Tetra
Black neon tetra, Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	-Alestiidae -Characidae -Lebiasinidae
Genera
More than 150[1] karan[clarification needed]

Look up tetra in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Pristella tetra — Pristella maxillaris.

Golden Pristella tetra, a morph of Pristella maxillaris.

Silvertip tetra — Hasemania nana.

Tetra are species of small freshwater fish from Africa, Central America and South America belonging to the biological family Characidae and to its former subfamilies Alestiidae (the "African tetras") and Lebiasinidae. The Characidae are distinguished from other fish by the presence of a small adipose fin between the dorsal fin and caudal fin. Many of these, such as the neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi), are brightly colored and easy to keep in captivity. Consequently, they are extremely popular for home aquaria.

Tetra is no longer a taxonomic, phylogenetic term. It is short for tetragonopterus, the former genus name of this group of fish, which is Greek for "square-finned" (literally, square-winged).

Because of the popularity of tetras in the fishkeeping hobby, many unrelated fish are commonly known as tetras, including species from differing families. Even fish that are vastly different may be called tetras. For example, payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides) is occasionally known as the "sabretooth tetra" or "vampire tetra".

Tetras generally have compressed (sometimes deep), fusiform bodies and are typically identifiable by their fins. They ordinarily possess a homocercal caudal fin (a twin-lobbed, or forked, tail fin whose upper and lower lobes are of equal size) and a tall dorsal fin characterized by a short connection to the fish’s body.^[2] Additionally, tetras possess a long anal fin stretching from a position just posterior of the dorsal fin and ending on the ventral caudal peduncle, and a small, fleshy adipose fin located dorsally between the dorsal and caudal fin. This adipose fin represents the fourth unpaired fin on the fish (the four unpaired fins include the caudal fin, dorsal fin, anal fin, and adipose fin), lending to the name tetra, which is Greek for four.^[2] While this adipose fin is generally considered the distinguishing feature, tetras (such as the emperor tetras, Nematobrycon palmeri) lack this appendage. Ichthyologists debate the function of the adipose fin, doubting its role in swimming due to its small size and lack of stiffening rays or spines.^[3]

Although the list below is sorted by common name, in a number of cases the common name is applied to different species. Since the aquarium trade may use a different name for the same species, advanced aquarists tend to use scientific names for the less-common tetras. The list below is incomplete.

Tetra species: A–D

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

Dave Smith is an engineer and guitarist who has pioneered many groundbreaking technologies in music technology. Smith was responsible for the first polyphonic and microprocessor-controlled synthesizer, the Prophet 5, and later the multitimbral synthesizer^[1]. He is also referred to as the "Father of MIDI" for his role in the development of MIDI, now a standard interface protocol for electronic instruments and recording/pro audio equipment.

History[link]

Smith has degrees in both Computer Science and Electronic Engineering from UC Berkeley. In the mid-'70s, he founded Sequential Circuits, one of the most successful music synthesizer manufacturers of the time. In 1977, he designed the Prophet 5, the world's first microprocessor-based musical instrument and also the first programmable polyphonic synth,^[2] a functionality adopted by virtually all synthesizer designs ever since.

In 1981 Smith set out to create a standard protocol for communication between electronic musical instruments from different manufacturers worldwide. He presented a paper outlining the idea of a Universal Synthesizer Interface (USI) to the Audio Engineering Society (AES) in 1981 after meetings with Tom Oberheim and Roland's Ikutaro Kakehashi. After some enhancements and revisions, the new standard was introduced as "Musical Instrument Digital Interface" (MIDI) at the Winter NAMM Show in 1983, when a Sequential Circuits Prophet-600 was successfully connected to a Roland Jupiter-6. In 1987 he was named a Fellow of the AES for his continuing work in the area of music synthesis^{[citation needed]}.

After Sequential, Smith was President of DSD, Inc, a Research and Development Division of Yamaha, where he worked on physical modeling synthesis and software synthesizer concepts. In May 1989 he started the Korg R&D group in California, which went on to produce the innovative and commercially successful Wavestation synthesizer and other technology.

