“Is there an ultimate, Cyberface?”

“Oh no. But there is an ultimate goal, and this is it: Jam and Spoon.”

Ten odd years ago while I was at PGL a rave head called Dave Schnell gave me a copy of a radio broadcast by Future Sound of London. That tape, The Test Transmission, totally changed my taste in music and was the soundtrack of my life for pretty much the next five years. The flowing ambient trance, the banter between Cyberface and Yage, the fact that almost every song on there was huge but not until 7 years later and the loving fuzziness caused by repeated tape to tape copying.

Then I moved to New York, didn’t have a tape player and only got the chance to listen to it every time I went home. Bugger.

Until now…

That tape, with all its nth generation tape copy muffled loveliness, is now in MP3 form and taking pride of place on my iPod as I wander around New York. For me it is the sound of memories and I offer it to all of you who have shared that journey and so many good times:

Test Transmission

With thanks always to Dave for your mixtape generosity, wherever you are, and to all of you for everything, always.

PS, The MP3 is BIG and split into two parts (tape sides) – each ~65 meg. So if you’re not near a broadband Internet connection it will take you a looong time to get it. Sorry! Let me know and I can burn you a CD when I get a chance. Also, at some point that link will stop working as we’re decommissioning that server – so get ‘em while they’re hot!

Hitted and Runned

Just heard an almighty crash outside my window and looked outside to see a small white truck speeding away from the junction. Back at the junction was a large pick up with its back totally mashed up and lots of people running after the truck. Hmm..

Much though I love my new apartment the rat run that is Kingsland road is a bit of a drag. Tomorrow morning around 5am big trucks will start air-braking outside my window for no apparent reason, as they sneak past all the BQE traffic into Queens. Bless ’em.

Sunny side of the street

Well after a precipitastic start to the day, with very wet feet to show for it, the sun is now shining brightly on 5th avenue. A lovely day to watch the stars go by. Well, the couple of stars. First and most obvious of which is the suspended silver sparkling one at the intersection of 5th avenue and 57th street – beautiful. The second was my first celebrity spot in a while, seeing Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun, Sex and the City, Austin Powers) wandering along head down to shade her eyes from the sun. Nice.

Happy Thanksgiving

New York is apparently a little bit confused today. It’s the end of November but somehow tropically warm outside, if grey and cloudy. Fall has decided to finish off its main job of the season, with the paths of the local park covered in piles of crunchy brown leaves.

Meanwhile I seem to have gotten myself way too much into a new TV show. D’oh. Dead like me is a series about a group of dead people whose job it is to collect the souls of people just before they die, preventing them from ending up in limbo. The concept is great, darkly comic with a mix of family issues covered off as well as the strangeness of death. There are also some wonderful lines, such as ‘I love you, I just don’t like you anymore’, and on the subject of breakfast ‘I fancy trying something different this morning’ – ‘There’s a big menu to choose from out there’. Plus the English reaper Mason sounds just like my mate Robert.

Go team, go team!

Well the official pictures from the Chengwin vs. Chunk homecoming are now online. Go check them out! You can just about see me on the 13th page in the crowd shot, the back of my head in my black, fur lined hood in the middle of the image. Fame at last!

Also a big thanks to Squen and her possee up in Hanover for a very entertaining weekend. College ice hockey, moonshine and tax free shopping – what more could anyone want?

The Increblials

The other day I went to see The Incredibles, Pixar’s latest animatastic film. Totally wonderful stuff! I was kinda unsure about whether I’d like it given the premise and the trailers, but it blew me away. The plot is high on Bond related pastiche, as well as great plays on the whole superhero/secret identity riff. So a big ‘sorry’ to Monsters Inc, my previous fave Pixar film, you’re now number two. Go Mr Incredible!

In related news, the rest of sues Pixar for consistently producing good films. Shock, horror! BTW, Check out the ‘printer antagonistic’ link on that..

Bright sunny dazed

A beautiful weekend here in New York, much like the bright, sunny day on which John Kerry conceded to George W Bush as President. Sigh. In the meantime, nothing’s been blown up in the US (although more Americans are considering moving to Canadia) and Iraq’s declared a state of emergency. Same old, same old.

On the domestic front – you’ll be pleased to hear my floor’s now a lot cleaner. Huzah!

Raw spirit – iain banks. Not a bad little read for fans of Mr Banks. Most of the interest comes not from his writings on the fine art of Scottish whiskey, but on the tales from his own life. Unfortunately it’s not as engaging as his fiction, but there’s some good bits in there.

Post by Matt Hobbs

Living History

Today could easily be classed as ‘interesting times’, and we all know that curse. The American people are gathering to cast their vote, which, depending on the complex and confusing electoral college system, may or may not decided the next President of the United States.

The decision is actually not an easy one if you look at the majority of America and the information they receive. Even now that 21% of Americans holds a valid passport, many have still yet to travel that far afield. The American media does not represent to most people the impact their President’s current foreign policy is having on the world political scene. Then there’s the more disturbing trend of people not really giving a f*ck what the rest of the world thinks because, well, we’re America. Bush represents people of that mindset admirably. Bush also has a great ability to talk in soundbites, if only because long sentences cause him trouble. Kerry suffers from being un-photogenic and also a waffler, much like Gore before him – although Gore was definately cuter. Kerry’s main advantage in this vote.. he’s not Bush. That is not a strong reason for people to vote for him. So ultimately the outcome of this vote will be a surprise whatever happens.

There is an upside to all this. The feeling on the street. The passion on TV and in conversations. The strength of the youth movement this time around. People who were around in the protests in the 60s seem in awe that today’s younger generation can get this passionate about politics. Many of the pollster pundits seem to think that Kerry will win purely because of the youth vote, which is hard to quantify, and is being stirred up by celebrities across the board. The sense is that we are all involved in something bigger, something important, something that affects the entire world and will make a lasting effect beyond our generation’s time. That is an amazing feeling.