Wednesday night, my astronomy club, the RASC Niagara, will be hosting a public starnight at Firemens' Park in Niagara Falls to view the total lunar eclipse. Directions and complete information are here. The weather forecast doesn't look wonderful, but I am staying hopeful. Best times for viewing are apprxomiately 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.
  ¶ 10:01 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  John Peel, longtime host of a radio show on the BBC's Radio 1 has died. He was easily one of England's most influential DJs, and outlasted pretty much everyone else, having been on air for 40 years. Here's the BBC's news story. I didn't know the show that well, but I was always happy to hear bootlegs of the Peel Sessions, when bands appeared live on his show. Some of the best were Richie Hawtin, Orbital and Black Dog Productions.
  ¶ 9:56 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Swoon 067 - October 25, 2004

Multiplex - Compuphonic (Gimmik mix) (Toytronic)
Kid Spatula - Disclosed (Planet mu)
Abfahrt Hinwil - Tech 10 (Toytronic)
Aphex Twin - Ptolemy (R&S)
Plastikman - Helikopter (Plus8)
Kosmik Kommando - Thoughts of You (Rephlex)
Fatboy Slim - Jin Go Lo Ba (Skint)
Manitoba - Leila (CBC)
Squarepusher - Kill Robok (Warp)
Manual & Syntaks - Inez (Darla)
Celestial Mechanix - Maldroror's Remix (Thirsty Ear)
Oliver Hacke - Piscinespinne
Donnacha Costello - Green (Minimise)
Commercial Breakdown - Superman (Wighnomy Bros. and Robag Wruhme mix)
2 Dollar Egg - Graphit (Klang)
Mathew Jonson - Re-Wire
Magnet - Kisskisskiss (Kompakt Extra)
Markus Guentner - Regensburg (Kompakt mix) (Kompakt Extra)
Lady B - Cruising Around Motor City
Matthew Dekay & Alvredo - Symbiosis
Abe Duque feat. Blake Baxter - What Happened
The MFA - The Difference It Makes
Tim Hecker - Celestina (Alien8)
  ¶ 9:46 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Much is being written about Ashlee Simpson's hilarious blowout on Saturday Night Live. Basically, first song is fine. Next song, it's the first song again?!? Ashlee does a little dance. A miracle ensues, and her voice comes out loud and clear, even though her microphone is at her waist. She does a little more dancing. The guitarists try not to break out laughing. Ashlee walks off the stage.

At the end of the show, she stoops as low as possible, blaming her band for playing the wrong song.

Here's the best rundown.
Here's the best video montage.

The best part is Ashlee being quoted in Lucky magazine a few months back saying she's against lip-synching.

From Lucky Magazine
interview:

LM: What are your takes on lip-synching?

AS: I'm totally against it and offended by it. I'm going out to let my real
talent show, not to just stand there and dance around. Personally, I'd never
lip-synch. It's just not me.

  ¶ 11:25 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

 

I happened to be in London when the BBC was holding its Greatest Briton contest in late 2002. (Yes, the CBC’s Greatest Canadian is not an original idea.) The only episode I saw was the face-to-face debates between the advocates. The CBC will reach that point in late November.

Lesser Britons – Boy George, George Harrison, a few more Georges, David Beckham and others – having been ejected in previous rounds, the BBC was now down to ten excellent candidates. Actually, there were eight, I had never heard of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who in the end, placed second to Sir Winston Churchill, and I wouldn't consider Princess Di a greatest Briton.

I consider myself reasonably well-educated, and was flabbergasted that I had never heard of Brunel, and who, according to his advocate Jeremy Clarkson, was greater than sliced bread, Churchill, Shakespeare and all the others.

Brunel was the man behind England’s rail system. During the 19^th century he was in charge of design, planning and construction of the network that grew to cover England. Building bridges, designing cars, rails and stations was all part of his mandate. Afterwards, he built some of the world’s biggest steamships when he was done with railways. No small accomplishment.

