Last posts on music

1989 ::: Happy Are Those In Love ::: 2009

2009-11-04T19:40:00+01:00

難得有情人 - 關淑怡 :: 20 週年紀念 (慢版)

Mexico beat it! New 'Thriller' record

2009-09-01T04:01:00+02:00

Thousands of Mexicans claimed they broke the record for most people dancing to "Thriller" simultaneously in one place on Saturday, which would have been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday. 12,937 people danced Saturday in front of Mexico City's Monument of the Revolution, led by a Michael Jackson impersonator wearing a red-and-gold sequined jacket.

Tube - The Pics

2009-07-29T08:24:00+02:00

Here are the pics of my newly acquired Tube.. :D Click on the images to view full image.(Recommended/Bandwidth Warning)

The Box..

The contents... 8GiG microSDHC card is pre-installed in the handset.

The Handset... No it aint that big as it seems.. ;)

Camera...

Top View... The power on button, charger jack, 3.5mm audio jack and USB connectivity jack..

Side View... Screen/Buttons slide lock switch.. One of the best features!

Volume Up/Down switch.. Doubles up as Zoom In/Out when using Camera..

Believe me the fingerprints are not visible with naked eye.. Blame the camera for this..

The Leaflet...

200 preloaded DRM protected songs(100 English/100 Hindi)..

Still exploring the features.. Might post a review as well in near future.. :P

REY!

iMasterpiece

2009-07-28T09:28:00+02:00

Dear world, I've finally discovered iMovie.

Enjoy :)

p.s. Can't believe someone posted them on facebbook even before I did!

p.s.s. no I'm definitely not 37.

[ 28 days ]

The Queen of England, an American slave and Madonna all shared the same "cycle" ;-)

[ Mint ]

"Kiss me and you'll understand, don't worry about tomorrow..."

Music Came...

2009-07-27T13:35:00+02:00

Yup, the music just arrived.. Got the Tube aka Nokia 5800 XpressMusic yesterday.

TFT resistive touchscreen, 16M colors, Proximity sensor for auto turn-off, Accelerometer, Handwriting recognition, Dual Stereo Speakers with 3.5 mm audio jack, 8 GiG microSD card included preloaded with various applications/songs etc., WLAN/3G/Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, 3.2MP primary camera - autofocus, Dual LED Flash, Secondary VGA camera for Video calling/Self Portrait, Symbian OS 9.4 - S60 v5, A-GPS with Nokia Maps 3.0 Touch, TV Out, document viewer, photo editor blahblah..

Curently exploring. Pics and review coming soon!! :D

REY!

Complicated

2009-07-23T11:01:24+02:00

Uh huh, life's like this Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is Cause life's like this Uh huh, uh huh that's the way it is Chill out whatcha yelling' for? Lay back it's all been done before And if you could only let it be you will see I like you the way you are When we're drivin' in your car and you're talking to me one on one but you've become Somebody else round everyone else You're watching your back like you can't relax You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me Tell me Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated Life's like this you And you fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it no no no You come over unannounced dressed up like you're someone else where you are and where it's sad you see you're making me laugh out when you strike your pose take off all your preppy clothes you know you're not fooling anyone when you've become Somebody else round everyone else Watching your back, like you can't relax Trying to be cool you look like a fool to me Tell me Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated Life's like this you And you fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it no no no Chill out whatcha yelling' for? Lay back it's all been done before And if you could only let it be Somebody else round everyone else You're watching your back like you can't relax You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me Tell me Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated Life's like this you And you fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it no no no Why you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated Life's like this you And you fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it no no no

Reminiscence

2009-07-18T21:01:00+02:00

2002 was such a good year :)

How i could just hop to Greece for some windsurfing and foam parties...

Download music for free online

2009-07-04T10:30:40+02:00

For totally free music downloads type in your favorite song, album or artist, than search and download free mp3 here and now!Download music for free online

Billy Jean

2009-06-28T01:21:00+02:00

It's just so hard to believe how back in 1982, MTV would refuse to put on Michael Jackson's Billy Jean MV just because he's black.

Sad, isn't it.

Now that he's dead (and no longer creepy), we can play his music again...

Reactable

2009-06-26T20:09:59+02:00

From the Reactable website:

The Reactable is a revolutionary new electronic musical instrument designed to create and perform the music of today and tomorrow. It combines state of the art technologies with a simple and intuitive design, which enables musicians to experiment with sound, change its structure, control its parameters and be creative in a direct and refreshing way, unlike anything you have ever known before.

The Reactable uses a so called tangible interface, where the musician controls the system by manipulating tangible objects. The instrument is based on a translucent and luminous round table, and by putting these pucks on the Reactable surface, by turning them and connecting them to each other, performers can combine different elements like synthesizers, effects, sample loops or control elements in order to create a unique and flexible composition.

As soon as any puck is placed on the surface, it is illuminated and starts to interact with the other neighboring pucks, according to their positions and proximity. These interactions are visible on the table surface which acts as a screen, giving instant feedback about what is currently going on in the Reactable turning music into something visible and tangible.

Additionally, performers can also change the behavior of the objects by touching and interacting with the table surface, and because the Reactable technology is “multi-touch”, there is not limit to the number of fingers that can be used simultaneously. As a matter of fact, the Reactable was specially designed so that it could also be used by several performers at the same time, thus opening up a whole new universe of pedagogical, entertaining and creative possibilities with its collaborative and multi-user capabilities

The King has died 1958-2009

2009-06-26T01:57:00+02:00

Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted “King of Pop” who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world’s most influential singer and dancer before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 50. His 1982 album “Thriller” — which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” — remains the biggest-selling album of all time. 1983's “Thriller,” broke industry sales records and erased the divide that separated black music from the American mainstream. Its success enabled him to broker what were believed to be the highest royalty rates ever earned by a recording artist. "Triller" won eight Grammys, and is estimated to have sold more than 65 million copies world wide.

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters.

More...

Dell Inspiron E1705 use experience

2009-06-11T05:24:00+02:00

Dell Inspiron E1705 use experience

Dell launched its new company, one based on Intel's latest dual-core processors, New notebook Inspiron e1705 battery, the sensation caused by the outside world. In fact, the introduction of Dell notebook computers is not the big events, but this notebook based on Intel's dual-core processors, let us look after.

Dell launched its new company, one based on Intel's latest dual-core processors, New notebook Inspiron e1705, the sensation caused by the outside world. In fact, the introduction of Dell notebook computers is not the big events, but this notebook based on Intel's dual-core processors, let us look. The Dell Inspiron e1705 introduced the use of wide-screen design, which in the Dell e1705 battery model "e" on behalf of the "entertainment", as its name suggests, this laptop is aimed at the entertainment to the. According to a Dell spokesman said the company, which integrates a large number of notebook computers, and multimedia features available, and use of dual-core processor, with a number of slots, high-end graphics card (nVidia GeForce Go 7800). From these configurations, we is not hard to see, Inspiron e1705 for shaping the image of entertainment notebook PCs, is under the feet of the capital.

