Links for the Linkless - July 21, 2008

I went to a jazz fest this weekend in Villingen and have to admit that I was surprised at the amount of Germans who attended. The place was packed and everyone in the room was moving themselves to the music in some form or another. There were both old and young, each person loving every moment of the performance. Not that I thought they weren't capable of enjoying such music, but it seems to be such an un-German style. The structure seems complex but much more lackadaisical than anything that represents the German way of life. Simply put, it was great. Anyhoo, here's some cool linkage.

6 Snacks that Are Actually Good for You - I did NOT see this coming. Except the chocolate part.

For a Good Time Call... - Witty little comic strip.

Full Moon over TV Tower in Stuttgart - This is where I live. Right there at the top.

On Our Way to the Other Suns

Why have I been so out of the loop all my life?

1977: The year Voyagers 1 and 2 were launched.

2008: The year Mark realizes that despite trying hard to be well informed, he can do nothing but kick himself for not learning more about space exploration.

I always assumed that for every new day that comes, we are greatly privileged to be on the brink of new technology. We are exposed to the easier, the smaller, the more efficient at every possible moment of the day. I've found myself recently reminding myself, however, that our most useful possessions are not what are waiting to be sold to us, but are gathering literal and/or proverbial dust.

While I can't stop fantasizing about what the newest features on the next iPod will be, people are busying themselves rediscovering the true value of vinyl. When I think that the best designed houses aren't even built yet, a civil engineer transforms his 1991 raised ranch into a self sustaining solar and hydrogen power...house.

These points, along with many others, make me feel as though more answers lie in our past than in our future. While there exists a balance, of course, it is far too easy to get caught up in the future of things and let the past pass you by.

So what does this have to do with the Voyager space program? Well for starters, it was 1977. Not so long ago for some, but a lifetime ago for others. I was negative eight years young when this stuff was going down, 31 years ago.

By today's technological terms, I wouldn't assume many people would put here and now on the same level of there and then. At present, personal computers and the Internet are allowing people to find and learn about almost anything they desire, making the idea of lugging around a computer from 1977 (as we do a laptop today) a bit unwieldy. Today, cell phones are wirelessly connecting us to the ones we love, while back then bulky portable phones were stumbling awkwardly onto the market.

Given the state of the consumer market at the moment, one would think that the things that NASA must have had at their disposal back then must have since trickled down to consumers in some form or another, right? Technology to build fuel efficient jet packs, or flying vehicles comes right to mind.

Although some things we use every day have come directly from NASA, the innovative ideas that were injected into the Voyager space program are far and beyond what I thought was possible then. Ideas such as saving fuel by slingshotting around the gravitational pulls of each planet and using a slowly decaying piece of radioactive material (expiration date 2020) to power the functional parts of the spacecraft seem like some of the technology we've been looking for on earth. They may not be solutions, but I'm sure they could be integrated some way into our everyday lives.

The basic understanding of our immediate surroundings has been carefully mapped with the help of the Voyager Program. Much of what we've learned about our solar system has been beamed directly from those two beautiful spacecraft. During their 31 year lifespan, Voyagers 1 and 2 have been on a one way journey toward the ends of our solar system, picking up every bit of information they were made capable of receiving along the way. They move at a modest speed of 30,000 mph, not bothering to stop for anything.

30,000 miles per hour. Let's think about that for a second. Within that second we just took to think about that, the spacecraft have moved 8.33 miles. That's 8.33 miles per second. That means that these things are barreling through space at a speed that would roll them across the United States in a measly 6 minutes. Is anyone else as floored as I am about this number?

It can make you feel pretty small when you relate that speed to their current distance away from us. According to this Wikipedia article, Voyager 1 is a bit over 9,870,000,000 miles from the Sun. That equates to a petty 396,361 continuous trips around our good ol' Earth (source: about.com).

