Actually it wasn’t all that lazy, there has been so much to do. But here are some music picks for the week – don’t miss the Sister Hazel double album if you’re in the US, and the Turin Brakes track is the pick for the UK.
§ I’m still listening to new music and it seems the proximity of SXSW is triggering a cascade of releases. Here are some samples from this week’s listening.
§ The last of the series of songs by Dave Carroll after his lousy experience flying United is finally out. I think song one was by far the best (song two lacked zing), but this one is pretty good:
I’d like to be able to say it’s hyperbolic, but unfortunately the trip I took over the weekend once again poured fuel on the fire (one friend I was travelling with had luggage lost by them on 2 of the last 3 flights) so sadly I think Carroll still has a point. Song one is just coming up to 8 million views on YouTube so I think United has a problem and the rest of us have a marketing case study.
Very welcome – and beautifully-constructed – from Europe’s data protection supremo. While we should not let up pressure on transparency and on three-strikes, it may be time to start spotlighting some of the other evil in the leaked drafts, such as unlimited search powers at borders, criminalisation of infringements, internet access logging and international application of the DMCA.
Various EU politicians have worked out that “three-strikes” arouses hatred in voters. All the same, the motivation in introducing the legislation is to clear the ground for ratification of ACTA, so we need to stay vigilant as this is almost certainly window-dressing.
While I expect this will make a bunch of fundamentalists gag (including Dawkinians), I found this discussion interesting and timely. We have spent too long treating “spiritual” and “sacred” as words indicating a response to the passive, but everything I’ve ever admired in the inner life has related to creativity and creation. Worth reading even if just to disagree!
All views expressed on this blog are those of Simon Phipps and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other entity, including current and former employers and clients. See my full disclosure of interests.
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