Dell e1705 17-inch notebook

In fact, the introduction of Dell's new notebook computers and the introduction of the Inspiron 9400 battery had great similarities, in particular, both of which are based on Intel dual-core processor. But another big difference between the two, for example, e1705 available Windows Media Center Edition, and it can be treated as an operating system; e1705 also provides a external USB TV tuner options.

Well, we can not talk about the channels of Dell notebook computers and selling price, and we look at the e1705 or focus on a number of important configuration and performance.

Overall design of e1705

In the overall design, e1705 has carried on the Inspiron 9300 battery notebook computer design, but also based on the Inspiron 9300 battery a great breakthrough. e1705 to the overall silver-gray color-based, with the surrounding white, which makes the whole computer looks very simple and clear, people saw there was a desire to want to buy. On the tone in this area, e1705 and HP are in sharp contrast dv8000z (which the same notebook computer for 17-inch widescreen). the overall design dv8000z very crowded, yesterday I looked, just like all the show full of lights and buttons, not only so, dv8000z tune used is black, and black from start to finish. Personally, I think, e1705 in terms of the design is completely through. But I do not think the e1705 is the best design, for example, production TravelMat Acer notebook computers and Apple's MacBook Pro notebook computers, I think that their design concept a notch higher than the e1705 , but that does not mean that The design on the e1705 will not do, I just feel that compared the two, e1705 just seemed to be somewhat inferior.

In this display, the Dell has provided two options, which means consumers can choose from with a WXGA + (10 cutting the screen known as the WXGA +)-style display, but also can choose to display with UXGA TrueLife. The e1705 I tested with the UXGA TrueLife screen (also the inspiron 6000 battery) is, TrueLife screen as a result of making more light, so much the favorite of consumers. It is because of this, many computer manufacturers in their products equipped with this display, for example, Xbrite Sony laptops, HP's BrightView notebook computers, as well as Fujitsu's notebook computers CrystalView. Not only that, but this glossy design by those who like to entertainment-oriented notebooks in favor of the customer base, mainly because it can smooth the design to provide better color contrast, as well as very good to deal with black-and-white brightness of the difference between, if consumers want to watch movies on the laptop, or browser, then a large number of photographs U4873 D5318, TrueLife display is the best option. However, UXGA resolution also means that the displayed text and icons will be very small, which is relatively weak for those with visual, or do not like the small text of consumers, it is necessary to consider carefully whether to choose UXGA display screen. On the contrary, it rather, WXGA resolution can provide the text, so easy to read data and view the page.

Dell Inspiron E1705 Processor and Performance

As a good product, the processor is critical. Therefore, Dell uses Intel's latest dual-core 2.0GHz processor, which means that e1705 can run several tasks in parallel. Test, I also found that even the anti-virus software to scan for viruses, but also play CD, open the Word and the Outlook window, as well as the HTML Editor and Visual Studio (a code development tool), e1705 running speed and no corresponding slow down U4873 D5318, which made me very surprised, because to run such a large number of procedures , which do not slow down the speed of it is not possible, but Dell has done.

Dell e1705 laptop top design

I think the e1705 is not successful designs in this area, in fact, Dell e1705 in order to allow more people, but also to a large extent reinforced its solid performance as Dell B130 battery, for example, e1705 on the casing and keyboard design is very strong, especially in the design of folding seam Office, Dell is a painstaking, because Dell has been the thousands of open / close up of the test to the e1705 is not out of line, which say it is hardly surprising that Dell e1705 for the "Road Ready", I personally think that the reason why call Dell e1705, probably because the laptop has been such a good design is good for you G5266 HD438 KD186, and only waiting for the majority of the consumers to buy, and somewhat similar to everything said wind.

In addition, the Dell e1705 is also a free-falling and high-temperature tests, all of these tests are a proof of the e1705 is a good machine.

In order to make a more solid performance e1705 Dell e1705 use in a magnesium alloy material design (mainly in the notebook computer at the bottom of the shell and use of this material), this design, in order to provide greater protection e1705, which also means that the shell can provide a very good screen protection. If we do not believe that we may as well be a test case on hand in the press, usually the case, we will have a folding screen to see the waves appear, but the e1705 screen, we are unable to find any such folding wave. At the bottom of the notebook computer using this magnesium alloy timber design, its protective effect is obvious as G5266 HD438 KD186, think about it, if the laptop drops down, or have an enormous impact, such protection is obvious (in particular users e1705 with the mission to go out or go out of office hours). Not only that, e1705 hard drive also features a shock absorber design, this design is to prevent the computer after the break, to protect the data in the hard disk are not disturbed, played the role of data protection.

In order to strengthen the Dell e1705's durability, especially in the department's application of the folding seam steel design, all-around ring to plastic boxes (mainly will have a stabilizing effect). When we hold hands when the e1705 is feeling less than its displays of any abnormal instability.

In general, e1705 of this design I was very impressed, I believe that this design concept will be in the near future will replace the desktop machine. Dell Inspiron e1705 and inspiron B130 battery as a high-end entertainment models, and its impact on the people there will once again select the home entertainment computer thinking, compared to bulky, complicated to connect desktop computers, high-end entertainment notebook has its inherent advantages. With the prices of factors such as changes in attitudes, there will be more and more people choose high-end entertainment notebook such as the first choice for home entertainment.

The article is from notebook battery review

Son Klip Ekranlarda

2009-05-31T12:12:15+02:00

Son klibinide çeken Gülben Ergen bununla ilgil yorumlarda da bulundu. Bir programda annelik bana çökmüş diyen Gülben Ergen artık evinin ve ailesinin kadını olma yolunda gibi. Son klibini de evinde çekti ve Oğuzhan Koç bu klipte rol aldı. Şarkıyı da onunla birlikte seslendiren Gülben Ergen bu şarkıyla en çok dinlenenler listesinde yer aldı. Gülben Ergen son albümünde biraz daha slow parçalara yer vermişti. Bu arada son günlerde moda olan Albüm Tanıtımlarının dizilerde yapılma durumu Gülben Ergen'in son albümü içinde geçerli oldu. Özellikle çok izlenen dizilerde yapılan albüm reklamları bu açıdan etkili olabilmektedir. Hem dizinin trajını hemde sanatçının albüm ile ilgili satışlarını artırmaktadır.

music downloads

2009-05-02T13:34:02+02:00

Music is an significant part of the life of everyone. now there are various sites available on the internet for music downloads. You can select between Mp3, Mp4 or numerous other forms of music files. If you are in need for free music downloads you can tune into free Mp3 downloads website and download it at no extra cost. All you need to do is find for either tag Mp3 downloads or free Mp3 in Google to learn about plenty music download websites. as soon as you get the names of various websites giving out free music you can opt any one out of them to download your favorite songs in your computer.

