28 July 2008

Still coming down

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/K/Knopfler_Mark/ConcertReviews/2008/07/19/6205721-sun.html


OTTAWA - As guitar gods go, it's hard to find one with less flash and celebrity polish than Mark Knopfler.

Dressed in jeans and black shirt without a feather boa in sight, he looked like one of the National Arts Centre's stagehands. An ordinary 58-year-old, working-class shlub out for a night at his local.

But when the former Dire Straits frontman strapped on his electric guitar -- one of eight he played throughout the night -- he transformed into a guitar superhero.
And what a transformation it was.

Unlike his Dire Straits MTV hit Money For Nothing, the one with the salty appraisal of flittery rockstars, "he get's his money for nothing and his chicks for free," Knopfler worked reasonably hard for his pay packet.

Backed by a veteran house band of multi-instrumentalists including piano-player Guy Fletcher, Glenn Worf on bass, drummer Danny Cummings, fiddler John McCusker and guitarist Richard Bennett, Knopfler did what any smart musical superhero does and kept a low profile early in the show. With a stack of vintage-looking Marshall amps and speakers behind him, he kicked things off with his honky-tonk Cannibals, Why Aye Man, the soothing ballad What It Is and Sailing to Philadelphia. All lovely Celtic settings for Knopfler's unmistakably spare solo guitar.



Here his performance was gorgeously deliberate, as if he was picking one note at a time out of the air.

Then, with a thick Maritime fog blowing across the Southam Hall stage, Knopfler went straight for the jugular with lots of subdued emotion on True Love Will Never Fade, The Fish and The Bird and two hits from his Dire Straits' days, Romeo and Juliet and the show-stopping Sultans of Swing, with a long stretch of guitar on which he really let it rip. Even if Knopfler sang as if he had a lozenge in his mouth, something akin to an occasional whisper, it was his guitar playing that was loud and fabulously articulate, and got the sold-out house cheering deliriously on their feet.

By then, Knopfler settled down to some serious big bad blues with Song for Sonny Liston and Marbletown before deadline beckoned me away from what was one of the best concerts of pure music-making you'll see at the NAC.

Pics at my flickr site : http://www.flickr.com/photos/mickiegirlca/sets/72157606256755286/

26 July 2008

Mechanically inclined, I'd say.

Daniel was trying to get out of doing the dishes, a job that would take all of five minutes.

Three ceiling fans have been sitting in the foyer in boxes for about three weeks. I did the dishes and he put together all three within an hour. Cool ! And I got the easy job ! :0)

25 July 2008

Remembering the quiet
is the hardest to let go of
next to knowing you aren't into me
or that's what you wanted me to believe
which i do

Trying not to listen
to good advice, to pay attention instead
to my own patchwork heart
until it's ready to move on
in it's own time
for it's own reasons

24 July 2008

"Someday Soon" - KT Tunstall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmjIyOV_e2Q

I think it's time to put myself away
Seek out a little silence
Close the doors and sit a while
Walk a little

And as I put my words away
The flow slows
See this penny in a stream
Picking it up is easy.

Follow the shape of it.
Jump in.
Swallow it whole.
Jump in.

Even though I know my way around
Possibly there's something new I found
Holding on for finding solid ground
Someday soon.
Someday soon.

I'll turn myself into the grass
And I'll grow
Take this space above my head
And live a little, little.

Gonna wear my feathered headdress
Like an Indian chief.
Gonna stretch out both my arms
I'm gonna test the temperature.

Follow the taste of it.
Jump in.
Swallow it whole.
Jump in.

Even though I know my way around (even though)
Possibly there's something new I found (possibly I, possibly I)
Holding on for finding solid ground (ohh..)
Even though I know my way around (even though)
Possibly there's something new I found (possibly I, possibly I)
Holding on for finding solid ground (ohh..)
Someday soon.
Someday soon.

Maybe walk a little
Someday soon.

22 July 2008

It's all about the music !

Two music-related websites / tools came across my radar this week :

WIRED: Top 10 music sites

A recent blog post in WIRED magazine provides a helpful top 10 list of the best music sites available. From learning how to play a guitar through online lessons via IVideosongs to using the MP3 music search engine available at SeeqPod, the article provides a wealth of information for anyone interested in music online.

I thought that Sellaband/SlicethePie was a really unique way for fans to invest in bands they see a future in :
"Once they reach a certain level of fan investment, bands on Sellaband and SlicethePie get to use a pool of their inverstors' money ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 to record and market an album. Not only do investors get a copy of that album, but they see a return on album sales and can trade shares in bands as they would a company's stock. well as bands /artists who want to promote or launch their music online "

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This one is just pure fun and games (and no one loses an eye !!!) Some songs are easier than others .... Sure, it's aimed at teens, but who cares ! LOL

LibraryStream: Musical Tag Clouds: A New Game?

