How To Forecast Weather Without Gadgets

I don’t know the source for this, but thought it was worth sharing. As neat as all the weather predicting high tech gadgets that are out there are, people are way too caught up in the gee whiz factor of them all. Don’t become unwilling or incapable of looking around you at your environment and observing the information it presents to you.

I already knew most of these, but there were a few I didn’t know. You’re never too old to learn something new.
(Click for a larger version.)

S.o.t.D. - Different Reality (Tripswitch Remix) – Liquid Soul and Symbolic

Different Reality (Tripswitch Remix) – Liquid Soul and Symbolic

I had a shorter version of this, a teaser of the full track. Despite not being the whole song, I played it on repeat, many, many, many times. I kept periodically punching it into YT to see if it was up. Finally. Holy moly is this ever a goose bump inducing slice of smooth grooviness.

Below The Boat – Wooden Contour Maps

Discovered this recently. US company called Below The Boat, which offers wooden contour maps of various bodies of water. Various locales are offered – west coast, east coast and interior bodies of water.

The contours are crafted from laser-cut layers of Baltic birch, hand coloured and glued together. Sizes seem to be around the 3 foot by 2 foot range. It’s ready to hang, pre-framed in a custom, solid-wood frame. Prices aren’t too bad – about $250.

A few examples:

Great Lakes

Chesapeake Bay

San Francisco Bay

I’m keen on these two.

Lake Erie

Lake Huron

Just wish there was one for Lake Ontario.

Me on reality TV? Ha!

I received a message recently from a producer in New York, working on a reality TV show for A&E based on a British version called The Sewing Bee. The usual format - 8, 10, 12 contestants, and each episode they have some kind of a challenge they have to complete, and if not, off they go. I guess they’re trying to find a man / some men that sew. Looking around on the internet, she came across my blog and wanted to know if I had any interest in being on the show. Uhhhh.....no. I’m grotesquely hideous and have an atrocious personality. So I don’t think I should be on a TV show. But mainly, it’s all clothing. And while I’m certainly interested in making clothes, I don’t think I know nearly enough to even contemplate it. Too many other activities competing for my time and money have seen to it that that interest hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

But I sent her a message, gave her some info, some sights to check out, told her I know men that sew, but it’s often very specialized sewing they do - upholstery, parachute rigging, sail making, saddlery, outdoor gear making, etc. - and not the typical sewing on the show, ie clothing.

So if you’re a man, know something about sewing clothing and want to be on TV, get in touch and I’ll put you in touch with her.

A Tour of Accents Across the British Isles

A while back I posted something that touched on the languages in my homeland and the surprising number of accents and dialectic variation in a place so small and flat.

Old English in Friesland

Just came across this short video, that demonstrates the variety of accents to be found in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

S.o.t.D. - Hide U (Madd-Slinky & Silva ES Dubs Remix) – Kosheen

Hide U (Madd-Slinky & Silva ES Dubs Remix) – Kosheen

Like last nights track, another great one from the height of the whole garage sub genre.

S.o.t.D. - Bad One – Bass City Rollaz

Bad One – Bass City Rollaz

Spent a fun evening tonight with a friend as he dug through his crates playing a set of old garage tunes from about a dozen years ago. This track has a mind meltingly great bass line. Surprising to me how unknown / unappreciated a lot of this stuff is. 

AustriAlpin Cobra Buckle versus ADF Raptor Buckle

I’m a big fan of what the fine folks at CTOMS do.

They have just posted the testing they had done on two buckles. And I thought their findings were important enough to pass on.

The buckles in question are AustriAlpin’s Cobra Buckle:

And the ADF Raptor Buckle:

While there are some hipster bag makers out there using them in an absurdly overkill manner, the idea behind these buckles is to use them in critical applications – fall arrest harnesses, rappelling gear, parachuting rigs. Not only are they designed to withstand tremendous forces, but more importantly, to not open under load.

They tend to be a more expensive option, (another reason why hipster bag makers using a $25 buckle when a 25¢ buckle will suffice is so laughable), but if your life depends on it, that price is perfectly acceptable.

