Saturday, January 25, 2003

PS: Blogdial TOTALLY needs some sweet RSS action. NetNewsWire is hella cool. Anyone on OS X should check it out!!
posted by Barrie , 9:28 PM Þ 

Oooo, nice 'e.'

The DoS attacks continued last night, and I have just learned that the site election.com was hit last night/morning, temporarily shutting down the Canadian New Democratic Party's leadership vote that is taking place as I type. This is pretty solid evidence as to why online voting is not quite ready to go yet.
Taking down ebay or amazon.com is one thing, prohibiting party member's democratic right to vote is EVIL. It is political sabotage.
posted by Barrie , 8:53 PM Þ 

My lastest venture into typedesign, an e.
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:21 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 10:45 AM Þ 

I'm getting massive packet loss to various points on the globe.
I am seeing a lot of these in my tcpdump output on each
host.

02:06:31.017088 150.140.142.17.3047 > 24.193.37.212.ms-sql-m: udp 376
02:06:31.017244 24.193.37.212 > 150.140.142.17: icmp: 24.193.37.212 udp port ms-sql-m unreachable [tos 0xc0

It looks like there's a worm affecting MS SQL Server which is
pingflooding addresses at some random sequence.

All admins with access to routers should block port 1434 (ms-sql-m)!

Everyone running MS SQL Server shut it the hell down or make
sure it can't access the internet proper!

I make no guarantees that this information is correct, test it
out for yourself!

-- Michael Bacarella 24/7 phone: 646 641-8662
Netgraft Corporation http://netgraft.com/ "unique technologies to empower your business"
Finger email address for public key.
Key fingerprint: C40C CB1E D2F6 7628 6308 F554 7A68 A5CF 0BD8 C055
posted by Irdial , 10:44 AM Þ 

HOLY SHIT. MySQL attacks and a new exploit are making things really crazy RIGHT NOW.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0%2C3973%2C841144%2C00.asp
http://average.matrix.net/Daily/markR.html (updated regularily)
Major root nameservers are going down, ironically sites like
www.internettrafficreport.com are becoming unavailable.
Confusion and choas... all coming in at port 1434. Waagh!
posted by Barrie , 9:56 AM Þ 

Akin, you may want to check this stuff out, it sounds right up your
alley (and they're Canadian)!

I AM SPOONBENDER Shown Actual Size (Gold Standard Laboratories) cd ep 5.98
During the two years between I Am Spoonbender's "Teletwin" EP and the
"Shown Actual Size" 3-song EP, electro-revivalism -- or perhaps better
known as the stupid cliche 'electroclash' (who's fighting anyway?) --
has self-destructed. Once a succinct manifestation of perfectly
machined rhythms and plastic passion with an android sheen (e.g.
Adult.), electro-revivalism is now just a vapidly stylistic coke dream
of robot sex and perfectly coiffed hair. Indeed, I Am Spoonbender have
developed a tight, very flashy live persona complete with
choreographed lighting, op-art film references, and sharp costuming.
However, beneath their theatrical glitz, I Am Spoonbender remains
dedicated to crafting an avant-pop homunculus out of This Heat and
Gary Numan, or perhaps alternately stated, IAS strives for a means to
rock without guitars. For Spoonbender, electro has simply been a
convenient vehicle to attain some of their goals (art? popularity?
world domination? all of the above?).
That said, "Shown Actual Size" is probably the least electro sounding
record from I Am Spoonbender, centered upon the vocal duets of
Donaldson and Cup (yes, the same Cup whose smiling face can be found
behind the counter at Aquarius) fronting punchy synthetic grooves and
metronomic electrical sparks (plus bass guitar played by Dave
Edwardson of Neurosis!). These two voices bounce between fractured
narratives that not only imply a humanistic optimism about extracting
meaning out of miscommunication, but also a cautiousness towards the
technologies which may be complicating the lives that they seek to
improve. Hopefully, more material will soon follow these far too brief
13 minutes.
The album cover is a psychedelic / sci-fi '70s photograph of a phallic
burst of water shooting into an androgynous mouth that you may
recognise as the cover of Ash Ra's "Correlations" which was only
released in Europe, borrowed here -with enthusiastic permission- from
Storm, the man behind Hipgnosis, the design firm responsible for that
image as well as many other legendary album covers (Pink Floyd
posted by Barrie , 2:57 AM Þ 
Friday, January 24, 2003
posted by chriszanf , 10:10 PM Þ 

Good to hear about Nestle... finally came to their senses after all. That many voices CAN do something. It's still very sick that Nestle would have intended to do such a thing anyway.

