer Fatally Shoots Suspect
WISC-TV CBS: Video clip from 10 pm newscast
WISC-TV CBS: DA: Officer Was Justified In Using Deadly Force
WKOW-TV ABC: UPDATE: Officer shoots, kills suspect
WMTV-TV NBC: UPDATE: Officer Involved Shooting in Madison
WMSN-TV FOX: Madison officer shoots, kills suspect

Tags: crime · madison · midwest · police · robbery · shooting · wi · wisconsin

All hail the Jesus Lizard: The remasters have arrived

2009-10-09T05:34:35Z

The Jesus Lizard are finally getting their due. These noise rock auteurs from Austin/Chicago have gotten the remastering treatment, and this week re-released their first EP - Pure - and their first four albums, in order - Head, Goat, Liar and Down. Remastering is no guarantee of sound quality, but haven listened to most of them, I can say that they sound fantastic! The sounds just pops. Legendary producer Steve Albini and Bob Weston produced the new versions of these albums, and they did a fine job. If you don't know anything about Albini, you should know that the guy is analog all the way. At his studios in Chicago, he records bands to multi-track tape. No ProTools. No Logic. Well, no computer anything!

These new reissues, which just came out on Tuesday, are already getting hard to find, at least on vinyl. Amazon.com says they're completely out of stock, with no more copies to be had. If you look around you can still find them online (hint: check MusicDirect.com). The vinyl versions have all been released with gatefold sleeves and 12" x 24" inserts with notes and photos galore. The vinyl versions contain the original albums as released. There are five slabs of vinyl -- the EP and the four albums. Each album comes with a download coupon of 320 Kbps MP3 downloads of the CD versions of these albums, including the bonus tracks.

The treatment of the CD releases is slightly different. Pure and Head are combined onto one CD, which make for four CDs released. The CD releases include several bonus tracks each including some lesser known material and live tracks. I suspect that the CD releases will continue to be available even as the vinyl releases seemingly have already gone out of print.

What if you haven't heard the Jesus Lizard before? It's hard to suggest a best album - all of these excel. But maybe pick from Goat, Liar or Down. If you had to choose one, start with Liar. That's going to give you a good idea of what the Jesus Lizard are all about. They're loud. They're noisy. And they're totally great. So do yourself a favor and head over to your local independent record shop and pick up the vinyl or the CD versions of these discs. The remasters are good ones.

You know it's been hard waiting for these things! They were announced long ago that the remasters were going to be released in May. The release date kept getting pushed back month by month, finally ending up in October. Well, after patiently waiting all goddamn year, the remasters are finally here and Wow!

If you were especially up on things this year on the Jesus Lizard, then on Record Store Day you certainly got a copy of Inch - the nine 7" singles set that only had a 2,000 copy print run. Add these new remasters to your collection, and the Jesus Lizard will walk on water for you. Just pray that the CDs stay in print longer than the vinyl!

Tags: cds · down · goat · head · liar · pure · reissues · remasters · the jesus lizard · vinyl