AustriAlpin’s offerings, as the name alludes to, come from Austria. American Direct Fabrication came along and offered a made in the U.S.A. option.

CTOMS did some tests last year on Raptor Buckles, that showed them breaking at a rating less than what is stamped on the buckle itself.

Raptor™ Buckle – Put to the Test

They just posted the results of some testing they had done of both buckles by an independent testing facility. Again, the results show Raptor Buckles breaking at a rating less than what is stamped on the buckle itself.

Cobra vs. Raptor – Head to Head

At this point in my life I have no real need for buckles like this. Sure I could use them in something I make, but truly, they would be overkill. But like I said, if you really do do things that require a buckle like this, you want to make absolutely certain that they perform as promised.

The last paragraph in the most recent article sums it up well.

“Some will argue that the Raptor Buckle is still ‘strong enough’, but I think this has become a question of integrity and accountability. If it was simply a head-to-head, one product is almost always going to be better than the other and, in this case, that appears to be so. In a free and open market, competition is a good thing and that difference in quality might be offset by price, location of manufacture, and other preferred criteria when making purchase decisions. The problem though is that pesky stamped rating that is the same between the two buckles/companies, except that the Raptor Buckle seems to have trouble meeting it, except in questionable test configurations. My question is, if you were a company, why wouldn’t you do exhaustive testing on your product in proper configuration?”

S.o.t.D. - Let The Music Play – Shannon

Let The Music Play – Shannon

Another 30 year old track that still sounds as good today as it did when it first came out. Damn are those drums sounds ever punchy.

This was one of the first tracks to sync together a Roland TR-808 (with a reverb placed across the kick and snare and then hard gated) and a Roland TB-303 bassline, which years later would become one of the predominant features of the whole acid techno sound.

S.o.t.D. - The Very Best In You – Change

The Very Best In You – Change

Super smooth funk. James Robinson does the lead vocals on this rather than Luther Vandross.

S.o.t.D. - Rapper’s Delight – Sugar Hill Gang

Rapper’s Delight – Sugar Hill Gang

Crazy I haven’t posted this classic. And where the hell did rap go so terribly astray from stuff this fun?

I was always under the impression that one of my favourite musical crews ever (Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald and Keith LeBlanc - aka Tackhead, aka the dudes who played on countless On-U-Sound records) were the musicians on this. It was actually a group called Positive Force. They did however play on “Apache” by the Sugar Hill Gang. (What I never knew is that they also did the music for “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “White Lines” by Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel, “New York, New York” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.)

Bibliophilia: The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900 – David Edgerton

The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900 – David Edgerton

Interesting, alternate look at the history of technology, which is often dominated by paeans to the latest and greatest gee-whiz technology. This book argues that it is often the relatively mundane technologies have the largest and longest impact. Actual manufacture, implementation and maintenance, rather than breathless announcements of new innovations are what count. Many things we use are very old, and many things that are invented are never actually used. Not many people regard corrugated iron as a very exciting technology, but in terms of how long it has been used, and how much has been sold all over the world, it is very important. For all the promises of jet-packs and flying cars, bicycles are still going strong, 200 years later, constantly updated and improved, and in use globally. Many people the world over are employed in maintaining and improving older technologies, but their contribution to the greater good are overlooked in the headlong rush to praise the newest invention.


It certainly provokes thought, even if I thought it was a little plodding and scattered in places. And his anti-American slant was tedious and predictable.

S.o.t.D. - The Whistle Song – Frankie Knuckles

The Whistle Song – Frankie Knuckles

Damn. Just heard that this legend of house music has passed away. Fortunate to have had the chance to see him twice back in the day. 

Bibliophilia: How To Wrap Five Eggs - Traditional Japanese Packaging – Hideyuki Oka

How To Wrap Five Eggs - Traditional Japanese Packaging – Hideyuki Oka

Something I’ve always found fascinating and admirable about Japan is their painstaking attention to detail. I don’t think there is anything, any craft or art, they do in half measures.