It is snowing SO MUCH. It's been -30 C the last few days. Very cold, as if winter FINALLY came. These shocking starts are getting annoying. So much snow, there's no way I'd make it to the studio today alive.

the new reprint of Fritz Lang's (apostrophe?)
correct! the apostrophe signifies in this case possession (as in "he made it). The apostrophe is sometimes put after the "s" in this case but it's pretty rare.
I hope the movie is great! It is a wonderful movie, and the last time I saw it was the colored Giorgio Moroder disco fever version. Can't wait to see the new one.
posted by Barrie , 8:46 PM Þ 

Sci Fi London

Sadly I won't be in the country for this, looks damn good...
posted by alex_tea , 8:41 PM Þ 

"Nestlé, the world's largest coffee company, was forced into a humiliating u-turn last night, after public outrage forced it to drop its $6m claim against the famine stricken Ethiopian government.
After being deluged by 40,000 letters inspired by the Guardian's revelation of its demand for compensation over assets seized in the 1970s, Nestlé will today announce that it has decided to back down. "


http://www.guardian.co.uk/debt/Story/0,2763,881353,00.html
posted by chriszanf , 6:53 PM Þ 

doctorate in the English Language

theres no hope ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 6:02 PM Þ 

Am off to see the new reprint of Fritz Lang's (apostrophe?) Metropolis at the NFT....
Have a good weekend. Don't kill too many brain cells.
posted by Alun , 5:54 PM Þ 

WOW, finally I had the possibility to watch La Haine I know its an old movie, but anyway - please chek it out, if any of you hav'nt seen it.
And for some reason, it even feels better with a spilff in between fingers.....



Heard Blue Monday in the radio before leaving....

How does it feel to treat me like you do?
When you've laid your hands upon me and told me who you are.
I thought I was mistaken, I thought I heard your words.
Tell me how do I feel. Tell me now, how do I feel.
Those who came before me lived through their vocations
from the past until completion, they'll turn away no more.
And still I find it so hard to say what I need to say.
But I'm quite sure that you'll tell me just how I should feel today.
I see a ship in the harbor. I can and shall obey.
But if it wasn't for your misfortune, I'd be a heavenly person today.
And I thought I was mistaken, and I thought I heard you speak
Tell me, how do I feel. Tell me now, how should I feel.
Now I stand here waiting...
I thought I told you to leave me when I walked down to the beach.
Tell me how does it feel, when your heart grows cold, grows cold, cold.


The lyrics seem rather good I'ed give them to my father - R.I.P

posted by Alison , 3:00 PM Þ 

posted by Alun , 1:44 PM Þ 

Iraq 'preparing to use chemical weapons'

Staff and agencies
Friday January 24, 2003

Iraqi documents obtained by the BBC appear to suggest that the country's president, Saddam Hussein, is preparing to use chemical weapons against western troops in the event of war, it was reported today.
The handwritten notes state that elite units of the Iraqi military have been issued with new chemical warfare suits and supplies of the drug atropine, which is used to counter the effects of nerve gas.


All I've read, and heard on the radio about this implies very strongly that Iraq will be using chemical weapons. However, there is another angle which has not been proposed. That is, Iraq is worried about chemical attacks on its own troops. There remains no evidence that Iraq has VX gas. These documents, provided (at a particularly convenient moment) by members of the exiled Iraqi opposition, say only that Iraq sought protective measures against chemical agents.

I hear a lot of jumping going on, towards a very convenient conclusion.

appear to suggest i.e. no proof
posted by Alun , 1:39 PM Þ 

The average weight of a stool is about 100 grams (3.5 oz) but, again, this varies a lot. The colour of normal stools is always brown, but, curiously, the nature of the brown pigments is unknown.
posted by Irdial , 11:39 AM Þ 

Know your enemy
Stools have been classified into seven types, on what is called the Bristol Stool Form Scale (see below), according to their appearance as seen in the toilet water. Type 1 has spent the longest in the colon and type 7 the least time.

THE BRISTOL STOOL FORM SCALE
Type 1 Separate hard lumps, like nuts

Type 2 Sausage-like but lumpy

Type 3 Like a sausage but with cracks in the surface

Type 4 Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft

Type 5 Soft blobs with clear-cut edges

Type 6 Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool

Type 7 Watery, no solid pieces


Stools at the lumpy end of the scale are hard to pass and often require a lot of straining. Stools at the loose or liquid end of the spectrum can be too easy to pass – the need to pass them is urgent and accidents can happen. The ideal stools are types 3 and 4, especially type 4, as they are most likely to glide out without any fuss what-soever. Also, they are least likely to leave you with an annoying feeling that something is left behind.

posted by Alun , 11:27 AM Þ 
posted by captain davros , 10:01 AM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 6:27 AM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 5:58 AM Þ 
Thursday, January 23, 2003

New CD's just in! which should read New CDs just in!

Actually, my university-level grammar instruction book says that "CD's" is correct. Unless you want to argue with the woman who taught me grammar (who has a doctorate in the English Language), I'm sticking with CD's.
posted by Barrie , 6:39 PM Þ 
posted by captain davros , 4:35 PM Þ 

The Apostrophe Protection Society is based in Boston, Lincolnshire. I was born and grew up there! In fact I lived there for 21 years. Wow.