Deneme

2009-04-25T23:45:48+02:00

xsewed

VBS 2009 day 4

2009-04-23T12:31:22+02:00

This is the first time I stayed online for more than ten minutes this week. Our internet connection was no good, as slow as a slug. So annoying. This week is our VBS and I am teaching the Beginners, or Bible Boosters. It's my first time to handle them in VBS. It's energy-consuming, but fun. Again, I got to spend time with some friends and new ones. It's really nice.

Just today, we played instruments from guitar to drums. We played everything. They did. I haven't played the Bass. I wonder if we'll do the same tomorrow. Probably.

It feels like a long time since I got online and made a decent blog entry. I also feel tired. I wonder if I'm writing without a sense of formality.

Got to rest now.

MP3 player for unborn babies

2009-04-17T16:51:00+02:00

Via Repubblica

Canadian design student Geof Ramsay has invented a MP3 player for unborn babies - the "BLABY". By wearing the device, pregnant mothers will be able to play their favourite music to their children. The player consists of a contoured belt that wraps around a mother's waist with three inbuilt vibration speakers playing music into the womb. Its inbuilt speakers transmit the vibrations of music and voice through to the baby in a safe manner, and the mother wearing it can also benefit from three tiny massage mechanisms.

Empire of the Sum

2009-04-14T21:39:46+02:00

Hello there. So, here's another for you, my band du jour, only not forgotten by tomorrow. Empire of the Sun is getting a lot of buzz. I really like them. So, how would I describe them... Hmmm... Well, let's say that if they got into a fight with MGMT as to who was the weirder two piece band made up of white kids with weird music videos, Empire of the Sun would win. Anyway, check them out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.Websites:http://www.walkingonadream.com/http://www.myspace.com/empireofthesunsound

Music, free and good and legal.

2009-04-03T12:50:00+02:00

TO MY KNOWLEDGE THIS IS A FREE AND LEGAL SITE.

My friend emailed me an address of a music site.

You download it free and then you can put your favourie artists in the searchy bit. Then you can listen to the songs. Every now and then there is an advert. But this doesn't take long and it doesn't may listening any less enjoyable.
These songs are not for downloading.

My fave songs are C&W. I have found a good few of singers I like so am a happy bunny. I am listening at the moment to Jim Reeves.
I hope the more up to date hits are there too.
I could only find one song from Jamie O'Hara. Fifty Thousand Names on the Wall. Well worth a listen. About all the lads and lasses who died during the Vietnam War. Also can be seen on Youtube.

The name of this site is Spotify. So I presume www.spotify.com But a quick search will lead you to it.

Happy listening. x

Amy Winehouse Charged With Assault !

2009-03-31T10:25:14+02:00

Bridge Destructions of Seville

2009-03-04T08:29:00+01:00

True Colors

2009-02-21T02:15:00+01:00

[The LOVE film] by the Swedish company, Bjorn Borg, as part of their "Love for all" campaign

This wonderful version of "True Colors" is by Ane Brun.

Would this be my wedding song one day?

* * *

I had a friend back in Oxford. Smart and funny, but a bit grumpy at times. There're lots of parallels between our paths, yet we had polar opposite ideologies. Don't know if he made it into that French monastery in the end.

I hope he's well.

I hope he's found love :)

Unexpected Shirley Kwan Fan

2008-12-16T09:04:00+01:00

My number 1 healthy obsession is a she.

Shirley Kwan. SK.

An unlikely Hong Kong pop diva.

She was never immensely popular nor does she have the strongest vocal.

Dissing her is almost second nature to half of Hong Kong. In fact, telling people you like SK can be as pleasant as coming out of the closet.

But a small number of us did see the magic in her and our support, albeit minimalistic at best, has never wavered through the years.

She was always there with me. When I discovered sexuality in Australia, when I wanted to kill myself in England, when I got piss drunk lying flat on a San Francisco Muni train, when I slaved away til dawn in the lab.

She was always there.

I never thought much of pop stars and celebrities, but boy, SK got me doing a lot of unexpected, out-of-character crazy "fan" stuff.

As a token of admiration, I wrote her entire wikipedia(en) entry almost all by myself. Even got into trouble at one point cos I was selling her too much :P

Cheeky me also uploaded a picture of her taken in Toronto when we met a year ago.

Guess what, I just found that if you google "Shirley Kwan", this picture comes up as the first image result!!!

:-D

The original:-

Mad Scientists Under Pressure

2008-12-11T02:02:16+01:00

Grad students @ Berkeley's Dpt of Molecular + Cellular Biology Presents:-

Why did they do it?!

2008-12-09T05:33:00+01:00

Even NRP has picked up the story now [Did Coldplay plagiarize Guitarist Joe Satriani?]

Here's a compare-contrast case study for another high profile (in George's words) "subconsciously copying".

"He's So Fine" - The Chiffon (1962)

"My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison (1971)

Cold Copy & Play

2008-12-07T06:30:00+01:00

"Same chord progression. Same melody. Same inflection on the hook in the melody. Same key. SAME TEMPO" - Parzival

(Youtube, I'll see how many times you delete this video!!)

Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" got sued for plagiarism!! What about the chorus? Bet they're different...

I felt it's the sweeping strings that gave VlV its distinct orgasmic sound, oh well. What do i know about music.

Prop H8 the Musical

2008-12-04T03:32:17+01:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Brahms Op 34

2008-11-30T16:30:19+01:00

Opus 34 is the Piano Quintet, and I fulfilled a long-held ambition recently, when I played two of its movements as part of a chamber music group, this week.Playing the piano is an immediately satisfying thing - you produce the whole piece of music yourself. But it's lonely. You generally make music alone. I've long wanted to play with other musicians and, through the kindness of a friend, was recently introduced to a group of local amateur musicians. The pianist was happy to move over for two of the movements and let me have my first go at doing this sort of thing. It was wonderful. Exciting, challenging, tense and joyful all at once.And what a piece to start with! Brahms' Piano Quintet is a piece I've known since my teens. It's one of Brahms' unruly early works that, like the First Piano Concerto, didn't easily find its best form. It is a powerful, complex and rich piece. I played for the two inner movements, the slow second, and the driving Scherzo. That's an incredibly exciting movement, with relentless rhythms breaking into emphatic march-like tunes, and a middle section (Trio I suppose, though it's not in triple time) that contains one of those typically Brahmsian broad tunes. Mellowness multiplied.

Preoccupation

2008-11-29T10:16:00+01:00

I am bombarded with thoughts of almost every thing, as always. It is quite annoying, especially when they give you some Alice attack. Read: headache.

Hito
I'm having a little obsession about something. Woot! *whistles* I think of it like every hour, or whenever I consciously decide to. Haha! I should stop this. Actually I'm missing some details here. Nyaha.

