Official Lincoln Light Show

For those asking in the hundreds of PM's I've been getting, we are missing parts to finish the setup therefore, the show is in pause mode right now. When we come up with something, it will be posted on here. Fingers crossed!

Not happy. The part I was testing on had an earlier revision number. Not compatible with my LED string. Result: I let the genie out of a component on the controller because he disappeared, and left nothing but a BZZZT and a puff of smoke. Now I have to wait for the replacement that I just ordered to arrive Monday December 14. :( ... I have another type of controller but it is getting further away from what I want to accomplish. I'll keep digging. surely I must have something in my tickle trunk that will help me out. I have ordered so many different parts for LED strips. I just have to find it. Taking a break for tonight. Too frustrating right now. Little Baby Jesus doesn't like it when I am mad cause I swear and it makes him cry. So close to Christmas, I should behave better. LOL

Starting to panic just a little bit more each day. When you put in a tracking number on Canada Post and you get this message: " We didn’t find an item associated with this number. Find out why. You can also edit this number. " ...and then you read this:... "Please shop early this holiday season as parcel volumes will increase. For more on our efforts to serve you while staying safe during COVID-19, please click here." I need my dongle for my lasers and they were ordered over a month and a half ago. Was supposed to be here by now. We will have a show no matter what. Like I wrote to someone in a PM, even if I have to run around with glow sticks while flailing my arms like an idiot, you'll have a show. ...we gotta have a show. :(

Gotta love the internet. Since my part isn't here yet, I decided to search stuff that had nothing to do with what I'm waiting for. Turns out there are hacks to be found cause many have had the same problem. now will it fit my setup/needs? Only time will tell. I already ran in an incompatibility problem but there must be a hack for that hack. If you don't understand, don't worry. It gets more complicated... I am testing different things on the LED controller that isn't kosher. I hope I don't screw this up or I'll have to keep waiting....

Today is Halloween which is a special day for many kids and adults alike. However, for one little "Ghoul Fiend" of mine, today is her birthday. Big shout out to the one little soul that made me wipe all my pains and aches when I would setup the display each year. This special soul is my little friend, Gracie. She'll know I'm talking about her when she sees this. Hope you have a great day Gracie and have a great candy picking route should you go out. And if you do go out tonig...ht, stay safe. I still want to see you on December 18 for our annual meeting at the end of the DRIVEWAY. And that's even though we are not going out or collecting money. LOL ;)

"We didn’t find an item associated with this number. " :(

Someone gave me an idea. For the past few years, our subdivision has been decorating nicely. Many have told me over the years they enjoyed looking at other peoples lights in anticipation of seeing our display. Well since we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, I have come up with an idea. If you look at the picture in the top of this page, you see a purple light shining under the eaves . These lights were static meaning, they could change to million of different colors... but that's all they did. All in unison. Last week, I added new ones to replace the ones in the picture. What is cool about the new ones, I can actually address any individual lights in the string so I can play music and different parts of it would light up. I would connect the lights to our low powered transmitter 94.9 FM and while you visit our area and the numerous houses that have decorations, you can listen to Christmas music, commercial free! I'll try to set it up on a nice warm day where there isn't any rain or cold for the fingers. Lots of rain coming this week. Not Christmas spirit in my opinion. I know it isn't what I really wanted to show but at least, I have something to fall back for the time being. We'll call this years display, the Elevator Music wanna be. You know the one that will have this one song which you never know the title? Well this is it. I'll play the songs you have heard here probably for the first time.... PS: Many thanks for the words of kindness you peeps have expressed for me. This is why I'd rather can this years show than give you half ass display. ;) PPS: What really bugs me is that the beauty of lasers versus the Christmas lights, rain, fog and humidity doesn't stop the show. Not even heavy snow. Instead, they create the best effect as the beam of light bounces on every particle that it hits. So instead of just seeing the "decay", or the point where the laser dies as it is projected, you see its path from the projector all the way till the end. Damn you Covid! PPPS: Even my wife hasn't seen all 3 laser projectors in action. She likes to be surprised like everyone else.

