Guitars and Short Vindication



Antique Cigar Box Guitar

The guitar that we are modeling ours on.

Some of the first 'merican guitars, Cigar Box Guitars have a simplistic beauty to them. Over the summer, I plan on making either one of these beauties, or if I get more inspiration and ideas on how to go about it, an acoustic guitar. I've been doing some research and have found the costs and types of materials along with the construction techniques of the trade.

A Cigar Box Guitar is really just a cigar box with a stick on it with some strings.

A Cigar Box

 The box itself isn't difficult to make and the box can in fact be replicated. The fret board and neck itself constitute the most difficult parts of the guitar to build. The scale length of most guitars is 25.5 inches.

Just a Fender electric. The scale distance is measured bridge to nut.

The formula of how to place the frets is simple. You take the scale length and divide it by the inverse of the twelfth root of two. that is only for the first fret. The next fret is the amount of length left two the inverse of the twelfth root of two. This continues until you get to about 22 or 24 frets. The twelfth fret will be half of the total scale distance. Each fret is a piece of metal wedged into the wood with a saw, a hammer and some glue. Each fret brings up the pitch a half step and essentially is the difficulty of playing guitar.

The reason that I am wanting to build this is a sense that I need vindication. I need vindication that what I can do is worthwhile like the machinist in my class, the spiritual giant at church or the bassist that has had gigs since he was 14. I feel like there is this hyped up sensitivity that that I am experiencing from my own mind. I want to make something, no matter how small or large.

I want to do something that is admired and impressive. I want something to my name, so I thought why not now. Mid-Life crisis is hitting early for me I guess, but at least I'm not bald.


Igormorais

A small tribute to Igormorais who explains the ideological and physical reasons as to why the Joker won't kill Batman and why Batman won't kill the Joker. A very indepth reasoning of to why Batman makes for a good comic and movie. Hopefully, with this you can understand why the Joker does what he does and why Batman can't kill him.

Igormorais

A New Sequel

Remember back in the day when you watched that show called Avatar -- not the last blue people, but the last airbender? I just found out that a new sequel started up a few weeks ago by the name of The Legend of Korra. The episodes so far show of a young girl avatar (maybe 16 or 17) going to a new enormous city made by the last avatar called Republic City. In Republic City, crime is rampant and the descendents of Aang are very few. The major plot lines reside with the main characters being Korra, Mako and Amon. In this advanced industrialized world, the people have created a new sport called pro-bending that is between two bending teams of three benders each, one water, one fire and one earth.

Clearly the way arms bend.

The main two plots so far are of the, as my friend calls is "the love quad-ra-angle" or love square between Korra, Mako, Bolin (Mako's younger brother) and Asami (Some random rich girl that is dating Maku) and the war between the Equalists who want to end bending and the benders who want to have some sort of peace to adhere.

Another few big characters are Tenzin (Airbending master and Korra's mentor) and Chief of Police Lin Beifong. Among these two important characters is Tenzin's political enemy, Tarrlok.

The main martial arts techniques of the first series are essentially the same, but a little lack luster if you ask me. Their is no stylistically impressive master of martial arts in the first show as characterized by the lack of large scale offensive or creative defensive techniques while the fighting in the sequel is very fast past and panoramic, which in my opinion is a bad thing. The moves that are most impressive (maybe purposely) are those executed by the non-bending equalists who are mostly dodging attacks.

 

 

Avatar: the Last Airbender - Zuko vs. Azula

The Legend of Korra - Korra in Training

The romance side of the story is way to fast paced and the relationship between Korra and Tenzin seems to be built up very weakly. Even though I agree that the romance between Korra, Maku, Bolin and Asami is important it is really degenerating the build up and complexity that The Last Airbender showed. Truthfully, I am optimistic as much as I am pessimistic about the series. The comedic relief that Tenzin's children, Bolin and Pabu create really give off the sense of childish fun of the Last Airbender.

 Unfortunately the analogous reoccurring characters that present themselves make me doubt the creativity of the show's writers. Bolin is like Sokka, Pabu and Momo are basically the same creature and Naga and Appa are similar. What makes it seem weak otherwise is how opposite they tried to make some characters. The protagonist is a female and a stubborn, fiery one at that. The romance starts off in the second episode where as in the Last Airbender, it started later (maybe earlier if very subtlety). The composer is the same for the series and minor voice parts in Korra are major ones in Airbender.

Hopefully, the new sequel can live up to the standard that the Last Airbender will make it live up to, because as of now, I'm unsure whether it will be good or not.

-The Observer

Which church is the right one?

There is something about church hopping/shopping that leaves me uneasy. i go to a new church every weekend in hopes of finding the church that God wants me to go to and I have yet to find it yet. I've been to a Lutheran for my childhood (only on special days), an Evangelical (for about two months), a couple non-denominational, a Presbyterian, a Church of the Nazarene (for about 2 months), a Lutheran-Evangelical, and today I went to a Wesleyan.

I find that in the essence of each church, they are fundamentally the same thing. Each church has nice people. I guarantee it. about 90% of the time in these churches, the congregants will greet you without cue and many of the times that you will go to a church in Iowa, the population of the church isn't very much. The largest service that I have attended has consisted of about roughly 100 people. Most will laugh and wonder how the church still exists, but I've seen a church with just around 40 congregates and still optimistic.

I've always felt terrible when I leave a church and don't feel like the church was the one God wants me to attend. The people are so nice, the message was nice, the atmosphere was nice, I know people there, or maybe I don't, I feel like the people are all happy and confident, I feel obliged to stay, but the relentless battering of the patrons, nice for those who come without a mission is very sickening for me.

I love how nice these people are, but I feel guilty if I don't return there again even if I am certain that my quest is to continue elsewhere. I developed rules to prevent me from feeling over-obligated to going to a certain church.

• The first rule is to not go for the people, but rather the word.
• Try hard not to stay past the sermon.
• Don't ever be rude.
• Explain that you are church shopping to the people who greet you.
• Be cautious of the recommendations that you receive to visit other churches.
• Explain that you don't think that the sermon was bad (ever).

From this, I am fairly certain that I will find the church I need.