While browsing on the net I came across these Yujin Japanese capsule toys. All the piece come separated as you have to put them together from the 4 sections of Mack’s trailer,to the wheels as well as the decals for the small cars. It took a little patience to get everything put on and together but it came out alright.

Each compartment of Mack’s trailer comes with a thin plastic piece that acts as a launcher when you insert it into the rear of each car. You pinch the end and the car zooms straight ahead.

I’m sure there must be lots more lovely Christmas stuff, but I can’t seem to find very much of it. Nuts to New Year. This is the West Midlands, not Scotland.

Standard disclaimers: I can’t ensure that these events will go ahead, that they’ll be good, or that I will be going to them. This is just a list of things I found that looked like they might be interesting, so please do not contact me to ask for your event to be included. That’s not the way it works.

Until Saturday the 6th of Feb – “George’s Marvellous Medicine” (Birmingham Stage Company) @ The Old Rep, Birmingham – Mixing up everything in your medicine cabinet is not recommended at home, kids. Unless you’re genuinely thirsty.

Until Saturday the 9th of January – “A Christmas Carol” (Birmingham Rep Theatre Company) @ The Rep Theatre, Birmingham – Seems fair to me to say that “Marley was dead: to begin with” is the second greatest opening line in all of literature.

Between Tuesday the 1st and Saturday the 19th – A whole tonne of Capsule stuff to celebrate ten years of ‘em @ various venues in Brum – There’s loads of stuff. I’ll list the lot (and just link to their event pages) for the sake of completeness, so this doesn’t mean I’m seriously recommending SunnO)))~!111: Monotonix, Esquilax, Beestung Lips and Cum Dogs at Vivid in Digbeth on the 1st; Tunng, Six Organs Of Admittance, Lightning Dust And Bella Emerson at the Town Hall on the 2nd (this is the one I’m most looking forward to); Lightning Bolt, Tweak Bird and Pete Prescription at Vivid on the 8th; Sunno)))}}}]]] and Om at The Asylum in Hockley on the tenth; Pram and Light Trap at Vivid on the 11th; a free afternoon film showing at Vivid on the 13th with a buffet and pictures provided by 7 Inch Cinema; Beak, Einstellung and Thought Forms at Vivid on the 16th; some sort of evening social or suchlike at Vivid on the 17th; and a final partay with Modified Toy Orchestra, PCM, Calvados Beam Trio, Una Corda and Stinky Wizzleteat at Vivid on the 19th. You owe me a pint if I’ve managed to put all of those links in without cocking up the code at all.

Tuesday the 1st – Alice Cooper @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Giving a golf seminar, perhaps.

Thursday the 3rd till Saturday the 12th (but not the 7th) – Aston Hall By Candlelight @ Aston Hall, Aston, Birmingham – This year themed around the Victorian household entertaining a royal visitor.

Thursday the 3rd till Saturday the 5th – “The Just Price Of Flowers” (Stan’s Café) @ A.E. Harris, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham – Inspired by Brecht, but not actually one of his (apparently there has been some confusion). Parallels are drawn between modern-day financial nuttery and 17th century Dutch tulip nuttery.

Friday the 4th – Chris Addison @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Ollie Ollie Ollie, Oi Oi Oi.

Various dates between Saturday the 5th and Saturday the 19th – Verdi’s “Othello” (Birmingham Opera Company) @ The Argyle Works, Bordesley, Birmingham – Birmingham Opera Company’s version of “Idomeneo” last year was greater than great can be. Judging by the postcode, the venue for this should be somewhere in the general vicinity of here.

Friday the 5th – Frank Sidebottom @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Fantastic showbusiness.

Saturday the 5th – Boxing (dunno who’s promoting) @ The Hilton Hotel, Coventry – Including Max “Max” Maxwell vs Martin Concepcion, in what must be Max’s 381,789th Midlands area title match (EDIT: or 4th, if you want to be boring and accurate).

Sunday the 6th – Madball @ Busk, Birmingham – Hardcore for tuphguyzzz. I will forever maintain that “Droppin’ Many Suckers” is one of the greatest names that anyone ever has called and ever could call an album.

Monday the 7th – The Unthanks @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – North-Eastern folkifiers formerly known as “Rachel Unthank And The Winterset”. I’m glad they’ve changed their name. OtherUnthankSister didn’t outwardly appear to do any less than Rachel, so it’s fairer this way.

Tuesday the 8th – Jodi Ann Bickley @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Interesting and endearing poetry, happening at the same time as the ’Freestyle’ photography exhibiton.

Wednesday the 9th – Alexander O’Neal @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Or rather “80s soul nuisance Alexander O’Neal”, as the in-joke that you won’t get has it.

Wednesday the 9th – Seth Lakeman @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Frequently fancied fiddler fascinates folks (with) folk.