Can you guess this song?Na? Yes, na. That’s a tag cloud of “Hey, Jude” by the Beatles. I was tinkering with tag clouds one evening last month and had the goofy urge to see what the song with more than one hundred nas at the end would look like as a tag cloud. I wasn’t disappointed. You simply can’t miss the na. Of course, hey and jude are pretty obvious, too.

That prompted me to think of a nerdy little game that teens (primarily) might enjoy. Suppose people created tag clouds of various popular songs and then challenged others to guess the tune from which they had sprung.

Can you guess this song?

Of course, some titles are so much a part of their songs — with the key words repeated (or in some cases, hammered) into our ears so frequently — that it’s hard to miss the cues among the tags. Take the classic rock song from the ’70s shown at right. That title is probably easy to pick out.

Can you guess this song? Or the (mostly) instrumental marching band anthem from the 1960s [left]. Its one word tag cloud is surely the simplest ever.


But we can make this game more challenging!

See if you can pick out these next two songs. You can click through to larger versions on my Flickr page if that would help. Can you guess this song?One song came from a major rock band and the other is a tune from an “American Idol” contender.

Does that give you a sense of the game? Here are two ideas I’d like to propose:

1. A game for library teens

If you have a teen group in your library, let them pick the songs (remembering, of course, that not all lyrics have PG ratings!), give them the tools*, and let them create their own tag clouds. Can you guess this song? If you want to add a scoring element, you might award 20 points for the correct song + 10 points for the singer + 10 bonus points for guessing both within 30 seconds.

Hang the tag clouds on the wall after they’re solved. The song was already musical art. Now the words are visual art!


2. A collection for all of us

I’ve created more than a dozen musical tag clouds already. You can find them in the Musical Tag Clouds set on my Flickr page. If you (or your patrons) create* more, post them to Flickr and tag them “MusicalTagClouds”. There’s also a Flickr group with the same name. Toss in a hint if you think it’s warranted. Over time, our global collection could grow incredibly large and varied. The images would be available for a solo challenge or a classroom game at the drop of a hat. How fun it will be to randomly choose among them and try to guess the songs.

—–

* There are many tag cloud generators on the Internet. I used Wordle for all of mine because of the colorful and playful clouds it produced. If you find something better, go for it. Just have fun! Or, as the Beach Boys might say:

Can you guess this song?


21 July 2008

Wishing Heart

"Wishing Heart" - Lisa Loeb


www.youtube.com/watch?v=Och4r3k2MvM


no teacher to follow, no prophet to tell me how,
but i know what i want, i know what i want now.
like water, it rushes,
it's the last thing you see when you close your eyes,
it's the one place you want to be.

but if it doesn't brush my shoulder, and it doesn't beat my heart,
that's not what i want, that's not where i will start.
i never kissed somebody so that they would break my heart,
that's not what i want.


if you don't know what you're missing
cause you don't know where to start,
follow your wishing heart.

i was restless,
i was restless,
i was restless,
i was restless.
i just want this to be good,
i just want this to be good.
but you don't understand,
you don't understand me, and i want to be understood.

but if it doesn't brush my shoulder,
and it doesn't beat my heart,
that's not what i want - no, that's not where i will start.
i never kissed somebody so that they would break my heart,
that's not what i want.

if we all leap before we crawl, we might fall,
and it's not always candy spun from head to heart,
and it's not always meant to be,
and it's not always up to me.

but if it doesn't brush my shoulder,
and it doesn't beat my heart,
that's not what i want, that's not where i will start.
i never kissed somebody so that they would break my heart,
that's not what i want.

if you don't know what you're missing,
cause you don't know where to start,
you don't know what you're missing,
follow your wishing heart.

19 July 2008

In The Sky





In The Sky - Mark Knopfler

Are you home from the sea, my soul balladeer
You’ve been away roaming far away from here
weathered a storm, your heart unafraid
crossed every ocean in the boat that you made

Been blowing your horn, scaring the spooks
No crotchets or quavers in your books
Gone sailing all night, straight in the vein
like a bird on his own flight in his domain in the sky

Running in on the tide with the first of the stars
the moon on the water and the sound of guitars
Glide into the homing as the night falls
to tie up in the haven by the old harbour wall

And the hard-bitten stranger as deaf as a post
who stands at the fire where a poet’s dreams roast
He can’t know the story, he can’t feel the pain
and all of the glory falls around him like rain in the sky

You’re a light in the dark, a beacon of hope
and strong as a sea boat, strong as a rope
And the vagabond wind, whispers over the bay
and the songs and the laughter, are carried away in the sky


True Love Will Never Fade



July 18, 2008 National Arts Centre, Ottawa

True love will never fade, x5


I wonder if there's no forever, no walking hand in hand
Down a yellow brick road to to never-never land
These days I get to where Im going, make it there eventually
Follow a trail of breadcrumbs to where im meant to be, to where Im meant to be

I don't know what brought you to me. that was up to you
So many come to see me who want their own tattoo
I fixed a needle in your holder, laid my hand upon your spine
there upon your shoulder I drew the picture as your sign

when i think about us i see the picture that we made
the picture to remind us
true love will never fade x4

I'm with the rowdies and day trippers, now and then I think of you
any which way were all shuffling, forward in the queue
they like to move my operation they like to get me off the beat
and I dream I'm on a steamer pulling out of here

when i think about us i see the picture that we made
the picture to remind us
true love will never fade x4







The Five Factor Personality Test



Your Five Factor Personality Profile



Extroversion:

You have high extroversion.
You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.
You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation.
Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!"

