This page contains all entries posted to Manufactured Environments in March 2003.

Stella!

A friend and I were making a close listening of Interpol’s “Turn on the Bright Lights” the other night. As we listened to side 2 of the LP I realized that “Stella was a diver and she was always down” is a really great song. It got me thinking about “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which I saw performed on stage most recently in February.

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Wolfram on automata

I turned on the TV for the first time in two weeks and discovered an interview on C-span2 with Stephen Wolfram. Interesting guy. His company, Wolfram Research, has made this software package for a long time that mathematicians use called Mathematica. Anyway, a year or two ago he published this rather large book called A New Kind of Science. The interview centered on his ideas of automata and how they reflect or rather describe the processes of nature. His main thesis is that the universe is governed by some fairly simple equations or rules. The trick, in essence, will be to find out what those rules are. He writes of his rules as computer automata — little rules or algorithms — that become increasingly complex with each iteration.

Speaking of television, I watch very little. I watch a little on the weekends (mostly the nightly news), but during the week I have neither the time nor the interest. Every cable company in America is required to have a “basic” level of service. I highly recommend it. Here, I get 20 channels for about $13 a month. I guess I’m willing to pay that much for TV service. The next option jumps up to over $40. Definitely not worth the bullshit. It is true: copious TV watching stifles the imagination. Read a book (if you need a suggestion check out my books pages). Or read a newspaper (I recommend both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal).

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Clinton Speech

Former President Bill Clinton spoke on campus last night. Apparently there were about 13,000 people in attendance. The people I’ve talked to this morning used words like eloquent, thoughtful, and engaging to describe his speech. I spent most of the night working on a report for a meeting on Monday so I didn’t make it out for the speech.

Update: Here’s the Press-Citizen’s take on the speech. The P-C clocked the crowd at over 15,000. You’ll note that for his efforts Clinton received a UI letter jacket reading “The Prez.”

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Osborne

“Adam Osborne, Pioneer of the Portable PC, dies at 64” - NY Times.

I still remember the Osborne 1 — a huge, hulking thing (it weighed 24 pounds) with an even smaller screen than my Apple ][+. Have a look here. Those are 5-1/4” disk drives on either side of the screen. But I have to admit — the Radio Shack Model 100 was the first portable that ever caught my fancy. That was when Radio Shack actually sold it’s own brand of computers. A lot of reporters used the Model 100. It came with a 110 baud external modem that had a couple of rubber holsters that you actually set the phone handset into. It basically only did word processing, but it was cool.

Speaking of old portable computers, remember the Apple Mac Portable? Whew, it was only 17 pounds. It looked basically like a large Apple //c with the addition of a fold-up screen and a trackball to the right of the keyboard.

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Voodoo Economics

Okay, I love paradoxes. And today I’ve got my mind wrapped around some tricky voodoo. Namely, how do you balance the national budget when you’re introducing major tax cuts, that is, cutting revenue, and simultaneously massively overspending? Good luck, kids. Let me know what you come up with. (Actually this isn’t really a paradox. The simple answer to the question is: YOU DON’T!)

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Turn on the Bright Lights

On the turntable tonight is “Turn on the Bright Lights” by Interpol. They’re from New York (which seems to be an essential part of their identity) and this is their first album. First off, I’ll say simply that they scored points with me by releasing the album on vinyl. It’s impressive to see the number of artists out there still releasing new vinyl.

“Bright Lights” has been on the stereo regularly over the past few weeks, and I like it more and more with each listen. It has a feel of 80’s-era alternative and I think some of their influences include Joy Division and the Clash. Yeah, especially Joy Division. The music is plain and spare — not given to flourishes or ornamentation. But it’s also extremely effective that way — the entire album is a cohesive work that achieves what it sets out to accomplish. It’s great listening — either foreground or background. Despite the obvious stylistic comparisons to Joy Div., the music is relatively upbeat and never bogs down. If you’re looking for some good recent music, I heartily recommend this title. I forward to hearing more from Interpol.

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Fox Head

I introduced M. to a couple of places Saturday night. First we hit the Fox Head, which is my favorite lo-fi place in town. The interior is ancient and with this great patina. It’s a very cozy, private place that not too many people know about. It’s a great place to go and think or have a conversation. Folks in the master’s fiction writing program tend to hang out there too. Later on, we caught a couple of bands at the Green Room. The Green Room is doing a monthly poetry slam that I’d like to catch. We got there early enough to get a table.

Today it was M.’s turn and she took me to this high-end coffee house just off of the Strip. We both had latte’s and the coffee was very, very good. The sun was uplifting today, no?

Started reading Rebecca Blood’s book “The Weblog Handbook” tonight. I’ve still got “Pattern Recognition” by William Gibson on my reading pile, but I’m going to wait a bit until I’m less busy and can devote some serious time to the book.