Wednesday the 9th – The Bookhouse Boys @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Like Tindersticks on holiday in Hawaii, or somesuch.

Wednesday the 9th – “Arc” (with Graft) @ The Vaults, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham – The first of a new monthly art night, with a different set of artists each time. Here ‘Graft’ (whoever they might be) will bring a Jewellery-with-other-meanings exhibition from “The Institute Of Meaningful Interaction” and artist Mark Baldwin appearing as part of the structure of the building. Apparently. All very vague as a result of the fact that no sod seems to have a web presence because… I don’t know why not. I love The Vaults, though, it’s a great place.

Thursday the 10th – Madness @ The Academy, Birmingham – Mavva Brahn’s got her knees up, presumably in the process of skanking. This one is (unsurprisingly) sold out, but they’re also at The Civic on the 17th.

Friday the 11th – “Resistance, Revolt, Rebellion: A Double Bill of Civil Disobedience” (Kindandgenerous Productions and Emma Purshouse) @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – In Love And Taxes, current Brum poet laureate Adrian Johnson and Jessi of Eastfield bring songs and stories recalling the popular opposition to the poll tax. In “Are You Sitting Comfortably?”, Emma Purshouse tell poems of “rebellion, revolution and armchair inactivism”.

Sunday the 13th – Basement Jaxx @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Let’s all have a disco, let’s all have a disco.

Sunday the 13th – Depeche Mode @ The LG Arena, Marston Green, Birmingham – A band who I’d say have been quite the unsung influence on quite a fair bit of music in recent years.

Tuesday the 15th – Public Image Limited @ The Academy, Birmingham – Given that my LOTTSADITWM often feature metal and boxing, it seems only too apt that a band who put out an album called “Metal Box” should be in here. Also: post-punk legends, Country Life butter etc.

Wednesday the 16th till Sunday the 20th – “The Snow Queen” (Screamingvoiceyouththeatre) @ The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – Screamingvoice etc.etc. are absolutely ace, they really are.

Wednesday the 16th – Nile @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – Ancient Egyptian themed death metal, and I can’t see how you could possibly think that isn’t the best idea ever. Nothing I’ve ever heard by them is quite as good as the concept, but Krisiun are on the bill too and they’ll blow your earwax free (I mean that in a good way).

Wednesday the 16th – The Pogues @ The Academy, Birmingham – [Slur]Dirty old Towwwwwwwwwwn…[/slur]

Friday the 18th until Friday the 9th of January – Funworld @ The NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham – I don’t see how anyone could dislike a world of fun. It’s a huge indoor funfair (including, apparently, a “300ft bungee slingshot”. Indoors, I’ll repeat with vague concern) and has to win the all-time title for “event I’ve been handed the largest number of the same flyer for”.

Saturday the 21st – The Beat’s xmas party @ The Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – 30 years since they startedher, apparently (see also the 27th).

Monday the 21st – The Wildhearts @ The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton – My unbroken run of not managing to see any Wildhearts or Wildhearts-related gigs since 2001 will definitely continue here. They’re still ace though.

Monday the 21st – Musical Youth @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Don’t take the mick, you know which way you need to pass it.

Wednesday the 23rd until Sunday the 3rd of January – “The Gruffalo (Tall Stories) @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – They had The Gruffalo plodding along as part of the Reindeer Parade in town recently. I thought he was cute.

Friday the 25th – IT’S CHRIIISTMUUUUUUS!

Sunday the 27th – Drongos For Europe’s xmas party @ the Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – 30 years since they started, apparently (see also the 21st).

Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die (Bregstein, 1981)

A nice, concise documentary on the life and artistry of Pier Paolo Pasolini. The film examines his work, why he was so controversial, the reputation he held, his masochistic tendencies and his still unresolved murder through the eyes of his friends and colleagues. To think that there are still no solid answers outside of how he was killed is pretty disturbing, calling forth some serious questions of conspiracy. It’s nothing spectacularly crafted, nor does it really get too into details, but it paints an interesting enough portrait of a very important artist.

Zombieland (Fleischer, 2009)

Zombieland covers no new ground. It is exactly as it appears, perhaps a bit less memorable than one would hope. It clumsily attempts to balance whimsy in the face of an apocalypse with desperate, strained bits of sentiment regarding an all-too-typical teen love story and each all-too-typical character’s backstory. The film maintains a decent pace, and is never boring, which is about what I expected. The highlights being the the rules system and the brilliant Bill Murray cameo. Harrelson’s character becomes an engaging “sacrificial man” toward the end, giving the film some artistic credibility.

Singin’ in the Rain (Kelly/Donen, 1952)

After having ignored this film for so long due to my lack of interest in musicals, I was finally coaxed into watching it for a film rec thread on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m now glad I was. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to some genuinely funny dialogue, inspired musical segments, and playful homage and satire, Singin’ in the Rain was a very easy watch. Top praise goes to Kelly’s sidekick in the film, Cosmo, played by Donald O’Connor, for his boyish smile and always amusing performance.

