Watching: Most innovative use of a guitar

Ok, so it might seem as though I've gone Justin Sandercoe crazy but this really is a very clever and cool clip. Our Justin has been holding a "most innovative uses of a guitar" competition and this surely has to be the winner.



I like the quality of the animation, the stylistic nod to The Big Lebowski, the music and the particularly nice focus pull from the ball to the bowler.

WTFing: Compulsory employee microchipping is now illegal

I read the other day that California has passed a law that

would bar employers from requiring workers to have identification devices implanted under their skin

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good thing to ban - what I want to know is how society gets to a point where business might think that effectively branding employees might be considered an acceptable practice. Given that these rfid microchips could be used to track workers wherever they go, it's a horrendous proposition.

I'm also impressed by the fact that

Nine senators opposed the measure, including Bob Margett (R-Arcadia), who said it is premature to legislate technology that has not yet proved to be a problem. "It sounded like it was a solution looking for a problem," Margett said. "It didn't seem like it was necessary."

Of course, I wouldn't be expecting any similar kind of protection under Workchoices II if Howard wins the next election.

(Thanks to one of the commenters on the riot-act for this nugget)

Watching: Adam & Joe's Quizzlestick

Some of you may know that I've got a bit of a thing for quiz/game shows so you'll probably understand why I enjoyed this clip so much

Watching: Justin Sandercoe Guitar Lessons

I'm a bit crap at practising guitar - I've been playing on and off for around 20 years and there are probably only 4 and a bit tunes that I'm any good at.

(Greensleeves, some two finger classical piece, House of the Rising Sun, 12 bar blues and most of Heart of Gold)

I'm pretty happy to have found Justin Sandercoe's collection of how-to videos as they seem both useful and achievable. (And he has more than 60 up online so far - with supplementary printed notes)

This one I like in particular because it's a series of finger exercises you can use to increase speed, accuracy and strength of note-hitting.



Legend. Thanks.

Exploring: My Bookcase(Part 2)

Previously on Exploring: My Bookcase - Part 1 :)

This might not seem to meet the "book" requirement of bookcase but hey, it's the 21st century, it's all media.

You can see part of my Things to do folder just creeping into the shot on the left - I must say that I haven't cracked it open in the time since I mentioned it in the first post of this series - let's see if it gets a look before I reach the bottom right corner of the bookcase. (But don't hold your breath)



The first video is a copy of an slightly obscure film by Alex Proyas, director of I, Robot, Dark City, Garage Days and The Crow. It's called Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds.

I posted a review of this on IMDB a few years back (which I'd totally forgotten about until I was looking around for info - it was only when I got to the end of it that I realised that it was me :)

This film has some of the most beautiful imagery and haunting music ever. (Not to overstate it or anything) A three hander set in a post apocalyptic Oz outback (but one which is wildly more fantastical than Mad Max), Spirits of the Air tells the story of Smith, a stranger on the run who happens upon Felix and Betty, far into the desert.



All around them are amazing images of cars buried into the ground like totems, huge flags blowing madly in the desert wind and their house itself is of the old oz pioneer style but decorated everywhere with crucifixes. Felix is an inventor obsessed with flight and making a glider, an obsession which has already left him in a wheel chair. Betty is one of the truly great film characters, just an absolute tripper - I can't describe her but the performance is a delight.



This is not a fast film, it is not action packed but is intense - the imagery and art direction are beautiful, the writing is distinct and very Australian but still universal, the soundtrack is haunting (a lot of windsound montages with a simple tune used to great effect) and the performances are both real and surreal.

Until you see this film (and for those who have enjoyed the increasingly brilliant work of Alex Proyas, you really should) you won't know what you are missing.

(By the way, to the @$#%ing mongrel who stole my Japanese import copy of the soundtrack on CD may you be locked in a room with Betty for a very long time)

Being the slightly obscure fillum, it's been a bit of task finding any video clips - there's apparently a clip on Alex Proyas' Mystery Clock website but it doesn't seem to be working.




Next along the shelf is a video about the art of one of my all time favourite directors, David Lynch. (This is actually the dvd cover but you get the gist)

I couldn't find any clips for this either but here's something from his video-art-music thing Industrial Symphony. (I'll bang on about David Lynch a little more later)





Next up we have a video which is labelled Quince. Quince is kind of tropical fruit and it was also the nickname of a guy I once shared a house with. The tape has my appearance on the quiz/game show The Weakest Link. (which I've since digitised and put onto DVD).

Finally you can see a somewhat florid small picture frame - this came from my friend Mick's wedding - a somewhat interesting affair in a fairly full on Christian way - quite a few references to the wife being obedient to the husband and so on that seemed a little archaic but hey, if they're both happy with that then good on them I suppose. (Given that Mick and his family were expelled from the Exclusive Brethren when he was a kid, I guess it could have been a whole lot weirder)

Playing: songs for Monday Sunset

Got some tasty ear-candy for you this week - featuring three tracks from the awesome new Beasts of Bourbon album, new stuff from Beck, Love of Diagrams, I Heart Hiroshima and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment condensed into less than 3 minutes.

I Want You Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde 3:09
Timebomb Beck Timebomb 2:49
Baby I'm Burnin' Dolly Parton The Very Best Of 2:37
Heart Of Gold Johnny Cash Unearthed 2 3:01
Master And Slave Beasts Of Bourbon Little Animals 4:51
The Beast I Came To Be Beasts Of Bourbon Little Animals 2:14
New Day Of The Dead Beasts Of Bourbon Little Animals 5:17
Valerie The Zutons Tired of Hangin' Around 3:56
The Great Escape We Are Scientists With Love And Squalor 3:18
Kooks David Bowie Hunky Dory 2:53
Better Go Home Now Dirty Three Dirty Three 3:42
Surgery I Heart Hiroshima Tuff Teef 2:44
What Was I Supposed To Do? Love Of Diagrams Mosaic 2:57
Herculean The Good, The Bad And The Queen The Good, The Bad And The Queen 3:59
Same Frente! The Kids Who Kill For Sugar: Popboomerang Records 5th Birthday Sampler 2:49
Happiness' Border Youth Group Urban & Eastern 3:11
Mr Circle Fred Smith Bagarap Empires 3:47
Hot Rich Girls Dropped In A Grange (Gwen Stefani vs. Snoop Dogg vs. ZZ Top) Torero Best of Bootie 2005 4:28
Dirty Water Randall Blair And The Wedded Bliss Tattoos And Taillights 4:46
Heavenly Pop Hit The Chills Submarine Bells 3:28
Raskolnikov Soursob Bob Living In The Long Grass 2:57
I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor Sugababes Q: Best Of 86/06 2:44
Calypso Spiderbait Ivy And The Big Apples 1:51
My Baby's Man Vanlustbäder The People Versus Vanlustbader 1:40