Louise makes a 'Pam says thanks' Page

The Crimson Room
Minos passed this on.. kind of a cross between japanese-anime style graphics and Myst... can you escape ? Some lovely Engrish subtitles.
Warnings:
- This is the kind of thing which rapidly becomes very adictive !
- There is one piece of info you absolutely need, which is not contained within the game directly, I only got it by finding a cheat page.
Clue (slight spoiler but not really): "1994" - this is not a teaser - it will be obvious when you need it.
**Apparently there are different versions of the game out there where this number is different - be aware.

The game is a freebie shockwave app - and seems to have been copied all over the web, here the link Minos sent to me: The Crimson Room.
Here is a solution - for if you give up: Crimson Room Solution.

BBC SPORT - When does it all kick off again?
just when you're enjoying a break from it all - the new footy season's start dates...

Redferns Music Picture Gallery: DAVID BOWIE PIN UP

This exhibition is a celebration of an artist with a real understanding for rock’s visual appeal.
Featuring rare and unseen images by an impressive list of legendary photographers: Terry O’Neil, Andrew Kent, Mick Rock, Ian Dickson, Denis O’Regan, David Bebbington, Brian Aris, Ray Stevenson, Michael Putland, Barry Plummer and Kate Simon all contribute to this amazing photographic narrative.

PledgeBank - Tell the world "I'll do it, but only if you'll help"
This is another interesting idea from www.mysociety.org/.

"The way it works is simple. You create a pledge which has the basic format 'I'll do something, but only if other people will pledge to do the same thing'."

On Toothache, music and musical heroes...
I have been suffering from a persistent toothache from a wisdom tooth... it's "impacted" see here for an explanation and here's a picture (aaaaarrrrrggghhhh !)


So, whilst waiting to see a dental surgeon at the hospital last Saturday, I was catching up on some reading, including the most recent entries on the ever-readable David Byrne "Online Journal" (don't call it a blog!).

Just imagine my ironic chuckling as I sat in the waiting room reading the following, with toothache, waiting to see a DENTAL SURGEON whilst in the background an eazy-listening-musak cd played chunes from the popular songbook in ver-so-luvverly synth, drum-machine and panpipes arrangements...

NOTE: This is from the entry from June 5
"One can not only hear the music one chooses all the time if one wants, which seems like a good thing, but one can also seek out music from far-flung places, scenes and from times very different than one's own. At least in recorded form it’s more or less all out there.
I find this overwhelming. Probably as a musician I find music either one or the other — completely invisible, inaudible — even sometimes when it’s playing loud — or completely intrusive — impossible to ignore. As a musician there are times when even quiet background music in a bar or restaurant is completely distracting and impossible to ignore. It’s like the effect of having a TV on in room is for most people — it tends to demand attention. All conversation either stops or has to deal with the TV program. Music is like that for musicians.
In this way the easy access to and ubiquity of music is oppressive. It often feels like a passive aggressive assault. I’d pay extra for silence."

Why Geeks and Nerds Are Worth It...
I spotted this a while back - thought it would be good for Louise :-)

Brian Eno on Song-Writing:
I came across these comments on song writing by Eno..:

'Song-writing is now actually the most difficult challenge in music. It's very easy to make music now but lyrics are really the last very hard problem in music. What I think lyrics have to do is engage a certain part of your brain in a sort of search activity so your brain wants to say 'here are some provocative clues as to what this song might be about'. They don't have to be explicit... in fact for me they certainly shouldn't be explicit'.

Grocery Store Wars | Join the Organic Rebellion
Some nice organic food advocacy in a star wars stylee [Flash Movie] - Righteous !
Thanks to Giles for the tip.

eNormicom: Welcome to eNormicom!: "Is your company having an e-dentity crisis? Then you need the eNormicom Image Bucket Program™..."

The Adventures of ACTION ITEM!
Wonderfull send up of consultancy-speak in the form of a DC/marvel comic strip.

Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs
Exactly as it says on the tin. I think this is one for Alison and Louise!

