On the subject of music...

I did a full review of an album on the TSR (The Student Room) forum not too long ago, and since I haven't posted an album review in a while, I thought why let this go to waste? So here is a direct copy-paste of that forum posting.

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Alright, I'll be doing a review on an album that I've been listening for weeks - i.e.: it's past the "honeymoon phase", if you know what I mean. It's the first album from Oxford-based Stornoway, and it's Beachcomber's Windowsill.

Myspace

Band name: Stornoway

Album name: Beachcomber's Windowsill

Genre: Indie Folk-Pop (I think.)

I first learnt about this band while listening to Radio1. It was probably a warm spring day when I first heard I Saw You Blink. I loved the track instantly - it has a playful and catchy bassline, and it's "smile-inducing", somehow (Perhaps it's the lyrics).

Zorbing was another track that the Radio DJs constantly played - one that resonates with me, with its jovial lyrics and musical arrangements. And because of these two tracks, I thought I'd pre-order their album for kicks.

Now that I've had weeks to listen to the album, I think some of the songs have grown on me, while other tracks just don't seem to stick in my ears. The End Of The Movie, when I first heard it, was a brilliant and moving track - I thought it should be used for the end credits of all romance movie (not that I watch them, but still...). Now, though, it seems that listener's fatigue has taken away some of that 'magic' for me. Don't get me wrong - I still think the track is brilliant, it's just that the track is never meant to be played over and over again; just meant to be 'appreciated' like Brian Eno's "An Ending". So, fortunately but sadly, this is one of those tracks that would not hit Playlist A or the charts of any radio station.

On the upside, I can (embarrassingly) relate to the lyrics in We Are The Battery Human, and because of that, it's become some sort of an anthem for me. In other words, I love it just for being a fun, light-hearted "ode to the geeks".

Aside from the above-mentioned tracks, I also like Fuel Up, Here Comes The Blackout...! and Boats And Trains. As for the other tracks, well, let's just say I don't like them as much.

To sum up, I'd describe the album as a gentle, laid-back auditory boat-ride. Stornoway is a chirpier, less intense version of Mumford and Sons, IMO. Don't get me wrong - they have very little in common (aside from the instruments and style). But I just love their album for that lazy weekend afternoon, or when I just want to be reminded of what spring feels like again. It's not perfect - some of the tracks, I found to be quite annoying. For example: Long Distance Lullaby and On The Rocks - were they trying to be ironic with the guitar track and drums, or what? But aside from these, I do think this album is a strong start for an indie band's first full album. I think this band has great potential, and I'd certainly look forward to what this band has to offer in future.

Rating: 7.5/10

First review on TSR. Hope it wasn't too bad! 

Music Picks for the moment

Haven't done one in a while, so you know what it means, don't you? It's time to search around for stuff I've never heard of and preview them on Spotify!

Here's my picks for the moment. Note that some of these are not new, which is why these are called 'Picks', not 'chart entrants'.

#1. White Rabbits - Percussion Gun

I challenge you to listen to this track without being all fidgety and pumped. It's been ringing in my ears, and yet I'm still not sick of it. That's how you know we have a chart-topper. Well, in my charts, anyway. 5/5

#2. Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody

Thanks to Sandra & Holly for recommending this track to me. It's a fun, simple tune you could sing along to. You could say it's just clichés in it, but you know what? It doesn't matter, does it? "Everybody, Everybody wants to love, Everybody, Everybody wants to be loved" - such sweet lyrics should put a smile on your face. On top of that, Ingrid's voice is like candy to the ears. 4.6/5

#3. Train - Hey, Soul Sister

Thanks to Topsify.com and the US Charts for recommending this track. As with many US exports, I am unfamiliar to them at first. I still am, when it comes to this band. But what I do know is that this track has the vibes of another brilliant feel-good track - "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. And we all know where that went. So, I'm sure this track will cross the Atlantic and Pacific. 4.5/5

#4. The Script - Breakeven

I know I'll look outdated with this pick. But who cares. Some of you might have heard this track before, didn't know the title/artiste, and after you google/spotify this band and hear the track, you'll now know what the band is. That's why I put it in the list. It's a nice track. 4.4/5

#5. Keane and K'naan' - Stop For A Minute

One of my favourite bands, Keane, has been in the studios. Following their last album, Perfect Symmetry, they'll be releasing "Night Train" on 10 May 2010 - I'll hopefully remember to review that when it's out. Meanwhile, we have a single to listen to. Call me biased, but it seems that whatever Keane does, I will still like it. And you know what? The same applies here. 4.3/5

#6 Miike Snow - Animal

If you are fine with imperfect vocals - think Empire of the Sun, MGMT - and you like abstract lyrics - again, think Empire of the Sun, MGMT - then this you might like. I've listened to "Black and Blue", another one of Miike's tracks, played on the radio far too often on Juice Brighton, and after looking up this guy's other tracks, I kinda like his/their tracks. 4.2/5

Alright, I'm running out of time, so here's a quick rundown on the rest of the list.

#7 Mika feat. RedOne - Kick A** (We Are Young)

Soundtrack from the movie Kick-A**. (I know it's not that bad a cuss word, but hey, this is a family-friendly blog.) 4.1/5

#8 Jack Johnson - You and Your Heart

I smell an album coming. (In June, perhaps?) 4.0/5

#9 Diana Vickers - Once

Yes, she's number one on the UK charts. Doesn't mean she's number one on mine. 3.95/5

#10 Kate Nash - Do-Wah-Doo

Again, yet another radio hit. 3.9/5

Well, there you go. My Music Picks for the moment. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Oh, side-track. I've tried listening to Anberlin. The only track that I like so far is "The Unwinding Cable Car". Maybe Anberlin and I are just not meant to be. In the same way that Marmite and Kiwifruits aren't meant for each other. Heh.

On Music...

If you haven't seen my post on my room decor (probably because the images are taking years to upload), then I do recommend you check that out.

Because if you do/did, then you'd probably seen some of the stuff I've been listening to and enjoying.

