Friday, February 18, 2005

New evidence has emerged that US forces in Afghanistan engaged in widespread Abu Ghraib-style abuse, taking "trophy photographs" of detainees and carrying out rape and sexual humiliation.

Documents obtained by the Guardian contain evidence that such abuses took place in the main detention centre at Bagram, near the capital Kabul, as well as at a smaller US installation near the southern city of Kandahar.

The documents also indicate that US soldiers covered up abuse in Afghanistan and in Iraq - even after the Abu Ghraib scandal last year.

[...]

Guardian

Obviously just more isolated incidents you understand, business as usual, move along now - nothing to see here, Forwards Not Back.

Aaaaaahhhhhhh.
posted by meau meau , 11:02 AM Þ 

Why does this matter?

So in the end, why does this matter? Why does it matter that Jeff Gannon may have been a gay hooker named James Guckert with a $20,000 defaulted court judgment against him? So he somehow got a job lobbing softball questions to the White House. Big deal. If he was already a prostitute, why not be one in the White House briefing room as well?

This is the Conservative Republican Bush White House we're talking about. It's looking increasingly like they made a decision to allow a hooker to ask the President of the United States questions. They made a decision to give a man with an alias and no journalistic experience access to the West Wing of the White House on a "daily basis." They reportedly made a decision to give him - one of only six - access to documents, or information in those documents, that exposed a clandestine CIA operative. Say what you will about Monika Lewinsky - a tasteless episode, "inappropriate," whatever. Monika wasn't a gay prostitute running around the West Wing. What kind of leadership would let prostitutes roam the halls of the West Wing? What kind of war-time leadership can't find the same information that took bloggers only days to find?

None of this is by accident.

Someone had to make a decision to let all this happen. Who? Someone committed a crime in exposing Valerie Plame and now it appears a gay hooker may be right in the middle of all of it? Who?

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/man-called-jeff.html
posted by chriszanf , 1:19 AM Þ 

Recently I was in the USA and bought the following music:

Jimmy Eat World - Clarity ($12.99, new)
Jimmy Eat World - Futures ($12.99, new)
Molly Hatchet - Cut to the Bone ($5.99, new)
Catherine Wheel - Happy Days ($1.00, used)
Animotion - Obsession ($4.99, used)
Daniel Ash - Coming Down ($2.00, used)
Timbuk3 - Eden Avenue (10c, tape, used)

Futures is a great album, really outstanding I reckon. The others have yet to sink in.
posted by captain davros , 12:03 AM Þ 
Thursday, February 17, 2005

A La Monte Young track on archive.org, again mp3 downloadable wit a bit of LT. Sounds like a Philip Corner piece. You should find a gong piece by Philip Corner. You should. Alga Marghen release his records.
posted by meau meau , 3:11 PM Þ 

Skin Biometrics



Skin is one of the latest and most exciting of technologies in the biometrics family. It is a new technology in the sense that until now, the dermal surface of the skin could not be imaged and classified in an automated manner.

Using an algorithm called surface texture analysis, the surface of the skin is analyzed for random features and a skinprint (skin template) is extracted. The skinprint can be used on its own, or fused together with traditional facial or fingerprint biometric systems to deliver exceptional levels of accuracy and robustness as compared to traditional face and finger recognition applications.

DID YOU KNOW...

The surface of the skin is a unique characteristic of an individual, created during fetal development as a result of internal stresses and frictions.

Standard cameras can be used to extract the skinprint.

By incorporating skin, the accuracy of facial recognition improves by at least 20-25%.

Skin can be used to distinguish between identical twins.
posted by meau meau , 2:13 PM Þ 

A bizarre yet sad story about Andy Bolus (Evil Moisture) who went missing in London on saturday. Apparently complaining of strong hallucinations and suffering a nasty eye infection.

http://yaxu.org/w/?node=Ab
posted by chriszanf , 12:23 AM Þ 
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Interpreted summary and clips of page 3 of the latest http://www.private-eye.co.uk Private Eye. Suscribe. Go and buy a copy. It's just an ace read.

[

The government spent public money on opinion polls about ID cards. This is unconstitutional. We know this. Anyway, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten found out that the objective of the 3 polls were "to investigate motivations and barriers to acceptance of identity/entitlement cards and ideas about how they can be most effectively presented to the public in any future publicity campaign."

