Went to Hyper Japan but the queue is huge!

July 23rd, 2011

We bought tickets in advance, but they've massively oversold. Must be at least 300 people in the queue and it's one-in-one-out ๐Ÿ™ gone to get lunch and decide what to do

Monroe or Einstein: Check If You Need Glasses at Your Computer [Health] →

July 22nd, 2011

Another music discovery I forgot to share

July 18th, 2011

Daft Punk – Inception Mashup

A mashup of the TRON Legacy and Inception themes. It made get the Inception soundtrack, which is actually much more epic than the film!

Jack Conte (the guy that made this mashup) has a website full of covers and music videos. Others are worth checking out. http://jackcontemusic.com/

The 139 Mix Tape

July 18th, 2011

I recently posted about the Definitive Daft Punk mashup. This is from the same guy: a 139 track, 45 minute mashup of the songs that have influenced him. I've listened to it quite a few times over the last month. Its got some magic moments, and features lots of music that was going around me as I grew up (although I didn't actually listen to much music until my late teens).

The last 5 minutes is particularly cool. There's a wonderfully cheesy bit, then about 1m30 from the end a mashup of two songs that got me confused. I recognised the lyrics being sung, but had no idea where from. I went on a hunt and discovered the song featured in the bouncy-balls Sony Bravia advert is actually an acoustic cover of an 80s dance track! It's the original dancey version that features in this mashup.

The most frustrating aspect of the mix is the sense of being teased with a track that never comes to fruition. The mix has helped me understand what I love about long-form mixes – the teasing that comes with little motifs, almost subliminal, so that when the track is actually played it feels as though it's been straining to escape, and has finally been released.

Test Your Vocabulary →

July 18th, 2011

I got 25,700. Which makes me about 21 ๐Ÿ˜‰

Find out your vocabulary size and help Science! This is my results page, see how you do ๐Ÿ™‚

My first proper home improvement

July 17th, 2011

I spent about an hour in B&Q trying to choose the right screws from the multitude they offered. I also stained the carpet with brick dust :S But! I have a shelf to put stuff on ๐Ÿ˜€

Naive or professional? →

July 15th, 2011

There's an interesting discussion to have between the potential gains of experimenting, vs the stability of tradition.

This post encourages experimentation, but it remains within the bounds of carefully trying things: measuring, recording, and investigating.

I particularly liked the mention of schools, at the end ๐Ÿ˜‰

Caroline has impressed me this evening

July 13th, 2011

While watching The Apprentice: The Final Five, Caroline was able to match an impressive number of music tracks to their films. She is getting quite intelligent!

Photo: Father and son at first and last Space Shuttle launches, 30 years apart →

July 13th, 2011

โ€˜The Dark Knight Risesโ€™ Teaser Poster →

July 12th, 2011

Exciting!