If they've been flying at this speed uninterrupted for all those 31 years, you can safely assume that they're not coming home any time soon. In fact, when they do finally run out of their juice, they have no plans to ever make the return trip. These two brave explorers will never again see Earth, nor the solar system for that matter. They will continue to blast through the unknown reaching farther than anything man made has blasted.

The fact that these spacecraft are still in (semi) working condition after such a time proves to me that we, as a human race, have something mindblowingly cool to be proud of. I'm not just talking about the ships themselves, either. Each carry a golden record containing pictures, sounds and other such things that explain who we are and what our home is like. This is in the case that someone/thing/futurehuman stumbles upon it.

Putting thought into the Voyager Space Program is a humbling experience. To think that we're on the edge of our solar system, heading into interstellar space, is an audacious statement about who we are as a world. To put that statement lightly, we are kick-ass.

And to think that the project began more than 31 years ago...

More at HowStuffWorks

Counterintuitive Improvement

Ooooh yes, don't we all love the (insert: number) (insert: adjective/superlative) (insert: noun) lists!? Well this one is worth the time to check out, even if you are sick of them.

10 Counterintuitive Ways to Improve Your Life @ Illuminated Mind

That sounds like it could be a fun mad lib. The 63 Most Socially Enlightened Jellyfish. The 837 Least Aesthetically Appealing Ways to Jump Out of an Underwater Freight Train. Or how about this one: The 1 big List of Every List Ever Compiled into a List of Lists.

The Snake the Cross the Crown - The Great American Schteez

"May the jaws of death have cotton teeth."

The Snake the Cross the Crown are a dynamic crew of musicians who come out on top in terms of being able to transform styles while holding dearly onto their appeal.

Mander Salis, their first LP, established them as legitimate musicians looking to deliver a swift kick to indie rock music. It's an ambitious rock album with a sometimes overpowering sound, but manages to remain modest through and through. Instruments are a'plenty, diversely ranging the gambit of acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, piano, xylophone, and even some minimal electronic sounds. But the band's sound makers serve only as the foundation of the grand structure that they are able to construct in Mander Salis.

On first listen, their second and latest release, Cotton Teeth, departs intensely from it's predecessor. The upbeat, technical sound that had been so prevalent on Mander Salis had been seemingly rejected and exchanged for a rather off-putting, minimalistic approach to music making. No more massive choruses, brigades of instruments, or shiny production to be seen on Cotton Teeth. All that was left was gritty, homemade American music.

It took months upon months for me to truly appreciate what TSTCTC are capable of. Cotton Teeth took a long time to click for me. I'd play album and try to get a feel for it, but find myself abruptly taking it out of rotation in frustration. Luckily, I was persistent. While this transformation in taste was occurring, I noticed some things about the band that every musician should pay attention to.

The singer's range while impeccable, intentionally remains on the level of the rest of the band members' abilities. No one steps out of turn, and everyone plays so well in unison. They never care to single out one individual in the group, but would rather emphasize the band as one entity. TSTCTC are confident in their sound, but aren't pretentious. They know their limits and exceed them but remain humble about it. This shines through every piece of their music, particularly on Cotton Teeth. I think that with these two releases, they've carve out a very unique niche in current music.

This is American music as I know it.

<|Americana, Folk, Rock|>

The Snake the Cross the Crown myspace

An interview with the band about Cotton Teeth

TSTCTC live - The Great American Smokeout

Cartoony Whale Picture

This rustic whale has something to say, but I'm not too sure what.

Found here: http://zee.com.br/files/u1/intro4.jpg

New Music from Drive By

Aside from having the same name as him (almost), my friend Marc P and I have quite a bit in common. We like to visit different countries in the name of naivete, our thick blond hair is sometimes more enticing than we wish it would be, and our ability to embrace our quirks rather than shunning them always makes for a good time.

Here's a somber ballad called "HastaLaMuerte" under his new moniker Drive By. A low key song, it puts his classy vocals out on display beside a ramblin' acoustic guitar. I believe it was recorded on his mac as well, so you're in for a real indie treat.

