The Dark Man's Journal

Teaser

2008-07-24T01:43:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't seen it yet, I have teaser art for my next album up on my website:

---TDM

Exclusive Song through iLike!

2008-07-04T21:40:00.002-04:00

I've just released a new song through iLike, called "Research & Development". It's available for you to listen and download! For free! No DRM or anything! All you have to do is click this button to add me to your artists, and you can listen to my songs, send them to your friends on facebook, etc!

---TDM

Sad Face

2008-06-15T17:42:00.003-04:00

I seem to have lost the acid project files for Abandoned Prison and Rise of the Phoenix when I had to reinstall Windows. I mean, I had a backup for my files, but it looks like these files weren't among the backups. Damn it Maxtor, why did you omit some of my files?

Until next time, remember: Sometimes it's best to make manual backups.

---TDM

UPDATE: So I may not have ever actually had those files on this computer. Turns out they were still on my old computer, so I was able to retrieve them. Yay!

I Like.

2008-01-04T18:04:00.000-05:00

The Dark Man is on iLike! Check it out: http://www.ilike.com/artist/The+Dark+Man/

I also, as a result, have an iLike page through the facebook application: http://apps.facebook.com/ilike/artist/The+Dark+Man

You should be sure to add me to the list of artists you like, as I will soon be releasing some songs exclusively through iLike!

---TDM

Greetings from TDM

2007-12-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

Hello out there!

It's been awhile, hasn't it? I've been busy.

I may be updating the web page in the near future with some songs I created a while ago that I never put up for one reason or another. I'll let you know on here, but it may be awhile.

Until next time, remember: Procrastinate only when you have something you should be doing.

---TDM

"Harry Potter" Overhyped

2007-07-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

Picture this: a series of popular fantasy novels, announced by the author to be a seven-part series, with the fourth and seventh novels being potentially the fattest. Throughout the series, a dark threat looms on the horizon, one which the protagonist has faced before, and only he (and his friends, of course) can stop it. After the fourth novel, however, work on the series is delayed for a number of years, until the fifth is finally published in 2003, much to many people's delight.

Can you guess what it is? Did you say "Harry Potter?"

If you did (and I understand why), you're wrong. Here's another hint: the first novel was originally published in 1982. (Oh, that's definitely not Harry Potter.)

I'm talking about Stephen King's The Dark Tower series of novels, a seven-part mega-masterpiece. King spent time on these books, with each installment coming 4-6 years after the previous, until his accident in 1999. At that point, Harry Potter strode onto the scene and...shall I say...accio'ed all the attention. In 2003, both Rowling and King published the fifth novels of their respective cycles, but King's sixth and seventh both followed a year later.

Did you know that?

So where was the hype?

The Dark Tower, undoubtedly, is the better piece of work. Granted, Rowling's series does a good job of teaching kids about racism and slavery without actually teaching them. But where's the post-apocalyptic world? Where're the alternate universes? Where's the character who is actually supposed to be the author? Hell, King even has Harry Potter references! (Wolves of the Calla (book 5) includes a futuristic heat-seeking flying bomb called a "Sneetch" contained in boxes labeled "Harry Potter model" and the slogan "Don't mess with the 449th! We'll kick the Slytherin out of you!")

The Dark Tower has its evil magician bent on destroying the universe, mysterious artifacts and doors, friends who fall in love with each other, the supernatural (werewolves, vampires), tales of prejudice and war, battles between good and evil, and King manages to pull these off without using trite names (such as Umbridge, a pun on the word umbrage, or the Mirror of Erised—you can figure that one out) or deux ex machina. (Dumbledore to the rescue!)

In fact, probably the only thing King doesn't have (besides an English accent) that Harry Potter does is a child audience. Sure, I read the first one back in seventh grade, when I found it in my teacher's lending library. It was my first Stephen King novel, and I devoured it (meaning I read it and immensely enjoyed it, not meaning I ate it). And that was more or less the time when Harry Potter IV came out.

What else does King's series have? Vampires. Evil cybernetic corporations. Fictional characters from other books, reading the books where they are characters. Characters interacting with the author who thinks he's writing them.