Antique Radio Classified--With The Collectors
Isn't it great that these consumer devices are already considered antiques !
I still have a Rio 500 - which I actually picked up from Michael ... back in 2000.

Today is April 1st
in case you hadn't noticed... here's some nice date-appropriate articles I noticed today:

Could Tom Parker Bowles become second in line to the throne after the royal wedding next week?
BBC Radio4's Today program: RealAudio Clip

Bowie to launch new Perfume: Mesmer
Mesmer by David Bowie is a spellbinding and erotic blend of sensuality and warm awakening aromas of bergamot, lemon, and patchouli singapour balanced perfectly with musk, red marechal rose and African wengue wood.

Bloglines Helps Bridge The Vastness Of Space
News Feed and Blog Reading In The Warrior Tongue
Oakland, CA, Earth -- Stardate: 2005.4.1 -- Bloglines, the world's most popular free online service for searching, subscribing, publishing and sharing news feeds, blogs and rich web content, today opened the doors of its service to audiences beyond our solar system with a new translation in Klingon, the galaxy's fastest-spreading invented language.

*Apple founder Jobs joins IKEA | The Register
KEA's flatpack days may soon be a distant memory, as Apple and Pixar founder Steve Jobs turns to his latest challenge. Inter IKEA Systems BV will employ Jobs as "acting CEO", from next month. The technology icon will maintain his twin CEO roles at Apple Computer Inc. and Pixar Inc. but will also take command with a wide-ranging brief at the retail giant. For the technology guru, it's just another job, but for the Swedish furnishing franchise, it's a massive gamble. IKEA had a turnover of €13 billion last year, and has over 200 stores worldwide.

Boring Boring Parody of Boing Boing

Ingenious Google-like front-end to BBC's Ceefax: ceefax.tv

As reported by The Register:

BBC throws strop at 'Ceefax Google'A Dutch consultant has provoked the anger of the BBC by creating a website which lets users browse Ceefax, the broadcaster’s popular teletext service. The BBC has demanded the closure of the site, claiming copyright infringement.

The FactCheck website
The Guardian reports a soon to be launched website...

MediaGuardian: C4 site subjects politicians to truth test
Channel 4 today launches a website that will enable voters to check the factual basis of politicians' claims in the run-up to the general election.
The FactCheck website, which has been inspired by a similar online venture launched in the US in 2003, has been set up to inform voters about the factual accuracy of claims politicians make in speeches, press conferences and press releases.
"We believe FactCheck will be an important service to the public during the election period. With so many statements flying around, it is often difficult for the voter to know where the truth lies," said Dorothy Byrne, the head of news and current affairs at Channel 4.

Channel 4 FactCheck

Ciaran, Ray & Damian from That Petrol Emotion on the Radio - Thursday 31st March
This just in from Ciaran...

Ciaran, Ray & Damian from That Petrol Emotion will be
live on Resonance FM (104.4) on Thursday 31st March
from 7-8.30 p.m talking about their favourite records
and playing some new songs!!
You can listen online too:
www.resonancefm.com/audio
Check it out - and pass this on - its the next big
thing don't you know :)

Julian Beever's pavement drawings
I seem to remember blogging about this guy a year or so ago.. this site has lots of great photos.

Sponsor Alison In the Race For Life for Cancer Research
Alison and her mum (Granny Pam) have signed up take part in this year's Race for Life event.
You can sponsor her online here: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/alisonadams

"In 2000 my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. Three terrible operations later and I don't know who was in worse shape - her or my dad - mums illness took it's toll on him too. Now, they are both happy and healthy and my son Charlie really loves his Granny Pam and Grumps.
I will be proud to wear number 479, and even more proud to be taking part with my mum.
Please sponsor me now and tell a friend too !"

Myst island birthday cake
One for Alison.

The secret of bananas - caught on tape
how did we live so long without knowing this ?

You'd think after eating a fruit at least a thousand times, you'd know all it's capable of. Maybe not. I recently learned something about bananas that, quite frankly, blew my mind.
I'm sure it won't be news to everyone, but for me this revelation was up there with seeing the secret arrow in the Fedex logo for the first time...
BANANAS NATURALLY DIVIDE INTO 3 PERFECT WEDGES.

