Friday, August 31, 2007

You know you're old when...

You realise "Bust a move" by Young MC is 17 years old.

He'd be Old MC by now.

[END]

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Apparently, I didn't go to school with the mad bomber

According to an anonymous commenter - and why shouldn't I believe them, this is the internet and I believe everything I read - John Amundsen was only at Rosalie for Grades 4-7, then he went to Terrace in 1979. So I didn't go to school with him, I only went to the same school as him. (Although if you want to argue that the Primary and Secondary sections were different schools, then I didn't even do that.)

It's weird getting comments on a posting from May 2006 - and no, I don't compulsively check all of the comments from old posts, I get an email - my article must come up on Google or something.

Speaking of Google, a blog post of mine was second top when you searched for "Minnesota Triplets" recently. (Someone from Minnesota who had triplets was first). Now we're second, because the news.com.au entertainment guide page (listing the Zoo gig) is now first. Take that, Patrick Smith, who didn't believe I was in a Hüsker Dü tribute band.

[END]

Monday, August 13, 2007

C'mon, admit it...

...we all went through a Star Trek phase.

I remember someone (Paul? Syme?) years ago telling me they had rented the latest TNG videos and put them on their credit card because they had no money left (eat or watch Star Trek? Eat or watch Star Trek? Hmmm...).

I was watching the original Battlestar Galactica on the Sci Fi Channel, and that was followed by Firefly ('Serenity Pt 2') and that lead straight into the Sunday Night Trek-fest.

TNG
was something about Worf's son Alexander coming back from the future to save himself from turning out to be such a wuss. In Voyager, 7 of 9 got multiple personality disorder because of some virus Species 6339 created, then DS9 had an episode where Keiko had been taken over by a wraith who wanted to kill the wormhole aliens and forced O'Brien to sabotage the station to help. Then Enterprise was on - I haven't seen much Enterprise, but honestly, who has? - someone was trying to find out what Reed liked to eat. And then TOS had the infamous "Spock's Brain".

My point is, hands up if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

No one has their hands up, do you?

We all used to watch and even if we haven't seen anything for such a long time, we all know the characters and the situation and thus we could all watch any episode of any show and know immediately what is going on.

[END]

Another Girl Another Planet

The Sci Fi Channel is using The Only Ones' Another Girl Another Planet as music in one of their advertisements.

I first heard this song on a movie soundtrack that my sister, Anne*, had - I think the movie was called "That Summer" but it's really hard to find details about it. The listing on IMDB seems about right, but it doesn't have soundtrack info, so I can't be sure. Bob-speaking will know.

Anyway, whatever the movie was called, the soundtrack was fantastic - it was the first time I heard the Undertones (the song was probably Teenage Kicks) and it had The Only Ones of course, and many more that I can't remember right now.

I've often thought that this was the best soundtrack for any movie I'd never heard of.

*Anne was way ahead of the game musically; before they got stolen she had the Go-Betweens' Lee Remick and the Riptides' 77 Sunset Strip 45s.


[END]

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Holy crap, Boycat's got his own MySpace page...

Link

[END]

Grant Hart answers questions

Myspace blog

[END]

ReacTable

Given that at least half my "audience" reads Wired, you've probably seen this; but, the reacTable is pretty cool.

I'm not sure if it will ever be anything more than an alternative to the Theremin, or if anyone other than Bjork can do something with it; but it's an interesting project.

I can see people using it in the studio, to set up a sound (like a mutated beat) and then using it, or editing different things together, but using it live seems problematic.

On the off chance you don't know what I'm talking about, here some YouTubules:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MPG-LYoW27E

Bjork - Pluto




[END]

Friday, August 10, 2007

We sing better than your wife


David Beckham played his first Major League Soccer (MLS) game for the LA Galaxy today (Thursday night U.S. time) in front of 45,000 people at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.

Beckham came on as a sub in the 72nd minute.

His team lost 1-0 to (Washington) DC United, but he did do one nice pass to Landon Donovan while he was on.

