I’ve always been fascinated with stories like Dr. Neumann’s.  He’s leading a DARPA project to redesign the computer from scratch, given all that we’ve learned since computers came around.  Particularly with a focus on security, which this NYTimes article refers to as an afterthought.  Though these lofty goals are always laudable in the academic world, they are never acknowledged in the business world.  Once you start down a path and that path is profitable, there is no turning back no matter how much better the alternatives are.

I’m reminded of Internet2.  I don’t know much about it besides it’s the same thing as Dr. Neumann’s Clean Slate effort – the popularity of the Internet has exposed all sorts of flaws that we could fix if only we could start over.  But that will never happen.

This interview with Godspeed You! Black Emperor blows my mind.  The whole thing reads like a manifesto, or song lyrics.  The link calls it a “transcript” but I cannot fathom someone actually answering questions like that.  Perhaps they were prepared with pre-written answers, or maybe I don’t know how interviews actually work.  I kept thinking, “hey I should copy that line and quote it,” but then I realized I was going to quote every other line or so.

I never much cared for Yanqui U.X.O. but this new album is very good.  You can stream the whole thing online.  I’m glad I went to see GY!BE in Chicago back when I did – the poster is on the wall above me right now.

This morning I read this essay (Stoking Cyber Fears) by Bruce Schneier.  His point is a familiar one – stoking Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt will gain attention but block any meaningful discussions.  Though something struck me while reading this, and by skimming it again, I can’t see that it was something he mentioned explicitly.  Institutions like the government have strong cybersecurity requirements and I assume that there is a lot of training and effort put into enforcing those requirements.  But the employees of any institution probably follow the normal distribution curve – I bet there are some old farts working for the government.

Lately (and by “lately” I mean, “since I was 10”) I’ve been struggling with “not tech people.”  I get computers – technology is just something that comes naturally to me.  This is a skill just like the guy who can fix my car or design a house that doesn’t fall over when it rains.  But I’m open to the idea that I can learn the skills to fix my car or design a house, should I decide I want to fix my own car or design my own house.  I may not win awards or star in reality TV shows about these topics but I would (could) be aware of what matters in those contexts.  And I seem to cling to the hope, a fool’s hope, that people will approach computers with the same attitude.  I’ve repeated this diatribe so often it’ll probably be on my tombstone.  You have to know the landscape of the modern world and how to move through it if you’re going to survive.  That landscape includes (brace yourself) computers and software!  Don’t think that giggling, “oh I’m not a computer person,” is a get-out-of-jail-free card, a hall pass to let you walk in ignorance.

I’ve been trying to teach project managers to use Microsoft Project.  It’s not a simple software package by any measure and so there is reason to be overwhelmed – I’m overwhelmed and that’s just the administrator perspective, I’m not even doing actual project management with it.  And change is scary, software upgrades are tough.  It’s clear that this will not be easy.  But these project managers are dinosaurs.  Rather than admitting that this is new and different and they’ve got a lot to learn, they complain about this frustrating new software and nothing is where it used to be and what do you mean I can’t do it like I’ve always done it because it used to “just work” before and why did we have to change?

To bring this rant back around, my point is that if I’m struggling to get people to use the tools they’ve been told to use in even the most basic capacity, I imagine it must be infinitely worse for those institutions dedicated to strict cybersecurity.  Anything you read will say the weakest link is always people.  I bet the weakest part of the weakest link is the “not computer person” (tee-hee).

“From the ashes” was the title of my last post, as if something was rising and coming back.  That was 10 months ago.  I keep wanting to write but I never feel I have anything to write about.

And with that, the writer’s block.  Goodnight.

It’s not that I forgot I had a website.  It’s more that I just suck.  You can see I changed the theme, which was one of the themes pre-installed when Ethan set up WordPress for me.  I downloaded some more and tested them out but this one seems cooly colorful and not too graphic-intensive.  I do want to design my own theme someday but that involves learning and I’m too antsy these days.  Also it’s just too much fun to browse through other people’s themes instead of working on my own.  (I remember back in the day that I could waste hours on winamp.com looking at new skins.)