Packaging was no exception.

First published in 1965 (with an English version 2 years later), Japanese graphic artist Hideyuki Oka, set out to chronicle older, and by that point disappearing, forms of packaging foodstuffs.

The items encased range from sake to miso to sushi to confectionaries and...eggs. Many of these would have been the efforts of simple merchants. Both to protect and transport the goods they sold, but also to give it a distinct visual presence. Very early, not quite corporate branding – market stall branding maybe. And the material used was often bamboo, rice straw, hemp twine, paper, and leaves. Beautiful examples of using the natural resources available. But, cloth and also more sophisticated pottery, baskets, and wooden boxes were used.

Bamboo is split to form the sticks that candies unique to Sendai are stuck on to. The holder is also bamboo.

Box made of Paulownia wood, with a polished bamboo knob, containing candies from Nagoya.

Oh come on! Sugarcoated beans from Mamemasa confectionery in Kyoto arranged in tiers in a diagonally cut cardboard box pasted over with decorative printed paper.

A wooden box containing a 15 inch sponge cake called kasutera. But check out that ribbon.

Dried flying fish from Miyagi Prefecture in northern Honshu. Strung together with straw, this allowed them to both dry and be conveniently stored, and then used as needed.

​Anyone with an interest in packaging, basketry, box making, ceramics and pottery, Japanese arts and crafts, inventive uses of natural resources, and anyone with a sense of wonder, will find this book very appealing.

If I have a criticism of the book it’s that I wish the photos were in colour (but given that the photos date back more than fifty years, maybe not so surprising) and also that the descriptions were on the same page, rather than grouped together at the back. But in all, minor quibbles. Oh and there is no description of how to wrap five eggs. No how to of any kind. But again, many of the items photographed were by that time already artifacts of a by gone age. Oka was a chronicler of a historical practice, not an expert practitioner of these crafts.

(I originally enjoyed this book when I found it more than 25 years ago in the library of the city I grew up in. The memory of it had faded in that time and I was thrilled to find it again in the library of the city I now live in.)

If you were traveling by train in Japan, you could purchase tea at a train station, and this is how it would be served. The lid serves as a cup.

Now if someone could make something like this, about a liter in size, with a larger screw off cup on the top, and a nestled pot on the bottom, in aluminum, stainless steel or titanium, I would buy one and die a happy man.

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.

S.o.t.D. - North To Future – Solar

North To Future – Solar

I think this would be good to listen while racing around on a bicycle.

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

S.o.t.D. - Stay With You – Lemon Jelly

Stay With You – Lemon Jelly

Super fun summer song.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

S.o.t.D. - I’ll Go (Ft. Jenny Mayhem) – O S L O

I’ll Go (Ft. Jenny Mayhem) – O S L O

I think I hear a little sample of yesterday’s Acid Bitter and Sad by This Mortal Coil in there.

S.o.t.D. - Acid Bitter and Sad – This Mortal Coil

Acid Bitter and Sad – This Mortal Coil

Off of Lonely Is An Eyesore.

S.o.t.D. - Wake Up – Herbert

Wake Up – Herbert

Consistently great stuff.

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.

S.o.t.D. - Transgenic – Trifonic

Transgenic – Trifonic

Another recent discovery that has really impressed me.

S.o.t.D. - Spy – Journeyman

Spy – Journeyman

A Ninja Tune artist I’ve never heard.

Straight Lines North & South

S.o.t.D. - Rhubarb – Aphex Twin

Rhubarb – Aphex Twin

One of the most exquisite pieces of music ever.

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.

S.o.t.D. - Night Bus – Burial

Night Bus – Burial

Burial can do no wrong.

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.

S.o.t.D. - Murano (Onka Onichi Mix) – Vs_Kurayami

Murano (Onka Onichi Mix) – Vs_Kurayami

Crunchy and dubby and angular.

S.o.t.D. - Windschatten – Extrawelt

Windschatten – Extrawelt

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

S.o.t.D. - Kalyke – Nanobyte

Kalyke – Nanobyte

Digging that deep bass and those pitched Lisa Gerrard vocals. 