Snap Galleries
"Rare and exclusive rock and roll photography from Snap Galleries"
bumped into this today.. lotsa photos of all your favourite rock gods/godesses.

Heavy Chamber Music
Ever wondered how choice rock cuts such as Radiohead's Creep and the Tap's classic "Big Bottom" (not to mention the "Wild Boys" cover) would sound as arranged for and recorded on bass clarinet ?
Of course you have !
Well, you can find out here.. download the mp3s here: Edmund Welles: Audio
.
.
.
Talk about bun-cakes my girls got 'em....

CIA - The World Factbook
Does what it says on the tin. Pick a country... any country...

Jazz Recording Artists Go Into Business for Themselves
A WSJ article about the emergence of new music labels run for and by jaz musicians.
I think this is the answer for the less popular (i.e. real !) music genres, let the artists (those who have the "content") and their public (that would be the "consumers") communicate and buy/sell directly - who needs the parasites of the big labels in the middle ? If the established artists can promote and endorse (and help) their up and coming less established colleagues - then we the fans/audiance will find and promote new music and artists... in the way we already do: by referal.

Here's an artist based label (there are many springing up now) which features some new music from Roger Eno (that was my link to them):
Burning Shed: Specialist online music label and shop

Scott Rope: Jack in the box Voicemail

Very Very Funny Voicemail ! [apparently genuine]
This is probably all-over-everywhere by now.. but this made me laugh out loud. Follow this link Jack in the box Voicemail
for an introduction and a link to an mp3 [4MB, 3.5 minutes] of an apparently genuine voicemail message...

"...when an operations manager was late for a meeting and called his boss to tell him he was running late. As he was leaving the voice mail message, he witnessed an accident and went on to provide "play by play" of the incident."

The Urban Legends Reference Pages considers this "Status: Undetermined" - and their investigation hasn't proved it to be a hoax (yet), see:
http://www.snopes.com/autos/mishaps/beating.asp

Montage-a-google

Montage-a-google
Searches google images based on keywords you enter, then builds a photo-montage before your very eyes... simple genius, highly compelling... highly distracting.
I found music/bands to give nice results, e.g. "david bowie 1976" and "that petrol emotion". Alsion tried some for Charlie.. like "brake down truck" and "diggers".
Nice, instant personalised art !

Angler's Quest Deluxe Fishing Simulator
Can there be any future for a civilization which allows anyone to design, manufacture and sell these.. and then allows other people to buy them ?

"Reel them in with this deluxe virtual reality fishing simulator.
The Angler's Quest Deluxe Virtual Fishing Simulator is the most luxurious way to go fishing without getting your feet wet. The cabinet is made from a beautiful hardwood finish which makes this game look right at home in your private entertainment room. The game includes all the features of the arcade version plus some high quality extras that make this game extra fun."

Rinus Michels RIP
The death of the Dutch "father of Total Football" has spawned some great comment on his life and achievments in football, and the revolution that was and is "total football".
These articles in the Guardian are all worth reading:

Fearless father of Total Football - Kevin McCarra
'The greatest coach I played for - everybody looked up to him' - Hans van Breukelen
Obituary by Brian Glanville - Rinus Michels Renowned Dutch soccer coach whose 'total football' concept took his team to victory

My dad took me to see England vs Holland in a 1975 friendly at Wembley. I was 10 at the time, and didn't really apreciate the fact that I was watching Cryuff, Neskens, Resenbrink, Krol, Rep etc. I'm not sure if Michels was the manager then... but it was still his team and and his style... Holland won 2-0 with goals from a guy called Jan Peters... who i think was not in the squad by the time of the 1978 World Cup.
I do remember I loved their Orange shirts !
I was also present for the Euro 96 (Alison bought the tickets) match at Wembley... when England out total-football'd the Dutch... marvellous !

