Paradise on Earth
Most people would have a different view on what should constitute a Paradise on Earth. Some might think of a never-ending beach with no dangerous sea animals (particularly sharks) whilst others might want a huge liquor shop.
There is no reason why we couldn't have a Paradise on Earth if we didn't put our minds to it.
To me the ultimate Paradise on Earth would be the combination of a Technocracy (A political system where the decisions are made by scientists & engineers rather than Econocrats & Bureaucrats), in balance with Nature & the Cosmos.
I will be talking further about this "perfect blend of idealogies" in future blogs.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Why I dislike Communism
There was always something hideous and offensive I found about the concept of communism. I think it is to do with the notion of the glorification of the "working class". I could always see through the faux pas.
The dystopian stasis we experience is something that is forced upon most of us. It doesn't have to be that way. Communism is the philosophy to enslave people. The suppression of knowledge is hidden by the few to stop giving us hope.
Blakes 7 episode 3, series 1 Cygnus Alpha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Blake's_7_episodes#Series_A
Cygnus Alpha explores how leaders use poison to subdue the population and keep them imprisoned on an isolated planet. Likewise in our current state, rather than trying to advance the human species, our leaders constantly give propaganda to keep us enslaved on the planet. The slave labour in countries such as India & China is increasing but we fail to see...
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1635144,00.html
Is our goal for humanity to create slave labour and ipods?
We should be focusing on interstellar exploration for the advancement of our species. Instead we are forced to work long lethargic hours wasting time, (to stop us from thinking & being truly independant & productive) to be imprisoned on the planet with poison from the sky and the food that we eat.
We don't have to live like this but the people are lazy..
All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings."
- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 6
The dystopian stasis we experience is something that is forced upon most of us. It doesn't have to be that way. Communism is the philosophy to enslave people. The suppression of knowledge is hidden by the few to stop giving us hope.
Blakes 7 episode 3, series 1 Cygnus Alpha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Blake's_7_episodes#Series_A
Cygnus Alpha explores how leaders use poison to subdue the population and keep them imprisoned on an isolated planet. Likewise in our current state, rather than trying to advance the human species, our leaders constantly give propaganda to keep us enslaved on the planet. The slave labour in countries such as India & China is increasing but we fail to see...
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1635144,00.html
Is our goal for humanity to create slave labour and ipods?
We should be focusing on interstellar exploration for the advancement of our species. Instead we are forced to work long lethargic hours wasting time, (to stop us from thinking & being truly independant & productive) to be imprisoned on the planet with poison from the sky and the food that we eat.
We don't have to live like this but the people are lazy..
It's Xmas time: Jesus, Masada & Ancient Rome
It's Xmas time: Jesus, Masada & Ancient Rome
As it gets close to Xmas time in Australia I can't help but think of Jesus, Israel & Ancient Rome. Apart from Xmas feeling "out of season" in Australia as it is based on a winter festival (the winter solstice on December 21st), the hot weather at this time of year down under, reminds of me of Masada.
I suppose it is the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls that also contributes to me thinking of Masada at Xmas time. The journey from Jerusalem to Masada will take you past the famous cave of the "essene cult", the Hebrew sect that did not want to live under Roman Domination.
Having lived in the old city of Jerusalem, my morning walk consisted of walking past the famous cardo every morning.
I couldn't help but to think of Ancient Rome every morning. I came to despise this, because Ancient Rome belongs in Italy not Israel. As grand as the architecture of Ancient Rome, to me it represented something that felt out of place.
As it gets close to Xmas time in Australia I can't help but think of Jesus, Israel & Ancient Rome. Apart from Xmas feeling "out of season" in Australia as it is based on a winter festival (the winter solstice on December 21st), the hot weather at this time of year down under, reminds of me of Masada.
I suppose it is the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls that also contributes to me thinking of Masada at Xmas time. The journey from Jerusalem to Masada will take you past the famous cave of the "essene cult", the Hebrew sect that did not want to live under Roman Domination.
Having lived in the old city of Jerusalem, my morning walk consisted of walking past the famous cardo every morning.
The Cardo in the Old City of Jerusalem
Masada
One couldn't help but feel impressed by the Roman Engineering at Masada. Even thousands of years after its destruction, the stone building would still provide a cool feeling amongst the blazing hot sun of the Middle Eastern desert. But as impressive as this amazing palace of Herod the not so Great was, the question I ask, was the Roman Expansion worth it?
Couldn't the Romans just be contented with living in present day Italy? Did they have to push the Celts all the way to Ireland from the continent. Did they have to try to take over every country and enslave them?
This is the story around Jesus time. It is the battle of the Roman Empire against the World.
The Roman Empire at its greatest extent under Trajan in AD 117.
This Roman system was out of date 2000 years ago and it certainly is today, yet we still use the absurd Roman Calendar today. A calendar that is technically inaccurate in regards to the interpretation of months (derived from the moon) and the seasons. Days of the month must be equally split alternatively with 29 & 30 days respectively to reflect the 29.5 day cycle of the moon. Why is February only 28 days?