Thought might be relevant for some of our projects.  The post is on capsule living, they give a few examples including the one below by Arakawa.

The original post is on darkroastedblend.com

Congratulations to Capsule, who celebrate their tenth anniversary next month with a series of music and art events in Birmingham. Promoters come and go, but their dedication to exciting, challenging music and their fiercely independent attitude have seen them endure and grow in stature in the city, with their Supersonic festival drawing international acclaim. They’ve set a fine example of how to bring leftfield music to a wider audience.

December will see a series of gigs featuring acts that cross Capsule’s spectrum of genres, from avant-metallers Sun O))) to  Beak>, the new electronic project by Geoff Barrow of Portishead. It all culminates in the 10th Birthday Concert at Town Hall on Wednesday 12, featuring electronic-folksters Tunng and tense post-rock from Six Organs of Admittance.

More Canals Than Venice has a concise run down of the full lineup of events. Back in July, Jenny Moore and Lisa Meyer of Capsule joined Ikon Gallery’s curator Nigel Prince for a fascinating discussion of their influences for These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things. You can listen to it here.

]]> http://socialitetravel.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/encapsulated-luxury-the-9h-capsule-hotel-by-fumie-shibata-in-kyoto-japan/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:51:32 +0000 pinoy70 http://socialitetravel.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/encapsulated-luxury-the-9h-capsule-hotel-by-fumie-shibata-in-kyoto-japan/

Japan’s capsule hotels are often a strange concept to foreigners, but the idea is an ingenious way to handle city crowding and space constraints. The first capsule hotel in Japan was built in 1979 in Osaka. The new 9h Capsule Hotel will open in December 2009 in the Japanese city of Kyoto.

Capsule hotels provide guests a private sleeping area and communal amenities. While the concept has previously been utilized as a cheaper hotel option, the 9h capsule hotel adds luxury and refinement. The bed capsule will be made up with 4-star hotel linens and provides a Panasonic system that uses light to naturally and comfortably wake you up. Fumie Shibata of Design Studio S is the mastermind behind the 9h capsule hotel.

‘A comfortable place to rest … 1 hour shower, sleep for 7 hours, have a one hour break / total 9h.’ Guests can spend up to 17 hours in a single stay – the price for one night is ¥4900 ($54,-). (dsgnwrld) Via: Jessica Marcel

Photo Gallery
References: dsgnwrld, designerblog.it

SocialiteTravel.com – Flashpack the World =)

Dimanche 22 Novembre 2009 avait lieu à Quelneuc une partie d’airsoft (loisir semblable au paintball).  La journée avait pour thème le post-apocalyptique.

–> (définition du post-apocalyptique dans wikipédia).

Afin de plonger les joueurs dans cet univers, j’ai réalisé divers éléments :

- Un livret leur rappelant les règles de jeu et les différents aspects de la journée.

- Divers objets utilisés pour le jeu (râtelier, stimpaks…)

- Un décors de BAR style post-apocalyptique.

- Des retouches sur les photos de la journée.

It’s exciting to rediscover songs.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Animal Collective – Bluish
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
Snow Patrol – Run
Incubus – Aqueous Transmission
I Come To Shanghai – Another Sunday Morning

Artista – Capsule
Album – Blue
Genero – Hardcore
Duracion – 38:20
Año – 2008
Peso – 32.02 Mb

Tracklist:

1. True Blue – 0:51
2. Cobalt Connection – 2:23
3. There’s Another Word For This – 1:12
4. Symptom Of Spectacle – 1:58
5. Determinal – 8:49
6. Blue/Green – 4:59
7. Flowerpower – 4:32
8. Sepsis – 1:10
9. Title Track – 2:44
10. Going Home – 9:42

Descarga

9h Capsule Hotel

Specially as a backpacker a cheap accommodation is always welcome. Being in Japan you won’t be able to find a low-priced accommodation. You might know those tiny capsule hotels that cost an exorbitant price just for a nights sleep. The product designer Fumie Shibata came up with a new concept called the 9h capsule. The hotel is named that way because you are supposed to only stay nine hours (1 hour shower + 7 hours sleep + 1 hour rest = 9 hours). With the help of her team she was working on this design concept for three years and tried to link luxury and minimal transit space.Fumie Shibata began her career as a product designer in 1990 in the Toshiba Design Center. In 1994 she founded her own company, Design Studio S. Since then her work has been honored with numerous design awards.