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The Orb, The KLF and Bang Bang

I’m listening to The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld tonight. This album, even 12 years after its release, continues to amaze me. It is one of the best ambient albums ever made. It’s a double-CD package that has to be heard to be believed. I first heard the Orb when Nick came back from London with some 12” singles in hand including “Little Fluffy Clouds” and “A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Center of the Ultraworld.” This album is a must have. It’s all atmosphere. The main innovation of the album that set the standard for ambient for the next decade, was the incorporation of beats to the ambient music. It’s like new age for the house music set. Incredible! Another great, great ambient album from that period that unfortunately has been long out of print is “Chill Out” by the KLF. I’d LOVE to find a copy of that on CD somewhere. Anybody have one they’d be willing to part with? UPDATE: Fucking hell! Amazon.com has Chill Out on CD. Apparently it’s been re-released on a different record label. (It was originally released on Wax Trax! but wasn’t added to the TVT catalog after TVT bought out Wax Trax!.) I will write a full review after I get the CD.

Yesterday, I had on another album on vinyl that I’m also looking for the CD. It’s “Je T’aime Je T’aime” by Bang Bang. This is a French album that came out a couple of years ago that I absolutely love. It’s very down tempo and incredibly beautiful. The beats are all slow and artistic with various guest vocalists on several tracks. I initially bought this album solely because of the cover art. It’s a photo of a waif with eye’s closed wearing a bright orange jacket and a bright red motorcycle helmet on a bright green background. Very intense, saturated color. Very cool image. Makes me think also of the great cover art on Cassius’s “1999” album, another French group.

Speaking of great cover art, that is one of the many reasons why vinyl LP’s still take the prize above CD’s. A square-foot of space is enough room to do some killer graphic design.

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College Bands

When you’re in college, it’s a great experience to be in a band. I was in two bands during my college days and recently I came across some old photos of me and the guys. This first photo is of Transmission Sickness. We were a quasi-industrial band featuring myself on keyboards (and drum machine), Clark ov Saturn on bass, Faust Gertz on electric violin, and Mike on vocals. We didn’t even have a guitarist. We were hard core. Check out our publicity photo. View image. I’m on the left, then Clark, and Mike on the right. Faust is seated. The band climaxed with a gig at Cool Aid and then disbanded.

Later I was in another band aptly called Thunder Pelvis. We rocked the house. I played the keyboards, Jonathan LaMaster sang and played guitar, Lars played the bass, and the drummer didn’t say much. We often played at this place called the Coffee House, which wasn’t actually a coffee house. Good times. Check out this photo. View image. I’m on the right. I’ll let you figure out the rest of the guys. (Apologies to nyheter.nu.)

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Gore to Apple

Al Gore is joining Apple Computer’s board of dictators. Press release here. Ah, with fond memories I remember my first computer — it was an Apple ][+ that my father purchased in 1981 when I was in the fourth grade. I hacked away on that thing, which predated the Macintosh by about three years, for the better part of the 80’s until I headed off to college in the fall of 1990 and started using Macs and PCs and Linux and HP-UX and all of that good stuff. HP-UX is the Hewlett Packard variant of UNIX. You’ll note that when I took a personality test recently, my operating system type came out as HP-UX.

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Red bull

The city lies quiet. Where are the protestors? It is spring break, and the city feels deserted with our 30,000 students off to brighter places. I saw a guy downtown last night waving a sign that said “no more war” at the oncoming traffic. He looked lonely and cold.

M. introduced me to a new drink last night. I had a sip of this red bull and vodka, and it was quite good. Actually the drink has been around for a while, but I mostly drink wine and not hard liquor. Red bull & vodka is really popular with the kids.

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And so it begins.

I still remember the moment it started vividly. It was January, 1991. I was a freshman in college at the time. I was going through the cafeteria line for supper. A radio back in the kitchen was blaring. I overheard something to the effect of “the missiles have started flying.” I’m not a very emotional person, but that moment I was struck by something intensely deep — a feeling of innocence lost.

That January we talked about what would we do if there was a draft, us young men. I knew I would be of little use to the military. I’m not wired that way. If push came to shove, I think I would have used my regular attendance at the local Quaker meeting as evidence of my beliefs. There is room in this world for the conscientious objector.

Take care, my friends. Be safe.

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Emusic.com

A question from a reader:
Do you have any experience with or thoughts about emusic.com? Even with the complaints by people who que up 200 albums at a time finding the downloads less than unlimited, I am tempted to try it out.