Tony Visconti on the 30TH ANNIVERSARY Young Americans Release
bowie news
Visconti recently remixed for 5.1 the 2 70's live albums (Live & Stage) - as well as the more recent Bowie albums. This news article has some nice quotes from Visconti and an extract from a contemporary music press piece. Nice.

All the tracks have been mixed from the master tapes to 96khz high definition digital audio. That translates to 'freakin' scary' quality. Mr. Bowie is front and center, but the backing is now spread 360º with Mr. Vandross hovering over your left shoulder for most of the album. John Lennon's six string acoustic is almost entirely in the right rear speaker on "Across The Universe" and you just might hear a comment from him when the song is over. What really brought it home to me was how great David's vocals were, and a lot of them were live takes with him standing in the same room as the band at Sigma Studios in Philadelphia.

Now all i need to do is invest in some 5.1 suround sound gear... oh, and a bigger house with a suitably sized room !

More on the Snow..Man...


See the Snow Gallery

Snow.
it's been seriously snowing up here in North Yorkshire, which prompted me to blog this lovely gallery of snowflakes...:

Snowflake and Snow Crystal Photos:
Snow Crystal Photographs
... Capturing the fleeting beauty of snowflakes ...
Snowflakes are temporary works of art. After just a few short minutes on the ground, a fallen snowflake will lose its ornate structure, its unique pattern that will never again be repeated. Photography allows us to preserve a few of these minute masterpieces and to examine their form up close. Below are some examples of snow crystal photographs from around the world."

And here's a photo of Charlie in the snow...
more over at our website photo gallery

My MP (former Tory leader) William Hague earns £820K on top of his salary.
The BBC reports this news, which is to me quite staggering... not so much a shock or a scandal... more, just... how can that guy be worth so much.. someone somewhere must value him.

BBC NEWS - Hague's six-figure earnings shown
"The register shows former Tory leader William Hague earning up to £820,000 on top of his MPs' salary, much of it from speaking fees."
"Mr Hague's work outside Parliament included two one-man shows, which with other speaking fees netted him up to £480,000."

True art or a fake?
Take the quiz

"Some of the images displayed below are True Masterpieces of Abstract Art, created by Immortal Artists. Each of them carries a profound meaning, which is, however, beyond the apprehensions of the vulgar. The rest were produced by the author of the quiz. They mean nothing."

now i am 40...
Today's the day I reached 40 years of age...
feels about the same as yesterday...

are you coming to my party ?

Online Bowie Quiz...
it's just a bit of fun to promote the EMI reissues of the newly-improved versions of David Live and Stage this coming Monday, February 21st.(altho if your daft enough to give your contact details to EMI's marketing department you can be entered into a prize draw!)

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
Just bumped into this site today... worth knowing about if you are getting bothered by nuisance calls...

"helps you to make sure your telephone number is no longer available to organisations who may telephone you with offers and information you do not wish to receive"
TPS Registration

"Someone keeps stealing my letters..."
Lovely virtual fridge-magnet multi-player game (Flash) - you compete/cooperate with others to assemble words, or a random mess... time wasting silly game.. or interesting sociological experiment... you decide:
Just Letters

`What would she get if the firm had done well? A country?':

'Star' CEOs like HP's Fiorina don't come cheap - Her severance package is worth at least $21.1 million. Those who agitate for CEO pay to be linked to performance said they are disgusted by her severance package.
``What would she get if the firm had done well? A country?'' asked Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of the Yale School of Management."

People collect the strangest things online...
The Wonderful World of Airline Napkins
Project C-90
Don Markstein's Toonopedia

Nice Topical Knock Knock Joke...
This seems to be doing the rounds, I heard it on yesterday's Broadcasting House (on Radio4)

Knock knock
Who's there?
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson who?
Right, you're on the jury!