S.o.t.D. - Time Change – Marko Fürstenberg

Time Change – Marko Fürstenberg

Seeing as today is the day the clocks spring forward, this seemed appropriate.

S.o.t.D. - Seek – Upwellings

Seek – Upwellings

The architectural imagery is an apt accompaniment to this track.

S.o.t.D. - Turn It On Again – Genesis

Turn It On Again – Genesis

I’d forgotten how great a track this is. 

S.o.t.D. - Firefly – Echospace

Firefly – Echospace

Can’t get enough of this sound. That echoing, pulsating sound really gets me.

S.o.t.D. - Beats Still Own The Rhythm – Bachelors of Science

Beats Still Own The Rhythm – Bachelors of Science

After a long  and brutal winter, the imagery in this is especially appealing.

S.o.t.D. - Needing You – Soular Order

Needing You – Soular Order

S.o.t.D. - Summertime – Smote

Summertime – Smote

Yeah. Summertime. Can’t wait.

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.

S.o.t.D. - Another Promise – Nanobyte

Another Promise – Nanobyte

Love the image that accompanies this dreamy piece of dub.

S.o.t.D. - Broken (Ficci Remix) – Trifonic

Broken (Ficci Remix) – Trifonic

This totally worked its way into my head.

S.o.t.D. - Angels (Huglife Remix) – The XX

Angels (Huglife Remix) – The XX

Ha! Huglife. Love it. Song is good too.

S.o.t.D. - Dreams – Tom Day (ft. Monsoonsiren)

Dreams – Tom Day (ft. Monsoonsiren)

The only thing not good about this track is that I am only  now learning about it and this artist.

S.o.t.D. - Night Groove (Bluetech Remix) – jdn

Night Groove (Bluetech Remix) – jdn

Whether his own stuff or remixes, it’s all really great.

S.o.t.D. - Adrift – Polyphony

Adrift – Polyphony

Lovely piece of music.

S.o.t.D. - Voulez Vous (DJ Boris Remix) – Miguel Bastida & Roy RosenfelD

Voulez Vous (DJ Boris Remix) – Miguel Bastida & Roy RosenfelD

I can almost smell the dry ice.

S.o.t.D. - The Fire – The Roots (ft. John Legend)

The Fire – The Roots (ft. John Legend)

Generally not a big fan of hip hop, but this is just a really uplifting song.

S.o.t.D. - 125 MPH – New Model Army

125 MPH – New Model Army

Another of those groups that in my not very humble opinion deserve to be mammoth.

S.o.t.D. - Universe – Kashuks

Universe – Kashuks

Intriguing piece of music, accompanied by a gorgeous video.

S.o.t.D. - Calling Elan – Watershell vs Incarnate

Calling Elan – Watershell vs Incarnate

Fond memories of hanging out at Jay and Jarkko’s as this track was crafted, and hearing dub plates of this.

S.o.t.D. - The Race – Yello

The Race – Yello

Never featured Yello before? What?

A video of scenes from the only motor-sport I could ever be interested in.

S.o.t.D. - Mind/Body/Light/Sound – Swans

Mind/Body/Light/Sound – Swans

Swans are so timelessly great because they manage to meld beauty and power. I miss what Jarboe added to their sound in their recent re-incarnated form. Her voice was a great counter-point to Gira’s sonorous voice.

Waterwalker by Bill Mason

Arguably the best movie ever made about canoeing. (No, Deliverance doesn’t count.) From the National Film Board of Canada, of course. I can watch it for the umpteenth time, and recall canoe trips that have been and dream about canoe trips to come. Pretty much sums up what Ontario and canoeing means for me. Released in 1984, although some of the imagery was recorded more than a decade earlier. With a fitting soundtrack by Bruce Cockburn. (Also worth checking out is Song of the Paddle and Paddle to the Sea.)