There was even a suicidal pink monorail! Who loved to tell riddles! But I doubt Eddie's dead baby jokes would have been the only reason why Rowling ended up with a more popular series.

And we can't forget the killer ending to the final of the Dark Tower novels—it was such a great ending, such a fitting finale, that no other ending could do the series justice. And if that had been spoiled for me...well, I'd be less upset if someone blurts out the ending to Deathly Hallows before I finish it. (Heck, the ending to HP6 was spoiled for me—and I really didn't care, though it put a hole in my hypothesis that Dumbledore would kill Harry in the seventh book).

With each book, King impressed me with several new things, and didn't always quite stay the same, with Roland's great journey to the Dark Tower spanning different universes and times. Rowling's installments do further the back story, but the only progress forward I could really see was Voldemort's gradual return to power while Harry was working towards graduation.

But we have to thank Rowling for making reading fun for those millions of people who thought watching television was a better use of their time and mind. Maybe reading's gone out of fashion recently with all the ghostwritten autobiographies (plagiarism and lying included) and whatever other crap has diluted the market. At least we can see a couple million people still have a taste for fiction.

I'm not ashamed to say I'll be reading it, too. They are good books. But The Dark Tower series will remain my favorite. Right next to Dune, of course. (Hey! The last Dune book is coming out in August. Isn't everybody excited?!)

But if you haven't yet read The Dark Tower, I suggest you go pick up The Gunslinger (the first book) as soon as possible (meaning, of course, after you finish HP7). Then read the second. And then just try to stop yourself from reading all the rest. If you loved Harry Potter...The Dark Tower is where you go when you've graduated from Hogwarts.

Until next time, here's to the line that started it all, in King's head, circa 1970: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

---TDM

The End?

2007-07-10T17:11:00.000-04:00

Internet radio as we know it is about to die. A few months ago, the Copyright Royalty Board decided Internet radio broadcasters should pay more money than satellite or broadcast radio (the latter are the guys on your FM/AM dial): per song streamed to a person rather than a percentage of income. And this rate will apply retroactively from Jan 2006!

In all but a few cases this amount of money is more than the income a broadcaster makes from advertising, etc. On July 15th, when SoundExchange (frontman for the RIAA) demands this tribute, most internet radio stations will go bankrupt and die (and those who broadcast simultaneously on the net will decide it's not worth it). (See http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/030207/index.shtml for more details and some math.)

Why am I upset about this? As a musician, I'm not concerned, since my music doesn't air (though it would have been a possibility if Internet radio stays). I'm upset because only last August (not even a whole year!) did I discover 1.FM (channel X), what is now my favorite radio station. In my area, they systematically removed any good modern rock/alternative stations, so I was ecstatic when I actually heard songs I liked on this station--without as much rap as on the stations near me.

This is simply an act by the RIAA to limit the prevalence of good music heard on radio stations, to prevent new artists from achieving success without the help of a major label, and to maintain their stranglehold (read: monopoly) on the music industry.

Go to http://www.savenetradio.org to try to help preserve our freedom from the RIAA, by calling your senators and representatives and telling them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act (which nullifies the CRB's death sentence and puts internet royalty rates in line with other forms of radio). (H.R. 2060, S. 1353)

---TDM

Thanks

2007-06-07T18:28:00.000-04:00

I want to thank everyone who supported me in the gochongo project by voting for me...all 1 of you.

---TDM

War!

2007-05-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

My latest project, a dark classical piece titled "A War of One," has been posted at gochongo.com as part of a project. Go here to vote for me! (Ironically, since gochongo is only in public beta, I'm the only submission! But go vote for me anyway!)

Update: Okay, so the project is reopen for submissions, since I was the only one to submit something. Check back in a week.

Update 2: There was a problem with another member's upload, which is the reason for the delay. But now you can go vote for me! The link is still up there (click the word "here").

---TDM

It is Dark tonight...

2007-04-30T20:19:00.000-04:00

And now I've finally completed something new for you to listen to! Another dark piano solo has been uploaded to my website, with the title "My Darker Half". Enjoy!

Until next time, remember: Embrace your darker half, and learn to enjoy the gifts darkness brings.

---TDM

If Anybody Knows...

