BOSS ME-50

The BOSS ME-50 is a rather powerful multi-effects processor designed for guitarists of all varieties.  As can be seen in the above picture, there are tons of effects that can be used either individually or in unison.  There are more than a dozen types of distortion/overdrive, meaning that pretty much any type of distorted tone can be achieved with ease.  Speaking of ease, the ME-50 was designed to have the simplicity of any single stomp box in an all-in-one package.  The knobs allow easy adjustment of any effect on the fly.  Moving on, the modulation section includes things like chorus (mono and stereo), flanger, rotation, and other effects.  These are great for clean tones and for making solos really pop in a mix.  The modulation effects can be very subtle, or they can be deep, sweeping, and very intense.  The delay section is exactly what it sounds like.  It contains all types of delay, from just a few milliseconds of delay to several seconds (and even backwards playback!).  The expression pedal normally functions as a volume control, but can be used for wah, pitch shifting, and voice type effects.  It's easy to use and very useful.  Also included are nice features like a built in chromatic tuner, a noise suppressor, four types of reverb, and a set of effects that change the tone of your pickups.  The other main component of the ME-50 is the memory function.  it comes with many built in patches and you can easily create and save your own patches.  This makes it easy to set up the ME-50 for gigs by creating sequential patches for any type of music.  I've used this unit both live and in the studio for about 9 years now, and I love it.  It has the ability to create any tone that I want with relative ease and is nicely portable for the musician on the go.  Highly recommended for fans of multi-effects pedals, variety, and easy tone creation.

DOD FX69B Grunge Distortion Pedal

The DOD FX69B Grunge pedal is a distortion pedal that sounds exactly like what the name implies.  It has relatively thick distortion that sounds great for leads or heavily distorted rhythms (especially power chords and palm muting).  The Grunge control adjusts the gain, and the other controls are fairly self explanatory.  The built in EQ has enough range that one can get a few different tones.  It doesn't have a mid range control, so you can't get heavily scooped metal tones, but you can set it up for heavy bass or nice trebled solo tones.  Turning down the gain doesn't clean up the distortion very much, so this pedal is pretty much all or nothing.  Unfortunately, DOD is out of business.  Finding an original one is a little tough, but you can buy a new one with the exact same circuit from DigiTech.  This pedal is also moddable, but I find that it gives me the tones that I like without any changes.  I prefer to use it when I'm playing through smaller low wattage amps.  I find that's where it really shines.  It does sound good through my 100 watt Fender Roc Pro 1000, but can overdrive the speaker at high volumes.  Highly recommended for fans of thick distortion, heavy palm muted rhythms, and grungy music.

Sriracha Hot Sauce

Sriracha hot sauce is a delightful concoction made primarily of chilis, garlic, and vinegar.  It is thicker than most hot sauces, and it has a flavor that can't be beat!  The sauce is named for the city it originated in in Thailand, Si Racha.  It is marketed in the US by Huy Fong foods, and according to Wikipedia, the version sold in America is slightly different from the Thai version.  It goes great on pretty much anything.  I eat it on everything from Asain dishes to hamburgers and pizza.  The bottle even recommends that you try it on a number of different things like soups, pizza, steaks, etc.  I've found it to be delicious on everything I've ever tried it on, but my favorite thing to put it on is my home-made curry.  The garlicky flavor adds a lot to most foods and is highly recommended for fans of hot foods, Thai stuff, and deliciousness.

DeltaLab MD1 Metal Distortion Pedal

The DeltaLab MD1 is a basic distortion stomp box.  It has several features that make to a useful and versatile bit of gear in my lineup.  One of the best is the true bypass circuit.  For those not musically inclined, this means that the pure tone of one's guitar is passed through when the effect is turned off.  This makes a huge difference especially in the studio where clear tone is essential.  The drive control offers a wide swath of tones from mild overdrive (for a sweet bluesy tone) to fullbore metal tones at the top of the range.  The shape control alters the way that the midrange tones are handled, offering additional tonal variety.  It can do everything from very scooped tones for rhythm to searing midrange solo sounds.  Even at full drive, this pedal allows the sound of your guitar to come through.  I've found this to be a rare quality in pedals in this price range.  Which brings us to the best part of this pedal, the price!  You can pick one of these up brand new for about $50.  It's a great bargain and I'm looking forward to picking up some more pedals from DeltaLab in the future.  Highly recommended for fans of cheap effects, true bypass, and awesome metal distortion!

Alienware m15x

I've had the Alienware m15x for a few months now, and I think I can finally write a reasonable review.  Alienware is owned by Dell, and is their flagship gaming machine line.  The m15x is the midrange of the Alienware lineup.  It was ordered online through the Dell website and took about three weeks to build and ship.  As built, it has an Intel Core i3 quad core processor, 8 gigs of ram, a 7200 rpm 320GB hard drive, and a 1 gig video card.  It includes a number of customizable options from the factory including lighting options, a custom laser engraved plate with my gamer handle on it (and in alienese!), and custom desktop theme options.  Also included is a slot loading dual layer DVD burner, a 15 inch 1080p HD display, as well as a combination wireless/bluetooth card.  A built in webcam and microphones allow for video chat with stereo audio.  There are lots of hotkeys that allow one to operate custom options quickly, and also a set of media keys making video and audio convenient.  Performance-wise, it has so far taken everything I could throw at it and more.  I am currently playing games like America's Army, Tropico 3, and Fallout 3 at full 1080p resolution with maximum settings without a hiccup.  Windows 7 Home Premium runs quickly and smoothly with all of the fancy visual options enabled.  Microsoft Office 2007 Standard also runs well.  As a gaming machine, I give it very high marks.  All games I have tried run perfectly and at incredible resolutions.  As an office machine, it is definitely overkill.  However, I use it in that capacity all the time and it works great.  the only complaints that I have are the weight and the battery life.  The case is made of thick aluminum and the machine weighs almost 15 pounds.  Durable, but heavy.  Running so much hardware means that the battery craps out after about three hours under normal use.  Not great, but acceptable to me.  I don't usually go anywhere that doesn't have an outlet, so no problem.  This computer is highly recommended for fans of computer gaming, high performance, and lots of customization.  Feel free to ask questions!

Ubuntu 11.04

This is a quick test from within Ubuntu 11.04.  It was installed tonight on an HP Mini 1030NR, and everything works right out of the box.  I used the USB install method to test it first, and then install.  Wireless, hotkeys, and even the lights on the front of the computer work great.  I like the way that the netbook edition and desktop edition have been merged to create a universal interface.  The multiple workspaces are nice and convenient, and the software included in the standard Ubuntu install is sufficient for everything one could want to do with a netbook like the HP Mini.  I'm excited to see if it stays as stable as Ubuntu 10.04LTS Netbook Edition was.  This product is highly recommended for fans of Linux, Ubuntu, or simple lightweight operating systems.

Tmobile G2

This is a test of posting from my phone.