Inspired by the major one I made today: I finished all the requirements for my bachelor's degree.
For a short time I was a superstar DJ in Beijing!
2006, I went to Beijing on a summer internship for Nokia. I had jokingly (OK maybe not so jokingly) told some of my colleagues back at home that I thought I'd get into DJing over there. Anyways, so I get to Nokia and I'm bored out of my mind: everyone working there is at least 10 years older than me and is not very outgoing. I need to make friends.
One of the funny things I'm just realizing now, is it never dawned on me / I never even thought of going to the bars/clubs at night to socialize. Then again, that's not exactly my sort of crowd. But back to the story at hand.
So one day, I make a decision and say screw it. I'm going to go find myself a little DJ residency somewhere at a club around town. Step 1: Acquiring blank CDs was a surprisingly difficult task, being that almost no one (especially in the part of town I was living in) spoke English. Step 2: Make demo. Done (was always an Ableton/laptop MIDI DJ). Step 3: Research all potential venues in Beijing that fit the style of music I was pushing (breaks'n'house). Step 4: ... cold call/ approach the venues.
Step 4 took some serious adversity. Over two weekends, I spent all day going around to these venues in taxis during the daytime. Towards the second weekend, though, a grad student from my dept. at home who was from Beijing came to visit, so she was able to help me with translating. Basically all the management didn't speak any English / I kept getting kicked out. It was a total failure.
So I gave up...
Then. One day. I was walking back to the subway station from Nokia with my boss. He points to a big-building and tells me it's a really popular nightclub in the city (he had no idea I was doing this music stuff in the background). Right under my nose. The entire time. On closer inspection, they even had some posters up for some big acts I recognized (Takkyu Ishino, in this case).
So I pass by this place for a number of days wondering if I just want to disappoint myself again. Finally I realize that I'll regret it if I don't try. So I muster up the courage, go in to the front desk, and put my friend on the phone to talk to them while I just stand their nervously. Conversation ensues. Finally, the receptionist hands me back the phone and my friend tells me that I should head back to venue later that evening to meet with one of the managers. What?
So to wrap this up, I handed the manager demo. Manager liked it, and offered me residency. However, instead of doing that, she decided to market me as a famous DJ for a few one-offs. I'm talking like posters with my mug on 'em plastered around the city. The first show I did was totally nuts - I headlined it. I walked out on stage at this pretty big club (maybe 2000ish capacity?) to a sea of screaming and whistling people. And people got down. So, I did this maybe 2 or 3 more times, and even got flown back to headline their new years eve party. It was a pretty magnificent experience.
Bonus: I got an incredible group of friends out of it, though sadly we've lost touch over the years. Through the manager, who was an awesome person, I met other DJs, local punk rockers, rappers, tattoo artists, street racers, and got discover some really neat other bars/clubs/lounges. One of the best times in my life all around.
The power of marketing is incredible.
TLDR: Decided to try to get a DJ residency in Beijing. Epic failed for a few weeks, but finally landed one and instead got marketed and treated like a headliner...
Most people talk a good game but never act on their ambitions. My hats off to you for taking those steps and putting yourself out there. And look at what came of it: Pretty awesome! Great story
Thanks! I just found the original poster. This is REALLY EMBARRASSING and makes me cringe at myself, but... why the hell not... prior to great scott, it was DJ Essen
Hahahah, that's nuts. Awesome story. Awww yiss! I use it mostly for production, but I've spun a few sets with it. Most of my friends are Traktor dudes, but Ableton truly does it all. I feel typical, but I have an APC40 controller, when really, I should have a Push, since I'm mostly on the production side....was always an Ableton/laptop MIDI DJ...
Same. I've always made music over DJing, and I was never able to afford a real turntables. When I started, Ableton was on version 2 or 3, and Traktor had just come out. The first version of Traktor had a number of issues (e.g. the minimum bump in pitch increment was way too big)... so I ended up sticking w/ Ableton, and I used an M-Audio Ozone controller (a good # of years before the APC40 came out)... aaaand now I feel old.
