It's been more than a year since my previous episode dedicated to the shooting in Butler, PA. So when I saw the opportunity to have @scorpionthebird.bsky.social and @quoracthebard.bsky.social on the podcast to discuss it, I jumped at the chance. Ep 212 of Truth Unrestricted (link to follow).

Hey everyone - Two friends have been killing it with their new Podcast. They've been taking on the psychotic alt-right menace on Rumble & entertaining us all on the way. I recommend visiting @quoracthebard.bsky.social & @scorpionthebird.bsky.social's new baby is: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/r...

Ready to Rumble episode 2 is now available on Apple Podcasts! podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/r...

The headlines this morning did tell That Pope Frankie is feeling unwell If he doesn’t get better At least his successor Will never be Cardinal Pell.

What do you know about the cesspit of conspiracy theories and misinformation that is the video platform Rumble? Find out more with Scorpion the Bird & Quorac the Bard! podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/r...

For those of you who are of a less brick-to-the-teeth disposition, the following guide (posted in the show notes of today’s NYGBC episode) may be of use: transequality.org/issues/resou...

Been a bit slack with posting tracks recently, been a bit distracted with guitar building! Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/48RCrs...

She’s done! In tune! Intonated! Plays beautifully! And now, as the say in the classics, it’s time for the judges’ critiques…

Strings are strung, and string trees are installed. Now for final adjustments to action (string height) & intonation

Strap buttons. Simple, yet critical.

Okay! Electronics are in & a quick test with the amp tells me they’re working! She’s a guitar, folks!

It’s a tricky little dance to get the bridge + pickup and the controls installed, because the wires from the bridge need to go into the control cavity at the same time as the earth wire from the controls (poking up just to the right of the bridge) needs to go back through & past the bridge cavity

Tuning heads installed. Zero issues.

Neck pickup & pick guard installed. One of the screws is not quite the right size but if you can’t figure out which, I’m not going to tell you.

Guitar assembly update: step one, install neck & already my first mistake becomes very obvious. Clearly I underestimated how far down the heel I needed to spread the dye. Fortunately it’s nowhere obvious to the casual observer.

Guitar assembly update: ready to assemble! Half a dozen coats for Tru Oil is enough, the cavities as shielded & we’re ready to put it together.

Reaching back into the digital crate a bit for a frenetic track from Manic Street Preachers for today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/6ANzhU...

Guitar assembly update: the first couple of coats of Tru Oil have been applied & she’s looking beautiful. According to the internet experts I’ll need 8 or 9 coats, so there’s a bit of work still to do before final buffing & putting everything together.

A new-to-me band, Mutoid Man, for today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/2pSESZ...

Guitar assembly update: the body has been dyed & I’m super happy with how it looks. Gonna give it a good few days before starting the oiling process.

I’m learning Japanese from the Owl Who Must Be Obeyed. The current unit is Expressing Yourself at a Concert, and as a an over-40 person, I very much appreciate that the last two lessons were “it’s already 10:30; I’m very tired.”

Guitar assembly update: final test. Three dilutions of blue dye with black around the edges. Next up, the real thing!

Guitar assembly update: the wood dyes have arrived! Exciting times ahead. A little bit more sanding to do, then I’ll experiment with these dyes.

Today’s punching bag warmup track is rec from Chase, a friend who hasn’t made his way to Bluesky yet: open.spotify.com/track/4DzJ41...

For Christmas my wonderful & amazing partner got me something I’ve wanted for a long time: an assemble-it-yourself guitar kit. Now that I don’t have the weight of a PhD project on me, nor the attendant guilt of doing anything other than PhD work, I have time for this: Let’s have a look at the kit:

Santa brings guitar playing children a Blues Driver, Satan brings guitar playing children a Metal Zone.

In an effort to modernise the playlist, here’s the latest offering from Weapons of Self Destruction (great name) for today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/07rYMP...

More instrumental goodness from Karma to Burn for yesterday’s (I’m a bit slow) punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/0we2XN...

Sometimes you feel the need for a classic. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/4fiOTn...

Checkmate, athetits!

Just in case you like your song origins convoluted, here’s Lamb of God performing as Burn the Priest covering a remix of a Ministry song. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/3m293y...

Changing things up a little - today’s assault bike warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/4HFtUk...

Been a bit unwell this week, so gym attendance has been… subpar. Anyway, back at it today with Melbourne’s Annihilist providing today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/3Ho5pD...

This is your reminder that the Salvation Army is an anti-LGBTQ hate group that uses its status as a religion to hide its finances. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/c...

Now that the CSIRO confirms that nuclear power will be roughly double the cost of renewables, can we end this ridiculous debate? www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...

As recommended by the redoubtable @mrcassandra.bsky.social today’s punching bag warmup track is a decent chunk of heavy from Canadian two-piece Death From Above 1979: open.spotify.com/track/0TOqoy...

Fat blues from Graveyard for today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/6mHKrY...

I’m not a huge fan of Scissorfight, I find them goofy and annoying, but this track is good fun. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/6QxeLK...

Where is the line between an ambitious expression of undeniable virtuosity and a giant pile of self-indulgent wankery? Perhaps the new Opeth album has the answer. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/0XHqEw...

For lovers of fantasy nerd metal, here’s The Sword. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/02VH6O...

Question: how heavy can you go & still be blues? Answer: Clutch. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/0bkSJ3...

Brightest note of hope about Donald’s ludicrous & incompetent cabinet picks comes via @fallacioustrump.com: “clownshoes are better than jackboots.”

Yay science!

Sometimes you really can judge a book, or in this case a song, by its cover. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/5PfrwO...

Moving for dismissal preserves the charges. This was absolutely the best move that Smith could make. Remember that the reason we got here is because Donald’s delaying tactics worked. Smith did everything he could as fast as he could, but Donald successfully slowed the process down.

What if Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys had more than one bandmate keeping his colossal ego in check? You’d probably get Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Maybe. Today’s punching bag warmup track: open.spotify.com/track/22F0vi...

Name a better qualified doctor than Dr Oz

GOP to quietly move Matt Gaetz to a new parish.

Today’s punching bag warmup track is a monster from Behemoth: open.spotify.com/track/5pKdvu...

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