Okay I realize I've been totally slacking on answering your questions. The questions are piling up and my lack of responses is unacceptable.
Here's an experiment: I'll post a question here for you to answer. Pud.com has hundreds of readers every day -- at least one of you should be able to come up with a decent answer, maybe...?
I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but let's find out. Here's your first question:
Hi Pud,
There is this girl I've been chasing for 6 months now. I have a lot of feelings for her and she knows it.
But she doesn't know what to do -- she has this long distance relationship with a guy overseas and he's allegedly coming back toward the end of the year, maybe sooner.
Is anyone else clicking "restart later" every 10 minutes, after the most recent Windows update? Going on 3 days or so, still haven't rebooted. This popup is driving me crazy.
I made this site a while ago, MyVideoComments.com, so I could see what people were saying about my YouTube videos. For example, use it to search the username "pud".
I think it's one of the more useful little sites I've made over the years, especially for people who upload videos to YouTube.
Anyway, I just added a new slide-show interface thing on the homepage. I think it's pretty cool. Check it out.
I just made an iPhone-friendly version of my free MP3 hosting site, Fandalism. I made it because I wanted to be able to upload MP3s to the Internet and play them on my iPhone.
Upload some songs to Fandalism. Then visit Fandalism.com from your iPhone and you will be automatically redirected to the special site.
In effect, this gives your iPhone "infinite" MP3 capacity. Enjoy!
I'm writing from Panama, on the island of Bocas del Toro! I'm on a 2-week vacation. Sorry I haven't updated Ask Pud in a while. Last week I was in Costa Rica mostly sans Internet, but the hotel here in Panama has WiFi. So I'll update more this week.
A few days ago I took a ride on a small boat through a Costa Rica rain forest. Check out the monkeys invading our boat. I love the way the tour guide says "we might have a monkey invasion."
Why do Americans use the date format MM/DD/YYYY, while most everyone else uses DD/MM/YYYY?
It makes more sense to have it in ascending order, no?
Please advise, Dobo 28 years old Dublin, Ireland
Dobo,
You're on the right track, but the fact is that neither of those formats are optimal. There's only one efficient way to display a date, and that format is: YYYYMMDD.
And notice there are no separators between the years, month and day. When using this format, you don't need em. Just clump the values together like they're a big number, and dates can be easily understood and sorted.
For example, take three dates:
October 30, 1975 (my birthday)
September 24, 2004 (when I moved from NYC to San Francisco)
July 4, 1776 (independence day)
Written as YYYYMMDD, they can be easily sorted as regular numbers:
17760704
19751030
20040924
No other regular date format can be compared, sorted, or understood this easily.
In programming, people often get around inefficient the date/time problem by not using dates or times at all. Instead, programmers go by the number of seconds since "Unix epoch," which is January 1, 1970 (UTC). Not counting leap seconds.
Time should really be counted this way. For example, right now the time is: 1,202,984,940 seconds since epoch.
As an Ask Pud reader, if you're interested in putting Spottt on your site, sign up at www.spottt.com with the promotion code "ASKPUD" (without the quotes), and 1,000 free credits will instantly be deposited into your account. Booyah!
Today while installing the new version of iTunes, I noticed something peculiar about the "software license agreement." It was written in Iron Maiden font.
As promised, I made an instructional video for double bass drumming. Here it is.
Update: This is a special day... :) my first YouTube honors: #70 - Most Discussed (Today) - Howto & Style #40 - Top Favorites (Today) - Howto & Style #51 - Top Rated (Today) - Howto & Style
This is a question I'm asked all the time, in person and in email, at trade shows, and everywhere I go.
Pud,
I'm working on a new site that will launch within the next couple of days/weeks/months.
It's gonna be huge.
You run an ad network. What's the best way for me to make money with advertising? I'd like to talk to you about putting AdBrite (or Google or whoever else) on my new site.
Thanks, New site guy Anywhere, Earth
New site guy,
Don't put ads on your site yet. Growing traffic should be your only priority at this point. A big site with lots of users benefits everyone (you, and the ad networks).
Think of it this way: The day you launch your site, is it worth 20-cents to have your first few users click away to an advertiser's site? Of course not.
Not until you have enough traffic to make significant money from ads, should you put ads on your site.
Of course, "significant money" is relative. $50/month? $10,000/month? Set an ad revenue goal, grow your traffic, and then turn on ads the day you think you can hit it.
But I typically don't answer those questions. Because unlike questions about love, money, and life -- they don't relate to everyone. But I'll make an exception here and answer a few drumming questions at once. And I'll continue to do so every once and a while, so feel free to keep asking if you have more drum questions.
Dear Pud,
Do you suggest that someone learn drums on an electric set? I want to play on real drums so that I get used to them, but I don't want to make a lot of noise.
Harold 22 years old Gainesville, FL
Harold,
It doesn't matter what you learn on. If you can tap out a beat with your fingers, you can play the drums.
My first drum set was a set of empty paint cans in my bedroom when I was 12. By the time I got my real first drum set, I was already pretty good.