One for Ciaran...
MOJO's Top 100 Soundtracks of All Time List

Bing..! Its Groundhog Day, er.. again... Apparently

Groundhog .org - the Official Site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
"Groundhog Day 2005 is on the way! Groundhog Day is Wednesday, February 2, 2005.
According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Phil: Ned Ryerson?
Ned: BING.
Phil: Bing
http://imdb.com/title/tt0107048/quotes

The new 60?
Katharine Whitehorn on what it means to be 80

"Not so long ago, you were doing well if you reached three score years and 10. But many of us now live full and active lives well beyond that. So what does it mean today to be 80? Katharine Whitehorn, who's not there yet, considers our changing understanding of old age."I read this yesterday (maybe I'm reflecting on aging as my 40th birthday approaches) - the piece is insightful and makes some good points and theres some nice humerous touches.

As people of my generation contemplate the ageing of our parents' generation, and mainstream celebrity obsessed media deals so foolishly with ageing (or attempting to postpone or deny it). Talk of "pension crises" and stories about "the support burden" for younger people caring for the older generation seem to me to be very negative and lack the imagination necessary to see what a blessing it is to have grandparents for our children.

BBC Radio3 featuring "The Minimalists" as their composer of the week (program runs Mon-Fri @ 12 noon).
BBC - Radio 3 - Composer of the Week - 1. Beginnings
I just heard the first one.. reminded me how much I (still) like a lot of this stuff.. despite rarely playing any of it myself.... time to dust off my old Phillip Glass & Steve Reich LPs ?

Resuming Blogging...
After a long hiatus, since April last year, I have decided to take up blogging again.
I'm not entirely sure why I stopped, or why I am starting again - however I think there was a period when I seemed mostly to be collecting wiered and funny, yet daft stuff which meant little to anyone, and arguably was already well served (e.g. boingboing.net).
I also got rather caught up with the Peak Oil Theory [deserves a proper post/discussion], the mind-boggling seriousness of which makes blogging trivialities seem futile.
Whatever...
I shall resume as of now, and attempt to record somethig, and see where we end up :-)

New Archers Theme Tune by Eno
Lovely item on this April 1st morning on the BBC R4 Today programme, The Archers & Brian Eno combined... marvellous ! I wonder how many letters/emails/calls they will get... a beautiful choice for an April fools item. They played the "Eno Remix", which had this awful D&B rythm underneath, and some very poor electronic effects - then a number of commentators explaining how it was important to bring the archers into the 21st century etc...

"BBC Executives have commissioned composer and musician, Brian Eno, to remix the existing tune."

THE "BRIEF SAFE"
Eeeeeeeeeeeewwww !

The "Brief Safe" is an innovative new diversion safe that can secure your cash, documents, and other small valuables from inquisitive eyes and thieving hands

iPodrace
A fairly large Quicktime movie... demonstrating the intersection of the worlds of iPods and Star-Wars Pod-Racing based on a union of the word... pod !
Daft, funny & clever.

Creative Commons Music License
one for my talented musical friends :-)
Without a traditional "deal", I would (If I had the least bit of talent!) be following this method to get my recordings out-there. The creative commons "movement" is worth researching and understanding, and may very well be the simplest and best method of bypassing the traditional power brokers and taking control of your music/career.

About the Creative Commons Music Sharing License
The Creative Commons music license helps you:

1. Mark It Legal: Mark your music with the CC logo so fans know that you own your copyright, but give permission to download, file-share, copy, and webcast — but not to sell, alter, or make any other commercial uses. Here's an example of how it would look on a band's web page and here's a short comic describing how fans might legally use your music.
2. Promote It: Register your music at Common Content so people can contact you to purchase commercial rights to the composition or sound recording. Or, have it hosted for free at the Internet Archive.
3. Make It Searchable: Make your music searchable within the Creative Commons audio search engine."

Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age
Just to re-inforce any feelings of a lack of accomplishment you may be feeling.

Google Publishes Print Edition Funny.

Hamlet - The Text Adventure
Very nice...:

"I am in an east-west corridor in the palace. My bedroom door is in the south wall. An opening in the north wall leads on to the balcony.
Horatio is here.
Exits are north, east, south and west."

Plumber, electrician... digitician? - nice piece on the emergence of localised "deep support" and/or the comodification of skills...?
"As homes get more wired, a new trade emerges"

**more funny shit brought to you by updater**
Warning: contains profanity - not for those easily offended (swearing is not, big or clever.. but as this remix/respin on the recent Channel4 promotional talking head-ads suggests, it can be funny ... maybe ?)
Thanks to jamesh for the tip.

