Wallpaper

telegramme-psp

The Kitsune Noir blog have a really excellent series where they post up new wallpaper for your computer screen regularly. The latest is lovely. They have it in sizes for all you computer needs, from PSP and iPhones up to full HD screens. Go check out the Desktop Wallpaper Project!

Colm Foley on Monday Night Soccer

Colm Foley

Well that was what appeared on RTE this week during the coverage of Irish league soccer. The third time they gave us the guests names they couldn’t come up with a factoid for Colm Foley beyond his fascination with space travel? Lordy…

Stan Tracey plays the Proms

Prom No 3 Features 50 minutes of Stan Tracey playing Genesis.

If you’ve never heard Stan Tracey before this is worth a listen, big band jazz in an Ellington vein, with a touch of Bill Evans and Monk. It’s only up on the BBC website for 7 days so hurry over.

Further listening: Under Milk Wood and Alice in Jazzland are the two Tracey albums I’m familiar with. Under Milk Wood is a thing of beauty and definitely worth the price of admission. There’s a programme of reissuing his stuff underway I think, there’s been a bit of a mini-revival recently.

New Jim Jarmusch film looks tasty

Trailer for The Limits of Control starring Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Isaach De Bankolé:

Daft Punk + Tron = Computes

Daft Punk

Daft Punk have signed on to write the score to Joseph Kosinski’s new Tron movie. Excellent.

Story is at /Film.

Where’s the logic?

Where’s the logic in trying to re-capitalise AIB to the tune of €1 Billion when it currently has a market capitalisation of less that €500 million? The €1billion in private funds is simply not going to happen, no way. So the Irish government is going to end up owning a majority stake in AIB (€1b vers >€500m of stock) or let it go to the wall.

Stop beating around the bush, just nationalise it. That way you don’t have to pump in the potential black hole in cash, you can just assume ultimate responsibility for the debts and allow the bank to operate as if it never had toxic assets, that is, making loans to those who are worthwhile. Then you can allow those debts that are assumed to be toxic to either unwind themselves over time without the bank going to the wall or you can shift them into a holding bank/ company.

Nationalising removes the legal obligation of the bank to the shareholders that would remain if the government attempted to “insure” the bad debts (as though the government can afford to do that at the moment). €340 million? Just buy the damn thing Lenihan, it would be in the best interests of bank customers and the taxpayers. This goes for BoI too.
Or that’s how I see it.

The Guide on DIT 97.3FM 15th – 18th DEC

I’ve been broadcasting away twixt 5 and 6 taking your hand and wandering across the musical landscape of 2008 on DIT Fm. So here’s the story so far:

Monday

1. Department of Eagles – No One Does It (3:56)
2. Fleet Foxes – He Doesn’t Know Why (3:20)
3. Calexico – Two Silver Trees (3:49)
4. Benoît Pioulard – Ahn (2:36)
5. Jape – I Was A Man (3:31)
6. Cathy Davey – Reuben (4:10)
7. Joan As Police Woman – To Be Loved (3:03)
8. A.C. Newman – There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve (2:41)
9. Petra Haden – God Only Knows (2:36)
10. Antony & The Johnsons – Another World (4:01)
11. Bowerbirds – Bur Oak (5:00)
12. Glasvegas – Please Come Back Home (3:29)

Tuesday

1. M83 – Kim & Jessie (5:23)
2. Neon Neon – I Told Her on Alderaan (3:43)
3. Cut Copy – Out There On the Ice (4:58)
4. Santogold – I’m A Lady (feat. Trouble Andrew) (3:43)
5. Lykke Li – Little Bit (4:33)
6. Deerhunter – Never Stops (3:04)
7. Rosebuds – Bow to the Middle (2:30)
8. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – Gardenia (2:53)
9. of Montreal – Id Engager (3:25)
10. N.A.S.A. – Spacious Thoughts ft. Kool Keith & Tom Waits (4:29)
11. Dan Black – HYPNOtise myspcmx 2 (4:12)

Wednesday

1. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (2:58)
2. Pivot – In The Blood (4:34)
3. Dennis Wilson – River Song (3:46)
4. Blitzen Trapper – God & Suicide (2:21)
5. David Byrne and Brian Eno – Life Is Long (3:45)
6. Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (3:34)
7. Minotaur Shock – Vigo Bay (4:22)
8. Franz Ferdinand – Eleanor Put Your Boots On (2:50)
9. Parts & Labor – Nowheres Nigh (4:24)
10. School of Seven Bells – Face to Face on High Planes (4:40)
11. MGMT – Of Moons Birds and Monsters (Holy Ghost! Remix) (6:16)

Thursday

1. Death Cab for Cutie – Long Division (3:49)
2. TV on the Radio – Golden Age (4:11)
3. Shearwater – Rooks (3:21)
4. Beach House – Wedding Bell (3:54)
5. Menahan Street Band – Karina (3:27)
6. Raphael Saadiq – Love That Girl (3:04)
7. Bon Iver – Skinny Love (3:58)
8. Cat Power – Silver Stallion (2:41)
9. She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (2:30)
10. Oxford Collapse – Young Love Delivers (3:49)
11. R.S.A.G – Stick to Your Line (5:04)

Why..

are streetlights in other countries different?

That building is Villa Nurbs. Cool as it is it’s the green streetlights that interest me. Hmm

World Building of the Year

Luigi Bocconi University Building by Grafton Architects

Luigi Bocconi University Building by Grafton Architects

Grafton Architects have taken the top prize at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona. How cool is that? World Building of the Year.

The project itself

The World Architecture Festival

The Guardian’s report

Poor Nader

You know, Ralph Nader would still like people to take notice of him. So he’s reduced himself to talking to parrot. Sadly, it’s a good idea. As Reagan proved, animals make for effective ads.