[Vision2020] music and books

[Paul Rumelhart]

Tunes:

1.  Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack

2.  The Matrix soundtrack

3.  O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack

4.  Kittie - Oracle, Spit.  I really like their cover of Pink Floyd's 
"Run Like Hell".

5.  Queen of the Damned soundtrack

6.  Asian Kung Fu Generation

7.  Various ladies of JPop: Ayumi Hamasaki, Maki Goto, Aya Matsuura, 
Boa, Aya Kimiki, and (and I apologize for this) Morning Musume.

Music for me is mostly utilitarian.  Some of the various soundtracks are 
great for when I just want to enjoy it and space out.  Kittie is perfect 
for getting in the mood to program in a frenzy.  Same goes for some of 
the songs on some of the other soundtracks I listen to.  The JPop is 
great for getting an ear for the Japanese language and for blotting out 
the sounds around me when I want to program at a sedate pace.  It's also 
a different set of beats that is not in-your-face angry, which I enjoy 
now and then.

Reads

1.  The Algebraist, Iain M Banks - As always for this author, very 
different and very well written.  Not for everyone, maybe, but then what is?

2.  The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R R Martin - I'm just 
about to read what I have of them over so I can read A Feast for Crows.  
I know I'm behind on this series, and I really want to find out how Arya 
is doing.

3.  Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained by Peter Hamilton - Good sweeping 
science fiction.  MorningLightMountain is one of the best aliens I've 
run across in years.

4.  The Tenth Planet trilogy (I forget the author's names) - Fun science 
fiction read about attacking aliens who live on a planet in our system 
that hasn't been discovered yet because of its extreme elliptical orbit.

5.  If I can find the time and the motivation, I'm going to read 
Gurdjieff's Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson.  Why? Because I've heard 
great things about Gurdjieff and want to see what his writing is like.  
Like as not I'll give up halfway through, but you never know - it might 
really resonate with me and I won't be able to put it down.

6.  I plan to finish the archives of MegaTokyo, an online web comic, and 
finally get caught up.

Other Cool Discoveries:

1.  Lobot's disco dance from Robot Chicken Star Wars on YouTube 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQwrF6oEiZ4).  I just watch that (it 
only lasts a few seconds) and my mood immediately improves.

2.  Avatar - The Last Airbender is a fantastic show.  At least, the 
first couple of DVDs are - I'm still going through them.

3.  The original Castle Wolfenstein and Spear of Destiny work great on 
Dosbox on linux.   "Mein Lieben!"

4.  If you're a gamer and you don't already know about it somehow, check 
out www.penny-arcade.com.

5.  I just got Beryl and Emerald (a 3D desktop interface that rocks) 
working on Debian linux.  I had to compile from source, but what the 
hell.  It was worth it.  Buggy, sure, but the effects are great and it 
actually helps me be more productive - an added bonus I didn't expect.  
It's got a 3D spinning cube with your virtual desktops on it, it shows 
active previews when you mouse over the minimized icon on your task bar 
or hit alt-tab (even movies that are playing), and you have the benefit 
of full transparency when you need it.  I can just click on the title 
bar to see through a window to what is underneath it.  The effects used 
to minimize or close an application are great.  When I close a window it 
burns itself up in flames with smoke and sparks.  I'm sure it will get 
annoying soon enough, but then I'll just turn that effect off or choose 
another one.

Paul

keely emerinemix wrote:
> OK, it seems that it might be time to kick off the Summer of 2007 
> "Here's What I'm Reading, Here's What I'm Listening To." 
>
> Tunes:
>
> 1.  Still love The Raconteurs . . .
>
> 2.  Just discovered The Hives
>
> 3.  Blondie's "Auto American" is just as outstanding as it was 25 
> years ago
>
> 4.  Still, always, the seminal Christian punk band Crashdog
>
> 5.  Gladys Knight and the Pips can still bring me to tears
>
>
> Reads:
>
> 1.  "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" -- fascinating on many different 
> levels
>
> 2.  "Saving Fish From Drowning" -- ditto
>
> 3.  "The Redemption of Love" -- theology, feminism, and economics, a 
> feast for . . . well, me
>
> 4.  "Hunt Club" -- mystery writer John Lescroart, the best in the business
>
> 5.  "We Are Your Sisters" -- a history of African-American women in 
> the U.S., an invaluable collection of bios, essays, and scholarship
>
>
> Other Cool Discoveries:
>
> 1.  Pepperwood Groves Viognier -- bliss in a glass on a hot summer day
>
> 2.  "Christians for Cannabis," a pro-pot website from a Christian 
> perspective.  Who knew?
>
> 3.  Cavendish Greek Seasoning -- thank you, Joan Opyr!
>
> 4.  Chacos sandals (V1 Colorado terranos, please)
>
> 5.  TalkBackTees.com -- great liberal T-shirts for about 10 bucks
>
> "Patriarchy and its abuses, including the alienation of woman and man 
> from each other, resulted from the material demands of life outside of 
> the Creator's abundance,  a state God never intended human beings to 
> experience in the first place ... Redemption means turning over the 
> order of things in the fallen world."
> -- Dr. Carrie Miles
>
>
>
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