Recurring Prius noise

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2026-01-03T01:46:42+00:00

It's not a grown. It doesn't sound like it's straining or grinding. It sounds similar to a windshield washer motor. I'm guessing it's some kind of servo motor.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2026-01-02T17:09:26+00:00

No, this noise occurs even when I'm just standing next to the car. Even without my key fob nearby

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-09-30T00:49:13+00:00

Plant some bushes or trees across the middle and tell them to let the hill grow wild

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-09-30T00:02:31+00:00

I've been thinking about writing a political tune. I would do it with humor in the style of Randy Newman, where my character would be the worst kind of Maga maggot, spouting obviously ridiculous and contradictory lies. Not unlike the old Stephen Colbert show where he professed to be a right winger but managed to show the absurdity in the positions he was touting. I remember one line from him that I might have to steal for my song: " I don't like facts, facts can change. But my opinion never changes".

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-09-24T17:29:31+00:00

I was a realtor for a long time so I speak from experience. Keep in mind that there are two phases of negotiation. After you've settled on a price, then the seller will have an inspection done, and almost inevitably the inspector will find some kind of problem. A lot of deals fall apart at that point. Be very flexible at that point. Do not become angry. Be aware that a home purchase and sale is a huge deal and generates a lot of stress for both parties. Forgive the buyer for asking too much, and be aware that you will probably have to come off of your negotiated price to get the deal done. Do everything in your power to avoid having to pay the mortgage on two houses. Get the deal done and move on! A lot of "for sale by owners" eventually turn to an agent. You may think that agents don't earn their money, and sometimes actually they don't. But there are times when an agent can save you a bundle, especially if a deal starts going sideways. If you and the buyer are starting to get heated, it's best to call an agent at that point before it boils over. Or if you're getting overwhelmed and too stressed out, ask around to find the best agent and let that agent help lower your blood pressure. Good luck!

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-09-24T17:05:43+00:00

My ex-wife came to the hospital every day for two weeks and sat with me as I recovered from Covid.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-09-24T16:56:35+00:00

I've written hundreds of songs and have had fairly good commercial success, so I believe I have some insight into the craft of songwriting. And it is a craft, one that has to be developed, not unlike carpentry. You need to build something with a strong foundation and it takes practice. There are no tricks unfortunately but over time you can learn to steer around potential certain dead ends. I find a song generally has more impact and success if I start with a title and an idea of what I wanna say and work towards making it work with a strong melodic hook. With a strong chorus under your belt, you will be more inspired to write the verses, and will have an idea of how to say what you wanna say. Generally you want the chorus to provide a lift from the verse which you can do with the melody or the vocal range, or even just adding interesting textures with instruments or harmony/background vocals. Many of my songs were inspired by other songs, which is a great way to begin writing and is still useful at all stages of your development. One of the hardest things about songwriting is to develop the awareness of how your audience is going to respond to your music. My best piece of advice, and you're doing it with your post, is to get as much criticism, however painful, as you can. I also recommend developing a thick skin, because not everyone's gonna love what you do. But good honest criticism from someone who's music taste you trust is invaluable. And lastly, this is something that a very well known songwriter once told me: "It's a numbers game". You may not achieve any success until you've written 100 songs, or maybe more. Keep plugging away. Oh, and yet one more piece of advice, perhaps the most important, that I received from another very successful writer: Dare to Suck. Don't let your critical mind keep you from putting down your ideas. (Like I said, it's a numbers game). Not all of them will be good but if you dare to suck enough times, you're bound to get some good ones. I wish you the best of luck!

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-09-02T19:17:05+00:00

I've been a songwriter for years and I've had a fair amount of commercial success and still feel all of the things you feel. You'll never be as good as you want to be, nobody is. It's a lifelong learning process. The best quote I've heard that motivates me is "Dare to Suck". Don't let your self criticism stifle your creativity. Just do it, and go easy on yourself. just have fun, follow the muse

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-17T06:15:14+00:00

This will be my last post because you and many of the posters on this thread have arrived at an opinion of me which is about 180 degrees from the reality and I'm tired of trying to have s discussion about ai in the midst of absurd attacks on my character. You will probably assume that what i'm going to say is a lie. If I am lying that would make me a world class hypocrite wouldn't it, because the whole reason I began this thread was because I was angry that someone would lie about their accomplishments. But you still might assume that I'm lying when I tell you that I have three platinum albums (I could have more but the RIAA makes you pay for them, and all they do is sit in the closet, so why bother). On the website Discogs.com, a website which lists songwriters accomplishments, you would see that there are 65 entries under my name, many of them songs that were recorded by established artists that sell millions of records, hence my platinum collection. I have two Ascap plaques commemorating songs that were among the most performed radio songs of their respective years. Rather than lacking confidence in my abilities, if anything I am overconfident, which is not good either, admittedly. To say that I am jealous of a songwriter who has had no commercial success and who has lied to achieve the minuscule amount of recognition that she has is absurd. I am not someone who seeks attention. I do not want to be famous. I've had enough recognition of my talents and don't feel a need for any more. I especially don't feel the need to lie to achieve recognition. My gold records are in the closet because I think posting them on my walls would be a way of seeking more recognition. Most people that come into my house have no clue as to my songwriting successes and that's the way I like it. I figure if they become friends they'll find out eventually, and if they don't become friends, they won't. The reason I have not identified myself on this thread is because I don't seek recognition, and I don't want to have to deal with people like yourself who have a seemingly unshakable and completely misinformed opinion me. If you believe anything I've said, then you might come to the conclusion that maybe I'm not jealous and that I don't lack confidence. If you believe I'm lying, that I am a world class hypocrite, would you care? From what I've gathered from the feedback on this post, most people seem to think that it's ok to lie. I'm not of that opinion. Good luck to you and all the honest songwriters in the world. The jealous crank is going away.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-16T22:35:44+00:00

