bookmark_borderMusical notes

Over the past two years, driven largely by my previous co-workers I’ve been exposed to a wider amount and range of music than I have for many a year. On average I was buying at least two albums a month (the large majority being MP3s from iTunes, although the lure of FOPP still resides), none of which were really ‘chart music’ albums. That’s not to say that all chart music is rubbish, far from it. In fact I’m beginning to spot that the charts are starting to reflect a more eclectic set of tastes and I’m guessing that the accessibility of music through MP3 downloads is finally beginning to drive a change to the music industry. The disappointment is, of course, that they still aren’t really embracing this change.

It’s fairly obvious that radio plays are no longer the only way to ‘force’ a track to the top of the pops and, after the demise of the TV show of the same name, it’s even more apparent that the charts themselves are no longer deemed necessary by a whole generation of music lovers. I’m unsure how big an impact MySpace has as it’s not something I’m part of, but the general idea of communities forming around bands, and driving sales and downloads of similar music, seems to be more obvious as each month passes.

With that in mind, the main issue for music lovers (well, for me at least) is where we go to find pertinent reviews and information about the types of music we enjoy. The standard press offerings, NME for example, are all well and good but are still somewhat mainstream. Where do we go to find the out who is going to be ‘next big thing’?

I currently rely on PitchFork to supply information and potential suggestions for new music, and of course the power of word of mouth should never be discounted with the occasional recommendation from fellow bloggers being enough to ‘tip’ me in the direction of new listens. I guess that is the power of Last.fm, which is something I should spend some more time with I guess (I still treat it as a ‘log’ rather than somewhere to explore and discover new music, odd that).

In the meantime, I’ve been digging through the albums I bought in the latter half of last year, several of which didn’t really get a full spin on the playlist, and I’ve loaded them up alongside some more recent purchases I’ve made in the past couple of days.

The old stuff I haven’t listened to properly:

  • Datarock
  • CSS – Cansei de ser sexy
  • Lady Sovereign – Public Warning (mike is to blame for this, although I’ve had it for over a year now)

And some new stuff:

  • Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity – initial impressions are favourable.
  • Menomena – Friend and Foe – initial impressions are unstable.
  • The Decemberists – The Crane Wife – inital impression is “samey”.
  • The Good, The Bad and The Queen – falling heavily into ‘meh’ category.

It’s always good to ‘re-discover’ albums, but that has inherent limitations. So, it’s over to you my dearest music loving reader, where do YOU go to keep up-to-date with the latest music? Spill the beans!

Ohh and if you know anyone who wants a ticket to the Monday night Arcade Fire gig at the Barrowlands in March, let me know.

bookmark_borderOn New

I’d forgotten how odd it was to be the ‘new guy’, how much information we all take for granted, and how much we presume others know.

As such, I’m trying to keep a note of things that I wanted/needed to know, and also to try and embellish what exists in the hope that other new starts will benefit. One idea I’ve had, and this is certainly pertinent in a software development office, is to create a floor plan. Nothing radical I know, but by adding an extra layer of information I think it could be very handy.

We have an intranet which has a page of photos, one for each person. That’s fine if you want to email them, but a little awkward as it requires you to wander round the entire office to find “Aggie fae accounts” (names have been changed to protect the innocent). It’s doubly hard when the office is completely open plan and everyone, from M.D. to office junior, sits out in the open area. A floor plan seems kinda obvious in that situation.

However, within the development team I want to add an extra layer, a page per person, which lists their knowledge area. Basically it’s a posh way of tracking the answer to that age old question: “who do I ask about ______ ?”

Of course it needs to be a web-based system, easily updated and repeatable. I’ll rule out using a database as I don’t have the time to set something like that up, but a simple HTML based solution should be possible.

Thing is I can’t for the life of me figure out how to do it.

I don’t currently have Visio on this machine, which is probably where I would start, but even then I’m unaware of how good it is at outputting HTML. So, does anyone have any suggestions for this? Does anyone know of an easy way to create a ‘hyperlinked’ floor plan? Answers on a postcard please, and if it works out well I’ll post the solution here (with names removed, obv.!)

bookmark_borderOne glorious morning

Another grey morning arrives, the wearily commute. Trudging through the haze and halogen fields, glaring brake lights competing with the sodium glow. Neon flashes past, junctions at red. Wipers flick-flack, lazily smearing the screen. Jolting across potholes, radio blaring, the commuter strives ever onward to their fixed destination.

We drone forwards, hunched, red-eyed, auto-pilots, each following their own route, their own routine. Morning after morning after morning after morning, we plunge through the dark, headlong, incessant.

A change, a shift.

We notice something different, a subtle indication that things are happening. Something new and fresh, a different light.

Now the gloom recedes.

Now the creamy lunar glow stretches across fields and houses, dazzled by reflections, hanging low and heavy. Slowly it fades as soft pink shards speckle the horizon, whisps of burning orange and light.

Now the night is banished, the gathering light clears the sky before it, hauling the day from slumber and into view. The moon falls to earth, hiding from it’s sibling as dawn gives way to day. The sky shimmers in blue, dappled in white, and sunlight plays on faces, dances off windows.

Another morning dawns and with it the commute. We stroll across countrysides, meander through towns, while birds float in the blue wash above. We zip onwards through junctions of green, embracing the change, ready for the day.

Posted in UncategorizedTagged