One summer when I was 20, I auditioned for band (this band, in fact). I had to learn an entire album, but was living with my grandmother in NYC at the time and had no access to drums.
So I bought sticks, and set up the chairs, sofa, and bed as a makeshift set. I practiced the songs without a real drum set, and the audition was a success. What happened later is another story for another day...
Regarding using electric drums to play quietly -- while it's true they have a volume knob, if you live in an apartment with people below you, the beating of the bass drum will still drive them crazy. Plus, a decent electric set is usually beyond the budget of a beginner, starting at around $2,500 for something used on Ebay.
Pud,
I noticed your double-bass skills on your YouTube stuff. What kind of pedal do you use and how do you have it set as far as tension and beater type?
What's your pedal rig, Pud?
P. Simms 21 years old North Carolina
P.,
Pedals - DW pedals (5000 series, though they're all the same)
Tension - I keep the left pedal tight and the right pedal loo
Beaters - The ones that came with the DW pedals, on the soft side (the beaters are reversible, with one side soft and one side hard).
More importantly, I have a trick for playing double-bass that makes it very easy. I'll try to make an instructional video this week or so.
I get a lot of questions about double-bass. Even experienced drummers struggle with it. But I can usually get a beginner to play fluid double-bass within 10-15 minutes. Will post video soon.
Pud,
I'm looking to buy a new drum kit. What are the cheapest, high-quality drums out there?
Thanks, Armando 16 years old Los Angeles, CA
Armando,
Tama Superstar. They sound great and can be had for around $700. Or less, if you go Ebay.
Pud,
I came across your page after viewing your drumming videos on YouTube.
I was wondering 1) what prevented you from pursuing a career in music? And 2) I'm a drummer too. How do I make it in the industry?
Thanks, Josh 18 years old Summerville, SC
Josh,
Most people take the path of least resistance. There are many exceptions to this rule, but unfortunately I wasn't one of them. So:
Hard - Finding success as a professional musician and programming computers as a hobby. Easy - Programming for a living and playing drums as a hobby.
I used to wonder the same thing myself. Over the years I've put various efforts into becoming a professional musician. But I always ended up dropping out. So I started reading interviews with rock stars, to figure out what made them so different.
I noticed one common theme (other than heavy drug use and alcoholism). And there are hundreds of examples, but the one that always stuck out in my mind was an MTV interview with Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses.
Interviewer: What would you be doing if you weren't a professional musician? Axl: I dunno. I'd be working at a gas station or something.
So as for your second question, "how do I make it?" Take Axl's advice, and don't have ANY interests other than music, or they will derail you.
On my drive home from the office today, Tom Jones came on the radio. I decided to make a pit-stop at my little recording studio and record my own version. Here it is. Don't laugh.
Be content in knowing that the guys who are having a blast in high school, fucking cheerleaders and such, are ruined. As they grow up, they'll realize their best days are behind them. And when you're out in the real world making things happen, they'll be longing for "the good 'ol days."
High school doesn't matter, except for getting into college. And college doesn't matter either, except that sex is easier to come by there.
I have a few friends who are atheist. They're great people and I have a lot of fun hanging out with them.
But my Mom thinks that non-religious people are infidels. She's upset that I hang out with them, and was even more upset when I told her I was joining a band with them.
Should I listen to my mom and ditch them? Or should I tell her to mind her own business?
Thanks, Brian Age undisclosed USA
Brian,
Religion is faith. And faith is believing something without proof.
Therefore. anyone who firmly believes anything relating to the existence or absence of God, is religious -- since there's no proof either way.
So tell your Mom that your friends are just as religious as she is.
Don't wear jeans with buttons on the back pockets for a 6 hour flight. Ouchie.
Writing from my iPhone aboard a flight from NYC to San Francisco, attempting to keep my new years resolution of updating Ask Pud every day for a month, Pud
Why are abbreviations included in official Scrabble dictionaries if the rules say no abbreviations?
Thanks, Anthony
Anthony,
I play a lot of Scrabble and often get asked this question after playing valid words such as "ag" (short for "agriculture") and "lat" (short for "lateral muscles").
First, note that the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD) contains ALL of the words from 14 different dictionaries, except for proper nouns (like "Japan") and words with punctuation (like "can't" or "etc." or "T.V.").
But occasionally, us English speakers decide that certain abbreviations should become "real" words, and they show up in dictionaries as such. For example, nowadays no one would argue that "gym" isn't a legit word, even though it was once an abbreviation for "gymnasium." Another common example is "ad," formerly an abbreviation for "advertisement."
Some fun former-abbreviations that are now legit Scrabble words include "bi" (short for "bisexual"), and "fem," short for "feminine," and defined in the Scrabble dictionary as "a passive homosexual."
Rock on, Pud
1/14/2007 UPDATE: As pointed out by a commenter, "japan" and variations (non-capitalized) are actually valid Scrabble words, with the following definitions:
JAPAN (JAPANNED/JAPANNING/JAPANS) to coat with a glossy, black lacquer
JAPANNER (JAPANNERS) one that japans JAPANIZE (JAPANIZED/JAPANIZING/JAPANIZES) to make Japanese
As for buying sneakers online, first go to a shoe store (or go through your closet) and find a brand that looks good and is comfortable. Stick with that brand, and you can order whatever you want in the same size online, in any style.
