Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Men overcompensate when their masculinity is threatened, Cornell study shows


By Daniel Aloi

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Threaten a man's masculinity and he will assume more macho attitudes, according to a study by a Cornell University researcher.

"I found that if you made men more insecure about their masculinity, they displayed more homophobic attitudes, tended to support the Iraq War more and would be more willing to purchase an SUV over another type of vehicle," said Robb Willer, a sociology doctoral candidate at Cornell. Willer is presenting his findings Aug. 15 at the American Sociological Association's 100th annual meeting in Philadelphia.

"Masculine overcompensation is the idea that men who are insecure about their masculinity will behave in an extremely masculine way as compensation. I wanted to test this idea and also explore whether overcompensation could help explain some attitudes like support for war and animosity to homosexuals," Willer said. «Continued here»

Monday, January 29, 2007

King for 1 hour 7 minutes and 13 seconds

Authors: Stephen King, John Cullum (Narrator}, Becky Ann Baker (Narrator}, Arliss Howard (Narrator}, Peter Gerety (Narrator}
The Man in the Black Suit: 4 Dark Tales

Size: 46,2 Format Mp3

Thanks to avaxhome

The "Wub" by Philip K. Dick











The Wub (link) Short story.

The Tiger Lillies
















The Tiger Lillies are an extraordinary three piece band with a large cult following in London. They are fronted by singer Martyn Jacques who trained himself as an opera singer with a castrati style voice of heartbreaking beauty, whilst living alone above a strip joint in Soho for seven years. Accompanied by drummer Adrian Huge, whose appearance was described by David Byrne as James Joyce on drums, and double bass player Adrian Stout, Jacques plays accordion and sings savage and passionate songs about prostitutes, drug addicts and losers, his voice soaring and growling like a man possessed. Ken Campbell has described him as "the criminal castrati", and with his dickensian style of dress, long pigtail and bowler hat, his corrosive lyrics and his astonishing voice, all the while singing with his eyes closed, he makes an indelible impression. Jacques sings about life at the bottom of contemporary Britain with the voice of an angel.

The music is a startling mixture of opera, gypsy song and left bank Paris, but what really marks out this band from any other is the emotional charge and raw passion of the delivery. Because they are impossible to pigeonhole, the band has not yet had a wide commercial success, despite being picked up by David Byrne, with performances at the South Bank, as well as festivals and foreign tours, but this cannot last for much longer as their reputation is spreading very fast in the art culture underworld.
(
By Mina Courtauld 17/5/96 )

A taste of the lillies, thanks to a arca do pyrata is found here:
bad blood & blasphemy (1999) (rs) death and the bible (2004) (rs)
UPDATE: LINKS ARE DEAD...

Friday, January 26, 2007

Nebulous

The story of Nebulous is dominated by the eco-troubleshooting team of K.E.N.T. (the Key Environmental Non-Judgmental Taskforce). The group is directed by Professor Nebulous and its goal is to restore a natural balance to Earth. Unfortunately, the team is woefully under funded; K.E.N.T. was forced to open a Laundromat to supplement funds. On the bright side, if their actual missions go awry, the team is still applauded for its excellent dry cleaning service. The Laundromat contains three Zenusi 370 tumble dryers, two of which were the team’s first new pieces of equipment in twelve years.
Nebulous 1.1 Night of the Vegetarians
Nebulous 1.2 The Loverly Invasion
Nebulous 1.3 The Dust Has Landed
Nebulous 1.4 Madness is a Strange Colour
Nebulous 1.5 The Coincidence Machine
Nebulous 1.6 The Man Who Polished the Sun


Fans of "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Universe" and "Dr. Who" will undoubtly feel comfortable. Many earthly thanks to the OTR messageboard.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Monty Python and Tom Lehrer

More than you deserved. Click the photos. Go make your day.












I love my friends, and they love me,
We're just as close as we can be. And just because we really care, Whatever we get, we share!
I got it from Agnes, She got it from Jim. We all agree it must have
been Louise who gave it to him.
She got it from Harry, Who got it from Marie, And everybody knows that Marie Got it from me.
Giles got it from Daphne, She got it from Joan, Who picked it up in County Cork, A-kissin' the Blarney Stone.
Pierre gave it to Sheila, Who must have brought it there. He got it from Francois and Jacques, Haha, Lucky Pierre!
Max got it from Edith, Who gets it every spring. She got it from her Daddy, Who just gives her everything.
She then gave it to Daniel, Whose spaniel has it now. Our dentist even got it, And we're still wondering how.
Ah, but I got it from Agnes, Or maybe it was Sue, Or Millie or Billie or Gillie or Willie, It doesn't matter who.
It might have been at the club, Or at the pub, or in the loo, And if you will be my friend, Then I might...(Mind you, I said "might")... Give it to you!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Nixonvisions and Nixonsounds