My response:
Yes, emusic.com looks interesting. I’ve read various reviews of the for-pay music services and most of them don’t add up. This one appears better in a few respects. What gives me pause (and why I won’t be signing up for the service) are two things. One is the monthly fee. Monthly fees are a ploy for companies to keep you shelling out $. It would make a lot more sense to have a fee-per-usage. If you want to download 200 albums, fine. But you’ll pay more. If you don’t download anything, you pay nothing. The other thing I don’t like about this and some other services is the low quality of the recordings. Emusic.com MP3 files are 128 Kbps which is the absolute bare minimum. Okay for listening in the car, but not much else. It’s not much of a benefit to be able to burn the songs to CD when they’re such poor quality.

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Reich Remixed

“New Mexico bill upholds Constitution, spits in Feds’ eye” — noted in BoingBoing.net

I’m listening to Reich Remixed tonight. It’s a disc of electronica artists adding beats and generally messing about with the music of modern minimalist composer Steve Reich. In terms of complexity and musicality, the tracks on this disc are head and shoulders above most techno releases. The mixes veer towards being on the long side though — a bit of editing and brevity would help the overall feel of the disc.

If you’ve heard about Mr. Reich and are interested in where to begin with his music, I highly recommend this recording of his piece Music for 18 Musicians.

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Bell-uh, Bay-la!

Anybody know the correct pronunciation of Bela Bartok’s first name? The announcers on the classical station are confused. One pronounces it “bay-la.” Another says “bell-uh.” Most people I know around here say “bell-uh” but maybe that’s some English bastardization.

We drove north out of the city and hiked 4.5 miles on the Woodpecker Trail this afternoon. And needless to say we heard several woodpeckers. It was invigorating to be out on the warmest day of the year so far. I was out walking by the river yesterday with my camera. It was really quiet — spring break is this week here so the students are gone. I love walking that stretch by the art building. The air doesn’t move much around there — It was the middle of the afternoon and there was a palpable mist hanging around the pine trees.

Watched this movie about the rise and fall of Factory Records the other day. Quite good, though I think it would appeal most to people familiar with the bands involved: Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, etc. The movie is called “24 Hour Party People” after the Happy Mondays song. The Joy Division part was especially interesting mostly because of the interactions of Ian Curtis and Tony Wilson. It’s not really clear from the movie what impressed Tony Wilson so much about the Happy Mondays, but maybe no one knows except Mr. Wilson himself.

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Self-Publishing

I was reading tonight about Natalie Merchant’s new album due out in June. (article here.) Apparently she’s releasing it on her own label, having parted ways with Elektra.

It’s encouraging that she’s embracing self-publishing, but it also indicates the state of the music industry and in my mind mirrors the world of book publishers. Both industries are at the end (one hopes) of massive consolidations — there’s little more left to consolidate. But the economics of these conglomerates tilts toward massive payoffs. Instead of supporting a bevy of artists, the balance has shifted in favor of a very few artists selling incredible numbers.

I use the term artists lightly. Most of the top acts fall under the umbrella terms “performers” or “entertainers.” Little artistry or musicianship is involved.

But as the major labels have killed off a whole generation of artists, a few puckish souls have embraced self-publication. Ultimately, that’s a good thing. As more artists are ignored by the labels, the artists will find other means of expressing themselves.

I’d like to see these conglomerates get their asses kicked. They are the antithesis of artistic personal expression. So that’s my message tonight — support musicians and writers going out on a limb and self-publishing. Someone like Natalie Merchant has sold enough records in the past that she doesn’t have to worry as much, but there are many regional writers and musicians that deserve an audience — people creating innovative, fresh works.

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Tunes Tonight

Tonight I’m listening to some new music. First, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds latest release, Nocturama. I picked this one up on vinyl LP. On first listen, it’s pretty fabulous. Cave and the Seeds have mellowed considerably since his Birthday Party releases twenty years ago. The basic elements of Cave’s music haven’t changed — it’s just less … menacing. The review I read in the student newspaper is right when it says that this will appeal more to an older (25+) audience.

The other recent acquisition on the hi-fi tonight is A Hundred Days Off, the newish CD from Underworld. While I haven’t listened to Cave for a few years, Underworld has been a staple of mine the past five years or so. Where the last album, Beaucoup Fish, was a mixture of intense + relaxed tracks, this disc stays mellow and then builds up towards the end. If you really want to see Underworld in action, check out their incredible concert DVD, Everything Everything. 50,000 people all digging the same groove. Very cool.

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Malta Voters

Malta Voters Narrowly Approve Joining European Union - New York Times

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Red Bats With Teeth

Yes, the new mix CD is done. It’s called “Red Bats With Teeth.” I finished the mix last week, but now the cover art is done now as well. I’ve already had some requests, so I’ll be sending it out this week or next if you’re on my mailing list.

Had a stimulating evening with M. yesterday. It’s good to talk to someone who’s had simular experiences — there’s an instant connection there. I talk about the things I’ve seen and people understand — but when you’re talking to someone who’s been there too, it’s a incredible feeling. You can say certain things and KNOW that they know EXACTLY what you’re talking about. M. seems like a great person. I haven’t tried out my German on her (she lived there for a few years), next time!

