Friday, July 21, 2006
Observer Panel: 50 albums that changed music
The full list is here. I personally agree strongly with the following:
1. The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
Timeless - rock'n'roll & melodies will be cool for ever
4. NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1989)
Was as much of a sledgehammer as the Sex Pistols a decade prior
11. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)
Concept albums are generally crap, this is sublime and perfect
42. The Smiths - The Smiths (1984)
Nice to know this music exists for when I ever decide to become a hermit...
47. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
NWA for white folk in colder climes
1. The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
Timeless - rock'n'roll & melodies will be cool for ever
4. NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1989)
Was as much of a sledgehammer as the Sex Pistols a decade prior
11. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)
Concept albums are generally crap, this is sublime and perfect
42. The Smiths - The Smiths (1984)
Nice to know this music exists for when I ever decide to become a hermit...
47. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
NWA for white folk in colder climes
Monday, July 17, 2006
Adobe Online Backup: Rip Off
Not just because companies like Google will be offering free storage soon, but because:
1) Newbies are lead to believe that 500MB will be enough to backup all their photos
2) The size you really need (called "Professional") is only 20GB but costs $US350 per year!
Annual fees:
basic 500 MB $29.95
standard 1 GB $49.95
advanced 5 GB $99.95
power 10 GB $199.95
professional 20 GB $349.95
I was just testing their Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.0, but these prices have put me off using it instead of Picasa
1) Newbies are lead to believe that 500MB will be enough to backup all their photos
2) The size you really need (called "Professional") is only 20GB but costs $US350 per year!
Annual fees:
basic 500 MB $29.95
standard 1 GB $49.95
advanced 5 GB $99.95
power 10 GB $199.95
professional 20 GB $349.95
I was just testing their Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.0, but these prices have put me off using it instead of Picasa
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Wanna have wobbly vision for 5 seconds?
Then watch this slightly trippy video
Monday, July 10, 2006
Phone Envy
Not for the looks, or the MP3 or camera... it has a built-in breathalyzer and is also a universal remote! It is LG’s Korean-only LP-4100 Sobriety phone.Saturday, July 01, 2006
America - Slow Down!
Many states in the USA appear to have roads where one can drive faster than 55mph. But 55mph is the speed at which most cars operate with the most fuel efficiency. Speeding up causes extra heat and drag and costs more petrol. A writer in New Scientist says it can make a huge difference to the world if they slowed down to just 55mph, and a commentator says:
In one decisive act, the US government could save more than 50m gallons of petrol a day – that’s more than a billion barrels a year, which is more than the US imports annually from the Persian Gulf. A collateral effect would be thousands of lives saved, not only on the roads but in catastrophic oil-protecting wars. Another would be a big reduction in pollution and its impact on global warming. Australia could take exactly the same action. All with the stroke of a pen.