2007-03-10T09:39:00.000-05:00

I recently got into reading certain webcomics and I bookmarked 4 of them so I could read them: Questionable Content, xkcd, Wondermark, and indexed. I found a couple other interesting ones that I read, such as Copper and PvP. But there was one that I really liked, and I can't remember the name nor can I find it anymore. The story is set far in the future, humans are extinct, and all that's left are the robots we built. Two construction robots build their replacements on Mercury, and leave to travel. They have some sort of illegal modification that makes them more human philosophically. At some point, one of them floats in space for many years. If you know what I'm talking about, please tell me! I want to continue reading this comic!

Until next time, remember: Sometimes helping another is a simple thing to do.

---TDM

The Mirror is Here

2007-01-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

"I looked into the mirror and I saw myself staring back!"

After several months of neglect in favor of other projects, I've finally finished my piano song "My Reflection". It's similar to my earlier songs "My Ghost" and "My Shadow" in that it makes repeated use of the damper pedal, but it's different in that the mood is more calm and less intense than the others. You might even say it's a complete mirror image.

If you've noticed the similarities in the titles of the three songs, it's no coincidence. I picked them so that they would be that way.

"My Reflection" can be downloaded for free from my website. The link is above, and in my profile.

Until next time, remember: How you see yourself in the mirror is not how others see you.

---TDM

Update

2006-10-03T09:07:00.000-04:00

I know it's been awhile since my site's been updated. Relax. An update is coming soon. I've been working on it, but I haven't had much time since the summer ended.

Until next time, remember: Change is in your hands.

---TDM

Nine Minus One Is Eight

2006-09-11T20:14:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/24/pluto.ap/index.html

Looks like Holst was right after all.

---TDM

Right vs. Left

2006-08-31T14:10:00.000-04:00

Here's something to think about:

Democrats believe that the opposite of the right is the left.
Republicans believe that the opposite of the right is the wrong.

---TDM

Clock Tower released

2006-06-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

My newest song called "Clock Tower" was released this past Friday on my homepage. Go check it out!

Until next time, remember: Time ticks ever tockward.

---TDM

A Double Standard?

2006-06-10T15:04:00.000-04:00

The United States is building a fence on the US-Mexican border to prevent illegal immigration. But wasn't the US (still under GW Bush) among the voices condemning Israel for planning to build a fence on the border of the West Bank to prevent the immigration of Palestinian suicide bombers? I don't think the Mexicans want to kill themselves once they get here. Is it better to build a wall to prevent people from living in your country, or to build a wall to prevent people from killing people who live in your country? Why does the US have a double standard with regard to itself?

Recently, Iraqi terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by American forces. He was a terrorist, so what did he do for a living? Planted bombs to kill people. How did he die? He was bombed. An atrocity such as bombing one would think is something a terrorist would do, right? Then why did we do it? To kill al-Zarqawi? And look at us now. al-Zarqawi is dead, and many Americans are rejoicing (just look at some of the media news), calling his killers heroes, just as the terrorists would if one of their bombs took out our president. Why is it okay to bomb them in order to kill them, but not okay for them to bomb us to kill us? Why does the US have a double standard with regard to itself?

Iran should not be permitted to have nuclear weapons, but the US can keep their nuclear weapons.

China is horrible for hiding its history from its people, but it's alright for the US to hide facts about Iraq from the people.

Why does the US have a double standard with regard to itself?

Until next time, remember: On every side of every war stands God...or so that side claims.

---TDM

Video made using TDM's "My Ghost"

2006-05-21T10:52:00.000-04:00

So today I got a long email from a person I didn't recognize. At first I thought it was spam, and gmail didn't catch it, but the topic wasn't like normal spam so I opened it. I wasn't certain it wasn't spam until I saw he said that he had used "My Ghost" in a video he posted online! I was stunned! "Wow!" I mean, who would imagine that someone would take such an interest in my music that they would use it somewhere?

But then I watched the video. It was cool at first to hear my song, but overall the video was deeply disturbing. I was disturbed more at the content of the conspiracy video than at what it was saying was going on in politics today.

