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Modeselektor: My Anthem

Available on iTunes as the 14th track from their Hello Mom! album. The other 13 are on the CD, which is what I purchased, because with an album as technical as this, listening to it on iTunes quality just ain’t gonna do. It’s released on Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control label, which gives you a hint as to what to expect, but it’s much warmer than that.

My Anthem builds itself around a simple four tone melody which sits in your brain for the rest of the day.

No Comments | Permalink | Tracks of the Day | Music of 2005
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Estimating Software Maintenance

On a long run of changes the following works for me, believe it or not. This handles interruptions and ad-hoc emergency work that might crop up whilst doing maintenance.

  • Any change takes at least one hour
  • If you need to think about it first, assume two hours
  • If maintenance requires changes in more than one place, it will take four hours
  • If you have no idea how to do something, it will take two days
  • If you really have no idea how to do something, assume two hours – to think about it – then try again.
No Comments | Permalink | General Musings
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A Camp: Algebra

..and people still buy Westlife CDs. Sheesh.

A Camp was an experimental country indie band established by The Cardigan’s Nina Persson and Swedish musician Niclas Frisk. Their 2001 album was created after The Cardigan’s finished their Gran Turismo tour, and obviously served as inspiration for Long Gone Before Daylight. A Camp were joined by Nina’s then boyfriend (and now husband) Nathan Larson for additional instrumentation.

Emm Gryner supported The Cardigans on tour in 1998, and Nathan is now in Hot One, with Emm. All the little connections coming together.

No Comments | Permalink | Tracks of the Day
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A little more volume

To those who use the iTunes volume control to vary the volume of music heard through their hi-fi or external speakers: Don’t.

Max out the iTunes volume control, and the sound output in System Preferences, then control the volume on your hi-fi instead. Everything will sound much nicer because you want the strongest signal coming from your source components. You can’t amplify what isn’t there.

No Comments | Permalink | All things Apple
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Saint Etienne: Avenue

Saint Etienne’s 2005 ‘concept’ album Tales from Turnpike House piqued my interest in getting the rest of their albums, to complete my collection. Prior to this, I was missing the critically acclaimed So Tough and Tiger Bay albums, plus Good Humor.

So Tough is the album from which the marvelous Avenue comes from. It’s just as well there’s no tax on handclaps.

No Comments | Permalink | Tracks of the Day
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New Music

I wrote somewhere that Emm Gryner is a prolific songwriter. If I didn’t I should have. Last year she released two albums as well as starting on the Hot One project, with whom she ‘plays bass and sings female’, and started on her new album.

The first Hot One album is now being recorded, but Emm’s new album is due out in June. She’s got another one planned for 2007. All on her Dead Daisy Records label.

For those with major-label-itis:

I recall the days at Mercury when the label would find singles by fast forwarding CDs to the chorus and only playing the chorus.

I always thought this highly unusual as though there were not enough hours in the day to hear the first 1 – 1.5 minutes of the song.

No Comments | Permalink | Music of 2006 | New Music
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iTunes and Multiple Speakers

Faff. Well, not really. But I wasn’t getting the multiple speakers option from iTunes 6.0.2 even though I have a computer (duh) and one Airport Express. What to do to get music in my lounge and my kitchen at the same time? I reckoned on:

  • Perform a Factory Reset of the Airport Express.
  • Download the latest Airport Express Firmware Updater and install that in the Airport Express, reconfigure.

Boom!

So just for a little test, here I sit, upstairs, wirelessly streaming shared music from my Mac mini, which is downstairs, and also to my Airport Express which is in my kitchen. And it’s all in sync. I can loiter on the stairs to prove it. Fabulous.

No Comments | Permalink | All things Apple
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Intel-ligent

Someone’s miffed that they bought an iMac G5 a month ago, under the impression that there wouldn’t be a switch to Intel until late 2006. This from BBC News Have Your Say:

Apple’s policy of giving no advance warning about upgrades to its product range may tickle the ego of Steve Job and his love of headline grabbing announcements but it does little for those of us who are not worth billions and who cannot afford to spend money on something that is out of date four weeks after purchase.

News for you: All technology products you buy become out of date almost immediately. And your iMac still works, doesn’t it?

1 Comment | Permalink | General Musings
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