I bought a house.  Man this is exciting.  My own digs, first time ever.  I have so much on my mind with things to do and buy.  I’m sure that if I continue to blog, you’ll see some of that discussion here.

I love it when the internet delivers on its ability to let you make a few hops and find something that you would otherwise have never possibly found ever. Case in point: I was reading this article on Gizmodo about a photographic technique involving tilt-shift lenses that makes real-life images appear like macro images of tiny models.  Amazing videos, you should check them out.  But also amazing is the MUSIC the guy uses for his videos.

So spend some time on his website and I learn the music is all by a band called “Sonido Lasser Drakar”.  Soulseek helps me out and BAM I’m rocking out to Mexican electrodance tracks.  As far as I can tell this band has barely even made it out of the basement; an album of 6 tracks and a few singles on electronica collections.  Though it’s so good, maybe just because I am picturing funky internet videos but I am also grooving as I sit here at my computer…

Check em out!

Also, I didn’t even have to read the article to know that one day my library/reading room/den/secret lair will look like this.  So beautiful, so amazing, so brea…  I have to go change my pants again…

EDIT: oh oh oh speaking of stuff you can find on the internet that involves music and electronics and dancing and non-American origins: check out pornophonique.  The tagline says it all: gameboy meets lagerfeuer (again with the internets: lagerfeuer means campfire?)  Ok maybe the tagline doesn’t say it all.  It’s good!  Check it out!  They post their music for free!

So I haven’t updated in a while.  I guess once again I’ve hit that slump where there really isn’t much to update about.  I’ve been striving to listen to new music and I have been finding new and exciting things.  But I just don’t feel in the mood to write stuff up.  Maybe if I keep rambling I’ll get there again.

I went to a show this past week.  It was a DJ show for a guy named Bassnectar.  Good dance stuff.  But I’m not as young as I used to be, since the guy started playing at 11pm and I go to work at 7am.  Ugh…  Though it was fun and worth it.

Metallica – Death Magnetic
First of all, Metallica has only earned itself any press lately by acting like retards.  Recall that Metallica was the band that brought down Napster; you may have also heard the story of how the band invited music critics and writes to screen the new album, then when those critics posted reactions and reviews, the band threatened and demanded they remove the reviews.  Metallica is the band that hates the internet.

Then they go and release a new album.  The thing about this album (and many before it) is that it comes with a cute anecdote and a pithy response and can thusly be summed up very quickly.  The word is the that the band’s producer went to Metallica and said, “Master of Puppets was your best work ever but pretend like it was only half of an album.  Now I want you to record the other half!”  Yeah!  Inspiring words!  Let’s thrash it up, guys! RRRAAAAWWWwwwwrrrr….

But recall that Master of Puppets was recorded in 1986.  It is no longer 1986.  Everything and everyone has changed a bit since then.  The original work is classic and it will remain as such but you cannot stand on the shoulders of success and beside it at the same time.  Thus the pthy response: They failed.

I do think my opinion is tarnished by the Pitchfork review.  They whine about the lyrics (I swear the chorus of one song is, “if it don’t kill you, it makes you more strong,” which sounds so grammatically incorrect I want to cry).  They do point out that there are parts where the music echoes faintly of Master of Puppets and so there are happy moments.  But alas…  it’s still not 1986.

The Chemical Brothers – Brotherhood
I am always weary of bands who try to extend their life expectancy by releasing multiple “best of” albums.  This is their second, with maybe one album after the previous “best of” to cut the monotony.  Don’t get me wrong, the music is still awesome but I still get frustrated with these grabs for my money.  Brotherhood features a second disc of “Electronic Battle Weapon” tracks which apparently the Pitchfork review claims is its one saving grace.  Again I find myself merely echoing the Pitchfork review.