Why the Victorian Liberal Party won't make a difference in the state.
It is official. The Victorian Labor Party has lost and it's archenemy the Liberals are in. All the Masses are fooled into thinking these two parties are polar opposities, whereas the reality is that they are batting on the same team.
From a Technocratic standpoint both parties represent inefficiency, imbalance and Orwellian Destruction. Having recently worked for the government I am not surprised to see the current government getting kicked out. After being given a workload of 5 people as a contractor from the previous government, I have come to realise that the managers I had been involved with are generally wasteful, lazy & inefficient middle management creatures.
But nothing will change with the Victorian Liberal Party because they are the same inefficient democratic party that labor is, the same entropic values of Ancient Rome (notice how the parliament buildings of the West represent the Roman).
Australian cities were designed over 100 years ago and today the governments have failed to take that into account. Transportation by car & train have not been planned over significant expanding areas. The whole mass immigration thing has been brought about with a lack of vision and planning. Why couldn't we spread out all our recently arrived immigrants, rather than concentrate them into our cities and place a huge burden on our infrastructure.
This is happening all over the world. Genuine Refugees are not given the chance to migrate, while economic migrants continue to place a burden on existing infrastructures; encouraged by greedy business moguls, that forever want to decrease the price of wages until our wages are "Orwellian" slave labour.
"that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same"
More from me later on how a Technocratic government, that is in tune with nature & the cosmos, is the ultimate form of government. I will also point out how our modern form of governments in the West, is based on an out of date political system, the inefficient Ancient Roman Empire & "slave inducing" Communism. A system that is a failure for the human race, and only benefits the dystopian vision of the melancholic despots that should not be behooved in their positions of power.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
headgames
When I am far away she laughs out loud...
but when I am close she looks the other way...
but in the corner of my eye I see a quick glance...
or a pretending that she is looking at some-1 else...
"So near, so far away
We pass each other by 'cause we don't know what to say
It's so clear, I'm sorry to say
But if you wanna win you gotta learn how to play "
but when I am close she looks the other way...
but in the corner of my eye I see a quick glance...
or a pretending that she is looking at some-1 else...
"So near, so far away
We pass each other by 'cause we don't know what to say
It's so clear, I'm sorry to say
But if you wanna win you gotta learn how to play "
Why Democracies don't work
They don't work. It is official, democracies are an illusion created by the psuedo-elite, to give the masses a false hope that they can make a difference.
The Masses are fooled that their once in every 4 years vote, will make a difference in their lives. The irony is the Masses keep voting a different shade of left-wing government, that is full of lazy and inefficient bureaucrats and econocrats.
In Australia the people are unsure, they don't like either party, in our 2 party system of Labor or Liberals. I believe this situation has created a hung parliament in the federal & state. The Masses feel the mismanagement, the rise in the cost of living, the increasing unpleasantness forced upon us by incompetent leaders.
It all starts with the Mass Media's enforcement of democracy as the only sort of solution that we can have in today's society, but is an old "out of date" notion that was as much of a failure in ancient Greece as it is today.
As much as our business leaders push for more & more into their own greedy pockets at the expense of others, wise people must ascertain that there is always an important consideration of a fine balance between us & what earth provides.
Logan's Run (1976) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074812/ is probably the only Hollywood movie that makes an attempt to look at the balance of human populations and economies. Whereas our current Business Moguls push for 50 million + people in Australia, the reality is that this might cause a sinking ship for everyone.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/06/1036308371464.html
The Gorilla Mama's in surburbia with their huge 4wd are a sign or warning of Orwellian Greed that has infiltrated too large in our society. Although what appears as seemingly harmless, these Grisley Mama's are a symptomatic sign of inefficient greed and unrealistic dreams that cause huge imbalances in our society.
People need to be ruled by a system that is just & fair, they don't need or want "Democratic Propaganda".
Revolutions can be violent. The ruling elite that has cheated and lied their way to wealth cause massive imbalances that build up as a reservoir of anger & violence in the peoples. It seems like we are moving backwards in the 21st century which is why we need a new system, a break from the ruling elites "Animal Farm-esque" Communism/Capitalism.
The cycle of Monarchy, Aristocracy, Oligopoly & Democracy must be broken and a new way, Technocracy must be put in place. But this Technocracy must also be in tune with nature & the cosmos.
The Masses are fooled that their once in every 4 years vote, will make a difference in their lives. The irony is the Masses keep voting a different shade of left-wing government, that is full of lazy and inefficient bureaucrats and econocrats.
In Australia the people are unsure, they don't like either party, in our 2 party system of Labor or Liberals. I believe this situation has created a hung parliament in the federal & state. The Masses feel the mismanagement, the rise in the cost of living, the increasing unpleasantness forced upon us by incompetent leaders.
It all starts with the Mass Media's enforcement of democracy as the only sort of solution that we can have in today's society, but is an old "out of date" notion that was as much of a failure in ancient Greece as it is today.
As much as our business leaders push for more & more into their own greedy pockets at the expense of others, wise people must ascertain that there is always an important consideration of a fine balance between us & what earth provides.