His advocate was equally good, and could sell the Amish DVD players if he wanted to. He was so good I was wondering why I had never heard of Brunel. I think it’s because his influence was only ever felt in England. The other nine made their marks worldwide. You wouldn’t think Shakespeare (#5) needs much PR help, nor Newton (#6) or Darwin (#4), but apparently they do. Advocates make a big difference.

Is the same thing going to happen with the CBC’s Greatest Canadian? Probably, and that’s a shame. It’s not hard to bamboozle audiences with glam, a loud voice and confidence in the perfection of one’s subject. (But enough about George W. Bush.)

If I was to advocate for Lester Pearson, he’d be in trouble, especially if someone who knows all the television tricks was advocating for Bob and Doug McKenzie. Picture the newspapers headlines the next day: "Take off, eh? Hosers #1!"

What I don’t want to see is moronic shoutfests à la Counterspin, Crossfire or Hardball. I’m happy to side with Jon Stewart on this one, volume isn’t going to help anyone.

This is what I want to see: reasoned discussion and learned debate on the historical merits of the candidates, and if their influence will still be felt in 500 years, because that's the true measure. There shouldn’t be a need to compare the candidates between themselves. Surely one candidate’s glory will stand out above the others.

  ¶ 3:43 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  CFBU has moved to its new location in downtown St. Catharines. Last night was my first show from there.

Swoon 066 - October 18, 2004

Arovane - Windy Wish Trees (City Centre Offices)
LFO - Blown (Warp)
Manual & Syntaks - Sal Paradise (Darla)
Appogee - Coral (Kanpai)
Static - Inside Your Heaven (City Centre Offices)
DJ Shine - Stressed Out (nice+smooth)
Wighnomy Bros. - I Miss You Babe
2 Dollar Egg - Graphit
Magnet - KissKissKiss (Kompakt)
Freedom Five - Electromagnetic (Freeform Reform Dub)
Felix da Housecat - Control Freaq (Emperor Norton)
Alter Ego - Rocker (Skint)
Slam - Lie To Me (Soma)
Donnacha Costello - Green (Minimise)
Luomo - Cold Lately (Force Tracks)
Neotropic - You're Grooving Me Down (Ntone)
Blame - Gravity Lock
Orbital - One Perfect Sunrise (ATO)


  ¶ 9:30 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  I voted for Buffy

SPACECAST.COM:

Who/what could save Enterprise series from cancellation?

Wil Wheaton
Buffy
The Picard
Weapons of plot construction
  ¶ 1:20 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  SN2004et

Last night I was able to see supernova SN2004et. It's located in the galaxy NGC 6946, part of the list of Finest NGC objects. It's faint, at about magnitude 12 or less, but I managed to see it with an 8" Dobsonian and a 7mm Pentax XL eyepiece, giving a magnification of about 171x.

This is the first supernova I've ever seen with a telescope. Quite exciting!

Big ups to Skyhound for their chart, I couldn't have identified the supernova without it.
  ¶ 3:36 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Swoon 065: October 4, 2004

!!! - Instinct (Warp)
N.E.R.D. - She Wants To Move (DFA mix)
T. Raumschmiere - Monstertruckdriver (Mute)
Christian Kleine - Disper (City Centre Offices)
HRK - Love World (Ulrich Schnauss mix)
Murcof - mfrelay (Context)
T. Raumschmiere - Random Noise Muzick (Hefty)
Donnacha Costello - Perspective
Luciano and Mathew Jonson - Alpine Rocket (Perlon)
Matthew Dear - Irreparably Dented (David Alvarado reconstruction)(Spectral Sound)
Oliver Hacke - Schoner Wohnen (Trapez)
Pete Namlook - Did You Ever Retire a Human? (Fax)
Ulrich Schnauss - You Were the Only One Around
Black Dog Productions - Chesh (Warp)
  ¶ 4:26 PM 0 Comments Links to this post