That was great recreation when I lived on the island of Malta — talking to the German tourists. Unfortunately my Maltese is getting rusty, but I still keep up with German. Too many places to visit and so little time… What do you think — Is this a good time to travel? I’m holding off on my summer travel plans for now. I’ll be at a conference in Minneapolis in June, but that’s all at the moment.

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Red Bats With Teeth

Red Bats With Teeth - 8 March 2003

When I look around today, the biggest anachronism I see is pregnancy, I just can’t believe that people are still pregnant. — Andy Warhol

TRACKS

1. Prodigy - No Good (Start the Dance)
2. Primus - Harold of the Rocks
3. pH10 - Double Wide
4. Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
5. Th’ Faith Healers - Hippy Hole
6. Stratus - You Must Follow
7. The Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
8. David Bowie - The Heart’s Filthy Lesson
9. Cirrus - Breakbeat Suckers
10. The White Stripes - Why Can’t You Be Nicer To Me?
11. Soul Coughing - Bus to Beelzebub
12. The Smashing Pumpkins - The Everlasting Gaze
13. Hive - Surreal Uncut (Teebee Remix)
14. Ministry - Bad Blood
15. U2 - Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Gun Mix)
16. Angelo Badalamenti - Red Bats With Teeth

Running time: 75 minutes, 15 seconds.

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Hacking Away

I was in on this meeting today with the university’s IT security folk talking about preparedness for an attack cyber or otherwise on the IT infrastructure. It was decided that there were single points of failure — a certain attack from a certain locale could do serious damage — mostly in regard to the fiber optic trunk lines. The university now has multiple redundant connections to the Internet backbone, including an Internet 2 connection research connection. It’s kind of surreal talking about what someone who was so inclined could do — what WOULD happen if the internet suddenly went away? Most of the talk centered on the idea of a rogue individual rather than a coordinated effort, but who’s to say that wouldn’t happen? The services I run get a few million hits a month, which is small beans in the scope of the whole university, so I could feel that my babies are safe. Hacking my systems wouldn’t give anyone keys to the place — they could launch an attack from my servers I suppose, but even then there are better (and easier) targets around. It was also decided at this meeting that an inside job could do significantly more damage than someone from the outside.

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Old School Pancakes

Here’s a funny photo blog that I think you’ll enjoy: Andrea’s Photo Blog. Featuring the World’s Smallest Pancake.

It snowed crazylike this afternoon. We were hoping to get over to see the Two Towers (finally) but are waiting until tomorrow or the day after. It’s been months since I’ve since a film in the theaters, but Sunday night we went to Old School. It was funny. Stupid, but funny. It was a packed house, basically all college students. I think we were the oldest people in the place.

I’m going to a two-hour seminar on metadata tomorrow. Looking forward to it actually. I’m giving a talk on XML for university employees in April. I’m working on my PowerPoint, and still need to whip up some handouts. On my course evaluations from last semester, a few students requested more handouts, not just what’s in the book. So I’m working to improve that.

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Mix Tapes

I finished up a new mix CD the other day. I’m calling it “Red Bats With Teeth” after the last song on the mix. Hopefully in the next couple of days, I’ll get some time to fashion it into a streaming audio file and will post it to the music page. It’s a more agressive mix than the past couple I’ve done. Check out the music page to see what’s already there.

I’ve been doing mix tapes (and mix CD’s) for a long time it seems. I’m 30 now, and I first got into doing mixes my junior year of high school. It happened because I had been to the World Affairs Seminar the summer after 10th grade. I met Chris there, and after the end of the seminar we began corresponding. We both had a passion for music, and soon ending up sending countless, countless mixes to each other. He lived way, way up north and I always wondered how he found as much cool music as he did living up there. We had distinctly different styles and so the mixes were always a fresh perspective to both parties. At that time, he tended towards the Jesus & Mary Chain, and I tended towards the Sugarcubes.

Needless to say, our musical interests have dramatically progressed over the years. There is something to be said for getting older. Chris went through a long period of 70’s R&B, but now he’s listening to more modern music again — a mix of beats & r&b. The music I listen to most now is twentieth-century classical. Composers like Adams, Reich, and Glass. I still listen to some rock, but that has mellowed out quite a bit. You can see what bands that includes on the music page — check out the streaming mixes. Bands include Wilco, the White Stripes, Trip Shakespeare. Nevertheless, I’ve still got an ear for drum ‘n’ bass. I’ve been listening to Dieselboy’s d’n’b mixes lately.

Well, that’s my musical tastes in a nutshell. 20th Cent. Classical, Melodic Rock, and Drum ‘n’ Bass.

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