To find a text in a subdirectory, do something like:
grep '192.168.1.1' /etc -d recurse
if you're looking for '192.168.1.1' in the /etc directory
How come I never found this in cygwin's "grep --help" but it actually
works?
Friday, 30 June 2006
Recursive Grep in a subdirectory
Wednesday, 28 June 2006
Australian Copyright "Reform" - yet another reason to say, "Fuck you Mr Philip Ruddock!"
Yes, it's kinda late but it's another case of me not following my gut instinct and posting immediately when an issue comes out.
This shows the sheer idiocy of this recent "reform" they've made to Australian copyright law. We have laws being modified to supposedly take into account things people have been doing normally for the past thirty fucking years, so why has it all been so half-assed?
Yes, it will now be legal to record TV shows on that 20-year old VCR you've had, BUT YOU CAN ONLY WATCH IT ONCE. Keeping those recordings to watch again on the weekend or anytime in the future is now definitely illegal. You can't even record something for a friend then give it to them without watching it. You can, however, invite your friend over to watch it. Goddamn.
How nice of them to not mandate an audience headcount or eyeball limit. I can just imagine that fervent consumer advocate Philip Ruddock heatedly arguing against the copyright assholes pushing for a 2-eyeball limit to viewing of recorded TV programs. Otherwise, me and my friend might have to wear eyepatches to be able to legally watch last night's episode of OC. (Damn - just noticed that Marissa's mom is *hot*)
Yes, you can now encode songs to transfer to your iPod. This is supposedly in recognition of that practice called "format shifting". Shit, how nice to have certainty for mp3 players that have been around for almost a decade.
But why this inconsistency? It's illegal to encode a movie from a DVD you own to your video iPod or any other portable video player (AOPVP).
HOWEVER, if you have a copy of the same movie in VHS, and are tenacious enough to go through the dumbfuck torturous rigamarole of bending over, putting your right middle index finger in your asshole and then pulling it out, then reaching over your back, putting it into your left ear, and whatever the hell else you have to do to encode it into a format viewable on said video iPod or AOPVP, well, hell yeah, that's all legit.
Encode video from digital source: bad. Encode video from crappier, almost obsolete "analogue"(?) format: okay. Why all this fuss on where the source video comes from?
The fact is, no matter where it comes from, the video gets encoded via a shitload of lossy compression, removing a helluva lot of information that isnt going to be noticeable when viewed on a 2.5" screen. And once it's in that smaller, re-encoded format - there is absolutely no way you can make pirate DVDs from these.
And you can't make backups of your CDs and DVDs. No sireee. Fair use provisions under US Copyright Law allow this in America. But in Australia? Nah.
Can you make mix-CDs just to play in the car or at a party? Absolutely not, if it's going to be an audio CD. If it's a compilation of mp3s however, it's okay. If you "format-shift", then it's fine.
But this also means you can still make backups of your CDs as long as they end up in another format. If you use a lossless audio format however, then you retain all the digital information from the original CD. Save the entire CD as one huge WAV file? Legit.
But a better way would be to use a format that is non-lossy and compressed. Something like FLAC - Free Lossless Audio Codec. You can use software like EAC and the FLAC encoder to rip the songs off the CD, then burn them to backup. Some postings I've seen talk about encoding it all to a single FLAC image and using a cue-sheet to retain track information, using tools like FlackAttack
Here's a posting detailing the encoding process, and burning the CD from FLAC.
Not as convenient as a straight-out CD copy, but entirely within the law.
This shows the sheer idiocy of this recent "reform" they've made to Australian copyright law. We have laws being modified to supposedly take into account things people have been doing normally for the past thirty fucking years, so why has it all been so half-assed?
Yes, it will now be legal to record TV shows on that 20-year old VCR you've had, BUT YOU CAN ONLY WATCH IT ONCE. Keeping those recordings to watch again on the weekend or anytime in the future is now definitely illegal. You can't even record something for a friend then give it to them without watching it. You can, however, invite your friend over to watch it. Goddamn.
How nice of them to not mandate an audience headcount or eyeball limit. I can just imagine that fervent consumer advocate Philip Ruddock heatedly arguing against the copyright assholes pushing for a 2-eyeball limit to viewing of recorded TV programs. Otherwise, me and my friend might have to wear eyepatches to be able to legally watch last night's episode of OC. (Damn - just noticed that Marissa's mom is *hot*)
Yes, you can now encode songs to transfer to your iPod. This is supposedly in recognition of that practice called "format shifting". Shit, how nice to have certainty for mp3 players that have been around for almost a decade.