I bought a CD (GASP!). The first time I heard this band, it was in a free single off of iTunes - Two Door Cinema Club is the band I'm talking about here. But once I heard the single (and iTunes rarely gives free singles that I enjoy/stick to), I thought "Hey, this is a good track. Let's see what else they have". And because the album was going for cheap at Resident, the record store in the North Laines, I bought it on Record Store Day. It's indie rock with a hint of electronica (they're not really electronica, but I sense a bit of the vibes that I normally get from an electronica track, if you get what I mean). Very similar to Phoenix, I'd say. Really enjoying the album, Tourist History. 4.5/5

Must Download: 

Something Good Can Work 

Eat That Up, It's Good For You

Come Back Home

Next up: Vampire Weekend, with Contra. Again, someone else could probably write a better description/biography of them than I can, but I'll tell it the way I hear their tracks. It's playful music. The first track, Horchata, opens up with a beat that reminds you of the Calypso. Then you have Holiday, which makes you feel you're enjoying a nice day at the beach. Oh, and of course, Giving Up The Gun (which has been charting in the UK) always puts a smile to my face everytime I hear it. Which is why it took over Will.i.am to become the song I first hear when I get up. I normally don't like playful, but for once, I actually love the beats these guys are throwing down. 4/5

Must Download:

Giving Up The Gun

Diplomat's Son

Horchata 

Run

This one's been out for some time, but apparently, I haven't reviewed it yet. So, let's talk Mumford And Sons, which should not be mistaken for a small business run by Mr Mumford. They're a slightly more folksy band - in their album, Sigh No More, you'll hear banjos, violins and the double bass, occasionally the piano and guitar, but otherwise, they're a very "stripped-down" musical group. Organic music, if you'd like to call it. Nothing wrong with that - I like how it sounds, especially on a lazy, sunny weekend. Sigh No More gets a 3.8/5.

Must Download:

The Cave

Winter Winds

Little Lion Man

From an older album to a newer album. Here's Jonsí with Go. Let's face it. This album's a bit eccentric in its arrangement. Personally, I'm not digging the sounds - maybe because I'm starting to get irritated by the falsettos. Putting my personal grudges aside, I think people who like MGMT (I'll get on to it later) and Sigur Ros will like this album. Heck, if you're a fan of Jonsi and all he's been doing, from Jonsi&Alex to Sigur Ros, then you would have probably bought this album. But personally, I'm really sorry to give it: 2/5

Must Download:

Go Do

Tornado

Kolniður

Here's a quick one: MGMT, with Congratulations. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like it. 1/5.

Must Download:

-

Here's a longer one to round up the review post - Miike Snow's latest own-name album. I've been hearing their songs being played regularly over the radio whenever I work at BHF (the charity shop where I'm volunteering). Love their stuff. It's a louder version of The xx, in a sense. Along the lines of Passion Pit. In a subjective way, I love this band. Nuff' said. 4.5/5

Must Download:

Animal

Burial

Black or Blue

A Horse Is Not A Home

There you go! 6 album reviews in a short space of time. Enjoy!

iPhone App Reviews...

I promised Ryan (Ren Yuan) that I'd do an iPhone app review blog post.

Well, to be honest, I don't know what a good format of an app review post should be. (Hey, this blog is experimental, after all.) So I'm going to play around with the format. AppJudgement has their "Download/Don't Download" judgement, and I, well, have a phletora of options to choose from. But as a first post (and because I'm on the school PC, which means I can't hook up my iPhone to get screenshots), I'll just do a quick bout of app names, what they do, a couple of thoughts/opinions, and a score, plus a "usage frequency" rating - how often I actually use the app in my day-to-day life.

So, here goes!

App: Moodagent
What it does:
Generates Playlists based on 5 different 'mood' ratings - think of it as Genius playlist generator with mood.

Thoughts:
You need more than 25 non-obscure songs to use this app fully. In my experience, the app is well-thought-out. Once you generate a playlist, you can save it, or even play the playlist when you leave the app (it plays in the iPod app), or if you find another song from which you want to generate a playlist, you can select an icon next to the song, and it'll make a playlist with the same mood as that song. Otherwise, play around with the scales and the app will create a playlist.

The scales' significance can be a bit vague at times, but otherwise, it works as well, if not better, than Genius, as long as you don't listen to really obscure stuff.

Pricing: Free (as at time of posting)
App Score: 4/5
Usage frequency: rarely - I don't make playlists that often, unfortunately. I just set it and forget it.




App: Riddim Ribbon
What it does:
It's a new game from Tapulous, the creators of the ubiquitous Tap Tap Revenge that every iPhone or iPod touch has probably had on its home screen at least once in one iteration or another. This game is still music-based, except that it tries to emulate DJ Hero rather than Rock Band. You tilt the phone from side to side as you try to keep a ball on the track (ha! no pun intended). Stray off or hit the obstacles and you lose energy, which means you can't jump over to the next stage in the music.

Thoughts:
The 'Fail' system in this game can be a bit harsh and demoralising for new gamers (and let's admit it - that's a lot of us, considering how new this genre is). If you hit one of the obstacles jsut before the checkpoint, you'll lose energy and fail automatically - this is compared to its cousins, Guitar Hero, where if you miss a couple of times, regardless of section, you can still try to fight your way back to the green while the crowd jeers at you.

Also, maybe it's just me not gaming enough on my iPhone, but there can be a steep learning curve when trying to play this game. As a guide, think of the two dotted lines in the track as fulcrums. If you keep your phone in the normal position, you'll be in the exact middle of those two dotted lines. Tilt slightly to one side, and you'll get on the dotted line. Tilt further, and you'll stray out and onto the outer lane. A bit like changing lanes on a highway, except you have to keep the phone tilted to stay in a lane.

Oh, one more complaint - This game has been in development for some time now, why are there so few music tracks to play with? Only 3 BEP tracks and a few downloadable Tiesto tracks? Where's the Gaga? Owl City? Come on! Bring them over from TTR!

