Jeff Lynne IS an icon

Jeff Lynne has received the Q Icon Award from Q Magazine in Britain. He's described as "one of the most unique talents of the last 40 years and as such is a fitting Q Icon."

Despite the poor grammar of the statement - how can there be degrees of uniqueness? - I agree with it wholeheartedly. I'm glad to see Jeff get some recognition for his great body of work as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and genius.

Check out Q's write-up here.

New Macca DVD coming

The Paul McCartney listservs that I subscribe to are buzzing with all the salacious stuff about Macca's messy divorce. I stay out of that discussion. But there is good news on the Macca front.

The Space Within Us, a retrospective of his 2005 tour, will hit the stores on November 14. There's a quite positive review of it at DVD Movie Guide.

S$# 044 Janis Joplin | Move Over

In her too-short career, Janis Joplin revealed her huge passion for the blues and rock, "making her material her own with her wailing, raspy, supercharged emotional delivery."

Move Over is one of Janis's own compositions, from the posthumous 1971 album Pearl. She recorded the album with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, which she had formed in April 1970 with bassist Brad Campbell, guitarist John Till, pianist Richard Bell, organist Ken Pearson and drummer Clark Pierson.

Move Over may not be as well known as Me And Bobby McGee, but it has a certain earthiness and rawness quality that moved me to spotlight this particular track. She's offering a guy his chance to love her. But if he doesn't, then he should move over and get out of the way.

You say that it's over, baby,
You say that it's over now,
But still you hang around me, come on,
Won't you move over?

You know that I need a man, hon,
You know that I need a man
But when I ask you to you just tell me that maybe you can
Please, don't you do it to me, babe, no!
Please, don't you do it to me
Take the love I offer, honey, or let me be

I ain ´t quite ready for walkin', no no no
I ain ´t quite ready for walkin'
And what are you gonna do with your life, life just danglin'

Yeah, make up your mind, honey, you're playin' the fool,
Make up your mind, darlin', you're playin' the fool,
Come on now! now either be my lovin´ man,
I said a-love me, hon, or let me be! yeah!

You say that it´s over, baby,
You say that it´s over now
But still you hang around me, come on,
Won´ t you move over?

You know that I need a man, hon,
You know that I need a man
But when I ask you to you just tell me that maybe you can
Please, don't you do it to me, babe, no!
Please, don't you do it to me Por favor, no me lo hagas,
Take the love I offer, honey, or let me be
I say, won't you, won´t you let me be?
Honey, you can't disagree,
Yeah!, you're playin' with my heart, dear,
I believe you ´re toyin´ with my affections, honey

In addition to being the opening track on Pearl, Move Over is also featured on several Janis Joplin compilations.

A$# 044 Beatles | Beatles For Sale

Just a month after the Fabs had released their excellent A Hard Day's Night and the wonderful film of the same name in 1964, they were back in the studio again to work on the follow-up that would be Beatles For Sale.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn noted that:

[B4S was] The Beatles' fourth LP in 21 months, and, of course, a top seller worldwide. While no one would classify the album as weak - no Beatles album could be appended with that particular label - it is generally regarded as their weakest piece of work, although perhaps this was not entirely their fault. "They were rather war weary during Beatles For Sale," says George Martin. "One must remember that they'd been battered like mad throughout 1964, and much of 1963. Success is a wonderful thing, but it is very, very tiring. They were always on the go."

It's true that B4S wasn't all original compositions, like AHDN had been, and its covers might not quite scale the heights of Twist And Shout or Money. But I have always really liked Beatles For Sale, and I think it shows great brilliance, despite the strain and presssure they were under.

Some of John's songs in particular demonstrate a growing thoughtfulness and complexity of subject matter. The three openings tracks - No Reply, I'm A Loser and Baby's In Black - deal with relationships, but they're much more nuanced and mature than boy-meets-girl. Eight Days A Week has become a fan favourite, and it was innovative for its use of a fade-in.

Vigorous covers of Rock And Roll Music (John on lead), Carl Perkins' Honey Don't (Ringo) and Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (George), plus Paul's rip-roaring medley of Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey reveal they Beatles weren't too tired from their hectic schedule. They could still rock out.

Every Little Thing, What You're Doing and I Don't Want To Spoil The Party are a trio of solid L/M originals. I'll Follow The Sun is one of the Paul's early compositions, but it lends a sunny atmosphere to the set, as does John's cover of Buddy Holly's Words Of Love.

That leaves the much maligned Mr. Moonlight - a song I'm prepared to say is the closest to a clunker in all the songs the Beatles covered on record. Many have wondered why they didn't include the much livelier Leave My Kitten Alone, also recorded during the B4S sessions. I agree that it would have been a better choice.

We mustn't forget that the Beatles also recorded two excellent non-album tracks in this period too: John's I Feel Fine, a fine rocker made even more memorable by the deliberate use of distortion, and Paul's zesty She's A Woman.

While B4S, which was released December 4, 1964, would have been stronger had LMKA, IFF and SAW been included, there's no way anyone can argue that the album is weak. If you're inclined to think so, give it another listen.

Track listing:
1. No Reply
2. I'm A Loser
3. Baby's In Black
4. Rock And Roll Music
5. I'll Follow The Sun
6. Mr. Moonlight
7. Medley: Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
8. Eight Days A Week
9. Words Of Love
10. Honey Don't
11. Every Little Thing
12. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
13. What You're Doing
14. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

An interesting and useful blog

One thing I know for sure about Brain Capacity is that it is a blog that is not important - not in the big scheme of things, or the small scheme of things. But that's ok. I just like posting about stuff that interests me. There are lots of other entries in the blogosphere that are also not useful.

But there are many blogs that are well written and contain relevant information. One that I follow is The Lovin' Blog, by up-and-coming sex columnist Shayna Sparling. She posts columns that also appear in Imprint, the student newspaper at the University of Waterloo.

Knowledgeably and with much candour, she's explored topics such as these:

• Love Thyself
• There's A Vas Deferens Between Men and Women - or is there
• How to Become a Kegel Ninja!
• Goin' Bare for the Beach/Lake
• Fair Trade for Oral
• Watch This Space
• Anal is more than just a Stage of Development
• Frosh Week Sex Questions
• Keeping yourself clean is easier than you think
• Love Your Penis
• Cartoon copulation: hot or creepy?
• The Evolution of The Cat-Girl
• Yaoi and Yuri H anime

Tangerines and Summilux; this is what they said

My brain is weird. At least, it does weird things sometimes, like connecting disparate and diverse things that have nothing to do with each other ... such as citrus fruit and lenses for Leica cameras.



Of course you know the tangerine (Citrus reticulata), a type of mandarin orange. According to Wikipedia:

They are smaller than oranges, and their skin peels off more easily. Good quality tangerines will be firm to slightly hard, heavy for their size and pebbly-skinned with no deep grooves. Their flavor is often more sour and more sweet than that of an orange. The Honey Tangerine, which was originally called a murcott, is very sweet as its name suggests. One of the most popular kind is the Dancy Tangerine variety. Another popular kind is the Fairchild Tangerine.

The flavor is commonly used in bottle juice or soft drinks in North America, but is also enjoyable in salads, desserts, and main dishes. Tangerines are a good source of vitamin C, folate and beta-carotene. They also contain some potassium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B2 & B3.