Smith went on to serve as President at Seer Systems and developed the world's first software based synthesizer running on a PC. This synth, commissioned by Intel, was demonstrated by Andy Grove in a Comdex keynote speech in 1994. The second generation of this software synthesizer sold over 10 million copies, as a result of being licensed to Creative Labs in 1996; it was responsible for 32 of the 64 voices in Creative Labs' AWE 64 line of soundcards.

The third generation of Smith's software synthesizer, now named Reality, was the world's first fully professional software synthesizer, and was released in 1997. Dave was both the lead engineer on Reality, and wrote all the low-level optimized floating point synthesis code. Reality was the recipient of a 1998 Editors' Choice Award, and earned Electronic Musician Magazine's highest possible rating.

Currently Dave is designing hardware instruments again with the Evolver, Poly Evolver, and recently released Prophet '08 and Mopho synthesizers from his new company, Dave Smith Instruments. He is currently collaborating with Roger Linn (the inventor of the first drum machine to use digital samples) to release a new drum machine utilizing analog synthesis called the Tempest.

Awards[link]

Dave Smith

• Induction into the TECnology Hall of Fame at the AES show by Mix Foundation in September 2005.^[3]
• Received (AES) Fellowship Award in 1987, which is given to a member who had rendered conspicuous service or is recognized to have made a valuable contribution to the advancement in or dissemination of knowledge of audio engineering or in the promotion of its application in practice.

Prophet '08'

• Key Buy Award (Keyboard Magazine, November 2007)
• Muzikmesse International Press (MIPA) Award, March 2008
• Musiciplayers WIHO Award (2008)

Evolver and Evolver Keyboard

• Key Buy Award (Keyboard Magazine, March 2003)
• Key Buy Award (Keyboard Magazine, August 2006)
• Musicplayers WIHO Award (2006)

Poly Evolver Keyboard

• Future Music 2006 Ace Award
• TEC Award nomination (Mix Magazine, 2006) Technical Excellence & Creativity in the category of Outstanding Technical Achievement, Musical Instrument Technology.
• Synthesizer Of The Year Award (Electronic Musician Magazine, 2006)
• "Most psychedelic electronic instrument 2005" (Psychedelickitchen.org, 2005)

External links[link]

• 2006 audio interview: Sequential Circuits, Korg, Yamaha, soft synths, and his new Evolver synths.
• Dave Smith: The father of MIDI — interview with Smith, from MacMusic
• Dave Smith Instruments

References[link]

Notes

Ken Burton (born Kenneth Mark Burton; 5 January 1970) is a British chorist, composer^[1] and performer.

Burton first gained national attention when two of his choirs (The London Adventist Chorale and the Croydon Seventh-day Adventist Gospel Choir) placed first and second in the prestigious Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation. His choral activities also involves directorship of BBC Songs of Praise session choir, Adventist Vocal Ensemble (AVE). Burton also formed, and performs with, the a cappella group Tessera, also a regular on BBC Songs of Praise. In addition to his choral and vocal work, he has published several books with Oxford University Press^[2] and Faber Music.^[3][4][5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• kenburtonmusic.com

Derek Martin
Martin in 2009 at Wendy Richard's funeral service
Born	Derek William Rapp (1933-04-11) 11 April 1933 (age 79) Bow, East London, England
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	White British
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1962–present
Television	Eldorado EastEnders
Website
http://www.derekmartin.net

Derek Martin (born Derek William Rapp on 11 April 1933) is a British actor who is best known for his role as Charlie Slater in the British soap opera EastEnders which he played from 2000 to 2011.

Personal life[link]

Born Derek William Rapp to Christina (née Jarvis) and William George Rapp, Martin lives in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, a small town just outside London. He has two sons.^{[citation needed]} He is also a big darts fan and usually attends the Lakeside World Professional Championships each year.^{[citation needed]} In February 2010 it was revealed that Martin was due to undergo an operation on his knee, expected to be around May 2010. He said his complaint was due to old age, playing football and carrying meat in an old job at Smithfield Meat Market.^[1]

Career[link]

Martin started his entertainment career as a stuntman but after breaking his collar bone filming the drama Elizabeth R he switched to acting. He featured in the BBC television series Paul Temple.

