Soundtrack in my head: Orbital, "Illuminate" I never followed Orbital's career that closely. The electronic dance music band, consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnell, have put together quite an extensive catalog of music over the last quarter century. I have a compilation of their releases called Orbital 20. Their music is sometimes harsh and … Continue reading Orbital + David Gray = warmth in an alien world
ef2 tornado strikes madison, ef3 tornado strikes verona
Soundtrack in my head: Game Theory, "Crash Into June" Tornado warning (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Around midnight Tuesday morning, a number of us discovered that our mobile phones were producing sounds that we'd never before heard. They sounded either like the horn on an ambulance, or a high-pitched noise accompanying a TV test pattern. The tone … Continue reading ef2 tornado strikes madison, ef3 tornado strikes verona
new internet discovery: Noosa, “Walk On By”
Soundtrack in my head: Noosa, "Walk On By (Sound Remedy Remix)" A new internet discovery has given me a new favorite song. At some point while on YouTube, I stumbled across this video showing time-lapse scenes of life in Madison. The time-lapse filming is incredible in and of itself but what blew me away was … Continue reading new internet discovery: Noosa, “Walk On By”
take back your online privacy without asking
Today, on the first anniversary of the first article about NSA mass spying, a number of organizations and Internet companies are promoting ways to take back your online privacy *now,* without asking the government. The idea--many security tools exist to limit and frustrate the ability of the NSA to collect your personal information. More details … Continue reading take back your online privacy without asking
Lyft and Uber: 20% tech, 80% talk, and 100% invasive species
Soundtrack in my head: They Might Be Giants, "Don't Let's Start" vainodesositis / Pixabay How would you feel if a new company set up shop in your town and immediately proceeded to start breaking the city's laws? And when threatened with enforcement of such laws declared that your laws were outdated and needed to be … Continue reading Lyft and Uber: 20% tech, 80% talk, and 100% invasive species
New Wave was not meant to be played on a punk tape
Soundtrack in my head: Missing Persons: "Mental Hopscotch" CBGB club facade, Bowery St, New York City. Photograph by Adam Di Carlo, taken 10/1/2005. Image uploaded to Wikipedia by the author. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) In my pre-teens and early teens, the word "New Wave" was thrown around a lot. I remember a radio commercial for Maxell … Continue reading New Wave was not meant to be played on a punk tape
Union Cab made a worker’s paradise and filled a parking lot with big yellow taxis
About five months ago I started a new job at Union Cab of Madison. As a graduate student, I sought a job with flexible hours that I could enjoy and take some pride in. So when I found out that Union Cab was hiring, I jumped at the chance to drive one of their big … Continue reading Union Cab made a worker’s paradise and filled a parking lot with big yellow taxis
let’s get free in the new year
Soundtrack in my head: Major Lazer w/Amber Coffman "Get Free" It's a new Baha'i year--year 171. As has become a tradition on this blog, I have selected a music video which moves me deeply and gets me thinking as the new year begins. This year, I have selected Major Lazer's "Get Free" featuring singer Amber … Continue reading let’s get free in the new year
Quilt–a psychedelic folk-rock patchwork minus the cliche
Soundtrack in my head: Quilt, "Arctic Shark" I stumbled upon the band Quilt on while following the Mexican Summer YouTube channel. I like a lot of music that has been released through the Mexican Summer label. Psychedelic rock has been very influential in my musical tastes. The genre reached a peak the year I was … Continue reading Quilt–a psychedelic folk-rock patchwork minus the cliche
internet censorship: brought to you by your internet service provider
On 14 January 2014, a federal court ruling paved the way for internet censorship. Service providers such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, and others can which websites you can and can't access and which apps you can and can't use. This was in response to a legal challenge filed by Verizon last fall in which it … Continue reading internet censorship: brought to you by your internet service provider