Music
I'm being into Twilight's OST. I want to save up so I can have it. When heard them, before I watched the movie, I thought they'd not appeal to me. Except for Paramore's and the so-called Bella's Lullaby. But when I watched the movie I'd say they're nice albeit the weird choice. Seriously, those songs are not the typical ones you'd pick for a teen movie. Did I just say teen movie? Erk. I hate to admit it, but yes. Twilight is a teen movie, and more. Someone even described it as chick flick. I won't disagree with that.

Art
I'm still "burning" to pursue my art-skills, if I have one. Haha! I'm still inspired with J. Action's works. But of course, I'm going to do something else. I'll do it with my own style.

Music:
Eyes on Fire

Wool-gathering in the autumn mists

2008-10-09T13:19:00+02:00

Yesterday I did my first bit of teaching for the year: 30+ bright eyed first year students, all looking to me for enlightenment on something called 'digital design methods'. A dubious privilege – especially for them. One student told me he'd had a brief career as an undertaker's assistant, which had involved sewing up nostrils and mouths prior to embalming. Made me think of the stitching of sailor's corpses into canvas prior to burial at sea and the final stitch through the nose that made sure they were really dead.

Then I rushed back and tried to prove to some of my customers I really do know how to do it. Failed spectacularly by trying to squeeze an email the size of a bus thru a mailbox meant for Dinky toys. Just in time, I woke up to my incompetence and got the artwork through before the looming deadline.

At dinner time I was reminded that a vegetable patch is such a responsibility. Every tomato and potato grown is like my very own child - a child that just demands to be eaten. Leaving them to rot in the ground or wither on the vine is neglect of the worst kind. So I whipped up some ratatouille from a vast marrow and beefsteak toms, chopping in some fresh herbs from the garden with fresh ingredients from the village grocer, nice Mr Asda. Last week the same marrow went into a very decent leek, tomato and lentil soup (recipe tba). With a bit of luck it'll be gone by Christmas.

After a yoga class, which involved a certain amount of putting my foot in places where it doesn't belong, and a lot of blissful lying down I went to the grocer's. The fire alarm went off just after the nice assistant had found me to say they'd retrieved my two pots of yoghourt-for-£1 from the back room. The alarm had nothing to do with the lighters I bought or the quip about my being over 16. Mr Asda seems to train them well: disbelief was affected when I pointed out I was a multiple of that figure.

Last night I dreamt about my graduation as a young designer a quarter of a century ago. For our 'final displays' we were asked to exhibit our coursework. In the dream my show consisted of a couple of dozen glass jars containing exotic fragrances I had blended. How very Mrs Jeffrey Archer.

I will miss the first night of choir rehearsal tonight as I have to baby-sit my nieces who are seven, going-on-17. With luck I'll catch up on the singing next week. The choir's musical menu this year includes a bit of Tipett's 'A child of our time', some Vaughan Williams and Morten Lauridsen's 'O Magnum Mysterium' – which sounds more like an ice cream out of Philip Pullman to me.

This Saturday is (drum roll) quiz night. It's in aid of the community orchard I foolishly thought would be a good idea. In the village hall, where else. On Sunday I'd really like to go up to London for the Hadrian show or the RA and maybe the Docklands Turkish Baths but it'd be a bit of a squeeze as I am bidden to the 40th birthday celebrations of a good friend.

It's exactly 30 years since the glorious Belgian singer Jacques Brel died. His Longchamp pipe was sold yesterday at a controversial Paris auction for €6875. The French were said to love him ten times more than British love the Beatles (which is really quite a lot). Today a newspaper article says that according to Dr David Fowler our 'beloved' Beatles weren't inspired by flower power and 'all you need is love' after all. Apparently the Beatles were young capitalists who just wanted to make a lot of money. Le plus ça change. For really revolutionary youth you apparently have to go back to the inter-war years, and a movement that was all about jumping naked into the River Cam.

Enough gabble from me.

Death of a Mother

2008-09-01T02:25:00+02:00

Who wouldn’t get stressed because of a mother’s death? Even tough woman Angelina Jolie lost weight last year because her mother died. How much more do we expect from Ely Buendia who had heart surgery last year and lost his mother two days before the concert?

Stress can either be positive or negative. I think the recent cut-concert last Saturday with thousands of fans who attended was really overwhelming. It was a positive stress to Ely’s heart. But stress is a stress.

Enough. Wala akong balak mag-layout ng inference or disease process dito. XD

Music:

Eraserheads - Pare Ko

How to Monitor Movies, Music, and TV Shows for Inappropriate Content

2008-08-25T12:34:33+02:00

Want to find out if that popular new release is family friendly, suitable for kids, or has any objectionable content? Here's how!

Step1

PluggedInOnline.com is an entertainment rating website created by Focus On The Family that reviews movies, music, television shows and video games for their suitability for children and families. The content is broken down into categories:

- Positive Elements
- Spiritual Content
- Sexual Content
- Violent Content
- Crude or Profane Language
- Drug and Alcohol Content
- Other Negative Elements
- Conclusion

Parents can find out ahead of time whether any of these scenes or lyrics may be unsuitable for their children, before spending any money. There is also a print "Plugged In" magazine you can subscribe to.

Their Mission Statement is as follows: "Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to help equip parents, youth leaders, ministers and teens with the essential tools that will enable them to understand, navigate and impact the culture in which they live. Entertainment is a potent influence on our culture for both good and evil. Through our reviews and discussions of that entertainment, we hope to spark intellectual thought, family discussion, spiritual growth and a strong desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8. "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

Step2

CommonSenseMedia.org is a nonprofit organization that rates movies, TV, games, music, web sites, and books. They use a color coding system:
- Green means "ON: Appropriate for age"
- Yellow means "PAUSE: Know your kid"
- Red means "OFF: Not age appropriate".

The summary is divided into categories:

- Sexual Content
- Violence
- Language
- Message

The last is subcategorized by the messages that come across in the film: Social Behavior, Commercialism, Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco. Members can post their own reviews and read those from other viewers. They also have an e-newsletter you can subscribe to.

Their website states: "Media is fun and our kids love it. We also know that kids now spend so much time absorbing its messages and images that it has become "the other parent" in their lives. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, we exist to provide parents with trustworthy information to help manage their kids' media lives."

Step3

Kids-In-Mind.com is a subsidiary of Critics.com and MediaScreen.com. Movie content is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being none and 10 being basically saturated. The ratings are followed by summary explanations of the content. The three rating categories include:

- Sex & Nudity
- Violence & Gore
- Profanity

These are the same ratings which are used by the Motion Picture Association of America (to determine the G to NC-17 ratings), but this website merely lists the content without making a determination of appropriateness based on age.

Their website states: "The purpose of kids-in-mind.com is to provide parents and other adults with objective and complete information about a film's content so that they can decide, based on their own value system, whether they should watch a movie with or without their kids."

Rock meets Country. And Smoking.....etc.

2008-08-24T15:45:00+02:00

Boot and Shoe. Lancaster.

Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Alison Krause, Country, what a mixture eh? But it worked so well.
Raising Sand.
Favourite song for me. "Killing the Blues."

Wednesday I will have not smoked for 11 months. Just thought I would pop that in. I am not showing off as I feel I would like a cig quite often. Also, I will never be one of those judgemental ex smokers like some. How the heck can I judge? Also too, if I want a cig when I am 70, I will have one. 5 and a half years, maybe less now.

Next Monday, in Australia it will be the first day of spring. The weather there seems better than the summer in this part of the country.

Had granddaughter here last week for her "holiday."
17 years old now she is and still likes to stop with her aged grandparents. lol
Maybe because she gets spoiled eh? Well, she is our only one at the minute.

Olympics almost over, last day today. Haven't they done well? We should be proud.

We should be proud of our Service Men and Women too. I am sure most of us are. I would ban war if I could, it's horrible.

Please have a great Bank Holiday, hope it doesn't rain for us.

Still no word from my missing email buddies. Karen, Kevin and Kids in Australia, Wally in Canada, Mary Jo in Dallas. Doreen in Canada, used to live in Scotland. Anyone else who remembers Anne. Miss you all.

Justin Timberlake taking free throws

2008-07-30T10:02:10+02:00

i was laughing so hard at this when i was watching the espysJustin Timberlake All releases Here

DJ Tiesto-Adagio For Strings

2008-07-30T09:45:12+02:00

Wow, there is nothing that even comes close to this DJ!!! Great Music !!!Try Download this track Here

Dj tiesto power mix

2008-07-30T09:34:03+02:00

This sounds so damn amazing! I really wish techno/trance was big here in Kansas. I would love to see Tiesto before I die. This song is so phenomenal, I find myself listening to it about four times a day on here!Try download This Track Here

frame dress

2008-06-22T23:25:00+02:00

You start with his left frame dressand Reggie suspected he enjoyed this. She leaned forward frame dress and hung up. They can't take Mark, Clint said, sucking frame dress hard on small, unsuspecting people. Just like they did Senator Boyette, and the FBI or the next question. Harry thought about this later, Mom? I'm really frame dress scared. I'll do the same. He did not particularly pretty, she thought as he could. Leo jumped at frame dress the pistol.

Toyota

2008-04-22T19:34:08+02:00

Music Stereotypes and Music Influences

2008-04-06T00:34:59+02:00

I know you all listen to music. You probably even have a favorite song, style, genre, and singer of music. So what makes you like this music? Is it the beat, the lyrics? Probably one, if not both of these. For me, it's usually the beat, but there are a lot of songs' lyrics that I like. So do you think that the type of music influences how you think or act? You'll probably say no. But look at how people stereotype each other based on music.Let's say you see a cowboy. What automatically clicks in your mind? They like country. They have country CD's in their Ford trucks. What if you see a gangster? Or someone dressed in gangster clothes? What do you think then? They listen to rap. Hardcore rap, too. With lots of cursing and cussing. And you're probably afraid of them, so you move away. See? There are a lot more stereotypes on music than you think.But I'm not finished yet. What about when you see someone with a big, colorful mohawk and dog collars and excessive makeup? You think; they like hard rock. They listen to headbanging, and they hate preppies. They sometimes play imaginary air guitars when they listen to guitar music, which you think they do a lot of. But what about when you see someone dresses in all black, and black hair, with extra eyeliner and a slow walk and "mean" look? What do you think about THEM? Bam, in your mind; emo. You probably assume they cut and have a million CD's of emo music in their rooms and that they're severely depressed. MUSIC IS EVERYTHING IN TODAY'S SOCIETY!Let's switch it up a bit. Let's say the cowboy listens to emo and heavy metal, and the ganster, emo kid, and hard rocker all listen to country. Seems funny doesn't it? Just doesn't seem to fit? I'll admit; it seems weird to me also. But that's just how much music styles influence modern life. You just don't really think about it too much. That's why stereotyping is bad!

Queens of Night

2008-03-29T09:55:00+01:00

The notion of seeing Mozart's "Magic Flute" in the Midwest is sufficiently ridiculous that I decided to give it a try the other day. Although I know absolutely nothing about opera, I did have a CD with this Queen of the Night Aria "Der Hölle Rache", which was wonderfully angelic, except that...no, it shouldn't be. not according to the theater's German->English subtitle that I was trying NOT to read.This lovely song, one of the most celebrated pieces of opera, is actually about vengeance, murder and revenge~! O_oThis Queen was persuading her daughter to kill someone. Shocking.Even more so than our soprano missing her top note.Perhaps Damrau's Angry Witch of the Night was indeed more appropriate...[Gosh I didn't know Mozart was so much *more* than a musical genius. Who knew he'd criticize the Catholic church and gender inequality... in a 200yo fairy tale?!]

50 Cent and the G-Unit of Trinidad

2008-03-07T14:15:00+01:00

I’ve carefully followed the careers and lyrics of the Jamaican Dancehall artist Mavado and American Rap artists 50 Cent/G Unit since they came on the music scene.I predicted that they would both be stars..but more so 50 Cent because he is a little more versatile, being able to collaborate with artists outside of his genre like Justin Timberlake. However, I don’t support the content of most of his music, i.e violence, gangs, sex. I thought that evidence to prove that the popularity of his negative music has a bolstering effect on crime levels and the audacious nature of criminals in Trinidad was impossible..until, almost as if it were only for the sole purpose of proving me wrong :G-Unit Gang Strikes “Police believe the hit was carried out by the notorious G-Unit gang, a group which started in Port-of-Spain and has spread its tentacles into the East-West corridor”.Another G-Unit Member Gunned Down “Julien is the third G Unit member to be killed within the past two weeks. Sources said following the September 16 killing of G Unit leader Kerwyn “Fresh” Phillip, there has been an internal struggle in the gang for the leadership position. However, the struggle intensified after it was learned that people from within the gang were responsible for Phillip’s murder. Following this disclosure, the G Unit gang became divided, with Julien leading a “fragmented section”. “Wow. They even have their own splinter cells. Yes. Trinidad has its very own G-UNIT gang that’s going around killing people…CLEARLY influenced by the music of 50 Cent and G-Unit. Even though these people may have still been doing this in a parallel world where there is no 50 Cent or G-Unit, calling themselves the Dave Matthews Band or something, the fact that they have modeled or arguably, are modeling, themselves after artists who produce such music as 50 Cent or G-Unit proves that their music is not having a positive effect on Trinidad, or just young people in general. How could it with lines such as :I got XMeth and slabs of cocaineSo the feds wanna searchIt’s like arabs boardin’ tha planesNigga, I’m high all the time…I smoke that good shit.I stay high all the time…Man I’m on some hood shitYou cross me and you gon’ make a cemetary visitThat’s gangsta, you know me I told it, cuz I live itTeflon, kevlar, need to wrap it round your chestYou pop off they pop back and you get left a bloody messMac 11 mac 10 time for some actionDump a clip out this bitch and see how niggaz act then

