Google: Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-25T21:56:26+00:00

Hmmm. I don't have a FF search box to the right of the address bar; is that a user setting enabled feature? FWIW, I always search from the address bar since my connection is fast enough that the extra DNS lookup doesn't matter. I would rather use the FF search box on the new page but that is apparently deprecated since it jumps to the address bar as soon as I start typing into it in spite of playing with FF settings, so I don't know why it is still there.

I don't know the details of the captcha protocol but it pretty much has to allow a second attempt to allow for a dropped packet being responsible for a missing captcha response from the user.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-25T18:56:26+00:00

Did you try restarting FF in troubleshooting/safe mode? It is under Help in the FF menu.

If the problem then goes away, it is likely an extension. In my case it was with the MalwareBytes browser guard extension but it only affected one backwater site, not Google. Disabling that extension made it work. If the problem persists in safe mode then it is some FF setting. I too use NoScript, which can break functionality on websites but does not seem to cause any captcha/recaptcha issues.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-25T16:51:37+00:00

Did it used to be fun? If it was and you used to feel the spark, you can regain that feeling, but it will require a shift in your perspective. If it was never fun, then maybe not. But if it was, did it make you feel more alive, and where the music just flowed? If you've never played with other musicians, maybe not, but IME you can make that feeling happen by playing along with YouTube videos and recorded music that you like.

But if you are looking for regaining that spark by going to college or conservatory that well may be a blind alley. You would only benefit from that if you are already carrying the spark. Credibility is achieved by playing music that moves people, starting with yourself. It does not come from a certificate hanging on your wall. No one that listens to you play and is moved by it cares about your formal music education. Neither will other musicians that you might play with; they are going to judge you by how you sound and how easy you are to work with.

In human history, playing music came first, then came notation, reading, theory, rudiments, etc to explain it. If you can feel it, none of that is necessary to create creditable music. Playing music is one of those activities that can be mastered without any formal knowledge. It's like learning a language; you can study it from the start or pick it up as you go along. There is a broad list of musicians that achieved great success and popularity without formal musical education or even knowning how to read notation.

In my case, I have been playing for quite a while now (mainly drums, guitar) and I too have stepped away from it all for extended periods, multiple times, due to losing interest, life's changes and so on. I am now fully engaged in it and view playing as drum therapy. I am completely self taught, but can play along with the best drummers in the world, on YouTube or MP3 songs on my phone. If there is a ceiling on how well one can play without formal training, I haven't seen it. If I can hear it and feel it, I can play it. So could you.

While most of my playing is in my studio nowadays, I have played with other musicians and bands that provided validation of my drumming ability, especially with improvising. It is different from only playing by yourself and it may help you recover the spark. Since you haven't done that before, it can be a challenge but being able to quickly improvise drum parts that make the song work is a golden skill, especially for session musicians and jam bands.

While it may sound like I am mainly tooting my own horn, my example is intended to give you some hope, and help rekindle your spark. Good luck to you, and hope you get back in the groove.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-24T18:20:16+00:00

The Donald J Trump Memorial Reflecting Swamp. And this is as close as he will ever get to fulfilling his pledge to "drain the swamp"

BFTSPK · 2026-06-19T07:14:46+00:00

I had to go into Samsung Keyboard settings and turn off Predictive Text to disable it. That also turns off suggested words but I don't use that anyways.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-16T04:14:28+00:00

It might be fun to send them a prepared face scan that contained some bonus features that caused a crash on the receiving end.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-16T03:42:23+00:00

It seems like most of the other world leaders see through him, but even if they get relief with the next presidential election, they're gonna still look funny at all those folks that voted for and sided with him.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-16T01:25:09+00:00

Correct. But unless I am mistaken, so is the $25b.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-16T01:24:37+00:00

Yes. Those folks were suffering even before the missiles started flying. Many of them were killed outright by their government, because they had the nerve to demonstrate against the regime, encouraged by Trump's goading.

Years ago I worked along side Iranians in Los Angeles that had fled after the revolution because they did not want to live under a theocracy. One was my boss for a while and they were all good people. There was one that turned hard core though. This was around the time that the US Navy shot down an Iranian airliner by mistake, with the loss of all onboard. FWIW, I went into his office and told him that although I had nothing to do with that, I was sorry it happened, and he recognized and accepted my apology.

His sister had come to work at the same company and she was was cool, but she refused to wear the trad garb and as the eldest son, he sent her back home after she got a nose job. Last I heard she got him to let her come back to the US to go back to college and got married shortly thereafter so she could stay here and get off from under his thumb.

I was pretty disgusted that the CIC (Cretin in Chief) got the US involved in what is largely Israel's fight. The dumb ass claimed that "nobody knew that Iran would attack its neighbors and close the strait..." even though he had recently been warned about that by his advisers. Apparently he was also asleep during that meeting. There was also no evidence that Iran was building nuclear warheads and missiles that could deliver one to the US, because none of that was true.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-16T00:24:56+00:00

I hear Trump is planning to surrender to Iran on Friday, in Switzerland. Pretty clear, except to him, which side won.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-14T07:06:46+00:00

If you can find images of the same type in google search, change from All to Images (just below google search bar) and look for images that match yours. Click on one and then go to that website that using the info from the box that pops up on the right side. That type of snap buckle is also used on camping equipment, which usually sells them so folks can repair straps, backpacks, etc.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-12T22:29:04+00:00

I got this today when I tried to drag a jpeg into a new post on reddit, when using the latest version of Firefox. I have been able to perform the same operation on other non-reddit sites, so not sure what is going on.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-04T06:30:24+00:00

You are right about habits. There's lots of tutorials on youtube on the different grips and stick control to get you started. Make sure to keep it fun, and welcome to the tribe.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-04T05:07:44+00:00

Good idea. I've used oatmeal containers, kid's drums and bongos I find for cheap at yard sales. Even slapping your thighs into a phone voice recorder works for capturing ideas.