Ahh yes Josh, I hadn't thought of it that way.
posted by captain davros , 4:21 PM Þ 

Apostrophe usage rules


(I didn't do the skateboard)
posted by Claus Eggers , 3:56 PM Þ 

Thanks Capt D. I am downloading Audio Mixer now.

The suction of a PC would be the PC's suck. not the PCs suck.
posted by Josh Carr , 3:43 PM Þ 

MP3 cut will cut your MP3s, but is a bit tricky to master I think. But, ba-ding-ba-ding-ba-ding, it's only *83k* so it's well 1337 AFAIAC.
posted by captain davros , 3:33 PM Þ 

Even if it did, it still should be PCs!

Josh, try Audio Mixer - I use it and it's very cool. Really simple interface which isn't too fancy but is not a resource hog, so it runs dead nice like. You can split up your final mix into tracks for CD burnin' etc.

posted by captain davros , 3:31 PM Þ 

Or it could be referring to the suction capacity of PCs...
posted by Josh Carr , 3:04 PM Þ 

Do any of you know of an MP3 editing program for PC where i can either cut up and save Mp3s or (more towards what i am trying to do) mix them together in some sort of multitrack environment?
posted by Josh Carr , 3:03 PM Þ 

That should be pcs I think.
posted by captain davros , 3:03 PM Þ 

posted by Claus Eggers , 12:17 PM Þ 

Dont know if any of you have seen this before but I was wetting myself


My cat hates you
posted by chriszanf , 4:05 AM Þ 
Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Has George W. Bush ever met Saddam Hussein in person? I did a quick search, but couldn't find anything. This disturbs me ...
posted by mary13 , 10:11 PM Þ 


Politics makes strange bedfellows.
Let's hope it's not a one-night stand.
posted by Alun , 6:21 PM Þ 

Sometimes I wonder about this city and their stance against the shaking of one's ass. Too many cool venues shut down over the years because of this inane cabaret law. Dancing in NYC is seriously limited to illegal warehouse parties (which is probably a good thing, come to think of it...).

from the Village Voice:

A Crash Course in Cabarets


(NYC, obviously)

1926 The cabaret law is created to crack down on multiracial Harlem jazz clubs. "Most of the jazz in 1926 was being played in clubs in Harlem where there were mixed groups. And a lot of people considered jazz to be a mongrelized, degenerate music," says Paul Chevigny, author of Gigs: Jazz and the Cabaret Laws in New York City. The law defines a cabaret as "any room, place or space in the city in which any musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other form of amusement is permitted in connection with . . . selling to the public food or drink, except eating or drinking places, which provide incidental musical entertainment, without dancing, either by mechanical devices, or by not more than three persons." In other words, a venue can't have dancing without a license.

1961 The law requires that cabarets only be permitted in manufacturing and commercial zones like the meatpacking district.

1967 The law is amended to remove the requirement that musicians playing in clubs "be of good character."

1978 The law requires that sprinkler systems be installed in clubs seating more than 75 people.

1986 Chevigny wins a case on behalf of the musicians' union (Chiasson v. New York City Department of Consumer Affairs). State Supreme Court Justice David Saxe strikes the three-musician limitation, which he says "nearly eliminated certain types of music, such as Dixieland and bluegrass music [and] also had a negative impact on jazz."

1989 The city tightens zoning restrictions as commercial zones become gentrified. With the exception of grandfathered spaces, areas that were previously considered as-of-right—Tribeca, Soho, and the flatiron district—are judged to be off-limits for cabarets.

2002 While there are 4811 liquor licenses in Manhattan, only 276 are licensed cabarets—down from 12,000 in 1961—with an additional 40 venues up for renewal.

posted by Josh Carr , 3:11 PM Þ 
posted by Claus Eggers , 2:52 PM Þ 

I received this in my email today:

"The Bush White House has an "opinion" line for you to call. So, if you
oppose or support the proposed war in Iraq, give a call. The line
accepts calls only from 9:00 am to 5:00pm EST, Monday through Friday.
Just call the White House at 202-456-1111. A machine will detain you
for only a moment and then a pleasant live operator will thank you for
saying "I oppose...." or "I approve.." a war in Iraq. It will take
only minutes. Note that the weekends are closed for calls. The
president has said that he wants to know what the American people are
thinking. Let him know. Time is running out. Then please forward
this e-mail to at least five people right away "

I've tried calling a couple of times but its always busy. I guess I will keep it up all day. But I wonder if its really what it says it is. Anyone else from the US hear about this?

posted by Josh Carr , 2:31 PM Þ 

But Verizon said it would appeal against the ruling, arguing that it violated privacy.