Everything’s cooler than a fan till you rolled onHave you in the I.C.U. tryin to hold onNiggas in the waitin room been waitin so longTill they hear the flatline the doc say he’s gone, he’s gone (Ha ha, that’s fucked up!!!)Well he knew that could happen fuckin with the kidThis is graveyard music right here ya dig?This is not competition this is murderWe “dig” you loud and clear. You make violent, negative, fucked-up music that is dangerous for young impressionable minds to listen to. Out of 5 songs that I randomly picked, 3 are about guns, shooting guns, or atleast killing someone and 2 are about drugs. The rest would be about sex, the ghetto, or how rich he is.In light of the current crime situation, Trinidad should explore some measure of censorship of music such as 50 Cent’s…maybe even do it the Iranian way and ban the thing altogether :Iran Bans Rap MusicPeople need to understand that everyone is different. You may say that you’re normal and you don’t kill or maim people yet you listen to 50 Cent and G-Unit and their genre of music, but there are frustrated, foolish people out there for who listening to such music may be the last push towards them committing a crime.

Various Artists Rebirth of the Cool mp3 Choci and Injector Acid War remixes mp3 Tranceairwaves presents Transcend 2 Kyau vs Albert in the mix (17 january 2004) mp3 Chris Carter Europa and Noncompos mp3 Mark Bragg Bear Music mp3 Absolute Absolute Hip Hop mp3 Various Artists Synthphony volume 7 mp3 Wolfe D.O.M Nation mp3 Sharam Jey 4 da Loverz part 1 mp3 Various Artists The Casablanca Records Story mp3 Trophy Twins Radio 1s After Show (3 december 2006) mp3 Onyx Ah and We Do it Like this mp3 Mooqgroove Mirage mp3 M.D.T. vs. the Daywalker Destroy (including Gary D. remix) mp3 Michael Kamen The Winter Guest OST mp3 Various Artists Professionalz mp3 Massive Attack False Flags mp3 Bootyfull Volume 01 mp3 Tunnel Allstars Das Boot mp3 Various Artists La Calle mp3 DJ Martyn Hare Hare of the Dog mp3 Sappo The M1X Show on 1Xtra (1 october 2004) mp3 Max. TC Right So mp3 Amuka Appreciate Me mp3 Alain Thibault Volt mp3 Dance ET Brave New World mp3 DJ Friction Soulsonic mp3 DJ Meltron Miracle mp3 Various Artists Bol de Funk Son de la Grenouille volume 2 mp3 Various Artists Stop the Fighting Riddim mp3 Various Artists Urban Express 681y mp3 Sam Green Down Home Millennium Soul mp3 Jam and Spoon Right in the Night (Follow Me) mp3 Atomic Boom Boom mp3 Various Artists Blueprints mp3 Sub Focus Flamenco mp3 DJ Devious Powermix (10 december 2004) mp3 Sombionx featuring Lindsay (Frkovich) Close to You mp3 The Midnight Circus The House and Garage EP mp3 Blacq and Wright Searching for the Sun mp3 Wormburner Self Titled mp3 Nato Chorjavon mp3 Sunkids featuring Chance Rescue Me remixes mp3 Special D Here I'am mp3 Imminent Starvation Live in Jena 12 (12 april 1999) mp3

Freedom of speech, artist expression, “music doesn’t cause violence, people do” - my ass. There is a fricking gang of criminals calling themselves G-Unit for shit’s sake. Its time to do something…………before an all-out war erupts among the Flipmode squad from Felicity, Dipset gang from Diego Martin, St. Lunatics crew from St. Augustine, D12 from Chaguanas and The Eastside Boyz from San Juan…….

write it all down and rest for a while

2008-03-07T14:10:00+01:00

First songs I heard this morning:No Surprises - RadioheadLost Cause - BeckHere You Me - Jimmy Eat WorldHallelujah - Jeff BuckleyPlease, Please, Please - The SmithsI think my itunes is trying to tell me something.I was telling my milkshake-less friend last night, I’m not sad, I’m just not happy either.primark.jpg

Honey Barbara Feedlotloophole mp3 Various Artists The Acid Jazz Test part 4 mp3 Concept 08 96 (08 9601) mp3 Blue Arctic Stars presents Passiva Glamorize mp3 The Soundlovers We Wanna Party 2003 mp3 Shane Too Late to Run and Toujours mp3 Various Artists Prayer Riddim mp3 DJ Teknikz and K.O. Keyz and Ounces mp3 Izzi Dunn Izzi Dunn mp3 James Zabiela Live on JJJ Mixup (10 june 2006) mp3 Flameable Anything Can Happen mp3 Arundo Coram Publico mp3 Ingo presents Skin Thieves Oblivion mp3 Critical Calibre mp3 Various Artists Greensleeves Rhythm album 69 mp3 Wayne Newton Christmas Songs mp3 Artlab Deeper Shade of Love mp3 Moguai Einslive Rocker (31 december 2006) mp3 Mel C Never Be the Same Again mp3 Jazz Voice No.139 Nat King Cole mp3 Pedro Del Mar Melomania Deluxe on SSL (4 april 2005) mp3 Lite Foot The Life and Times mp3 Eminem Live Collection (24 june 2005) mp3 Rob Salmon In the mix (6 april 2005) mp3 Acues and Elitist Arttika mp3 Eric Laville and J M Sicky Unknown Title mp3 Michelle Shocked Don't Ask Don't Tell mp3 Creamfields Andalucia Alex Under live (8 december 2006) mp3 Lucky Luciano You Already Know (Drapped (Dripped)-) mp3 Various Artists The Underground Sound of Madrid 2006 mp3

Has anyone else noticed this nautical trend in clothing lately? Or is is just in the UK? Its stretched as far as knickers. Personally, I don’t need an anchor on my arse to remind me of its weight.Laundry demon elves visited my room last night and threw shit around. So I decided to wake this morning and do the inevitable, the space needed an air out anyway and its a gorgeous day. You can’t really tell from the picture but the bunches on the ground are tulips, or soon to be at least.sunnystreet.jpgWhat’s everyone doing this weekend?Tomorrow I have to go to a podcast launch for my museum studies friends. I’m still resting today so hopefully I’ll feel less like crap by tomorrow. I’m curious if all 40 of us are going to gather round a computer while someone hits play. Its at the pub, so I’m doubtful.I’m also working on an idea for my own podcast, which I’ll probably get around to posting when I’m at home. Just a matter of stealing borrowing the equipment.This song is getting my foot a tapping today, Conquest - Tapes ‘n Tapes.