The first 9h hotel will open in december this year. It is located in Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto ( Kyoto is the traditional city and old capital of Japan ) located on Teramachi Street between department store Fujii Daimaru and convenience store AMPM, two minutes walk from Kawaramachi Station. The building itself will be nine stories tall, will host 125 capsules, locker rooms, showers, and a lounge. Each capsule has a Panasonic-designed panel with a sound system and mood lighting which provides comfort for every situation. You probably don’t want to stay longer than 9 hours because each room is so small you won’t even be able to stand up, but as you might know Japan has a limited amount of space and therefore capsule hotels are a great alternative to normal hotels.I am looking forward to see how this niche concept works out.

What I don’t understand is why something like this can’t be set up for homeless people?  Obviously not as fancy or well designed, but something where somebody can just crash for a night or two. You’d be able to pack quite a few of them in less space, and for someone who has nothing, I think they would be ok with sleeping in a capsule. Specially during winter time it’s gotta be a lot better than sleeping somewhere in the street. An other good way of using these capsules efficiently are Airports. Specially after long distance flights it would be nice to take a quick nap until catching the connecting flight.

Small Japan Survival Guide:

If you want to spent a few nights in Japan without wasting too much money you should book yourself an Internet Capsule. It might not be as comfy as the normal Capsule Hotels, but you just pay for the Internet and you can get a good nights sleep. After waking up you probably would like to take a shower. No problem! There are all sorts of bath houses in Japan where you can relax and refresh yourself for a small amount of money.

As can you see there is no need for a 9h luxury capsule hotel. I have been to Japan myself so if you have any questions let me know and I am more than happy to answer them for you. Some people might consider to spent a year abroad in Japan. I can promise you that Japan is going to be a great experience. Have a look at this article it should answer some of your question concerning the semester abroad.

References

9h overview

Design in white

In December Capsule celebrate 10 years of bringing some of the most exciting music to the second city. The founders of Supersonic and creators of the Home of Metal project are celebrating with a month of seriously good gigs across the city.

Tuesday 1st December - Monotonix +Beestung Lips + Cum Dogs + Esquilax
VIVID, 140 Heath Mill Lane.
Israel’s garage rocker Monotonix wowed audiences at Supersonic this year and are back. They certainly know how to start a party, rock you senseless and leave you wanting so much more. In celebration of some of the ground breaking local music Capsule have championed, Esquilax will be performing a special one off live performance, alongside Cum Dogs, a new project from Modified Toy Orchestra’s Brian Duffy. Infamous locals Beestung Lips will also be joining the proceedings.

Wednesday 2nd December -
Tunng + Six Organs of Admittance + Lightning Dust + Bela Emerson
Town Hall, Victoria Square.                                                                                                                                 
Tunng will combine a perfect mixture of skewed electronica and pastoral English Folk music. Six Organs of Admittance, psych-folk-pop, hippie jams updated for the kids of today. Lightning Dust, the side project of Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, both members of Canadian band Black Mountain. Complimented by the bewitching Bela Emerson, an innovative and prolific performer of electric cello, electronics, tenor viol and musical saw.

Tuesday 8th December -
Lightning Bolt + Tweak Bird + Pete Prescription
VIVID, 140 Heath Mill Lane.
The mighty Lightning Bolt will be performing a very intimate gig in VIVID. They will be joined by Tweak Bird heavy, progressive psychedelia, an exciting new live act.  The man behind the world’s only and best Happy Hardcore covers band, Pete_Prescription completes the line up, expect Krautrock, melody, Noise or something else entirely.

Thursday 10th December -
Sunn 0))) + Om
The Asylum, Hockley.
Capsule’s favourite cult doom outfit Sunn 0))) will be performing their Monoliths and Dimensions album, illusory, beautiful and not entirely linear, Sunn 0))) have become one of the most important experimental acts in the world. Om provide support to create what should be a show rich in darkness and intensity (…and dry ice).

Sunday 13th December - Capsule and 7inch Cinema present:
Afternoon Tea – a light buffet with a healthy serving of films                 
VIVID,140 Heath Mill Lane. FREE Event  
Almost since day one, 7 Inch Cinema have been crouching in a corner at Capsule gigs with a video projector gaffa-taped to a stool showing films of hairy men shouting and small dogs in space. The will be screening some filmic highlights from the last decade and showing them at VIVID.

Wednesday 16th December -
Beak> (Geoff Barrow – Portishead) + Einstellung + Thought Forms
VIVID, 140 Heath Mill Lane
BEAK> were formed in January 2009 by three Bristol musicians, Billy Fuller, Matt Williams and Geoff Barrow. Geoff Barrow is a musician and producer best known for forming and producing music group Portishead and part owner of the independent record label Invada Records . Einstellung blend glorious monotonous Krautrock with melodic tones and heavy slabs of Sabbath riffage, whilst finding time to declare sonic warfare on those tinnitus victims who have passed the point of no return.

