Monday 31 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - The Great Divide – Portion Control

The Great Divide – Portion Control

Freaky to think this track is getting on to 30 years old. Loved this driving beat when I first heard it, and it still sounds great to me all these years later.

Saturday 29 March 2014

3D Terrain Maps for 3D Printing

At the Dundas Valley Trail Centre is a very large and very impressive diorama of the whole valley. I covet it. Way too big for my space, but if I buy that huge mansion one day, I might make something similar.

I know I’m nerd, but I’ve thought that it would be neat to have a 3 dimensional representation of favoured areas. A mountain you’ve climbed, a trail you’ve hiked, a park you’ve canoed, even just an area you’ve lived in, etc. A sculpture to remind of good times. Or, a SAR team might benefit from a model they could use to brief their team members with. Use topo maps enough and you learn to be able to visualize the terrain, but there is something to be said for a physical, visual representation. 

Well, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, their national mapping and surveying authority, offers a free web-based three-dimensional topographical map of Japan that can be used for 3D printing.

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140322-japan-now-offers-free-3d-terrain-maps-for-3d-printing.html

Uhm....yummy. Given that Canada has largely given up on updating their topographical maps, it might be a bit much to assume that our government will offer anything similar soon, but one can hope.

S.o.t.D. - Grace (Synkro Remix) – Indigo

Grace (Synkro Remix) – Indigo

Thursday 27 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - A Certain Something – Taxi

A Certain Something – Taxi

There may have been a time when giving your band a name like Japan or Taxi wasn’t such a bad idea. With the advent of the internet, a search on a band with a name like Taxi proves to be a frustrating experience. All I know about them is that it is producers Paul Cullen and Simon Lovejoy with studio vocalist Jo Laundy, and they formed in 1996 in Norwich, England. They released a few records on INFRAcom!, but I think they are now defunct. But, I don’t know for sure, because trying to find out anything about them requires more work than I want to bother with.

Wednesday 26 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - Amtrack – Trace & Nico

Amtrack – Trace & Nico

Uh, yeah, harder!

I want a new razor

I shaved off my beard today. I’ve always been clean shaven, and I’ve only ever made two efforts to grow a beard. Just a weird sensation, and not sure I can get used to it. Then I get a wild hair up my butt and there it goes. Don’t think I’ve ever been able to get past the 2 month mark. One day I might persevere, but for now I think I will remain a shaver.

I’m embarrassed that I usually use some crappy disposables. There are a lot of things to say against them, and one of them is that on two occasions the razor has broken in my travel toiletry kit. The head has snapped off the handle. And at that point it’s pretty much unusable.

I’ve tried a few different ones over the years, but at the end of the day, they’re still plastic that clogs up landfills. And I’m not buying expensive 5 blade vibrating head razors.

I’ve looked around in antique stores on a few occasions without any luck for an old razor that I could use double sided razor blades in. Yes, those are also a disposable item, but much less so. The other thing I would really like is a head that screws off. Mainly for the sake of making it a little bit less bulky for packing.

I’ve thought of straight razors, since they fold up nicely and can be stropped with just the leather belt you have on. But straight razors make me a bit squidgy.

Looked around and found Standard Razors



Made in the USA of aluminum, and the reviews I read were all very favourable.

I think I will order one soonish and see for my self.

Vintage Dutch Safety Posters

Maybe I’m biased, but I love Dutch graphic art.

Stumbled across these safety posters, spanning from the 1920’s to the 1970’s.


A small selection.

From 1972 – Look Out - Sharp
From the 1950’s – Protect Your Eyes - They’re Worth It
From 1969

Many more examples:

http://50watts.com/Vintage-Safety
http://50watts.com/Hoogspanning-More-Dutch-Safety-Posters

Tuesday 25 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime – The Korgis

Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime – The Korgis

Kevin Crompton recently made me aware of this. From 1980, and it was apparently something of a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.....but I had never even heard of it.

Monday 24 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - Stay With Us – Seoul

Stay With Us – Seoul

Montreal band, with a really smooth sound. Dream pop is how I would describe their sound. Nice stuff.

Sunday 23 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - The Loophole – Garfunkel and Oates

The Loophole – Garfunkel and Oates

I rarely, come to think of it, never, post any comedy songs, but this one made me laugh out loud. Avoid if you’re easily offended or religious. Which often seems to be the same people.

Saturday 22 March 2014

Wednesday 19 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - For Real (AtJazz Remix) – AtJazz

For Real (AtJazz Remix) – AtJazz

Is it kosher for an artist to do a remix of their own stuff? When it’s someone whose stuff is as consistently good as AtJazz, what the hell.

Saturday 15 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - Bronchusevenmx24 – Autechre

Bronchusevenmx24 – Autechre

I’m not a very big fan of Autechre, but this track is exceptional. And a good example of what made Warp Records such a great label.

Thursday 13 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - Quincy – Utah Jazz

Quincy – Utah Jazz

I have to wonder if the Mormons actually even allow jazz in Utah. And I suspect this Summer In The City by Quincy Jones sampling track makes them uncomfortable too.

Monday 10 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - March – Trampique

March – Trampique

Trampique is a new guise for Volor Flex. Same quality - different name. Nice imagery too.

Sosoetry – Brycely

Wrote this about the shop apprentice, Bryce. Well, to be honest, I don’t think it took too long for him to outpace the term “apprentice”. Given how quickly he was knocking them out of the park, and where he’s at now, I think it’s fair to call him a full fledged tattooist. 

guys think that he’s disarming
find him a total hoot
gals regard him as charming
giggle that he’s cute
that the lad has some talent
is quite readily apparent
clearly evident was a strong work ethic 
his prodigious output was tremendous
not to mention his very unique aesthetic
he was asked to become the shop apprentice
he proved to be one of those quick studies
rapidly grasping the art of dermography
with the trust of some uninked buddies
that didn’t end in multi-hued catastrophe
he has a distinctive style all his own
his skills by leagues they’ve grown
but he gets dirty handprints on the door
and drops ink splatters all over the floor
gets to watch a hot young thing get stripped
before etching into her flesh some silly script
there isn’t much he hasn’t depicted
no style to which he’s restricted
whether sea monsters from the briny deep
or skeletal remains that from crypts creep
from a cybernetic cricket skull
to barnacles on a frigate hull
from the characters of Lewis Carroll
to snarling badgers on a large mural
he can render on a young lass a delicate bird
or a comic book super hero sleeve on a nerd
he can wax poetic about fossilized whale poop
while tattooing a plesiosaur in ectoplasmic goop
studies up on cryptozoological pathology
while painting scenes of future mythology
reads books on Pleistocene megafauna
while snuggled up with his pet iguana
even though his name is Huffman
he absolutely refuses to puff one
at one of our safety meets
he defers the tasty treats
Bryce will tell you he likes beers
but on this point he is clearly fibbin’
anything with flavour or body he fears
preferring instead Pabst Blue Ribbon
he’s very slack about pop can recycling
and isn’t visible enough while bicycling
too consumed painting zombie snails
to answer his many unread emails
too busy drawing a musk ox
to deal with his stuffed inbox
Bryce fails to update his blog
his talents he refuses to flog
on the goodness of his co-workers he’s hopin’
always leaving his email and Facebook open
regrettably he listens to whiny screamo bands
“oh...turn that shit off!” everyone commands

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Saturday 1 March 2014

S.o.t.D. - All For You – Tom Day

All For You – Tom Day

I’d like to watch whatever movie this beautiful track should score, although the gorgeous nature scenes that accompany this track are also entirely appropriate.