Leica cameras have always been known for two great attributes - the mechanical refinement of the cameras themselves, and the superb quality of the lenses. Wikipedia notes that "Leica optics are particularly well-known for superior performance at maximum aperture, making them well-suited for natural-light photography."

The Summilux series included three fast lenses: 35mm F1.4 Summilux, 50mm F1.4 Summilux and 75mm F1.4 Summilux.

There's a site in French called summilux.net that features a lot of great photos taken by Leicas, with Summilux and other fine Leitz optics.

And did you know that there is a Styx song called Come Sail Away?

Dream of a midsummer night

Midsummer is often said to mean the beginning of summer. But that's stupid. "Mid" means middle, so midsummer should refer to the middle of the summer

The dates of the summer solstice and autumnal equinox vary by a day or two each year, but on average they fall on June 21 and September 21 respectively. That's days 172 and 264 of a non-leap year. The gap between the two is 92 days. Half of 92 is 46, and 46 + 172 = 218. So that's when midsummer really is. The 218th day is: August 6.

Why am I writing about this now? Because with the cold yukky grey fall weather we've been having in these parts, I'm dreaming of summer - the beginning or the middle would be fine with me.

S$# 043 Pink Floyd | Summer '68

I'm not a huge Floyd fan, though I recognize that they are/were an extremely creative and influential band, and they have a huge and loyal fan base.

Summer '68, written and sung by keyboardist Richard Wright, is from Atom Heart Mother, released in October 1970. To me, it doesn't sound like a typical Pink Floyd song. And Atom Heart Mother is not necessarily a typical Floyd album. (One review said this is "largely due to the influence of Ron Geesin who co-wrote the title track and the use of brass instruments and a choir to add texture and colour to the sound.")

Summer '68 has a great breezy pop feel to it, with layered harmony vocals reminiscent of the Beach Boys ( ! ), fluid piano playing and beefy horn flourishes. It tells the story of a one-night stand. But there may be more to it than this. The Wikipedia entry on the song says this:

The song also hints at the tedium of touring and a desire to escape from it all: 'My friends are lying in the sun, I wish that I was there...'

The song can also be interpreted as the metaphorical thoughts of someone returning from a magic mushroom trip, which typically last about 6 hours. Hence the lyrics, "We met just six hours ago..." and the continuing sensations and disillusionment with what's happening.

You'll never hear Summer '68 on a classic rock station - at least not the classic rock stations around here. (They seem to be stuck to about a half dozen tracks, taken variously from Dark Side Of The Moon, The Wall and Wish You Were Here) That's too bad, because it showcases a different side of the group's great talent.

As far as I know, you can find the song only on Atom Heart Mother. It's not on any Pink Floyd collections.

Would you like to say something before you leave
Perhaps you'd care to state exactly how you feel
We said good-bye before we said hello
I hardly even like you, I shouldn't care at all
We met just six hours ago, the music was too loud
From your bed I gained a day and lost a bloody year
And I would like to know
How do you feel, how do you feel, how do you feel?

Not a single word was said, delights still without fears
Occasionally you showed a smile but what was the need
I felt the cold far too soon - the wind of '95
My friends are lying in the sun, I wish that I was there
Tomorrow brings another town and another girl like you
Have you time before you leave to greet another man
Just you let me know
How do you feel, how do you feel, how do you feel?

Good-bye to you
Charlotte Kringles too
I've had enough for one day

A$# 043 Byrds | (Untitled) / (Unissued)

The Byrds’ 1970 double LP was called (Untitled). The 2000 CD remaster adds a whole disc of bonus material, previously unissued. Hence the odd title, (Untitled) / (Unissued).

The liner notes of the new version tell about the origin of the original appellation:

There is a simple explanation for the name …. According to singer-guitarist Roger McGuinn, the Byrds’ producer wrote “untitled” – as in “to be named” – on Columbia’s studio tracking sheets as the was album was being made. “Somehow,” McGuinn says, “that’s the way it went to the printer.”

The additional parentheses on the final cover and the pint-sized typefaces were nice wry touches, a backhanded way of undercutting the pomposity associated with the double album in the progressive-rock era. (Untitled) was also a quick, clean clue to the record’s contents: great songs and sparkling performances, the current Byrds at their best. No more. And no less.

The Byrds had undergone a lot of change since the heydays at the dawn of folk rock just a little more than four years earlier. Roger McGuinn was the only original member left; the newer members were guitarist Clarence White, drummer Gene Parsons and bass player Skip Battin. Since the trend-setting Sweetheart Of The Rodeo in 1968, the group had cultivated a more roots-oriented sound.

The progression of that sound continued with the double LP, where they presented one disc of new studio material and one of live tracks. The live album comes first, starting with a new song by Roger and his then-writing partner, Jacques Levy, a swampy ode to all things southern, Lover Of The Bayou. A spirited rendition of Dylan’s Positively 4th Street comes next, followed by a Parsons / White original, Nashville West. Then the group revisits the early days with So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star, Mr. Tambourine Man and Mr. Spacemen. The performances are very energetic; they showcase a maturity, and perhaps world-weariness, that the original studio tracks did not. Side 2 of the LP is the centre and soul of this set, though: a side-long, sixteen-minute jam of Eight Miles High.

From the liner notes again:

But what most impressed was the radical revamping of Eight Miles High. Extended to an album-side in length, the song became a tour de force at Byrds concerts, highlighted by the dramatic interplay between bass and drums, and some startling Rickenbacker work from McGuinn. It represented nothing less than the ultimate fusion between the old Byrds and the new, and showed this autumnal line-up at the peak of its powers.

I’m not sure if the studio album holds up as well, though I was particularly struck, more than 25 years ago when I bought the LP, by the opener, Chestnut Mare. It’s another McGuinn / Levy composition, a song they’d intended for a proposed musical, Gene Tryp, based on Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. While the song is clearly about a magnificent horse, it’s also about the struggle to accomplish what we long for (“I’m going to catch that horse if I can,” Roger sings wistfully.

There are two other Gene Tryp songs, the haunting All The Things and Just A Season. I also quite like Clarence’s lead vocal on Truck Stop Girl. The interesting guitar work on Hungry Planet stands out too.

The bonus disc includes some alt versions, a studio version of Lover On The Bayou, studio outtakes and eight live tracks, including two of my fave Byrds songs – their reading of Dylan’s My Back Pages and the gorgeous The Ballad Of Easy Rider.

Together, the two CDs make a really comprehensive portrait of the latter-day Byrds.

Track listing:

Disc 1:
1. Lover Of The Bayou (Live)
2. Positively 4th Street (Live)
3. Nashville West (Live)
4. So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star (Live)
5. Mr. Tambourine Man (Live)
6. Mr. Spaceman (Live)
7. Eight Miles High (Live)
8. Chestnut Mare
9. Truck Stop Girl
10. All The Things
11. Yesterday's Train
12. Hungry Planet
13. Just A Season
14. Take A Whiff On Me
15. You All Look Alike
16. Well Come Back Home

Disc 2:
1. All The Things (Alternate Version)
2. Yesterday's Train (Alternate Version)
3. Lover Of The Bayou (Studio Version)
4. Kathleen's Song (Alternate Version)
5. White's Lightning Pt. 2
6. Willin'
7. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Live)
8. Old Blue (Live)
9. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (Live)
10. Ballad Of Easy Rider (Live)
11. My Back Pages (Live)
12. Take A Whiff On Me (Live)
13. Jesus Is Just Alright (Live)
14. This Wheel's On Fire (Live)

Revisiting the original voyages

A friend lent me his DVD sets of the Star Trek: The Original Series. I'm slowly making my way through the 22 discs.