Logan's Run (1976) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074812/ is probably the only Hollywood movie that makes an attempt to look at the balance of human populations and economies. Whereas our current Business Moguls push for 50 million + people in Australia, the reality is that this might cause a sinking ship for everyone.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/06/1036308371464.html
The Gorilla Mama's in surburbia with their huge 4wd are a sign or warning of Orwellian Greed that has infiltrated too large in our society. Although what appears as seemingly harmless, these Grisley Mama's are a symptomatic sign of inefficient greed and unrealistic dreams that cause huge imbalances in our society.
People need to be ruled by a system that is just & fair, they don't need or want "Democratic Propaganda".
Revolutions can be violent. The ruling elite that has cheated and lied their way to wealth cause massive imbalances that build up as a reservoir of anger & violence in the peoples. It seems like we are moving backwards in the 21st century which is why we need a new system, a break from the ruling elites "Animal Farm-esque" Communism/Capitalism.
The cycle of Monarchy, Aristocracy, Oligopoly & Democracy must be broken and a new way, Technocracy must be put in place. But this Technocracy must also be in tune with nature & the cosmos.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
The Technocratic Manifesto Part 1
1. Technocrat vs Prole
The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of technical struggles.
Freeman and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and serf, guild-master [3] and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.
In the earlier epochs of history, we find almost everywhere a complicated arrangement of society into various orders, a manifold gradation of social rank. In ancient Rome we have patricians, knights, plebians, slaves; in the Middle Ages, feudal lords, vassals, guild-masters, journeymen, apprentices, serfs; in almost all of these classes, again, subordinate gradations.
Too many times the dumb & stupid have ruled over the intelligent man, and this causes imbalances in society as cities become in-efficient, resources become scarce and costs increase.
More to come...
underground trains
underground trains
I have always had this fantasy since my adolescence that there are hidden underground stations that have a train network for a secret super society.
To my astonishment I actually read this as a conspiracy here
http://educate-yourself.org/nwo/nwopopcontrol.shtml
"Based on 1989 information, it was claimed that there were at least 75 underground cities in existence below the soil of America interconnected by high speed, frictionless trains called Maglevtrains (Magnetic Levitation). The former Atomic Energy Commission had also constructed 22 seperate underground cities for their own use.(1) [Update: In 1995, Phil Schneider said that there were 129 underground cities and in May of 2001, Stewart Swerdlow, former mind controlled "Montauk Boy" , claimed that there now exists 133 underground cities in North America. Al Bielek also claims that there are many hundreds of underground cities and bases built worldwide]"
Are any thoughts original?
Well I sure hope my world of escalator transportation is!!!
I have always had this fantasy since my adolescence that there are hidden underground stations that have a train network for a secret super society.
To my astonishment I actually read this as a conspiracy here
http://educate-yourself.org/nwo/nwopopcontrol.shtml
"Based on 1989 information, it was claimed that there were at least 75 underground cities in existence below the soil of America interconnected by high speed, frictionless trains called Maglevtrains (Magnetic Levitation). The former Atomic Energy Commission had also constructed 22 seperate underground cities for their own use.(1) [Update: In 1995, Phil Schneider said that there were 129 underground cities and in May of 2001, Stewart Swerdlow, former mind controlled "Montauk Boy" , claimed that there now exists 133 underground cities in North America. Al Bielek also claims that there are many hundreds of underground cities and bases built worldwide]"
Are any thoughts original?
Well I sure hope my world of escalator transportation is!!!
Self Improvement Articles
I sort of have in interest in self-improvement articles at the moment such as the following...
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/when-things-dont-workout-the-way-you-want-2597756.html
I always find them quite amusing, and there are a few good tips here & there. But "cheating" yourself that life is really good when it isn't, isn't really right. Be prepared for the letdown. There are structual impossibilties with having the successful career opportunities that everyone strives for. There are simply not enough jobs to go around. That is why I think a belief in reincarnation is the ultimate healer.
Many people have disappointing lives. Some get chronic illnesses & conditions. Others die at an early age.There are so many people if given the right chances could achieve much more, but due to circumstance are restricted.
My belief is that when you die you receive a judgement, like the Egyptian: Judgment of the Dead
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/dead.htm
From your results after the judgement you are then able to choose what sort of life (avatar) you are to have next.
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/when-things-dont-workout-the-way-you-want-2597756.html
I always find them quite amusing, and there are a few good tips here & there. But "cheating" yourself that life is really good when it isn't, isn't really right. Be prepared for the letdown. There are structual impossibilties with having the successful career opportunities that everyone strives for. There are simply not enough jobs to go around. That is why I think a belief in reincarnation is the ultimate healer.
Many people have disappointing lives. Some get chronic illnesses & conditions. Others die at an early age.There are so many people if given the right chances could achieve much more, but due to circumstance are restricted.
My belief is that when you die you receive a judgement, like the Egyptian: Judgment of the Dead
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/dead.htm
From your results after the judgement you are then able to choose what sort of life (avatar) you are to have next.