In 1978 he appeared as Detective Inspector Fred Pyle in The Detective's Tale, the first play in the BBC television series Law and Order. From 1981 - 82, he played Det. Insp. Berwick in two series of the BBC drama The Chinese Detective. In 1982 he became the second actor to take on the role of R. D. Wingfield's fictional Detective Inspector Jack Frost, starring in a BBC radio adaptation of A Touch of Frost. He then starred in Eldorado as Alex Morris. He has also made guest appearances in many television programmes including Doctor Who appearing in The Ambassadors of Death as an uncredited heavy, The Claws of Axos as an uncredited UNIT soldier and Image of the Fendahl as policeman David Mitchell, The Sweeney episode 'Messenger of the Gods' as the villain Spooner, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Bill, Only Fools and Horses and Little Britain.

In September 2000 he started playing Charlie Slater in EastEnders. In April 2010 it was announced that Martin had been cut from the show along with five other actors.^[2] In early 2011 he filmed a guest stint with EastEnders with Charlie due to return for two episodes around April 2011.^[3]

He also starred in a short film called Piggy Bank in 2004.

In January 2012, he appeared as one of the first five couples in the third series of Celebrity Coach Trip partnering fellow actor John Altman.

External links[link]

• Derek Martin at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site

References[link]

This article about an English television actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Pigeon John is an American hip hop rapper raised in Hawthorne, California and based in Los Angeles, California.

Biography[link]

Pigeon John is a Los Angeles area rapper who has recorded four studio albums as a solo artist, as well as several others as a member of the groups like L.A. Symphony and Brainwash Projects. Pigeon John has been featured as a collaborator on numerous other recordings with various artists. He is currently signed to Quannum Projects and has performed on several U.S. tours including Cali Comm Tour and has been featured in publications including Entertainment Weekly, VIBE, SPIN Magazine and LA Weekly. In 2006, Pigeon John was featured in an interview on National Public Radio.

In 2007, Pigeon John made his way to The Breakdown, an internet show on ItsHipHop.Tv where he conducted part of the interview on the toilet.

He was^[1][2][3] married to author Harmony Dust and has one daughter, Johnny Ella.

Early life[link]

John Kenneth Dunkin (later changed to Dust) was born in Omaha, Nebraska, USA and moved to the Los Angeles County city of Inglewood, California at the age of five years old. Being a mixed-race child (half black and half white), John felt out of place in predominantly white Omaha and predominantly black Inglewood. John's mother eventually moved her family from Inglewood to the nearby city of Hawthorne, California, where John attended Hawthorne High School. He currently resides with his wife Harmony in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge, California.

Pigeon John was an avid skateboarder and would often listen to a variety of music on the radio while skateboarding, especially on the legendary Los Angeles hip-hop radio station KDAY. Early on, John was influenced by an eclectic range of artists including Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Phil Collins, and Madonna. It was when he was only twelve years old he wrote his first rap titled "Inglewood Skater's Dream."

As a teenager, Pigeon John began performing his raps on open mic nights at the famous Good Life Cafe. The Good Life Cafe is a health food restaurant that provided a place for many underground hip-hop artists to display their talent, including Jurassic 5, The Black Eyed Peas, and Freestyle Fellowship. Pigeon John's first recorded performance (credited as MC Pigeon) was a collaboration titled "Judge Not" with the artist LPG, from their 1995 album, The Earthworm.

He claimed that his nickname was provided by Jesus who was driving around Inglewood, California: "He hopped out and handed me a dead pigeon. He whispered 'Please have a good time, you're really bumming me out.' I watched him sink back into the cushioned seats and drive, quickly away. And that's when it happened, the pigeon started shaking violently and became awake, picked up and flew away. I don't think I had a choice....its was 'pigeon' or die."^[4]

He later explained that he was discussing his need for a "rap name" with a friend when the friend suggested "Chicken John," taken from the character Chicken George in Roots. The friend's mom then interjected that John didn't look like a chicken; he looked like a pigeon and should be called Pigeon John.^[5]