Each season comes in a brightly coloured clamshell case. All 79 episodes are here, plus the first pilot, The Cage, and lots of bonus features. You can find out more info at startrek.com.

Star Trek Season 1 DVD Box Set

The contents of the Star Trek Season 1 DVDs are as follows:

* Disc 1: "The Man Trap," "Charlie X," "Where No Man Has Gone Before,"* "The Naked Time"
* Disc 2: "The Enemy Within," "Mudd's Women," "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" "Miri"
* Disc 3: "Dagger of the Mind," "The Corbomite Maneuver," "The Menagerie, Part I,"* The Menagerie, Part II"*
* Disc 4: "The Conscience of the King,"* "Balance of Terror," "Shore Leave," "The Galileo Seven"
* Disc 5: "The Squire of Gothos," "Arena," "Tomorrow is Yesterday," "Court Martial"
* Disc 6: "The Return of the Archons," "Space Seed," "A Taste of Armageddon," "This Side of Paradise"
* Disc 7: "The Devil in the Dark," "Errand of Mercy," "The Alternative Factor," "The City on the Edge of Forever"
* Disc 8: "Operation: Annihilate!" & Bonus Features

* These four episodes have text commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda

Special features:

The Birth of a Timeless Legacy
The definitive telling of how it all began: from the first pilot, "The Cage," to reshooting the pilot with William Shatner, to the many challenges leading up to its premiere on NBC in 1966. Included are interviews with cast and network executives and producers. Also featured are new interviews with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Robert Justman.

Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner
Featured on each volume, this featurette follows one principal cast member around on their most current film and TV projects, charity events, conventions, trips, or hobbies. In Season One, William Shatner gives viewers an exclusive invitation to his ranch to discuss his love of horses.

To Boldly Go ...
Includes discussion of "The Naked Time," "The City on the Edge of Forever," "The Devil in the Dark" and "The Squire of Gothos" by cast and production crew members.

Reflections on Spock
Leonard Nimoy discusses his character in depth, and explains why he chose to write two different books on the subject: "I Am Not Spock" and "I Am Spock."

Sci-Fi Visionaries
A look at Star Trek's famous writers, featuring interviews with Gene Coon, Harlan Ellison, George Clayton Thomas, Richard Matheson, D.C. Fontana, Gene Roddenberry, Bob Justman and John D.F. Black.

Original Preview Trailers & Photo Log

Star Trek Season 2 DVD Box Set

The contents of the Star Trek Season 2 DVDs are as follows:

* Disc 1: "Amok Time,"* "Who Mourns for Adonais," "The Changeling," "Mirror, Mirror"
* Disc 2: "The Apple," "The Doomsday Machine," "Catspaw" "I, Mudd"
* Disc 3: "Metamorphosis," "Journey to Babel," "Friday's Child," The Deadly Years"
* Disc 4: "Obsession," "Wolf in the Fold," "The Trouble with Tribbles,"* "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
* Disc 5: "A Piece of the Action," "The Immunity Syndrome," "A Private Little War," "Return to Tomorrow"
* Disc 6: "Patterns of Force," "By Any Other Name," "The Omega Glory," "The Ultimate Computer"
* Disc 7: "Bread and Circuses," "Assignment: Earth," & Bonus Features

*These two episodes have text commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda

Special features:
"To Boldly Go ... " Season Two
Life Beyond Trek: Leonard Nimoy
Kirk, Spock, & Bones: Star Trek's Great Trio
Designing the Final Frontier
Star Trek's Divine Diva: Nichelle Nichols
Writer's Notebook: D.C. Fontana
Production Art
Photo Gallery
Preview Trailers

Star Trek Season 3 DVD Box Set

The contents of the Star Trek Season 3 DVDs are as follows:

* Disc 1: "Spock's Brain," "The Enterprise Incident," "The Paradise Syndrome," "And the Children Shall Lead"
* Disc 2: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?," "Spectre of the Gun," "Day of the Dove" "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"
* Disc 3: "The Tholian Web," "Plato's Stepchildren," "Wink of an Eye," The Empath"
* Disc 4: "Elaan of Troyius," "Whom Gods Destroy," "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," "The Mark of Gideon"
* Disc 5: "That Which Survives," "The Lights of Zetar," "Requiem For Methuselah," "The Way to Eden"
* Disc 6: "The Cloud Minders," "The Savage Curtain,"* "All Our Yesterdays," "Turnabout Intruder"*
* Disc 7: "The Cage" – Restored Version and Original Version & Bonus Features

* These two episodes have text commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda

Special features:
To Boldly Go ... Season 3
Life Beyond Trek: Walter Koenig
Chief Engineer's Log
Memoir From Mr. Sulu
Star Trek's Impact
A Star Trek Collector's Dream Come True
Production Art
Two Versions of Original Pilot "The Cage"
Original Preview Trailers

Ugunja Community Resource Centre

In western Kenya, in the Siaya District of Nyanza Province, there is a town called Ugunja. The Ugunja Community Resource Centre has been doing valuable community development work there since 1988.

Registered as a community-based organization since 1997 and a non-government organization since 2004, UCRC is an umbrella organization for more than 60 local community groups. Its objectives are stated as follows:

UCRC strives to:

> Promote networking and strengthen both groups and individuals on appropriate technologies for environmental development
> Provide information which is readily available and accessible to groups and individuals regarding appropriate technologies for environmental development
> Provide a forum for sharing and exchanging information
> Facilitate resource mobilization in promoting group activities

Its projects and affiliated projects include:

Finance & Administration:
> Micro-finance

Information & Communication Media:
> Computer Centre
> GIS
> Library

Adaptive Research & Resource Mobilization:
> Sustainable Agriculture

Advocacy & Networking:
> Community Learning and Resource Centres
> Children
> Youth
> Women's Issues
> Disability
> Peace-building

Affiliated Projects:
> Nyasanda Community High School
> Nyasanda Technical Institute
> St. Paul's Health Centre
> Mundindi ECD Centre
> COSOFAP

There are many talented people - staff and volunteers - in Ugunja who have made the organization such a great success. They have developed several international partnerships, including several Canadian agencies. I'll have more to say about that in the coming weeks.

Opel GT redux

On October 18, 1978, I saw a purple Opel GT - an interesting car to see in the poor wilds of mid-western Ontario in those days.

On May 25, 2006, I wrote a Brain Capacity post about the Opel GT.

S$# 042 Gerry Rafferty | Baker Street

Baker Street was a big hit for Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty in the summer of 1978 (reaching no. 1 in Canada, no. 2 in the US and no. 3 in the UK), and one of my favourite songs from that memorable year.

Gerry had already had some success in Britain with the Humblebums (with Billy Connelly) and later Stealers Wheel, with a hit in Stuck In The Middle With You. After that group melted down, he recorded his second solo album, City To City, in 1978.