I’ve been listening to new music lately even though I haven’t posted.  I’ve been busy with moving sale stuff and Netflix watching and omg new TV this fall.  I download the stuff overnight, load up my iPod and listen to it at work.  I want to keep my first impressions written down so the music doesn’t just wash over and through me and I forget about it.  So what I’ve been doing is scribbling little notes on post-its, not the regular square ones but the mini ones.  And I write tiny to get several albums’ worth of notes in.  Now comes an exercise in decoding what the heck i wrote down:

Digital Orgasm – Do It
Sounds sexy, right?  Sounds like someone kidnapped the singer from Lords of Acid and made her sing for their fan band.  Ok I guess…

Scientist – rids the world of the evil curse of the vampires
With a title like that, how can you go wrong?  Well, you could have an album full of reggae which seems totally incongruous with a band and album name like that.

Subtle – For Hero: For Fool
Recommendation from Matt.  A little too hip-hop for my tastes.  The music is good and the vocals are a bit more subdued than a full-fledged rap album, so not all bad.

The Dexorcist – Bad Robot
I admit, this album pulled me in only because of the title.  It’s not even an album, it’s like a three-track EP I think.  But it’s robot music for sure and I love it.

Stars – Heart
Light.  Airy.  ZZZzzz…

Villain Accelerate – Maid of Gold
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…

Asian Dub Foundation – Time Freeze
Hippity-hoppity.  Pass.

Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
HA.  This is a mash-up in every sense of the word.  There is actually a Wired article talking about all the samples that this guy crams into his album.  It’s fun because I actually can recognize some of the stuff, which is not typically used for sampling.  I’d like to share the article with you but apparently they took down the image.  Oh well.

Flying Lotus – Los Angeles
Sounds like an old record, which is why Pitchfork loved it.  I like it too, even though once again we’re airing on the side of hip-hop.

Unter Null – The Failure Epiphany
Face-crushing industrial bullshit.  Like Wumpscut Jr., complete with the distorted vocals and feedback drenched grinds.  I love it.

Times New Viking – Rip It Off
Clever name, sonic earfuck.  I didn’t make it very far.

Boris – Smile
Announced as one of the opening bands for Nine Inch Nails’ fall tour.  Pitchfork complimented Trent’s choice and Trent himself picked them out.  I however found this album to be a sonic deathwall that got blood stains on my nice white iPod earbuds.  However, their earlier album Pink has a little more melody and structure so I enjoyed it more.

Health – Disco
A remix album.  Health is another NIN opener.  These guys collaborated with Crystal Castles and I liked CC, so Health sort of got in on the ground floor.  Still good.

The Bug – London Zoo
The third NIN opener (keep in mind these are a single opening band for different shows, not 3 openers in a single night).  This is more reggae stuff on top of electronic beats.  Not bad but not really dance music either.

Justice – Planisphere
Omg omg omg I love these guys.  Pitchfork says it all.

In July of this year, French duo Justice presented a lengthy piece of music called “Planisphere” at the Dior Homme Summer 2009 Fashion Show. The piece, divided into four parts, with an addendum of some sort called “Planisphere Final”, is streaming now at their MySpace page. I hear some spacey, shredding guitar leads, spooky harpsichord, their distincitive churning beats, and a single riff that recurs and ties the whole thing together.

Go to their MySpace page and check it out.  Trust me, it’s worth braving the wastelands of MySpace for a listen.

Younger Brother – The Last Days of Gravity
A friend told me about a band called Infected Mushroom.  They’re good and a topic for a later post.  But while looking for more of Infected Mushroom’s style, we go to their genre which is “psytrance.”  And so far that “genre” has turned up pretty empty except for a band called Shpongle (who is also a topic for a later post).  And one of the guys in Shpongle did some other work under the name of Younger Brother.  Pretty lame as far as band names go but it’s good stuff!

Wolfmother – Wolfmother
The AllMusic description says it all: Truly a band out of time, Australian power trio Wolfmother were conceived in 2000 — about 30 years too late, considering that their psychedelic brand of proto-heavy metal sounds like a ringer for late-’60s/early-’70s bands such as Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath.  I don’t know Blue Cheer, but the description of old-school arena-rock really seems to fit.  It’s good stuff and you’ve probably played their song on Guitar Hero 2.