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.

S.o.t.D. - One o’Clock Jump – Count Basie

One o’Clock Jump – Count Basie

Something 70 years old to ring in the new.

Kayak Update

Things have been quiet on the kayak front lately - wait for it, money issues - but the ball is rolling again. Although there will be another interruption as a 15 foot canoe will be built. That will occupy the strongback for a while. No matter, since there won’t be any kayaking for a few months anyway.

She has had the foot pegs installed, been varnished, the deck mounted and attached, ash rub rails attached.

The bronze stem band went on shortly after this picture was taken. And then the battery in my camera conked out. All that remains to be done is the hatches need to have a weather proof seal put on, blocks need to be placed on the deck for webbing and bunjee attachment and a seat put in. Oh and some Spectra line installed as carry handles. And I think that will be about it.

This is the back end.

And this is the front end.

S.o.t.D. - The Edge – Kaiben

The Edge – Kaiben

Another impressive track from Kaiben.

Bibliophilia: ​Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand – Rámon Pérez

​Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand – Rámon Pérez

The story is...meh. Feels a bit like a “hey, I had a surreal dream. I should write it down.” I gather this was a screenplay for a proposed movie that predates his Muppets/Sesame Street fame.

The art, by South Western Ontario lad Ramón Pérez, is exceptional however.

S.o.t.D. - Lacan – Claro Intelecto

Lacan – Claro Intelecto

An artist that until a few minutes ago, I didn’t know existed.

The person who uploaded this, coincidentally enough has the same user name as yesterdays song.

Hitchcraft – Kifaru Pullout Lanyard Knots

Now that I’ve figured out that the lanyard knot isn’t actually that hard to tie, I’ve been looking for excuses to put them in various spots. Going through stuff, I saw that I never switched out the loop of paracord tied in an overhand knot on the Kifaru Pullouts I have.

I have a small Pullout in 525D in all the colours they offer. The foliage green one got a UCP zipper pull, the coyote brown one got a desert camo zipper pull, and the olive drab one got a woodland camo zipper pull.

I’ve been liking thinner cord lately, but for doing the lanyard knot, the chunkier 550 cord is preferable to work with.

S.o.t.D. - Mango Drive – Rhythm & Sound

Mango Drive – Rhythm & Sound

Another of those tracks I heard way back when but never knew the name of.

DUB!

Bibliophilia: ​Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation – Michael Pollan

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation – Michael Pollan​

He is an author that I’ve read several books by, and always enjoy them a lot, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, (highly recommended reading - the section on corn alone blew my mind) and The Botany of Desire, (where he posits the theory that instead of us manipulating plants for our own ends, plants manipulated us into manipulating them for their own ends. That they held out things we found desirable, and in so doing, they have been spread across the globe.)

The book is structured around the 4 “elements” and explores a cooking technique for each. Fire is explored through Barbecue. Water is explored through Braising. Air is explored through Bread. Earth is explored through Fermentation. He apprentices himself to various experts in each field in order to learn more about the culture and science behind different techniques. The book looks at cooking as a major part of what makes us human - that we manage to take things that are not digestible and use the cooking process as an external organ of digestion. But the book also explores cooking as a fun activity, one that makes us more self reliant and more appreciative of nature. It’s an eloquent and graceful treatise on the importance of bringing food and cooking back into the home.

If Pollan has a theme with some of the books that he has tackled so far, it’s the relationships between us and the food we eat - and how we seem to overlook how important it is on so many levels. Cooked isn’t so much a how to, but more of a why to – an anthropology of cooking.

Impressive Archery

Those Kansas fields look as though there wasn’t a lot for Heath Getty to do growing up except try to shoot moving clay targets out of the sky with a compound bow. Which he can now do with aplomb.

S.o.t.D. - Go With The Flow – Queens Of The Stone Age

Go With The Flow – Queens Of The Stone Age

Bibiliophilia: Treehouse Living: 50 Innovative Designs – Alain Laurens

Treehouse Living: 50 Innovative Designs – Alain Laurens

Not so much houses, as in ones to actually live in per se. They’re more rooms to hang out, read, write, draw, paint, eat, knit, smoke a joint, snog, etc. Everything here is in Spain or southern France, so besides beautifully constructed tree houses, the spectacular scenery adds a nice dimension.

http://www.la-cabane-perchee.com/

S.o.t.D. - Mysterious Moments – Marco Zenker

Mysterious Moments – Marco Zenker

One of those tracks I’d only play about 2 minutes of in a set, but I do like it.