Baker Street was hugely successful, a sophisticated rock song that eschewed the traditional verse-chorus-verse format of most popular songs. (You may recall that "Baker Street" is mentioned only in the first line of the track.) As Bruce Eder writes at allmusic.com:

The song itself was a masterpiece of pop production, Rafferty's Paul McCartney-like vocals carrying a haunting central melody with a mysterious and yearning lyric, backed by a quietly thumping bass, tinkling celeste, and understated keyboard ornamentation, and then Raphael Ravenscroft's sax, which we've had a taste of in the opening bars, rises up behind some heavily amplified electric guitars-it was sophisticated '70s pop-rock at its best [and better yet, it wasn't disco! -- author's note], and it dominated the airwaves for months in 1978, narrowly missing the No. 1 spot in England but selling millions of copies and taking up hundreds of cumulative hours of radio time.

The lyrics tell of a lonely ne’er-do-well who is tired of the isolation of big city life; he meets a friend who has big dreams of settling down... But things might not work out quite like that.

Winding your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head, and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day, you drink the night away
And forget about everything

This city desert makes you feel so cold
It's got so many people but it's got no soul
And it's taken you so long to find out you were wrong
When you thought it held everything

You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you're tryin, you're tryin now
Another year and then you'd be happy
Just one more year and then you'd be happy
But you're cryin', you're cryin now

Way down the street there's a light in his place
You open the door, he's got that look on his face
And he asks you where you've been, you tell him who you've seen
And you talk about anything

He's got this dream about buying some land
He's gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he'll settle down, to a quiet little town
And forget about everything

But you know he'll always keep moving
You know he's never gonna stop moving
Cause he's rolling, he's the rolling stone
And when you wake up it's a new morning
The sun is shining, it's a new morning
And you're going, you're going home

Baker Street is available on City To City and several compilation albums.

loudenklickenschplugen

Sometimes, things just click ... very loud. And then good things happen.

A$# 042 Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang

Released in 2005, A Bigger Bang came eight year's after the previous studio effort by the Rolling Stones, 1997's Bridges To Babylon. That's the biggest gap between albums in the band's long and storied career.

While Mick and Keith and company may have decreased the frequency of their new studio albums, they haven't really slowed down. They still do huge tours and, as ABB reveals, they can still rock out pretty damn well on new material.

Many have said that the Stones haven't put out a ground-breaking album in a few decades. That may be true, but A Bigger Bang is a great rocking album. It's true to their roots, showcases their strengths and is fun to listen to. Isn't that what being "the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band" is supposed to be about?

The opening track, Rough Justice, sets the tone with booming guitar playing and double entendres in the lyrics. Other cuts such as Look What The Cat Dragged In and Oh No, Not You Again smoke along too. Keith does lead vocal on the lonely sounding This Place Is Empty, as well as the bluesy closer, Infamy.

Back On My Hand, with Mick's mean harmonica and slide, seems most reminiscent of the group's early blues work. (In fact, the track features only Mick, Keith and Charlie.)

My favourite cut, Biggest Mistake, is a slower tempo number, and it sort of reminds me of Waiting On A Friend. Mick is singing about regrets having blown a good thing after having left a romantic relationship. (I assume the lyrics are not autobiographical):

I acted impatient, I acted unkind
I took her for granted
I played with her mind
She didn´t deserve it but it was too late
I walked out the door and left her to her fate

But I think I just made the biggest mistake of my life
And I think I just made the biggest mistake of my life

The sharpest bite comes in Sweet Neo Con, a sweeping indictment of W and his ilk in the White House:

You call yourself a Christian
I think that you're a hypocrite
You say you are a patriot
I think that you're a crock of shit

And listen now, the gasoline
I drink it every day
But it's getting very pricey
And who is going to pay

How come you're so wrong
My sweet neo con.... Yeah

In case you're wondering, I say it was worth the wait for this solid Stones record. No jokes about their age are necessary. The Rolling Stones can still roll, and still rock.

Track listing:
1. Rough Justice
2. Let Me Down Slow
3. It Won't Take Long
4. Rain Fall Down
5. Streets of Love
6. Back of My Hand
7. She Saw Me Coming
8. Biggest Mistake
9. This Place Is Empty
10. Oh No, Not You Again
11. Dangerous Beauty
12. Laugh, I Nearly Died
13. Sweet Neo Con
14. Look What the Cat Dragged In
15. Driving Too Fast
16. Infamy

There's also a limited edition version that comes with a DVD with some bonus tracks on it.

Some of my bad poetry, volume 06

dropping pin
bopping bin
copping chin
chopping din
clopping fin
cropping flin
fopping gin
flopping grin
glopping jin
hopping kin
mopping min
popping pin
plopping quinn
propping sin
sopping shin
shopping skin
slopping spin
stopping tin
stropping thin
swapping win
topping yin
whopping zin

Some cities in Argentina

Here is a list of the largest cities in Argentina:

• Buenos Aires (11,655,100)
• Cordoba (1,460,200)
• Rosario (1,243,400)
• Mendoza (977,500)
• La Plata (833,100)
• Tucuman (791,200)
• Mar del Plata (679,000)
• Salta (519,900)
• Santa Fe (500,000)
• San Juan (435,700)
• Resistencia (399,500)
• Neuquen (391,900)
• Santiago del Estero (388,100)
• Corrientes (330,000)
• Bahia Blanca (309,300)
• Posadas (297,300)
• Jujuy (260,500)
• Parana (258,700)
• Formosa (227,000)
• Catamarca (178,200)
• Rio Cuarto (171,400)
• Comodoro Rivadavia (166,000)
• San Nicolas (155,900)
• San Luis (150,200)
• La Rioja (145,500)
• Concordia (142,600)
• San Rafael (117,900)
• San Carlos de Bariloche (114,800)
• Trelew (111,200)
• Tandil (108,500)
• Mercedes (106,600)

Know where these stores are

In case you're looking for some electronics stores in Saskatchewan, Utah or Ireland, here's some contact info for a few of them:

Future Shop locations in Saskatchewan

Prince Albert
Cornerstone Prince Albert
300 - 800 - 15th Street East
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan S6V 8E3
Tel: 306-922-9410

Regina
Capital City Centre
1825 East Victoria Avenue
Regina, Saskatchewan S4N 6E6
Tel: 306-791-4000

Saskatoon
Preston Crossing
221 - 1723 Preston Avenue N
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 4V2
Tel: 306-955-6800

Best Buy locations in Utah

Orem UT (Store 773)
309 E University Pkwy
Orem, Utah 84058-7639
Tel: 801-225-4922

Sandy UT (Store 497)
35 E 11400 S
Sandy, Utah 84070
Tel: 801-571-0168

Murray UT (Store 521)
5181 S State St
Murray, Utah 84107-4828
Tel: 801-261-0183

South Salt Lake UT (Store 527)
261 W 2100 S
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115-1830
Tel: 801-463-1436

Riverdale UT (Store 496)
4177 Riverdale Rd
Riverdale, Utah 84405-3509
Tel: 801-392-2501

Peats locations in Ireland

Parnell Street
25 Parnell Street,
Dublin 1
Tel: 01 872 7799
Fax: 01 872 7646

College Green
12 College Green,
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 672 5555
Fax: 01 672 9356

Blanchardstown
Blanchardstown SC,
Dublin 15
Tel: 01 826 2222
Fax: 01 826 2225

10/10

October 10 is an interesting day - and not just because it is the 10th day of the 10th month.

S$# 041 Tragically Hip | Bobcaygeon

The Tragically Hip are really big here in Canada, even though they've never really made a huge impact beyond our borders. I've never really taken a shine to them, though. I find much of their music too sombre and dour for my taste. That said, Bobcaygeon really caught my ear the very first time I heard it.