Firefox 3.0 - The Awesome Bar

So I've been testing out the new Firefox 3.0 for a week or so now, and am liking some of the new additions.

The address bar has been turned into a powerhouse of a tool, and I learned what it was made of today. I had told my roommate about an article I had stumbled upon sometime this week, but couldn't remember the full name of it, nor where the damn thing had come from. All that I could recall was "America" or "American" in the title.

Before the "Awesome Bar" (as the Mozillas refer to it), I would have had to open up my history and scan through every website from the past few days, not knowing much of what I was looking for. The mighty Awesome Bar came in handy though, and after typing only "Ameri..." into the address bar of Firefox, the article was staring me in the face.

I'm sure I'll have more things to say about this newfangled contraption as time goes on. If you don't have Firefox already, be sure to download it when you can.

Highly Recommended Music - Lovedrug

Lovedrug
A few years ago, I remember that the Militia Group was a powerhouse of a record label. Their arsenal of bands was unparalleled, and they seemed not to have been able to release anything less than stellar.

Enter Lovedrug, who upon first listen unimpressed me. The songs sounded drab, lacking emotion, and reminded me of Radiohead (not a fan). Slowly though, I grew to appreciate the band for what it was. The singer's ghostly vocals backed by powerful walls of guitars and piano proved to be sincere in delivery.

Their first album, Pretend You're Alive, is honest and unpretentious. They carved out a comfortable niche with that release. The second, Everything Starts Where It Ends, expands well on the ground they covered in the first, but doesn't do anything groundbreaking for the band or genre.

Their sound is unique, which I hope that they keep with upcoming albums. They have great potential to branch out and experiment with new styles, although they seem very comfortable in their current sound. I look forward to what's next.

<|Indie, Rock, Alternative|>

Official Site
Lovedrug Myspace

Ghost By Your Side - Video

So I Decided to Make a Change

The idea of a more open-ended blog is more attractive to me than one based solely on music. I would like to simply write what I want, rather than limit myself to one specific subject.

I'll still be focusing a lot on the music that I find interesting, but also be posting more about creative things that will not pertain to music whatsoever. I'm going to find a way to organize it as well. I love to express myself in different ways and I think I just have too much to say to limit myself.

The theme behind this blog is for me to share what I find with whomever wants to hear it. I'll write in and test out my own style for people who want to see something new. It'll be an experiment for me to see what I'm capable of. It won't be entirely open-ended; I will try to focus on creative thinking, art (in it's many forms), and current events. There will be undoubtedly be some random things scattered about in there, but I think those are important too.

I feel however that most of the time, I want others to experience the things that I find in their own way. That is why most of what I may post won't have much commentary on my part. I think that art is a mostly subjective experience, and I can only hope to share with you what I believe to be relevant to the progression of it. I sometimes feel the need to explain why and at other times I don't. If and when I do, I will, but I will try to keep it short and interesting. It is really up to you to decide what you like and don't like.

The idea of reviewing something artistic to persuade a reader to listen seems to me to be a trivial and futile gesture. Some people are very good at writing their opinion. Their opinion though, is just that. What they think. It's certainly not what everyone thinks.

Think what you will of whatever you want. That is the beauty of choice. You must not and should not adhere to any other opinion but your own. All that I ask is that you give things up here a try and if you have something to say, say it. Post a comment or email me. You could even bash me on your own blog. I don't care. I'll be able to cut down on the excess with your help.

Just check back when you can, and let me know what you think. The new address is http://whywastewords.blogspot.com/.

And thanks.

Minus the Bear on Daytrotter

I'm pumped. You should be too. There are FOUR tracks up there just looking you longingly in the eyes through the store window. They're begging you to take them home and play them over and over.

P.S. Throwin' Shapes is pretty gnarly.

Minus the Bear on Daytrotter