For example, I only wear Adidas Superstars (aka "Shelltoes," Wikipedia link here). They come in hundreds of styles, and the size 14 always fits me perfectly. I almost always order from Zappos.com, though occasionally from ShopAdidas.com for exclusives.
Last night I went out for dinner with some friends. On my way home, I stopped by the music studio for some midnight drumming. I picked up the guitar and bass a bit too, and recorded the whole thing. When it was done, I went over the whole mess and laid keyboards on top.
What came out isn't so much a "song," as it is a hodgepodge of improvised, atonal, off-time sounds. Still, I found it kinda interesting.
Video embedded below. See if you can spot the Metallica and Led Zeppelin riffs.
I've been single and without sex for 3 years now. It seems like all my attempts at getting a girlfriend fail. My friends say I come on too strong. But I long for a partner, and when I see something I like, I go for it.
I've come to the conclusion that all the best girls are taken.
What can I do to better my chances of getting into a relationship with a pretty girl?
Kenny 24 years old Clinton Township, Michigan
Kenny,
A few things.
Coming on too strong - You're lucky. Most of the guys reading this have a problem with confidence. You do not. But understated confidence is key. When your friends say you come on too strong, what they really mean is that you're not smooth. Your mantra when approaching women should be, "don't say you're awesome -- BE awesome." Always remember that there's no bigger turn on for a woman, then when she discovers something great about you -- on her own.
All the best girls are taken - It's to your benefit to assume this. The way we succeed in life is by setting achievable goals. And you can get the woman of your dreams, but you need to break it down into a few smaller sub-goals.
Here's your first goal: The next time you meet a desirable woman, assume she's taken and get yourself a place in line. Be her friend, or even just a pleasant acquaintance. Repeat, with every great girl you meet. Then as soon as they start to become single, set bigger goals for them. You will have success.
A few months ago, some things weren't going my way and I was in a sorta bad and frustrated mood. I went into my studio one night and relieved some of the stress by writing and recording a song called, "Fuck."
I didn't want anyone to know that I was in a bad mood, so I never "released" the song, and instead quietly just posted it to my Facebook profile under the alias "Farty McPoopants."
Recently I've been receiving emails from people asking me about the song, where I found it, requesting the MP3, and more. I did a search online and even found it in a blog post entitled, "This is the greatest and best song in the world."
Flattered, and now in a good mood, I will hereby announce that Farty McPoopants is in-fact me, and that I scribed, performed, and recorded this song. Song and lyrics embedded below. And if you're in a bad mood, it should help cheer you up!
Update: For those who have asked, here is a link to the MP3 for download. But if you just want to listen to the song without downloading it, click the play button below.
I'm taking an online masters program that requires me to submit everything as a Word document, so I need to buy Microsoft Office. I can buy it through my university for $58. But for $10 more I can get the pro version.
Will I ever use the extra programs that come with the pro version?
Thanks, Aley Female 26 years old Neodesha, Kansas
Aley,
If you're concerned with price, use Google Docs. It's free and lets you export in Word format.
Here are examples of some expensive programs, and the free online equivalents that I sometimes use:
What happened to Mobog.com? I loved looking at cameraphone pics while I was on the phone with customers.
Thanks, Pete 35 years old Tampa, Florida
Hi Pete,
Thanks for your interest.
For those who don't know, Mobog.com was a site that I built in 2003 that allowed you to instantly upload pics from your camera phone to the Internet. If you've heard of Twitter, it was similar to that, but for pictures instead of text.
The site was always kinda broken because I didn't spocus on it (one day I'll post something about "spocus" -- speed & focus). Nevertheless, at its height there was a new pic posted every second.
But the problem with publishing user generated photos on the Internet, is that it will ultimately devolve into porn unless heavily moderated. Sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Photobucket review every single photo that reaches the sites, and porno pics are removed.
It's pretty easy to build a system for cheap laborers around the world to review pics and pluck out the dirty ones. But I never got around to it.
And what started out as clean wholesome fun, turned into the world's largest collection of penis pictures on the Internet. Every couple of minutes, someone new would send in a picture of their penis.
And it was accelerating.
I became less concerned with the number of "unique users" visiting my site, and became worried about the number of unique penises. With about 1,000 unique penises per day, doubling every 2 weeks, I calculated that by the year 2009, one-in-three men in the United States will have uploaded a picture of his penis to my website.
:)
Anyway, I shut it down. One of the more unfortunate parts is that -- as I was in the process of shutting it down -- I was unexpectedly informed that FHM magazine chose Mobog as #1 in their list of "50 most addictive websites." (click the picture below)
Pud is an expert in many things including money, sex, business, arts, music, food, fashion, technology, nightlife, travel -- almost everything except sports.
Okay I realize I've been totally slacking on answering your questions. The questions are piling up and my lack of responses is unacceptable.
Today my company launched 