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.

A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.


17 July 2008

What it Is - Mark Knopfler



The drinking dens are spilling out
There's staggering in the square
There's lads and lasses falling about
And a crackling in the air
Down around the dungeon doors
The shelters and the queues
Everybody's looking for
Somebody's arms to fall into
That's what it is
It's what it is now

There's frost on the graves and the monuments
But the taverns are warm in town
People curse the government
And shovel hot food down
Lights are out in the city hall
The castle and the keep
The moon shines down upon it all
The legless and asleep

And it's cold on the tollgate
With the wagons creeping through
Cold on the tollgate
God knows what I could do with you
That's what it is
It's what it is now

The garrison sleeps in the citadel
With the ghosts and the ancient stones

High up on the parapet
A Scottish piper stands alone
And high on the wind
The highland drums begin to roll
And something from the past just comes
And stares into my soul

And it's cold on the tollgate
With the Caledonian Blues
Cold on the tollgate
God knows what I could do with you
That's what it is
It's what it is now
What it is
It's what it is now

There's a chink of light, there's a burning wick
There's a lantern in the tower
Wee Willie Winkie with a candlestick
Still writing songs in the wee wee hours
On Charlotte Street I take
A walking stick from my hotel
The ghost of Dirty Dick
Is still in search of Little Nell
That's what it is
It's what it is now
It's what it is
What it is now

15 July 2008

The Riddle

"The Riddle" - Five For Fighting

There was a man back in '95
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him

Wait, what's the sense in life
Come over me, Come over me

He said,

Son why you got to sing that tune
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see... You will see

Then he said,

Here's a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I...

Picked up my kid from school today

Did you learn anything cause in the world today
You can't live in a castle far away
Now talk to me, come talk to me

He said,

Dad I'm big but we're smaller than small
In the scheme of things, well we're nothing at all
Still every mother's child sings a lonely song
So play with me, come play with me

And Hey Dad
Here's a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I...

I said,

Son for all I've told you
When you get right down to the
Reason for the world...
Who am I?

There are secrets that we still have left to find
There have been mysteries from the beginning of time
There are answers we're not wise enough to see

He said... You looking for a clue I Love You free...

The batter swings and the summer flies
As I look into my angel's eyes
A song plays on while the moon is high over me
Something comes over me

I guess we're big and I guess we're small
If you think about it man you know we got it all
Cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball
And I love you free
I love you freely

Here's a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I...
More than anything else i used to want to discover your history
Like an archaeologist, layer by layer
But I unearthed something I wasn't expecting instead
A person I didn't know existed, cold, unfeeling
Now exhausted by it all, shattered but thankful for peace
Place and time to be still, fulfilled, no longer travelling with you

3 July 2008

Data Control & Social Networking: Irreconcilable Ideas?

Data Control and Social Networking: Irreconcilable Ideas?
Source: Law and the Future of Data Control (via SSRN)

The future of both law and technology will require reconciling users’ desire to self-disclose information with their simultaneous desire that this information be protected. Security of personal information and user privacy are potentially irreconcilable with the conflicting set of user preferences regarding information sharing behaviours and the convenience of using technology to do so. Social networking sites (SNSs) provide the latest and perhaps most complicated case study to date of these technologies where consumers’ desire for data security and control conflict with their desire to self-disclose. Although the law may provide some data control protections, aspects of the code itself provide equally important means of achieving a delicate balance between users’ expectations of data security and privacy and their desire to share information.

Several options available for retrieval of full text (PDF; 267 KB).

2 July 2008

Knopfler coming UP !!!

So so psyched !!!! I've been listening to alot of tracks from the Ragpicker's Dream these days and this song is one I listen to again and again ... It doesn't really make sense literally, but it speaks to me anyway somehow, I just get it.


Devil Baby

The freaks'll stay together
They're a tight old crew
You look at them
And they look at you
I love the ballyhoo girl
But she don't care
It's hard to find love anywhere
Hard to find love anywhere

The professor is the talker
He's the talking man
And if he can't clean a midway
Nobody can
He'll get the tip on in
From the midway mud
You gotta have the sawdust in the blood
Gotta have the sawdust in the blood

See the pig-faced man and the monkey girl
Come see the big fat lady
'Gator slim with the alligator skin
Come see the devil baby

Springer is the talker
He's the talking man
He's got the whole studio
Eating out of his hand
You can be on too
With the nuts and the geeks
Call 1-800-ima frek
1-800-ima frek

Be the pig-faced man or the monkey girl
Come be the big fat lady
'Gator slim with the alligator skin
Come be the devil baby





"It you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things."~Albert Einstein