Pricing: £1.79 in the UK as at posting. Downloadables approximately £0.59.
App Score: 4/5. If they had more tracks to play with, I would give 5/5.
Usage Frequency: Often - I'm hooked on this game!




App: Sleep Cycle
What it does: In 3 words: Glorified Alarm Clock. More specifically: It uses the accelerometer in the iPhone (apparently, not iPod touch compatible) to detect movements while you're asleep. Based on these movements, it interprets whether you're in your deep REM sleep, awake, or dreaming. When it senses that you're in your 'light sleep', it sounds the alarm.
Thoughts:
This app will not suit everyone. You'll need to be able to put your iPhone on your bed, next to your head, and it should be charged unless you want a flat battery the next day. (oh, and if you have a Tempur bed, this app won't work.) And let's not even get into the radiation talk. Also, maybe it's just me being pedantic, but this morning, the app woke me up at 7.26 - that's 19 minutes before the time I intended to wake up! I wanted a nice snooze after I saw the time, but no, the app asks for me to get off my lazy bum, even though I only had 5 hours sleep the night before.

Also, a bit TMI, much? Why do I need to see that I dream at 2-3am?

But I have to say, for someone who's a bit OCD like myself, this app is fascinating in the "I want to know everything even if it's dumb or inaccurate" sense. And from what I see, it appears to work on me.

Pricing: £0.59 (look out for the LexWare Labs AB one. That's the one I tested, so that's the only one I can tell you about.)
App Score: 4/5 - The radiation is a concern for me.
Usage Frequency: Nightly. I'm really interested in how this app works and analyzes my physiological patterns when I'm sleeping/about to sleep/getting up. Even though I'm exposing myself to even more radiation, on top of what my MacBook Pro emits.

Music Reviews, and music chart for the moment.

As promised, here's more reviews of the latest albums/singles/EPs!

First up, it's my new favourite - OneRepublic, with Waking Up. I'm really hooked on this album. Kinda upset that none of the songs on this album (or the album itself, in fact) is not charting on the UK Top 40 singles / Top 5 albums, even though it's been out for quite some time. But nonetheless, I still think it's got a great setlist. Especially love the first 2 tracks, Made For You and All The Right Moves (note that the first track leads in to the next, so you have to listen to them in the set order to fully appreciate them). OneRepublic is, in a sense, Timbaland if he were 4 people who can play musical instruments, sing, and be melodic. There's lots of gusto, which is probably good for the head-bangers and rock-star wannabes who'll pretend to be drumming while listening to these tunes on the train. You know what? You'll love this album. Go have a listen! Rating: 9/10

Must download: Made For You, All The Right Moves, Secrets, Good Life, Fear, Marchin' On, Lullaby

Next up, a closely related friend to One Republic, it's Timbaland, with Shock Value 2. My answer is yes and no. Yes, this is basically Timbaland & friends making music together, and releasing an album with Timbaland as the album artist and main man. Nothing wrong with that. I mean, you hear him a lot more in this album than in SV1, so he deserves some recognition for that. Oh wait, no, who am I kidding? No. I mean, who thought Timbaland and Miley Cyrus would make musical BFFs? No. And there's too much Auto-tune, and it's not Owl City kind of Auto-tune. This album is a Jedward - it's a bit irritating.

Ok, to be fair, there's some good bits in there, but unless you really like it after listening to the previews, I'd say don't bother getting this compilation. Rating: 5/10

Must Download: Morning After Dark, If We Ever Meet Again, Undertow, Timothy Where You Been, Marchin On (yes, again)

Ok, there you go. Music reviews. Now, there's one album that I'm going to do a review on soon, but before I do it, I thought I'd gather your opinions on it. Yes, it's a ronfiles homework! So, I want you to listen to "This Is War" by 30 Seconds to Mars (preview it on iTunes, or if you have their album already, then listen through it), and then tweet or comment under this post or tag on my tagboard, what you think of it, what score you'd rate this album out of 10, and what tracks you like. Doesn't have to be very wordy or long, just be honest about your opinions.

Ok, now that I've set that aside, here's a music chart for the moment!

Non-Christmasy Music chart for the Christmas season of 2009!

1. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

2. OneRepublic - Marchin On

3. Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé - Telephone

4. Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything

5. David Guetta feat. Estelle - One Love

6. FrankMusik - Re-Complete Me

(yes, it's a half-hour remix of his entire album)

7. James Morrison - Get To You

8. Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A.

9. Fall Out Boy - Alpha Dog

10. Cheryl Cole feat. will.i.am - 3 Words

Techie post

It's been a few moons ago (I mean it this time) since the last time I actually talked tech.

So, to make up for it, I'm going back to one of the many strands of roots from which this blog stemmed. (Can't say I'm going back to my roots, since this blog isn't really a tech blog, but a tech+music+personal rant blog).

By the way, it's a long post, so treat it as 3 separate posts, if you prefer. Each part starts with a theme that's in bold.

Anyway, yesh, where were we?

Google Wave. I wanted to post a status on Facebook saying "what is the purpose of Google Wave's existance"? Because from what I see, it's just a massive IM + Google Docs thing put into one. Maybe I'm being old-fashioned here, or maybe I've been living the iPhone lifestyle for too long, but really, why do we need Google Wave? I mean, yes, I know, it's good for collaboration, and I'm sure many people would enjoy working with other people using Wave. But for the rest of us - the average human being who has non-techie friends who can't give a shyte about Wave - it's useless. You'd probably be doing whatever it is you are collaborating on much faster if you met up face to face, rather than working in Wave, because half of the time, you'd be explaining to them how things work.

I mean, did you watch the Google keynote? The Keynote to explain Google Wave took 1 hours 30 minutes+! I mean, that's one product! Apple takes the same amount of time to refresh an iPod line-up! Microsoft takes half an hour to launch Windows Vista! Wave? 90 minutes plus. No average Joe has the attention span of more than an hour to understand what a Google Wave is. I'm sorry, but this Wave thing will not catch on, unless Google can summarise its features in a bullet-point list. Till then, Google Wave sits in the bin of "Things I can use but don't".


K. Topic numero duo: DJ Hero. This disc-jockey game that costs about £99, the last I checked at the local HMV, seems like it should be a popular title this holiday season. After all, it's like Guitar Hero - a music game that uses some Fisher-Price plastic peripheral to play, so it should catch on like its cousin, right?

Well, it didn't. I read an Ars.Technica article last month on why this was so. And after pondering on their theories a little bit more, I think they're right. (Sorry, no link. School PC a bit too slow to handle tabs.)

DJ Hero involves the use of a plastic turntable and a fader on the side. Unless you've been DJ-ing, this is going to be a steep learning curve. To make matters worse, the music you hear have been premixed, so you'll be quite unfamiliar with the music you hear, even though they take parts from familiar tracks like Boom Boom Pow or Hollaback Girls. And to add another layer of "This game is for cool people only", the game is not easy to play perfectly. You have to slide the fader at the right time, and when sliding back to the centre, not slide too much or you'll toss the track to the opposite side. This is done while you basically scratch the disc and mash buttons on it. That's 3 tasks. Plus looking at the screen trying to figure out the controls, you'll be pushing your hand-eye coordination while the turntable itself tries to throw you off, with the 360-spinnable disc and the low-friction fader. All this, while listening to mixes you're unfamiliar with.

Contrast this to the Guitar Hero experience - Mash buttons with fingers on one hand, "strum" with the other, and time strums with the screen, while listening to "Knights Of Cydonia" by Muse. Very fun, very nice, and you feel cool, especially if you don't cock up.

On DJ Hero, you'll get your music taken away from you, you'll be confused at the controls, you'll not like the music, and youy're not having any fun at all. Not cool.

I'm quite sad, actually, that DJ Hero is such a flop. It had the potential to be a new fad, flooding YouTube with gameplay footages of people acing the game. But sadly, it's such a steep learning curve, it's not fun. In the same way I thought MMORPGs are not fun. Because the people who are good at it are socially remote introverts.

Well, most of them.


Finally, before I sign off and disappear to class, I want to talk about Borders.

Borders UK, the bookstore, just went into adminsitration a few days ago, for those outside the UK. It's quite depressing to see such an awesome bookstore suffer so much. If you walk into some of their stores, you'd see the magazine section basically reduced to one shelf of leftover stock, and their books on their display tables like a discount bazaar at a Pasar Malam.

From what I've gathered, they've had a hard time competing with online bookstores like Amazon, and with the supermarkets such as Tesco now taking a share of the market, Borders has tried massive discounts on their stuff to compete with these other guys. Sadly, the massive discounts came at a cost, and Borders couldn't pay their debts towards some of their suppliers. As a result, some suppliers stopped supplying books, and Borders, desperate but unable to get a buyer, tanked.

Which brings me to my main point - online stores. I know people like the online experience of buying goods from their PC and getting them delivered to the door, including groceries (Ocado, for example). But I think brick & mortar stores should still exist, even in the advent of the digital age. How else can you talk to real people, or pick the freshest fruits that they have, or flip through a preview of what the book is like, or .... you get the point. There are some things online cannot replace. This, coming from a person who's pro-technology, might be a bit ironic, I understand. But in all seriousness, I really believe there's still a room for the brick and mortar stores, even in the digital age.

What do you think?

And by the way, how's Borders in Singapore? Hope it's still a great place to go to (other than to buy music. Their catalogue is always in such a mess, I don't even bother to try searching for music albums there anymore.)

Album review...

I've never done one of these before, but seeing that there's so many new albums out for this Christmas season, I thought I'd round up a couple of albums and pass my judgement on them. See if you agree with any of these.

Ok, where shall we start? How about SuBo?

Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed A Dream, has been charting very well in the UK (and apparently, the US, too). The frumpy lady, who claimed to have never been kissed before, went on Britain's Got Talent, emerging as an Ugly Duckling with a beautiful voice that melts hearts. Now that she has an album, we get to hear more of that voice. Before I get all fanboy-ish with this review, I will say (to prove some objectivity in this review) - yes, the songs are all covers, and you probably won't want to listen to some of the tunes after Christmas, because yes, there's some Christmas songs in there. But heck. She's got great (not perfect, but great) vocals, and I think she's brilliant and likeable. She scores 3/10 for creativity (her rendition of Wild Horses - that's something), but overall, it's an 8.5/10.

Must Download: Wild Horses / I Dreamed A Dream / How Great Thou Art / Daydream Believer

Next, Lady Gaga, the crazy musical genius. For the sake of this review, I will review Fame Monster in 2 parts - The EP (CD1), and the album (i.e.: The Fame, CD2).

Fame Monster: 8 tracks. As many of you probably guessed by now, I'm a big fan of the electronica genre (think Owl City). So you'd expect me to love Lady Gaga, right? Well, yes and no. I have this bad habit of judging songs by their first 10 seconds, and that's the litmus test Gaga songs often fail. But to be fair, her latest EP isn't all bad. If you see my Last.fm weekly charts, you'd see that "Telephone" is in joint number 2. Many people also like Bad Romance. Aside from these two songs, I think the other songs are marginally above average, which = "Just OK". Not terrible. Just so-so. So I give this EP 6.5/10.

Must Download: Telephone / Bad Romance / Monster

The Fame: 16 tracks. Admittedly late, considering this album was out last year. But because this album is stuck inside "The Fame Monster", whether you like it or not, I have to review it. I'll make this quick. It's Gaga. And you probably have the album already if you like her. 8/10

Combines weighted score: 6.5*8 + 8*16 / (8+16) = 7.5/10

Next up: John Mayer, with Battle Studies. I was just tweeting @thejellyhunter (formerly @ryanleee) about this album - I don't love it, I don't like it, it's not growing on me, even though it's John C. Mayer. Why? Well, I've been thinking about it, and I think the answer can only be summed up in 2 words - it's dull. And I mean that in a "dull and not entertaining" sense. I mean, I loved Continuum, mainly because a few tracks were likeable - Heart Of Life, Waiting On The World To Change, Stop This Train, etc. - you listen to those, and you'll want to shake your head to the beats. If only he would stop tweeting and make his songs more impactful. And what the heck was Taylor Swift doing with John Mayer, singing only 2 lines? If she's in a studio with John Mayer, I expect more from Swift than just "Can't Stop Loving You, Can't Stop Loving You" and a suppressed, almost inaudible alto line. (The lyrics are great, though, if that's any consolation). 6.5/10

Must Download: Heartbreak Warfare / Who Says / Half Of My Heart / War Of My Life

Moving on: Norah Jones, with The Fall. Just as you forgot about her, she's back with a new album. It deviates from what you'd call Jazz, but that's fine by me. The music paints a picture in your head, and that's good. This one's growing on me. And as a "Welcome back" present, Jones gets an 8.5/10.

Must Download: Chasing Pirates / Young Blood / Tell Yer Mama

One last album - Queen. I talked about this before - It's a "Best Of" from one of those bands that probably earn millions in royalties each year. Buy! 9/10.

k. That's all for now. Got some tests to prepare for. More reviews to come!

Ambitious but rubbish, indeed.

For all the Top Gear (and car, especially electric car) fans out there, this one's for you.

In Episode 2 of their latest Season (Season 14), which aired last Sunday, the trio built an electric car that was meant to compete against other electric cars out there - Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Roadster, G-Wiz, etc.

They asked an 'annonymous' driver to send the car to the Autocar magazine to review the car that they have built.

The result?

Read on this link:

http://dl.haymarket.streamuk.com/autocar/top-gear/top-gear-topgear-test.pdf

It's ambitious, but ... trust me. Read the review.

snatched!

snatched from other people's blogs. Thought I should share them, so that you know what you're missing out by not looking at the blogs I link to...

(Note: the posts may have been condensed to keep this post below a certain length, but it does not change the text. The quotes are in grey.)

From Ernest's blog:

A list of irritating things to do when you're in a lift...

1) CRACK open your briefcase or handbag, peer Inside and ask "Got enough air in there?"
2) STAND silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.
3) WHEN arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act as if you're embarrassed when they open themselves.
4) GREET everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.
5) MEOW occasionally.
6) STARE At another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You're one of THEM" - and back away slowly
7) SAY -DING at each floor.
8) SAY "I wonder what all these do?" And push all the red buttons.
9) MAKE explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
10) STARE, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."
11) WHEN the elevator is silent, look around and ask: "Is that your beeper?"
12) TRY to make personal calls on the emergency phone.
13) DRAW a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."
14) WHEN there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn't you.
15) PUSH the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.
16) ASK if you can push the button for other people but push the wrong ones.
17) HOLD the doors open and say you're waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say "Hi Greg, How's your day been?"
18) DROP a pen and wail until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That's mine!"
19) BRING a camera and take pictures of everyone in the lift.
20) PRETEND you're a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the Passengers.
21) SWAT at flies that don't exist.
22) CALL out "Group hug" then enforce it. 

From Bryant's Blog:

"Ironically, you lose the one largest thing you're holding on to. The irony gods must be rolling on the floor."

Again, from Bryant's Blog:

"This, nowadays, is how a typical conversation goes between me and my mom. Events, by the way, while potentially fictionalised, are completely not exaggerated.

Me: Mom, I gotta be at school tomorrow at 8 in the morning.
Mom: Why?
Me: Mel's having IS, and she wants to get in some combat practice before her consult.
Mom: Why? 
Me: Because the madams would expect her combat routine to be in top form, right? And so therefore I should take the responsibility to be in top form too.
Mom: Why?
Me: Because her A-level TSD grade is in my hands, and I'm not going to let her down.
Mom: Why?
Me: ... Because she picked me as her IS partner, since I've got a fencing background, and we have the same skillset.
Mom: Why?
Me: Because she needed a partner, otherwise she wouldn't have anybody else to work with, except Sam, who is more of a dancer than a fighter, and even though she wanted to work with him really badly, his style was slightly too lyrical, and so she picked me, since I was a fellow fencer with a combat background, and a new J1 with lots of time to spare, and I know it's called Individual Skill, and I know what you're thinking, but that's just not the way that IS works, and --
*before Mom can say anything*
Me: -- I also have Animal Farm rehearsal from 11 to 3 after that.
Mom: Why?
Me: Because we're practicing for Vienna.
Mom: Why?
Me: Because we don't want to look like an amateur theatre company in front of other youth theatre companies all over the world.
Mom: Why?
Me: Because Mrs Creffield's standards are high, and she doesn't want us to look stupid either --
*before Mom can say anything again*
Me: -- and there's also a devised performance I have to watch tonight, after Animal Farm.
Mom: Why? 
Me: Because the madams want to expose us to all different kinds of theatre conventions, to get a feel of what we want to do for our own ISes.
Mom: Why?
Me: Because IS makes up 15% of our TSD A-level grade, and if we don't do it properly, we lose that 15%. So we're watching this play tonight, which starts at 7.30, so we're just going to bum around Holland V until the thing starts, so no, I'm not coming home in between to shower and change, I'm going to bring a change of clothes there and --
Mom: Are you coming home for dinner?
Me: *momentarily taken aback* Huh? Uh, no.
Mom: Why?

At this point, well, I usually sidle off to find a firearm so I can messily blow my brains out of my head for zombies to find and eat, which saves them the trouble of having to crack my skull open, which wouldn't be hard because the inane conversation with Mom has damn near withered it away to nothing. Thing is, with Singapore's strict gun control laws, I never seem to have any luck finding them, so my brains remain intact and un-zombie-consumed. 

But the thing is that I can never leave the house without being interrogated first. I swear, if there were a zombie apocalypse, and they needed my expertise to combat the oncoming horde, with Damien, Jerry, Jin, Sam, and all my fellow undead-hunters, Mom would rather doom the whole of mankind to their fate of having their brains eaten than let me go out of the house for five minutes, so I can oversee the evacuation of citizens out of the Central Business District, and hold off the marauding undead swarms with shotgun, flamethrower and chainsaw."