S.o.t.D. - Over And Over – Cabaret Voltaire

Over And Over – Cabaret Voltaire

Off of The Crackdown, which had a huge impact on me when I first heard it. These guys were a big influence on me, and remain so.

S.o.t.D. - Com’era Dov’era – He Said

Com’era Dov’era – He Said

Yesterdays inclusion of Dome led me to thinking about Graham Lewis’ solo project, He Said, and this track off 1986’s Hail LP.

S.o.t.D. - Cruel When Complete – Dome

Cruel When Complete – Dome

When Wire went on hiatus from 1980 - 1984, Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert collaborated as Dome, putting out several albums. Assisted here on vocals by Angela Conway, aka A. C. Marias.

S.o.t.D. - Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust – This Mortal Coil

Sixteen Days / Gathering Dust – This Mortal Coil

Originally 2 Modern English songs that they would close out their shows with. Ivo Watts-Russell brought together M.E.’s Gary McDowell on guitar and Michael Conroy on bass, Colourbox’ Martyn Young on keyboards, Cocteau Twins’ Elisabeth Fraser on vocals and Robin Guthrie on guitar and Cindytalk’s Gordon Sharp on vocals, to record this cover.

S.o.t.D. - We Fall Like Love – Christian Death

We Fall Like Love – Christian Death

I had some friends who were really into this band long ago, but I never felt the same way about this band. They had an okay track or two, this being a case in point, but I couldn’t get that excited about them. 

S.o.t.D. - Move – Keith LeBlanc

Move – Keith LeBlanc

There is also a version of this by Tackhead called M.O.V.E. 

One of the greatest drummers ever.

Gentlemen of Letters - A Dublin Sign Painting Film

S.o.t.D. - September Nights (Daniel Fritschi Remix) – Anders Ilar

September Nights (Daniel Fritschi Remix) – Anders Ilar

I bought a track years ago by Daniel Fritschi, that I periodically search for on here. No luck, but this remix is very nice.

S.o.t.D. - Steh auf Berlin – Einstürzende Neubauten

Steh auf Berlin – Einstürzende Neubauten

It made me happy to discover E. N. and their utter disregard for musical convention.

S.o.t.D. - Open My Eyes (Eccodek Peripheral Vision Remix) – Lenka Lichtenberg

Open My Eyes (Eccodek Peripheral Vision Remix) – Lenka Lichtenberg

I gather this is a traditional Jewish song, sung on the Sabbath – which happens to be today!

S.o.t.D. - Steppin’ Out – Joe Jackson

Steppin’ Out – Joe Jackson

Classic song.

How A Firearm Works

The title on the vid is slightly misleading. 1940’s film explaining how a firearm works. A bit quaint in some regards, but very impressive due to the large models they built to demonstrate the principles of how they operate. Slightly out of date style wise, but still perfectly current as far as an educational tool to explain the inner workings of a rifle.

S.o.t.D. - Cherry Coloured Funk – Cocteau Twins

Cherry Coloured Funk – Cocteau Twins

Off of 1990’s Heaven or Las Vegas, their last for 4AD. Still a great album, even if I think they reached their peak a few years before.

S.o.t.D. - Fuel To Fight – Test Department

Fuel To Fight – Test Department

From the height of the English coal miners strike of the early 80’s. Never agreed with the politics, but it produced this album. This track in particular helped cement my love for the mighty Test Dept.

S.o.t.D. - Monotone – I:Cube

Monotone – I:Cube

I’ve been on the hunt for this one for years. Epic track.

Wintry Day by an Icy Bay

S.o.t.D. - Says – Nils Frahm

Says – Nils Frahm

Wow. A little bit reminiscent of Tangerine Dream or Vangelis, not so much stylistically per sé, but in terms of the journey the track takes you on. Makes me think a little of the calibre of work produced by Jon Hopkins as well.

S.o.t.D. - Universal On Switch – Govinda

Universal On Switch – Govinda

Exceptional track.

S.o.t.D. - Get Ready [All Junglists] (Kosine & Dialect Remix) – Rebel MC

Get Ready [All Junglists] (Kosine & Dialect Remix) – Rebel MC

I wasn’t ready for hearing jungle for the first time. I recovered quickly.

