Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #85 (Sept 29)
A Marine Eco-Scilencer, Dal's lidar and 70 miles of yard sale.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

News

"Staff of the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax had to evacuate as high winds caused the building to sway and windows to vibrate." - CBC News on Hurricane Juan

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #84 (Sept 22)
Snakes in space, battling over a belt buckle and Beals-mania.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Music

Paul's Boutique Samples and References List

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #83 (Sept 15)
A candy bar, blood worms and dangerous mushrooms.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #82 (Sept 8)
�Map flap, bronze moose and the danger of the yo-yo ball.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #81 (Sept 1)
A failed hug, forest fire fines and a James Joyce musical.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #80 (Aug 25)
The office of African Nova Scotian Affairs opens, exploring Labrador's uranium deposits and Stompin' Tom closes the school house.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #79 (Aug 18)
Full Moon fever, trucking toxins and flying boulders.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Web

Speaking of math, Google is a calculator.

The Mathematics of Marriage

Wife's equation: w(t+1)=a+r1*w(t)+ihw[h(t)]

w= wife, h= husband, t= time a= a constant representing the wife's state of mind when she is not with her husband. r1*w(t)= represents how easy it is to change her state of mind when she is in conversation with her husband. ihw= "influence function" -- a measure of the influence that a husband's remarks have on his wife. h(t)= the husband's "score" during their 15-minute conversation. w(t+1)=how the wife has reacted to her husband's conversation -- the higher the number then the greater the likelihood of divorce

Husband's equation: H(t+1)=b+r2*h(t)+iwh[w(t)]

b= a constant representing the husband's state of mind when he is not with his wife. r2*w(t)= represents how easy it is for him to change his state of mind when he is in conversation with his wife. iwh= "influence function" -- a measure of the influence that a wife's remarks have on her husband. w(t)= the wife's score during their 15-minute conversation. H(t+1)= how the husband has reacted to his wife's conversation -- the higher the number then the greater the likelihood of divorce

[from the National Post]

Music

Sure Thing: Dimitri from Paris (Sunday at Velvet Olive)

The All Music Guide calls the sounds of Dimitri from Paris "ironic lounge, spiked with shots of electronic house." Rolling Stone said he "creates a universe that is as goofily coherent as it is infectious." Radio France Internationale describes it as "eclectic fusion of house beats and smooth French easy-listening sounds." Pitchfork Media said he "does kitsch better than most," but then went and confused him with DJ Dmitry from the one-hit wonders Deee-Lite. Identity crisis aside, this Turkish DJ honed his craft on the radio in France by pairing trendy beats with French singers like Julien Clerc, Etienne Daho and Richard Gotainer. Dimitri also crafted luscious soundtracks to fashion shows on the runways of Paris. His debut record, Sacre Bleu, was released in 1996 (1998 in North America) and crowned album of the year by MixMag. As a re-mixer, he was reworked tracks by Pizzicato Five, New Order and Bjsrk. With one foot in the boudoir and the one hand on the mixer, his latest achievements include a pair of Hefner-approved mix compilations entitled A Night at the Playboy Mansion in 2000 (part of the Respect is Burning series on Astralwerks) and the double CD After the Playboy Mansion, released last year. Anyway you spin it, the swinging sounds and snappy style of this acclaimed international playboy will be hitting Halifax's Velvet Olive this weekend. Expect to hear DFP's fresh French twist on dance music with a high probability of grooving and ample chances to chill. �Iain K. MacLeod (The Coast | Volume 11 Number 11)

E-list

For handy e-updates, join Yahoo! Groups : boostventilator.

Music

Solid Steel presents The Herbaliser: Herbal Blend

Film

Bubba Ho-Tep Trailer

Tech

"I think Macs threaten the livelihood of IT staffs. If you recommend purchasing a computer that requires only half the support of the machine it is replacing, aren't you putting your job in danger?" - Robert X. Cringely (I, Cringely)

TV

The Stellar Acting Career of Troy McClure

Music

2003 Long List of Nominees Announced for the Shortlist Music Prize

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #78 (Aug 11)
Recycling coal, arson in Dartmouth and stolen handguns.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Quote

"Our music generally appeals to children and retarded people," - Aaron Freeman a.k.a. Gene Ween (The Onion A.V. Club)

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #77 (Aug 4)
A convicted candidate, a bong and a pool of beer.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Music

"The record was designed so that if someone were to walk in the room and heard it playing at ANY volume they should ask you �what the hell are you listening to?��and then walk out. Ween doesn�t necessarily think that this will be the record that breaks them through at radio. Actually they could care less anymore---instead they plan on raping their core audience of fans who will buy just about anything they release. This includes 4 cd live albums that were recorded on cassettes. If that plan were to fail, Ween instead plan on trying to steal fans from the burgeoning �jam-band� scene, where they are becoming increasingly popular. So far people have been fooled, but no one�s sure how much longer it will last, because historically, Ween have managed to alienate themselves from just about everyone including their most die-hard fans at one time or another." - Sanctuary Records Group

Quote

"Students are revolting all over the world. I don't know what they're revolting about, I just know they're revolting." - Bob Hope during the protests against the Vietnam War (National Post).