1. Andy Kim: Tricia Tell Your Daddy
2. Jay & The Americans: Tricia (Tell Your Daddy)
3. Gene Marshall: We Want Dick, We Want Dick, We Want Dick
4. Gene Marshall: We Want Dick And Spiro, We Want Dick And Spiro, We Want Dick And Spiro
5. Rod & The MSR Singers: Richard Nixon
6. Gene Marshall: Get Off That Phone, Martha
7. Barbara Foster: San Clemente's Not The Same
8. Gene Marshall: President Richard Nixon
9. Gene Marshall: The Great Richard Nixon
10. Gene Marshall: Richard Nixon In '76
11. Gene Marshall: God Bless Richard Nixon
12. Gene Marshall: Hail The Chief

Credits: Artwork: Kjartan Slettemark - Sounds: PhilxMilstein

about: NIXONVISIONS taken from here
Art description:
The starting point for the NIXONVISIONS was a collage made by Kjartan in 1971 with a Nixon poster and a hand, holding a coffee-cup taken from a Swedish advertisement. Later he began to make cut-ups using scissor and glue that resulted in the NIXONVISIONS (1972) series.

Incident:
Three collages by Kjartan Slettermark were removed from the foreign affairs committee meeting room in the Oslo parliament building, in october 2004, by Members of Parliament saying they were shocking and unfitting.

"Following an evaluation, it was determined that the piece was unfitting and potentially shocking," Hans Brattestaa, the parliament's secretary general said.

They were felt to deliver "a political message that is not the most appropriate" Norway's parliament said.

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjoern Jagland said “I don't think that the meeting room of the foreign affairs committee is the most appropriate place to exhibit this kind of expression”


Current status:
The works was moved to a spot were they were to be found less unfitting… :( What are they thinking? Are they afraid that the Bush administration will impose sanctions?

Opposed by: Norwegian parliament (Stortinget)

Reason: Political


Baby it's cold outside [the igloo]

This is one of the most interesting vocal arrangements around. Inuit vocal games. The expression Inuit vocal games designates central Canadian Arctic practices that are both ludic and musical. According to regions, these can be divided into several genres with different names. First known to white people as guttural songs or throat songs, or sometimes as breathed songs, they were later on designated more accurately as throat games by Beverley Diamond and Nicole Beaudry. But it is the native term katajjaq that is the most often used. However, it applies only to Arctic Quebec and to the south of Baffin Land. Netsilik, Igloolik, and Caribou Inuit vocal games do not necessarily feature the throat sounds typical of katajjaq which are so striking, and they often refer to a narrative text absent from katajjaq. Thus, it appears simpler to adopt a more neutral and less specific term such as vocal game. In native terminology, these games belong to the larger family of ulapqusiit (traditional games) and are designated more precisely as nipaquhiit, that is 'games done with sounds or with noises' (nipi). [read more] Thanks to Different Waters for giving us this (mu-dl)

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Loads of free audiobooks

Simply go to LibriVox and have a look.

Choose by Category:
Fiction

Poetry

Non-fiction

Dramatic Works

Mostly the "Classics", but it is legal(!) and free...

John Oswald : Plexure

In 1993 Oswald released Plexure. Arguably his most ambitious composition to date, it attempted to microsample the history of CD music up to that point (1982 - 1992) in a 20 minute collage of bewildering complexity. The ambition of this piece would later be recalled by the British bootlegger Osymyso, whose "Intro-Inspection" captured the pop-junkie feel of Plexure. Osymyso, who at the time was unaware of Oswald's work, used the same structure of an accelerando (putting his source material in an order from the slowest tempo to the fastest), to link a few bars each of 100 songs, creating a simpler sound than the thousands of overlapping and morphing pop "electroquotations" in Plexure (RS). Thanks to Mended Records (link)

Friday, January 19, 2007

How evil are you?

Being awakened by "the macarena" at 4am, or a dozen people doing "singstar", can be annoying. But there is revenge; The George Garabedian Players and the Awful Trumpet of Harry Armssong. (info)Put it on max volume at 8:30am - on repeat - and go out for a coffee. Pretty evil. Anywho, this advice was merely a badly disguised way to tell you that Otis Fodder once again has embarked upon a BRAND NEW 365 days project.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Joe Frank Podcast - never dull

"Joe Frank is by far the most brilliant comic in America... [He] has created a series of dead-pan radio monologues so sharp and intelligent that during the quiet bits you can almost hear God taking notes." -- The Guardian (UK)

"[Joe Frank] travels in the emotional landscape of Bergman and Fellini; there's a tension and sense of mystery halfway between Kafka and Chandler, plot twists worthy of Rod Serling, and a satiric edge worthy of Firesign Theatre and Woody Allen." -- The Washington Post

"The world of Joe Frank is a wildly entertaining surrealistic universe...hilarious, unsettling, zany, powerful, moving and perhaps the most unique, inventive and effective use of radio since Orson Welles convinced much of America that there was a "War of the Worlds." -- The L.A. Weekly

Go here for podcast information. F.A.Q
Or, enter this URL as a "New Feed" in your podcast software:
http://www.joefrank.com/cast/JoeFrank.xml


Martinibomb & Coconut Monkeyrocket

I can't believe I haven't posted this before! This is a split EP released for free (link) on Comfort Stand Records.