Popular Science Archive

All 140 years of Popular Science available online - for free!

www.popsci.com/archives

S.o.t.D. - Sarangi - NumberNin6

Sarangi - NumberNin6

Dubby track with some nice middle eastern touches.

S.o.t.D. - Vacuum – Conforce

Vacuum – Conforce

A dub-techy soft shoe shuffler.

S.o.t.D. - Gimme Some Lovin’ – The Blues Brothers

Gimme Some Lovin’ – The Blues Brothers

High energy cover of the rocking Spencer Davis Group hit.

S.o.t.D. - Parks on Fire – Trifonic

Parks on Fire – Trifonic

A level of production sophistication on par with stuff like Tipper, Ochre, Bluetech, Lusine, Bassnectar.

The whole track is amazing, but after the 4:30 mark, when those little whooshing wind sounds pop up a few times - especially nice.

S.o.t.D. - String Track (Changing Faces Bootleg) – Bachelors of Science

String Track (Changing Faces Bootleg) – Bachelors of Science

Bouncy D&B.

S.o.t.D. - Calling – Trifonic

Calling – Trifonic

The description calls this “Quite possibly one of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard!” – and I am inclined to agree. This artist should be scoring movies.

Falcons Catching Prey

I admit to having a huge thing for critter cams. I haven’t had a TV in a long time, but I occasionally house sit for friends who do. With the novelty of cable access, I gravitate towards science or technology or nature or history shows and documentaries. Several times in years past I have marvelled at images brought back by seals and narwhals and raptors that have small cameras mounted to them. To be able to see what they see is one of those things I’m grateful to modern technology for.

This footage of falcons (in what looks to be the Netherlands - although the researcher is at an American university) catching crows is awe inspiring. The imagery suffers from some scenes of vertigo inducing pitching and yawing of the horizon as the camera is jostled on the birds back as it moves itself about seeking out its quarry. And then there is the not so pleasant sounds of wind whistling past a microphone. But when it locks on and dives for prey the scene levels out and the wind is ignorable. The last minute or so as a few falcons team up to hunt crows among a tree lined road with flat empty fields beside it, is truly breathtaking.



And you can read the article published about the findings revealed by the cameras in the Journal of Experimental Biology, “Falcons pursue prey using visual motion cues: new perspectives from animal-borne cameras” by Suzanne Amador Kane and Marjon Zamani.

S.o.t.D. - Point In Time – Lake People

Point In Time – Lake People

If I was playing a set which featured Lusine, this would complement it nicely.

S.o.t.D. - The Visitors – Orange N Blue

The Visitors – Orange N Blue

The 3 minute intro is all right, but after that it really kicks into gear. Apollo mission dialogue sampled in tracks is something I always enjoy. Cool space mission imagery in the vid too.

S.o.t.D. - White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes

White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes

Always cool to see a plasticene stop motion video, but the vocal harmonies on this are particularly nice.

S.o.t.D. - Now You Has Jazz – Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong

Now You Has Jazz – Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong

Take a Cole Porter song, then add these guys, plus the under rated talents of Billy Kyle on piano and you have a winner.

S.o.t.D. - Trippy (feat. Damar) – Fanu

Trippy (feat. Damar) – Fanu

This whole track is a humdinger, but the point at about 2:30 when it starts to really kick in - mmmmm.

Mysteries In Science: Ballistics Explained

I was trying to explain the differences between various bullets to a friend, and I was quite happy with how I explained it all, the ballistics involved. This video showed up when I went looking for some documentaries to watch for an hour. Looks to be from the 1950’s but does a good job of explaining it to a lay person. I think I touched on all the highlights, but showing this would have been easier.

U-Haul Super Graphics

That’s what they call those illustrations of the tourist attractions, historical interludes, and geological quirks in various provinces and states they put on the side of their trucks and trailers. There are examples of current and past illustrations, the older ones appear to be going back about a quarter century.

An example for the province I reside in.

