The Most Fragile Singular Point of Failure EXPOSED...

So, there I was, discussing various points of business with @luzcypher and @meno on discord Friday evening, whilst at the same time trying to wrap up my week-long reviews of all the entries for Open-Mic’s week 87 when suddenly, BAM - lightening strikes, and my freaking internet and phone goes offline.

And there I was again, - at noontime the following day (Saturday) – and still no internet access. At that point, I was uncertain as to whether or not my connection would be reestablished in time for me to finish judging the contest, make my selections, and write this post.

This experience has prompted me to consider writing a root post on this single point of failure, which exists across the entire crypto-sphere. Do let me know in the comment section if you’d be interested in my thoughts on such an important topic.

So here I am at 10:00 pm Saturday night, with my internet connection finally restored. I’ve been busy catching up with all of my obligations ever since. Had it not been for the outage, my Top-5 would have been out by early afternoon on Saturday. Instead, I will be lucky if it’s ready to post by early Sunday morning.

For those of you not familiar with how I judge entries, I suggest reading about such below along with the links provided. I mention this because as of the last two weeks I’ve made a slight modification in my scoring methods, which has helped me to objectively, (to the best of my subjective abilities), eliminate the constant number of “ties” I was getting across the Open-Mic’s most incredible talent spectrum.

What changed? Not much really. I still have six categories and I still rate each entrant in each category with a score of 1 – 10, the perfect score being 60. The small thing I changed, however, was enabling the use of decimal points within each scoring category. So, instead of restricting myself to using only whole numbers, i.e. 1 – 10 for each category, I can now use for example, 1.4, 9.8, 8.3, etc. Sure, it takes a bit more thought and it’s a bit of a longer process to say the least - but it seems to be working quite well! I still get a few “ties” here and there, but for the most part, the inordinate number of “tie-scores” I was getting with whole numbers only - has been virtually eliminated! I hope you guys like the objective/subjective results!

Okay, let’s move on!

Please, VOTE for These WITNESSES...

IMPORTANT: Before we move on, please don't forget to vote for @Pfunk as witnesses! @pfunk is our biggest supporter, and plays a major role in helping to fund, the Open Mic contest each week.

In addition to @pfunk, I am also adding @curie to my short list of “must-vote-for” witnesses. @curie provides a great deal of wholesome and honest support directly to many of our most outstanding musicians, and we should all support @curie in kind. You can vote for both of these witnesses right now by going directly to this link: https://steemit.com/~witnesses

With all of that said, following some further insights as to how I judge entries, let’s get on with it, shall we?

Steemit Open Mic Week 87

My Process

As one of the esteemed Open Mic judges, it is my job to come up with (or “curate” as it were) a short-list of my top 5 entrants each week. With all of the great talent here, that is by no means an easy task. Sure, tossing in another 5 honorable mentions helps, but not when my weekly list starts out with 100 or more of my favorite entries... You guy's rock - I'm tellin ya!

Yes, I am a Libra – so I have an inherent drive deep within me to be fair and balanced – good qualities for a “judge” if you ask me. That being said, I’m still human – filled with emotion and subjective feelings – just like you. So, in order to mitigate my subjective tendencies to the best extent possible, I’ve come up with a method by which to narrow down my selections in a more objective vs. arbitrary manner.

Here’s how I go about my personal judging process: I first start out with a list of 100 or more of my most favorite entries for the week, and score them (yes, subjectively) in six distinct categories via a spreadsheet. The categories I’ve selected for scoring are in general harmony with those explained by @luzcypher in his post titled How We Pick The Top 3 Entries, referencing such.

To get a more in-depth perspective as to how I personally go about selecting my artists, please refer to What I go through as an Open-Mic Judge.

Even though it’s still a “subjective” process – diligently going through each scoring category to come up with a “total” score for each entrant helps to minimize any overzealous subjectivity that I may harbor with respect to any specific entrants.

Quite often, this exercise doesn’t give me the exact results I would personally prefer to see – but that only means that my system of judging is working as intended and designed. With all of that said, here are...

My Top-5 Picks in Order

FIRST PLACE: @chaifm – Street's of Your Mind - (Original)

To say that I am totally smitten with Dominique’s artistry would be a gross understatement! Be that as it may, I trust that anyone else encountering her music will fall in line with my way of feeling. Everything about her essence speaks to purity, beauty, and an optimism that simply refreshes the soul. There is no doubt that @chaifm shines here like no other. “Who knew it could end like this,” “making love without a kiss.” I knew, the minute I heard this… Check her link out folks, and follow her for all you’re worth – she’ll never let you down!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@chaifm/steemit-openmic-week-87-streets-of-your-mind-original

SECOND PLACE: @mahomonroy – Someone Like You - (Cover)