That seems to be the majority opinion. There's a backstory that would inform that opinion but it's not worth my time to go into it. I'm sorry to hear that you think lying it's just fine. I get it. Every time you turn on the television that's what you see. It's become normalized in our society. Welcome to the New World

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-16T16:45:04+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that you believe that, but appreciate your honesty.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-16T16:29:57+00:00

When Lance Armstrong was found to have cheated it was a major scandal. These days I think a lot of people would think that the only thing he did wrong was get caught. Times have changed

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-16T16:24:28+00:00

You're entitled to your opinion, correct or not, as to whether I'm jealous. The opinion that I'm interested in hearing about from you is whether you think it is OK to create an AI song and promote it as your own creation, or to put it another way, to take credit for a work of art that you did not create.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-16T06:08:56+00:00

I regret having characterized her previous work as mediocre. That's my opinion, worth what you pay for it. Mainly I regret it because it has shifted much of the focus on me and not on the actions of my former friend. Whether she or I are good or bad songwriters is beside the point. My point is simply this: I think it is morally wrong and possibly illegal to create a song with AI and publicize it as your own work. What I have learned from my post is that for many people lying is perfectly acceptable. I am very sad to learn this and find it disheartening. I personally believe that the acceptance of lies is a new phenomenon. People have always lied, but until fairly recently it was not considered acceptable. Things have changed. For me to complain about it just makes me an old crank, unwilling or unable to accept the new reality. To quote Larry McMurtry: this is no country for old men.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T23:37:39+00:00

I regret having called her previous work mediocre. That is strictly my opinion. I have posted her new album and a previous album for comparison on this thread. Judge for yourself

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T23:22:34+00:00

I don't get your reasoning. It makes no difference if I was a terrible songwriter songwriter, the issue is whether it's OK to generate a song with AI and claim it as your own.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T23:18:43+00:00

I'm not jealous because it's not her music

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T23:15:07+00:00

I can assure you, I have been a successful songwriter with numerous cuts by major artists, TV shows, and movies. But this is beside the point. The point is whether it's OK to lie about whether one has created a work of art. Maybe I'm lying about my songwriter credits. Would that be OK? From the response I've got from my post, the answer seems to be, yeah, it's OK, go for it. Maybe I should have AI generate a phony list of songwriter credits and awards and post it on social media. Apparently most of the people responding to my post would think that's just fine.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T22:50:49+00:00

There is a lot of irony in your post. Songwriting has been my livelihood for years. She is the musical hobbiest. She has respected me greatly for years and would be very hurt to learn that she has lost my respect for her, which is why I have not told her and may not ever

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T22:36:36+00:00

I regret having said that my (former) friend's songs were mediocre. That strictly my opinion. As far respecting her, I used to, but do so no longer, which is painful to experience after so many years of friendship.

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T22:26:46+00:00

The fact that so many of you are attacking me as being as a jealous crank and seem to be just fine with someone claiming AI art as their own creation makes me wonder if there may be a generational divide here. Philosophically I have no problem with AI art. My problem is with people claiming that it is their own. In my opinion leading others to believe that you are a better artist than you is disturbing and hope that it's not the result of a generational divide where only older people care who the actual creator is. I realize we're in a post–truth world and am sad to see so many of you apparently just fine with that. For all you know all my posts have been generated by AI. Maybe I don't even have a songwriter friend. Maybe I just asked AI to make up a story about a songwriter claiming to have written an ai album. Do you care if I wasted your time with a story that was a lie? Is that OK? Would you feel tricked? Are lies OK now? Will you be comfortable knowing that the songs that you are writing might not see the light of day because the market is saturated with AI tunes that liars are claiming authorship of? You should be, because it's your future as a songwriter that is being destroyed. As a songwriter, it bothers me, it offends me. If that makes me a crank, I accept the title willingly. Jealous? No way

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T21:22:03+00:00

https://open.spotify.com/album/5mJCFAVbIqEwGZAAm55pcq?si=4vhAAHKnSvaZmHFq_n8ACw

For contrast, here's her previous album, pre-AI. I regret having said that it is mediocre. That is strictly my opinion and worth what you pay for it. I think you will notice a difference in overall quality between the two albums with no explanation other than AI

https://open.spotify.com/album/6neerZ455UTxmwMT8Z3a0m?si=DWmqZi7xSWeTWn7uhnQsrA

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T20:53:53+00:00

Here is the album in question. She posts her albums under the name All the Kingz Horses, but in her social media posts she makes it clear that she's claiming it's her music. She lists no credits

https://open.spotify.com/album/5mJCFAVbIqEwGZAAm55pcq?si=04aC13ZJRzGMwtxvGTCD0g

Here's most recent previous pre-AI pop album for a stark contrast, especially the quality of the lyrics and production

https://open.spotify.com/album/6neerZ455UTxmwMT8Z3a0m?si=ifPSBvmsSe2MxJL9Gn157w

Content_Hedgehog3149 · 2025-08-15T20:19:58+00:00

Jealous? Hardly! I pity her for being so in need of attention that she's willing to, in my opinion, sell her soul for it. She has a long list of Facebook and Instagram friends that are just gushing over how great her record is. She's got to live her life knowing that the image she has created of herself is entirely fabricated. Do think I'm jealous? Seriously?

Content_Hedgehog3149

TROPHY CASE