The Extraordinary Tourist
Help! The Beatles are unwatchable!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
 Having watched as much of the digitally remastered Beatles movie, Help! (1965), on public TV as I could stand I've come to the conclusion that not all Beatles memorabilia / projects (call this what you will) should be revived and remembered.
It's not that this movie is particularly bad. The acting is fine. Some of the comedy works and, to agree with some of the people at the link above, the movie does have some very quotable lines. It's just that the plot is so ridiculous. I'm sure it was meant to be over the top and just a bit of fun to showcase the band and the music but it goes too far into extreme silliness.
To get away with this kind of silliness you have to start with a premise that is credible. This movie has a very culturally important sacrificial ring stuck on Ringo's (of course) finger. In the real world you'd just explain the situation to the famous drummer and I'm sure he'd be obliging (might even pay for his own tub of butter to help remove the ring).
However, for some reason, the ring has to recovered covertly by its obscure, Asian Cult owners and from there stupidity ensues. Complicated further by some mad scientist type who believes this ring could help him 'rule the world' (why I don't know? It's a symbolic ring with no real power or significance to anyone other than it's owners).
Maybe I missed something along the way but finally, after 'Paul's tiny adventure on the floor' I decided enough was enough and switched it off. Even as a showcase for The Beatles superb music, there just wasn't enough of it to keep me hooked.
All I can say is that you have to be a real Beatles fan to endure the entire movie. Clearly this was made at a time when the band could release virtually anything and it would find an audience to make it all worthwhile.
Personally this movie probably needs to be remembered for its highlights because as a whole, for me at least, it is unwatchable.Labels: movies, music
OurStage.com - Helium for Music and Video.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Although I haven't written for Helium.com in a while I've always been impressed by the way written articles are judged by other writers in a system that it hard to 'game' and seems reasonably fair. Generally the best articles are the ones rich in information and have good writing structure as opposed to ones that are viewed most often.
I've long thought that Helium's judging system and business model would be great for online video and I'm sure I even suggested that to the site's creators at some point in the past. Whilst I obviously have no idea if my suggestion planted a seed I'm pleased to find out that Helium have launched a sister site, OurStage.com, targeted squarely at original music and online video creators.
Finally there is a place where online video creators like me can post videos and have them judged by other original video creators with the chance of earning monthly cash prizes as well as some pretty nice non cash prizes too.
The only disappointment is that, unlike Helium, videos don't earn any advertising revenue based on views. Not that this is a great loss but over time a good collection of articles on Helium can be a nice little passive income earner.
That aside I plan to give OurStage.com a go with some of my more creative videos. I've seen some of the previous winners and I reckon I have a good shot at the monthly US$5000 prize.Labels: money, music, video
Working out how to install a Car Stereo
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Many months ago - maybe even more than a year ago - my partner's son asked if I could help install a new car stereo system into his first car. I've never installed a car stereo system before but, like most things, I can usually work it out so I said I'd give it a go.
Unfortunately, before I got started, he took it upon himself to pull out the old system without making any notes about what wire connected where. This pretty much set back my ability to work things out quite drastically.
I did give it a really good try but found the instructions on the new system difficult to follow (due to them being a poor translation into English from either China or Japan). Plus the wires on the new system didn't seem to match anything that was left in the car after pulling out the old system.
Teenage boys, being like they are, things have to be done now. I was being overly cautious because the stereo was new and expensive. I didn't want to accidentally short something out.
In the end he got a friend to install it and I never saw how it all went together. Though I understand I was on the right track with what I had done up to that point.
Fast forward to the last couple of days and my trusty little Galant which I introduced to you in my article Wheels Again.
Shortly after my partner bought this car for me she also bought her son's old car stereo, main unit to put in it. No speakers though as her son no longer had his.
I hadn't installed it yet as the main unit was not unlike the one I'd tried to install months before. Plus, even if I did install it, I wouldn't be able to hear anything until I bought some speakers.
This weekend, I didn't have much work on so I decided I'd give it a go. The Galant had most of the wires in place already from a previous stereo installation. It was just a case of working out what wire went where.
An added bonus was I also discovered the the Galant had one speaker still in place, located right in the middle of the dashboard. The speaker looked a bit past it's use by date but I was hoping it would still be okay.
I'll spare you the blow by blow account but some highlights included:
- Ending day one with evidence of power getting to the stereo but with nothing else working.
- Learning that as well as a red wire going to the ignition via a fuse and a black wire going to the car body, there needed to be another yellow wire going to the battery. Presto! All the lights on the radio worked... pretty!
