I got hit by Spotlight (in particular mds) chewing CPU when my machine starts to get busy. So I went through the process of destroying the Spotlight database and getting it re-created. This document explains it better. It has made a massive difference for running Lightroom and Ableton Live.

I bought a Cisco SRP527W wireless/ADSL router about 6 months back. I made this choice because I could not find a recommendation for any other router that would label it as reliable. This is a sad state of affairs for current consumer electronics. After using it for a few weeks it became clear that this unit was also not reliable. I need to reset it on a weekly basis (sometimes more). It sits in a well ventilated area that has a constant room temperature of around 18 degrees celsius. It is also powered off a UPS, so there should be really clean power going to it. Even worse was that to obtain a firmware update for the device, I had to pay for a support contract with Cisco. This is a bit steep for a device that already costs more than other "top end" home routers.

At 11am I tried looking for when Pendulum are going to be coming to NZ. The home page for the web site displays a DB dead lock. I losing my confidence in their ability to deal with my transaction (not that I have a chance to do so).

We had a chance to use the theatre at Southwards. The photos are now online. This was a fantastic show. Gerard had a cold coming on, so he was a bit croaky. But, he pulled a fantastic show out of the bag anyway.

I was amazed at how well equipped this theatre was for lighting. It also carries sound quite well. I used our sound system as-is (2x JBL 18" subs and 4x Mackie SRM-350 tops), it was just enough to fill this theatre with sound. I could have done with another two subs though. I had the crossover set to 67Hz to put as little power through the subs as possible, but I was running them at their limits. Maybe I should buy some as spares for bigger spaces like this.

A big thanks to Alistair at Southwards for treating us so well and looking after our every need.

The photos are now online. This was a fantastic gig. We tried lots of new gags which came off a treat.

The show at the Nelson Playhouse went very well. There were quite a few different small companies doing their Christmas parties that night. It made for a whole heap of fun!

Rob and Sue looked after us really well. Rob even went as far as pre-rigging the lights for us. I'm stunned at how well we were treated by our hosts. They also seem to have a knack for promotions and marketing. Getting that many people into a place that is out in the country is no easy task. So if you ever have the honour of performing there, take it. The location is awesome, the theatre environment is gorgeous and the staff are courteous.

The Black Seeds came to Wellington last Friday night. As usual, I ended up catching them (they're just too good to miss). This was the first time that I've heard the songs played a different way to their CDs. I loved it! You guys really rocked! So, if you are fortunate enough to catch The Black Seeds live, then do so. These guys will soon be far to famous to do shows for small-fry like us.

The support act (John Brown's Body) were also fantastic. I've not heard any music from these guys before, but I was so impressed that I'm going to track down their CDs.

A word to the sound engineer: Sub-harmonic synths rock. It's really cool you were using one (I can't live without mine). But when you turn it up so loud that it dominates the music being played it makes the bass player and kick drum sound all farty and out of time. Even worse is that your subs ended up sounding like a teenagers car stereo. So please, please, please, use it with some restraint (i.e. it should be "felt" and not heard).

All up, it was almost a perfect night. Gorgeous music, fantastic performances, but let down a little by a sound engineer with too much of a woody for sub-harmonic synths.