Karaoke - Don't Laugh, People Say It's Fun

Karaoke. For some of us the word makes us want to lose our lunch. For others it's a source of great fun and enjoyment. So what is it, what's the attraction, and where did this form of entertainment even come from? We'll try to answer some of these questions in this article.

Well, for those of you who don't know this, Karaoke actually originated in Japan and has since spread throughout most of the world. How it actually originated is a bit or a mystery and maybe more myth than fact. One story that has circulated around the world is that it started in Kobe when a snack bar owner, when his entertainment for the evening failed to appear, put on tapes of music and asked people if they wanted to sing. The word itself comes from Kara, which means empty and oke, which is short for orchestra. Thus karaoke means "empty orchestra." So rather than containing both vocal and instrumental tracks karaoke tracks have only music. The vocals are provided by a live person. The fun part of this is that this live person is not a professional singer. In a karaoke bar when the music starts somebody from the audience will get up on stage and sing to the music in the background. To assist them they have a microphone and the lyrics are displayed on some kind of a screen or TelePrompTer. The fun comes from many directions; either laughing hysterically at somebody who obviously can't sing or cheering someone on who has a voice that belongs on Broadway. In a Karaoke bar you'll get both types.

In the early days Karaoke tracks were recorded on tape. They have since moved to CD and finally incorporating on screen graphics and videos. Today you can download karaoke tracks off the Internet. Yes, this has become big business. But it doesn't end there. You can buy for yourself home karaoke sets so that you can have your own karaoke night in your own home.

So why the craze? What is it about karaoke that people just can't get enough of it? There are many theories to this but the most common psychological theory is that most people are closet pop stars. Many of us who dream of being on stage singing popular music for a living either don't have the voice or the nerve or both. With karaoke they can get up on stage, live out their fantasy and not have to worry about how good or bad they sound. With karaoke the rule of thumb of etiquette is that you applaud for the person no matter what. So there is no fear of rejection or failure. Also this is a good way for many people to get over their stage fright if they have it.

An associate of mine tells me that if you've never gone to a karaoke bar and got up in front of a room full of people to make a fool of yourself you don't know what you're missing. Well, there must be something to it as karaoke has become a multi billion dollar industry. I guess people just can't resist the urge to ham it up.

Michael Russell

How To Write A Song

Did you ever wish that it was your song playing on the radio? It could be. It is not that hard once you know the formula. With a little creativity, a little knowledge, a little luck and a good formula to follow, your song could be one of the next biggest hits.

Songwriting comes easy for some, and is very difficult for others. I have actually written songs in my sleep, and immediately upon awaking, written it as quickly as I could get the words on down on paper.

What I want to discuss here is popular songwriting, like the songs you hear on the radio. A good pop song, whether rock, country, middle of the road, is composed of two things: a catchy tune and some good lyrics.

There is a formula that most great songwriters use to write great songs. It regards the structure used to write a song. Granted, it is music and it is art, so the rules are not hard and fast. But if you want to increase your chances of getting your song on the radio, it is a good starting point.

Here is the formula. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.

Write that down on paper leaving plenty of space between each word and this will be your script.

Verse

The verse is the part of the song that tells the story, the part that leads to the chorus. Each verse is usually different, telling a different part of, or adding to, the story. It usually explains how you got to the things you are singing about in the chorus.

Chorus.

The chorus is the part of the song that is repeated after each verse. The lyrics are usually the same each time the chorus comes around. The verse usually leads to the chorus, and the chorus is usually the pay off for listening to the verse. Does that make sense?

Here is a lame example (you did not think I would give you my best work, did you?):

(verse)

My dog is sick, he's got a tick

He's my best friend, don't let it end

(chorus)

Oh, woe is me, can't you see

Woe is me, will I ever be free

(verse)

My car broke down, just out of town

It got towed in, but it's broke again

(chorus)

Oh, woe is me, can't you see

Woe is me, will I ever be free

Now, if you would kindly stop laughing at my lame song for a minute, I want you to think about whether or not you understand my point. Songwriting is story telling. The verse tells the problems, the chorus expresses the results or the emotions.

All right, now that you have that mastered, let's tackle the bridge. Ah, yeah, there is more to the song than the pain and the release. We need the diversion. That is what the bridge is; it is the diversion from the verse and the chorus.

The bridge may have a slightly different melody to it, or it could even have a different rhythm or a different tempo (Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" did a great job on this technique).

Let's go back to the lame song and add a bridge:

(verse)

My dog is sick, he's got a tick

He's my best friend, don't let it end

(chorus)

Oh, woe is me, can't you see

Woe is me, will I ever be free

(verse)

My car broke down, just out of town

It got towed in, but it's broke again

(chorus)

Oh, woe is me, can't you see

Woe is me, will I ever be free

(bridge)

Tomorrow is a better day, I've got a new truck on the way

My dog just had a flea it seems, so once again I'll live my dreams

(chorus)

Oh, woe was me, can't you see

Woe was me, but now I'm free

The bridge offers a solution to the problems I was having. You don't want to leave your listener on the edge of suicide, you want to give them hope.

Notice, I also changed up the wording of the chorus. This was done to reflect my new found joy.

One more thing on formula. It can be anyway you want, but most verses and chorus come in lines of 4. So, instead of this:

(verse)

Oh, woe is me, can't you see

Woe is me, will I ever be free

(verse)

My car broke down, just out of town

It got towed in, but it's broke again

it would be:

Oh, woe is me, can't you see

Woe is me, will I ever be free

My car broke down, just out of town

It got towed in, but it's broke again

The same goes for the chorus. Again, if you are creative, do it however you want. But for a new songwriter, this gives you some guidelines to scratch out and start carving out your new creation.