Starved of the truth - George Monbiot article on the current Biotech debate, and asks: what is the real question....?

Biotech firms are out to corner the market, so they have to persuade us something else is at stake.
The question is as simple as this: do you want a few corporations to monopolise the global food supply?"

Slashdot | Protecting Our Parents' PCs?
nice article/thread on being "PC Support Man"

The Singhsons
This is a really nice (flash animation - needs sound) indian-remix of everyones favourite cartoon family... funny and reverential ! [thanks to GarryS for the link]

First e-ink e-book reader from PHILIPS
e-paper/e-ink has been talked of for a while now... however, with this becoming a reality(?) this year.. and the wider availability of wireless networkin.... the promise of "all the worlds books available all the time" draws nearer (if the stupid content/copyright would allow us to have access at a reasonable price)... can you say "convergence" ?

Gyoza.org - Gyoza - Japanese Dumplings One For Ray !

How News Travels on the Internet
this is one of those "Blog's will eat themselves" postings which has already become part of the thing it's describing. i think this is all very fascinating, watching the changes in publishing and news-consumption rules changing.... then observing 80% of london tube users reading the awful and free "Metro"... sigh....

Magnatune."We're a record label. But we're not evil."
Interesting approach to re-inventing the recording industry "the way it ought to be"... look at his "reasons why" page (under "information").

Personal Update I haven't managed to post much recently - due to travelling for work... plus Charlie has had Chicken Pox, which has somewhat distracted me from my usual distratcions - thankfully he's getting much better now.
Here's a bunch of things i caught up on over the weekend...

Spam is 10

5th March marks the tenth anniversary of what is generally considered the first spam message

More "New Journalism"
Dan Gillmor: Boost for Personal Journalism in New Gadget Blog

Downing Street Says...

"Every day the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as 'the lobby' for a topical chat, or 'briefing'. We've built an unofficial site that lets you read summaries of these briefings and add your own comments"

Far Side cartoons made real in Photoshop

world subways: "subway systems of the world, presented on the same scale"

Yahoo! News - Enthusiasts Call Web Feed Next Big Thing
Story about RSS Newsfeeds on Yahoo, a good introduction and update on the subject.

I've been using bloglines.com for a while now, and find it's a great way to track subjects I'm interested in...

Try It Out here on some of the feeds I follow.

[see earlier item]

Guardian Online Web watch
Some interesting things in this weeks edition, including "Six of the best: Hotspot finders", and "Un-googling".

What We Learned In The New Economy
Interesting and insightful article from Fast Company Magazine. I particularly like the part on "The Brand Called You"... makes a lot of sense:

Boom-Time Buzz: Free Agent Nation is a utopia. The Brand Called You makes you more marketable than ever.
Cold Reality: Free Agent Nation is a jungle. The Brand Called You is the only way to survive.

Simon Hoggart pokes fun at our honarble MP's register of members interests, lovely :-)

"Meanwhile, the new register of members' interests was published yesterday. It's always fascinating, and here are a few nuggets.
Most boring freebie: Richard Allan, visit to Ottawa to Centre for Collaborative Government, a Canadian thinktank.
Most meaningless job: 'Peter Mandelson, adviser to AM Conseil, an industrial consultancy on strategic development, including internal and external communication and change management issues.' Does one single word of that convey anything at all?
Most disappointing perk: Alistair Burt, 'upgrade to business class on flight from London to Paris'. Can anyone sink eight gin and tonics in a 35 minute flight?
Most obvious legal tax wheeze: Barbara Follett, 'communication consultant to Ken Follett, author'. ('Pick up the phone Ken, then you punch the numbers in that order ...')
Most politically incorrect trip: Edward Garnier, 'a day's shooting in Bedfordshire as guest of the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association'. Just make that 'shooting endangered species', and you have a full house."

The DrumSolo Collection
One for Ciaran...:DRUMMERWORLD: The DrumSolo Collection - from Steve Gadd to Dave Weckl

Barcode Yourself
You are a number, you are not a free man.

