February 2009
43 posts
Cory Doctorow on music downloads →
Typical Doctorow fare, but it’s difficult to disagree with him. I think most music listeners would be happy to pay for their music if they thought the deal between them, the artists and the labels…
links for 2009-02-28 →
Are terrorists stupid? →
Excellent article, full of links to other excellent articles. Broadly, yes they are, and not only that, but they don’t even know what they want to achieve and when they do, don’t achieve it.
Terry Sanderson: Look into deeper into these... →
Great bit of work. Not to say that discrimination doesn’t happen, but in all of these stories the truth has been distorted beyond recognition.
links for 2009-02-27 →
Lengthy article on the making of The Godfather in... →
Do interesting films always have interesting stories about their making, or are they added retrospectively by dewy-eyed people who think there should be a good story attached to them?
“Men are only as good as their technical development allows them to be.” George Orwell, ‘Charles Dickens’
links for 2009-02-25 →
“Gratitude is merely a lively expectation of favours to come.” Antony Jay & Jonathan Lynn, Yes, Minister
Mark Vernon on persecution and getting on with... →
And a very balanced and well-written article it is too. Fundamentalism is always about forcing others to your point of view, and claiming to feel ‘persecuted’ and ‘offended’ is a key tool of that…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-2-22) →
Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant, and Karl Pilkington (6)
Thom & Michael (5)
Esbjörn Svensson Trio (5)
The Charlatans (4)
Bpa (4)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by …
links for 2009-02-20 →
Yay! Someone else who doesn't like the Stone... →
I really couldn’t agree more (and I actually rather like their much-maligned second effort).
links for 2009-02-19 →
Drumming legend Tony Allen teaches Tim Jonze how... →
Well, he tries a bit anyway. Amazing drummer.
India Knight on Anonymous Internet Commenting →
A well-written and well-balanced article that even namechecks the wonderful Martin Belam at Currybet. I still feel that internet commenting is pointless and broken beyond repair. It works for a blog…
links for 2009-02-17 →
Charlie Brooker on the Noel's HQ Rant →
Actually, I’d go further. Although clearly my sympathies lie with the injured man, I don’t think his misfortune gives him carte blanche to build what he wants where he wants, and it’s definitely not…
“You will never make friends unless you like everyone genuinely. Oh well, I’m fucked then aren’t I?” Thom Yorke
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-2-15) →
Guardian Unlimited (6)
Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant, and Karl Pilkington (5)
Beirut (4)
The Temptations (4)
Tom Cochrane & Red Rider (3)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr…
links for 2009-02-14 →
Clearing out the house after his father's murder →
An amazing bit of writing. Sad and moving.
The myth of the concentration oasis →
Great blog post which explains how the people that constantly write articles bemoaning how difficult it is for us now we have distractions like email and twitter have absolutely no idea what life was…
links for 2009-02-12 →
“As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities.” Charles Darwin
Phantom Corsair →
I dunno, I find a car that I like and would consider learning to drive in order to own, and they only make one of the things. In the 30s.
links for 2009-02-11 →
“The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure much.” William Hazlitt, Common Places
Tom Sutcliffe: Confused? You will be in this drugs... →
An excellent dissection of the hysterical bullshit paraded around when someone with intelligence has the temerity to suggest that some drugs aren’t as dangerous as the tabloids think they are. Damn…
links for 2009-02-10 →
“We are always living in the final days. What have you got? A hundred years or much, much less until the end of your world.” Neil Gaiman
Bystander on the pointlessness of increasing... →
Although he puts it much more succinctly, the fact is that if you are so brain-chunderingly stupid to engage in such behaviour, the last thing you’d be thinking about is the possibility of a stronger…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-2-8) →
Beirut (12)
Guardian Unlimited (5)
The Temptations (4)
BBC Radio 4 (3)
Aeroplane (2)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
links for 2009-02-07 →
Playing The Beatles Backwards: The Ultimate... →
A countdown from the worst to the best Beatles songs. Of course, there’s a lot to dispute here, but it’s an interesting idea.
“If an animal does something, we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason, we call it intelligence.” Will Cuppy
links for 2009-02-03 →
“Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.” Mark Twain
Where the fuck do ideas come from? →
Some great stuff here from a Ze Frank ‘show’ pointing out that actually, doing something badly is better than not doing it at all until you have to do it perfectly. If that makes sense. He explains…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-2-1) →
Beirut (37)
Katalyst (29)
Animal Collective (9)
Arthur Russell (6)
M83 (5)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz