john | relaxed machinery

@ahalftintoyrobot

I post about what I’m listening to for myself and as an advisor/librarian for SomaFM. Record as Relaxed Machinery and owned a label of the same name. Also, a half tin toy robot. musician, coffee addict, sql coder, former label owner, mini painter, he/him

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Bluesky

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john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Oct 3

Yes we bought these bunny related items and this wonderful red vase.

A vase that is blue in color and has two rabbits on either side of the opening. A paint brush is in the vase. Behind is a tower of old fossils that is black and white.

Chunky large red vase made of pottery sitting on a bamboo mat. The vase is oblong in shape and wider than it is tall.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Sep 28

We went on the Michiana Pottery Tour yesterday. Saw so many gorgeous and amazing pieces and a few studios. A very nice time with friends visiting us.

Pottery Pitcher done in an arabic inspired manner. They all looked almost as if they were metal. The pitcher has windows inspired markings around the base - he said based on mosques he'd seen.

Large vase. Very chunky in design. Many colors but primarily a red with blue and orange highlights. The design reminded us of old trailers people used to haul behind their cars to go camping. We bought this one.

Vases fired with actual flowers and ferns that left their image on the vases. Dark grey with the flowers and ferns a milky white color. We also saw the ash pile with remains of the flowers and ferns. These were very smooth and silky to touch.

A pitcher with intricate design including an Angler Fish - which had a sort of antenna and a light hanging over its mouth that attracts other creatures to get eaten. The base of the pitcher is red while the rest is black and white.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Sep 24

Apple and Tidal were already available. This is just yet another step in that direction. Not that I like it. Seems to be a lot of restrictions on using streaming tracks though,

Image is a screenshot of the Rekordbox FAQ page - entire text below:

Are there any functional restrictions when using tracks from a streaming service on rekordbox?

The following restrictions apply when using tracks from a streaming service.

EXPORT mode
Tracks cannot be used.

PERFORMANCE mode
The recording function cannot be used. This is due to copyright restrictions set by the streaming services.

The capture function cannot be used.

Tracks cannot be loaded to the sampler deck.

Tracks cannot be added to playlists.

Track information cannot be edited.

Tracks are not shown in [Histories].

Music files are not backed up with the backup function.

Cannot be exported to a USB storage device or SD memory card.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Sep 3

I got a new guitar pedal! Reissue of the Disaster Transport from Earthquaker Devices. I haven't bought new gear in a while - this was on a really nice sale so snagged it.

A guitar pedal called Disaster Transport by Earthquaker Devices on a white stand. The pedal is grey with some black highlights and 5 knobs with a couple of foot switched.

There is a small bit of grass coming up from the bottom, some pretty fake fruit around the base of a statue of Buddha. Only Buddha's feet and calves are in the picture - and is a worn gold color.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Aug 9

Photo I took the other day. I was walking by and noticed my wife had put the key in the palm and it caught my eye.

Ornate brass hand sculpture - might be Indian in design. With an ornate old style key resting on the palm. The key is long and has four circles like a clover on the top of it and is silver in color. The hand is resting on a dark wooden dresser. The bottom of a flower pot is just visible in the picture. It is dark brown with white vertical lines.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Aug 5

Pulling down some #SomaFM promos this morning. Occasionally people ask how and what to send. There are different emails for different stations. I monitor the promosubmissions email address and then forward to Rusty everything that fits channels.Sc somafm.com/contact/subm...

Screen shot of the SomaFM.com website showing 8 of the channels and descriptions and listener counts right now on Aug 5 in the morning US time. Each channel has a small square image representing the station. For example Groove Salad shows a turntable playing a record shaded green.

Top reads: Over 30 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free, underground/alternative radio broadcasting to the world. All music hand-picked by SomaFM's award-winning DJs and music directors.

Channels are Groove Salad, Drone Zone, Indie Pop Rocks!, Deep Space One, Groove Salad Classic, Space Station Soma, Lush, and Secret Agent.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jul 26

Just sent more than a few releases to Rusty for SomaFM consideration. I've been making notes all week as I listen, but hadn't actually uploaded yet. Some decent stuff in there. Getting basement bedroom ready for guests. Watching Poirot. Photo of our youngest chihuahua yesterday.