From the exotic Northeast sands of Portland, Oregon, two brothers (Eric and Ryan) orchestrate sampled records with acoustic guitar, programmed beats, computerized synthlines, live bass, toy monkeys and anything else they can use in Martinibomb.

A one man music project out of Tallahassee, Florida, The Coconut Monkeyrocket A.K.A. Jason Emmett assembles layers and layers of samples together to make a cartoonish dance racket. Check out his awsome cell-phone-ringtones.

The Famous Bill Bailey Hummus Recipe

Hummus:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans
2 large cloves of garlic
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon of the bean juice
1/2 cup of Tahini
juice of 2 lemons (4 tablespoons)
dash of salt

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 jar of sun dried tomatos

Directions:
Put all ingredients in the food processor and mix until nice and smooth (about 1-2 minutes).
You can sprinkle a little bit of paprika and a tiny bit of olive oil on top - add a sprig of mint just before serving it with vegan pita bread. Serves 6-8.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

German Covers

Whoha! Germans Under Cover is a site to be experienced! It is a "music" blog, devoted to the really cheesy stuff. Mostly from the 70's and 60's.
This is wunderbar and schrecklich at the same time.Check out the 3 compilations on the site! It is packed with goodies, and is the only earfodder to accompany a night with pretzels and liebfraumilch.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Simply Awful (Castilianis Horribilis)

Tributo a Queen: Los Grandes del Rock en Español (1997)

This has to be the worst (read: best) compilation of covers of Queen. This one is on the top of the "scary" list. Call it "outsider music", call it "weirdo" - anywho; you're bound to find "something" here.
You didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition, but here (rs-link) it is.

Thanks (well I suppose) to daniMusic:::gigas y gigas de música al estilo dani

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Dag Vag - Scenbuddism (1979)

Swedish "prog" doesn't have much in common with "progressive rock". Through the 70s many Swedish bands subscribed to the general political influences of the time, such as; feminism, leftism, vegeterianism and anarchism, but all'n'all with "messages". Some far left such as "Knutna Nävar" others with humor such as "Philemon Arthur & the Dung". Dag Vag was not really regarded as a "prog" band as such, even though their lyrics often focused on injustice. Maybe they were too anarchistic in their approach, also with lyrics focusing on drugs, and "reggae beats". A memorable song title from their first lp "Jag Blev Inte Hög" [I didn't get high], is a hilarious story about a guy who drops all sorts of narcotics, only to achieve drowsyness. Scenbuddism is another great record, and was one of my favourite lp's of the time. The excellent blog prog not frog (go there for dl-link in comments) has provided us with this fine piece of vinyl.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Zee blinking and zee blonking (no thanks)

The new "Windows Vista" sounds revealed here (Youtube). 18 months in the making...

Personally I'm more impressed by Jim of Seattle's mix of the old windows sounds (mp3)

It is scary listening to all these microsoft sounds - the world gets a little dinkyer, archiving a bit more annoying - and retrieving, hah... Well, there is always solitaire - the most successful
piece of software made by the microboys.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

An example of the American trade boycott infringing on the sovereignty of other nations.

No room for Cubans (original Story).

In Norway Scandic Hotels owned by the Hilton Hotel Corporation faced an uproar for refusing to book rooms for a Cuban delegation because of the U.S. trade embargo on the communist-run island. The 300,000-member Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees said it would boycott all Scandic hotels in Norway. The Anti-Racist Center in Oslo filed a police complaint against the hotels, saying Norwegian law ensures that "no one can be denied access based on their citizenship or ethnic origin." The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said all companies operating in Norway have to obey Norwegian law. It's expected the court[2], [3], [4], [5] will order the Scandic Hotels to pay fines for expelling guests.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Puppini Sisters

Inspired by the "Triplettes" I found the Puppini Sisters, and their "Betcha Bottom Dollar".
Accomplished musicians, with everything from piano through saxophone to harp on their combined CVs, The Puppini Sisters have created contemporary reinterpretations of old-time favourites including Mr Sandman and Jeepers Creepers and translated 'modern' songs like Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' and Blondie's 'Heart Of Glass' into tight three-part harmonies of such splendor that the Andrews Sisters would quiver with joy. Here. (rs) Thanks again to Big Bad Music