Saturday 19th December – Closing Party
Modified Toy Orchestra + PCM + Calvados Beam Trio + Una Corda + Stinky Wizzleteat
Plus a selection of special guests
VIVID, 140 Heath Mill Lane
The closing party will see a gathering of some of Birmingham’s most exciting experimental live acts. Modified Toy Orchestra are a collection of abandoned and reconstructed childrens electronic toys, conducted by a selection of musicians to create electronic music in a league of its own. PCM, the dark lords of drum n bass have long been key figures in the Midlands underground dance scene and firm Capsule favourites.

Tickets for the Town Hall event on 2nd December can be bought here. All other events: The TicketSellers.

9 h (nainawasu) is a new capsule hotel that offers luxury in a minimum living space.
the 9 h capsule hotel and all amenities were designed by fumie shibata of design studio s,
which she founded in 1994. with her team, she defined the elements necessary for a
‘minimal transit space’ in big cities in japan. the product designer has been pursuing
the 9h project as a creative director for 3 years.

See and read more at DESIGNBOOM.

This will undoubtedly be the biggest ragefest this site will ever see, even taking into account keyley’s limp-dick offerings. Its a mash-up between the Beastie Boys “Check it Out”, Daft Punk’s “Technologic”, some J-pop duo named Capsule’s “Starry Sky”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the audio of a Leviathan being slain by Megatron was also mashed in via backmasking to subtly make it that much more bangarang.

I first heard this remix in NYC after stumbling upon a yo-yo tourney at the Manhattan harbor; in which we watched an asian guys jettisoning two oversized yo-yo’s at a breakneck pace through his legs and and behind his head, the entire time silently implying that he might go Super Sajiyan. These acrobatics married with this song at the time gave me what I’ve come to expect if I live to experience The Apocolypse.

also: J-pop stars singing “I’ve sinned for you” may rank alongside European Harris Teeter deli jockey’s as one of the sexiest things in the world.

-jakeyp

Inspired by an old school cult classic skate shoe, the Converse Chuck Taylor. Now in stock! 832-673-0200.

OMG. JUST.WHAT.HAD.I.FOUND!!

Been hearing the Starry Sky CDs was good and my heart raced a little when I realised Ono Daisuke is voicing one of the characters inside this series. LIEK. AHH…ONO DAISUKKKKKEEEEEEEE *insert fangirl screams*

Basically it’s a drama cd-s of all sorts, I think it’s similar to the tsundere cd. (If anyone still remembers there’s such an existence of a cd that started from a very tsun tsun tone to you and slowly as the track changes she changed into a dere dere tone) However, for Starry Sky, it’s a like going out with a date. Stuffs like that, good for escaping reality, don’t they!  Fujoshi are so blissful! * w * to be able to understand what’s the cd is talking about is blissful too!* w *

speaking of Starry Sky, I have been addicted to Capsule’s Starry Sky. 0 w 0 IT’S SO AWESOME!! I think I’m starting to like Techno….quite a bit. I mean being able to withstand such heavy metal without switching or stop the song, I think it’s quite a feat for me! XD

So let us talk about what this is and what this isn’t. This is a list of things due to happen that I’ve heard about and that I think look like they could be good. This is not some proper arts listing or gig guide that you can submit your events to. Cool? Cool.

Standard disclaimers (y’know, the ones that appear here every month that you would have thought were sufficient to render the previous paragraph unnecessary): I can’t ensure that these events will go ahead, that they’ll be good, or that I will be going to them. This is just a list of things I found that looked like they might be interesting, so please do not contact me to ask for your event to be included. That’s not the way it works.

Until Monday the 30th – Shout Festival @ venues all over Brum – I don’t know what Pride is if this is (as claimed) Brum’s first dedicated LGBT festival but there’s plenty a-happening, mostly theatre and sport: line-up here.

Up until Sunday the 8th, but not including Monday the 2nd – “Eat Your Heart Out” (Kindle Theatre) @ The A. E. Harris Building, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham – Three cooks create a meal at the end of the world. A play including music and food for the audience (I think. Not 100% sure about that).

Sunday the 1st – The Bad Shepherds @ The Glee Club, Birmingham – Along with everyone else who was present at the Sunday of Moseley Folk this year, I absolutely adore their version of “All Around My Hat”.

Wednesday the 4th till Sunday the 8th – “The Event” @ various venues in Digbeth, Birmingham – Or rather a series of events. I like the sound of pigeon loft themed content at The Rea Garden.

Thursday the 5th till Saturday the 7th – Flip Animation Festival @ The Light House, Wolverhampton – With all sorts of animatory and computer gamery fun happening. You can even have a go yourself.

Thursday the 5th – Steve Earle @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – Doing a set dedicated to Townes Van Zandt. I’m told he was on fantastic form in Derby last month.