Music career[link]

Brainwash Projects

In the early 1990s, Pigeon John and his childhood friend B-Twice formed the hip-hop duo Brainwash Projects.^[6] Brainwash Projects contributed the single "Muchas Muchachas" to the Christian rap compilation "Sanktifunctafyd" released by N-Soul Records in 1995. Brainwash Projects eventually released a record titled The Rise And Fall Of Brainwash Projects on the independent label Jackson Rubio.^[7] One reviewer characterized The Rise and Fall as "pure, uncut, holy hip-hop" but gave mixed reviews of its beats and lyrics.^[8]

LA Symphony & Rootbeer

Pigeon John and B-Twice, and now KarateE! Mouse, eventually met other like-minded young rappers and formed the hip-hop musical collective known as L.A. Symphony. Members of the L.A. Symphony have at one time or another also included members of The Halieyoos Fishermen (Sharlok Poems, Trendi M.C., and J-Beits aka Great Jason), The Eternals (Cookbook & Uno Mas), Coy (Paul "Coy" Allen), and rapper/producer Flynn Adam Atkins. Pigeon John, B-Twice, and Great Jason have since left L.A. Symphony to pursue solo careers and other projects, but are still considered part of the L.A. Symphony crew. Pigeon John and Flynn formed a side project called Rootbeer. Rootbeer has released one e.p. in early 2009 called "Pink Limousine." The e.p. consists of five tracks including "Chimpanzee", "Girlies", "Pink Limousine", "Under Control", and "So Good." Years before, in 1999, Flynn and Pigeon's first song as the group, Root Beer, was "The Inevitable Return of the Pretty Boy Virgins".^[9]

Solo career

Between 1997 and 2000, Pigeon John recorded the songs that became his first solo album, Pigeon John Is Clueless. The album was released in 2001 by The Telephone Company and then re-released in 2002 by The Telephone Company/Syntax Records with 3 new tracks and new artwork. He was also responsible for the compilation project, Coalition: the Hip-Hop Alliance, in which he was the executive producer. It featured some of the most diverse artists from all over the U.S., including his alma mater group, LA Symphony, CampQuest, Relentless, Royal Ruckus, New Breed, MG! the Visionary, 4th Avenue Jones, John Reuben, Sackcloth Fashion, Decimal and Count Bass D. Pigeon John then signed to Basement Records and released Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister (2003) and Pigeon John Sings the Blues (2005). In 2005, Lyrics Born saw Pigeon John on the Cali Comm Tour and brought him into Quannum Projects. That same year, Pigeon John's single "Deception" was featured on a series of Nestle Crunch commercials.^[10] In 2006, after signing to Quannum, Pigeon John released his fourth solo album, And the Summertime Pool Party. The album has received positive reviews from many sources, including LA Weekly, Entertainment Weekly and VIBE.^{[11][12][13][14]} In 2007 he did a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon. A sample of "Weight of the World" is used in the Current TV show infoMania. He also had his song "Higher" featured on the NBA Live 2007 soundtrack. "Calculator Watch" is featured on the Hip Hope Hits 2009 compilation.

A new album, entitled Dragon Slayer, hit physical and digital retail October 12, 2010.^[15] With the aid of General Elektriks' Herve Salters, he produced the whole record, including, for the first time, sampling original instrumentation rather than flipping samples from records. "It's a whole new venture. It becomes bigger than being a writer, and you have to be an editor, in book-form. Working with Herve Salters makes my music feel new to me. It's been a great process, I love it."^[16] His first single from the album, "The Bomb", was featured in a Volkswagen television commercial in early October (in which the computer-manipulated likenesses of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor perform a seated dance in the backseat of a Jetta to illustrate the large amount of leg room available).^[17]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Guest appearances[link]

He also had his song higher which came out in 2006 featured on the nba live 2007 soundtrack.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Allmusic Biography: Pigeon John
• Official Website
• Official MySpace page
• LA Weekly Article
• NPR Interview
• Pigeon John Videos
• Pigeon John's Vlaze.com profile page with videos
• Pigeon John Interview with Art of Rhyme