Happy New Year

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Happy New Year readers!



This is the first time in as long as I can remember that I haven't spent the New Year at a bash with lots of people crossing arms and singing Auld Lang Syne. But from what I've heard, I'm not alone. Gale force winds have cancelled celbrations across the country. My friends in Edinburgh have discovered Hogmany cancelled, the same goes for parties in Belfast, Liverpool, Newcastle etc. I'm not going to a party as I've just taken Heather back to the airport and I don't really feel like it. I think a book and a hot bath will be a fitting way to usher in 2007. I'm reading JPod at the moment, very like Microserfs, or any Douglas Coupland novel for that matter but if you like him, then there's little in this book to take issue with.

Anyway, goodbye 2006, hello 2007. Let's hope it's a good one.

Paolo Nutini USA tour

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PAOLO NUTINI

North American Tour - Winter 2007

JANUARY
25 Chicago, IL TBD
26 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio
27 Madison, WI The Annex
29 Minneapolis, MN Rossi's Blue Star Room
31 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom

FEBRUARY
2 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live
3 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

MARCH
2 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
6 Detroit, MI Magic Bag
7 Toronto, ON Mod Club
8 Montreal, QC Cabaret LaTulipe
11 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
13 Annapolis, MD Ramshead Soundstage
14 Atlanta, GA Smith's Olde Bar
15 Mobile, AL TBD
20 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
21 San Diego, CA TBD
23 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
24 San Francisco, CA The Independent
27 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
28 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
29 Vancouver Richards on Richards

**April / May '07 - SOLD OUT UK Tour!!** 3

Christmas Eve wine

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Last night, in what will hopefully become a tradition, David and I ate fine olives, Kettle Chips and drank a wonderful bottle of Bordeaux while watching Larry David on the funniest of shows, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The wine we opened was a 2001 Château Camail. It was great. From a tiny property owned by Francois Masson-Regnault perched on a hilltop overlooking the region of Sauternes, it was once the site of 'La Tour Camail' a beacon signalling to ships on their way up the might Garonne river.

Like most wines from that region, it's mainly Merlot but gives a great plummy taste, the classic aromas and cassis tones with smooth tannins and balanced fruit. We had a smashing time and I can think of few better ways to relax before Christmas.

Awards and Medals
London Vintage Festival Awards Bronze 2004, United Kingdom, Guide Hachette des Vins 1 Star 2004, France
One star from the Guide Hachette (the equivalent of a Michelin star)

Paolo Nutini video

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PAOLO NUTINI - "NEW SHOES" (VIDEO LINKS)

The scottish lad is making a storm across the US where his album THESE STREETS is in stores January 30th. Read the About The Music review of the record here.


And click on these links to watch the New Shoes video.

Real:

Windows

LO:

MED:

HI:

Quicktime

LOW:

MED:

HI:

A Christmas song

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Danity Kane's "Home For Christmas"

Not really a song that will appeal to the typical About The Music readership, but perhaps you're hankering for some new Christmas music.

Real
STREAM HERE
Windows
STREAM HERE

Google Zeitgeist 2006

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Zeitgeist ((audio) (help·info)) is originally a German expression that means "the spirit (Geist) of the time (Zeit)". It denotes the intellectual and cultural climate of an era.

Google has just published Zeitgeist 2006, the ultimate list of what was hot in 2006 as judged by the most Google searches. The top news stories searced for in 2006 were:

Google News - Top Searches in 2006
1. paris hilton
2. orlando bloom
3. cancer
4. podcasting
5. hurricane katrina
6. bankruptcy
7. martina hingis
8. autism
9. 2006 nfl draft
10. celebrity big brother 2006

while the top google searches were:

Google.com - Top Searches in 2006

1. bebo 2. myspace 3. world cup 4. metacafe 5. radioblog 6. wikipedia 7. video 8. rebelde 9. mininova 10. wiki

It's full of interesting stuff about the top searches right now, and also this interesting graph listing the searches for certian US politicians.

my December music

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A while back I posted that I had 40 free downloads to throw around. I've just used up my last, that was on a track by The Decemberists (seemed the right time of year), but in the course of my downloads I've come accross a great band. Right now, I can't get enough.

Horse Feathers - Words are dead

It's a very apt title. While on first listen, and probably even second the comparisons with Iron & Wine will abound, a true reference is probably Murmur era R.E.M.