Friday the 6th till Sunday the 8th – Hellfire Festival @ The NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham – With Saxon, Fields Of The Nephilim, My Dying Bride, Anathema, Katatonia, Blakfish and a load more. #MetalNovember and I suppose a bit #GothNovember too.

Friday the 6th – Clutch @ The Academy 2, Birmingham – Real Maryland Rock and that’s all there is to it. There are a few gigs on this night, though. (EDIT: Oh me oh my it appears that Kylesa are also on the bill. #MetalNovember).

Friday the 6th – Alabama 3 @ The Academy, Birmingham – See? London cowboys, anyway, and I’m not talking about cockney builders.

Friday the 6th – Beverley Knight @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Yampy soulstress of high repute. Another victim of The Great Friday The 6th Gig Clash, but she is also at Symphony Hall in Brum on Monday the 23rd.

Saturday the 7th – Femme Metal Festival @ The Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham – Will it be challenging or reinforcing stereotypes? I’m never cynical as you know Ted. #MetalNovember.

Saturday the 7th – Damien Jurado @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – “If you tear down the dancehall places / Where’re we gonna see the beautiful faces?” he asks through the medium of swirly psychedelia. It’d probably be more apt for him to play in Digbeth than Kings Heath.

Sunday the 8th – Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide To The Orchestra @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – This promises to tell us what bassoon players are secretly obsessed with, and I for one would like to know.

Monday the 9th till Saturday the 14th – “Mrs Warren’s Profession” (Bath Theatre Royal) @ The Rep, Birmingham – George Bernard Shaw comedy, starring Felicity Kendall. Hopefully she’ll bring that pet bird of hers that flies around the outside of a flower while light music plays.

Monday the 9th and Tuesday the 10th – The Specials @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Definitely looking like we’re getting towards our last chances to see them, now.

Monday the 9th – VV Brown @ The Academy 2, Birmingham – Poppy garage soul’n’roll. Really fun, going on the few songs I’ve heard.

Tuesday the 10th – The New Beautiful South @ The Academy 3, Birmingham – I actually liked The Old Beautiful South, now you come to mention it.

Tuesday the 10th – Woods / Espers / The Cave Singers @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Folk rockin’ (head knockin’ quick droppin’, they laugh ‘cos they mastered the craft etc).

Wednesday the 11th – The Drones @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Were bloody amazing at the same venue in June. Wouldn’t give a Castlemaine XXXX for anything else.

Thursday the 12th and Friday the 13th – “The Waiting Room” (Other People’s Shoes Theatre Company) @ The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham – Three actresses wait together for their separate auditions. This sounds to me like the tradition of a play within a play, only it’s not actually in the play.

Thursday the 12th – Beyonce @ The NIA, Birmingham – The most famous person I’ve ever actually met. And that includes Pato Banton.

Thursday the 12th – Sham 69 @ The Robin 2, Bilston – Although apparently Jimmy Pursey isn’t in the band anymore.

Thursday the 12th – Worriedaboutsatan @ Ikon Eastside, Digbeth, Birmingham – Electronic/groovy-glitch types playing a gig in the name of the end of Ryoji Ikeda’s installation, through which he considers the nature of data between 0 and 1.

Friday the 13th – Einstellung @ The Flapper, Birmingham – Local Krautrocky repeatalots, and very good they are too. (EDITED: I originally had this on the 12th, presumably because I am a dur-brain. Ta to Big Dave C in the comments).

Friday the 13th – Deep Purple @ The LG Arena, Marston Green, Birmingham – DER DER DERRN, DER DER DERN-NERRN (#MetalNovember).

Friday the 13th – Martha Tilston @ The Glee Club, Birmingham – Folkstress with some fantastic album titles (I cannot find any fault at all with “Mouse Tales” or “Of Milkmaids And Architects”).

Saturday the 14th till Sunday the 22nd – The Grand Slam Of Darts @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – And Bully’s SPECIAL PRIIIIIIIIIZZZE…

Saturday the 14th – “Culture Jam” @ Moor Straight Station Wine Bar (I did not know that such a thing did or could exist) and Volt Warehouse, Digbeth, Birmingham – Anglo-Lithuanian arts and music and fun. Now there’s a sentence you don’t get to say every day.

Sunday the 15th – “Celebrating Darwin: Is Human Evolution Over?” with Steve Jones (the biologist, not the one from the Sex Pistols) @ The Town Hall, Birmingham – The response that leaps to mind is “Eh? What makes you think that it even possibly might be?”, but then again I haven’t heard what he actually has to say.

Sunday the 15th – The Christmas Reindeer Parade @ Birmingham City Centre – Santa with his reindeer, a-parading. We’re also promised lanterns and marching bands.

Monday the 16th – Joe Lally @ The Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham – Your man there from Fugazi. Mentioning ‘Fugazi’ is not, as some would have it, some sort of assertion of elitist superiority. It’s just a question of them being the band he’s in, y’get’me?