But why this inconsistency? It's illegal to encode a movie from a DVD you own to your video iPod or any other portable video player (AOPVP).
HOWEVER, if you have a copy of the same movie in VHS, and are tenacious enough to go through the dumbfuck torturous rigamarole of bending over, putting your right middle index finger in your asshole and then pulling it out, then reaching over your back, putting it into your left ear, and whatever the hell else you have to do to encode it into a format viewable on said video iPod or AOPVP, well, hell yeah, that's all legit.
Encode video from digital source: bad. Encode video from crappier, almost obsolete "analogue"(?) format: okay. Why all this fuss on where the source video comes from?
The fact is, no matter where it comes from, the video gets encoded via a shitload of lossy compression, removing a helluva lot of information that isnt going to be noticeable when viewed on a 2.5" screen. And once it's in that smaller, re-encoded format - there is absolutely no way you can make pirate DVDs from these.
And you can't make backups of your CDs and DVDs. No sireee. Fair use provisions under US Copyright Law allow this in America. But in Australia? Nah.
Can you make mix-CDs just to play in the car or at a party? Absolutely not, if it's going to be an audio CD. If it's a compilation of mp3s however, it's okay. If you "format-shift", then it's fine.
But this also means you can still make backups of your CDs as long as they end up in another format. If you use a lossless audio format however, then you retain all the digital information from the original CD. Save the entire CD as one huge WAV file? Legit.
But a better way would be to use a format that is non-lossy and compressed. Something like FLAC - Free Lossless Audio Codec. You can use software like EAC and the FLAC encoder to rip the songs off the CD, then burn them to backup. Some postings I've seen talk about encoding it all to a single FLAC image and using a cue-sheet to retain track information, using tools like FlackAttack
Here's a posting detailing the encoding process, and burning the CD from FLAC.
Not as convenient as a straight-out CD copy, but entirely within the law.
Monday, 19 June 2006
And this just in from the Insights newsdesk...
The Japanese are into cute things:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/06/18/1150569208424.html?from=top
5
NOOOOO, really??
Friday, 16 June 2006
Sixpence None the Wiser - Keys Me
I never knew this song was also about Charles Barkley.
According to the comments on YouTube this is a Filipina starlet with a stagename of Alyssa Alano, from the Viva Hotbabes group.
Almost as funny is the angsted comments from some Filipinos on the site, ranging from "this is a disgrace to the race, for shame!", to "oh, how could you do this to our country, we'll never get those IMF loans now!" Lighten up doodz. If there's one thing Pinoys excel at, it's making fun of our own. Which makes me wonder if the reaction would be worse if the person posting the video wasn't Pinoy.
Tuesday, 30 May 2006
macdaily: Microsoft wants to replace JPEG with Windows Media Photo
scary....
Microsoft wants to replace JPEG with Windows Media Photo
Thursday, May 25, 2006 - 12:46 PM EDT
Microsoft has spent their time and money creating something "useless," Justin Powell writes for The NET Results Blog. It's a new digital photo format called "Windows Media Photo."
"In case the folks in Redmond weren't aware, we already have JPEG for Internet and consumer applications, plus RAW and TIFF for professional applications. Adobe Systems even threw their hat in the ring to create the Digital Negative (DNG) format for digital cameras and professional imaging workflows and lest we forget the essentially defunct PhotoCD format from Kodak. There's also other raster image formats with varying degrees of usefulness: GIF, BMP, PICT, etc.," Powell writes.
"I'm not exactly sure why Microsoft believes we needed another digital image format. I haven't personally heard anyone complaining about the
available formats or begging for Microsoft to step in and save them. Could it be that Microsoft didn't control these other formats and likewise couldn't make them exclusive to Windows users? Microsoft's new Windows Media Photo will work in Vista and XP, but there's no mention of making the format available to older versions of Windows or other operating systems," Powell writes. "Microsoft calls the overall functionality 'digital memories,' but they didn't mention that you'll forget everything if you switch to a non-Microsoft product. No thanks, I'll stick with JPEG and RAW."