From Ren Yuan's Blog:

"People are changing too fast. Not on the inside, but outside. The sudden freedom from strict rules of secondary school seemed to have engulfed the meaning of dressing and behaving like a normal human individual of society in some minds."

Also from Ren Yuan's Blog:

Then...

"The cheque for July's here, and 60% of it is going to the iPhone fund. Yay!"

Now...

"Due to the overwhelming demand for the iPhone 3GS, all available stocks are sold out. 

We expect new stocks in October 2009. Please check this website for updates. 
We appreciate your understanding and support.

Well, screw you, Singtel Team. You have to get limited stocks and sell out the phones to make them look popular. 12 days before my contract ends. And then take a whole month to replenish stocks?"

So, how's that iPhone fund now?

From Zexun's Blog:

The classic question: Why do you bring your camera with you everywhere you go?
This is why.

On the 13th of May 2008, I brought my camera to (secondary) school as always. Just a simple 'newbie' setup. A gripped 400D, and a 50 1.8II. Classes chugged along on and on. Then it was our Chinese lesson, the most dreaded lesson to us. 

Oh how us Chinese "B syllabus" / "failures" hated the lesson - one hour of Chinese. We were the ones with "no hope" for Mandarin. Yet our teacher tried to ease our burdens, knowing that we disliked the language and had practically no grasp over it. He would translate each sentence into English for us, hoping that we would gain just a little bit of knowledge out of that hour. He would give us short breaks during the lesson and sought to know each one of us a little better.

I got bored and shot some photos of him without him realising (and if he did, he didn't acknowledge). And then, after an excruciating fifteen minutes, the bell rang and off we went to our next class.
I went home that day, downloaded the photographs to my computer, and didn't bother about them any more.

Seven months later, I graduated with a Merit (the highest grade) in my Chinese 'B' Language. My teacher congratulated me while grinning ear to ear. "See! I knew you could do it!" he said in Mandarin. I laughed, thanked him, and left the school compound. 
That was the last time we really talked.

Earlier today, I got news from my mom who works at a boarding house associated with my old school, that my chinese 'b' teacher, Mr Koh, had passed away on Saturday after having a stroke and slipping into a coma.
This was the photograph, the last one of him I ever got to shoot:

[photo link]

It's not a particularly great photograph. It's technically and artistically flawed in various ways. It was underexposed and slightly out of focus. The subjects were standing awkwardly. The lighting was florescent and horrible. It needed lots of post production just now when I reopened it.
Yet, it is the one photograph that I will always remember Mr Koh by. And now with technology helping me, so will many other ex-students who can relate to the scene in the photograph.

His grand nephew is one of my secondary school batch mates, and we are currently collaborating on a large print of this photograph, with signatures and messages at the back of the frame from as many as students as possible.

Yes, that is why I bring my camera everywhere. To let other people see the world as I see it. And often, to let other people see the good in other people, past and present, living and gone.

Thank you, Lord, for having me be at the right time, at the right place, in the right class. To be able to depress the shutter when You wanted me to. To immortalise the dearly departed in a photograph, forever, so that he may be remembered for who he was, what he did, and the lives he changed.

Rest In Peace, Mr Koh. You will always have a place in this little heart of mine.

Indeed. Thank God for this great teacher, and a photograph so others will know of this compassionate and caring teacher. And while I'm commenting on this post, props to Zexun. I really cannot think of anyone else who has such dedication towards photography than he does - always ready with his gear, and always there to document almost every event.

I'll end of on a lighter note. This next one isn't a blog. It's a web comic series. XKCD. They've gone Creative Commons recently, which means that I can post their stuff on my blog (at last!), as long as I don't make profit from their stuff. But, I'm going to quote the bottom of their page.

From XKCD:

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves. 
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.

This is not the algorithm. This is close.

and if you're always asking people for tech help, read this, please. It's for your own good.

Let's review those predictions!

Let's see...

1. Steve Jobs will make an appearance.
2. Steve Jobs will speak.
3. There will be a new iPod touch with camera and more memory.
4. There will be a new iPod nano with camera and more memory. Oh, and 
a new ad to go along with the product.
5. There will not be any new iPod classics.
6. There will be a new iTunes - iTunes 9, released on 9/09/09. Lots of 
'9's...
7. There will be no announcement on the tablets at the event.
8. There will be no announcement on the Beatles or the Yellow 
Submarine iPods (shush!) at the event.
9. There will be talk on Apple TV.
10. There will be a Q&A session after the announcements for the media/ 
journalists/bloggers at the event.

Correct:

1 2 _ 4 _ 6 7 8 _ _

6-7-8! That's 3 in a row!

new 'CD' releases galore!

The late-august-early-September-ish period seems like an exciting time for music releases. Or at least that's what I see, judging from the number of (digital) CDs I plan to buy.

First up, Múm just released their latest studio album, "Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know". And what can you expect from Múm? Well, the usual out-of-the-box combinations of musical instruments in each track. Was out on 21 Aug, £6.99 from Amazon UK.

Also releasing an album this August is Imogen Heap, with "Ellipse". Again, not much of a surprise here - it's Imogen Heap, which means electronica. Currently available for pre-order, it should be out on 24 Aug 09 in the UK. Price is unknown.

Next up, it's not a "new" album, but rather, a major remaster of 13+ albums. It's The Beatles, with their box set of stereo remasters. Now, nobody knows if it'll come out as a digital download on 09.09.09, the date of the remaster CD and Rock Band game's simultaneous release. But I'm confident those Beatles tracks will come to iTunes one day. For now, you can pre-order the physical box set from Amazon UK and part with £169.98 of your money. Ouch.

And finally, I've talked briefly about their album - it's Muse, with "The Resistance". It won't be out till 14 September on iTunes UK, but right now, you can preview 30s-clips of each track on the iTunes link that I hyperlinked. Aside from that, you can also listen to 2 full tracks on their website: www.muse.mu. Available for pre-order from £7.99 on iTunes.

