Manlio Rules

this is a great little thing for making music. It’s a web based version of a tenori-on, which is a big matrix of 64 buttons that turn on/off and usually is used for sequenced based music composition. I really enjoy stuff like this, i find it immensely enjoyable. i would really love to get 2 or more people collaborating on this in real time, so you could be in control of certain tracks and the other person as well, you could shift drum and texture stuff around and all that. maybe i need to get one of those myself…

Last Friday my wallet was stolen from my gym locker, along with my friend Noah’s. My locker was locked with my own combo lock, which had been opened, the wallets removed, and the locker closed. I am not sure how this happened, unless somehow the door to the locker can be forced. I did not check this. I have several thoughts about this entire process:

1. not to help thieves, but even if you don’t want my cell phone, you should steal it and throw it away, it will greatly hinder my attempts to cancel my credit cards.

2. people make fun of me, but knowing all my cc numbers by heart? VERY valuable for this process, even if it’s just for skipping the automated numbers.

3. to that extent, writing down said numbers along with the 800 numbers and keeping them somewhere (not in your wallet!!) is a good idea in case the phone is stolen and you’re not near a computer. maybe an encrypted file or something that lives online…

4. hey Chase, what the fuck do you think you’re doing trying to upsell me fraud insurance while i’m trying to cancel my cards? fuck you. also, telling me that i will be liable for any fraud charges on that card seems like:

a: a lie.
b: a terrible thing to tell me.

5. American Express, you are the out and out winner in terms of credit card service in this situation. Not only were you quick and prompt over the phone, you sent my new card out and I got it the next business day (monday after a friday call). It is a week later and i have still no received ANY OTHER CARDS.

6. It turns out that not activating your debit card can have some advantages.

7. Seems like debit cards are more dangerous. Noah had his debit card taken for a ride and i believe that the only card the robbers tried to use was my HSA debit card. though they did try to sign up for an amazon account with my chase card. amazon, btw, flagged the account, which I appreciated.

8. Even if you don’t travel a lot, a passport can come in very useful for ID and all that other fun stuff. get one. and then travel.

If I ever start a company, here is a list of things i will try to do:

1. I will have a majority (or plurality) of employees who actually do the thing that my company is supposed to do. So, if i start a company to build houses, the majority of my employees will actually build houses.

2. I will outsource my logo and identity design. It will be faster and cause less arguments.

3. I will launch some form of website that tries to explain what my company does, maybe even before we know what the company does. maybe it will just be my outsourced logo. but i will launch it so people don’t get a parked domain page when they go to my company site.

4. I will not get office space until i am sure that people will be in the office more than 2 days a week.

5. The first thing i will get working is a way to backup all of our data, and collaborate on projects.

6. The second thing i will get working is a space where everyone can write down comments and opinions and communicate so that all such communication is saved. i will NOT rely on text messages and emails as a to do list.

and here is a list of things i will try not to do:

1. I will try to not offer opinions on subjects that i know nothing about just because i feel the need to control everything.

2. I will try to understand that my employees will follow by example, so if i’m in the office working all the time, there is a greater chance that they will as well. I will be the most productive member of the team, whatever that may mean.

3. I will try to not make everything a fire drill. Some things are always fire drills. But not everything.

4. I will try to explain to my employees that I appreciate their input and i listen to them, even if at the end of the day I follow my own instincts.