Currently, I use a Livid Instruments CNTRL:R. You should check out the Livid stuff. To me it's gives a bit more control in Ableton (for live performance) over the Akai stuff. Plus, they're just a really cool company in general :)
That thing is sexy, I like your taste in controllers. I'm a sucker for plug-n-play functionality (hence, the APC), but it'd be good for me to get something and map it out customized. That CNTRL:R is a pretty penny though. I want a Push more than anything, but... $ame problem.Currently, I use a Livid Instruments CNTRL:R.
Soon-to-be West Point candidate here, I have nothing but relentless respect for our armed forces and I don't know where it stems from (immigrant non-military family, pretentious liberal upper-class town) but I always feel a need and desire to show my appreciation for veterans and current servicemen and women. My question is, what can I do that will help in a simple way, or to show my appreciation without making you guys uneasy? I understand most veterans find it uncomfortable when they get a "thank you for your service" or something, but I still would really like to be able to extend a man in uniform some respect.
I wish you the best of luck with getting into West Point. You're right about the benefits being insane -- benefits are insane for the military in general. Better start looking into basic marching if you get in... left face, right face, about face, standing at attention, standing at ease, etc. And learn to slightly bend your knees when standing at attention so you don't pass out ;) I don't have a good answer for how to show appreciation, and saying "thank you for your service" might be the best way to do it. I can tell when it's said with a feeling of obligation as opposed to one of sincerity, and although it personally makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, I do appreciate the sentiment. Y'know, maybe you should just come up with your own one liner that's a bit different than "thank you for your service." I have a habit of saying "thank you for your help" instead of just "thank you" when I really want to mean it. Surprisingly, that little addition goes a long way.
Thank you, that makes sense. I tend to extend the sentence a few syllables like 'I appreciate it' instead of 'thanks' when i really mean it. I'll think of a line haha, good luck with your project getting those veterans homes, i'd love to hear an update in the future about how that's going if you keep working at it.
Was it for the free education and a good engineering degree? I don't mean to be damning, but that's a reason why the service academies are a place some people go. The USNA is the number four engineering school in the United States. I don't know about West Point.I don't know where it stems from
I didn't mean my appreciation was related to West Point. I venerated the military before I knew it was a viable option for someone seeking a strong higher education. As a lower-middle class teen with a constant fear of college debt and a desire for a remote sense of freedom after college, when I found out about the absolutely insane benefits of attending West Point, it only sealed the deal and convinced my mother to be on board.
Are you from a country where that's a thing?
I'm from Armenia, where teens break their own legs or flee the country to avoid the draft. I truly think it was born from my own interest, and possibly an oppressed desire for a little masculinity to be honest.
Two nights ago I was re-elected to the executive board of a radio station that I'm a part of. Very excited about this. Oh and yesterday we were awarded "Major Student Organization of the Year" for the second straight year from my university.
I won "Most Innovative" in a group hackathon a couple weeks ago. We put together a prototype web application that would grab assignments from teachers' websites and display them in a unified feed for the student. It was a lot of fun, and gave me confidence in developing for the web.
I feel like i'm climbing out of a fog I've wallowed in since I was a teenager.
Yes. Want.The data is gorgeous. I might post some of it here someday, along with launch vids, once they release the data package.
Reporting back in on this, pretty upset. Usually, the raw data from missions is eventually published after the principal investigator has their way with it, and usually you'll even see papers about it before then. I don't think our PI will ever release the data, because no one's making them. The launch videos... maybe there's an argument there (could be ITAR or considered proprietary). It's more scandalous than you can imagine, but I have to cut myself off there. In fact, I have removed my previous post, for good measure.
Just passed the 3 month mark on keto and lost 15lbs, I don't know why food was so important in my life before. I think this is going to finally allow me to transition into becoming a vegetarian, which I've wanted to do for a while now, so I'm both proud of what I've done and excited about what's next.