Microsoft wants to replace JPEG with Windows Media Photo
Thursday, May 25, 2006 - 12:46 PM EDT
Microsoft has spent their time and money creating something "useless," Justin Powell writes for The NET Results Blog. It's a new digital photo format called "Windows Media Photo."
"In case the folks in Redmond weren't aware, we already have JPEG for Internet and consumer applications, plus RAW and TIFF for professional applications. Adobe Systems even threw their hat in the ring to create the Digital Negative (DNG) format for digital cameras and professional imaging workflows and lest we forget the essentially defunct PhotoCD format from Kodak. There's also other raster image formats with varying degrees of usefulness: GIF, BMP, PICT, etc.," Powell writes.
"I'm not exactly sure why Microsoft believes we needed another digital image format. I haven't personally heard anyone complaining about the
available formats or begging for Microsoft to step in and save them. Could it be that Microsoft didn't control these other formats and likewise couldn't make them exclusive to Windows users? Microsoft's new Windows Media Photo will work in Vista and XP, but there's no mention of making the format available to older versions of Windows or other operating systems," Powell writes. "Microsoft calls the overall functionality 'digital memories,' but they didn't mention that you'll forget everything if you switch to a non-Microsoft product. No thanks, I'll stick with JPEG and RAW."
The pain of mp3 metadata cleanup
I have spent at least two weeks already trying to tidy up all my mp3 files before loading up everything back to my iPod. And it's still not finished.
The main issues I've had relate to metadata and file formats. Such as:
1. incomplete metadata. In a lot of cases the only information available is the filename, which always has the artist and song title, but occasionally has instances of track number, album title and genre. I've started using the excellent mp3tag, which has the "filename to tag" function, allowing metadata fields to be filled in based on information in the filename. Just right-click on the file, select the function you want (it also does "tag to filename", etc), select or enter the format of the filename info (eg, "%artist% - %track% - %title%"), then it will fill in the relevant fields. It works not just on mp3, but also on m4a, and FLAC formats.
2. inconsistent information. In some cases it can be as simple as some files missing a '.' at the end of the name, ie, N.E.R.D vs N.E.R.D. In some cases some files in the same album are tagged with a different genre. Or some, but not all files have a particular field filled in.
3. audiobook mp3s not identified as audiobooks by itunes/ iPod. This could be just because I've been to lazy to actually read up on the iPod documentation - which is probably in the CD that came in the iPod box - but I didn't know that your files need to end in *.m4b so iPod treats them as audiobooks and excludes them from any song shuffling that might occur. I've just been putting up with getting the occasional audiobook track mixed in when I select Shuffle Songs and just clicking to the next song. The problem is, the audiobooks I have are in mp3 format. So I need to convert them to AAC, then rename their file extension to *.m4b.
The main issues I've had relate to metadata and file formats. Such as:
1. incomplete metadata. In a lot of cases the only information available is the filename, which always has the artist and song title, but occasionally has instances of track number, album title and genre. I've started using the excellent mp3tag, which has the "filename to tag" function, allowing metadata fields to be filled in based on information in the filename. Just right-click on the file, select the function you want (it also does "tag to filename", etc), select or enter the format of the filename info (eg, "%artist% - %track% - %title%"), then it will fill in the relevant fields. It works not just on mp3, but also on m4a, and FLAC formats.
2. inconsistent information. In some cases it can be as simple as some files missing a '.' at the end of the name, ie, N.E.R.D vs N.E.R.D. In some cases some files in the same album are tagged with a different genre. Or some, but not all files have a particular field filled in.
3. audiobook mp3s not identified as audiobooks by itunes/ iPod. This could be just because I've been to lazy to actually read up on the iPod documentation - which is probably in the CD that came in the iPod box - but I didn't know that your files need to end in *.m4b so iPod treats them as audiobooks and excludes them from any song shuffling that might occur. I've just been putting up with getting the occasional audiobook track mixed in when I select Shuffle Songs and just clicking to the next song. The problem is, the audiobooks I have are in mp3 format. So I need to convert them to AAC, then rename their file extension to *.m4b.