One more thing, do not make the notes to the melody so high that your fans cannot sing along. We are certainly all not Stevie Wonder.

Michael Russell

GPS Systems and How They Work

GPS stands for global positioning system, a system that has been established and is managed by the Department of Defense. The GPS system utilizes satellites that have been put into orbit that help people determine their exact positioning on the plane t- whether it be for the purposes of navigation, for the purposes of military use, or any type of enterprise that requires an exact global positioning by latitude, longitude and altitude. In fact, sometimes GPS systems are installed in vehicles, and some are installed in fishing boats. Finally, some GPS systems are fixed into position, while some are portable.

GPS systems can also be purchased for motorcycles, and hikers sometimes use such systems to determine where they are while walking. Cyclists should not be left out of the mix, and runners, joggers, and skiers use navigation systems to prevent themselves from becoming lost in an unfamiliar area. Some PDAs - personal digital assistants - are equipped with built in navigation devices, while some Palm devices also include such systems.

Navigation systems are sold with a variety of features and what kind of features you should look for is solely dependent on two factors - price and need. The most basic of navigation systems will provide you with a route from one waypoint to another waypoint or to multiple waypoints, depending on your destination and trip plan. A benefit of such navigation systems is that they not only serve as a guide to your preplanned destination, they also serve as guide back to where you started. Any route you plan in a navigation system is completely reversible thanks to the innovative design of such systems.

Alternatively, you may pay more money for a navigation system that has voice capabilities. You can purchase a navigation system that will guide you to your destination vocally and while speaking to you it will offer up a turn-by-turn dictation of your journey. Conversely, those individuals that spend the majority of their time travelling - like a delivery man may find that they prefer a navigation system that they can preplan many destinations at one time and then move from one set of directions to another. Thus, such individuals require a uniquely designed navigation system -one that possesses multi destination capabilities. Finally, there are different navigation systems for boats, motorcycles, cars, and joggers so you will need to be sure to purchase the product you require for the use for which you intend it.

Navigation systems can be easily ordered from online distributors. If you are interested in purchasing a navigation system you may want to read the myriad reviews offered pertaining to such products before you make your purchase. In doing so, you will have a better idea of the various brands available and what other people recommend. Also, you will find complete reviews that will allow you to engage in comparative shopping - this way you know you will be able to find the best navigation system to meet your needs at a price that suits your budget.

Michael Russell

An Overview Of Computer Networks

My second degree, or should I say my second go through inside the education system was in networking. I'm a certified Novell and Microsoft engineer, not that I'm all that excited about the fact. Networking is actually pretty mindless work once you learn it. It's pretty much do it by the numbers based on what the customer wants. After you hook everything up the software installation is pretty straight forward. My 16 year old daughter could do it or as GEICO would say, a caveman could do it.

In this article I'm just going to cover the basics of what a network is and the types of networks. I'll go into more detail in later articles.

A network is simply a means for computers to speak to each other, or communicate with each other. With a network, computers can receive emails from each other, send files to each other, instant message each other and a variety of other things. This is something that we take for granted today but there was a time when networks were not so sophisticated and not all that efficient either.

There are basically two types of networks.

The simplest network is a LAN or Local Area Network. This is where all the computers in the network are located in one place such as an office building. Within this type of network you have 2 ways to connect.

The simplest way is peer to peer. This is where 2 or more computers are hooked up directly to each other. In other words if you have 5 computers you would have computer 1 hooked into computer 2 which would be hooked into computer 3 and so on. In this type of connection each computer is dependent on the other. So if computer 3 would go down then computers 1 and 2 would not be able to communicate or exchange information with computers 4 and 5 and visa versa. That is the main problem with a peer to peer network. Also in peer to peer networks the write process between computers leads to data corruption problems. This is not something they teach you in school but something you learn from experience.

The more common type of LAN connection is client server. This is where all the computers in the network are connected to each other via a central computer. This kind of connection does require more work in set up but is more efficient, carries data better and if one computer goes down the others aren't affected. However, should the server go down then all the computers on the network would be affected as far as their ability to get information from the other computers and the server itself. They, however, would still be able to do work locally on their own such as with a word processing program, unless the word processing program was located on the server. Then it would not be available. Usually, however, most applications are installed on each computer. What is most commonly lost when a server goes down is the ability to retrieve data that is common to everyone in the network, say an in house database of all employees.

The second type of network is a WAN or wide area network. This is where several LAN networks or even single computers are connected to a much larger network. A perfect example of a WAN is the Internet. This is where users from all over the world can interact with each other through email, chat rooms and instant messaging. WANs are enormous to say the least and are very intricate in their design, requiring hubs from all over the world to stay connected. One hub goes down and it can affect connections for millions of people though there are protocols instituted to reroute connections if a hub does go down.

The above is a very simplified overview of computer networks. In future articles I'll go into detail on the hardware and software required to set up these networks and some of the finer points. Stay tuned.

Michael Russell

Looks like Bertie aint welcome in Sligo, by Irish the students at least: "As Mr. Ahern arrived at the IT, the students, congregated outside the main entrance and foyer, turned their backs as he entered." (have to register to view article but is free)

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Been listening to this album by Placebo, and quite pleasantly surprised. Haven't really heard much by them before and as I listened I couldn't help but think of Muse and JJ72. Course Placebo have been around for longer and I don't mean that one band sounded like the other, rather that there was a smilar feel to some of the music.