They are all vector graphics, and done in Illustrator and the artist is Steve King.

http://www.uhaul.com/SuperGraphics/3/Commemorative

http://www.kingillustration.com/u-haul-graphics.html

Bibliophilia: Fall of Giants & Winter of the World – Ken Follett

Fall of Giants – Ken Follett

Winter of the World – Ken Follett

I think the only other Follett book I’ve ever read was Eye of the Needle, and that was a long time ago. 

If you like learning a bit more about history, but would like it packaged in a grandiose multi-family, multi-generational romance, this is for you. Dealing with Welsh, English, German, Russian and American families and how their lives intersect, it covers the grand sweep of the years leading up to WW1 and the Russian Revolution, and then subsequently the interwar years, Depression and WW2.

I enjoyed them enough, but mainly because of the aspects of history I wasn’t so familiar with. Albeit that they are episodes told through fictional accounts, I think having that history presented through the eyes of the individual characters makes it a bit more graspable than an over-all view presented in a standard history book.

Not the best things I’ve ever read, but I liked them enough that I will read the third one when it comes out.

S.o.t.D. - All I Have Is Memories – Martyn

All I Have Is Memories – Martyn

Sounds a bit like the bridge when the people making garage started making dubstep. That bassline makes this worth it.

S.o.t.D. - Next to You (Maya Jane Coles remix) – Marvin Zeyss

Next to You (Maya Jane Coles remix) – Marvin Zeyss

Another one to make a room groove.

S.o.t.D. - Olearia (Fingers In The Noise Remix) – Lars Leonhard

Olearia (Fingers In The Noise Remix) – Lars Leonhard

Chillout, but with an edge to it.

S.o.t.D. - Too Much Heaven (feat. MNEK) – DEVolution

Too Much Heaven (feat. MNEK) – DEVolution

Can’t get too much of this track. Funky with a great vocalist.

S.o.t.D. - Falling The Same Way – Sandwell District

Falling The Same Way – Sandwell District

Enveloping, atmospheric ambient techno. Best track off Feed Forward.

S.o.t.D. - Everywhere You Go (Ricardo Villalobos Celestial Voice Resurrection Mix) – Mari Kvien Brunvoll

Everywhere You Go (Ricardo Villalobos Celestial Voice Resurrection Mix) – Mari Kvien Brunvoll

Hypnotic.

S.o.t.D. - Prairie Girl – Rah Rah

Prairie Girl – Rah Rah

Rocking track from this Regina, Saskatchewan band that retains some country-ish and folky tinges.

S.o.t.D. - Natsu – Maya Jane Coles

Natsu – Maya Jane Coles

This lass knows how to craft fun tunes that get a whole room smiling and moving.

S.o.t.D. - Beautiful – Makoto & S.P.Y.

Beautiful – Makoto & S.P.Y.

Liquidy.

The nature of a relationship

It hit me like an icepick in the forehead yesterday. Because it is so obvious and that it had never occurred to me before.

“You’d better love me.
I know what you’re up to.
I can hurt you.
If you disobey me, there will be consequences.
I’m watching you.
You belong to me.
I’ll punish you if you don’t do what I command you to.
Your life was incomplete until I came into your life.
I can cause your death.
If you don’t love me and only me I’ll punish you.
I’ll always be here.
If you leave me I’ll kill you.
Only I can love you as much as I do.”

What am I describing here? What do these words sound like? A relationship with god, or a relationship with an abusive boyfriend/husband?

Yet proselytizing religious types want us to believe that we should enter into a relationship with this “entity”. Or fundamentalists convince us that this entity is real, and that we have no say in the matter of having a relationship with it.

S.o.t.D. - Travellers (Beat Pharmacy Dub) – The Timewriter

Travellers (Beat Pharmacy Dub) – The Timewriter

I liked the original – I liked the remix.

S.o.t.D. - Travellers – The Timewriter

Travellers – The Timewriter

There are a lot of sub genres in House, but what this fella (and his compadre TLB jr.) offers is among my very favourite. Smooth, funky, no vocals, guaranteed to make a room move.

