September 22, 2006
Google Sketchup is awesome
I don't really know how this started but somehow I found myself dedicating hours to mapping out my room in the new house using Google Sketchup which is a really nice tool, very simple to use but really lets you do some great 3d modelling. It helped that someone had already modelled all the Ikea furniture for me but here's my results:
Posted by Mark at 11:14 AM | TrackBack
December 11, 2005
Top 25 albums of 2005
Since I am bored and someone made a page that formats this for you, I compiled my list of this years top albums. Basically ordered by how much I listened to each one.
1. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
2. Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
3. M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us
4. American Analog Set - Set Free
5. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
6. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
7. Clem Snide - End of Love
8. 65daysofstatic - One Time for All Time
9. Explosions in the Sky - The Rescue
10. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson - Unnoticable in a Tiny Town, Invisible in the City
11. Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
12. Sigur Ros - Takk
13. Iron & Wine and Calexico - In the Reins EP
14. Final Fantasy - Has a Good Home
15. Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
16. M. Ward - Transistor Radio
17. Gravenhurst - Fires in Distant Buildings
18. Early Day Miners - All Harm Ends Here
19. Hem - Eveningland
20. 13 & God - 13 & God
21. Electrelane - Axes
22. Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman
23. Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright
24. The Decemberists - Picaresque
25. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
This list is subject to change when I feel like it.
Posted by Mark at 10:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 29, 2005
Adrift
Woah episode 2 Lost spoilers coming up...
Not quite as good as the first, the focus on Michaels kid was boring, repeating half of the first episode so it was less dramatic and more story-telling, and Sawyer and Michael on the boat but I suppose it was to build up to the final scene. Anyway, here's the only interesting point I managed to pick up on this episode: the shark has the Dharma (corporation?) stamped on it (part of the island defences?).
Thanks to whoever encoded the episode, as they left the credits on so next week we get to see Michael put in a dug-out prison with the girl Jack spoke to at the airport. I'm just waiting for the cinematic scene of Hurley walking into that food supply room. Bit cheap using the same courtroom for Michael & Walt as for Claire and her sprog. :-/
What did one snowman say to the other snowman?
Do you smell carrots?
Incidently, only 2 days until I leave now, let's hope I don't get in a plane crash. I have part packed my bag and almost managed to put in enough clothes to last me a week. Joy.
Posted by Mark at 7:16 AM | TrackBack
September 23, 2005
Lost
Holy christ the season 2 premiere of Lost was spectacular. There's probably some spoilers coming up so skip by if you're not up with the series.
As a whole, unless you read up on, or are incredibly observant, it's possible to miss out on a huge amount of clever writing within the show. A couple of things came to my mind while watching episode 1: Desmond had a strange symbol on his shirt in the arena. The number "108" written on the wall in the bunker is the sum of all "the numbers". There was bunks in the bunker so someone else must have been there at some time. Quarantine was written on the inside of the hatch because Desmond thought he was quarantining himself from the world? Finally the stuff Desmond injected had "the numbers" printed on the side of the bottle.
After skimming over an epic 34 page thread on SA note the above and someone further suggests that everyone on the island has been given some sort of wish and their time on the island maybe payment for such. Jack got his missus walking, Locke got back use of his legs, Kate got free, Michael got his kid back, where Sun, Jin, Claire and Charlie come into it is anyones guess. Someone also raises the point that bunker had been there a while, the computer was an Apple II (from the 80s) and Jack had obviously met Desmond later than that...
Anyway I am going to call that they introduce a bunch of new characters this season, we're a bit limited with the 4 or 5 we focused on before. Maybe they'll fish up some survivors of the Black Rock?
Posted by Mark at 6:02 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 22, 2005
Music feature
It's only recently come to my attention quite how much I listen to music. I VERY rarely sit at my PC without having something on, I listen(ed) in the car to and from work, even sat at work. Often a week will go by when I have 5 or more new albums to listen to. Out of those usually come 1 or 2 gems.
Therefore for the people I usually force my music upon I thought I'd make a regular feature of albums worth checking out. Also this means if I don't have anything interesting to write ordinarily I can just talk about music.
Here's the top EPs/albums for week beginning 19th September:
Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson - Unnoticable In A Tiny Town, Invisible In The City.
Beautiful Norweigen Post-rock EITS-esque but with very catchy riffs and tune.
Bell Orchestre - Bell Orchestre
From the people behind The Arcade Fire, or at least some of them, this is how the London Philharmonic Orchestra should sound.
Other albums worthy of a note in this little catch-up entry: Sigur Ros - Takk, American Analog Set - Set Free, Magnetophone - The man who ate the man.