Gvt dropped "entitlement card" name completely as public thought it "weasely"

IDEA: "It may be worth considering the thought that support for ID cards equates to voluntarily participating in society, and a way of expressing self-inclusion - a positive statement of belonging at a time when it is important for people to be mutually supportive. By implication, rejection of teh idea could be seen as tantamount to a refusal to participate or belong."

]
posted by Alun , 8:25 PM Þ 

I saw that Outlaws thing listed on the irdial last.fm label page but the torrent of those files didn't work - in fact practically every torrent I've tried to download recently breaks and splats my Tomato - kleptones, nathan barley, outlaws, cassini flight path, etc.

-

A rock n' roll session is a session where we can do what we want to do,

Outlaw,

Schwet!
posted by meau meau , 4:00 PM Þ 

too many fools following too many rules
too many fools following too many rules

Intro + Young Mc And The KLF : You Know What Time It Is [STREAM] [MP3]
DJ Shadow And The Chemical Brothers : Chemical Donor [STREAM] [MP3]
ILS And The Sugababes : Next Load [STREAM] [MP3]
Prince And Freq Nasty : When Freq'y Doves Cry [STREAM] [MP3]
Michael Jackson And Dave Clarke : Dirty Dave [STREAM] [MP3]
Ludacris And Sonic Infusion : Reformatted Rolls [STREAM] [MP3]
Layo & Bushwacka! And Mc Hammer : Love Hammer [STREAM] [MP3]
Donna Summer And Josh Wink : I Feel Higher [STREAM] [MP3]
Abba And Prisoners Of Technology : Chiq [STREAM] [MP3]
Raw Deal And Britney Spears : Headless Baby [STREAM] [MP3]
Alliyah And John B : Try My Secrets [STREAM] [MP3]
Ed Rush & Optical And Destiny's Child : Survive This [STREAM] [MP3]

[STREAM FULL MIX]

The copyright to the source recordings in this mix is retained by the original copyright holder

info@outlawdjs.com | www.outlawdjs.com

[...]

Courtesy of Ken Meier
posted by Irdial , 3:34 PM Þ 

The image “http://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/03/6f/06/82_12_sb.JPG” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

And besides, what's been done to this image?
I've never met anyone with transparent red legs.
posted by Alun , 10:06 AM Þ 
Tuesday, February 15, 2005

http://y.20q.net/

I beat it once with Owl, it took 22 questions, but it disagreed with me. See if you can beat it.
posted by alex_tea , 7:49 PM Þ 

recent vinyl delights supplied via freude am tanzen
specifically wighnomy brothers (robag wruhme)

and a new label to me contexterrior (you can download the back catalogue with a bit of lateral thinking).

House, who would have thought it? Although it's hardly house at all, but they seem to have a nice swinging spaciousness that's long disappeared from other 'dance' music.

-

catnap
posted by meau meau , 4:15 PM Þ 

The letter, from the Home Office, says the home secretary has the power to refuse passport facilities under the Royal Prerogative if past or proposed activities were so demonstrably undesirable that the granting of a passport would be contrary to the public interest.

so this means that they will not be fingerprinted and entered into the NIR system?! Why should they comply with it if they are not allowed to have a passport?!

Thus, only people who the government say they want to catch in the biometric net are excluded from it.

Ha Ha HA! Bloody idiots!!!!!
posted by Irdial , 3:59 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 3:52 PM Þ 

The Bliars in power use Royal Prerogative to withdraw passports from at least 2 of the people incarcerated at Guantanamo.

Is it just me or does this labour government seem to use far reaching legislation more than past conservative ones in withdrawing peoples rights government granted privileges?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4266609.stm
posted by chriszanf , 3:36 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 12:50 PM Þ 

like flies round shit....

And no doubt that the guy will go on to publish a £30 coffee-table glossy book financed by the sales of those photos.

While my friend Jen was visiting, I took her to Monument. She's visited the UK about 5-6 times now and has never been there. On decending, they gave us both certificates which has a nice print on the back. Must be a new thing as I didn't get one when I last visited.

I also got this photo of Ledenhall market
posted by chriszanf , 12:37 PM Þ 

Icorporating interviews, sound, and music in an innovative way, the Wire creates a unique radio experience that's somewhere between a documentary, a remix, and a music show. The Wire also features a commissioned remix of each episode by a DJ/remix producer.
CBC
(all flash interface)
posted by Barrie , 4:00 AM Þ 
Monday, February 14, 2005

like flies round shit.... 350 quid for a PHOTO of a banksy grafitti-ing.
posted by Alun , 6:43 PM Þ 

The image “http://www.picturesofwalls.com/gallerypics/afrika.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.The image “http://www.picturesofwalls.com/gallerypics/monster.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
Pictures of walls.


