Bars and Tones.

Thank you Chris Thornborrow for the link, musical maverick.

Anthropomorphized goats.

As a TA, I found that word was the most overused word in university. Yes it has many letters, congratulations.
Here’s the word in action. I like stupid YouTube shit once in awhile, and it’s Friday afternoon. When goats sound like people. Go:

About 5th time view on the first one, still laughing.

Robert Plant.

Refuses to play aggressive music anymore.   I’ve read that’s why he’s not reuniting with Zep.  But I am admittedly really warming to his and Allison Krauss’ adult contemporary bullseye, Raising Sand.

Just sounds like Asussomething and E on acoustic for this track “Please Read The Letter”, but it does it to me every time.  E major on a guitar is panacea.  The production on this record is truly great.  Worth a once through for that at least.

Dear Other Dude(s),

I don’t mean to speak on behalf of many, but I really don’t notice the 2% GST cut you guys made when I go out and buy things.  Maybe I would if I bought a house, a Mercedes, or if I made scrambled Fabergé eggs.  Alas, I am a grad student with literally no money, and I don’t even notice.  This 2% would have saved you a stinking $12 billion for this budget.  Now me and my friends will have to pay for this through our income taxes, with interest, for years to come.  I just hope I (still) don’t notice the difference.

If cutting income taxes will save 200-300 dollars per person/household, I assume this will likely go into reducing debt or put into savings, thereby not really stimulating the economy… correct?  Geography and culture makes a difference with economic stimulus – the Chinese government has known for awhile that stimulus doesn’t really work for their country because their citizens are classically more save-oriented than North Americans.  In this sort of context, don’t you picture Canadians more likely to save given all of this doomsday?

P.S.  I still think you’re lying when you say that we’re stronger than many other G8/Gwhatever countries.  The IMF agrees, but who to trust?  Both have questionable track records (!!).  Tough call.

P.P.S. Your home renovation tax credit seems like a joke, just thought… you know.

Dear the Dude,

If only you had a few simple requests to be amended to the budget, we’d be in much better shape – revised EI, investment in Canada’s green economy and renewable energy infrastructure.  Turbines won’t do much good if they can’t be hooked up to the grid.  And think of all the unemployed people that would cheer your efforts, these are your voters that you could help and completely clinch your spot on top.  Thousands by the day!

But instead you say that they’re on “probation”.  I wouldn’t have rejected it either, but this budget has been quoted as a mishmash with little focus and no big moves.  This was your chance to show strength, vision, and your priorities with just a few changes.  The Conservatives need to co-operate with you anyway to stay alive!  Why not take one for the Big Red?  Weak.  You almost had me.

Back to Green.  Baby Layton is disappointing, especially lately.  The more he stubbornly stays in this coalition mode, the more he alienates himself from his electorate.

New Doves and (not as) new Metric.

Listen to new single  here:

Doves – Jetstream

Manchester’s Doves release new LP ‘Kingdom of Rust‘ coming out very soon, and assuming will tour for the first time in 4 years (!!).   Been a massive fan starting circa 2001 with Last Broadcast – my first Doves loves.

Anyone hoping to learn anything about  inspired music production – musicians, budding engineers/producers, or gear/tone afficianados – they really owe it to themselves to hear at least a couple of records.  For production, go with Last Broadcast and Some Cities.  They use arrangement and stereo image unlike any other rock band I’ve heard – so artful and tasteful.

This new song is inspired by Blade Runner as they are evidently large fans.  The song fits the Blade Runner vibe really well, but the song disappointed me at first.  But comme d’habitude I am sticking with.

________________________________________________________

Listen to quasi-new single here:

Metric – Help I’m Alive

Metric has never really destroyed me but I’ve enjoyed many of their songs.  Live it Out was impressive as sophomore albums go.  Old World Underground was a nice fresh debut as well.

This song scratches me right where I itch – it’s no departure from their earlier songs but it’s so goshdarnitly hooky, the whole song is hook.  Mmmmuffins. So as long as the new record is different enough and well done I’ll give them a full on back pat.

Mad (Libs) Men.

Click here or on image ^^.  NreallySFW.  For fans of either Mad Libs union Mad Men.  That better be all of you, I’ve covered all possible bases.  You don’t need to have seen the show but it helps.

One of the better CollegeHumour skits I’ve seen. Sorry I can’t embed non-YouTube videos, free WordPress is verging on weak.

[via Videogum]

Kitchener will save the world?

Very cool article/video, thanks Paul.   Let’s cross our fingers that it works out, especially his patents.

Richard Willis, a Kitchener man has found a way to amplify/multiply the amount of power many times over using magnets in a custom-made unit.  So he could either be a crock or solve the world’s energy problems, just like that.