Anyone know how many small children Mr. Hope indirectly killed in his 100 years?

Download

Presstube Animation Screensaver (Mac OS 8.x/OS 9.x/OS X)

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #76 (July 28)
Crime on the best island, the next Evil Knievel and mall rats in a Newfoundland park.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #75 (July 21)
PEI erased from the map, false positives in the NB West Nile case and dyslexic tax evasion in NS.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #74 (July 14)
Summer campaigns, bad moonshine and a cross controversy.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Film

Tenacious D to release The Masterworks on September 9th.

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #73 (July 7)
Canada Day commotion, horseplay on Fort Howe and new bumper cars at the amusement park.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #72 (June 30)
A whale of a grave, spanking the freshmen and the transatlantic journey of the Hipjoint.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Quote

"For every 10,000 people who have a drum machine and run things through a filter box, there's an Aphex Twin." - Jon Brion (The Onion AV Club)

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #71 (Jun 23)
Stealing from the elderly, a cyber serial killer and a couple dead whales.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Post

WeenAmp | MetaFilter

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #70 (Jun 16)
Less Liberals in NB, garbage bag-wearing felons in NL and a really old knife in NS.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

TV

"Ren is still an asshole, Stimpy is still retarded." - John K on Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon

Column

A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #69 (Jun 9)
Historic happenings, angry animals and booze bans.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Film: "I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny." - Roger Ebert on The Brown Bunny (National Post)

Event: Lebowski Fest (Louisville, KY)

Music: Radiohead's Hail to the Thief dissected over e-mail | Slate

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #68 (June 2)
Academics in the city, pigeons in the park and a car in the pizza parlor.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

CD Review: Various Artists (Mixed by the X-ecutioners), Scratchology (Sequence)
The X-ecutioners crew (DJs Roc Raida, Rob Swift and Total Eclipse) successfully mix early influences in this brief turntable history lesson and welcome addition to the Sequence Records Series (which includes entries by Dan The Automator and Tony Touch). Even if you have some of the tracks already (like "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" and Herbie Hancock's "Rockit"), they are given new life alongside rarer tracks by DJ Cash Money & Marvelous Marvin, Davy DMX and Mixmaster Gee & The Turntable Orchestra. There are also several interesting interludes and a healthy dose of Roc Raida's ego ("I'll Kick Ya Ass"). - Iain K. MacLeod

from Mixed Messages | The Coast - Halifax's Weekly (May 29 - June 5, 2003)

TV: The return of Ken Finkelman's series The Newsroom

Post: Trailer Park Boys | Metafilter

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #67 (May 26)
Forest fires, criminal cops and misrepresentative maps.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Film: "I apologize to the financiers of the film, but I must assure you it was never my intention to make a pretentious film, a self-indulgent film, a useless film, an unengaging film." - Vincent Gallo on his L'Affaire Brown Bunny (Chicago Sun-Times)

Film: "In one of the funniest gags he conjures a monkey that emerges head first from the posterior of a thug who beat him up a couple of days earlier." - Stephen Holden on Bruce Almighty (New York Times).

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #66 (May 20)
Crustaceans, convicts and the Canadian Navy.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Music: I just downsized Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac into one single CD (Kid Amnesiac?). While I do like both albums, I think there is a little experimental, self-indulgant filler on both that can easily be shaved. I actually think it was NME or Q that did this before, but I thought I would give it a crack seeing as the new CD is quickly approaching. The only real pattern is ordered them by feel and then alternated tracks from the two discs. Here is my track listing (subject to change without notice):

01. Like Spinning Plates
02. Morning Bell
03. Knives Out
04. The National Anthem
05. I Might Be Wrong
06. Idioteque
07. Packt Like Sardines in A Crushd Tin Box
08. Everything In It's Right Place
09. Dollars & Cents
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack (edited to 3:16 minutes)
11. Pyramid Song
12. Optimistic
13. You And Whose Army?
14. How To Disappear Completely
15. Morning Bell/Amnesiac

Total time: 67:22

Next up: The Beatle's White Album (inspired by this).

Column: A to Z: Atlantic News Perspective #65 (May 13)
Sunday shopping, bonding with billets and cussing in the House of Commons.
By: Iain K. MacLeod

Quote: "Eminem was fine with me having the parody on my album but said he was afraid that a Weird Al video might detract from his legacy, that it would somehow make people take him less seriously as an important hip-hop artist." - Weird Al Yankovic (Launch)