Bibliophilia: A Game of Thrones (Volume 1): the Graphic Novel – George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones (Volume 1): the Graphic Novel – George R. R. Martin

I have not read the book(s), and do not own a TV, or even a DVD player. Curious what all the hoopla is about, I thought this was a relatively commitment free way to find out. I liked what I read, it’s well done, a very complex story (although I suspect it’s a “lite” version of the book) and a well developed alternate reality that totally pulls you in. And I thought the art was spectacular. Like a book version of an Iron Maiden album - swords and shields, monsters and meanies, fighting in fur capes, etc. Might read the actual book series one day. But you almost need a directory at the front - these are the hundreds of characters you will be introduced to, who will be decapitated, defenestrated, immolated, eviscerated, a few pages/chapters later. Just so you can keep them all straight.

Bibliophilia: The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks – Amy Stewart

​​The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks – Amy Stewart

Very enjoyable, like her other books, and very educational, like her other books.

Admittedly, I’m not much of a drinker, and I have never and likely will never drink many of the concoctions listed, but I really enjoyed learning more about the many and varied plants humanity has turned into booze. The whole way through I found myself saying “Huh! I didn’t know that.” or “Well, I’ll be.”

One of the sections was of course on rum. Like most every other liquor, it is aged in oak barrels. Since most of it is produced in the Caribbean, the heat there causes a fair bit of the alcohol to evaporate from the barrels, but the upside is that the heat causes the stuff to age more quickly. Which led me to wonder: Is there any advantage to aging scotch in a warm climate? Has anyone ever experimented with a few barrels of scotch down in Panama. Would the desired aging effect be achieved in 4 years rather than 12? What would leaving a barrel to sit for 12 years there do? Or would the ambient warmth give a whole different effect and flavour? Is the climate in a place like Scotland really required? Does that cold(er) temp contribute to the desired flavour?

I get the idea that the whole prospect is down right blasphemous, eliciting an “ahm gonna keel yoo!” response from Scottish diehards.

S.o.t.D. - Christmas Is Coming – Vince Guaraldi Trio

Christmas Is Coming – Vince Guaraldi Trio

I generally loathe christmas music, but I love this album.

Longitude: The True Story of A Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time – Dava Sobel

Longitude: The True Story of A Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time – Dava Sobel

I’ve always been in awe of clocks – mainly the thought and the trial and error that went into developing them. I come by this interest honestly, since my dad was (among other things) a watch and clock maker.

I also admit to having a thing for books about seemingly mundane subjects, or subjects that most people never give a second thought to. 

This book deals not only with horology, but also navigation, astronomy, sailing, science, history. Engrossing read (a popular history more than a scholarly work) about the problem of figuring out longitude. Latitude is easy to figure out from the position of the moon and the sun, but longitude was a very tough nut to crack. There were a variety of theories put forth as to how to calculate it (Galileo explored using the moons of Jupiter as a guide (fine if you’re on land; not so easy if you’re on a ship), another proposal was for a line of ships anchored from Europe to the Americas, that would shoot a pyrotechnic into the sky at midnight so ships could set a clock by them, etc.). None of them were practical. A mechanical, ie, a clock was the approach taken by John Harrison. Harrison was not a learned man, but a Yorkshire carpenter and a self taught clockmaker – who had never even been anywhere near the sea. He was an outsider to the scientific community, who were intent on winning the very lucrative £20,000 (comparable to £2.66 million/$4.25 million US in modern currency) prize that the British Parliament offered to solve the intractable problem. He spent 40 years of his life on it, produced some exquisite and very accurate time pieces, but had to battle long and hard to win the recognition and prize money he deserved.

Thanks to Ben Simon for the recommendation.

A PBS NOVA documentary about the subject worth watching.

S.o.t.D. - Fell In Love With A Girl – The White Stripes

Fell In Love With A Girl – The White Stripes

Not my fave W.S. song by a long shot, but I love the Michel Gondry Lego animation video.