In the middle of the night
In the middle of the night, I used to wake up, with this sensation of a small being in my room. It occurred on & off over many many years. But now "it" has gone. It felt more than a dream. Was this a visitation or part of the dream state. To be honest it felt quite scary, I felt like I was being taken away to something, I did not want to partake in. This gave me an interest in alien abduction...
and to my horror several years ago, I found out I had a mysterious piece of metal in my hand, which still hurts me today.
oh yes i remember the struggle, the force...
and to my horror several years ago, I found out I had a mysterious piece of metal in my hand, which still hurts me today.
oh yes i remember the struggle, the force...
Fait Accompli
too feel so breathless and hopeless....the frustration of being alone & stagnated...the inability of the world to progress and move up...the lack of motivation, for being stuck in a situation, you don't want to be in...
for being born in the wrong place at the wrong time...to feel like you are in a computer game, where you can't jump outside the maze...
the stasis, the madness of the ants marching in time to the droning beat of repetition...
A Personal Reflection
A Personal Reflection
It had soon come apparent to me, that early on in my career, trying too hard in the workplace put "moi" in a dangerous situation. By being a good worker it places pressure on your employers to give you a pay-rise, which is a very bad no-no. Intelligence is espoused negatively. Employers want to pay as little as possible and there are reduced odds in todays modern world for being promoted.
The world is a tale of "the emperors new clothes". To be a slave and put up with the status quo is not something I agree with. You must stand up for what is right; I shall only accept order that is righteous.
It had soon come apparent to me, that early on in my career, trying too hard in the workplace put "moi" in a dangerous situation. By being a good worker it places pressure on your employers to give you a pay-rise, which is a very bad no-no. Intelligence is espoused negatively. Employers want to pay as little as possible and there are reduced odds in todays modern world for being promoted.
The world is a tale of "the emperors new clothes". To be a slave and put up with the status quo is not something I agree with. You must stand up for what is right; I shall only accept order that is righteous.
Why We Need World War 3 (Political Satire)
Why We Need World War 3 (Political Satire)
Wars are terrible bloody and cruel. But the unfortunate truth about wars is that they open up job opportunities and land. Nature has a way of balancing out. The carnivore's devour the herbivore's to prevent the extinction of plants. Without humans finding a way to colonise the galaxy, we are left to our own devices to destroy the planet. It is only natural to displace other living things.In fact many humans today have less morals than animals and that being the case, should they have more of a right to live than the animals we are wiping out??
I suggest the war start in Asia and we can use homosexuals, liberals and vegetarians as target practise for when the real war starts. Once we can decimate the population to less than a billion we can then use our scientific knowledge to live a life full of luxury. (Ferrari's, Jets and big mansions for everyone!!) We can of course keep a breed of slaves to do all the menial tasks!!!
Wars are terrible bloody and cruel. But the unfortunate truth about wars is that they open up job opportunities and land. Nature has a way of balancing out. The carnivore's devour the herbivore's to prevent the extinction of plants. Without humans finding a way to colonise the galaxy, we are left to our own devices to destroy the planet. It is only natural to displace other living things.In fact many humans today have less morals than animals and that being the case, should they have more of a right to live than the animals we are wiping out??
I suggest the war start in Asia and we can use homosexuals, liberals and vegetarians as target practise for when the real war starts. Once we can decimate the population to less than a billion we can then use our scientific knowledge to live a life full of luxury. (Ferrari's, Jets and big mansions for everyone!!) We can of course keep a breed of slaves to do all the menial tasks!!!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Technocracy vs Democracy (The Technocratic Revolution)
The Technocratic Revolution
The first steps after the revolution of replacing our democracy with a Technocratic elite, would be removing those in the position of power, that have less knowledge of computers than a 10 year old!!! This would generate a lot of money in the economy, because all of a sudden there would be billions of dollars in "lost" revenue.
Although there is a lot more to technology than computers, I have been frustrated many times when working in the IT industry, with having to work with fat managers and unattractive P.A's, that have no idea about IT. They seem to be more interested in games of Golf than understanding what type of workload to give to its IT staff.
The first steps after the revolution of replacing our democracy with a Technocratic elite, would be removing those in the position of power, that have less knowledge of computers than a 10 year old!!! This would generate a lot of money in the economy, because all of a sudden there would be billions of dollars in "lost" revenue.
Although there is a lot more to technology than computers, I have been frustrated many times when working in the IT industry, with having to work with fat managers and unattractive P.A's, that have no idea about IT. They seem to be more interested in games of Golf than understanding what type of workload to give to its IT staff.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
iOS 4.2 Delay
I guess in a few months the 4.2 update for iOS will have felt like a blip in the radar. But for iPad users this month, the holy grail of multi-tasking seems to be like the second coming of Jesus, failing to materialize.
Apple is currently at an all time high with 20% of market share of PC's in the US and definitely the "computer" consumer brand with the most mindshare. But has Apple become too big for its boots. Can Apple successfully adapt from its market niche to be the leader. The perfectionism of Steve Jobs might not be suited for the needs of the Mass Consumer that want things quickly and not necessarily perfectly.
In the meantime I am still waiting for 4.2 and am glad that it isn't released early and buggy like what Microsoft has done over the years, particularly with Windows Vista (Windows 7 should have been a free upgrade for Vista users).
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Pleasure Principle, Flesh & Bood, Outlandos D'Amour Reviews
The Pleasure Principle, Flesh & Bood, Outlandos D'Amour Review
Even though I am using the latest audio gadgets such as the Airport Express, Apple TV, Fubar III USB Headphone DAC, Firestone Libby DAC/Headphone amp and itunes 10.1, I still am gravitated towards music of the 1975-1985 era! I now have 340GB of music and I have quite a collection.
On reflection the reason why I like the 1975-1985 period is that it due to it being the last era of Analogue before the introduction of mainstream digital recording processes. There also seems to be a great spark of creativity as muscians discovered the power of analogue synthesis and audiophile fidelity.
Today's modern popular musician lacks the creativity and innovation of that era. How can they be expected to be innovators when they are using the same technology that has been around for over a decade. Also today's music is more about mouse clicking and editing rather than real-time musicianship.
Anyway back to my reviews. These 3 albums are all before my era, and music styles changed quickly back then due to the newly emerging generation Xers and emerging music technology. As the 1970s came to a close, disco & punk were dying, disappearing just as quickly as they came. Even rock acts such as KISS came out with a Disco hit in 1979! The Generation Xers wanted to distinguish themselves differently as much as possible and were quick to use the 80s as a point of separation.
The Pleasure Principle---Gary Numan 1979
I was glad to discover this. It seems that Gary Numan disappeared from the popular conscious just as quickly as he became part of it. Coming out in 1979 this pop act help set the scene of the 1980s Synth Pop movement. Check this interview out with Molly Meldrum in 1979 when they talk about what is going to happen in the eighties!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fFPvJzroUE
The expectation of the decade had so much excitement back then!
Anyway back to the music, I was pleasantly surprised with this album. Numan had taken Bowie's obsession of the krautrockers, Kraftwerk to a more "poppy" place. Borrowing the glam look of Bowie upon sci-fi themes, Gary had changed his punk band the tubeway army to synth pop rockers! What is refreshing about this album is the use of real drums and electric bass to thick layers of moog synths!
The album opens with a lone synth and hi-hats, and then a few bars in a rocking bass line enters & an analogue synth with flange effects. Pounding drums come in next and this is the sound of Gary Numan bar vocals. Very impressive. What I like is the differentiation in sound to Kraftwerk (The most popular synth band of the 70s). The album is rocking & synthy with a heavy use of flanging & phasing.
Gary Numans vocal style is odd to say the least! Although perfect for the album, I can easily see why he faded out of popular conciousness as synth pop became more mainstream. A very listenable album that takes you to places, and reeks of nostalgia. Cars is a wonderful hit that is featured in the album and encapsulates the Numan sound.
Flesh & Bood---Roxy Music 1980
I found this album at JB-Hifi for $6!!! Not knowing what I was going to get, I was pretty sure it would be good. Having only a Bryan Ferry greatest hits and the album Avalon, I was quite confident it would be good. The other bonus is the album came out in 1980 so I knew I would hear some great analogue synths.
This album is part of the genre-breaking moves that Roxy Music made into the new era. I much prefer the smooth sounds of Roxy Music in this area than the off-tune punky antics of the 1970s. Plenty of mellow sounds here, clever use of melodic synths, and ultra-smooth bass-lines. This album is a great album to listen to do when relaxing, so mellow and it covers a lot of territory. Wonderful smooth analogue synths, cool guitar solos, sexy sax solos, cool songwriting and synth-play from ferry and this album really sets the scene for future hits such as More Than This and Avalon. Love the mellowness.
Outlandos D'Amour--The Police 1978
This was the last remaining album I needed to get to fill my collection of all The Police albums. Once again I was pleasantly surprised. I had been really disappointed with previous Police albums I have such as Regatta De Blanc 1979,expecting it to sound like Message In a Bottle & Walking On the Moon, but instead it being full of fillers.
Outlandos D'Amour is very even through out and has really cool heavy guitars, giving it a really rocky sound. Songs such as Next To You, Hole In My Life, Be My Girl are great non single tracks. A fantastic debut album from one of the best bands in history.
Even though I am using the latest audio gadgets such as the Airport Express, Apple TV, Fubar III USB Headphone DAC, Firestone Libby DAC/Headphone amp and itunes 10.1, I still am gravitated towards music of the 1975-1985 era! I now have 340GB of music and I have quite a collection.
On reflection the reason why I like the 1975-1985 period is that it due to it being the last era of Analogue before the introduction of mainstream digital recording processes. There also seems to be a great spark of creativity as muscians discovered the power of analogue synthesis and audiophile fidelity.
Today's modern popular musician lacks the creativity and innovation of that era. How can they be expected to be innovators when they are using the same technology that has been around for over a decade. Also today's music is more about mouse clicking and editing rather than real-time musicianship.