Chihuaha under a blue blanket which is barely above his eyes covering the rest of him and he's looking straight at the camera. Only part of his nose and eyes visible. Laying on a fluffy blanket. White fur is visible. His black fur is hidden under the blanket.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jun 19

Echo Chamber? How about a Space Echo?

A Roland Space Echo RE-201 unit along with a Juno 106 and Prophet 600 keyboards and a Lexicon Vortex and Korg SDD-1200 delay units. These are all musical gear for making music.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jun 15

Hey I'm followed by Nile Rodgers Backup now... I'm a happy man ;-)

screen shot of the Nile Rodgers Backup account showing all of Nile's info and some pictures of him playing bass. Whether this is a real Nile Rodgers account ... is suspect. :-)

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jun 5

That clearly says made on earth by numans.

Gary Numan album called The Pleasure Principle with Gary in a dark grey suit with small white thread rectangles at a desk with a small red lighted pyramid. He is staring at the pyramid. Gary has eyeliner and eye shadow and looks very well put together.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Apr 11

Second time I've run into this on YouTube. I think I'm listening to the "topic" album playlist - but it's from a user... and the 3rd track (the piano keyboard one) is an hour long crypto idiocy ad. Pretty sure it was the 3rd track in the other one as well. grrrrrrrrr.

screenshot of Youtube showing an album playlist with an hour long rypto ad inserted into it.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Apr 8

I’ve reached 025! Here’s a recap. These are albums: + that influenced me + I listened to a ton at some point in life + changed me or excited me in some way I add an album to this list as I’m listening and the mood strikes. “Oh! I should add this to the list!”

List of 25 albums I’ve posted to Bluesky

025 Echo & The Bunnymen - Crocodiles (1980)
024 Haujobb - Solutions For A Small Planet (1996)
023 Saul Stokes - Zo Pilots (1998)
022 Max Corbacho - Ars Lucis (2009)
021 Underworld - Beaucoup Fish (1999)
020 Steve Roach - Dreamtime Return (1988)
019 Banco De Gaia - Magical Sounds Of (1999)
018 Yoko Kanno - Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex OST (2003)
017 Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds Of (2001)
016 Scanner - Lauwarm Instrumentals (1999)
015 Solar Fields - Blue Moon Station (2003)
014 The Black Dog - Spanners (1994)
013 Shpongle - Are You Shpongled? (1998)
012 David Sylvian - Alchemy, An Index of Possibilities (1985)
011 Modern English - After The Snow (1982)
010 Derrick May - Innovator - Soundtrack for the Tenth Planet (1991)
009 Robert Rich / Alio Die - Fissures (1997)
008 Front 242 - Official Version (1987)
007 That Petrol Emotion - End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues (1988)
006 World Party - Goodbye Jumbo (1990)
005 Steve Roach - Early Man (2001)
004 Laurent Garnier - Unreasonable Behaviour (2000)
003 The Beat / The English Beat - I Just Can’t Stop It (1980)
002 Woob 1194 (1994)
001 Vidna Obmana & Asmus Tietchens - 4th Theme (1999)

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Mar 26

#SomaFM promo emails Jarguna - The Truth Lies Beyond (April 11, 2025) This is a nice one coming on @projekt.bsky.social #ambient #soundscape www.projekt.com/store/https:...

album cover for new album by Jargon called The Truth Lies Beyond showing a person standing next to a stream of water looking into the distance where a giant vortex or perhaps whirlpool in the air - with a giant eye inside.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Feb 27

“Searcher of souls” is a great Non-Beholder name… the massive mustache beholder. The Wilford Brimley of Beholders. I’ve got one here from Mirliton. Old Grenadier sculpt. Mentioned in this blog post. greatdungeonnorth.blogspot.com/2018/11/beho...