K. That's my album watch for this period. Do let me know what you're looking forward to!

P.s.: personal post: I think I can't lift my right hand anymore. played badminton today, did a lot of the jump-and-hit nonsense. Haven't played in years, and now my muscles are aching.

P.s.s.: haven't packed for SG trip! Oh my, now what?!

new music chart!

betcha didn't expect one so soon, did ya?

Well, yes. It's time for one last music chart before I (possibly) go onto a 'dial-up-ish' internet connection when I go back to Indonesia this weekend.

Before I begin with the chart, one more announcement: I'm going back to Singapore on the 27th of August. It'll be an afternoon flight, so I should be free that weekend, assuming Mr Sim doesn't call me for rehearsals or anything. I'll be staying at my guardian's.

I'm also trying to arrange a get-together with different groups. Raymond was suggesting a choir alumni one, and I've announced a 4SA get-together on Teacher's Day eve. If you wanna meet up with me, just let me know by this Saturday, 9pm Singapore time. After that, I might still read it, assuming my bro subscribed to a more reliable internet connection in Jakarta. But please, do let me know. I'll be in Singapore from 27Aug to 1Sep. But yes, the Saturday of that week, I have Founder's Day, and I should have rehearsals before that.

Now, one last time before I go on a Boeing 777-300ER this weekend, let's rock the iTunes mixtape!

Music Chart For The Moment...

1. Remedy 

Little Boots

2. Poppiholla 

Chicane

3. Tigerlily 

La Roux

4. Confusion Girl

FrankMusik

5. We Are The People

Empire Of The Sun

6. When Love Takes Over

David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland

7. Sweet Dreams

Beyoncé

8. I Gotta Feeling

Black Eyed Peas

9. 22 

Lily Allen

10. Uprising

Muse

Yes, if you see number 10, it's a new track by Muse. It's from their upcoming album "The Resistance". It'll be out in September, but for now, you can preview 2 tracks from the album on their website (muse.mu). One is called Uprising, and the other is labelled as "United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)". The former sounds like a mish-mash of several Muse songs from their last studio album "Black Holes & Revelations", while the latter is reminiscent of Queen (We Are The Champion), but there's a surprise towards the end - a sudden twist from punchy and sinister Queen to a piano tune. You'll have to register to listen to the full track, if you're impatient like me. Other than that, I'm looking forward to the album!

Also, can I just say, Little Boots sounds so J-Pop in their track "Remedy". Seriously. Go stream it and hear for yourself. It's like J-Pop turned into Western Pop music. Quite funky, but at the same time, audible and easy to understand, unlike Ayumi Hamasaki. Oh, snap! Bring on the hate tags, BenSee!

Mid-year Review: The 2009 New Year's Resolution

As you probably know by now, I can be quite random.

But I like to review things I predict. New Year's Resolutions, Predictions for Apple Keynotes, etc.

So, This is one of those reviews. My New Year's Resolution checklist at a glance. Think of it as if it were the SA1 in your Primary school years, only today.

I will get into Bellerby's College [UK]

Did I do it? Yes. 

I will keep my mass under 75kg.

So far, so good. 

I will grow to above 1.80m by the end of '09.

Nope. Not yet.

I will not go into overdraft when I am in the UK.

Can't. My bank account doesn't allow Overdraft. So, goodie!

I will keep in contact with my Singapore friends.

Yep.

I will meet Indonesians in the UK.

2, in fact. Also met Malaysians, and a staff who speaks Malaysian English!

I will cook at least once, be it in Indonesia before I leave, or in UK.

Nope. Though I can make Miso soup from an instant mix. Yum!

I will post minimum 100 posts in 2009. A low target for a busy year ahead.

Definitely over.

I will stop buying physical albums [i.e.: Music CDs] by the last quarter of 2009 [Oct-Dec]. I will, instead, buy online.

I've not bought a single CD since I landed in the UK. But we'll wait and see. I'm thinking of buying a Beatles album...

I will grow stronger in the LORD, and while I'm at this,

Amen.

I will find a church in the UK, and go to it regularly.

Yep.

I will get a new MacBook in 2009.

Oh, hello, Unibody MBP.

I will drive with a license in 2009.

Oh hello, driving license in Indonesia! And hi, Honda Jazz! (My bro's car.)

I will vote in the 2009 Indonesian Presidential. SBY or Megawati? that's the question at the moment.

Not yet.

I will watch a performance of a choir in 2009.

Not yet. Unless that time I went to the music room counts. Which I doubt.

I will watch min. 3 movies in the theaters / cinema in 2009.

Really can't remember, but my last review in March said I did it. So, I did it.

I will still take photos in the UK, but for artsy and casual reasons only.

Yes and No. I took photos for a school event (the "May Ball", which is like Grad Dinner with drinks and dance)

I will sit on the Airbus A380 for the first time in 09.

Oh yes I did! And I still have the boarding pass to prove it!

I will not be in Singapore for more than 100 hours in 2009.

Fail. O Level Results Release: ~48h. Certificate collection/transit before leaving for the UK: ~48h. And Let's not forget: I have to come back in August for more than 4h, so that's more than 100h in total. So, no other way to put it, except EPIC FAIL!

I will take up music lessons. Specifically, piano.

Again, Yes and no. Should have said guitar instead of piano. 

I will run a half-marathon in 2009. [i.e.: 21km. Not competitive, though]

Oh yes I did, In Indonesia, on a treadmill.

I will run in a running event in 2009, even if it's the London Marathon or Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon. 

hehe... Gonna be hard. Firstly, London Marathon is over. Secondly, StanChart Marathon happens while I still have school.

I will grow more muscles in my arms and the six-pack region. a four-pack would be nice, over the one bulge I have now.

Unlikely. Next!

Oh wait, there's none left?

Ok, then total up...14 green, 2 orange, and 7 red, making a total of 23.