Dont be afraid just yet; the "common carrier" defence used by all telecoms companies comes into play here. This will (should) be shot down in flames.
posted by Irdial , 1:35 PM Þ 

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The music industry has won a victory in its battle against internet piracy after a US court ordered a telecommunications firm to identify a customer who allegedly illegally downloaded music.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2682243.stm
posted by Alun , 12:58 PM Þ 

I tried to start a business once. Did the courses. Wrote a shit-hot business plan, cash flows, forecasts, research... the lot. It was for a rehearsal studio(s) with demo recording facilities, to be upgraded as and when etc.etc. This was in 1991, up north (it was tough trying to get a job in research then too). Found premises (a BEAUTIFUL old building that the council was willing to rent to me cheap as long as I did it up). Got nearly 10K of my money and needed 5K from the banks. Almost nothing, huh? They fucked me up the ass and told me to piss off. It's not easy with small businesses, especially when dealing with mindless small-town gimp bankworkers. I had to give up in the end through lack of finance. The beautiful building stayed empty and went on rotting away until it was torn down in 2000 and is now an ugly brick thing from which cheap clothes are sold.
At the time, all the banks I talked to said they wanted small business custom, and their charges have recently been investigated as unfair trading. What a surprise! But not one of them was willing to risk 30% out of 15K on a new business. Sigh.

Good luck Claus!



Good sentiments, crap poem, Pinter. We expect better than that from A-level students. Sit at the back of the class and brood for a while. You would get detention, but at least you tried.

Please tell me what fusker does, or rather, why fusker does? Is this an admin thing? I don't get it.
posted by Alun , 12:34 PM Þ 

your life sounds shit Claus, I feel sorry for you.

posted by Alison , 12:06 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 11:55 AM Þ 

http://www.ryano.net/fusker.php

they are fusking!!!!
posted by Irdial , 11:41 AM Þ 

What is a LifeGem?

A LifeGem is a certified, high quality diamond created from the carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique and wonderful life.

The LifeGem diamond is more than a memorial to visit on the weekends… it is a way to embrace your loved one's memory day by day. The LifeGem is the most unique and timeless memorial available for creating a testimony to their unique life.

We hope and believe that your LifeGem memorial will offer comfort and support when and where you need it, and provide a lasting memory that endures just as a diamond does. Forever.

http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/whatisLG.htm
posted by Irdial , 11:38 AM Þ 

Do online petitions work?

They do what they are meant to do; collect names and indicate the strength of public feeling for or against legislation.

In the end, it is up to legislators, who do what they choose to do, depending on many factors, none of which involve the benefit of the electorate.

Everyone has to learn that refusal to participate is the only sound that will really make these people sit up and listen. Just because a piece of legislation is passed, that doesnt automatically mean that you are obliged to obey. You choose to obey. If everyone refuses to obey, comply, give in, knuckle under, cave, bend over, lie down, give up, $submit, then they will have no choice but to confront this as a new situation, and change the law accordingly, so that the rest of the laws that everyone agrees to obey do not become discredited.

This is exactly what has happend with plant smoking in the UK. So many people ignore the law, that it is discredited as illogical and arbitrary. This is far more dangerous than the nebulous anti-social effects of intoxicating substances. Now, the govt. has had to confront this new reality, so that it can retain control over everything else. In fact, the loosening of the regulations was spurred by the unilateral actions of one police force, who were fed up with wasting their time busting cigarrette smokers.

Petitions are a threat. They imply "If you do this, there could be a massive negative real0world reaction. You have been warned".

Its effortless to sign one. Sign them. If they do nothing, refuse to aid the evil thing that the petition is against, in word, action or money.
posted by Irdial , 10:17 AM Þ 

I will have to buy some

I know you know about Open Office...

Have you seen this STFB has some open source products, but I didnt check if they are free; there MUST be at least one package out there.
posted by Irdial , 10:07 AM Þ 

Do online petitions work?

I think we've talked about this before ... but here it goes:

On-line petitions do work, but perhaps not in the direct way that we would hope. If anything, they create awareness of the issue at hand, and by providing a minimum of interactivity (sign me!), the perceived usefulness or value of said interaction will provoke forwarding. However, perhaps an inverse and less desirable result is occuring at the same time. Whilst creating awareness and perceived activism, said petition could be mistaken for effective (affective?) action, at which time, all other action (both more imaginative and possibly successful) is halted as those signing the petition feel that their duty is done. In which case we now have an inordinate number of individuals that are informed, activated, and impotent (??). Fortunately, effective petitions do provide alternate sites of resistance, including demonstrations where, antics in which, and email addresses to whom you may address your concerns about said issues ...

Didn't they pass a similar law in NYC, the Cabaret Law? Not popular ...

Claus, do you have credit unions in Denmark? They might be kinder ...
posted by mary13 , 7:20 AM Þ 

Filesharing on OS X finally has a Killer App!

Well, this seems to work wonderfully, and looks the part too. Go! Get it!