Independent journalists blog from Iraq and Iran
These are interesting blogs worth a look. Some good points on "embeded journalism" and the nature of reporting, as well as first hand accounts.

http://www.kevinsites.net/"Kevin Sites is a freelance solo journalist currently on assignment for NBC News in Iraq, but this site is a personal website not affiliated with or funded by NBC News"
http://www.stuhughes.co.uk/"DISCLAIMER: Stuart Hughes works for BBC News, but this is a personal website not affiliated with, endorsed by, or funded by the BBC. Archives of Stuart's work are available here, and at www.bbc.co.uk/news"

Curry KitKat anyone?

"As well as the cumin and masala flavour, NestlÈ is considering offering lemon cheesecake, liquorice, saffron and passion fruit."

Chicks dig computers
i) A Linux Distro for Barbie? Lovely !
ii) Female IT Experts
Suggested by jamesh. Enjoyed by guys in a post-feminist, ironic, laughing *with* the sisters kinda way.

That Petrol Emotion prove they CAN break into the Top 40 !
It seems the wonderful Mark and Lard have been running a survey to find the "WORST BAND NAMES EVER". As a personal friend to some of the stars of TPE, I'm impressed at their solid position of #35 in the ranking, proving once and for all that they can make the top 40 !
Thanks to RayG for the tip ;-)

Coole Games - Hit the pinguin (HOT!)
More penguin related mayhem - thanks to jamesh for the tip

[See earlier item]

World of Ends Concise and highly clueful essay on the internet... makes lots of points which seem so very obvious, especialy once they are articulated so clearly by somebody else ! Worth a read for anyone interested in the internet and the future of humanity.

What the Internet Is and
How to Stop Mistaking It
for Something Else.

Written by Doc Searls and David Weinberger - who were behind the highly influential (apparently) 1999 book/essay the cluetrain manifesto

Wikitravel
I ran accross this nice site just recently... may be a good introduction to "Wikis" for those who are uninitiated.

Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide. So far we have 1147 destination guides and other articles written and edited by Wikitravellers from around the globe. Check out the Help page to see how you can edit any page right now.

Apple plays Big Brother
A nice (large, slow to download/play) remix advert pointing out the very strange and outrageous position of the Recording Industry establishment, plus Coke, plus Apple.

Our World Our Say
An interesting site/organisation agitating and petitioning for a proper ("full, independent and open") inquiry as to why Britain went to war with Iraq (er, I thought it was to protect access to Oil, which is running out, and seeing as iraq has the second largest oil reserves....)

Identity
Our World Our Say is a non-party political organisation with no specific religious affiliation.
Mission
Our World Our Say works to give people a voice when politicians circumvent them, particularly over world changing issues. Through re-connecting ordinary citizens with their elected representatives and giving them a voice, we aim to give people power over their own future and invigorate the democratic process.

Ziggy gave-Away Guitaaaaarrhhhaaaarrrsssss ! Bowie Donates 2 Guitars

"David Bowie has been supporting B.A.D.D. Bikers Against Drunk Drivers for over 18 years and has signed two donated Takamine 12-string acoustics. David also personalized them with lyrics to Ziggy Stardust and Rock 'N' Roll Suicide."

Copy-crippled CDs launch in UK
More on this ongoing saga of stupidity... remember, CDs that the record companies call "copy protected" are actually broken, and do not comply with technology standards... don't but copy protected CDs ! If you want to stop piracy, don't pirate your collection or download pirated music.... it's easy !

Crippled CDs that won't play on many CD drives, including car players, crept onto the UK market last month. Of course the CDs, which break the Red Book standard, don't allow you to copy the music. And on some car players they play nothing but silence.

Guardian comment piece Blair's claim is simply incredible.
A former senior intelligence officer challenges Lord Hutton's account.

truly, madly, geeky, you have to love this...Jeff Russell's STARSHIP DIMENSIONS

"this site is intended to allow science fiction fans to get an impression of the true scale of their favorite science fiction spacecraft by being able to campare ships accross genres, as well as being able to compare them with contemporary objects with which they are probably familiar. The scales are based on meter-to-pixel ratios so that they are accurate on any platform"

Tuning in to the surreal voice of God
Thanks to Ciaran for the tip...