So, overall, I passed! Goodie! No need to review anymore, then!

Music Chart for the moment

Here's another music chart!

1. 

Black Eyed Peas

One Tribe

2. 

Linkin Park

New Divide

3. 

Empire Of The Sun

We Are The People

4. 

McFly

Falling In Love

^5. 

Keri Hilson feat Kanye West and Ne-Yo

Knock You Down

6. 

Beyoncé

Halo

^7. 

Little Boots

New In Town

8. 

Lily Allen

Not Fair

9. 

Black Eyed Peas

I Gotta Feeling

10. 

The Veronicas

Untouched

Just want to point out: songs marked with "^" means I didn't actually buy them, but they sound good on the radio.

Also, while I'm talking about music, I want to give you my quasi-review of Black Eyed Peas' Album, "The E.N.D.". Personally, I wouldn't buy the entire album, if I couldn't buy individual songs. I was previewing the tracks on Amazon. Only 3 songs went from Amazon Store to my iTunes Library - "Boom Boom Pow", "One Tribe", and "I Gotta Feeling". Maybe this album is one of those albums where I have to take time listening to the album over and over again to actually like it, but that's a risk I'm not willing to pay for. I'll be watching the radio charts, though, to see what other songs make it to the top. My guess is that we might only see "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" on charts. 

Tech tip: Apple In-Ear Earphones

For those people who landed on my blog while googling, welcome.

I just bought the Apple In-Ear Earphones (the new ones with the dual-
drivers, mic, and remote). And I thought I should write a review on it.

As a pre-review disclosure, I have previously owned the Sennheiser
CX300 and MM50 (which are the same, except that the MM50 are meant for
iPhones and come with a remote and mic. My CX300 spoilt, so I got the
MM50. It's not because I desperately needed the extra features, just
that the prices were the same).

The Apple In Ear Earphones with remote and mic, hereon referred to as
the cans, is a decent earpiece. These cans have a tweeter for the
treble and woofer for the bass, or so Apple says. They come in a nice
packaging with extra ear cups for small and large ears (more on that
later) and a nice case (not recommended for daily use, as it's quite
unpractical, the way it's designed).

The cans have a remote for play/pause/forward/previous track and a mic
that works with all latest-gen iPods and all iPhones, as well as the
latest MacBooks. In addition, the iPods and MacBooks support the
volume control. The iPhone 3G, unfortunately, still doesn't support
the volume control yet.

The most important thing about any can(s) is its ability to produce
beautiful sound and feel comfortable.

These cans have the best vocal production I've ever heard (very
realistic reproduction of vocals, I might add). Mid-range and treble
instruments (pianos, most guitars except the bass and some electric,
the ukulele, etc) sound awesome.

You notice I've not mentioned the bass. Well, it's, to put it in a
nice way, technically and accurately balanced. But, unfortunately,
this means it's weaker than other cans which tend to produce pumping
bass for the same price, + or -. Why did Apple choose to keep it
balanced? Maybe the audio engineers there are acoustic communists, but
whatever the reason, many people will feel it's lacking. I'm one of
them, having come from the MM50 which produces strong, sometimes
overpowered bass. Mind you, the Sennheisers are one-driver earphones
(as far as I know, that is).

But other than that, I do recommend trying the earphones for yourself
before buying them. I used the large and medium ear-cups. amazingly,
the large ear-cups resulted in much improved bass, possibly due to a
better fit, so do note these when you try or buy yours. Test the 3
sizes for sound quality, fitting, and comfort.

Also, Apple may have accidentally designed these phones such that
people with certain ear shapes will get better sound (specifically,
bass) than others. I'm lucky to be in the lucky category, as long as I
use the large ear cups.

Ok, I want to read what you guys think. Do post on my tagboard what
you think of earphones, especially in-ears!

Post #1,000. And the content can't get any crappier.

Ok, I know I promised you a new blog was going to be announced in this
post (see post #999.)

Well, that plan's on hold.

Because I have no plan of what that new blog will have. My initial
idea was a reviews / tourism blog about a student in Brighton. Sounds
nice, cool, and professional, right?

Well, I realised that I won't have much to post there.

So, yes, that plan's been temporarily shifted to priority #21957.

Anyway, there's been so much information flying around, where do I
start?!

Ok, first thing - Congrats to the SASS B Div ruggers! After 2 years,
they finally pounced back and avenged for the last two years of
disappointment! The B Div cup's back in the village! Nothing more I
can say, other than "congratulations."

Right. Next thing: I'm going on some student immersion trip to London
this Sunday. Hope to take great pics and enjoy myself there. Haven't
been taking photos since I landed in the United Kingdom because of the
recent news about some Brit villager attacking a Google Street View
van that passed by his house.

Speaking of Google Street View, I saw one drove past Brighton Station
on my first day of school. So, when Google Street View for Brighton
goes online, you know where to find me! And it's a pretty iconic
place, too. Brighton Station. The train station that links this area
to London and the rest of the South East.

Also, report on the Apple Store Brighton: I found it, it's still not
ready, but at least I know where it is. 2nd floor of Churchill Square,
opposite HMV, next to the "Make-a-Teddy Workshop" store and above
MotherCare. Apple can't pick a better place to prepare the next
generation of Apple Fanboys. Like, what the hell was Cupertino thinking?

Oh, Singlish report - no more. I know no Singlish. The only good thing
I love about Singapore that still sticks to me like a symbiote is
unlocked iPhones. Gosh, I love my iPhone. It tells me my bus leaves at
8.15 or 8.21am every morning. Google Maps, people.

And by the way, did you see that 1,000,000,000 (read: billion) app
downloads countdown ticker on the Apple.com website? Impressive, don't
you think?

And on the topic of iTunes, I purchased Lady Gaga's album, "The Fame".
It's ok, a few awesome tracks that makes me want to dance (so not cool).

Ok, that's all for now, need to download more apps. US$10,000 iTunes
Gift Card + 17" MacBook Pro + Time Capsule + 32GB iPod Touch, here I
come!