Turns out he got $1 million out of an investor on the CBC show “Dragon’s Den”.  Read the newspaper article here, video below.

Yes, even a sustainable wallet.

Made from recycled plastic and made into Tyvek, an ultra durable and paper-like plastic material.  All waste products are supposedly recyclable (both wallet and packaging), although I’ve heard that Tyvek is very hard to get recycled as not all municipalities accept it.  Pretty cool for people that don’t want a George Costanza wallet, so pretty much all of us.

Buy it here.

Socialism and driving.

from a very interesting Scientific American article:

“Conventional traffic engineering assumes that given no increase in vehicles, more roads mean less congestion. So when planners in Seoul tore down a six-lane highway a few years ago and replaced it with a five-mile-long park, many transportation professionals were surprised to learn that the city’s traffic flow had actually improved, instead of worsening”.

What traffic engineers have been finding that drivers that “selfishly” drive makes traffic suffer, and if travel was optimized by a group of drivers, a common path, everyone gets to their destination up to 30% faster. Maybe there’s still hope for destroying the Gardiner Expressway (or Montreal’s highway 720), making a green corridor and traffic congestion would actually decrease? I have a dream.

Read it here.

A letter sent to our Environment Minister.

Hello Mr. Prentice,

I am writing to express my profound concern in the current government’s choices to possibly scrap the Environmental Assessment Act.  I am assuming this is due to Mr. Harper’s hope to cut costs amidst this “economic crisis”, but the reality is clear.  This would allow projects to possess zero environmental accountability, and any imminent impact would simply be too late to fix properly.  One of the many great aspects of EA is its inherent obligation to use the precautionary principle – to study and investigate socio-cultural, environmental, and even cumulative impacts of a given undertaking and provide necessary means to ensure these impacts will not affect future populations.  I understand that by scrapping the regulation, this would quickly greenlight more oil sands and more resource extraction projects without much deliberation.  But how many pieces of evidence are needed to know that this is clearly a mistake?  At the very least, these resources should be extracted at responsible rates where impacts are closely studied.  Without regulation this would be even more ignored than it already is!  This could have major impacts on potable water, air quality, habitat, and affect species at risk.

I sincerely hope your administration considers your environmental choices seriously.  History perpetually points out that cuts and shortcuts lead to disastrous consequences.  This will be no different.

Thank you,

Mike Christie
Montreal, QC

Obama, clean coal, and nuclear.

Looks like fearmongering, but a good FYI:

I was looking more into coal and nuclear energy lately, and I feel Obama not fully pursuing nuclear is a really big blunder.  Haven’t heard any announcements yet and he had a big enviropolicy day today.  Canada is a bit ahead of US in hydro and nuclear but same goes for us too.  Supplies for uranium are available in the 10,000s of years, and waste products are overall safer than fossil fuels, believe me.  Yes there was Chernobyl, it killed 31 people directly and affected thousands more with secondary impacts and evacuation.  But many believe nuclear has really received a bad rap in people’s view.  Since, safety standards are extremely stringent and more imporantly, Please count the number of deaths related to plants burning fossil fuels.  Studies vary, but it’s at least in the thousands per year.  One study shows up to 30,000 a year but the debate continues between the environmental lobby and the industrial lobby, ie. both wrong sides.  Mainly lung cancer and other respiratory ailments.  Lots of info online if you’re curious.

Until we get to a place in the future that can safely rely on renewables for all of our energy needs, something is needed within our grasp that is the least impactful and proves itself as a reliable and increasingly safer alternative.

We have similar uranium deposits as the US, but these volumes are amongst the highest in the world. As you know, the US also has a population 10x greater than ours.  And how isn’t that a good economic option?  I am aware that startup costs for nuclear are high and that is a deterrent, but are clearly the better investment long term.  So yes, the bell of disappointment in politics encores.   Just no willingness to try foresight and proving your constituents right by simply explaining the benefits effectively.

Photos from the coal ash spill and environs from the NY Times.  I didn’t really hear about this much in the news a month ago, was the coal PR tag team back again? Whoomp there it is.

Photoshop adbusting.

Some nice “culture jamming” with some post-editorial addendums, as the kids call it.  At a subway platform in Berlin, DE justice style.

Viva viversity.

Nature on nature.  Albino moose found through my friend Breeinn.  Hot.

Saturday night: option 2.

My friend Chris went to something called IglooFest this weekend – an outdoor dance party in the middle of old Montreal in the dead of winter.  Trance and progressive housey by the sounds of it.  Balls (music and weather conditions).

Yesterday I looked into it and found YouTube videos.  Evidently it’s going on each weekend  this month, may have to go one evening when it’s warmer than -20.  I’m impressed how many people come out for it, well done.

Then I heard about this small little event called the NHL All Star Game.  Hm.