It's from their 1998 album, Phantom Power. It's a pensive song, with a slow tempo, solid percussion and bass foundation and slick guitar and keys. Gord Downie's vocals are a bit more understated than they are wont to be.

The song seems to be about a Toronto cop ("Riding on horseback and keeping order restored") who finds his rest and recuperation in Bobcaygeon ("It was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations / Reveal themselves one star at a time"). But what the heck is an "Aryan twang"?

I left your house this morning about a quarter after nine
Coulda been the Willie Nelson coulda been the wine
When I left your house this morning
It was a little after nine
It was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations
Reveal themselves one star at a time

Drove back to town this morning with working on my mind
I thought of maybe quitting
Thought of leaving it behind
Went back to bed this morning
And as I'm pulling down the blind
The sky was dull and hypothetical
And falling one cloud at a time

That night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors
Riding on horseback and keeping order restored
Til the men they couldn't hang
Stepped to the mic and sang
And their voices rang with that Aryan twang

I got to your house this morning just a little after nine
In the middle of that riot
Couldn't get you off my mind
So I'm at your house this morning
Just a little after nine
Cause it was in Bobcaygeon where I saw the constellations
Reveal themselves one star at a time

You can find Bobcaygeon on Phantom Power and also the Yer Favourites compilation.

A$# 041 John Lennon | Rock 'N' Roll

As October 9 is John Lennon's birthday - he would have been 66 this year - I thought this is an opportune time to focus on an album from John's tragically short post-Beatles career.

For a number of reasons, I have decided to highlight the one album where John did not use his superlative songwriting skills. On Rock 'N' Roll, John got back to where he once belonged - by covering the straight-ahead rock music that the Quarrymen and later the Beatles cut their teeth on.

The album cover photo by Jurgen Vollmer of the young John in his leather jacket in Hamburg is evocative of the mood John wanted to capture on this album. The sound of the record, though, is clearly from the 1970s. That's ok. John had a maturity in 1973-74 that he didn't have in the early 60s. The production is also more polished; with horns, for example, embellishing the tracks.

John recorded the album in two different stretches during his "Lost Weekend" period first from October to December 1973 (with Phil Spector producing), then during a prolific and productive week in October of 1974 when he handled the productin chores himself.

In the energized and enthusiastically delivered set, John pays tribute to early heroes such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ben E. King and Buddy Holly. The consensus about the sound is that the 2004 remaster is a big improvement on the muddy sound of earlier versions. The new issue also contains four bonus tracks, two of which had been released earlier on Menlove Avenue.

The original album came out in February 1975 and was, save for the Shaved Fish colletion, the last the world would hear musically from John until Double Fantasy five years later. Then ... well, you know the rest.

I like RnR. The standout tracks for me are Stand By Me and Peggy Sue; John seems to have lots of zest in those cuts.

Here's an idea: Put RnR into your CD changer along with Paul's CHOBA BCCP and Run Devil Run, then play them on shuffle. You get an interesting alt-Beatles soundtrack.

Track listing
1. Be-Bop-A-Lula
2. Stand By Me
3. Medley: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy
4. You Can't Catch Me
5. Ain't That A Shame
6. Do You Wanna Dance?
7. Sweet Little Sixteen
8. Slippin' And Slidin'
9. Peggy Sue
10. Medley: Bring It On Home Yo Me/Send Me Some Lovin'
11. Boney Moronie
12. Ya Ya
13. Just Because
plus bonus tracks on remastered CD:
14. Angel Baby
15. To Know Her Is To Love Her
16. Since My Baby Left Me
17. Just Because (Reprise)

Mamiya M645 1000S

Every year at Thanksgiving, I think of the Mamiya M645 1000S medium format camera. Don't ask why. It is just so.

Although Hasselblad ruled the 6 x 6 market in the 70s, Mamiya offered a high quality alternative, in the rectangular 6 x 4.5 format. The M645 1000S, introduced in 1976, was an update of the original M645 that had appeared a year earlier. The new model added a 1/1000 shutter speed (part of the "revolutionary" Moving Coil Electronically Controlled Shutter - better than your standard leaf shutter, imho), depth-of-field preview and self-timer. Though the camera lacked interchangeable film backs (it instead had preloadable film inserts), it did have swappable viewfinders and focusing screens.

As the user's manual announced: "The Mamiya M645 1000S is a new improved model of the M645, a camera widely acclaimed for bridging the gap between small and large format cameras by introducing the medium format, the purpose of which is to offer the world of larger-negative quality to camera users who are accustomed to the handling ease and compactness of 35mm SLRs."

You can read about this great camera at Camerapedia, or download the user's manual from Mamiya.

unload / reload / shift

I had to perform a couple of retro-edits but limitations of the interface forced me to unload and reload some more recent bits after I did the said retro-edits. Then I had to shift them. That worked. I'll try to avoid having to do it in the future, though.

Lopsided

Something is lopsided.
It is blue, has six sides, and rusts easily.
What is it? If you come up with the right answer, you could win a prize.

Some of my bad poetry, volume 05 (a really short one)

you too

Apply for these jobs too

A successful but grim company in this part of the country is hiring. Here's some stuff they ask you to select from in the online application process:

Program and major
Commerce/Business Admin - Accounting
Commerce/Business Admin - Business Administration
Commerce/Business Admin - Finance
Commerce/Business Admin - HR
Commerce/Business Admin - IT
Commerce/Business Admin - Int. Business
Commerce/Business Admin - Operations
Commerce/Business Admin - Public Policy
Commerce/Business Admin - Supply Chain Mgmt
Education
Engineering - Chemical
Engineering - Civil
Engineering - Computer Science & Engineering
Engineering - Computer
Engineering - Computer System Engineering
Engineering - Electrical
Engineering - Engineering Physics
Engineering - Geological
Engineering - Industrial
Engineering - Material
Engineering - Mechanical
Engineering - Software
Engineering - System Design Engineering
Science - Biochemistry
Science - Biology
Science - Computer & Information Science
Science - Computer Science
Science - Environmental
Science - Health Studies
Science - Kinesiology
Science - Physics
Science - Chemistry
Communications
Environmental Studies
Industrial Design
Law - Industrial
Law - Civil
Law - Litigation
Law - Family
Law - Corporate
Law - Employment
Math - Acturarial Science
Math - Cominatorics & Optimization
Math - Computer Science
Math
Anthropology
Applied Electronics Technology
Applied Social Science
Occupational Health & Safety
Computer Information Systems
Computer Networks Engineering Technology
Cultural Studies
Economics
Electronic Controls
Electronic Engineering Technology
Electronic Systems Engineering
Engineering Technology
English
Environmental Studies
French
General Arts
Geography
German Languages & Literature
Goverment & Legal Studies
History
Industrial Organization & Psychology
Information Technology
International Studies
Internetworking
Linguistics
Mass Communications
Media, Information & Technoculture
Music
Philosophy
Physics - Engineering Physics
Physics - Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Recreation & Leisure Studies
Religious Studies
Rhetoric & Professional Writing
Sociology
Telecommunications
Theology
Other