Anyway back to my reviews. These 3 albums are all before my era, and music styles changed quickly back then due to the newly emerging generation Xers and emerging music technology. As the 1970s came to a close, disco & punk were dying, disappearing just as quickly as they came. Even rock acts such as KISS came out with a Disco hit in 1979! The Generation Xers wanted to distinguish themselves differently as much as possible and were quick to use the 80s as a point of separation.
The Pleasure Principle---Gary Numan 1979
I was glad to discover this. It seems that Gary Numan disappeared from the popular conscious just as quickly as he became part of it. Coming out in 1979 this pop act help set the scene of the 1980s Synth Pop movement. Check this interview out with Molly Meldrum in 1979 when they talk about what is going to happen in the eighties!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fFPvJzroUE
The expectation of the decade had so much excitement back then!
Anyway back to the music, I was pleasantly surprised with this album. Numan had taken Bowie's obsession of the krautrockers, Kraftwerk to a more "poppy" place. Borrowing the glam look of Bowie upon sci-fi themes, Gary had changed his punk band the tubeway army to synth pop rockers! What is refreshing about this album is the use of real drums and electric bass to thick layers of moog synths!
The album opens with a lone synth and hi-hats, and then a few bars in a rocking bass line enters & an analogue synth with flange effects. Pounding drums come in next and this is the sound of Gary Numan bar vocals. Very impressive. What I like is the differentiation in sound to Kraftwerk (The most popular synth band of the 70s). The album is rocking & synthy with a heavy use of flanging & phasing.
Gary Numans vocal style is odd to say the least! Although perfect for the album, I can easily see why he faded out of popular conciousness as synth pop became more mainstream. A very listenable album that takes you to places, and reeks of nostalgia. Cars is a wonderful hit that is featured in the album and encapsulates the Numan sound.
Flesh & Bood---Roxy Music 1980
I found this album at JB-Hifi for $6!!! Not knowing what I was going to get, I was pretty sure it would be good. Having only a Bryan Ferry greatest hits and the album Avalon, I was quite confident it would be good. The other bonus is the album came out in 1980 so I knew I would hear some great analogue synths.
This album is part of the genre-breaking moves that Roxy Music made into the new era. I much prefer the smooth sounds of Roxy Music in this area than the off-tune punky antics of the 1970s. Plenty of mellow sounds here, clever use of melodic synths, and ultra-smooth bass-lines. This album is a great album to listen to do when relaxing, so mellow and it covers a lot of territory. Wonderful smooth analogue synths, cool guitar solos, sexy sax solos, cool songwriting and synth-play from ferry and this album really sets the scene for future hits such as More Than This and Avalon. Love the mellowness.
Outlandos D'Amour--The Police 1978
This was the last remaining album I needed to get to fill my collection of all The Police albums. Once again I was pleasantly surprised. I had been really disappointed with previous Police albums I have such as Regatta De Blanc 1979,expecting it to sound like Message In a Bottle & Walking On the Moon, but instead it being full of fillers.
Outlandos D'Amour is very even through out and has really cool heavy guitars, giving it a really rocky sound. Songs such as Next To You, Hole In My Life, Be My Girl are great non single tracks. A fantastic debut album from one of the best bands in history.
Apple TV, Airport Express and Computer Audiophile Network Streaming
So I have entered the dark murky depths of the Computer Audiophile underworld! Too make things more awkward I want to use wireless streaming to receive my audio signal. Shock Horror!
I have two devices at my disposal, the Airport Express N or Apple TV. Both feature optical output (which is shunned by audiophile snobs who prefer copper Sp/dif) but to me sounds great. The Apple TV uses a regular optical output whilst the Airport Express has a minijack like on the imacs, cd players and macbooks.
The bonus of the Airport Express is that it can output audio with a headphone jack but to be honest the DAC is crappy.
The advantage of the Apple TV is that it uses 8GB as cache, and therefore works better over slow networks. I had problems with dropouts with the Airport Express when joining an existing network and also when using a created network when using Windows Vista over G,no problems with Windows 7 & G).
The main problem I found with the Apple TV is that the remote on the ipod/iphone doesn't work particularly well. I found that when I setup my own network on the Airport Express the ipod/iphone remote runs better and faster and also has a slightly better interface than selecting Apple TV in the remote.
The other advantage of Airport Express is that it is running the network much closer to where the action is. The problem with Apple TV is you have to share with everyone else using the network and the WAP might be to far away. Because wireless is like a hub, there are pauses in the network when everyone has to use it (although this doesnt affect the Apple TV as it caches its stream). Therefore if you setup a separate network with just two (AX and PC) there are no interruptions. The latency on a pure N network is fantastic.
The other important settings are to make sure that you go to control panel sounds and change the default from 48k to 44k which degrades the audio. This is a silly default setting as Windows has to resample your music from 44k to 48k (Most CD"s are in the 44k format). The other is to make sure the EQ and sound enhancer are off in itunes & the volume is at full, so this ensures bit perfectness from Apple Lossless files.
http://blog.szynalski.com/2009/11/17/an-audiophiles-look-at-the-audio-stack-in-windows-vista-and-7/
Oh yeah BTW, apple lossless is the preferred format. You can use AIFF but the streaming protocol will convert it to apple lossless anyway!