Lowdown on Water Storage Infographic

And in case it doesn’t show up properly, the source.
http://www.foodinsurance.com/join-the-discussion/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Lowdown-on-Water-Storage-Infographic1.jpg

S.o.t.D. - Stuffy – Duke Robillard & Herb Ellis

Stuffy – Duke Robillard & Herb Ellis

Not very stuffy at all actually.

S.o.t.D. - New Life – Fresh & Low

New Life – Fresh & Low

Good times.

S.o.t.D. - Where The Heart Is – Jeremy

Where The Heart Is – Jeremy

The label this is on, Driftwood Records, was run by Jean F. Cochois (aka The Timewriter) & Norman Feller (aka Terry Lee Brown Jr. & Nor Elle). Sadly the label only ran from 00 to 02. I’m not too sure, but I believe that the two of them may be responsible for this track. What I am certain of is that this is really groovy deep house.

S.o.t.D. - Gotham – Ten Walls

Gotham – Ten Walls

Don’t know what the heck genre this is supposed to be, but I dig it. All that matters.

S.o.t.D. - Anonym Vectors – Dublicator

Anonym Vectors – Dublicator

Lush ambience. Has a bit of a Detroit feel to it.

Bibliophilia - The Criminals’s Handbook: A Practical Guide to Surviving Arrest and Incarceration in Canada – C. W. Michael

The Criminals’s Handbook: A Practical Guide to Surviving Arrest and Incarceration in Canada – C. W. Michael

I’ve never been to prison, been on trial, been arrested, or even been hassled by the police. I’m a good boy. But that isn’t to say I might not at some point have to deal with the police or legal system. Not planning on it, but it never hurts to learn a little bit about the justice / incarceration system in Canada.  

Written by a man (from the east end of the city I reside in) with a lot of time in prison, he lays out the realities of what to expect if you’re ever arrested, charged, tried and possibly incarcerated. 

What I mainly learned from this book is that it is best not to break laws, but if you ever do - deliberately or inadvertently - and you live in Canada - this is a very educational book to have delved into before it happens. Trying to navigate that system from a position of ignorance is not something you ever want to do. Hope I never need any of the info, but I feel better for knowing a little more about a world I hadn’t known that much about.

( {Addition on Sunday, November 1st, 2015}
I have just learned that the author of this book is a pseudonym for Christopher Watts, grade A scumbag with a history of drugged, restrained rape of teenage girls, impersonation, escape from custody and a host of other criminal activities. His most recent jail stint was for the manslaughter, sexual assault and sexual interference in the 2001 death of a 13-year-old.

Doesn’t make the information in here less valid. But it was written by a narcissistic, violent, psychopathic pedophile. Just thought people should know what they’re dealing with.
Some people need to be beaten with sticks.)

S.o.t.D. - Lights (feat. Aruna) (5vel Remix) – Myon & Shane 54

Lights (feat. Aruna) (5vel Remix) – Myon & Shane 54

Much better than the original.

S.o.t.D. - (Back Home Again In) Indiana – Lester Young Trio

(Back Home Again In) Indiana – Lester Young Trio

Really superb trio - Young on tenor sax, Red Callender on bass and Nat Cole on piano. Shame they didn’t record more together.

Bibliophilia: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life – Bryan Lee O’Malley

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life – Bryan Lee O’Malley

What compelled me to grab this was the description in the back where the author/artist talks about growing up in London, Ontario. Call The Office, New Yorker Cinema, CHRW Radio were mentioned, as well as going to see a band at “a little dive” called The Whippet Lounge. Considering that was my pal Jay’s place, I had to read it just for that.

Other than that, a bit geeky, angsty teen stuff, but enjoyable enough. Not sure it was compelling enough to make me want to read any of the subsequent ones though.

S.o.t.D. - Speak Low (Bent remix) – Billie Holiday

Speak Low (Bent remix) – Billie Holiday

Any of the Verve Remixed series are great. This is one of the gems found on #3.