Thursday, 25 May 2006
Interesting linkies
Stateful programmatic web browsing in Python -
http://wwwsearch.sourceforge.net/mechanize/
Using Wikipedia and the Yahoo API to give structure to flat lists -
http://www.hackdiary.com/archives/000070.html
Building bubble up folksonomies -
http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2005/09/how_to_build_on_bubbleup_folk
sonomies.shtml
Yahoo Term Extraction Service -
http://developer.yahoo.com/search/content/V1/termExtraction.html
Constructing Web Services with the Globus Toolkit (grid related) -
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/10/19/constructing-web-services-
with-globus-toolkit.html?page=1
Tuesday, 23 May 2006
Okay, let us start collating our linkies
Til Opera is able to export a session and save it online somehow, I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way.. create a blog entry for the links.
Top 10 OSS Games you've never played - http://akaimbatman.intelligentblogger.com/wordpress/
So maybe Al Gore did kinda invent the Intarweb - http://www.sethf.com/gore/
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060518/sheffield_01.shtml
Kinda like serverside.com - Info Q
The latest thing to catch my fancy - Self help stuff ala-Anthony Robbins and subliminal messages. Yay
I still haven't been able to download the damn thing - but Starlords is just geek dream come true -- LOTR AND STAR WARS mashup
BBC Podcasts
Google Video Top 100 -- check out Alizee at - -arrrgh!! I think she's dropped out of the list.. anyway, find her stuff at http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=alizee
Interesting essay about contemporary design - much noise signifying nothing - kinda like what happened to surrealism, which was originally rooted in the subconscious. But now everyone's a surrealist!
Clean up that metadata before loading your iPod! You won't regret it and mp3 tag is one of the best
While you're at it, add some cover art to your albums as well.
Additional iPod linkies - http://www.gudlyf.com/2004/08/19/obscure-ipod-audiobook-issue/, ripping audiobooks, converting audio formats, importing audiobooks. I should really read the iPod instructions one of these days. At least set it up so Richard Clarke doesnt intrude on your shuffled songs, dude! "President Bush and Condi Rice stood in the Oval Office..." -- bla bla... Aaaargh! really destroys the mood you've just gotten into after hearing The Cramps' "She Said".
Gad. Doncha hate it when geeks start posing like they're in GQ? Those WROX Books set a baaaad example!! I hope O'Reilly never ever gets rid of the animal line drawings. =)
Someday, I will fill in this big gap of blog posts between February and May, when a lot actually did happen to me, including:
Of course, these are in no order at all, and are just the first things to pop into my head!
Okay, time to go. This will make sense later, after much editing.
Top 10 OSS Games you've never played - http://akaimbatman.intelligentblogger.com/wordpress/
So maybe Al Gore did kinda invent the Intarweb - http://www.sethf.com/gore/
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060518/sheffield_01.shtml
Kinda like serverside.com - Info Q
The latest thing to catch my fancy - Self help stuff ala-Anthony Robbins and subliminal messages. Yay
I still haven't been able to download the damn thing - but Starlords is just geek dream come true -- LOTR AND STAR WARS mashup
BBC Podcasts
Google Video Top 100 -- check out Alizee at - -arrrgh!! I think she's dropped out of the list.. anyway, find her stuff at http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=alizee
Interesting essay about contemporary design - much noise signifying nothing - kinda like what happened to surrealism, which was originally rooted in the subconscious. But now everyone's a surrealist!
Clean up that metadata before loading your iPod! You won't regret it and mp3 tag is one of the best
While you're at it, add some cover art to your albums as well.
Additional iPod linkies - http://www.gudlyf.com/2004/08/19/obscure-ipod-audiobook-issue/, ripping audiobooks, converting audio formats, importing audiobooks. I should really read the iPod instructions one of these days. At least set it up so Richard Clarke doesnt intrude on your shuffled songs, dude! "President Bush and Condi Rice stood in the Oval Office..." -- bla bla... Aaaargh! really destroys the mood you've just gotten into after hearing The Cramps' "She Said".
Gad. Doncha hate it when geeks start posing like they're in GQ? Those WROX Books set a baaaad example!! I hope O'Reilly never ever gets rid of the animal line drawings. =)
Someday, I will fill in this big gap of blog posts between February and May, when a lot actually did happen to me, including:
- Philippines Trip, BenC's wedding, getting drunk for the 2nd time in my life (though didnt get photos of myself)
- Girlie and Jasmine going home (wah!) and hopefully coming back later this year or next year
- getting my wisdom teeth out, surviving on porridge and pumpkin soup for the first 4 days
- reassembling and slightly upgrading my PC
- oh, almost losing my hard drive and all my goddam photos
- major RAID plans for the new PC, as a result of the hard drive scare
- had the degustation dinner at Quay restaurant for my birthday
- then Billy Kwong's for Lani's last nite (we got postponed last week as they were closed for a private function)
- making the move to ADSL2+ and getting a 10x jump in bandwidth
Of course, these are in no order at all, and are just the first things to pop into my head!