I have two devices at my disposal, the Airport Express N or Apple TV. Both feature optical output (which is shunned by audiophile snobs who prefer copper Sp/dif) but to me sounds great. The Apple TV uses a regular optical output whilst the Airport Express has a minijack like on the imacs, cd players and macbooks.
The advantage of the Apple TV is that it uses 8GB as cache, and therefore works better over slow networks. I had problems with dropouts with the Airport Express when joining an existing network and also when using a created network when using Windows Vista over G,no problems with Windows 7 & G).
The main problem I found with the Apple TV is that the remote on the ipod/iphone doesn't work particularly well. I found that when I setup my own network on the Airport Express the ipod/iphone remote runs better and faster and also has a slightly better interface than selecting Apple TV in the remote.
The other advantage of Airport Express is that it is running the network much closer to where the action is. The problem with Apple TV is you have to share with everyone else using the network and the WAP might be to far away. Because wireless is like a hub, there are pauses in the network when everyone has to use it (although this doesnt affect the Apple TV as it caches its stream). Therefore if you setup a separate network with just two (AX and PC) there are no interruptions. The latency on a pure N network is fantastic.
The other important settings are to make sure that you go to control panel sounds and change the default from 48k to 44k which degrades the audio. This is a silly default setting as Windows has to resample your music from 44k to 48k (Most CD"s are in the 44k format). The other is to make sure the EQ and sound enhancer are off in itunes & the volume is at full, so this ensures bit perfectness from Apple Lossless files.
http://blog.szynalski.com/2009/11/17/an-audiophiles-look-at-the-audio-stack-in-windows-vista-and-7/
Oh yeah BTW, apple lossless is the preferred format. You can use AIFF but the streaming protocol will convert it to apple lossless anyway!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Apple Servers----X Serve rack is being retired...
There is a gr8 article in Engadget about the Mac OS X Server.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/09/why_apple_axed_xserve_and_how_it_can_reenter_the_sever_market.html
Over the past few years, I have had experience working with Mac OS X servers, whilst working for the Department of Education . I have always been disappointed with the lack of support for the servers, and have been frustrated with the lack of good deployment software. To me networking with Macs, is on par with gaming on Macs. Both are pretenders.
Apple produces fantastic consumer-grade models. They well deserve to be the "marketers of the decade".
http://mashable.com/2010/10/18/apple-marketer-of-the-decade/
But when it comes to the Big Time, as far as corporate goes, it is a world dominated by Cisco Routers and Microsoft Servers.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/09/why_apple_axed_xserve_and_how_it_can_reenter_the_sever_market.html
Over the past few years, I have had experience working with Mac OS X servers, whilst working for the Department of Education . I have always been disappointed with the lack of support for the servers, and have been frustrated with the lack of good deployment software. To me networking with Macs, is on par with gaming on Macs. Both are pretenders.
Apple produces fantastic consumer-grade models. They well deserve to be the "marketers of the decade".
http://mashable.com/2010/10/18/apple-marketer-of-the-decade/
But when it comes to the Big Time, as far as corporate goes, it is a world dominated by Cisco Routers and Microsoft Servers.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
iOS 4.2! Where is it and please fix remote!!!
iOS 4.2 delay
Still waiting for 4.2, apparently there is a delay because of marketing reasons, but I also hope they fix the bug with remote.
http://www.gaj-it.com/26865/ios-4-2-and-android-2-3-coming-very-soon/
It’s getting close to the end of the year, but there’s still plenty of time to whip out some updates. Smartphone users are in for a treat this November as both Apple and Google are set to start rolling out the latest versions of their operating system
Apart from remote crashing all the time and having problems logging in (I have also added UDP port 5353 & TCP 3689 in the Firewall Private Profile), the other problem I find with remote, is that if you have an album that is a combo of Mp3 and Lossless, it wont play the tracks in order. It will play the tracks in order from Mp3 and then lossless. It is very frustrating for those who have greatest hits albums and then use those to fill an album, rather than buying a whole album from itunes or elsewhere. I have the greatest hits by Mr. Mister on CD and it has 7 tracks from their Granduous 1985 album "Welcome to The Real World". I bought the three remaining tracks as MP3's from 7 Digital Store in Australia (As it is cheaper than itunes) and even though I am exceptionally irritated with the lossy 320k MP3 sound, I was happy to complete the album. Unfortunately though, the remote on my ipod touch wouldn't play the album in order (from what I had manually put in itunes), but instead played the Mp3s first. RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH
I am very happy with the iphone and the constant upgrades I have had from 2.2 (as compared with the Palm T/X that never had an OS upgrade) , but please fix the bug with remote, especially as you sell Airport Expresses and Apple TVs that rely on it.
More from me on how to get the Airport Express N to play back music without dropouts.