Our man, @granaddiction has brought forth the most beautiful and talented @mahomonroy in a splendid cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” @mahomonroy is simply unstoppable here, and in conjunction with the brilliant harmonies created in concert with @granaddiction – the two of them are simply fantastic, and an artistic force to be reckoned with!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@mahomonroy/open-mic-week-87-someone-like-you-ft-granadino

THIRD PLACE: @jumpmaster – Memory - (Original)

Jump-master is such a cool and laid back dude. Despite such grounding, he is incredibly talented and whether he knows it or not, he has got his finger directly on the pulse of a rather large segment of fans that just love what he produces musically. I am one of those fans, and if you check him out with a full listen, I’m certain that you will be a fan of his too!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@jumpmaster/h87e85av

FOURTH PLACE: @andreabortone – She Loves You - (Cover)

This track and production are simply out of this world – GOOD! Andrea and her folks take this classic to a higher ground in their Bossa version of the Beatles classic, “She Loves You.” The artistic license they command in procuring this masterpiece is clearly in keeping with the essence of the original recording and then some! I loved this performance with every strand of my being!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@andreabortone/steemit-open-mic-week-86-or-she-loves-you-the-beatles-bossa-version-openmic-by-luzcypher-and-pfunk

FIFTH PLACE: @mayneth – Warushar- (Original)

Woah – where do I begin! Certainly not my “goto genre” of music but man – there is simply no denying the sheer awesomeness of the sounds and melodies created in this original work! I totally got this straight away, and loved it! The harmonies are so sublime and the story behind the language in which it is sung is equally captivating. I just loved this for all it is worth, and it’s worth a lot… Check it out!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@mayneth/steemit-open-mic-week-87-warushar-by-mayneth-original-song

My Top-5 Honorable Mentions in Order:

First: @lillywilton – Summer Rain - (Original)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@lillywilton/steemit-openmic-week-87-summer-rain-original

Second: @moccamonica – Ambar - (Original)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@moccamonica/steemit-open-mic-week-87-original-ambar-by-moccamonica

Third: @darrenclaxton – 15,000 - (Original)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@darrenclaxton/steemit-open-mic-week-87-15000-original-music-by-darrenclaxton

Fourth: @yulita – Como yo Nadie te ha Amado- (Cover)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@yulita/steemit-openmic-week-87-cover-como-yo-nadie-te-ha-amado

Fifth: @jgvinstl – Broken Heart - (Original)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@jgvinstl/steemit-open-mic-week-87-original-broken-heart

Thank you for reviewing my selections for this week’s Open-Mic contest. If you find this content I’ve curated entertaining and of value to you, then please consider up-voting and/or re-steeming it.

Peace, Love, and Justice for All

A Very Special Shout Out To:

The following 20 artists who were very much on my radar, each within a splitting hair of making it into my overall top-10, and whose performances I loved, cherish, and respect most assuredly. This special list is very much an extension of my most honorable mentions.

They are - in no particular order:

@joseacabrerav, @zainifahkrizal, @leomolina, @steembirds, @beeflomein, @klynic, @silentscreamer, @yessellyloscomps, @tribedownsouth, @jembee, @belenlopr, @nathankaye, @samcook, @juanhobos, @wethepatsies, @pechichemena, @elisonr13, @camuel, @naiyagarcia24, and @rjcha!

Another Special Shout Out To:

The following artists whose performances I very much enjoyed this week.

They are - in no particular order:

@lk666, @topfox, @lisamalletart, @lecocoramos, @addiesworld, @michaeldietrich, @juliolunar, @johannesburghart, @melodyrussell, @lozanocarmen, @curiousrouxbz, @siomarasalmeron, @stanhopeofficial, @gibber, @markaustin, @manurodriguez, @felixjfarfan, @carlosrada, @amundafrank, @manuelmusic, @aidarojaswriter, @baiver86, @mcmusic, @dianakyv, @lisettegarcia, @jons0318, @mandysp, @ragnar29, @peterkrackpotkin, @laviq, @josemarimbista, @bitocoelho, @afroadrianv, @jaredkhamanah, @steevc, @jonmagnusson, @edwardstobia, @scoutting, @danne10, @darvingrana25911, @melodeons, @miguelblanco, @that.bass.guy, @juanmolina, @damcrow, @teregogfrey, @danieldedosd2, @mrjl, @shookriya, @andreinakm, @shelbi, @hijodelsol, @mariajruizb, @aalejandroj, @dannyhamilton, @aismarelizabeth, @owner99, @adrianjordaz, @ferchemusico, @duocover, @caracortada, @tcpolymath, @denis.savisko3, @cezanne, @camporr, and @dinoromanelli!

Much love and thanks to each and every one of you who have touched a part of my heart and soul - not only this week but forever!