Acquisition
posted by alex_tea , 5:43 AM Þ 

I'm not beered up


Today I went the talk with my bank regarding my new business. They want money for the account and I get no interest and their net bank only supports Windows and they want money that as well. They can fuck right off - I hope. I'm talking to some other bank, lets see what they have to offer.
And the amount of papers I receive from the tax department, it's driving me crazy because I have the read it and memorize the shit. Deadlines, tax reports.
And I can't download a proper accounting ware for X, I will have to buy some, expenses expenses - it just never stops. And then dealing with my unemployment security as well, that one was a real bitch I tell you.
With all this shit I haven?t got time to work! It's giving me stomach pains, but no time for that when the girlfriend wants some attention. Cash going out, no cash going in. Cash going out, no cash going in. I need some serious business.
What calms me these days however is being up late at night listening to techno and the new Glenn Gould three CD compilation of his '54 and '82 recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations.
Joy. I guess.
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:57 AM Þ 

Spent all day trying to figure out .httaccess and httpd.conf what a nightmare.

I did get webalizer installed and a cron job running on it, so thats cool. Nexts its movable type, and then ezmlm.

joy!

And what was your day like CES?

Good night !
posted by Irdial , 12:18 AM Þ 

I WISH I had beer'd up tonight. Oh well.
posted by Irdial , 12:15 AM Þ 

Shyyys. UR ruining my good public image.
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:08 AM Þ 

I need to play that game....
posted by Irdial , 12:07 AM Þ 

At last!
posted by Irdial , 12:07 AM Þ 

How many beers CES??!! :]
posted by Irdial , 12:05 AM Þ 

sorry. just trying to cut. and then paste. not that easy i assure.
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:03 AM Þ 

scale="exactfit" ??

Talk about "high level language"!
posted by Irdial , 12:01 AM Þ 
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
posted by Claus Eggers , 11:59 PM Þ 

The ring of cameras around the city of London will be expanded with the charge system. This new system is not about the congestion charge, its about the war on "terrorism" and even if the congestion charge doesnt work (or even if it does), the cameras will remain in place, and they will use to watch EVERYTHING going in and out of every street in london.

from thier privacy policy:
How do we collect personal data?
Personal data is collected from you, by various methods for example by forms, the Internet and over the phone when you purchase a travel ticket, apply for SMS travel alert or for a CCS license, apply for a discount, contact us with enquiries and ticket refunds. Images of people and vehicles, including number plates, may be captured by CCTV cameras operated by TfL. This data will be used for the above purposes and be held for as long as required for TfL to fulfil its obligations

[...]

Where CCTV or camera systems are operated, they are done so in accordance with Codes of Practice.

TfL may disclose personal data to the police and other law enforcement agencies at their request, for the prevention and detection of crime and where required to do so by law. We have policies and procedures to ensure that all disclosures are in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.


And there you have it

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/privacy.shtml
posted by Irdial , 6:49 PM Þ 

NetNewsWire: PURE SEX. This thing should be AMAZING.

Also, re the bulk email: It's frustrating hearing about something so nasty and not really being able to do much about it yourself. Stupid atlantic ocean.
posted by Barrie , 6:25 PM Þ 

Do online petitions work?

Recently I have been sent some about Iraq, and am not so sure whether they have any effect or not.

It goes like this:

The US Congress has just authorized the President of the US to go to war against Iraq. Please consider this an urgent request.

UN Petition for Peace

Stand for Peace.

Islam is not the Enemy. War is NOT the Answer. Today we are at a point of imbalance in the world and are moving toward what may be the beginning of a
THIRD WORLD WAR.

If you are against this possibility, the UN is gathering signatures in an effort to avoid a tragic world event.

Please COPY (rather than Forward) this e-mail in a new message, sign at the end of the list, and send it to all the people whom you know. If you receive this list with more than 500 names signed, please send a copy of the message to:

usa@un.int
president@whitehouse.gov

Even if you decide not to sign, please consider forwarding the petition on instead of eliminating it.


----

Then there's a list of names and cities... Is this real? I couldn't see anything at the UN's site...
posted by alex_tea , 6:13 PM Þ 

PEL Law - attention all musicians/DJs/performers

Sorry for bulk email but i just got sent this and it's pretty scarey...