"A look at the impact of Maradona’s involvement in a TV talk show."

Aussie Glossie
From Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin's TV web site...

Crikey! What did Steve just say? Learn some popular phrases from the land down under.

Re-established contact with Henning in Denmark today - hi Henning !

Cyberloo blast rocks Stoke-on-Trent
The Register reports on "Roof blown off killer roboconvenience" - hysterical punning report... also see links to his earlier reports, confirming his theory of these incidents being the beginning of "humanity's innevitable war with the machines". Lovely stuff.

Guardian Unlimited Football Columnist Richard Williams on why skilful footballers should be allowed to do their tricks:
Here, here - could not agree more ! - do read the whole piece, but here's a nice extract...:

"....in the first leg of a Carling Cup semi-final, Jay Jay Okocha lined up a free-kick outside the left-hand corner of Aston Villa's penalty area. In front of him stood two defenders, covering the near post. As he prepared to run up, at about 45 degrees to the left of the ball, there could have been only one thing in his mind: to curl it with his instep over the wall and towards the far post. Nothing else was possible.
Instead, despite approaching the ball at that wide angle, Bolton's Nigerian midfield genius contrived to strike it with the outside of his right boot, sending it around the left side of the defensive wall and just inside the near post. Goodness knows how he produced such scorching, snaking velocity at such an unexpected trajectory from such a disguised approach. A double-jointed ankle, perhaps. Or maybe just a double-jointed imagination."

Google Guide: Interactive Tutorial Making Search Even Easier

"Why Take The Google Guide Tutorial?
Google is so easy to use, why take this online tutorial? If you're like many people, you use only a fraction of Google's features and services. The more you know about how Google works, its features and capabilities, the better it can serve your needs."

New Film on Johan Cruyff in Barcelona... Reign in Spain

"When the Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff moved to Barcelona, the people thought he was an angel. Geoffrey Macnab reports on a remarkable film portrait of Catalonia "

Football Anorak - as they say themsleves... "Comprehensive UK Football statistics for gamblers and fans alike"

Guitars!
of interet to some of my guitar playing friends... these high tech art-meets-craft guitars www.teuffelguitars.com
Also, for guitar techies, former Bowie Axe-Man (as they say in rock journalism) Reeves Gabrels discusses technique and rigs and equipment and all that to quite astounding depth on his website Q&A Page
...and another of my fave guitarists goes into even more detail about such stuff on his website: 'splattercell.com'

badgerbadgerbadger
I think I'm late to this one, though I've yet to find anyone who already knows it ?
Hampster[sic] Dance for this century ?

The Oracle of Bacon at Virginia
Thanks to Jives for the tip...

If you like the Kevin Bacon game you'll love this game that links any actor/actress to any other!

[Also see earlier item on the Baconizer]

Magnificent Union of Digitally Downloading Artists
Launched by Brian Eno & Peter Gabriel, this very much reflects my point of view regarding distribution and consumption of digital music. It asks and answers the fundamental question... "Who needs the (old school big and greedy) record labels ?"
here are some links...
Wired News: Just Say 'No' to Record Labels
BBC NEWS Gabriel to launch musicians' union
MUDDA Website

The era of sentient footballs

A new technology from Europe: RFIDs inside footballs to gather data and -- most importantly -- confirm the ball's location on the field in real time. The article is auf Deutsch, but reader Christopher has provided an excellent English summary, quoted below.

IKEA WALKTHROUGH v2.3.1
I love this, definately worth a read...:

"IKEA is a fully immersive, 3D environmental adventure that allows you to role-play the character of someone who gives a shit about home furnishings. In traversing IKEA, you will experience a meticulously detailed alternate reality filled with garish colors, clear-lacquered birch veneer, and a host of NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPCs) with the glazed looks of the recently anesthetized."