Our local [Hackney, Dalston, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green] 'taggers' are an unimaginative bunch in general. The usual kids with pens/spraycans copying the background of Snoop Doggs latest photoshoot. The most prolific and/or long-lasting and/or memorable tags are...

Jung (written in a variety of styles)

your mum rang (comes and goes with the phases of the moon. Saw a new one the other day. Makes me chuckle now and again, as I imagine it [think-speak it] with a lovely Northern accent. Does not work in cockney. Understated comic genius)

fuck pigs (in one street every parking meter has had the P in it's sign appropriated into this lovely slogan. not clever, but can also be a chuckle inducer, depending on location)

EINE (I presume this is the graffiti "artist", one of the Shoreditch mob. Tags always in BLOCK CAPITALS and usually large (especially round Shoreditch. Ugh). This is the most BORING EGOTISTICAL RUBBISH TAG EVER. Yes, it really pisses me off to see yet more of these tags everywhere I go. Eine is an idiot. You can, if you wish, see the ill-conceived crap he produces in the name of "art" here.)

More as and if they come to mind...

[I love the simplicity and vision demonstrated by the two pictured above. Fabulous!]
posted by Alun , 5:17 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 3:35 PM Þ 

This list is kind of fractured but does that really matter?

Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd - 1983 (my year of birth - these bands are etched into my brain tissue)
Peter Gabriel, Captain Beefheart, Talking Heads, Robert Johnson - 1990ish (it was nice having a big ol' record collection to play with)
Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, aaaaand The KLF - 1991
The Tragically Hip - 1992
Radiohead - 1995
Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Coltrane, Weather Report... hell, jazz and fusion in general. - around 1995
Tool - 1996
Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno, Orbital, The Orb - 1998
Aphex Twin, Squarepusher and other IDM artists, and acid house in general - 1998
Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Monster Magnet! - 1999
XTC, Led Zeppelin, The Who - 1999
The Year of Post Rock - Tortoise, Mogwai, Slint, Fridge, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and other Montreal projects - 2000
Yes, King Crimson - 2000
Conet Project and Irdial - 2001
My Bloody Valentine, shoegaze, Joy Division, Wire and post-punk in general - 2001
Coil, Whitehouse, Current 93 - 2001
Will Oldham - 2002
Stars of the Lid, SUNN O))), Drone music - 2002
Richard Youngs, Fflint Central records - 2002
The Mars Volta, neo-prog - 2003
Black Metal, Death Metal, etc as a genre - 2003
John Cage (really started listening to), Stockhausen, Xenakis, Glenn Branca - 2004
The Hafler Trio (really started listening to), Nurse with Wound, irr. app. (ext.) - 2004

I would say that while discovering music like Hafler Trio and Cage was definitely mind expanding and amazing, the "brightest" and most colourful revelation was had with IDM, acid house (ala PTV) and drum & bass. The reaction probably had to do with my age at the time.
posted by Barrie , 6:49 AM Þ 
Sunday, February 13, 2005

We've Got Howard's Back

by The People

Contributions thus far: 1679 donors, $80242.22

Let's give Howard Dean the ammunition he needs to successfully reform our party.

[...]

http://actblue.com/list/dnc

This is the right idea, only it needs to work in reverse. All the democrats in America simply need to refuse to finance their illigitimate and life threatening government - that will be enough to bring the whole facist regime down.

Giving money to Dean will accomplish absolutely nothing.

But you know this.
posted by Irdial , 7:41 PM Þ 

Thinking Machine 4 explores the invisible, elusive nature of thought. Play chess against a transparent intelligence, its evolving thought process visible on the board before you.
The artwork is an artificial intelligence program, ready to play chess with the viewer. If the viewer confronts the program, the computer's thought process is sketched on screen as it plays. A map is created from the traces of literally thousands of possible futures as the program tries to decide its best move. Those traces become a key to the invisible lines of force in the game as well as a window into the spirit of a thinking machine.


posted by Alison , 12:13 PM Þ 

I think this is just fantastic. There were two specific things I noticed about public space in England:
1: Don't look at other people
2: You can be fined for having untied shoelaces, I fucking swear



From Wooster Collective
posted by Barrie , 8:39 AM Þ 
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