Okay, time to go. This will make sense later, after much editing.
Tuesday, 7 February 2006
Delayed gratification
I was thinking of charging it a little bit while at work, so I could actually get to use it on the way home.
So I opened the outer box. Oooh. But this means when I get home and take pictures of the "opening" festivities, I would have to pretend I was opening it for the first time. It wouldn't be right! I couldn't bring myself to open the box itself.
Oh, let this moment last a little longer. Let it be near yet not in my grasp.
Self-denial. Just like any good Catholic. :)
So I opened the outer box. Oooh. But this means when I get home and take pictures of the "opening" festivities, I would have to pretend I was opening it for the first time. It wouldn't be right! I couldn't bring myself to open the box itself.
Oh, let this moment last a little longer. Let it be near yet not in my grasp.
Self-denial. Just like any good Catholic. :)
The ipod arrived at work at 10.30am
So I cannot be reasonably expected to do any more meaningful work today. All brain cycles are now devoted to thinking of ipod accessories and what music to load on the device. ebay here I come.
Saturday, 28 January 2006
Songs about booty
Someday, I'll finish my compilation of "Songs about Ass":
A few that spring to mind:
Baby Got Back, Sir Mixx-a-Lot - Oh, the sheer poetry and insight. In just three lyrically dense stanzas, Professor Mixx-a-Lot touches on themes such as chivalry, positive affirmation of female self-image, differences in "black" and "white" aesthetics, cosmetic surgery, the differences in romantic approaches between "lovers" and "fighters", anorexia, the excessive influence of fashion media, the joy of backdoor coitus and booty, lots of booty.
Bootylicious, Destiny's Child - I honestly believe at this stage in my personal development, I truly am ready for that jelly.
Big Bottom, Spinal Tap - for the immortal line "the bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"
My Humps, Black-Eyed Peas - yes, apparently it's so annoying and uncool, but what do critics know? It gets me dancing (when there's no one around). This would also go into that other playlist called "Songs about Boobies" since she's also singing about her breasts in the song.
Little Red Corvette, Prince - okay, it's arguable, but it *is* about him getting some ass. And near the end Prince sings "Girrrrl, you've got an ass like I never dreamed/ and the ride, I say, the ride is so sweeet/ you must be a limousine!"
Wide-Ass Whumping - I don't know who did this, I just downloaded it from somewhere. But it just goes "You got your wide-ass whumping/ bu-bump bu-bump!" over and over and over.
I need to get some more, though.
A few that spring to mind:
Baby Got Back, Sir Mixx-a-Lot - Oh, the sheer poetry and insight. In just three lyrically dense stanzas, Professor Mixx-a-Lot touches on themes such as chivalry, positive affirmation of female self-image, differences in "black" and "white" aesthetics, cosmetic surgery, the differences in romantic approaches between "lovers" and "fighters", anorexia, the excessive influence of fashion media, the joy of backdoor coitus and booty, lots of booty.
Bootylicious, Destiny's Child - I honestly believe at this stage in my personal development, I truly am ready for that jelly.
Big Bottom, Spinal Tap - for the immortal line "the bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"
My Humps, Black-Eyed Peas - yes, apparently it's so annoying and uncool, but what do critics know? It gets me dancing (when there's no one around). This would also go into that other playlist called "Songs about Boobies" since she's also singing about her breasts in the song.
Little Red Corvette, Prince - okay, it's arguable, but it *is* about him getting some ass. And near the end Prince sings "Girrrrl, you've got an ass like I never dreamed/ and the ride, I say, the ride is so sweeet/ you must be a limousine!"
Wide-Ass Whumping - I don't know who did this, I just downloaded it from somewhere. But it just goes "You got your wide-ass whumping/ bu-bump bu-bump!" over and over and over.
I need to get some more, though.
Wednesday, 25 January 2006
Kill those cane toads, but kindly
"In a bizarre twist, the RSPCA this week suggested residents try wiping haemorrhoid cream on the toad - to have an anaesthetising effect - then putting them into the freezer."
http://smh.com.au/news/national/its-new-toad-juice/2006/01/25/1138066843
784.html
Thursday, 19 January 2006
Damir Dokic speaks!