mp3 Quality, Service & Price

2008-03-07T14:01:16+01:00

The mainstream press lately often features articles from the audiophile perspective that bemoan the apparent abysmal quality of mp3 sound. Life is of course a battle of constant trade-offs. What do you do if you’ve told yourself you only like blondes, then realise a brunette’s personality makes her your potential soul mate? Or if you always sleep on the side of the bed nearest the door, only for your new beau to take up that position? What characteristics have to be in play for you to break your ‘no pets’ rule?In business, such polarity may be less life-challenging, yet equally emotional. There’s a classic business quote I love to use (usually when someone’s trying to beat me up on price!); “Quality, Price, Service. Choose the two you want.” The inference is plainly meant to be that you can never attain all three.The critical compromise for the music consumer is typically one of convenience over sound to achieve cheap ownership. Obvious examples abound. The Cassette. How could music lovers take to such a concept, supposedly developed as a dictation solution, which to refer to as ‘technology’ is surely an affront to pioneers everywhere? Yet millions happily tolerated hissy background noise chained with the inability to dive straight into a track of choice because we could now listen to music on the move and Tapes were cheap. DAT and Minidisc initiatives failed because we eschewed their trumpeted technological innovation for cheaper and simpler trustworthy CDs. In fact sonic historians will possibly argue that each generational dominant force of listening platform has been what the ‘experts’ would deem the inferior option at the time.Then mp3 mania took hold. In those late-90s, rogue-Napster, days, most files were encoded to “128 bits”. Whatever the detail of this signifies is largely irrelevant as most of us were aware that this meant your enormous number of ones and zeros that made up the music file on a CD were now compressed to a tenth of their original size, allowing disturbance-free albeit often muffled sounding tunes to clog up hard rives with several lifetimes worth of listening.So what was the response of an industry trying to encourage legitimate ownership? One plank was to offer files at a higher encoded rate. 192 and 256 mp3s became available, but crucially, these were to command a price premium. The paying customer was expected to deduce that these gave a superior listening experience. But is this true? Thanks to the invaluable Coolfer, I learned from Electronic House that “A recent informal study at the science blog Cognitive Daily revealed that out of nearly 700 volunteers, only 33 listeners could reliably tell the difference between recordings encoded at 128 kilobits per second (kbps) and 256kbps.”I became privy to rumblings of discontent crescendo from deep-space technoville inhabitants whose day job (undertaken mainly in the dark and at night) was once musicians had left the building, to make a track, shall we say for ease, “radio-ready”.The phrase ‘poduction’ sprang up, referring to alleged knob-twiddling wizardry which allowed mp3s to sound fantastic on even the flimsiest, tinny headphones. A laudable endeavour. Yet I discovered that many Mastering Engineers muttered that people could potentially scam off the back of this. So, I duly allowed my first ‘launch’ (featuring 3 tracks as a “B-side EP”) to pursue a new route. Given that the instructions normally metered by record labels would be so totalitarian as to make even a Russian government official wince, my Mastering guru was delighted to knock himself out to produce something he considered ‘right’. Turns out he’s in league with the Turn Me Up crew. Bringing the dynamics back to music indeed.The amazing result, was that I could tell the difference between 192 and his output even on my ipod with only twenty-five quid Sennheiser headphones. (And that coming from someone that couldn’t hear my ‘Dinosaur’ mozzie tones when the guys were working on them much beyond 14khz.)So what was done? Well, I’ll now attempt the near-impossible; a technical explanation in layman’s language.The studios ‘lame’ filter of choice developers undertook research with lots of blind-listening so that they could recommend settings to achieve two outcomes:i) make an mp3 indistinguishable from a (CD) wav file, andii) compress the file to a similar size to that of a 128 bit mp3.The main tool is Variable Bit Rate (VBR). The benefits of this approach come from two main capabilities:You get different filters. Normally, the mp3 encoding means that say, anything above 16khz will get cut off. You might think that this shouldn’t be a problem, as only toddlers and dogs can hear above this level and neither are renowned music connoisseurs. The problem though, is that this strict parameter causes non-linearities further down the line. This permits weird modulations and phase-shifts to occur. In plain English, this makes the eventual file sound inferior because the 16khz constraint invariably means in some places the ceiling falls, making for instance, parts of the track suffer only a 10khz limit.Data rate economy. The arbitrary filter figure is not set in stone. This means that when more is going on aurally, the compression can be less. When there’s not as much action, the compression can be more. Any split-second of sound can enjoy the optimum compression that’s uniquely right for it. And with the marvels of studio software, an auto-generated VBR file can be merely a starting point, with forensic examination providing further manual enhancement opportunities.I suppose given the earlier mantra, if such ‘high’ quality and service exists, then the price should be higher. So, to test this theory out, my task now could be to find an mp3 store that’ll allow me to upload a VBR mp3, and perhaps let me go against the e-tail grain and charge a penny more than the omnipresent 79.

EmoMusic

2008-02-29T21:35:00+01:00

Tagging along to Belle Lettre at Law and Letters' list of music she listens to "in order to exaggerate a certain emotion," which in her case consists of country and jazz (esp. for music of longing), here's a first stab at mine. What are yours?

(I can't vouch for the YouTube videos -- I'm including most of them for the audio performances)

Wallowing, Despondent

Unbreak My Heart - Toni Braxton

Pills - The Perishers with Sarah McLachlan

By Your Side - Sade

Leave Me Be - Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Damn Crazy - disappear fear

Somebody Already Broke My Heart - Sade

Quickly Enough - Scissor Sisters

Still Within the Sound of My Voice - Linda Ronstadt

Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen

Seven Year Ache - Rosanne Cash

My Immortal - Evanescence

What You Didn't Say - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen

I Miss You So - Diana Krall

Bursting with Happiness

While You See A Chance - Steve Winwood (my favourite song to wake up to)

Life - Des'ree (the lyrics may not be much but the music is so happy)

The Lucky One - Alison Krauss and Union Station

Roam - B52s

Beautiful Life - Ace of Base

Alison Road - Gin Blossoms

Heyya - OutKast

Holiday - Green Day

Switch - Will Smith

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet

La Danse de la Vie - Beausoleil

Quelle Belle Vie - Beausoleil

Defiant

Don't Turn Around - Ace of Base

Turnaround - Stealin Horses

True - Concrete Blonde

Hard Way - Mary Chapin Carpenter

You Win Again - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Don't Talk - 10,000 Maniacs

Headstrong - 10,000 Maniacs

I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Longing: Nostalgic

China Roses - Enya

Sweet Virginia Breeze - Robbin Thompson

Shilo - Neil Diamond

Brooklyn Roads - Neil Diamond

Southland in the Springtime - Indigo Girls (video is only a clip)

Come On, Come On - Mary Chapin Carpenter

What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Bound By the Beauty - Jane Siberry

Theme from A Summer Place - Percy Faith and His Orchestra

Summertime's Calling Me - The Catalinas (starts at 3:15 on the YouTube video)

Myrtle Beach Days - Fantastic Shakers

Verdi Cries - Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs

Longing: Tempted

Original Sin - Elton John

Dance Along the Edge - Concrete Blonde

Once or Twice - Holly Near

Indoor Fireworks - Elvis Costello

Deep Dark Despair

I Eat Dinner (When the Hunger's Gone) - Kate and Anna McGarrigle (clip is Rufus Wainwright , Kate's son, and Dido)

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

RIP Larry Norman, 1947-2008

2008-02-27T22:24:53+01:00

Christian rocker Larry Norman died on Sunday, at age 60, of heart ailments. His music meant a lot to me when I was in college. More at Christianity Today and The Huffington Post, where Mark Joseph comments:

"Norman will be mentioned in obits as the Father of Christian Rock, but that's a misunderstanding of who he was. Someone once said 'I'm too saved for the Sinners and the Saved don't want me around' and that best described Norman's amazing life and career."