Types of positions available
Administration
Call Centre/ Helpdesk Support - 1st Level
Call Centre/ Helpdesk Support - 2nd Level
Call Centre/ Helpdesk Support - 3rd Level
Consulting
Customer Service
Engineering-Hardware
Engineering-Software
Facilities
Human Resources
Information Technology
Legal
Logistics
Manufacturing
Marketing
Marketing - Events
Marketing-Communications
Mgmt- CIO/CTO
Mgmt- VP/Dir Channel/OEM
Mgmt- VP/Dir Consulting
Mgmt- VP/Dir Engineering - Hardware
Mgmt- VP/Dir Engineering - Software
Mgmt- VP/Dir Finance
Mgmt- VP/Dir Human Resources
Mgmt- VP/Dir Marketing
Mgmt- VP/Dir Operations
Mgmt- VP/Dir Sales
Mgmt- VP/Dir Technical Support
Post-Sales
Procurement
Product Development
Public Relations
Quality Assurance
Recruitment
Sales - Account Manager
Sales - Channel
Sales - Inbound
Sales - Management
Sales - Outbound
Sales - Pre-Sales
Sales - Technical
Training

Skill areas
Accounting/Finance
Call Centre
Certification
Clerical/Administration
Computer Technology
Education/Training
Engineering
Facilities
Human Resources
Information Security
IP Telephony
Languages
Legal
Manufacturing/Operations
Marketing
Network
Operating System
Programming
Project Management
Quality
Sales
SAP Skills
Technical Writer
.NET
1st Level Tech Support
1XrTT
2.5G
2D
2G
2nd Level Tech Support
3COM SIP Server
3Design
3G
3GPP
3rd Level Tech Support
802.11
802.16
ABAP/4
Access
Account Management
Accounting
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Active Directory
Active X
Administrative assistant
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Photoshop
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
Advertising
Advertising & Promotional Strategies
Agilent
AHDL
ALE
Algorithm selection and integration
Algorithms
Alias Studio
Alpha/Beta Production
Analog
Analog Electronics
Analog Simulation
Analog/Digital Circuits
Analysis
Animation
Anite
ANOVA
ANSI Specifications
ANT
Antenna
Apache
APCIS Certification
API
APN
Application Programmer Instruction (API)
Arabic
Architectural
ARM
Asic
ASP
ASQ
Assembler
Assembly
Assembly & Test
Assembly language programming
Asset Management
ATL
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)
Auditing
AutoCAD - ACAD
Automated Data Processing (ADP)
Automated test tools
automated testing
Banking
BAPI
Base Cards
Battery Supplies
Benefits & Compensation
Best Practices
Beta Trials
BEx Mobile IntelligenceR/LIS
BGP
BGP- Border Gate Protocol
Bill 198
Bill of Materials
Billing
bind9
BlackBerry
Bluetooth
Boilerplates
BOMA-Building Owners and Managers Association
Bookkeeping
Borland
BPS
Brand Management
Broadband
BSME
budget management
Budget Planning and Tracking
Build Management
business continuity
Business Development
Business-to-Business Marketing
Business-to-Consumer Marketing
BW
C
C++
CA - Chartered Accountant
Cabling
CAD (Computer Aided Design)
Cadence Tools
Calendar booking / maintenance
Capital Assets
Capital Markets
Carrier
CCDA
CCDP
CCIE
CCIP
CCNA
CCNP
CCSP
CDMA
CDMA Agilent 8960
CDMA CMU 200
CDMA E4402B
Cell Phone Audio
Cell Phone Electronics
Cellular Manufacturing
Ceridian
Certificate Authority Server
Certified Patent Agent
Certified Protection Professional (CPP)
CFA - Certifed Financial Analyst
CGA - Certified General Accountant
CGI
Change Management
Change Request Process
Change Request Process
Channel coding
Channel Marketing
Channel Sales
Channel Strategy
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Traditional
Circuit Board
Circuitry Design
CIRM
Cisco Call Manager
Cisco Networks
Cisco Proxy Server
Cisco Qualified Specialists
Cisco VPN Concentrator
ClearCase
Cleo
CLI-Certified Lotus Instructor
Client Server
CLP-Certified Lotus Professional
CMA - Certified Management Accountant
CMM
CO-PA reporting
CO-PA Reporting
Code
Cold Calling
Cold Calling
Collections
College Diploma - 2 Year
College Diploma - 3 Year
COM
Commerce Manager
Communication Protocols
Communications Protocols
Competitive technology monitoring
Component Design
Component Identification
Computer Science
Concept Evaluation
Configuration
Construction Management
Consumer Behaviour
Contact Centre Environment
Contract Management
Contracts
Control and data plane design
Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM)
Copywriter
Corel Draw
Corporate Finance
Corporate Financial Management/Analysis
Corporate Tax
Cost Accounting
Course Development
CPA - Certified Public Accountant
CPIM
CPIM
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPT
CRM
Croatian
Cryptography
CSC - Canadian Securites Course
CSU/DSU- Channel Service/Digital Service
Customer Service
Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Act (P
CVS
Czech
Danish
Data Analysis
Data Entry
Data Networking
Database Design
datacentre
DBA
DCOM
DeBug
Debugging
deployment
Design
Design and development of DSP audio
Designing and developing test harnesses
Detection System
Device Drivers
DHCP
DHTML
Diagnostics
Die-Casting
Digital
Digital Logic
Digital/Analog Circuits
Direct Marketing
disaster recovery
Disputes
distributed network system
distributed system
DNS
Document ownership
Documentation
DOE
Domino
DOS
Dreamweaver
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
DSP (Digital Signal Processing)
DSP/PHY layer code development
Dual Mode Interoperability
Dutch
eBusiness
EDGE CRM suite
EDI processing
Editing
EEsof
EIGRP
EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans)
Electrical
Electro-Mechanical
Electronics
Electronics Packaging
eMarketing
Embedded
Embedded OS
Embedded Software
Employee Relations
Emulator
Encryption in digital communication systems
Encryption/Decryption
End-to-end Voice Quality Issues
Engineering
English
Enterprise JavaBeans
Equipment Maintenance
ERP-Enterprise Resources Planning
ESD
Estonian
ETSI/3GPP
EVDO
Event Management
Event Planning
Executive Assistant
Export
FAQ's
Fault tolerance
Fibre Optics
Field Services
Field Testing
Field Verification
File Maker Pro (FMP)
Financial Analyst
financial planning
Financial Risk Management
Firewall
Fireworks
Firmware
Forecasting
Forklift
Frame Relay
FrameMaker
FreeBSD
French
Functional level testing
G3
GAAP - Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
GAAS - Generally Accepted Auditing Standards
GCF certification
GDI (Graphic Display Interface)
Generalist
Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing
German
GIS
Government Relations
GPRS
GPRS Agilent 8960
GPRS CMU 200
GPRS IPTE
GPS
Graphic Design
Graphics
Greek
Greet visitors
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication)
GUI
Handheld
Handheld Device
Handheld requirements creation
Hardness Testing
Hardware
Hardware Architecture
Hardware interfacing
Health and Safety
Help Desk
Helpdesk
Hindi
HP Servers
HP/Unix
HSDPA
HTML
HTTP
Human Factors
Human Interface
Hungarian
HVAC
IBM Director
IDE
Idea Generation
iDEN
IDEN Goliath
IDEN HP8920
IDOC
IEEE
IFMA-International Facility Management Association
IIS Configuration
Image Processing
IMAP
Implementation
Import
Inbound
Incident Management
Industrial
Industrial Relations
Injection Mold
Inspections
InstallShield
Instrumentation
Integration Testing
Intel
Intellectual Property
Interaction with cross functional teams
International Finance
International Marketing
Internet Marketing
Interop Test
Interpret Test Data
Inventor 5.3
Inventory Control
Inventory Management
Investments
Investments
Investments Analysis
Investments Management
IoT - Interoperability Testing
IP (Internet Transport Layer Protocol)
IP Integration and Provisioning
IP Telephony Interoperability
ISDN