Beckham has technically been an MLS player since 1 July, but apart from 14 -odd minutes against Chelsea in a friendly, he hasn't played because of an ankle injury picked up with England and exacerbated with Real Madrid.


Destinies converge: Last year, Fred played in Melbourne's A-League winning team, this year he's playing in MLS for DC United. Last year, David Beckham played in Real Madrid's La Liga winning team, this year, he's playing for the LA Galaxy.

[END]

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Paully Paul B

No Bragg boxset.

Yes, I want it, thanks.

[END]

Dr Who: Reply

Family of Blood hasn't been on free to air yet. (Can you send me instructions on torrents? Although I only have 2GB per month, so torrents are probably out for me.) But Syme, I think you're right with the comments about the big red reset button - I think that's a problem with the 45 minute format, there isn't enough time to develop any depth before it's time to "solve" whatever problem it is.

Even though late-period "classic" Doctor Who was pretty much always four episodes with a very strict structure -- 1. What the hell's going on? 2. That's what's going on. 3. The companion gets taken hostage 4. Resolution -- at least 88 minutes was sufficient for some depth. 45 minutes is just not enough, so two-parters are always welcome. Although, as I mentioned, I hate the Dalek stories. I don't want individuality, don't want love; I just want EXTERMINATE!

Re the Doctor's companion. We're always going to get a modern person because the companion is supposed to be the viewer's "entry" into the story because they're supposibly someone like us.

My fave "companion" of the revived series so far is Mickey Smith; and not just because I saw Kidulthood last week. I wasn't too big a fan of Rose per se, but at least those stories had some depth mostly because we got some feeling for the people left behind. And what it's like to be the tin dog.

Wiki still says Catherine Tate is to be the companion for next year, based on a July BBC article. They say the BBC has "announced" it. The entire article gives me the idea that a lot of other people didn't particularly like Martha either.

BTW - Channel 10 didn't have Torchwood on this week and it isn't on next week either - a repeat Law and Order: SVU is on instead. WTF? [Later: It's on Tuesday nights at midnight.]

[END]

Sunday, August 05, 2007

I chose the new design of my blog because...

it reminds me of classic period TARDIS interior.

[END]

Doctor Who - 2007 series

Syme, when you gave the latest series of Doctor Who a 3, what was that out of? 5 or 10 or 100?

Those of us watching on free to air are up to the Lazarus Experiment. I've got to say, I'm either not warming to Martha Jones or I'm missing Rose. (Or maybe the stories are just crap. For example, I've not been too impressed with any of the Dalek stories in the past three years up to now apart from the battle of Canary Wharf one. And Shakespeare and a knock-off of the Fifth Element, please.)

Actually, it's not Rose I'm missing so much as Mickey Smith. I kind of like it when the Doctor's companions don't really like him. Which is why I'm interested in Catherine Tate coming back as the companion next year. Am I bovvered? Are you disrespecting me?

I might like Martha in Torchwood, too. Two of the Doctor's old companions together would be interesting. Who would Martha have her obligatory Torchwood lesbian kiss with, though?

[END]

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Replies

Triplets - I don't know, night time, I assume.

DVDs - No worries. I'm still living in 2005. And you managed to fit a lot of stuff on. Waiting gave me time to clean up my computer. I have less than two gigs left on my hard drive. I've still got to clean up a lot of these songs where I've got both .wma and .mp3 versions.

[END]

Friday, August 03, 2007

In the City

I'm listening to "In the City" by the Jam. There's a line in it "In the city, there's a thousand men in uniforms/ and I heard they now have the right to kill a man". This was 1977, or something like that. Ask Jean Charles de Menezes about that.

According to the Guardian, the UK Police now want the right to take DNA samples from litterers.

[END]

We've got new computers at work...

they have a DVD drive/CD burner, so I can finally access the DVD Syme sent me, thanks man.

I have some of these albums (some of the Beatles) but not a lot. Groovy.

You are truly Lennon Bell.

[Where does the live Wilburys stuff come from? "My Back Pages" is basically the Byrds version, with Roger (Jim) McGuinn singing.]

[END]