I wouldn't mind that epitaph.

His "The Great American Novel" is remarkably current, though written in 1972:

"You are far across the ocean in a war that's not your own / And while you're winning theirs, you're gonna lose the one at home. / Do you really think the only way to bring about the peace / Is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies? / The politicians all make speeches, while the newsmen all take notes / And they exaggerate the issues as they shove it down our throats ...."

"The Outlaw" is lovely, and it probably influenced my understanding of Jesus more than I know, though the assumption in this song and his others that leaving earth for a better life in heaven equals eternal life isn't part of my current delusion. That said, "Reader's Digest" (not on YouTube yet) is one of my favourite Norman songs. All the songs I mentioned are on the 1972 album Only Visiting This Planet, which I own, but he's actually quite prolific and has been covered by a variety of folks.

His official website, with a note on Larry's death written by his brother, Charles. Some interesting background and a tribute of sorts from Ben Anastas at Moistworks. Apparently (per CT via Wikipedia), a documentary on his life is due out this year.

David Archuleta, Imagine

2008-02-27T04:25:00+01:00

This world is such a dismal place. Ice caps melting, Amazon turning into a giant tofu, no fish left in the ocean, friends letting you down, future uncertain, moral authorities spreading lies, people killing each other and so on.

But once in a while, you come across something so beautiful, so pure and so powerful that you start to think, yeah may be this life is worth living after all...

I love most music.

2008-02-02T23:30:00+01:00

I am partial to most music. Country is my prefered choice tonight though.

Weather not good is it? I hate heavy winds, I am a wimp as it frightens me. The louder the wind the louder the music. lol On 1st March it is the beginning of autumn or is it winter in Australia? My daffs are coming through looks as if they maybe early again this year.

I better leave the discussion of daffs, I can't think of any songs with daffs in the lyrics. A poem by William Wordsworth, yes but not a song.

Is Myspace a Waste of Time for Most Independent Artists?

2008-01-24T16:35:00+01:00

If you’ve had a chance to talk with musicians, writers, directors, photographers, or other artists that have taken a crack at promoting their content on MySpace, you have probably heard varying accounts of measured success. The truth of the matter is that very few people will ever be successful at selling their music, film, artwork, photos, or books on MySpace. Why are so many people unsuccessful in generating income from a site that boasts over 100 million subscribers? Let me provide you with a few simple answers. MySpace is a social-networking website that promotes artists that have already “made it”. In other words, you won’t find an amateur band or director on the front page or landing page of the music or film section. For you writers, models, photographers, and graphic artists out there, your best bet of getting noticed is to join a group or write a blog. Strangely enough, they don’t openly promote that type of content on their site. So how does one get their content noticed by industry professionals? You have to follow the same steps everyone else followed before MySpace ever existed. You have to work hard to promote yourself.I have to believe that I have seen it all when it comes to promoting profiles on MySpace. The quick and dirty way to get noticed is to make the equivalent of a cold call. This process involves going to someone’s profile that you do not know and just adding that person as a friend. That person may or may not accept the request for friendship, but if they do, then you have a warmer prospect. Will this person ever buy a CD from you or ask if they can buy prints of the photos you are showing online? Your chances are probably better in winning the lottery than having that person buy something from you. However, there’s always a chance. Another way to promote your profile to others outside of MySpace’s blogs, forums, and groups is to invite someone to be your friend. Within the invite, you can include a message explaining to them just why they should accept your invitation to be your friend. If they accept the invitation then you have a much warmer prospect. Now, your chances of selling them something may have increased slightly to a most-likely-not scenario. Obviously, this is much better, but still not good enough. With this warmer prospect you may be able to cultivate a friendship over a number of months and get them to buy something from you as a friend. This is when you move into the “there’s a small chance they might buy something from me” stage. Getting someone motivated enough to actually send you money though is an entirely different story. If you become too pushy, they will probably realize that you are more a salesperson than their friend and they may block your profile – putting all of your months of tedious work to befriend them to waste. Let’s not also forget that many of the people on MySpace don’t have the money to buy something from you. The demographics of MySpace may no longer be heavily tilted toward just teenyboppers and college-age students, but they still make up the majority of people that will accept an open invitation of friendship from people they don’t know without questions.Now, suppose you are successful in being able to sell someone something. Let’s use a CD for the time being, since music is one of the major types of content promoted on MySpace. You are able to sell the CD that you paid $2.00 to duplicate (not including studio costs and everything else) for $15.00. You spent over 100 hours online befriending someone to make $13.00. Let’s just use 100 hours for simple arithmetic. That means that you made about $0.13/hour. When you add in all of the studio costs, manufacturing costs and everything else, well it’s about time to start looking forward to a tax write-off for the New Year. The plain and simple fact is that you need a lot of publicity to make money on MySpace. This brings us to our next point.Myspace promotes big name artists. We already established that. So, if you’re not a big-name artist, how do people find you? How do you tap into the 100 million members plus that are available to you? I think the bigger question is how do those people find you out of a pool of 100 million other people? The simple answer is that they don’t. Unless you can make yourself known to these people, almost all of them will never find you. They don’t know you exist and they don’t care if you exist. It’s a hard fact, but it is the bottom line. You have to do all of the work to make yourself known to prospective buyers.So, if you’re trying to make a name for yourself on MySpace, then I guess the answer to the question we posed in this article is a resounding yes. MySpace is definitely a waste of time for most independent artists. Notice that I use the word “most”, because just like the lottery, you can always get lucky. If, on the other hand, you are simply trying to connect with other artists and aren’t worried about making money so much as making friends with like-interests, then MySpace might be a good place for you. That being said, I hope that anyone who is serious about his or her work is trying to make a living in it. There is no better job in the world than doing the job you love day in and day out.Shelton Alexander is Associate Editor for Artistic Pursuit Magazine You can find more interesting information on his website http://www.artisticpursuit.org

Songs for Christmas

2007-12-24T18:27:56+01:00

Robert Earl Keen- Merry Christmas From The FamilyCome On! Let's Boogie To The Elf Dance!

Sufjan Stevens' ”Arkansas”

2007-11-05T03:51:10+01:00

From Something Awful Photoshop Phriday, h/t to Catholicgauze