Circadian Shift

I think we can safely file this moodboard under the "phoning it in" category:

Running a little low in the inspiration department, so once again I will run through some recent music acquisitions of mine. Most of it falls in the ambient/atmospheric vein, since I've been craving music that's a little more soothing to listen to, especially in the evenings.

Downloads from eMusic:

• Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place -- guitar-and-percussion-driven melancholy; you can download the song "Memorial" for free from Download.com
• E*Vax - Parking Lot Music -- soft, glitchy IDM; download "The Process of Leaving", once again free, courtesy of Download.com
• Moby - Ambient -- one of Moby's earlier works; like the title says, it's ambient
• Banco De Gaia - 10 Years -- a double-CD length compilation of global-fusion-electronica from the first decade of Banco de Gaia's career; you can download "Sinahala" and "Last Train to Lhasa" plus one other track for free from the Banco de Gaia website; also check out some tracks from 10 Years Remixed, which was released a year later
• NEU! - NEU! -- a landmark piece of early-70s Krautrock; I didn't know that Neu was founded by two early members of Kraftwerk, but you can hear the influence they had on the latter group's release Autobahn

I also bought one CD:

• Massive Attack - Collected -- downtempo trip-hoppy goodness; I must sheepishly admit that I missed the boat on these guys beforehand, so I'm now trying to catch up; read the review from Pitchfork here

BTW, the background image is courtesy of Mayang's Free Textures.

• Fifty Ways to Take Notes
  A surprisingly long collection of online tools/services for note-taking.
  (tags: tech info)
• DIY Jewel Case Frames: Wonderful Wall Art Faster than you can say Polar Bears!
  Neeeeat! (thanks, tbit.nu)
  (tags: visuals)
• Famous Sounds
  Widely recognizable synthesizer sounds that you've heard over and over.
  (tags: music audio visuals)
• Avoiding RSI
  a collection of tips and links from Google
  (tags: meta tech squishy)
• Sesame Street Video Clips
  stroll down memory lane with this jumbo list of links to videos hosted on YouTube
  (tags: visuals)
• The Virtues of a Second Screen
  hook up a second monitor to your PC
  (tags: tech)
• Google Cheat Sheets (Version 1.05)
  downloadable two page PDF lists all Google services and tools as well as background information
  (tags: info tech)
• Simply Google
  all of Google's tools and services, accessible from one page
  (tags: tech info)
• Healthy habits can help you stay sharp
  "There's no smart pill to ward off that age-related decline, but experts increasingly say that lifestyle factors such as physical activity, challenging hobbies and lots of friends or social engagements might help keep the brain more nimble and fit"
  (tags: meta squishy)
• U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76
  split up as a collection of 27 PDFs for download
  (tags: meta misc)
• Brain games aim to boost your IQ
  "Nintendo has sold nearly five million copies of its three Nintendo DS brain training games since the series launched in Japan a year ago."
  (tags: meta squishy)
• New technology may be changing the human brain
  "We need to listen to the expert warnings about the potential impact of digital communication on how people think and learn"
  (tags: meta squishy)

Today's code phrase is: "Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot."

I really need one of these mugs:

Meanwhile, fans of the CBC radio show Definitely Not The Opera will recognize this track:

• Bentley Rhythm Ace - "Bentley's Gonna Sort You Out"

Fun, fun, fun...

A good video for a rainy Sunday:

And you can download two Jesus and Mary Chain MP3s here for "Happy When It Rains" and "Just Like Honey".

Grey, cold, wet, damp, yucky... and that's just the weather.

Are those dummy heads depicted in the top photo of the middle column laughing or screaming? Could go either way. Which also sums up my week pretty well.

I don't have much to say that won't cause this post to devolve into a cheese sandwich entry, except to note that I really did have a grilled cheese sandwich and salad for brunch this morning.

Been neglecting the blog lately...

Here's a song that many of the music-bloggers have linked to already. I've heard it on dirtyradio once or twice, and I like it too:

• Ellen Allien & Apparat - "Do Not Break" (mp3, 7.19 MB) (courtesy of Orchestra of Bubbles)

It's a fun bit of electro, with a beat that dares you to defy the title.

Meanwhile, Freak Girl's Pew links to this quick list of Six Tips for Happiness.