Wednesday the 18th – “Hearts And Minds” (The Drum & Khayaal Theatre Company) @ The Drum, Newtown, Birmingham – There was another play called “Hearts And Minds” around here not so long ago, but this isn’t the same one. In this, young Asif is forced to contemplate to whom or what he feels loyal to.

Thursday the 19th – Slayer @ The Academy, Birmingham – Slayaaaaaarrrgh. #MetalNovember.

Friday the 20th – Alec Empire @ Busk, Birmingham – At! Ar! Ee! Tee! Nage! Riot! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

Saturday the 21st – The Supreme Cat Show @ The NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham – It’ll be a bit like this, I imagine.

Saturday the 21st – Junius @ The Flapper, Birmingham – Pinchin’-from-the-80s atmospheric indie-rock, but a touch (only a touch, lets not go mad) less obvious about it than your Editors and your The Horrorses and your Interpols and whatnot. Not that I dislike any of those.

Sunday the 22nd – The Pantomime Horse Grand National @ Birmingham City Centre – Stick a fiver each way on Airbiscuit, if he’s running this year.

Wednesday the 25th then all the way till Saturday the 9th of January – “A Christmas Carol” (Birmingham Rep Theatre Company) @ The Rep, Birmingham – By far the thing I’ve seen the most different versions of over the years, between stage and screen. I doubt I’m alone in that. The Muppets were the best, obviously.

Wednesday the 25th – Skunk Anansie @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – A band who aren’t exactly forgotten but (I think) deserve to be remembered a lot more widely than they currently are. Or were. Looks like they’re back together now.

Friday the 25th – Chuck Berry And His American Band @ The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham – That’s how it’s advertised. A shame, really: I’d always thought he sounded his best when with his Estonian band. It’s Chuck Berry, anyway, I’m sure I don’t need to describe him.

Friday the 27th – Dio @ The Academy, Birmingham – Surely the most #MetalNovember of them all.

Friday the 27th and Saturday the 28th – “Tales Of Terror” (Happiness Patrol) @ The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham – Spooky stories from the theatre company that did an absolutely amazing version of Poe’s “The Masque Of The Red Death” last year.

Friday the 27th – Steeleye Span @ The Town Hall, Birmingham (no proper website as far as I can find, sorry) – Well, they’re no Bad Shepherds (see 1st), but their version of “All Around My Hat” is quite good too.

Friday the 27th – Discharge @ The Wagon & Horses, Digbeth, Birmingham – Not quite part of #MetalNovember, but there’s certainly some overlap.

Friday the 27th – The Heavy @ The Rainbow, Digbeth, Birmingham – Indie-hop-soul. Or somesuch.

Friday the 27th – Boxing (First Team Promotions) @ The Tower Ballroom, Edgbaston, Birmingham – First Team promoting at The Tower Ballroom seems to have been done deliberately to confuse me. At the time of writing it’s said to be Neil Perkins, Rob Hunt, Chris Truman, Nasser Al Harbi and Ben Wilkes all against the feared TBA. First Team then also have a doings at The Venue in Dudley the following night, with Alex Strutt, Jamie Ball, Richard Ghent, Dean Anderson, Spencer Evans and Rob Doodie all also against the dreaded TBA (once again as advertised at the time of writing).

Sunday the 29th – Motorhead / The Damned / Girlschool @ The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Motorhead tend to try to get around the fact that they’ve been playing near enough exactly the same set for FIVE HUNDRED YEARS by always having a good supporting line-up. This does, by and large, work. P.S. #MetalNovember.

Sunday the 29th – A @ The Academy 2, Birmingham – 90s Britrock sorts who never seemed to get quite as big as quite a lot of their contemporaries. Nowadays I would put that down to them having such a pain-in-the-arse name for search engines.

Sunday the 29th – Thea Gilmore @ The Glee Club, Birmingham – Last time I saw her she thought Wolverhampton and Bilston were the same place, but I suppose we shouldn’t hold that against her forever.

Monday the 30th – Regina Spektor @ The Academy, Birmingham – Like a young Tori Amos, only a bit Russian.

Songs to do crazy insane dancing to

California Dolls – Alex Expander
Capsule – Jumper
Jean Jacques Perry – Gossipo Perpetuo
Incredible Bongo Band – Let There Be Drums
Harry Breuer- Minute Merengue
The Youngman Psycho Blues – Heavy Drunk Bad Boy
Piero Piccioni – Ti Ho Sposato Per Allegra
Zombina & the Skeletones – Guess What? (I Love You)
Roses are Red – Can’t Understand
Peelander-Z – Pho!
Nasty Facts – Crazy About You

Recently, I read an article that talked about the difficulty in determining the real value of Information Technology (IT) to business.  The issue was that companies for decades had spent millions of dollars on information technology but had no measurable way of understanding what benefits  they received for the expense or what the “real” cost was of implementing the technology.  They simply accepted it as a necessary factor of doing business.