- Seeing a nice sparky flash when the wire running from the battery made contact with the body of the car (note that disconnecting the battery is always a good idea before installing a stereo).
- Lots of very sticky red binding tape from the previous installation needing to be removed and getting sticky goo all over my fingers.
- Researching internet sites for wiring diagrams and discovering an interesting history of the Galant.
- Spending all day twisting and contorting trying to install the stereo from under the dashboard then discovering a panel right at the top centre of the dash, directly above the stereo, that could be removed. Wish I'd have found that earlier!
- Discovering that the single front speaker still worked thus enabling me to hear the radio as well as admire all the pretty lights.
All up, this whole installation took me about two days. I didn't have the benefit of instructions and things like the Yellow wire going to the battery was actually a blue wire from the previous installation.
I'm sure someone, who knew what they were doing, could have finished the job in a couple of hours but I just wanted to show that, given enough time, I usually can work out how to do most things.
I'm sure my little Galant goes just a little bit faster now it has a stereo!Labels: education, life, music
The Da Vinci Code(s)?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
When Dan Brown released his novel The Da Vinci Code he renewed interest in the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci and opened much speculation on whether there was more to his work than meets the eye? Specifically that Leonardo was an artist who hid complex codes and hidden secrets within his art.
There is much evidence to support this idea as it is well known that many artists over the centuries have used symbolism to embed deeper meaning into their works than what can be seen at face value. Given that Leonardo was a 'thinker' on so many levels, including his complex ideas as an inventor, there is every chance that his art is filled with hidden meaning.
Whilst Dan Brown's book mentions more than one of Da Vinci's artworks it is The Last Supper, located in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, that gets most of the attention. Largely, I think, because Dan Brown ties it to one of the great mysteries of human legend, the search for the Holy Grail.
I have read The Da Vinci Code and it is a great read. Even though it sources real artworks, societies and research facts I don't think Dan has ever said that his story is anything other than a work of, at best, hypothetical fiction.
Thanks to The Phoenix and the Harley, who wrote in her blog a post titled, De-Coding Leonardo, I was made aware of Italian musician, Giovanni Maria Pala, who claims to have found a musical code within The Last Supper. Giovanni's find was reported on the Discovery Channel web site as a prelude to the launch of his new book, "La Musica Celata" (which translates to "The Hidden Music"), documenting his findings.
If you're interested to know more about Giovanni's musical code then follow the link above to the Discovery Channel article but for my money there's just too much rearranging of elements for me to say the code was intentional. It's almost like saying, if you write 'Leonardo was here' across the face of the painting and then stand back you'll see a previously hidden message that wasn't there. Which is to say you're seeing things of your creation rather than by any intent from Leonardo.
I'm not convinced.
All this leads to what inspired me to write this article and that is a mystery that I'd wondered about for a time in relation to a certain dagger holding hand within The Last Supper. It may have been the movie of The Da Vinci Code that started the rumor or it could have been something else but either way it was suggested that the dagger holding hand in the artwork could not be attributed to any of the Apostles surrounding it. A 'phantom' hand if you like.
 Thanks to an extremely useful site, appropriately titled, The Last Supper in detail, I was able to take a closer look at this hand and, as you can see in the screen shots, it clearly can be attributed to one Apostle , Peter. Consistent with other similar depictions of the Last Supper during the same period.
For those of us that can't see the artwork in person but would like to find hidden meanings, codes or just gain a better understanding of this exceptional piece of history then The Last Supper in Detail is the best site for extreme close up detail unrivaled by any other site online.
The site also references some of the source material, notes etc. that Leonardo created in preparation for the painting. If there is a code to be found then surely some strong hint of it would appear in this information?Labels: art, music
TET's Comedy Art Video a Winner!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Blank Canvas IV - Art Critic
Video by TET
The above video is my first and only post on the Video, Photo and Music site, View Bug. Given that I only signed up to the site just over a week ago it's very nice to have been selected by View bug's staff as a weekly winner and a recipient of a US$30.00 cash prize. Instantly this video has just become my highest earning video - earning more than my entire collection across nine sites collectively (there's money in online video... apparently?). Screen shot of my win featured on View Bugs home page posted below (click to see larger version).
The video its self pokes more of my humor at the wonderful world of 'conceptual minimalism' - a phrase that I've coined for art that only barely skims the surface of creative potential. It's also a dig at art critics who elevate this work from obscurity, where it should remain.
Whilst I'd like to believe I was selected over thousands of entries, in some pretty stiff competition, going by the views most people seem to get on View Bug, I'd say it's early days for this competition. However a thirty dollar weekly prize is nothing to be sneezed at, especially in the world of online video where many of us are competing for pennies from advertising dollars.