And, just because, here is a drawing of a cute small rodent holding a giant cherry:

• Sleepless in Seattle and rest of U.S. too
  "Tens of millions of people are suffering fatigue-filled days and wakeful nights as television, the Internet and other distractions contribute to an escalating epidemic of sleeplessness in America, according to a major new government study."
  (tags: meta squishy)
• CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character
  "Watch out for people who have a situational value system, who can turn the charm on and off depending on the status of the person they are interacting with... Be especially wary of those who are rude to people perceived to be in subordinate roles."
  (tags: meta squishy biz)
• Ian's Shoelace Site - Shoelace Knots - How To Tie Your Shoes
  I still use the "Bunny Ears" techique...
  (tags: meta misc)
• Mindfulness: The practice of being "here"
  a collection of quotes from '43 Folders'
  (tags: meta squishy)
• Program forces Epson printers to use "empty" cartridges until they run out
  "This is a free program (apparently made in Russia?) that will allow you to actually use your Epson ink cartridges until they truly run out, vs when the digital management chip on it stops you and forces a replacement."
  (tags: tech)

Oops -- I'm late with the mood board.

Here's a fun activity to try:

1. Shortly before leaving work at the end of the week, put a bunch of paperwork in your bag and copy some files to your USB key.
2. Bring the bag and USB key home.
3. Leave the papers and USB key sitting in the bag all weekend.
4. Bring the papers and USB key back to work on Monday morning.
5. Repeat the following Friday. And the Friday after that (or, in the case of last week, repeat on Thursday).

D'oh! Yes, I'm freaking busy.

Have also been sleeping somewhat poorly, which occasionally leaves me spending my evenings being all twitchy and useless -- too awake to go to bed, but not awake enough to do anything constructive, like read or do laundry, or excavate The Hovel.

Blah, blah, blah...

• Yoko Ono - "Cut Piece" (1965)
  "Ono had first done the performance in 1964, in Japan, and again at Carnegie Hall, in New York, in 1965. Ono sat motionless on the stage after inviting the audience to come up and cut away her clothing, covering her breasts at the moment of unbosoming."
  (tags: visuals)
• Sex Pistols - "Anarchy in the UK"
  "The Sex Pistols (Glen Matlock Version) do 'Anarchy in The UK' on September 4th 1976 on the Granada TV show 'So It Goes'."
  (tags: visuals music)
• How to pull an all-nighter
  "...last but not least, don'€t be a wimp. You have to be hardcore. You want that all-nighter. You need that all-nighter. You will get that all-nighter, and then you will tear a phonebook apart with your teeth..."
  (tags: meta squishy misc)
• Sound Effect Libraries
  links to various resources; many are free
  (tags: audio)
• How I Work: Bill Gates
  Bill Gates talks about the tools he uses to work productively; check the popup photo gallery for tips from other high-flyers
  (tags: meta tech squishy info biz)
• How to Feel Miserable as an Artist
  things to avoid when pursuing any vocation (e.g. "Constantly compare yourself to other artists.")
  (tags: meta squishy biz)
• "Ca Plane Pour Moi" lyrics translated
  the French-language New Wave hit by Belgian artist Plastic Bertrand, demystified for you (thanx, waydownhere.net)
  (tags: music)
• StripGenerator
  Flash-powered DIY comic strip generator
  (tags: visuals)
• Milk bath - a photoset on Flickr
  poor kitty is *not* enjoying her time in the tub...
  (tags: visuals)

Death march (software development):

In the software development and software engineering industries, a death march is a dysphemism for a project that is destined to fail. Usually it is a result of unrealistic or overly optimistic expectations in scheduling, feature scope, or both

• What is a Death March Project and Why Do They Happen?
• Hell No! I Won't Go! - Avoiding Death March Projects
• No Means No! -- Letter to the Editor (American Programmer magazine) by Tom DeMarco
• The Death March Project: Are you managing the project from hell?
• Ending the Death March -- notes from a talk given by Alan Cooper to BayCHI

Aaaaaand, we're back. Sorry about yesterday's outage.

Another double-size board this week (click the one below to launch the full-size version in a popup).

Sometimes when things go wrong, they happen suddenly and the best you can do is hold tight and deal with it as well as you can. Sometimes you have a little more warning. And sometimes, you see something far off on the horizon that you don't like the looks of. Maybe it will come your way, maybe it won't, but you better start thinking about you're going to do if it happens.

Photos this week are once again from stock.xchng. The text is from the song "NY Excuse" by Soulwax, a track that I mentioned on last week's moodboard.