Times have changed. As information technology has become more mainstream, less costly to purchase, especially in the small and medium business marketplace, the use of technology resources are being looked upon more as an investment in the health and profitability of the business and less as an expense.

What an interesting concept, technology as an investment, not an expense. What’s even more striking is it’s truth. Companies purchase technology solutions and services for essentially three reasons: They want to save money, to make money, or to mitigate a risk. Companies can no longer just throw human capital at a problem and wait for the results. Their budgets and staffs are shrinking. They must do more today with less resources than ever before, with more complex challenges than ever before. They can no longer afford to be in the reactive mode when their systems experience problems . Being prepared is essential, not optional in today’s highly competitive environment.

That’s why businesses of all sizes are turning to technology to save money, make more money, or mitigate risks. Managing the company IT resources in such a way that it accomplishes these results is where the industry is headed and it’s going there rapidly. A company can now utilize a service to remotely monitor and manage its IT infrastructure, systems and applications and do it so effectively that problems that ordinarily would have caused the company expensive downtime and lost revenue can be remediated before they cause an outage.

The real costs of information technology can be traced directly to systems outages that cause a loss in productivity and revenue. Keeping a companies’ systems and infrastructure running and performing at peak efficiency is the primary objective of Ascendant Technology Partners. Our goal is to assist your organization in managing your IT resources, network infrastructure, and systems and to mitigate problem issues before they arise, thus increasing the efficiency, productivity, predictability and profitability of your business. CLARITY Managed Services is the solution to help you get there. For more information on Ascendant’s CLARITY Managed Services solution, please visit our website or contact us at 225-218-6682 for more information.

Revamped iMac

Apple Inc. beat Wall Street expectations earlier this week when they announced their Q4′09 earnings. Considered to be the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, Apple Inc. simply asks “What recession?” Today, Apple Inc. continued their spectacular October when they announced several new products across their computer line.

Mac Mini Server

The Mac Mini was one of the computer models that got an upgrade. The $599 model got a spec bump with a faster processor (now 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, up from 2GHz), twice the memory (now 2GB, up from 1GB), and a larger hard drive (now 160GB, up from 120GB). The $799 has the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo with 4 GB of RAM (up from 2GB) but the same 320GB hard drive. Both price points still have the GeForce 9400M GPU and 8x SuperDrive. In addition to the upgrades to the Mac Mini line, there is now a “Server Edition” of the Mac Mini that forgoes the 8x SuperDrive and instead packs in TWO 500GB hard drives. This $999 model packs a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and GeForce 9400M GPU. Snow Leopard Server is included of course.

Next, Apple updated the iMac line with two screen size choices (21.5 inches or 27 inches) that are 16:9 displays and are all-aluminum bodies. Both have IPS panels that are LED-backlit and have a 178-degree viewing angle. Also both models come with wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse at no additional cost. Starting at $1199, the 21.5 inch has a 1920×1080 resolution and starts with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo (upgradable to 3.33GHz), 4GB RAM standard (upgradable to 8GB), 500GB hard drive (1 & 2TB options available at $1499 price point), andGeForce 9400M GPU (ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GPU option available at $1499 price point). At $1699, the 27 inch has a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and starts with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo (upgradable to 3.33GHz), 4GB RAM (upgradable to 16GB),  1TB hard drive (upgradable to 2TB), and ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GPU (upgradable to ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GPU). Finally, at $1999 the 27 inch comes with the 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 (upgradable to 2.8GHz Core i7), 4GB RAM (upgradable to 16GB), 1TB hard drive (upgradable to 2TB), and ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GPU. All models have 4 USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet port, one FireWire 800 port, and SD card slot (finally), and 8x SuperDrive. The 27 inch has a video-in.

Unibody Macbook

The low-end Macbook gets a makeover with a new white unibody polycarbonate design (similar to Macbook Pros), built-in 7 hour battery, LED-backlit display, Glass Multi-Touch trackpad, 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM (upgradable to 4GB), 250GB hard drive (upgradable to 500GB), and GeForce 9400M GPU starting at $999.

Perhaps the most intriguing announcement today is the new Magic Mouse (no longer “Mighty”) for $69. It is the first multitouch wireless mouse on the market meaning you use your fingers to scroll, swipe, and click. The Magic Mouse is supposed to last 4 months on AA batteries.

Apple also revamped their remote with a new aluminum finish that is kinda like the bastard child of the iPod Nano and the old iPod Shuffle. It can control your iPod, iPhone, and/or Mac for $19.

Lastly, Apple updated the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule for better performance.

Magic Mouse

Apple Remote

Credits to engadget.com and gizmodo.com for the story and pictures.