The vinyl curtain September 30, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Music, Technology, Thoughts, Web.Tags: And Vinyly, andvinyly.com, ashes, australian catholic church, australian catholics ban funeral songs, cremation, death, funeral, grim reaper, Internet, music, records, vinyl, voice recordings, Web
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Artist's impression of DJ Reaper
The Grim Reaper wants your song requests, despite the recent ban on funeral pop songs by the Australian Catholic church. Further to my post about managing your digital remains, another Internet startup foray into death services. UK company And Vinyly offers audiophiles the opportunity to become one with the music and bake their cremated ashes into a vinyl record. Prices start from £3,000 for the basic package which includes standardised graphics and 24 minutes of music, voice recording or silence so that surviving relatives can appreciate ‘your’ pops and crackles. Extra pimping charges apply if you want custom artwork, “bespook” music, global distribution of your record (?) or event management of your “FUNeral”.
A refreshingly original approach to immortality complemented by an irreverently tongue-in-cheek website. For example the 10 steps to turning your remains into a record:
- Confirm viability of services in local area
- Identify a family member to accompany you (your ashes) to the pressing of the record
- Prepare audio and artwork
- Attend mastering of record
- Receive samples of record
- Die
- Get cremated
- Family member attends record pressing
- Chosen recipients receive record copies
- “Live on from beyond the groove”
A far more interesting dinner party game than ‘desert island discs’: As your last act of creativity, what would you choose as your death rattle?
Word of the week – 27/9/10 September 27, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Word of the week.Tags: intransigence, refusal to moderate, uncompromising, Word of the week
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Intransigence
adj.
Refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising
My eyes are broken September 23, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Art, Thoughts, Web.Tags: Andrew Lipson, Ascending and Descending, Escher, Lego, M.C. Escher, optical illusions, Penrose, Penrose Triangle, rubin vase
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Squares A and B are the same color. See... a rectangle of the same color has been drawn connecting the two squares. Bloody eyes
Sick of the Rubin Vase and Young Lady/Old Hag? What if such tired, overplayed optical illusions were remastered in 3D (tis the season after all) via the medium of Lego? Locked in his shed since the 70s, Andrew Lipson has dedicated countless hours (and Lego sets) faithfully recreating the mind-bending lithographs of Dutch artist, M.C. Escher – check out his portfolio and step-by-step photographs.
My personal favourite is Ascending and Descending where Lipman cleverly applies perspective to render Penrose’s impossible staircase (below). Speaking of Penrose, check out the Penrose triangle sculpture in Perth, Australia.
Geeky, but kind of cool
Word of the week 20/9/10 September 20, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Word of the week.Tags: bloodshed, carnage, internecine, mutually destructive, nation, struggle, Word of the week
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Internecine
adj.
Does the pope sh*t in the woods? September 17, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Edinburgh, News, Photography.Tags: AIDS, child abuse, child molestation, cover-up, coverup, dissemination of AIDS, Edinburgh, Glasgow, papal visit, pope, road sign, Scotland
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That's what you get for covering up child molestation (and promoting the dissemination of AIDS)
Word of the week – 13/9/10 September 13, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Word of the week.Tags: Gallimaufry, hodgepodge, jumble, Word of the week
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Gallimaufry
noun
A jumble; a hodgepodge.
Suffixgate September 10, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in News, Thoughts, Web.Tags: -gate, bloodgate, climategate, gate suffix, gatecrashgate, lazy, nipplegate, richard nixon, sachsgate, suffix, unimaginative, watergate
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The controversy surrounding the ubiquitous and misused suffix. Reading consecutive BBC articles about Bloodgate (a faked rugby injury) and Climategate (leaked emails alleging the falsification of climate change data) made me wonder about the proliferation of words ending in ‘gate’. Wikipedia lists over 110 scandals with the accursed suffix, notable examples being GateCrashGate (uninvited couple attend a Whitehouse function and perhaps the only clever example of suffix application), Nipplegate (Janet Jackson’s Superbowl flash) and the blown-out-of-proportion Sachsgate (misguided prank calls to Andrew Sachs by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross).
Lazy, unimaginative and blatant bastardisation of the language. The Watergate scandal, the original ‘gate’, forced former president Richard Nixon to resign in the 1970s and resulted from the break-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington. Surprisingly ‘gate’ was not added to the office complex name when denoting the scandal. Nixon would have been foolish to resign in the face of Watergategate.
So, talented members of the media, please finally close the ‘gate’ gate and apply current and contextually tailored cultural references.
Watergate - birthplace of unimaginative scandal naming and sloppy English. Oh, and something to do with a President.
Extreme photography September 7, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Photography, Sport.Tags: extreme, extreme sports, photography, photos, Red Bull
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Like extreme sports? Like photography? Then check out the Red Bull Extreme Photo Contest.
Word of the week – 6/9/10 September 6, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Word of the week.Tags: alchemy, chemical philosophy, elixir of longevity, magical power, panacea, transmutation, Word of the week
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Alchemy
noun
1. A medieval chemical philosophy having as its asserted aims the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of the panacea, and the preparation of the elixir of longevity.
2. A seemingly magical power or process of transmuting
Ukuleles & overweight nudity… September 3, 2010
Posted by jasoncondie in Art, Edinburgh, Festival, Music, Thoughts.Tags: arcade fire, Art, damien rice, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, george formby, Half price Hut, karma police, life drawing, life modelling, lucky dip, mumford & sons, naked splendour, philip herbert, radiohead, rebellion, the ukulele project, ukulele
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… just another Saturday afternoon lucky dipping the Fringe Half Price Hut then. Whilst I appreciate the festival is over for another year (tear), I thought another couple of reviews wouldn’t hurt in case you happen across the shows next year or elsewhere.
The Ukulele Project 8.5/10 – Cowgate Udderbelly Belly Bancer
Size isn’t everything. Disregarded previously as a musical punchline (not helped by the comical strummings of George Formby), the ukulele has enjoying a recent resurgence thanks to folk rock bands like Mumford & Sons. The Ukulele Project, a trio of teenagers, apply their wee guitars to an eclectic range of hits from Dolly Parton to the Beatles. Lead male vocalist Oli Peacock is pleasingly reminiscent of Damien Rice and his acoustic covers of Radiohead’s Karma Police and Arcade Fire’s Rebellion were arguably better than the originals. The only criticism being the inclusion of a Bond medley was uncharacteristically childish but only because the maturity of performance makes you forget the age of the performers.
Naked Splendour 9/10 – C-Venues Carlton Hotel
“Contains nudity, drawing involved” warns the ticket. Audience members are handed sketch pads and pencils upon entering the worryingly intimate auditorium (drawing involved – check). Philip Herbert has dedicated his life to life modelling and through innovative participatory theatre, recounts witty and absurdist anecdotes. After the subject strips (nudity – check), an initially embarrassed audience soon settles to intense concentration as sketchers attempt to capture Herbert’s naked splendour. The show certainly answered my questions about life modelling (what happens if you fall asleep or get an erection?) and I’m now considering giving life classes a go – drawing not modelling mind.
Apparently the rendering of the model's genitals says a lot about your personality - do you go for the darkened area, acorn or exaggeration?