Damir said it was Australia, rather than him, that was mentally suspect.
"Australia is a spoiled nation," Damir said.
"They can expect my revenge.
"I'm not crazy when I say this, they [Australia] are the crazy ones who give you hot sausages before the match when it's 40 degrees celsius outside." - Damir Dokic, possibly having had one too many...
Saturday, 7 January 2006
Oh the humiliation!
I feel pain, shock, horror. I am mortified.
Just did the What 80s Band Are You? quiz. This is what I got:
You're a sap. Either that or it's all just a way
for you to get some ass. You might have an
illegitimate child somewhere.
What band from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
And all along I answered those damn questions hoping I'd get someone cool, like Prince. Arrrrgh! The universe is clearly against me this Saturday.
Just did the What 80s Band Are You? quiz. This is what I got:
You're a sap. Either that or it's all just a way
for you to get some ass. You might have an
illegitimate child somewhere.
What band from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
And all along I answered those damn questions hoping I'd get someone cool, like Prince. Arrrrgh! The universe is clearly against me this Saturday.
Wednesday, 21 December 2005
Join the fight against "Hi-Tech" crime!
I bring you the Australian Hi Tech Crime Centre
Now what do they define as "High Tech" crime?
"High tech crimes include:
Now what do they define as "High Tech" crime?
"High tech crimes include:
computer intrusions (e.g. malicious hacking) unauthorised modification of data, including destruction of data denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and the creation and distribution of malicious software (e.g. viruses, worms, trojans). "
Acts which are all easily performed by any cluey 13-yr old.
How disappointing! Who ya gonna call once the crimes get seriously hi-tech, involving cloning, wormholes, particle colliders, faster than light travel, nanotechnology and sharks with friggin' lasers on their heads? The Australian Exxxtrem3ly H1 T3kk Crime Centre?
Tuesday, 20 December 2005
The dead stay online
So what happens to your online presence once you die? How long will you remain on blogger? Will the flickr admins pay any attention to your friends' pleas to keep your photos on the site even though the account has expired? Or maybe one of your friends will copy all your photos and put it up on a memorial site. Hey, maybe flickr will have a cemetery, for members who have been confirmed dead (death certificate required).
Just started thinking about this again after I came across somebody's profile that had a tribute to a flickr member who died in a car crash back in July. The deceased member's photos are still up, so I guess they're paid up til next year. So what's going to happen once it expires eventually?
I suppose as long as Google exists my stupid Usenet posts will remain out there. What a scary thought.
Sunday, 18 December 2005
Reconciling online personas
Sometimes it's just not worth it, all this subterfuge with online identities.
I posted a comment on my friend's blog, telling him about a gig I saw and how it was the most awesome gig ever, what they played, etc etc.
Then on another occasion, after he told me how he was going to check 'em out in San Francisco, I told him how he was going to love the final song they played in their encore. I then tried to get him to guess what song they would play. I finally tell him, and then he reminds me, "Uh, yeah, you already told me that on my blog". I'm a bit confused at first and then I realised I was probably posting using another username. And then I had to think - which one was I using? Was it my flickr user? Gmail? Yahoo? Blogger? Hotmail? Bah!
I posted a comment on my friend's blog, telling him about a gig I saw and how it was the most awesome gig ever, what they played, etc etc.
Then on another occasion, after he told me how he was going to check 'em out in San Francisco, I told him how he was going to love the final song they played in their encore. I then tried to get him to guess what song they would play. I finally tell him, and then he reminds me, "Uh, yeah, you already told me that on my blog". I'm a bit confused at first and then I realised I was probably posting using another username. And then I had to think - which one was I using? Was it my flickr user? Gmail? Yahoo? Blogger? Hotmail? Bah!
Thursday, 8 December 2005
Big Kev is dead.
Not excited!
Late night infomercial junkies of Australia will turn down the volume for 1 minute tomorrow. But they will still see the number flashing on their screens, so they can still make purchases afterwards!
Late night infomercial junkies of Australia will turn down the volume for 1 minute tomorrow. But they will still see the number flashing on their screens, so they can still make purchases afterwards!
Got my U2 Tickets! Barely.