• Top Ten Desktop Diversions, 2006
  web-surfing diversions for office-monkeys, courtesy of 'Businessweek'
  (tags: meta tech misc)
• List of neologisms on The Simpsons
  "The Simpsons, an animated series, has used and coined many neologisms for humorous effect. The most famous example is Homer Simpson's signature annoyed grunt, "D'oh!" which has been listed in the Oxford English Dictionary"
  (tags: misc)
• Zen is Boring!
  "People long for big thrills. Peak experiences. Some people come to Zen expecting that Enlightenment will be the Ultimate Peak Experience. The Mother of All Peak Experiences. But real enlightenment is the most ordinary of the ordinary."
  (tags: meta squishy)
• Here’s Why: A sociologist offers an anatomy of explanations
  "Why? Because I said so!" and other conventions for explanations
  (tags: meta squishy)
• Coming clean
  "When (columnist) Jan Wong took a job as a maid to find out what it's like to live as a low-income Canadian, she worried that Globe readers would recognize her... she rarely saw her clients. But she learned surprisingly intimate things about them"
  (tags: meta biz)

I love these guys. Especially how they react when they're freaked out by something.

(Video and link blatantly stolen from bob, who had them on his site a month ago.)

• Up With Grups - The Ascendant Breed of Grown-Ups Who Are Redefining Adulthood
  "This is an obituary for the generation gap. It is a story about 40-year-old men and women who look, talk, act, and dress like people who are 22 years old. It's not about a fad but about a phenomenon that looks to be permanent."
  (tags: meta squishy)
• Survivor Bias and Improper Measurement: How the Mutual Fund Industry Inflates Actively Managed Fund Performance
  Kottke: "If a mutual fund company runs three funds, two of which do well, one of which does poorly, they will simply dissolve the underperforming fund... They now appear to have a purely successful record, with all their (current) funds performing well."
  (tags: biz)
• Constant Smiling Makes You Ill, Study Shows
  "People who have to smile all the time in their jobs are more likely to fall ill than others, according to a study."
  (tags: biz meta squishy)
• SeeTips: Best Freeware Guide
  many of these have already been mentioned on other "best freeware" lists, but there are a couple new ones here
  (tags: tech)
• Bore Me - At Work
  funny movies, pictures, sound files, etc. , all about working life -- the sort of the stuff that emailed/forwarded ad nauseam to offices everywhere
  (tags: visuals misc audio)

As far as putting together together a mood board for the week is concerned, this one is pretty much phoned in.

Not a lot to report, so instead I'll focus on some music that I've downloaded in the last six weeks or so using my eMusic subscription. This is all stuff that I've heard on dirtyradio.net.

• The Presets - Girl and the Sea -- occasionally sombre-sounding electro, with some funky bass licks; you can download the Cut Copy remix of "Girl and Sea" (MP3, 5.9MB), which is by far the catchiest track on the release
• Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak of it again -- dance punk goodness, reminiscent of Gang of Four; you can download "It's For You" for free, courtesy of Download.com
  
• Midwest Product - World Series of Love -- electronic, some tracks upbeat, others more laid back; you can download "Bank", a nice Kraftwerk-esque take on dayjob monotony, again courtesy of Download.com
  
• Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon Love -- low-key electro, featuring vocals tinged with irony; you can download "Future" for free from BetterPropaganda
• Colder - Heat -- sort of a Joy Division meets Kraftwerk thing, with some Japan thrown in for good measure
  
• !!! (Chk Chk Chk) - Louden Up Now -- actually, I'm not 100% sure I've heard !!! on dirtyradio, but I can credit Mr. GAK for introducing me to them via a mix CD that he and Graig put together a few years ago; you can download "Hello? Is This Thing On?" from BetterPropaganda
  

I also procured a few tracks à la carte:

• Rex the Dog - "Protoype (Original Mix)" and "We Live In Daddy's Car (12" Original Mix)" -- fun, robotic, old-school electro; you can download a MiniMix that Rex the Dog put together for BBC Radio 1 last year which has more old-school goodies in it (S'Express, anyone?); Rex the Dog MP3s are available for purchase at beatport (I've never used them, but they look OK)
• MU - "Paris Hilton" -- crazy, and oh so catchy; I've already linked to the video (QuickTime) for this tune; you can also download a lo-fi MP3 of the track (96 kbps, 3.87 MB)
• Soulwax - "E Talking" and "NY Excuse" -- more dance-punk; you can watch videos here (the one for "NY Excuse" is particularly recommended)
  

Thanks once again to Bleep.com for providing the sound widgets; not surprisingly, the tunes are available for purchase at Bleep (except for the !!! album, which is marked as "Currently Not Licensed For Sale In Canada".)