Bibliophilia: The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger – Marc Levinson

The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger – Marc Levinson

I’ve been writing an article on shipping containers as homes (condensed version: not worth the trouble), and as part of my research I read this book. I admit to having a thing for books about subjects that are almost invisible (salt, pencils, etc.) and I suppose shipping containers are one of those items that has become so ubiquitous as to be given little to no thought any more.

Various efforts had been tried to containerize goods over the years. Shipping had always been an incredibly expensive and time consuming endeavour. The effort to move towards a system of containerization was a tale of starts and stops, successes and setbacks. The system is a juggernaut now, but its implementation was held up by powerful longshoremen unions, the difficulty of determining a definitive size, centralized government control of (ship, train, truck) shipping, the difficulty in handling the containers in ports, fitting them on trains and trucks, etc.

Despite all the hiccups, from the very get go the cost of shipping goods via a container saved such a large ratio of money (both in terms of labour savings, time savings, but also in goods that weren’t being damaged or pilfered) that the writing was on the wall for traditional shipping methods.

In due course, and after much wrangling, sizes were decided on, cranes were standardized, trucks and trains were built to integrate with the containers, ships went from WW2 liberty ships to custom built ships specifically built for containers. Whole new ports were built to handle the ships (London and New York declined, sleepy fishing villages like Felixstowe and Port Elizabeth boomed). Entire economies shifted due to the possibilities containerization opened up. Manufacturing went into precipitous decline in Europe and North America and sky rocketed throughout Asia. A whole segment of the labour market (longshoremen/dock workers) essentially disappeared in a short period of time. With very sophisticated tracking software ever tighter schedules could be adhered to. In time even transcontinental canals will be enlarged to accommodate ever larger container ships. Containers are a perfect example of a disruptive technology.

It is a bit of a dry read, but I got a lot out of it. A history of both business and technology, and of something that I suspect many never give a lot of thought to. If you enjoy stories about entrepreneurs, the story of Malcolm McLean is a classic. From a lad driving a truck, to one of the richest men in the world, he was largely (some would say exclusively) responsible for revolutionizing the shipping industry as we know it.

S.o.t.D. - Re-Uptake – Havantepe

Re-Uptake – Havantepe

Soaring and cinematic dub-tech.

End of the Line: The 1857 Train Wreck at the Desjardins Canal Bridge – Don McIver

End of the Line: The 1857 Train Wreck at the Desjardins Canal Bridge – Don McIver

http://www.dundurn.com/books/end_line

This is now the second of two books I’ve read set in my neighbourhood. This one and then John Terpstra’s book, Falling Into Place about the Iroquois Bar. (The cover of which also shows a view of the canal and the bridge from the harbour.)

Neat little slice of history about Ontario, Hamilton, and railways. Allan Napier MacNab and Dundurn are featured prominently. Railway disasters and political corruption aren’t a new thing. Unbelievable to read how MacNab, the politician, voted for tax money to be funnelled to MacNab, the business mogul. The conflict of interest almost beggars belief to read about today. And his railway concern had an absolutely shocking list of safety violations that to read about today, again leaves one agog. Shoddy construction, flagrant disregard for safety, political corruption - it’s quite a tale. 57 people died in the disaster, and it remained one of the worst train disasters in Canada for some time, and I believe it is still Hamilton’s worst single loss of life. And in one of those twists of fate, one of the people killed in the disaster was Samuel Zimmerman, the corner cutting railway contractor, widely believed to be the richest man in Canada at that time. The accident was caused by a broken axle on the engine, and to a degree the bridge. The engineering involved in having a massive, heavy locomotive and freight cars move at speed over a bridge was still iffy at the time. They were making it up as they went along. 

Interesting to read also how rapidly Hamilton, as well as railways grew. At the time of the disaster, railways in any form were about thirty years old. And Hamilton 30 years before had been at best a few scattered log cabins, the start of a town.

One to recommend to anyone with an interest in local (if you’re local to me that is) history and railway history. Or if you’re one of those morbid weirdos with an interest in disasters.