If you're an online video creator, photographer or maker of original music I'd highly recommend you sign up and participate in View Bug before the big names of You Tube, Revver or Metacafe discover it.
At least we can be thankful that the winning video is selected by the sites staff and not by the number of views or viewer ratings. Once a big name discovers the site you won't have to compete with an established audience.Labels: art, humor, money, music, video
Radiohead - is this the future for commercial creativity?
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The music world and the online world in general is abuzz with Radiohead's decision to let fans decide how much they pay for the bands new album In Rainbows before being allowed to download it via their web site.
This simple act has allowed the band to bypass the need for a record company. It's estimated, on average the band will still make about the same amount of money from downloads as they would have going the usual CD release route after the record companies have taken their cut. On average, I've read people are paying about US$8.00 for an album which you can, if you choose, download for free. It's up to you.
If you would like to read a deeper article on the repercussions then Maki from www.doshdosh.com has written a great article about Radiohead and Anti-marketing in the music industy.
What's clever about their decision is that it completely legalizes the free sharing of music. Something that is very web 2.0 where the new words for sharing on a grand scale is going viral. People love getting stuff for free. If the music is good people will share it and pay to see it performed live. By all accounts this is where the real money is for bands and musicians.
What interests me is, could this approach work for other forms of creativity or does this model only work if the sharing by optional donation approach leads to a pay per unit style revenue stream down the line?
For example, could a painter give away, by optional donation, print quality, digital scans of artworks to raise awareness and generate buzz that could lead to people wanting to own the real, original works?
My own business model of uploading free videos of me creating my art in order to raise awareness of my web site, through which I sell merchandise and original art via ebay is a similar idea.
Giving the people what they want so that they may be interested to purchase something later that they perceive as having real value, worth paying for. Which is not to say the free stuff doesn't have value but we all know, at least with digital files, it costs virtually nothing to make a copy.
I don't know. In a sense the idea of people choosing to pay what they want is like busking. It's kind of honorable but at the same time kind of sad. It's like saying I'll take whatever you can give. I don't put a value on my creativity. I'm leaving that up to you.
In theory, if I do a really good job, the next time I release something and ask for people to donate what they like, they may just pay more second time around because their first experience was much better value than they originally thought. I guess that's called creating demand.
Perhaps it's just me but the donation model doesn't sit well with my psyche. I don't mind giving something for free but taking a donation feels like accepting charity or begging.
Radiohead's business model is a good one for a modern world where everyone seems connected. It's a fantastic way to interact directly with your audience (known as your market in business terms). However it's going to take a little more time to see if it really is the future for commercial creativity.
Is there really money to be made by giving your creativity away?Labels: internet, money, music
Britney Spears, Going Down the Hard Road
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Photo: Sun-Sentinal.com
I'm not one to follow the trials of drugged out celebrities but when someone like Britney Spears is getting so much media attention it's hard not to notice. So, here's a post with a lesson.
It seems that not even Britney can get away with doing whatever the hell she likes. According tho this article on E! News, Britney Comes Clean on Drug Test, Britney is finally complying with a court ruling in order to regain access to her children after the courts gave temporary, primary custody to their father Kevin Federline.
The lesson here kids is that no matter how much money and fame you have you still can't get away with doing exactly as you please if your actions are illegal or potentially dangerous to those around you. Sooner or later the law will catch up with you and bite you on the... well, if you're Britney it'll take away your children.
Because that is one of the reasons why we have laws. They're there to protect you from yourself and, if you won't listen, they're there to protect others from your stupidity.
Don't take the hard road like Britney. The truth is that you can get away with doing so much more of what you want simply by doing the right thing by the people around you.Labels: issues, music, people
Where is my Mind?
Monday, July 09, 2007
I've had the song 'Where is my Mind?' by the Pixies running around my head for days now. Considering the title of my last post, No body move, I've dropped my brain!, my sense of humor is such that I can't help but title this post as I have. Well? ...laugh.
So maybe it's not that funny but the question is still relevant. Yesterday I thought I might begin work on another video. Perhaps the long awaited Episode 4 in my ebay series. I'd primed myself earlier in the day. Previewing all three episodes so I could reconnect with the content and build upon it in the new video.
I had some ideas but when I got out into my studio, with everything set up, I just wasn't into it. My head had nothing. Despite the usefulness of the series to other people (based on the feedback I've received) filming another one just wasn't something my head wanted to do.
Sitting blankly in front of a camera is time consuming in the worst sense. It achieves nothing. Perhaps if I scripted something? No idea what, since my head had nothing. Needless to say I gave up on filming anything at all.
