Live audio and IT Networking

I never thought going to school for IT Networking would help me out in the field of live audio where I have been working for the last 6 years.  We just recently upgraded the mixing console from an old analog console; huge with a million buttons and faders, about the size of a dinosaur, and weighed close to that too, to a digital console; sleek, brand new, about a quarter of the size, motorized faders, and the ability to control it via an Ipad.  This last feature is where my networking experience came into play.  The console actually has a ethernet port that allows you to hook it up to a wireless router. After it's hooked up it is necessary to configure the software on the mixer to display the subnet mask and gateway of the router as well as give the device a network address.  After that it's a matter of downloading the software for the Ipad and configuring the info you added into the console into the software.  It's an amazing feature to be able to go to any part of the room and hear how it sounds and be able to fix the mix.  It's also an amazing feature for fixing problems that arise on stage and being able to fix something, verify it is working and return it to the mix without having to fight through the audience.

What recruiters are thinking when they find your social media

http://theamericangenius.com/lists/recruiters-social-profile/?utm_content=buffer729a2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

This is an interesting article I ran across the other day about what job recruiters think about your social media account.  I guess never having worked in the corporate setting and only having hand jobs in the service industry where, as long as you could fill out the application, you were in and music industry jobs where you do very little calling and rely on word of mouth and your own abilities to find new work, clearly I am going to have to adjust concerning my online presence.  Things like alcohol use, marijuana use, and even political standpoints are all out in the open these days and one must consider the ramifications with their employer in concerns to what they post online.  But on the other side of the coin, all of the good things you do are highlighted as well.
I can understand the benefits for the company to discover more about the applicant's personal history and get a feel for what kind of person the applicant is but can see the pitfalls with kids now a days growing up and posting pictures of all the "partying" they are doing.  It can be very difficult and time consuming to remove some of the things that go up on social media.  I've decided to block off my Facebook profile to public access because that is my most personal social media and leave Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+ open as they are my professional accounts.

LiFi

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=457672585&m=457672586&live=1

Just was listening to this short podcast about the new LiFi technology that they have been developing in Estonia.  Really exciting, super fast communication method using lightwaves through your houses own electrical circuitry but they do bring up some of the considerably large downfalls.  First light can be blocked and that is the biggest crux to the whole idea.  How do you send light to the receiver when any little thing could cast a shadow on the connection?  Second, light can be obtrusive.  What if you are doing something like watching a movie where light can be obtrusive.  Still many obstacles to overcome but the speed benefits almost certainly will lead to further developments... If only Tesla had a bit more time and a bit more funding!!!

Blackheart Burlesque and Suicide Girls' use of social media

Blackheart Burlesque is a dance troop that is associated with the Suicide Girls' website.  They are a live burlesque troop that perform their routines at venues across the country.  What struck me as interesting was the heavy pitch to access their content on social media.  While their audience tended to be on the more socially awkward side, social media allowed them a forum to safely encourage a more personal connection to the audience.  For instance at one point they gave specific directions that, though taking photos was "prohibited", the audience take as many photos as they could and post them to the Blackheart Burlesque Facebook page and then link them to the Suicide Girls Facebook page as part of some cross promotion attempting to link the two pages meanwhile attempting to lure people into purchasing merchandise and/or a subscription to the Suicide Girl website.

Why I am at MATC

I've been attending MATC off and on for about the last nine years.  I started off in the music occupations program in the fall of 2006 after moving down to Milwaukee from the Wausau area.  That program got me into the music production field where I have been working ever since as a sound engineer and stage hand for several concert venues in the Milwaukee area.  My career hit a slump a few years back so I decided it was time to pursue more education that would hopefully allow me to find more gainful employment and put an end to the student debt that plagued me from my original foray into college education.  I have yet to delve into the career field of IT Networking, though I am looking forward to finding an internship this semester and beginning a hopefully more stable income and career.