Bibliophilia: Alan Bradley’s Flavia DeLuce Series

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley

The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag – Alan Bradley

A Red Herring Without Mustard – Alan Bradley

I Am Half-sick of Shadows – Alan Bradley

Speaking From Among the Bones – Alan Bradley

After reading the first one of these, I enjoyed it so much, I immediately grabbed the second, and before I knew it I had finished all five.

It’s one of those books that both adults and young adults can get into. It’s a murder mystery, but not anything gory/scary.

The main character/heroine is a precocious/resourceful 11 year old called Flavia De Luce with a penchant for chemistry, poisons being her favourite subject. She is part of an eccentric and dysfunctional family and resides in a rambling and crumbling English country mansion. The year is 1950.

Like the characters (main and supporting), like the setting, the dialogue is brilliant. It’s a bit Agatha Christie, some Nancy Drew thrown in, with a dose of Lemony Snickett for good measure. The character is precocious without being precious, clever without being smarmy. There is a gravitas to her because of the fact that her mother died when she was a baby. Makes her believable. One of the best fictional characters I’ve encountered in quite some time.

After the cliff hanger ending of the 5th book, I am eagerly awaiting delivery of the 6th, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches.

http://www.flaviadeluce.com/

The Nosebleed From Hell

A friend told me this story recently and I was in stitches from laughing so hard.

A bunch of years back he decides to take some LSD on a Saturday night. Now he is an experienced tripper, but this trip turned out to be quite an experience.

About an hour in, just as everything is starting to hum, a huge gush of blood erupts from his nose. Not a little drip, drip, drip, but a cup of blood drops out of his nostril onto his lap. Freaky at the best of times, but especially freaky at this juncture. He determines that he is not in fact hallucinating. And it won’t stop. This is the nose bleed from hell, and it comes at the worst possible time. It keeps bleeding – a lot. He is really getting freaked out now. He is by himself, so he calls a friend to come and drive him to the hospital. After an interminable wait in a brightly lit hospital waiting room with beat up drunks, fussy toddlers, and whiny hypochondriacs desperate for attention, with a nose that keeps on fountaining blood, all while tripping out of his noodle, a doctor finally sees him. Turns out he had a huge polyp in his nasal passage that ruptured. He got fixed up and went home to wait out the rest of his trip.

“Yeah...I love tripping and all....but that trip really sucked.”

S.o.t.D. - Everything Is Everything – Booker T. Jones (with The Roots)

Everything Is Everything – Booker T. Jones (with The Roots)

I was on the hunt for “The Hive”, and this came up instead. A worthy substitute. Then again, is anything he’s done not great?

A cover of Lauryn Hill’s song.

S.o.t.D. - April Showers – ProleteR

April Showers – ProleteR

This samples Ruth Etting’s “March Winds and April Showers” and the dancers are Al Minns and Leon James, doing I believe the Charleston. That combo of a languid hip hop beat and the 1920s jazz work so well together.

S.o.t.D. - Power – Psychic TV & White Stains

Power – Psychic TV & White Stains

I never had the resources to keep up with the prodigious output of PTV, but the Live at Stockholm record was one that I snagged, and happy I did.

Earth Wind Map

A thing of wonder and beauty.

A visualization of global weather conditions forecast by supercomputers and updated every three hours.

Clicking and dragging allows the viewer to turn it to any part of the globe they desire. If you want to see some really wild wind patterns, rotate it so that Antarctica is centered.

http://earth.nullschool.net/

S.o.t.D. - Warszawa – Ben Klock

Warszawa – Ben Klock

S.o.t.D. - Without A Plan – Lusine

Without A Plan – Lusine

S.o.t.D. - Souvenir – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Souvenir – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Loved this album, Architecture and Morality, when it came out in 81. Still really damn good, and with hindsight, I can see how it helped mould my love for any thing with synths on it.

Into the Atmosphere

S.o.t.D. - In Your Memory – Depeche Mode

In Your Memory – Depeche Mode

Some real gems are hidden on the B-sides of singles. I think this is one such instance. I certainly liked it more than the single it backed, People Are People. And it was also one of the things that shows to me now, (not sure I was in any way conscious of it at the time), that Alan Wilder’s tracks (like this one) were often the best ones of all.