There is a law currently passing through parliament which could kill off the UK's live music scene for good.
if this law is passed then any unlicensed musician or DJ will face a fine of up to £20,000 for playing in public! so that's goodbye to most people who play week in week out in bars, pubs & restaurants and keep the UK's music scene alive

please take a minute to click on the links below and sign the petition. there's also a demo in london on 27th January

SIGN THIS PETITION http://www.petitiononline.com/2inabar/petition.html

LICENSING OF LIVE MUSIC
http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=331

TOP STORY

Not Good



>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Lisa Fitzgerald [mailto:lisa@mostwanteduk.com]
>Sent: 20 January 2003 12:36
>To: Undisclosed-Recipient
>Subject: PEL Law - attention all musicians
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Dear all,
>You may not be aware of proposed changes to the Public Entertainment
>Licensing laws, currently awaiting ratification by the house of lords.
>
>As most of you I'm sure know in the UK, under current legislation any venue
>wishing to have live music events (including clubs) needs to obtain a PEL
>from the local authority.
>
>If the new law comes in to effect, it will mean that not only will the
>venue require a PEL, but also each and every performer - doesn't matter
>whether you're a dj, guitarist, cellist or what...
>
>The proposed penalties for performing without are 6mths in jail or
>£20,000GBP fine!!!!
>
>please please please take a few minutes to check the links below for more
>details including an online petition to sign.
>
>This is nothing less than fascism from people who are supposed to be our
>elected representatives, we MUST stop this law getting on to our statute
>books.
>
>if you thought the CJB was bad, it's nothing compared to this.
>
>there is a demonstration being organised for Monday 27th Jan 2003, 13:00hrs
>at parliament square, see ya there!
>
>
>
>Thanks for your time,
>peace,
>Jamie Wilkins (Scuba)
>
>TOP STORY
>
>PETITION
>LICENSING OF LIVE MUSIC <
>http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=331>
>
> Not Good
posted by Irdial , 5:00 PM Þ 

Spiritually speaking, owning a label has much to offer artists. As William Blake said "Create your own System or be enslaved by another Man's". Also, before you consider it, check your (primary) motives. Are you doing it as a purely business thing? If you are, you're nuts. Or are you, like Blake, doing it for eternity? I'm doing it for eternity.

The Independent
posted by Irdial , 2:16 PM Þ 

Either way, this story is astounding, not only for the fact that it was buried, but that India can rationalize spending 1.9 BILLION POUNDS on weapons, when thier electricity grid is a piece of crap, thier water distribution is useless, and they have so many other problems to solve.

Things to kill people always take precedent over things that keep people alive. It's a general trend. A horrible, evil trend that makes me shiver.

davros: I am a big fan of Tool and went to see them in concert last October. They are an interesting band in that despite their insistence on doing things their way and making their music the way they want it (they take their art seriously), they remain incredibly popular. They treat their fans well and do not bow down to major-label content demands. I find that respectable.
Their music is what some would call an evolution on the progressive rock made by people like mid-70's king crimson. Despite the bands' looooong playing times (their last album neared 80 minutes and had only 13 songs), I fail to find any part of their music that is unnecessary in terms of the musical statement and their philosophic messages. Many have called them new-age and hokey, but those people have also closed their minds. You'd like Tool if you like deeply dramatic things, sardonic humour, and complex, heavy, intertwined compositions.
good starter songs: Sober, Intolerance, Stinkfist, H., Eulogy, Third Eye, The Grudge, Parabol/Parabola, Lateralus.
posted by Barrie , 7:41 AM Þ 
Monday, January 20, 2003

I very much like a lot of Tool's songs (Jerk-Off, Sober, Prison Sex, Parabola, Stinkfist, Third Eye, Disgustipated, etc). I haven't read many interviews, though.

The bit at the end of Disgustipated is fucking brilliant as well.

It was daylight when you woke up in your ditch. You looked up at your sky. That made blue be your color. You had your knife there with you, too. When you stood up, there was goo all over your clothes. Your hands were sticky. You wiped them on your grass, so now your color was green. Oh, lord, why did everything have to keep changing like this. You were already getting nervous again. Your head hurt, and it rang when you stood up. Your head was almost empty. It always hurt you when you woke up like this. You crawled up out of your ditch, onto your gravel road, and you began to walk, waiting for the rest of your mind to come back to you. You could see the car parked far down the road and you walked toward it. If god is our father, you thought, then Satan must be our cousin. Why didn't anyone else understand these important things? When you got to your car, you tried all the doors. They were locked. It was a red car, and it was new. There was an expensive leather camera case laying on the seat. Out across your field you could see two tiny people walking by your woods. You began to walk towards them. Now red was your color. And of course, those little people out there were yours, too.
posted by Mikkel , 3:52 PM Þ 

Barrie...

Re: Mesa
Smitty Harris

Anyone like Tool here? I find their interviews interesting but know little of the music. Opinions (hard, of course) are welcome.
posted by captain davros , 2:12 PM Þ 

Russia leases nuclear bombers to India

£1.9bn arms deal to give India power of mass destruction across Pakistan and China

Luke Harding in New Delhi
Monday January 20, 2003
The Guardian

India last night signed a £1.9bn deal with Russia to lease four long-range nuclear bombers and two nuclear-capable submarines, in a move which campaigners say will dramatically escalate the arms race on the subcontinent.

On a visit to Moscow, India's defence minister, George Fernandes, said the agreement - which will also see Russia throw in an ageing aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, for free - will be finalised by the end of March.