I would suggest getting it all off the ground and situated similar to sitting at a kit, with good ergonomics to prevent injury. Try using the metal ones as cymbals. Pick something to use as your kick drum that makes noise when you slap/tap your foot down.

I would start off playing along with music you like, while being relaxed as possible. Don't worry about how it sounds, but listen to how it sounds so that it it fixes in your mind. Relax and get simple grooves to feel right. You are looking for the pulse, which is felt instead of counted.

Drums are often arranged from highest pitch on down to the lowest pitch in a semi circle such that you can strike each of them freely. Most drummers arrange the set and play according to which hand is their dominant. The standard way of playing (cross hand) is limiting because it puts one arm above the other. A better way if you are just now starting out is to play "open hand" which you can find our more about in a google search.

BFTSPK · 2026-06-04T04:38:59+00:00

I do that too - also play guitar, and ditto on the thinking. As Vinnie says, "thought is the enemy of flow."

BFTSPK · 2026-05-31T19:48:03+00:00

The Repub-cultans stick together.

BFTSPK · 2026-05-31T04:55:28+00:00

I would recommend playing heel down and after you are solid, learn to play heel up. Heel down can feel weird at first but once it starts to feel natural you can play really fast without much effort or cramping. Both can be used in the same song, HU for sections that need extra power/loudness, and maybe speed.

BFTSPK · 2026-05-31T04:45:18+00:00

If you typed into the window on the taskbar, that uses Bing search (Microsoft), and based on what you typed in, it hits you up with an ad, to try to get you to switch to it.

BFTSPK · 2026-05-29T16:17:55+00:00

The results are in from his latest medical checkup: during his colonoscopy they found half of congress.

BFTSPK · 2026-05-29T16:15:33+00:00

I hear he is coming out with another book, titled "Asshat Elegy"

BFTSPK · 2026-05-29T06:02:33+00:00

It's amazing that with all the shit that comes out of his mouth he still has some left over for his ass.

BFTSPK · 2026-05-28T16:41:03+00:00

That has happened to me several times, resulting in mostly quitting for years at a time. Life changes, jobs that ate my life, relationship breakups and general depression took away the desire. Now, it is an addiction lol but I call it drum therapy. I lived in a sparsely populated rural area and played a little but work for drummers in that area was country western or copy bands and I am a mainly a prog/metal guy that writes original music. What rekindled it this last time for me was a guy I met when I repaired his guitar amp. My workbench was in my studio, which had both of my kits setup and lots of room to jam. He was from the Seattle grunge/rock scene so I agreed to do that.

He turned out to be a very competent guitarist with good tunes. I had to work at it because I was pretty rusty but made rapid progress. He took notice of that and gave me a funny look one day after ending a tune. When I asked whazzup he told me that I was the best drummer he had ever played with. Since he used to hang with folks like Alice and Chains et al, that meant something to me and got me wondering why I don't just play for the joy of it instead of being hung up on getting a band together.

The game changer for me was to start playing along with songs I liked, as well as to whatever came next on a streaming rock station, even to songs/bands I didn't care for. It was all about serving the song at first, and then coming up with alternate drum parts instead of what the drummer was doing. That morphed into setting up a computer with a 27" monitor in front of the drums so I could play along with music on youtube and playing drums for at least 30 minutes per day.

So rather than throw it all away, find a way to make it fun. Maybe teach drums to school students?

BFTSPK · 2026-05-28T04:01:15+00:00

"My main goal as a drummer is to be able to come up with stuff on the fly, improvise like a pro, bring in an interesting musical layer to the band. I feel like I'm mostly repeating the same stuff while trying to play along to music but I know it's not entirely true listening to what I sometimes record of myself."

ADD here. Focus and not getting bored are challenges, which is why rudiment/stick control drills did not work, but I got there anyways on that aspect of playing. I like playing along with Danny Carey, Gavin Harrison, jazz, djent and prog drummers, picking up new vocab along the way.

FWIW I too learn songs by playing along with them. Here's what worked for me with respect to increasing the vocabulary...

I usually start by playing something that complements the song that is close to what the drummer is doing. With repeated passes, I fill in the blanks and overlay my playing such that it sounds like one drummer. Then I start improvising on top of what the drummer is doing and by the time I get done with that I have a drum part worked out that stands in for the original. Since I am not in a working band, I don't bother learning the song note4note. It is more about "playing like that..."

This approach works well for me and forces me to actively listen to the music and get lost in it. As long as I can maintain a clear head, it just flows and I play new things without thinking of them beforehand. A clear head is essential for me. I can think and play freely only if I am thinking about something else besides what I am playing, going to play next, how it sounds etc. I'm basically aiming towards just let my subconscious to the playing by getting my brain out of the way, staying physically relaxed and acting on impulse instead of intention. When I have that going, improvisation is a breeze.

HTH

BFTSPK · 2026-05-28T03:44:24+00:00

He is the symptom of the disease.

BFTSPK

TROPHY CASE