I might have to take a final decision this week. When I announced back in 2018 that we would come back in 2020 for version 2.0 of the Lincoln Light Show, there was never an indication that we would be in a pandemic. This was NOT in my plans. At. All. When I announced that I would have something new instead of just lights that blink and flashes to the sound of music, I had 2 laser projectors already on hand. If you guys go back in the posts on this page, you might remember th...e time I wanted to add something new in tandem with the lights but the Canada Post strike had fudged that plan. Well, 7 years later, here we are, in the same predicament. However, this time is not due to a postal strike but Covid putting a stick in our wheels. This summer I had bought a bigger laser projector because I wanted to bring something big. Sadly, things are not working well for us. I purposely ordered stuff earlier than usual to make sure there would be the least amount of problems. I am so mad right now, that you can blame the rain we are supposed to get this week on me, due to my cursing. I was all prepped up even though I still have to redo what I have done due to a stupid error on my part, that last week, I decided to add something special under the eaves of our house and tie it in with the laser show. Well that is all I have. That new addition. Missing links makes for a poor chain. So what am I saying here? I have no idea myself. I am lost for words. In the past, no matter the goof ups, I was always able to do some MacGyver-esque action to make it work. Like the time I spent 30 minutes with a hair dryer trying to evaporate the ice that formed from the rain we had on a December day. I hope you are happy, Covid. You are killing not just people, but the plans of those trying to uplift our spirits in this absurd year. I'm pestering a company right now trying to get a certain software. What worries me is the software is very popular but customer service, sucks big time. Sent 3 emails, contacted them through their page , even left a message on their phone service. The longer they take to answer me, the least amount of time will be left to put on "a" show. I wish I could go back in time and not tell anyone we would have a show during this pandemic. Or at the very least, warn people that this crap would screw the world big time.

I was hoping to have something for Halloween but like everything else this year, Covid is preventing me from getting parts delivered on time. :( Halloween is out I'm afraid so let's keep our fingers crossed that I get EVERYTHING in time for Christmas. Many companies running with diminished staff so I can order all I want but to get it on time, that's a whole other ball game. If it was as easy as getting my stuff locally, it would be great. But this is Fredericton New Brunswick. Meat and potato, nothing out of the ordinary, type of city. Not made to help the Lincoln Laser Show.... :(

I know it's early for Christmas music but to create a Christmas Laser Show, I have to put my mind in Christmas mode, even this early. However, those who might like to listen to Christmas music and are afraid to say it out loud, just click on this link. You'll be presented with many choices of music. I'm listening to Holiday Traditions right now. All the 40's-60's Classics of yesteryear.

Kinda miss setting up for Halloween even though it wasn't as near as popular as the Christmas show. https://youtu.be/fJ4r7q_3h2s

Oh boy. Once again, I threw myself into something that requires a LOT of time and thinking since the program I am using, has serious limitations. Laser shows are usually just a bunch of zig zags appearing to the sound of music as done by a DJ. If you don't know me, I don't want to see just zig zags. I want animations mostly and maybe a few zigs here and there but not the whole show. I get bored pretty quick. If I get bored, that means people will as well. As a side note, I h...aven't seen ANY in Fredericton so lasers shows are rarer than I thought. Bonus! Downside of needing a DJ means I will have to start the show each time it will run. Maximum length of the show, 15 minutes. I need to find a better solution or else it will be a LIVE show only on the weekend nights. Now that has both positive and negative points. Positive is that being LIVE, me being the laser DJ, would present you a tailored show for that night. Not one show would be the same. Negative point is that being LIVE, I would only put on 2 shows a week so looking at the calendar right now, the dates would be 4-5, 11-12, 18-19, 24 and 26 of December. So right now, I am at a crossroad. We will have a show of some type but don't know yet what it will be. Going through my computer, I found an old folder with 26 sequenced songs that we had for 2008. That was the second year of the display, where we went from 1300 lights, to over 16000 for the second year. Too bad I can't do something with that old program and a laser projector. Let me know in the comments what you think of a LIVE show where I can give you a set of songs to pick from and if you are in the line up, I can play the song and send the proper animation that goes with it. I kinda like that idea even if it means having to stay home to do the show. ;)