U2 toured Australia twice in the 90s, first in '93 (Zooropa) then in '98 (Lemon (?)). I didn't go to either of them.
Why? First time around because I didn't really love them as much. My nostalgia glands hadn't kicked in. In '98 though, I was probably going through my slack mofo phase where I would buy tickets then just bloody not go to the gig cos I was sad at going alone and woe is me ladeeda depressive shit... Not a good time for me. I clearly did it at least twice, and not just some el cheapo $5 gig at a pub - with Everclear at the Metro, then Smashing Pumpkins at the Hordern Pavillion. I'm sure Billy would've been crushed by my no show. Oh, and while I knew Bono was probably going to pull some McPhisto big-ass stage gesture shit, and they did have that big lemon on stage, I was kinda getting turned off by their attempts at being disco or ironic or cynical or whatever you call it. I like my U2 big and sincere, heart on sleeve singing words like "incantation, isolation, condemnation.. let it go, and fade away" Soppy and earnest.
Anyway, I'm finally going! Along with 6 other slack-arses that couldn't be bothered helping to get the tickets. Why the hell do I have to be the Ticketek line-up-for-1-hour-or-more peon. Oh yeah, sure, you all have jobs - just like I do! Okay, it's not really that big an imposition, but why doesn't anyone else give a damn about these things and try organising things. Sometimes it's good, cos once I got to corral my friends into checking out Philip Glass playing the Koyaanisqatski soundtrack at the Opera House. Or go to the Big Day Out (which is waay more fun when you have friends to lose in the crowd).
My biggest mistake was turning up to Ticketek at Star City at goddam 8.30 in the morning! Why o why didn't I go earlier? It's bloody U2! People sleep over for these things! I saw people smugly beaming as they got their tickets, lugging their pillows, blankets, luggage, and in one instance - a 14" TV. No slumming it for those fans. The good thing was it was all under cover. If you're going to stay the night for tickets, make it at Star City. Not only are you not exposed to the elements, but you have easy access to food and alcohol and poker machines! Why, you could - theoretically - actually earn enough money to get up to 8 A Reserve ($200 ea) tickets. If there were two of you, that'd be 16 tickets to scalp, er peddle, because all 16 of you got called to jury duty or had to do something for the Army Reserve that evening. And since some ebay suckaz have paid up to 8x for a ticket, you're looking at a potential profit of $22400 (($200 per ticket * 16 tickets * 8x markup) - ($200 * 16 initial investment) ). You don't get that at the Elizabeth St branch.
Back to the topic - why was I late for U2 tickets? I got my 8 D reserve seats - yes, up there in the air close to the clouds - at 9.45.. and then I found out later that tickets sold out at 10am! That's cutting it a bit fine. How come I was able to haul ass to get New Order tickets at 7.30 in the morning? A show that I really regretted seeing as they didn't play Bizarre Love Triangle or Confusion. Bernard blurted out something about how sick he was of it, but he had to play the damn song called Blue Monday. (though they did play Love Will Tear Us Apart!) So how could I do it for New Order and not U2? Am I just getting too lazy to care about rock and roll?
I was actually more excited about getting tickets for Sleater-Kinney, also selling on the same day. Actually.. no, they were selling on 2 December, same day as the White Stripes. But anyway, comparing all 3 shows, from small (S-K) to medium (White Stripes) to humongous (U2) -- maybe I'm not really as enthusiastic about the bigger shows because of the distance factor. Watching it from so far away, that the best you can do is just look at the big screen -- well, what's the point? Might as well watch a DVD. But then, watching at home on TV - you don't get to be part of the big herd/ crowd doing the gigantic singalong.
But then fukkkkk... 70,000 people singing "One". Maybe 50,000.. since there will be spouses and children or parents bought along who have NFI when it comes to the lyrics.
I remember feeling a bit of this when we saw Springsteen, in what was probably one of the worst gigs of his career, where the power came out 5 times, and he was already swearing at one point "I don't know what the fuck is going on". Watching at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and I couldn't actually see anything onstage... just doesnt work for me.
Yes, this is incomplete, but I gotta get some sleep.
Phew, it stinks. Was 33deg C today. Hottest day of the year, apparently. And it's only going to get hotter.
17 days to go til Christmas! Yes, I really do want that 60Gb ipod this year. Dear Lord, please. Maybe I can buy it then give it to my wife and get her to give it to me. Yay, my devious mind has a cunning plan. Bla bla bla...