But I did like that my music is getting out there. So, as any major company would do, I posted a disclaimer to protect my reputation (I don't want people thinking that I made the song in conjunction with the video, that I believe what they say in it). I'm not going to post a link to it, but if you find it, you find it.

If my music is featured in a video I like, then that would be even better. I'm excited to see where else my music will appear.

I'm going to go back to work on "Clock Tower" for now.

Until next time, remember: Don't judge others based on yourself.

---TDM

A Shade

2006-04-20T14:21:00.000-04:00

I've finally finished the song entitled, "My Shadow". It's a piano piece similar to "My Ghost", as in it uses the pedal. You might be able to find other similarities, but the song is very different in some other respects. Enjoy!

Click the link at the top to get to my home page and download the song.

Until next time, remember: You can always count on your shadow to stand beside you.

---TDM

Tick Tock

2006-04-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

I've just recently gotten a great idea for a piece that sounds like a clock. I started work on it a couple of days ago, and it really works! It'll sound great when it's finished! I'm going to call it "Clock Tower".

I'm still lapsing in programming, for the most part, but my writing is moving along. Pretty much it doesn't seem like I've had enough time to do everything. Mostly music and writing, and schoolwork. Perhaps during the summer I'll have more time to finish up all these loose ends. I have a piano piece (not Clock Tower) that I might work on and finish first, since I started it who knows how long ago.

If you're going to the Dissension prerelease on Sunday April 23rd, you may see me there playing Two-Headed Giant with one of my friends. I won't tell you where, though, for anonymity purposes.

That's all for now. See ya round.

Until next time, remember: Tie down your loose ends.

---TDM

Run, Death, Run!

2006-02-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

My newest song, a melancholy piece by the name of "Chasing Death", is now available at my homepage. Link is at the top! Check it out!

Until next time, remember: Is Death chasing us, or are we chasing Death?

---TDM

Evolution, Shmevolution

2006-01-10T23:09:00.000-05:00

All over the Southern states, parents are protesting science textbooks that give evolution as the origin of man.

�God created Earth and man in his image,� said Patricia Fuller. �Leave this garbage out of the textbooks. I don�t want anybody taking care of me in a nursing home some day to think I came from a monkey.� (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 29, 2002)

They are going to put notes in the textbooks that caution students that "evolution is only a theory."

That made me laugh.

Now, if I'm not mistaken, the definition of scientific theory is something first hypothesized, then over several hundred years, verified experimentally and never disproved. When it is generally accepted as "true", it becomes theory, which is essentially fact in the science community.

How about this explanation of "theory": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory#Further_explanation_of_a_scientific_theory or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory#Characteristics

Yep. All I can say to those people is this: You're right. You didn't evolve from monkeys; you still are monkeys. You're that primitive. You're that stupid. Congratulations.

Until next time, remember: It's not their fault they're stupid. It's your fault that you're smarter than they are.

---TDM

Now appearing...

2005-12-11T12:25:00.000-05:00

Hey all! The Dark Man is now on myspace!! Check it out. http://www.myspace.com/thedarkmanpiano

My favorite 4 piano songs are there. The rest are still available at my site. The link is at the top of this page.

Until next time, remember: Every answer has a question.

---TDM

The Phoenix Has Risen

2005-12-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

After long hours and days of searching for the right phrase, I found it. It occurred to me last night, and just a few hours ago I put it in the song (the violins start that melody towards the end). And now it's finally finished!

Therefore may I now present to you..."Rise of the Phoenix"! Go ahead, click above to get to my site, then listen to it! I'd like to know what you think.

The piece includes violins, violas, cellos, a doublebass, and timpani. There are a few good solos throughout the work, and in the end, the phoenix rises.

I hope you enjoy it.

Until next time, remember: Amidst the destruction, the phoenix shall rise.

---TDM

The Phoenix

2005-11-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

A big song is coming. Entitled "Rise of the Phoenix", it's already well underway. I could actually leave it where it is right now, but I think it needs a really big, stirring solo to emphasize the phoenix rising.

I hope you'll like it when I finish it.

Stay tuned for more updates about anything.

Until next time, remember: Those of us who dream can find the way to accomplish our greatest goals.

---TDM