"We have agreed that all efforts will be made to complete the three contracts," Mr Fernandes said. India and Russia will also pump more money into a joint programme to develop a new long-range nuclear-capable cruise missile, the BrahMos, he revealed.

The massive deal will dramatically improve New Delhi's ability to deliver its nuclear warheads. It follows months of simmering tension between India and its arch-rival Pakistan, the world's newest declared nuclear powers.

The two countries almost went to war in June last year, and for 10 months deployed a million troops along their shared border.

India is believed to have more nuclear bombs - between 60 and 150, compared with Pakistan's 20-60. It also has a much larger conventional army. But defence experts believe that Pakistan, which secretly acquired much of its missile technology from China and North Korea in the 1990s, has better means of getting them to their targets, and this is an edge which New Delhi wants to eliminate.

Last night anti-nuclear campaigners in India said they were dismayed by the nuclear deal with Russia.

"I think it is terrible," said Praful Bidwai, of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP).

"We are just going into a vortex that steps up the nuclear and missile arms race. They are actually moving towards a high level of readiness to use nuclear weapons. You are not talking about deterrence."

Under the package, India will lease four Tu22 M3 long-range aircraft - capable of dropping nuclear bombs on China - as well as two Akula class submarines, which are nuclear-propelled and can deliver nuclear warheads.

India's existing submarine fleet is not nuclear capable. Indian officials say that in the event of a nuclear attack by Pakistan, the new Russian subs, which can hide underwater for months at a time, would be able to launch a devastating response.

India has also agreed to pay about £370m to refit the Admiral Gorshkov, a decrepit aircraft carrier which was completely gutted by fire in the early 90s.

The purchase has caused much raising of eyebrows in the Indian press, and follows an exposé two years ago of massive official corruption in India's defence industry.

Mr Fernandes was forced to resign in the wake of the scandal. He later got his job back.

The defence minister put the finishing touches to his procurement spree after spending six days in Russia, where he met his counterpart Sergei Ivanov.

The comparative speed with which India and Russia have wrapped up their agreement is in stark contrast to Britain's attempts to sell 66 Hawk jet trainer aircraft to the Indian air force.

Tony Blair and other ministers have so far failed to convince the Indians to sign the billion-pound deal, despite more than 15 years of negotiations.

This story was buried in the middile of The Guardian; the front cover was of Miss Dynamyte'ee pop sensation, decrying the shooting of two teenagers in Birmingham. I cannot think of a reason why this INCREDIBLE deal was not on the front page, seeing that war is colse to commencing over the posession of weapons. Maybe it wasnt on the cover because the UK is still trying to sell Jets to India? But then that would mean that The Guardian was corrupt, and how likely is THAT?

Hmmmmm what is the equation used to choose between this and the Dynamytee'eeee story making the front page? millions of Indians threatened by nuclear escalation at a time when everyone is debating such weapons. A Hip Hip concert to mourn two teenage girls shot by juvenile delinquents....hmmmm cant play the racism card, cause both groups are "brown", could play the "foriegners dont count as humans" card, but then arent brown people in Birmingham foriegners? Uh oh, thats the racism card! Maybe BOTH stories should have been on the front cover. Or niether. Either way, this story is astounding, not only for the fact that it was buried, but that India can rationalize spending 1.9 BILLION POUNDS on weapons, when thier electricity grid is a piece of crap, thier water distribution is useless, and they have so many other problems to solve.

Surely it would be better to simply ignore thier percieved enemies, emulate Japan and then leap into a Singapore style 21st century country. It makes perfect sense....of course! Thats the problem!!!!
posted by Irdial , 11:47 AM Þ 
posted by Barrie , 6:22 AM Þ 
Sunday, January 19, 2003

Moodlogic is pc-only? Now THAT'S sad. Not even a source code available or anything... good idea though. Not that I'd buy it anyway... $40 is a huge amount of money to me.

Alison: yay Joy Division! Check out their song "Decades." So amazing. Also check out Section 25, Stockholm Monsters, Durutti Column, The Wake... same vein of musical thought.

The US will pay off it's (to be announced) war with Iraq with the oil revenue that it will seize from that country. They would like to the Turks to help them and are willing to lend them 14 billion dollars in military aid or some such. But how will the Turks pay the money back without become a total slave to the United States? Even Britain had to pay the US back for the job it did during WWII.
What's with the US's stance of screwing nations around like this? They're supposed to be the protectors of peace, in their mind's eye, but they remind me more of the Mafia now than anything else.
posted by Barrie , 8:58 PM Þ 



MoodLogic Mixes change the way you think about your MP3 collection, whether it is on your computer or on your MP3 Player device. Over the last three years, tens of thousands have contributed to MoodLogic more than a billion survey answers on how they feel about music. MoodLogic has assembled these answers and created the world's largest music database. After years of research and development creating complex computer algorithms to clean up the user-contributed data MoodLogic built an industrial-strength infrastructure to serve it back to you. Now you can experience your music in ways you never thought was possible*. Automatic music organization, intuitive MP3 mix generation, and robust ID3 tag cleanup are just a few of the highlights of MoodLogic. Download MoodLogic and rediscover your MP3s today!

http://www.moodlogic.com/
posted by Irdial , 7:32 PM Þ 

Cut Taxes, Help the Rich. (And the rest of us too)

by Russell Roberts
National Public Radio's Morning Edition
January 16, 2003


A lot of people seem to think that the Bush stimulus plan is just a way for the President to pay off some of his fat cat friends.