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Lyrics, The Pixies. Labels: life, music, video
Google Songs - a game for our time.
Friday, June 29, 2007
One morning I had a song going around in my head. I only knew a few disjointed lines. I had no idea of the song title or lyrics. Frustrated, by not knowing how the lines I knew, linked together I found myself thinking what phrases or words would I need to type into Google in order to find the exact song lyrics?
At the time I was traveling around the country. I didn't have immediate access to the internet so my mind kept pondering further over this question. The question is fairly straight forward. There's not much more to add. Thus, my mind extended the idea to thinking about the search results and what combination of phrases and words might result in the lyrics being returned in the number one search result spot?
Then I thought that getting exactly what you're looking for in the number one search spot could be quite a challenge. You could make a game out of this. I may not be the first person to think of 'Google Songs' as a game, since it's such a simple concept but I did create it independently of knowing about Google Games using similar rules.
Google Songs: The Rules.
A game for 1 or more players.
Players think of a song title or phrase from a song (that does not include the songs title). They enter the title or phrase into Google's search box. In addition they can add up to five seperate words (known as word modifiers) to help narrow their search and increase the chances of a link to the songs lyrics appearing in the number one search result position.
e.g. For the song title "Sympathy for the Devil" you might enter the title plus the words 'lyrics', 'song', 'Rolling', 'Stones' and 'music'. Each word modifier must be one word only i.e. 'Rolling Stones' would be two words.
You can use any of Googles search modifiers e.g. +, - etc.
Each Player can try their chosen song title or phrase up to three times with different modifiers. As soon as a link to the song lyrics appears in the top five search results (or the player has tried three times) the turn is over.
Scores for each turn is out of five and runs in decending order of where the song lyrics appeared in the top five results. e.g. position 1: 5 points, position 2: 4 points etc.
The winner is the first person to reach 20 points or greater. In the case of single player games the goal is to achieve 20 points or greater in as few a turns as possible (the perfect game should take four turns).
Game Variations
- Make the game more strategic by having other players choose what song title or phrase you search for. Songs must be familiar to the person doing the search (no obscure songs).
- Have everyone search for the same title or phrase each turn. See who can get the best result for a particular song title or phrase.
Labels: ideas, music
I want my MP3.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
 Remember the Dire Straits song, "Money for Nothing"? It started with the phrase "I want my MTV" referring to (depending on where you live in the world), the TV show "MTV" or the TV channel of the same name. MTV stood for 'Music Television'. These days it's not Music Television but Music Players (or MP3 players) that people want. Hence the title of this article "I want my MP3".
One wonders if you have to explain a pop culture reference is it then really a part of popular culture? A rhetorical question... let's get on with this article.
I finally have my very own MP3 player (see the picture right). At last I can join the 21st century where people wander the streets encased in their own extensive music play-lists. Listening to entire libraries of MP3 songs completely oblivious to their surroundings and any real need to interact with other people.
My player's even cooler because it can play videos too. Sure they're the size of a postage stamp (I'm not joking the screen is the size of a postage stamp) but still surprisingly watchable. An audio and visual distraction. An almost complete escape from the real world. I am a 21st century digital boy!
I've been wanting a video MP3 player for quite some time. Not really to play music on though (thus rendering the title of this article even more inappropriate). I wanted certain features. The ability to play video and the ability to record sound, particularly my voice.
The video feature is easy to explain. I want to optimize my YouTube videos for portable device viewing i.e. small screens. Having a really tiny screen to design for presents another challenge and another level to creating videos.
The voice record function I wanted so I could record ideas and other notes to myself any time I want. Especially when I'm out and don't want to carry a pen and notepad. How modern am I?
I haven't really got into using my new MP3 player yet. Presently it only has a couple of test voice recordings and one test video loaded onto it. However like anything new it always takes a while to make it an integral part of your life.
I really like this new addition to my life. I can see why people do want their MP3s.Labels: Dire Straits, gadget, MP3, music, player, technology, video
Happiness is a warm EMO.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
This whole EMO culture is a thing that was probably called something else when I was in my teens. I don't even really know what it means to be EMO other than you're more than just a little sad.
Another blogger of my generation described an EMO as being like a small furry animal. Cute but easily startled. You've kind of got to tip toe when you're around them otherwise you'll frighten them off.
There is really little point to this post either, other than for some reason I've had the phrase 'Happiness is a warm EMO' floating around my brain for days. It is, of course, a parody of the Lennon/McCartney song 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'.
However, if you have an EMO in your family, I'm sure keeping them warm could lead to happiness. It couldn't hurt to try.Labels: humor, music, social
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