So this is where babies come from...
...the same place as lobster harmonicas!
(actual story here.)
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Brought to you by the letter "beta"
So, a coupla weeks ago I signed up for an account on Six Apart's new blog community thingamy, Vox. Thus far, I've written exactly one test post. Impressed with the feature set I was, but unlazy enough to migrate all 146 of my posts here I wasn't. (Note: for maximum effect, the previous sentence should be read in a terrible Yoda impression.) Today, I find out Blogger's new beta, with some of the same features, finally relaxed the velvet ropes enough to let trash like me in, so the plan is to pit the two services against each other on a barren desert planet and see which one figures out how to build a rudimentary cannon. Why I expect anyone except me to care, I dunno, but there it is.
Simply amazing
Quebec acoustic guitarist Erik Mongrain combines tapping and slap harmonics to unique, hypnotic effect. The last acoustic player to blow me away like this was probably Kaki King, and I think I'm feeling Mongrain's compositional sense a little more. Might be the next Leo Kottke.
[via WFMU's Beware of the Blog]
UPDATE! There's a good MeFi thread on Erik Mongrain right now, with some links to other fantastic guitarists as well.
Tommy Emmanuel's "Day Tripper/Lady Madonna" lesson
Mark Wilson's "New Horizons"
Friday, October 20, 2006
Insane vehicular overkill, thy name is Vauxhall
Ever wonder what'd happen if you shoehorn a twin-turboed, nitrous-injected 572 cubic inch Chevy big block into a semi-teensy British compact? This guy did. And he claims it's the world's quickest and fastest street car.
Read more here. (Warning, headache-inducing red page background--try and make yourself colourblind or something before clicking.)
[via jalopnik]
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
The '50s called, they want the future back
Fantastic gallery of '50s "Googie" signage and architecture--the flashy, futuristic style scientists say will adorn the amazing bowling alleys and drive-in restaurants of Tomorrow.
[via this MeFi thread, with even more tailfin-era goodness.]
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Look out child 'cause I'm using technology
Iggy Pop's tour rider is kind of like "This Is Spinal Tap" if, instead of being a movie, it was a contract specifying the musical gear, food and refreshments required by the band, and instead of being fictional, it was 100% real. Sample quote:
We need one (1) monitor man who speaks good English and is not afraid of death.
(Only joking... or am I?)
Also, he needs to know a little bit about monitors. This may seem obvious, but believe me...
(For example, in Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia in Northern Spain, they appear to think--if they just ignore riders like this, then supply a fat, bearded hippy with a digital monitor desk (doh!) who doesn't know shit about eq-ing, and monitor wedges that would be better suited to wedging doors open, and a load of stage managers and PA geezers and promoters reps who shout a lot--that this is the same as providing what a band actually needs in order to do a gig to the best of their ability. And that if they deny that their gear is no good, it will suddenly, mysteriously become good.
I'd just like to say that the next time the Stooges get booked for their festival, I'm going to turn up with some pickled eggs, a small blue vibrator with a jelly dolphin balanced on the shaft, a set of dog-eared encyclopedias with the volume E-G missing, and a screwdriver that's been accidentally dropped in the toilet.
And then, when they say, "That's not the Stooges"
I'm going to say, "Yes it is!"
And then they'll say, "No it isn't!"
And I'm going to say, "Yes it is!!!"
See how they like it, fuckers.
From the insanely great department...
Ask Metafilter thread: What is the appeal of Steve Wozniak?
Surprisingly humble response from... drum roll please... Woz himself. (Who joined just to respond, I might add.)
(Sadly, I suppose this means Adam Savage is no longer MeFi's official alpha nerd.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)