Still waiting for 4.2, apparently there is a delay because of marketing reasons, but I also hope they fix the bug with remote.
http://www.gaj-it.com/26865/ios-4-2-and-android-2-3-coming-very-soon/
It’s getting close to the end of the year, but there’s still plenty of time to whip out some updates. Smartphone users are in for a treat this November as both Apple and Google are set to start rolling out the latest versions of their operating system
I am very happy with the iphone and the constant upgrades I have had from 2.2 (as compared with the Palm T/X that never had an OS upgrade) , but please fix the bug with remote, especially as you sell Airport Expresses and Apple TVs that rely on it.
More from me on how to get the Airport Express N to play back music without dropouts.
Monday, November 8, 2010
My Definition Of Progressive Rock Part 1
ahhhh Prog Rock
Part 1****
My fav music is Progressive Trance, Progressive Rock and Earth Wind & Fire...
I luv music that is full and can treat my ears with electronic wizardry.
To me Prog Rock is a genre of music that can be so easily classified incorrectly like Science Fiction. Too many times I see movies such as Star Wars and Aliens classified as Science Fiction, when it really is something else.
Part 1****
My fav music is Progressive Trance, Progressive Rock and Earth Wind & Fire...
I luv music that is full and can treat my ears with electronic wizardry.
To me Prog Rock is a genre of music that can be so easily classified incorrectly like Science Fiction. Too many times I see movies such as Star Wars and Aliens classified as Science Fiction, when it really is something else.
Star Wars is a Space Opera and Aliens is an Action film, but more on this later.
I believe that Progressive Rock started in the early 1970s with the advent of Synthesizers. This is an important distinction because Heavy Metal abandoned the Synth and Hip Hop & Dance abandoned the electric guitar!!!!
Prog Rock left the mainstream with the advent of the 80s (Heavy Metal took the Guitars and Rap/Pop took the Synth)
To me, Prog Rock must included the studio engineering as part of the musical process. Also, the Musicians in Prog Rock are virtuoso's and provide tangents to the music outside of a 4/4 time beat and equal temperament tuning.
Even though Led Zeppelin is primarily a heavy rock band they flirted with Prog Rock (as a trend of the time). Stairway to Heaven and No Quarter (1971 & 1973) are two tracks that are most like Prog Rock from them. John Paul Jones the wizard on Keys was primarily a bassist between 1968-1971. But what stops Led Zep from being a true Progressive Rock band is the lack of complex synthesis as heard with Pink Floyd & Tangerine Dream. John Paul Jones might have used a Mellotron and his organ, but just because he put a moog in the awful track The Crunge, from the 1973 Album, Houses of the Holy doesn't mean to me, that it is Prog Rock. Yes there were moments of Prog such as the electronic effects in "Whole Lotta Love" live, but overall it is Heavy Rock (and very good in that genre).
There is a fine balance as engineering synthesizers is a different skill set to musicianship (Brian Eno anyone?). I also don't think much pop music today is fully utilising the Synthesizer or doing anything interesting. Yes there is more DSP processing and auto-tuning of vocals, but this is nothing like the impact of the electric guitar or Complex Analogue Synthesis as heard in the 1960s with Jimi Hendrix on guitar and Vangelis, Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Pink Floyd in the 1970s. Perhaps as there is no new instrument to come along since the 1970s, there is nothing left for the market to do???
So the core of a Prog Rock band must have this:
Vocals
Bass Guitar should experiment with pedals and volume swells etc.
Complex Programmable Synthesizers (Can be two players must have lots of synths and not be a musician that has a moog on top of his organ!! Also they should be good musicians too and not be just good programmers)
Electric Guitar ( 1,2 or more!!)
Drums (Can be 2 and can also play an electronic drum kit for some tracks)
If you are interested in Prog Rock check these Albums out
http://www.progarchives.com/top-prog-albums.asp?salbumtypes=1#list
If you are interested in Prog Rock check these Albums out
http://www.progarchives.com/top-prog-albums.asp?salbumtypes=1#list
Next part is more about what are the best Prog Rock Tracks****
IOS 4.2 has MIDI support
IOS 4.2 is coming out this week and I have a lot to be excited about.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/MIDI-Sequencer-synthesizer-Pro-Tools-CoreMIDI,news-8646.html
1. Airplay
I needed this feature last night. I downloaded a YES album from itunes, when i was in bed with my ipod touch 4G. The problem is I listen to my music in my bedroom, streaming over an Airport Express, as I have 350GB of music. I could have connected a cable via my ipod touch 4G, but it was late at night plus the quality isn't as good as my outboard DAC (connected optically to the Airport Express of course). With Airplay I can stream the music on my ipod touch thru the Airport Express.
2. Midi Support
My Palm Tungsten had this feature. I could use a sequencer from my Palm connected to my Yamaha TG300 Tone Generator and then use its Midi Thru for other non RS232 synths. Finally the ipod Touch 4G can do everything my Palm used to do (Including a physical keyboard). The only thing I miss is the instant on the Palm could do (The ipod touch takes 15 seconds to boot LOL).
Check out my Palm being used as a sequencer on Youtube.
More from me Later...
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