Two old Grenadier miniatures. A tiny dragon and a beholder. Made of metal. The beholder is a floating eyeball with tendrils and from the Dungeons and Dragosn type fantasy worlds.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Feb 11

I always try to remember alt text and mostly successful. Helps to have the reminder setting. Just because I can see, doesn’t mean others can. 1138 posts analyzed 164 contain images 30 are replies 147 posts have alt text Score: 89.63% ☺️ dame.is/ratingalttext

Bluesky Alt Text ing how often I personally post alt text. Results:

1138 posts analyzed
164 contain images
30 are replies
147 posts have alt text
Score: 89.63% ☺️

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Feb 11

Did a quick search of him as i’ve liked his photos before. This different tint version posted last year for an exhibition by Leica world. I just find it interesting that images can evolve and change on the internet or in magazines/books. Can still be so effective and yet so different.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Feb 6

Shifted to Muddy Waters I think it’s eclectic day? Don’t worry I’ll get back to Detroit techno soon enough. Four chihuahuas last night just after eating and sorting out where to curl up for after dinner nap.

Four chihuahuas on a couch. Three looking at me happy they just ate. Haven’t settled in for naps yet. The chihuahuas are mostly brown, tan, and white. One is mostly black though. Couch has two soft stairs leading up to it.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jan 28

slight resemblance to Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner. :-)

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jan 25

This is where I post from

John Steed and Emma Peel using a radio in the Acenters tv show from the 1960s. Black and white photo. Steed played by Patrick Macnee in a bowler hat and suit is dialing in the radio and has a phone receiver up to his ear. Peel played by Diana Rigg leans over Steed while looking to the sky.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jan 20

You’ve probably seen this also but you can disable reposts entirely.

Following feed preferences settings in bluesky.

Show replies
Show reposts
Show quote posts.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jan 17

About 8 years ago two of my doggies made a shadow giraffe

Two chihuahuas in the sun on a leopard print rug looking up at the camera. The sun is low on the horizon so the two dogs are casting a shadow in the shape of a giraffe.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Jan 17

Been listening to Donnacha Costello - Color Series I bought it on Bandcamp long time ago but it’s no longer posted. Good stuff #techno #house #minimal

Album color for Donnacha Costello - Color series.

Black background with 10 color circles - representing the 10 vinyl records that were released in 2004 in the Color Series.

Blue, Green, Rubine Red, Grape, Pistachio, Orange, Opal, Olive, Mustard, Cocao.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 31

Organized one of my miniatures drawers. An off and on hobby of mine since the early 80's. My wife's trying to help me kick start my painting again. She got me going. I love it. I love old metal minis. These are: + Infinity + Reaper + Ral Partha + Perry Brothers Samurai (boxes on right)

a drawer full of metal miniatures used for role playing games. I like to paint them. Manufacturers in this drawer:

+ Infinity
+ Reaper
+ Ral Partha
+ Perry Brothers Samurai (boxes on right)

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 30

Porco Rosso says hello.

Still from the movie, Porco Rosso, showing a pig flying an old plane.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 28

All the dvd boxes moved from the shelves in the upstairs closets. A ton of prime real estate - and since streaming has taken over 99% of our viewing. It makes sense to move the hefty collection downstairs. Yes I had an addiction / obsession with DVDs for a long long time.

Media holders for DVDs… all stacked up and labeled. 13 black boxes and 8 white boxes. On a metal bread rack in a basement.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 28

Ran across a photo from a year or two ago where the synth closet isn't all a mess. The bottom synth is a Korg DSS-1. Synthesizers.com modular, Juno 106, Prophet 600. There's a Roland D-05 boutique hiding on the DSS. Under the Space Echo is a Korg SDD-1200 delay - love that thing. #synthsky

A closet filled with synthesizers, drum machines, effects, and a mixer and various other gadgets. Orange light. A bunch of guitar pedals hanging on the wall.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 28

I've got the Roland touch screen clone. On right side. :-)

a closet full of synths and drum machines and mixers and all the stuff to make music with. Orange lighting on everything.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 27

I listen on these old Studio Lab’s my wife got in high school around 1980 or so. They sound amazing. I’d just broken a lava lamp like thing with glitter goo floating inside and had to clean half the room and the speaker.

Picture of a stereo speaker made by Studio Lab around 1980. 6 speakers on the front. Shiny black surface.

john | relaxed machinery@ahalftintoyrobot· Dec 22

#acid #acidhouse #acidtechno