ISO
ISO 17799
ISO/9000
ISO/9001
ISO/9002
ISP
Italian
ITIL
J2EE
J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition)
J2ME
J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition)
J2SE
J2SE (Java 2 Standard Edition)
JAIN-SIP API
Japanese
JAVA
Java Beans
Java Compilers
Java Script
Java Script
Java Servlets
Java Servlets
JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)
Jigs and Fixtures
JMP
JRun
JSP (Java Server Page)
Korean
KSH
L1 control layer
L1 physical layer
Labview
LAN
LAN Manager (MS)
LAN Server (IBM)
Layer 1 (L1) Protocol Stack
Layer 1 (L1) Switching
Layer 2 (L2) Protocol Stack
Layer 2 (L2) Switching
Layer 3 (L3) Protocol Stack
Layer 3 (L3) Switching
LCD
LDAP
Leadership
Leasing
Leasing / Licensing
Legacy windows driver
Licensing
Licensing - MOLP
Licensing - Select Agreements
Licensing - SP Agreements
Linux
LINUX
Litigation
LiveLink
Logic Analyzers
Logistics
Lotus Domino
Lotus Notes
Mail services short / deliver / prep
Maintaining technology roadmaps
Maintenance
Maintenance
MAKE
manageability software
Management of Certification Programs
Management of Team Deliverables
Managing
Managing Diversity
Managing high technology products
Manual test tools
manual testing
Manufacturing
Marketing
Marketing Communications
Marketing Management
Marketing Research
Masters
Material Handling
MATLAB
Matlab simulations
MBA - Masters Business Administrations
MCAD Microsoft Certified Application Developer
MCDBA (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator)
MCDBA Microsoft Certified DataBase Administrator
MCP Microsoft Certified Professional
MCP+I Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet
MCP+SB Microsoft Certified Professional + Site Bui
MCSA Microsoft Certified System Administrator
MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer)
MCSD Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer
MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer)
MCSE Microsoft Certified System Engineer
MCSE+I Microsoft Certified System Engineer + Inter
MCT (MicroSoft Certified Trainer)
MCT Microsoft Certifies Trainer
Mechanical
Mechanical
Media Management
Mentor Graphics
Merchandising
Metrology
Micro Assembler
Microcontrollers
Microprocessors
Microsoft DOS
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange 2000
Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft LAN Manager
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Visio
MIME
Minitab
Mirapoint
Mobile Phone Software
Mobitex
Mobitex/Datatac HP34970
Mobitex/Datatac HP8920
Modeling
Modem
Modulation
Month-end Reporting
Motorola
MOUS Microsoft Office User Specialist
MOUSMI Microsoft Office User Specialist Master Ins
MPLS
MPLS
multi-threaded programming
multi-threaded software
mySQL
Namespaces
NAS
Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
net8
NetApp
Network Management
Network programming
NFS
NI Teststand
NIS
NOC (Network Operations Center)
Non-profit Marketing
Norwegian
Novell GroupWise
NQI
NT
Object Oriented Design
OEM
OFDM
Office administration
Office Set-up
On-Line Help
OOAD Principles
OpenBSD
Openview
Operations Management
Optimization
Optoelectronics
Oracle
Oracle Data Logging
Oracle PL/SQL
Order Catering
Order Management Process
OS/400
Oscillators
Oscilloscope
OSPF
Outbound
Outlook Web Access
Packaging
Palm
Palm
Palm OS
Pascal
Patents
Payroll
Payroll System
PBX
PC
PCB
PeopleSoft
Perforce
Perl
Persian
PGP
Philanthropy
Photonics
Photoshop
Physical layer modeling
Physical layer signal processing software
planning
Plastics
Plumbing
PMI
PMP (Project Management Professional)
Polish
POP
Portuguese
Post-Sales
postfix
PostgreSQL
Power Interface
Pre-Sales
Pricing and cost analysis
Principles and Practices
Pro Engineer - Pro/E
Problem Management
Process Control
Process Development
process improvement
Product
Product Development Process
product internationalization
Product Launches-Marketing
Product Launches-Sales
product localization
Product Management
Product Marketing
Production Planning
Program Manager
Program Marketing
Programming
Programming Standards
Project Management
Proof Reading
Property Management
Protocol
Prototype
PTCRB certification
Public Key Infrastructure
Public Relations
Purchasing
Python
QM Quality Management
qmail
QoS Strategy
QS 9000
Quality
Quality Control
Quality Improvement
Quality Management
Questionnaire Design
R/3 Report Painter
R5 Certified Lotus Professional
RAB
Racal
Radio Modem
RADIUS
Rational Robot
Rational Rose
Read Diagrams
Read Schematics
Real Estate
Real Time Systems
Receiving
Receptionist
Reconciliation
Record Keeping
Recruitment-Call Centre
Recruitment-Manufacturing
Recruitment-Sales and Marketing
Recruitment-Technical
Regression Testing
Regulators
Relationship Management
Relay
Reliability
Remedy
report broadcasting
Reporting
Research
Resource Planning and Tracking
Retail
RF
RFC
Rhodes & Schwarz
RIP- Routing Internet Protocol
Risk Management and Insurance
Robotics
Routing Protocols
RUP
Russian
S-Plus
Sales Campaigns
Sales Management
Sales Tool (s) Design
SAN
SAP
SAP BW
SAP FI/CO (Finance/Control)
SAP HR (Human Resource)
SAP MFG (Manufacturing)
SAP MM (Materials Management)
SAP PM (Plant Management)
SAP PP
SAP QM
SAP R/2
SAP R/3
SAP SD (Sales Distribution)
SAP SM
SAP TM (Time Management)
SAP WM
SAS
Schema
Schematics
Scripting
Security
Security
Semiconductor
Sendmail
Serbian
Servlets
Shipping
Siebel products
Simulation
Simulink
SIP
SIP API for J2ME
SMT
SMTP
SOAP
Socket Programming
Software
Software Configuration
Software Development
Solaris
Solder Iron
Solid Works 2004
Sonet
SOX - Sarbanes Oxley
Spanish
Spectrum Analyser
SPICE
SQA
SQL
SQL Server
SRS-Software Requirement Specification
SRS-Software Requirement Specification
SS7
Standard Costing
Statica
Statistical
Statistical Analysis
Statistical Churn
Statistical Process Control (SPC)
Sun OS
Sun SOLARIS
Sun SOLARIS
Super User- IM-WM
Super User- MM - Purchasing
Super User- PP
Super User- Quality Management
Supply Chain
SVG
Swedish
Swing
Swing
Switchboard
Sybase
Sybase PostgreSQL
System Architect
System Testing
Systems Administration
Systems Analysis
Systems Integration
Systems Integration
Systems Programming
Tax Schedule
TCP/IP
TDMA
Technical Documentation
Technical Manuals
Technical Writing
Technician
Telecommunications
Telecommunications Billing
Telemarketing
Test Equipment
Test Pilot
Test Scripting
Test Tools
Test vector development
Testing
Testing
Tivoli
TNPP
TogetherJ
Tomcat
Trading Securities
Traffic Control
Training & Development
Transaction Processing
Transceivers
Transmission
Transportation
Treasury
Troubleshooting
TTCN
Turkish
UDDI
UDP
Ukranian
UML (Unified Modeling Language)
UMTS
Unified Messaging System (UMS)
Unit testing
University degree
UNIX
Unix Shell Scripting
USB
USB Driver
User Interface
validation
VB
Verification
Verilog
VHDL
Visual Inspection
Visual Basic
Visual Safe Source
Visual Studio .NET
VLAN
VME Architecture
VoIP - Voice Over IP
VOip QOS
VoIP Traffic engineering
VoIP using SIP Integration
VPN
WAD development
WAN
WAP
WCDMA
WDM
Web Content Management
Weblogic
WebSphere
White Papers
Wholesale
WiFi
Win32
WIN32 API
Windows
Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 3.x/95/98
Windows CE
Windows Device Drivers
Windows DNA
Windows driver
Windows for Workgroups
Windows Me
Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows SDK
Windows Server
Windows XP
Winrunner
Wireless
Wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network)
Wireless Protocol Stack
WLAN Integration
WSDL
X.25
xBSD
XHTML
XML
XSD
XSL