Why? First time around because I didn't really love them as much. My nostalgia glands hadn't kicked in. In '98 though, I was probably going through my slack mofo phase where I would buy tickets then just bloody not go to the gig cos I was sad at going alone and woe is me ladeeda depressive shit... Not a good time for me. I clearly did it at least twice, and not just some el cheapo $5 gig at a pub - with Everclear at the Metro, then Smashing Pumpkins at the Hordern Pavillion. I'm sure Billy would've been crushed by my no show. Oh, and while I knew Bono was probably going to pull some McPhisto big-ass stage gesture shit, and they did have that big lemon on stage, I was kinda getting turned off by their attempts at being disco or ironic or cynical or whatever you call it. I like my U2 big and sincere, heart on sleeve singing words like "incantation, isolation, condemnation.. let it go, and fade away" Soppy and earnest.
Anyway, I'm finally going! Along with 6 other slack-arses that couldn't be bothered helping to get the tickets. Why the hell do I have to be the Ticketek line-up-for-1-hour-or-more peon. Oh yeah, sure, you all have jobs - just like I do! Okay, it's not really that big an imposition, but why doesn't anyone else give a damn about these things and try organising things. Sometimes it's good, cos once I got to corral my friends into checking out Philip Glass playing the Koyaanisqatski soundtrack at the Opera House. Or go to the Big Day Out (which is waay more fun when you have friends to lose in the crowd).
My biggest mistake was turning up to Ticketek at Star City at goddam 8.30 in the morning! Why o why didn't I go earlier? It's bloody U2! People sleep over for these things! I saw people smugly beaming as they got their tickets, lugging their pillows, blankets, luggage, and in one instance - a 14" TV. No slumming it for those fans. The good thing was it was all under cover. If you're going to stay the night for tickets, make it at Star City. Not only are you not exposed to the elements, but you have easy access to food and alcohol and poker machines! Why, you could - theoretically - actually earn enough money to get up to 8 A Reserve ($200 ea) tickets. If there were two of you, that'd be 16 tickets to scalp, er peddle, because all 16 of you got called to jury duty or had to do something for the Army Reserve that evening. And since some ebay suckaz have paid up to 8x for a ticket, you're looking at a potential profit of $22400 (($200 per ticket * 16 tickets * 8x markup) - ($200 * 16 initial investment) ). You don't get that at the Elizabeth St branch.
Back to the topic - why was I late for U2 tickets? I got my 8 D reserve seats - yes, up there in the air close to the clouds - at 9.45.. and then I found out later that tickets sold out at 10am! That's cutting it a bit fine. How come I was able to haul ass to get New Order tickets at 7.30 in the morning? A show that I really regretted seeing as they didn't play Bizarre Love Triangle or Confusion. Bernard blurted out something about how sick he was of it, but he had to play the damn song called Blue Monday. (though they did play Love Will Tear Us Apart!) So how could I do it for New Order and not U2? Am I just getting too lazy to care about rock and roll?
I was actually more excited about getting tickets for Sleater-Kinney, also selling on the same day. Actually.. no, they were selling on 2 December, same day as the White Stripes. But anyway, comparing all 3 shows, from small (S-K) to medium (White Stripes) to humongous (U2) -- maybe I'm not really as enthusiastic about the bigger shows because of the distance factor. Watching it from so far away, that the best you can do is just look at the big screen -- well, what's the point? Might as well watch a DVD. But then, watching at home on TV - you don't get to be part of the big herd/ crowd doing the gigantic singalong.
But then fukkkkk... 70,000 people singing "One". Maybe 50,000.. since there will be spouses and children or parents bought along who have NFI when it comes to the lyrics.
I remember feeling a bit of this when we saw Springsteen, in what was probably one of the worst gigs of his career, where the power came out 5 times, and he was already swearing at one point "I don't know what the fuck is going on". Watching at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and I couldn't actually see anything onstage... just doesnt work for me.
Yes, this is incomplete, but I gotta get some sleep.
Phew, it stinks. Was 33deg C today. Hottest day of the year, apparently. And it's only going to get hotter.
17 days to go til Christmas! Yes, I really do want that 60Gb ipod this year. Dear Lord, please. Maybe I can buy it then give it to my wife and get her to give it to me. Yay, my devious mind has a cunning plan. Bla bla bla...
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