The words are not so important, as the feeling they create. A casual listener won't discern where one ends and the next begins, but eventually tales of Southern Pews and the dustbowl emerge. Like Iron & Wine, the arragements are simple guitar and banjo but with a greater emphasis on strings. Melodically Justin Ringle is spot on. He creates hooks, rhymes and beautiful music. In short, if you like Nick Drake or Iron & Wine then you're pretty much guaranteed to love Horse Feathers. I sure do.

Enjoy the Opera

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I've just installed the new Opera web browser version 9.10. I'd heard a lot about it before, but I love Firefox so much I didn't see why I should move. But the new browser has built in anti-fraud protection,

If you enable fraud protection, every time you request a web page Opera contacts a server to check for phishing. Opera's partnered with GeoTrust, which provides a whitelist and a blacklist, and Phishtank, which provides a blacklist. Opera downloads the blacklist from Phishtank and sends queries to GeoTrust.




That and the fact that Firefox wasn't talking nicely to Blogger Beta (which has caused me more harm than good) has led me to try it out. So far so good, it's easy to use, has a nice clean interface and the widgets are particuarly nice. I love widgets and was delighted to see a Pandora widget which enables you to listen to Pandora radio while browsing without having to open up the entire website. I'm not sure if I'll stick with Opera, but competition like this is great for bloggers.

Google Earth santa

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This is fun.

Santa is coming to Google Earth! And its up to you to find the treasures that Santa's elves have left all over Google Earth! Starting December 12th, and finishing up on December 24th, a clue will appear outside of Santa's North Pole workshop every day. If you can solve it, you will be lead to a toy hiding in Google's satellite imagery. Don't worry if you get stuck, the whereabouts will be revealed the next day, when the next clue gets dropped. What are you waiting for? Start hunting!

Bonnie Prince Billy UK tour

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January 2007
21st Glasgow Concert Hall Strathclyde Suite (Bonnie solo appearance w/ Nualah/Harem Scarem)
23rd Nottingham Rock City (£17.50 adv)
24th Manchester Bridgewater Hall (£17.50 adv)
25th Bristol Colston Hall (£17.50 adv)
26th London Queen Elizabeth Hall
27th London Queen Elizabeth Hall

February 2007
11th London Shepherds Bush Empire (http://www.gigsandtours.com)
12th Brighton Corn Exchange (http://www.brighton-dome.org.uk / 01273 709 709)
13th Cambridge Junction (http://www.wegottickets.com / 01223 511 511)

Editors free MP3s

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Camera (Rubber Bullets Remix)

Oh yeah, if you haven't heard it, there is also a remix of "All Sparks" here:

"All Sparks" (Phones Remix):


Remix EP:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=205039848&s=143441

Asterix v Tintin

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The Guardian blog has a wonderful piece on Tintin, and the role of comics in growing up. I remember devouring all the Asterix and Tintin comics that I could get my hands on. David, my brother decided that I was going through them at too fast a pace and that I should learn to ration myself. He allowed me to read one a month. He then kept several back that I could only read on special occasions. I still haven't read Asterix and the Normans. I meant to read it after I graduated from university, but I forgot, then I was going to read it with my first paycheck, but I still haven't done that, so perhaps I will read it when I get married. Apparently it's a really good one.

Last Christmas I picked up the new asterix book, they're still coming out, but not to the same standard as when udzero and Goscinny were both writing. Anyway, if you enjoyed the books, read the article at the Guardian.


Read the article here

Richard Dawkins, arrogant?

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A little off topic but I've just read an interview with Richard Dawkins in the Independent. He comes out with some interesting quotes, I thought I'd share some of them with you.

When talking about comparing his views to that of a religious person - "I have a (you might say) fanatical desire for people to use their own minds and make their own choices, based upon publicly available evidence. Religious fanatics want people to switch off their own minds, ignore the evidence and blindly follow a holy book based upon private 'revelation'. There is a huge difference.

On the difference between private religious belief and organised religion:
There is also the little matter of whether or not they are true. Scientists care about such things.

On peace and love
Nothing is wrong with peace and love. It is all the more regrettable that so many of Christ's followers seem to disagree.

On religion as an emotional crutch
I think there is a higher nobility - and greater solace- in coping with what is true, even if it is fightening or painful.

On the resurrection
Accounts of Jesus's resurrection and ascension are about as well-documented as Jack and the Beanstalk.

On Christians
The majority are ignorant, which is not the same thing as stupid. Natural selection will not remove ignorance from future generations. Education may, and that is the hope to which we must cling.

If you arrived at the gates of Heaven, what would you say to God to justify your lifelong atheism?
"Not enough evidence God, not enough evidence." But why is God assumed to care so much about whether you believe in him?


Does anyone on the blogosphere care to offer any opinions on Dawkins?