KFC down under

If you're in Australia and you get a craving for finger lickin' good KFC, you can search out a location near you at KFC's Australian web site.

Here are locations in some of the major cities. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any KFC outlets in Perth or Darwin.

Adelaide
Rundle Mall
Myer Centre
Torrensville
Everard Park
Eastwood
Welland
Prospect
Marden

Brisbane
Transit Centre
Myer Centre
Macarthur Central
Kelvin Grove
Kangaroo Point
Morningside
Greenslopes
Annerley

Canberra
Canberra Centre
Dickson
Hawker
Fyshwick
Belconnen
Woden
Gungahlin

Hobart
Hobart Cbd
Derwent Park
Rosny Park
Northgate
Kingston

Melbourne
Swanston Street
Qv2, Foodcourt
Melbourne Central
Bourke St
Crown Casino
Carlton
Westgate
Footscray
Flemington
Fisherman'S Bend
Victoria Gardens
Burnley
Yarraville
Prahran
Brunswick

Sydney
George Street
Darling Harbour
Centrepoint
Broadway
Bondi Junction Westfield
Bondi Junction
Eastlakes

S$# 040 Beach Boys | Don't Back Down

All Summer Long, the Beach Boys' sixth album, came out in July 1964, and it produced two big hits: I Get Around and Wendy, as well as the motor fave Little Honda and the popular title song. One of the most interesting, but lesser known, tracks is the album closer, Don't Back Down.

Songs on the album explore the many popular themes that Brian Wilson et al had explored before: the beach, hotrods, women. Don't Look Back, written by Brian appears at first glance to be about the courage of surfers who don't back down from big waves.

Given that Brian would suffer his first nervous breakdown later that year - and face many demons in the following decades - some have speculated that the lyrics could contain an autobiographical prophecy, or call for help.

In the liner notes for the 1990 remastered twofer CD, archivist David Leaf writes:

... it seems lie Brian might be getting tired of focusing on teenage concerns.

And in Don't Back Down he seems to be writing and singing to himself ("You gotta be a little nuts / Show 'em now who's got guts / Don't back down..."). The lyric is almost a pep talk that he knew he was doomed to fail.

Maybe that's 20/20 hindsight. But even so, DLB is a cleverly listenable song. The vocals that Brian and Mike trade are fluid and bouncy. The presentation of the song is catchy, and I find myself humming long after I've listened to the track. Leaf writes:

Nobody else writes songs like this. Listen for how Brian modulates going into every chorus and then how cleverly he gest back into the original key by the end of the chorus. Don't Back Down, brief as it is, is extremely compelling.

Don't Look Back is available on the Little Deuce Coupe / All Summer Long twofer CD. One of the bonus tracks is an interesting alt version of DLB.

The girls dig the way the guys get all wiped out
With their feet in the air you can hear 'em shout

They're not afraid
(Don't back down, don't back down)
Not my boys
(Don't back down, don't back down)
They grit their teeth, ah oo, they don't back down
Oo, you gotta be a little nuts
But show 'em now who's got guts
Don't back down from that wave

56 years ago today ...

It was October 2, 1950 when a little comic strip known as Peanuts debuted. Of course, it became one of the most famous and influential strips ever to grace a newspaper.

Check out the Peanuts official site, or the comprehensive write-up at Wikipedia.

A$# 040 Electric Light Orchestra | A New World Record

A whole bunch of albums came to mind when I was deciding the choice for this week's spotlight. In the end, inspired by the awesome-sounding remaster I recently picked up, I chose A New World Record, ELO's fantastic 1976 record.

ANWR, the sixth outing for Jeff Lynne and co, was hugely successful, spawning huge hits Telephone Line and Livin' Thing, as well as the deliciously complex Rockaria and a rollicking remake of a Move song, Do Ya.

In nine songs, Jeff wrote and produced nine superb jewels. In the liner notes of the new reissue, Jeff writes:

A New World Record was my second favorite album to record. I was living in deepest Worcestershire when I wrote these songs. This album was following one that had just gone platinum, Face The Music, so the expectations were a bit higher.... It's hard to believe now that but it took only a few weeks to record and complete the whole album.

Yet, ANWR does not sound like it was rushed or just cobbled together. Everything - from Jeff's ripping guitar work and vocals to Richard Tandy's swirling keyboards, Bev Bevan's always masterful and powerful drumming, Kelly Groucutt's thumping bass, the bowing of stringers Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell and Melvn Gale, plus the rich orchestrations conducted by Louis Clark and the uncredited operatic singing of Mary Thomas - comes together to create a rich and wonderful aural experience.

The remaster makes the songs sound clearer than ever. I've particulalry enjoyed revisiting tracks such as Mission (A World Record) and the moving Shangri-La. But my vote,right now anyway,for the quintessential ELO song goes to Rockaria, the perfect mixture of rock and aria. Verdi's always creeping from her room, doncha know?

The bonus tracks give some great hints into the progress of the album - two early versons of Telephone Line (one instrumental and one with an alt vocal track), plus rough instrumental mixes of Tightrope, Above The Clouds and So Fine. Then there's a real gem, Surrender (which I wrote about earlier when snippets were posted on Face The Music Online), a catchy song started in 1976 and finished more recently.

Check out this long-awaited remaster, and rediscover (or discover for the first time) a superb ELO album.

Track listing:
1. Tightrope
2. Telephone Line
3. Rockaria!
4. Mission (A World Record)
5. So Fine
6. Livin' Thing
7. Above The Clouds
8. Do Ya
9. Shangri-La
plus bonus tracks on remastered CD:
10. Telephone Line (Different Vocal)
11. Surrender
12. Tightrope (Instrumental Early Rough Mix)
13. Above The Clouds (Instrumental Rough Mix)
14. So Fine (Instrumental Early Rough Mix)
15. Telephone Line (Instrumental)

the hunt for warm October

October always brings a wide variety of weather in this part of the world. Some cold, wet and dreary days. Maybe some sunny and warm days. There will be frost. There could be snow.

Here's hoping for a generous helping of days like we had today - gloriously sunny and up to 21C.