Could be. But for those who always assume the worst about this President, I have two words: Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter also supported the centerpiece of the Bush plan, the elimination of the tax on dividend income.

Wow. Who knew that Carter had a secret agenda for helping his fat cat friends? Or maybe there's another reason for cutting taxes on dividend income. Actually, for over fifty years, prominent economists have opposed taxing dividend income and the so-called double taxation of corporate earnings.

The President's plan increases how much investors get to keep, after-tax, from investing in successful companies. That makes it easier for corporations to raise money for risky investments. That gives corporations more machinery and capital to work with, boosting productivity and wages.

That's the idea, anyway. The President's plan also makes it more attractive for corporations to pay out the profits from successful investments to shareholders in the form of dividends. Those corporations already paying dividends will have an incentive to increase them.

Increasing the use of dividends should reduce the kind of accounting shenanigans we've seen lately. It's one thing to have high profits on paper based on an arcane Caribbean partnership. But you can't pay a dividend out of a paper profit. You need to earn real cash. So dividends encourage credible accounting.

That's one reason why the Carter administration dropped the idea of eliminating the tax on dividends. Big business wanted a murkier playing field, earnings kept inside the company for CEOs to play with rather than paying them out to shareholders. CEOs didn't want the pressure of having to make dividend payments. Sure they could choose not to offer dividends. But the companies knew that if dividends were tax-free to investors, there would be pressure from investors to offer dividends as a way of proving a company's reliability.

Getting rid of the taxation of dividends will make some rich people richer. But it will also make the rest of us richer too. Not just those of us who happen to invest in dividend paying stocks. The real gain will an increase in investment that will raise our wages and our standard of living.

Will it fix the sluggishness of today's economy? Probably not. For that, we're going to have to resolve the situation with Iraq.

Russell Roberts is the John M. Olin Senior Fellow at the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis and the author of The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (MIT Press, 2001).

To subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) Russ Roberts's mailing list, or to see other writing of his, please visit http://www.invisibleheart.com


Here's an article from Forbes from 1988 that discusses the Carter Administration's flirtation with getting rid of the tax on dividends:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1988/1128/192_print.html
posted by Irdial , 6:46 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 1:54 PM Þ 

Went the onther day and had the pleasure of seeing 24 hour party people
Very good and educating for a musicschoolgirl like me, and besides that, the movie is brilliant in it's storytelling. I got quite a lot of respect for Alan Wilson. Went home and heard my Joy Division and Happy Mondays - so here you go:


Bob's Yer Uncle - Are Shaun Ryders lyrics almost as good as Yeats?

What do you want to hear when we're making love
What do you want to hear when we're making love
Can I take you from behind and hold you in my arms
What do you want to hear when we're making love
Can I take you from behind and feel you in my heart
What do we need to re-live to bring us close

Why don't you do it to me
Why don't you do those things to me
Why don't you do it to me
Why don't you do those things to me

Four fall in a bed, three giving head, one getting wet
Four fall in a bed, three giving head, one getting wet

What do you want to hear when we're making love
Can I hold you from behind and tell you that it's me
Why don't you do it to me
Why don't you do those things to me
Why don't you do it to me
Why don't you do those things to me

The love drug is a bug that cuts us both uo
Why don't you do those things to me
Why don't you do it of me, why don't you do those things to me
What can I say to you when we're making love
I could take you from behind and make you live

What do you need me to say when we're making love
I can take you from behind and then I'll forgive

Why don't you do it to me
Why don't you do those things to me
Why don't you do it to me
Why don't you do those things to me


Love will tear us apart Ian Curtis... so sad....

When the routine bites hard
and ambitions are low
And the resentment rides high
but emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways,
taking different roads
Then love, love will tear us apart
again
Then love, love will tear us apart
again
Then love, love will tear us apart
again
Then love, love will tear us apart
again

Why is the bedroom so cold
Turned away on your side?
Is my timing that flawed,
our respect run so dry?
Yet there's still this appeal
That we've kept through
our lives
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again

Do you cry out in your sleep
All my failings expose?
Get a taste in my mouth
As desperation takes hold
Is it something so good
Just can't function no more?
When love, love will tear us apart
again
When love, love will tear us apart
again
When love, love will tear us apart
again
When love, love will tear us apart
again


This man is the living proof of the importance in dancing...
posted by Alison , 1:01 PM Þ 
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